“Life Art is too passive!” In the cave abode, Xu Qing lifted his head, his eyes revealing determination.

He had a life lantern, so it would be a good choice for him to choose the Life Art. He could just hide in his cave abode until he slowly cultivated his life fire. His combat strength would still be astonishing.

However, this would take a very long time and cultivation required a large number of spirit stones. His magic boat also had to be upgraded. Most importantly, Xu Qing felt that in this world, even the sunrise and sunset might change one day.

As such, it wasn’t suitable for him to quietly cultivate the Life Art.

He was worried that if he cultivated this, an accident would happen before his life fire was formed.

Xu Qing didn’t like this passiveness.

He decided to cultivate the Fiendish Fire Soul Devouring Art.

When the Fiendish Fire Soul Devouring Art was cultivated to the extreme, after suppressing the enemy’s souls in one’s magic apertures, not only could it increase the density of magic power, but the cultivation art jade slip also said that it could fuse these suppressed souls with the magic ship using a special method.

After fusion, the souls would be like the spirit of the magic ship.

This would allow the magic ship to possess some characteristics of a magic treasure!

As for magic treasures, Xu Qing had never seen them before.

However, he knew that magic treasures were extremely rare and couldn’t be used sustainably. Each of them had earth-shattering power.

“To a certain extent, my life lantern might also be a special magic treasure?” Xu Qing mumbled. He wasn’t clear about this.

He no longer thought about it. After making a decision, he immediately took the jade slip and sat after studying it for a moment. The magic apertures in his body shone and burned his spirit sea as he began to cultivate according to the description of the Fiendish Fire Soul Devouring Art!

The first step of the Fiendish Fire Soul Devouring Art was to form the fiendish fire.

The magic apertures of Foundation Building cultivators all contained magic fire. This fire could burn the spirit sea and form magic power. At the same time, it was also the key to the final ignition of life fire.

Because Xu Qing had fused with the black umbrella life lantern, the flames in his magic aperture were black due to the life lantern’s aura.

As for the fire cultivated by the Fiendish Fire Soul Devouring Art, its color was also black.

It looked similar to Xu Qing’s black umbrella fire but four hours later, when Xu Qing cultivated this scripture and formed a trace of fiendish fire in his magic aperture, he discovered that there was a huge difference between the two types of fire in his magic aperture.

Regardless of whether it was in terms of heat or level, the black umbrella’s flames were much stronger than the fiendish fire. Its aura was stronger as well. The only difference was that it didn’t have the ability to absorb soul power.

However, this matter was very easy to resolve. After Xu Qing fused the fiendish fire with his black fire, the fiendish fire he cultivated was instantly devoured. At the same time, the soul-absorbing ability of the fiendish fire slowly appeared in his black fire.

Xu Qing was satisfied and continued cultivating.

Three days passed.

When Xu Qing filled the black fire in his two magic apertures with dense soul-absorbing powers, he ended his cultivation. He knew that the most important thing to him now was soul.

He needed souls to be used as firewood to open his third magic aperture.

“I wonder if Senior Brother Zhang San has returned. When he refines my magic boat, I’ll go out to sea.”

Xu Qing looked at his shadow. After some thought, he took out the black iron stick and opened the seal on the Diamond Sect’s ancestor.

In an instant, the aura of the Diamond Sect’s ancestor spread out. However, he was clearly afraid and didn’t dare to say a word. It was as though he was afraid that he would say something wrong and cause Xu Qing to kill him.

Xu Qing glanced at the black iron stick and didn’t bother with it. Instead, the suppression power of the purple crystal in his body suddenly appeared and suppressed the shadow in front of the Diamond Sect’s ancestor who was hiding in the iron stick.

This was a daily occurrence. From the start to the end, Xu Qing’s expression was calm. As for the shadow, it seemed to be used to it and didn’t resist or reject him at all. It allowed Xu Qing to suppress it until it was about to shatter.

However, the Diamond Sect’s ancestor was trembling even more intensely. He was like a bird startled by the twang of a bow. His artifact spirit’s body even turned unstable.

“The current you is no longer of much use to me,” Xu Qing calmly said.

After his cultivation reached the Foundation Building realm, Xu Qing had another opinion of his shadow. Although the other party had its own will, Xu Qing could suppress it. What he needed was for the other party to be stronger.

Otherwise, it would be a little difficult for it to keep up with him and become his trump card. As for the Diamond Sect’s ancestor in the black iron stick, Xu Qing felt that it was the same.

The other party was being too comfortable. If that was the case, it wouldn’t be in line with his future path.

His words instantly caused the shadow to tremble, and the black iron stick shook even more intensely.

A long time later, under Xu Qing’s cold gaze, the shadow started distorting. As it twisted and turned, a faint wisp of consciousness entered Xu Qing’s mind.

“Anomalous substances… advancement… divinity…”

Xu Qing fell into deep thought. His gaze moved away from the shadow and landed on the black iron stick. There was no killing intent in his eyes but this gaze caused the iron stick to almost crack from all the trembling.

“What’s the use of having you?”

Xu Qing slowly spoke. When he lifted his right hand, the wisp of the Diamond Sect’s ancestor’s life soul appeared in his hand, as though he wanted to crush it. The Diamond Sect’s ancestor quickly came out of the iron stick.

“Master, Master, don’t kill me. I can cultivate. I have an artifact spirit cultivation art but I was either weak or in a deep sleep during this period. I didn’t have time to cultivate.”

“Master, give me a chance. I’ll definitely work hard in my cultivation, definitely!!”

The Diamond Sect’s ancestor wailed. The fear in his heart was indescribable.

“The two of you, I’ll evaluate you in half a year. The weak will be eliminated!” Xu Qing calmly said. As soon as he spoke, a sense of ferocity instantly rose in the shadow. However, it wasn’t targeted at Xu Qing but at the Diamond Sect’s ancestor.

The Diamond Sect’s ancestor was furious, but he didn’t reveal it on the surface. On the contrary, his gentle expression caused the shadow to be confused and the ferocity gradually dissipated a little.

Xu Qing understood the Diamond Sect’s ancestor and didn’t bother with the scheming between the two. He kept the black iron stick and opened the cave abode’s door.

It was noon. The sun shone through the blue sky and white clouds. There was also the humid sea breeze that blew in, faintly bringing about the clamor of the world at the foot of the mountain.

However, as the distance was too far, the clamor it brought carried the ethereal feeling of being separated from the world.

Xu Qing walked out of the cave abode and stood beside the cliff, looking at the main city below. The ports he saw were very prosperous and there was an endless stream of boats coming and going.

It was the same in other areas. One could see a tide of pedestrians on the streets. The prosperity of the Seven Blood Eyes’ main city was reflected in their eyes.

Although Xu Qing had climbed up the mountain and looked down the mountain twice before, he wasn’t a cultivator of the mountain at that time. The feeling was completely different from now.

“It’s different and also the same.”

Xu Qing muttered after a long while.

What was different was the level. What was the same was that everyone was still living under the cover of the god’s fragmented face.

Xu Qing looked at the port area again.

As a Foundation Building cultivator, he had the right to establish a new port. However, he hadn’t thought about whether he should use it or not. He pondered and stepped into the air.

He was going to make a trip to the shops in the port area to buy some powerful jade talismans that could be used by Foundation Building cultivators. After all, with his current cultivation, ordinary talismans were no longer enough to deal with his needs.

Most Foundation Building cultivators relied on jade talismans.

Also, Xu Qing planned to look for his informant.

After he became a Foundation Building cultivator, he had two spots for followers. He was ready to give one to the informant, but he didn’t intend to bring her up the mountain.

He also wanted to check if Zhang San had returned.

Furthermore, his identity in the Homicide Department had changed when he reached the Foundation Building realm. He still held a post inside, but his position in the identity jade slip had changed.

He was no longer the vice-captain of Team Six but one of the deputy directors of the Homicide Department, in charge of the Black Division.

As the deputy director, under normal circumstances, he didn’t need to go to the Homicide Department. He could just help out when necessary. Moreover, his salary was also increased to 100 spirit stones every month.

Of course, Foundation Building cultivators could give up on this position.

These spirit stones weren’t much in comparison to the sect’s share of the profits but Xu Qing felt that he couldn’t reject it. After all, when he first came to the Seven Blood Eyes, 100 spirit stones was already a huge sum.

As Xu Qing descended the mountain and appeared in the port area, numerous respectful gazes instantly gathered on him. Not only did all the pedestrians on the streets retreat, but the shopkeepers of the various peaks also quickly walked out and bowed respectfully.

This was especially so for those piedmont disciples. No matter which peak they were from, they were respectful, and all of them bowed to greet him from afar.

To the people at the foot of the mountain, Foundation Building… was no different from a god.

To them, both the god and Foundation Building cultivators could kill them.

The latter could even kill faster.

Under the sunlight, Xu Qing’s dark purple Daoist robe seemed to represent supreme dignity.

Xu Qing, who was used to concealing himself, wasn’t used to the feeling of being the center of attention, so he immediately disappeared from the place.

When he appeared, he was already at the usual place he met with his informant.

Under his summoning, not long later, his informant arrived rapidly. Looking at Xu Qing’s dark purple Daoist robe, the informant stopped in her tracks and was at a loss. Her eyes revealed extreme reverence and her breathing became rough.

The shock on her face was indescribable. It was only when Xu Qing coldly glanced at her that the informant’s body trembled and she immediately knelt down.

“Master.”

Xu Qing took out a jade slip and waved it slightly. This jade slip transformed into a beam of light that headed straight for the informant. It slowly stopped in front of her and landed in her trembling hand.

“This is a follower token. You should know its value. There’s no need to go up the mountain.”

“Go and plan all the preparations needed to open a new port in three months. This is your next mission.”

When Xu Qing’s voice rang out, he had already left. The sea breeze blew past, blowing the informant’s long hair, revealing her beautiful face. She lifted her head and stared blankly at the departing Xu Qing. Her breathing became increasingly hurried and her expression was filled with disbelief.

She had never imagined that the other party… would actually leap to the high and mighty Foundation Building realm in such a short period.