Chapter 11: Making Use of the Useless

Early morning, just as the first light crept across the sky.

Inside the small courtyard, Jiang Chen stood solemnly, gazing at the wild boar, black bear, and three small mice that had just been delivered.

The wild boar’s bristly coat was a deep brown, its body caked in mud, sizable at over three hundred pounds—a substantial catch for Rooster Mountain. Yet it was already lifeless. The black bear, too, lay dead; even in death, a savage aura lingered about it, the residue of its ferocity palpable in the air.

As for the three mice, they were alive and lively, restless even within their bamboo cage, scampering and squeaking as though sensing danger.

“The Bloodflame Art can refine vital energy; today is the day to test its strength, to see whether it meets my expectations.”

With a thought, Jiang Chen activated the incantation. The flame pattern at his chest began to radiate warmth.

In the next instant, a fist-sized sphere of blood-red fire appeared in his palm.

“Go!”

With a casual wave, the bloodflame split and landed upon the bodies of the wild boar and black bear. At first, the fire was faint, but upon contact with flesh and blood, it grew rapidly, swelling to envelop both beasts in mere breaths.

Witnessing the rampaging fire, the three mice squealed in terror, desperately crashing against the bamboo cage, frantic to escape, their fear reaching a feverish pitch.

Jiang Chen’s expression remained unchanged. He watched the transformation of the bloodflame intently, carefully controlling its power. The Bloodflame Art’s most remarkable feature lay in its ability to burn flesh and convert it into vital energy, but the process was extremely ruthless; without precise control, nothing would remain.

Under Jiang Chen’s guidance, the once-massive wild boar and black bear gradually shrank, their flesh and blood consumed by the fire.

After a while, the raging flames receded, coalescing into a fist-sized sphere in Jiang Chen’s hand. Compared to before, its color had deepened, shifting from bright crimson to a dark, intense red.

“Truly ruthless—nothing left behind.”

Cradling the bloodflame, Jiang Chen’s gaze fell upon the remains of the boar and bear. A shadow flickered in his eyes. Though their bodies were still intact, untouched by the fire, their flesh had been utterly drained, leaving only skin stretched over bone.

In the next moment, a light breeze swept in from outside the courtyard. The corpses of the wild boar and black bear crumbled to ash and were carried away, leaving no trace behind.

Watching this scene, Jiang Chen gained a deeper understanding of the Bloodflame Art’s power, and his curiosity about the cultivation methods of this world grew.

It must be remembered that the Bloodflame Art was merely the lowest level of talismanic technique. Above it were true spells and even more formidable means. If a single talisman could wield such power, who could imagine the wonders of higher arts?

“Compared to the spells of this world, the abilities of the Mystic Star are crude—more like seeds waiting to sprout.”

“Now that the vital energy has been refined, it’s time for the next step.”

With another thought, Jiang Chen flicked his fingertip, separating three seeds of fire from the bloodflame in his palm.

“Vital energy is the source of life. Without it, life is like a dried tree without water. Conversely, with sufficient vital energy, life can grow stronger.”

His soul surged, manipulating the three fire seeds, and he fused them into the bodies of the three mice.

These fire seeds were essentially concentrated vital energy. Upon entering their bodies, the mice writhed in agony, rolling across the ground as though something was rampaging within them.

Jiang Chen frowned at the sight.

Purification required. Even though the vital energy had been refined, integrating it was still a painful ordeal, akin to having one’s skin flayed and bones broken.

Fortunately, Jiang Chen had only used a small portion of the refined vital energy. After some time, only one mouse succumbed to the pain and died on the spot, while the other two survived.

Now, however, they were utterly exhausted, collapsed and barely breathing, as if death might claim them at any moment.

Jiang Chen pondered.

“Life has its limits—determined by species and by individual. The vital energy I used was minimal; the mouse that died must have been one with an especially low threshold, an inferior specimen.”

Musing on past experiences, he formed a few conjectures; to confirm them, he would need further experimentation.

Glancing at the sky, Jiang Chen set aside these thoughts for now. Soon, he would have to meet the true leader of this bandit lair, and such tests could not be rushed.

“These two mice have survived, but they won’t be able to absorb any more vital energy for a while—they need time to digest it.”

He looked at the two slumbering mice, then at the bloodflame in his hand, his brow furrowed. He lacked any means to seal the vital energy; the Dao book mentioned such methods, but he was short on materials.

After a moment, his gaze shifted to the peach tree in the courtyard.

It was now March, and the climate in Qinghe County had not yet warmed. The peach tree’s leaves had all fallen, leaving only bare branches—an image of desolation.

“Though plants are not made of flesh and blood, they are living things. I wonder whether this vital energy will have any effect on them.”

With that thought, Jiang Chen cast the remaining bloodflame onto the peach tree.

The fire dissolved, burning briefly along the trunk before disappearing, but Jiang Chen noticed no unusual changes.

He was not disappointed; this was merely a way to avoid waste.

According to the Dao book left by Jiang Wang, the main function of the Bloodflame Art was to refine vital energy, which was a resource needed for cultivation during the Qi Refining stage. While it had other uses, they were rarely valued and not clearly recorded.

“As things stand, it’s entirely possible to strengthen the body by absorbing vital energy—but whether there are hidden dangers remains unknown. Even after purification, this vital energy is still foreign, an outsider to the body.”

With that final thought, Jiang Chen called for Stone, gave a few brief instructions, then turned and left the courtyard, heading toward the true heart of Wooden Fish Island. It was the first time in many days he would appear before the others.

His actions naturally attracted much attention; the well-informed knew that Jiang Chen was going to meet the chief. If nothing unexpected happened, the position of the fourth leader would likely be decided.