Yun Jin watched for a while, a look of amused interest flashing in her eyes.
She'd always let that servant of hers grow freely. The only help she ever gave him in cultivation was tweaking his Blood Qi Codex at the start.
Back then, she didn't have much Emotional Value to spend, so even though she'd improved the codex, it wasn't all that refined. Later, when Gu Jinghong passed the assessment and joined the Wushuang Sect, Yun Jin stopped paying him much attention altogether.
She opened the sect disciple panel for a glance.
Gu Jinghong's development looked decent enough, steady and disciplined.
When he first joined, his cultivation had only reached the Golden Core stage. Two years later, he was already in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. That kind of progress would've been considered fast outside. But among the disciples of Wushuang Sect, it was merely average.
However, there was one surprising detail.
Gu Jinghong's soul cultivation had already reached late Divine Transformation. With enough spiritual energy, he could advance to that stage easily, without any bottleneck. And increasing spiritual power wasn't hard for a Wushuang Sect disciple.
The Trial Tower's tests and the pills distributed by the sect could all help improve cultivation. By all rights, Gu Jinghong's level should've been higher by now. So this could only mean one thing.
When he entered the Trial Tower, he must've deliberately skipped rewards that increased spiritual power. As for the resources issued by the sect, he must've used them for something else entirely.
Like that set of treasures he was using—they looked quite extraordinary. Even the technique he cultivated had changed. He'd switched from the Blood Qi Codex to the Blood Emperor Codex.
This technique was quite special.
No human cultivator had it. Yun Jin had taken a demonic technique, modified it, and placed it in the Wushuang Sect's scripture vault herself. So far, out of all disciples, only Gu Jinghong had chosen it.
After joining Wushuang Sect, he'd had countless options. He could've easily gone with a more orthodox technique. But he'd stuck with the same lineage as his old Blood Qi Codex.
The Blood Emperor Codex was peculiar—it could be cultivated fast or slow. If practiced step by step, it was slower than ordinary techniques.
But if…
Yun Jin smiled, suddenly understanding Gu Jinghong's intent. He'd purposely held back his spiritual cultivation for this very battle!
She saw it clearly now—every time his sword cut down a demon, a surge of blood energy flowed into his body, his cultivation instantly rising by a fraction.
Exactly.
The Blood Emperor Codex was a killing technique!
Through slaughtering living beings, a cultivator could gain power at a terrifying pace. But this method usually brought chaos—corrupted bloodlines, twisted minds, madness. That was why it was a demonic technique to begin with.
But after Yun Jin's refinement, the absorbed blood energy was converted into pure energy, no longer tainting the cultivator's spiritual power. Still, gaining cultivation through killing was dangerously tempting.
Without side effects, this kind of technique could easily seduce anyone with a weak will into mindless slaughter.
Yun Jin observed for a moment.
Gu Jinghong, however, wasn't losing control.
In fact, she was a bit surprised. His "Goodness Value" was rated at ninety-two percent by the system—exceptionally high even among Wushuang Sect disciples.
That, she hadn't expected.
Beside him, Zhou Li and Zhou Dai, the twin brothers, fought alongside him. Back then, Yun Jin had promised to grant them an opportunity to break free from Zhao Wuji's grasp. When the demons attacked the mountain that day, the twins had seized the chance, testifying against Zhao Wuji.
Afterward, both passed the assessment and joined Wushuang Sect. Seeing them now fighting shoulder to shoulder with Gu Jinghong, their bond looked solid.
Yun Jin couldn't help feeling a little sentimental. Back then, Zhao Wuji's six disciples had dominated Tianxing Sect under his shadow.
That was only a few years ago.
But now, it felt like something from a lifetime past.
She thought quietly.
Once this demon war ended, she'd dissolve the contract between her and Gu Jinghong and give him back his freedom.
At first, she'd bound him out of spite.
But now…
She couldn't be bothered with such old grudges.
Since he was already a disciple of Wushuang Sect, with a heart that leaned toward good, their past debts could end here.
Yun Jin watched a bit longer.
On the battlefield, Gu Jinghong's Blood Emperor Codex worked at astonishing speed. A single small battle, and his cultivation could leap an entire sub-realm.
Then she glanced at her own disciples.
Su Lingling hadn't come to the battlefield this time. She was still too young and lacked cultivation, so Yun Jin had arranged for her to continue training in the East Sea.
Gao Jingxuan, on the other hand, had reached the Nascent Soul stage. He held a ruler in his hand—his natal artifact was intriguing. Every demon struck by it would fall into a brief daze, then be immediately beheaded by another cultivator.
Gao Jingxuan had basically turned himself into a support fighter. Of course, the reason he was supporting this time was that his assist method was simply more efficient at killing demons. If he actually went all out, that ruler would paint an entirely different scene. Yun Jin glanced at her second disciple's status panel, smiling wordlessly.
Next was Ye Cheng.
He'd already stepped into the Primordial Life. His cultivation might not be the highest, but in understanding the Laws of the Primordial Force, he was far ahead. That was because his heart was the clearest among them all. Only someone like him could sense that faintest tremor of life itself. Ye Cheng was born to walk this path.
The disciples of Wushuang Sect were all shining bright on the battlefield. Even the members of its subsidiary sects were showing unique abilities.
Disciples from other sects watching from afar couldn't help but feel jealous.
Ji Wusi couldn't hold it in and asked, "How in the world did you train these disciples?"
His tone carried obvious sourness.
At this point, the overall strength of cultivators in the Qingxiao region was already leagues above the other areas.
Yun Jin chuckled, "Why don't you join Wushuang Sect too, Master?"
Ji Wusi rolled his eyes hard. "Get lost!"
He should've known better than to ask!
While they chatted, the battle below ended.
Yun Jin glanced at the field, then summoned a blaze that burned the entire demon stronghold to ashes. After that, she led everyone toward the next gathering point.
None of the demon elites had shown up yet.
But Yun Jin wasn't in a hurry.
They could just keep pushing deeper.
Why so arrogant?
Simple.
Too many people, too arrogant!