Chapter 96

Hurry up and cast your votes, give little zongzi some strength.

"Who knows what he'll look like when he comes out after eight days?" Bai Yulou chuckled, as if guessing something, his face full of satisfaction.

"Whether he can even come out is still a question," Bai Yushan sneered.

Eight days of black room confinement, most people either can't bear the mental strain and break down, or simply end their own lives.

"So boring."

On the first day, Chen Zong practiced the True Sword Heaven-Cutting Technique, drawing his sword to practice sword techniques. Unfortunately, the black room was not very spacious, which greatly restricted his practice. His senses were also dulled, and he would often touch the walls, the echoes reverberating and constantly assaulting his eardrums. It was tolerable the first few times, but after a while, it became very annoying, and he had to stop.

On the second day, Chen Zong started to feel bored.

Looking around, all he saw was darkness. Even the strong light brought by the Eight Techniques of the True Sword was almost completely swallowed by the darkness, making it hard to see. His senses were dulled, and his sense of distance became chaotic, making it difficult to practice effectively.

The darkness and loneliness slowly eroded his heart.

"Whatever, I'll still practice," Chen Zong said to himself, his voice echoing in the black room, entering and exiting his ears.

He calmed his mind and practiced the True Sword Heaven-Cutting Technique. The qi and blood in his body circulated like a sword, over and over again. The True Sword Heaven-Cutting Technique was of a grade surpassing the best human-grade techniques, and the speed of cultivation at the third level was astonishing. However, any cultivation technique must have a basis; it's impossible to generate strength out of thin air.

Chen Zong only brought some energy pills into the black room, which could only ensure he wouldn't starve to death. To improve his cultivation, it was extremely difficult. The cultivation of qi and blood consumes the body's energy, which must be replenished through food or pills. Energy pills, for a seventh-layer qi and blood realm practitioner, could only provide enough energy to resist hunger and had no benefit for cultivation.

One could say that those punished with black room confinement dare not cultivate qi and blood. Once they start, they consume their body's energy, and without replenishment, they either starve to death or die from blood exhaustion, a very tragic end.

Without the ability to cultivate, there were even fewer ways to alleviate the darkness and loneliness, inevitably leading to frustration and, ultimately, mental breakdown.

One could say that the punishment of black room confinement seemed severe, but upon closer examination, it was extremely severe, with each aspect interconnected.

Chen Zong was fortunate to have obtained the Blood Jade Essence and not sold it. Otherwise, he would have been even more hesitant to cultivate the True Sword Heaven-Cutting Technique, which, surpassing the best human-grade techniques, had an astonishing cultivation effect, but also consumed the body's energy at an astonishing rate.

A large amount of pure blood qi continuously flowed into his body with the circulation of the True Sword Heaven-Cutting Technique, gradually strengthening his qi and blood.

The formation of Blood Jade was very difficult, requiring jade and a long-term immersion in a large amount of blood, not just ordinary blood, but the blood of martial artists or beasts.

Imagine, the pure blood qi contained in one liang (about 50 grams) of Blood Jade, when fully extracted, would be equivalent to the qi and blood produced by a seventh-layer qi and blood realm martial artist practicing continuously for two to three months. The formation of Blood Jade Essence was hundreds or thousands of times more difficult than Blood Jade, and saying it was worth a hundred times as much was just the lowest estimate.

The Blood Jade Essence Chen Zong obtained weighed more than one liang but less than two liangs. The pure blood qi it contained, both in quantity and quality, far exceeded Blood Jade by a hundred times or more. It also had a special property: when worn, it would naturally absorb the qi and blood emitted by the body, replenishing itself.

Every martial artist, with their abundant qi and blood, would naturally emit a small part, which was a natural consumption and a waste. The Blood Jade Essence, however, would absorb this consumption, replenish itself, and then feed back to Chen Zong, forming a cycle.

Chen Zong estimated that the pure blood qi contained in this Blood Jade Essence was enough to cultivate him to the ninth layer of the qi and blood realm, with plenty left over.

Cultivating with the pure blood qi of the Blood Jade Essence was better than taking beast blood pills, as the latter contained impurities, while the Blood Jade Essence was pure.

After two hours, Chen Zong had to stop cultivating, as his body could not bear it. However, the pure blood qi of the Blood Jade Essence would still automatically enter his body without causing a burden, effectively allowing him to cultivate at all times, and his cultivation was steadily approaching the late seventh layer of the qi and blood realm.

"Now, what should I do?" Chen Zong thought.

Staying in the black room felt very boring. Cultivation was limited, and he couldn't leave. The Ice-Fire Quenching Ointment couldn't be brought in, and normally, he would practice sword techniques, but with his senses and distance perception dulled and the limited space, it was not conducive to practicing.

"What should I do?" Chen Zong repeated.

After careful thought, it seemed there was nothing much he could do.

"Better to sleep."

He closed his eyes, not thinking about anything, leaned against the wall, and planned to sleep. However, the wall was made of steel, very cold, and uncomfortable for sleeping.

On the third day, the feeling of boredom became even stronger.

Martial artists who were punished with black room confinement usually started to feel restless by the second day, and by the third day, their restlessness would reach a certain level. If they couldn't properly adjust their mindset, they would break down by the third or fourth day, taking a long time to recover.

After practicing the True Sword Heaven-Cutting Technique for two hours, Chen Zong tried to practice sword techniques.

With his senses and distance perception dulled, he accidentally stabbed the steel wall, causing the sword to vibrate and a piercing sound to reverberate, like a demonic sound piercing his brain, making him very uncomfortable.

Chen Zong, not believing in evil, continued to practice, but he touched the wall several more times, the piercing sound lingering, and a sense of frustration arose in his heart. He quickly stopped, took deep breaths, and adjusted his mindset, trying to calm down and clear his mind.

"Whatever, I won't practice sword techniques for now. I'll get used to this place and improve my sense of distance first."

With nothing to do, Chen Zong could only do this, finding something to do to alleviate the darkness and loneliness.

He slowly walked around the black room, using his hands and feet to measure and feel the size of the room, thoroughly exploring it.

People have environmental adaptability, but some are better at it than others. Chen Zong, after being transformed by the mysterious sword tip, was among the best, able to quickly adapt to different environments.

With determination, he quickly explored the entire black room. Although his senses were still dulled, his sense of distance had become much clearer. This was a very tedious task, but Chen Zong, having cleared his mind of all distractions, immersed himself in it.

He began to practice, this time with boxing.

Boxing and sword techniques are different but have commonalities.

However, for normal people, practicing boxing is easier than practicing sword techniques because the fist is part of the body and easier to control, while the sword is an extension, with varying lengths, thicknesses, and weights, making it difficult to master. For example, you can punch a target, but if you try to stab with a sword, you might miss.

Practicing boxing in the black room was easier than practicing sword techniques, especially since Chen Zong had already refined the Tiger Strength Fist to a micro level, giving him a very fine control over his strength.

After a few rounds of boxing, Chen Zong's sense of distance became even clearer, and his senses seemed to recover slightly, though not significantly.

The benefit was that his mind truly calmed down, without the previous sense of emptiness and frustration. He could think about the shortcomings of his sword techniques, see if there were any areas for improvement, or recall past battles.

At night, the temperature dropped, and the steel in the black room became even colder. Fortunately, the Blood Jade Essence continuously stimulated the circulation of qi and blood, dispelling the cold.

On the fourth day, Chen Zong was less bored because he had found a way to alleviate it.

He practiced sword techniques again.

At first, he inevitably touched the steel walls, the piercing sound continuously interfering with him. Fortunately, his mindset gradually adjusted, and he was not greatly affected.

Since he couldn't see anything, Chen Zong closed his eyes, which made it easier, and his sense of distance in the surrounding space became clearer.

Gradually, the number of times his sword touched the steel walls decreased.

The sword techniques Chen Zong practiced were simple, just the basic eighteen forms and a few foundation techniques.

With practice, the sword light brought by the Eight Techniques of the True Sword gradually became clearer.

When hungry, he ate energy pills, and when thirsty, he drank a little water, not eating other foods, so his body did not produce much impurity, and the need to relieve himself was not a significant issue. Otherwise, the room would have been filled with a foul smell. This was due to the stronger body of a martial artist; an ordinary person would not have been able to handle it.

On the fifth day, Chen Zong practiced as usual, no longer needing to be cautious with his sword techniques. He could practice freely, as he normally would. His senses were still dulled, but his sense of distance in the surrounding space had improved, and he no longer touched the steel walls, a clear sign of progress.

On the sixth day, Chen Zong felt restless again.

It appeared without warning, for no reason, making it impossible to focus on cultivating qi and blood or practicing sword techniques. Even if he tried to alleviate it, it was difficult, like waves of a tide continuously sweeping over him.

"So boring."

"How can this be."

"Is anyone there."

"Let me out."

In the black room, Chen Zong shouted and screamed, trying to vent his frustration, his fists pounding the steel walls, his heart burning with a wicked fire.

No one responded, and the wicked fire seemed to burn even more fiercely, almost driving him mad.

He punched and kicked, his fists burning with pain, drew his sword, and slashed at the steel walls, the piercing sound almost piercing his eardrums, tearing at his mind, making him even more frustrated, yet giving him a strange sense of pleasure, making it impossible to stop.

Until he was exhausted, Chen Zong lay on the ground, breathing heavily.

Time in the black room felt very long, each second seeming to stretch ten or even a hundred times, making it even harder to endure.

Finally, he managed to get through the sixth day, but his sense of time became even more blurred, and he had no concept of how much time had passed.

Here, it was always pitch black, making it difficult to perceive the passage of time. This was why the will of martial artists entering black room confinement was more easily confused. If they could perceive the passage of time, they would at least know how long they had to stay, giving them hope.