Becoming evil makes you ten times stronger, but becoming a demon gives you hundredfold strength

This was the second sword technique Meng Yu chose to strengthen.

It wasn't the Vermilion Bird Divine Sword, nor the Phoenix Immortal Sword, but rather an ordinary technique that countless people learned, mastered, publically disclosed by the Golden Crow Observatory, practiced by over ten people in prison, and could always be discussed without worrying about any flaws or traps—a breadth of sword technique.

This sword technique had a low entry threshold but a high potential for mastery, and Meng Yu fancied the fire within it.

Wind and fire, wind and fire, with wind and fire, that was happiness!

Wind and fire were naturally complementary!

He could also practice the Burning Body Technique from the Shaoyang Treasured Manual!

The long sword evolved through the Fire Crow Sword Technique, a steady stream of knowledge about swordsmanship flowed in the depths of his heart, and then, at the climax of the technique's execution, the ten lotus seeds in his divine sense fell upon the Fire Crow Sword Technique.

Mastery instantly became Great Perfection, and at the same time, Meng Yu experienced what felt like a long dream.

He arrived in a world with sparse spiritual energy, where the peak of Third Grade Qi Cultivation was the ceiling of power, but he did not give up; day after day, he practiced the Fire Crow Sword Technique, undistracted by anything, not even practicing his own wind system swordsmanship, but wholly devoted to the Fire Crow Sword Technique.

One sword, ten swords, ten thousand swords, a million swords!

Just as the power of the lotus seeds was about to be exhausted, something inside him suddenly ruptured.

I have one sword; I stick to one sword!

When he deployed the Fire Crow Sword Technique for the millionth time, Meng Yu's divine sense suddenly saw the sun in the sky.

I am the Fire Crow, I am also the Golden Crow, and I am even the sun!

The next moment, Meng Yu returned to reality, and a violent, magma-like flame instantly engulfed his surroundings, a thick fire cocooning him, while his cultivation advanced from Third Grade to Fourth Rank, then directly leaped to Grade Five.

From external to internal, refining the body to cultivate Qi, this was the most straightforward yet solid method of leveling up!

The slightly restless True Qi was tempered over and over again and blended with the azure wind, and after a million hammers, they were indistinguishable.

Meng Yu felt an immense relief in his heart; he clearly felt that when the power of the lotus seeds aided his breakthrough, he was just a hair's breadth away from not grasping the Sword Intent.

If he had chosen a more advanced sword technique, if he hadn't practiced the Fire Crow Sword Technique desperately over the last half year, it might not have been enough!

But now, the Fire Crow Sword Technique had reached Great Perfection, achievement, the Sword Intent of Fire, achievement!

...

Three days later, when Meng Yu emerged from the Quiet Room, it was late at night.

Nobody was waiting outside, nor was there anyone to applaud for him; the prison was quiet, with only the sound of the wind and the rustling of Red Maple leaves on their branches.

It was a beautiful night, yet it was not his home.

His heart was filled with joy; he even spent extra time admiring the Red Maple Tree.

However, this good mood disappeared when he passed by Old Liefire's Elixir Sanctuary.

If you had to work under someone despicable for half a year, being constantly deducted from and bossed around, your mood wouldn't be good either.

Like now, Old Liefire was cursing someone out.

Last month, a new group of prisoners arrived, and then someone got tricked by Old Liefire, becoming his helper, but sadly, that prisoner couldn't compare to Meng Yu; despite his efforts, he was often cursed by Old Liefire.

He was a man in his thirties who had racked up a huge debt with the bank during his university days, maxed out his credit cards after starting work, unable to clear them, and then ended up here.

"What's the matter, master?"

"He's slacking off again."

Meng Yu asked, and Old Liefire answered.

"I won't do it anymore! I helped you make the Four Symbols Fierce Fire Pill, and you said there would be enough elixirs provided when we started, but when we were halfway through, the Qi Replenishing Pills you brought out contained pill poison!"

The young man was very angry, and he was a graduate of a prestigious university; he knew all too well the consequences of consuming elixirs tainted with pill poison.

"You're talking nonsense, these Vital Energy Pills are normal, just like the ones on the market!"

Old Liefire roared loudly.

"Do you think I can't tell the difference? We agreed you would provide superior quality!"

"Where's the evidence, where is it?"

Old Liefire hadn't expected the young man to be able to discern the difference between the Qi Replenishing Pills; he still argued defiantly at this point.

"Alright, alright, let's not get angry, Xiao Lin, you've worked hard all day, go rest. If there's anything else, I'll help finish it."

"No, Brother Meng, there's no need for your help. You're about to go to the tournament, alchemy consumes a lot of True Qi, you should focus on cultivating properly, don't get involved in this, let's go."

Although Xiao Lin was older than Meng Yu, he still courteously addressed this honest man as brother. He had received a lot of help from Meng Yu during this period and vividly remembered his kindness.

"Forget it, forget it, just go."

After persuading Xiao Lin to leave, Meng Yu stayed behind to help Old Liefire with alchemy. Making alchemical elixirs was a task that consumed a great deal of True Qi, but today, Meng Yu not only did it with ease, but also felt very relaxed.

In the pill furnace, even though the flames were overwhelmingly explosive, at this moment, he found them extremely familiar, as if he were controlling his own fingers.

"Your rank has gone up by one grade?"

Old Liefire watched with a bit of surprise, envy apparent in his eyes.

"Yeah, I had a breakthrough right before the battle, not bad."

"That's good, I'm going to increase the flame now."

Old Liefire was not polite, using a gentle flame would take four hours, but increasing the power would only take one hour. As for depleting Meng Yu's True Qi... for some people, they never feel bad about taking advantage of others; on the contrary, it's more unbearable than death not to maximize their own benefits.

Even if Meng Yu had just broken through, even if he had been very respectful and done a lot for him over the past six months.

"Old Liefire, try to be a bit more decent. Xiao Lin has contributed so much; is it appropriate to give him Qi Replenishing Pills tainted with pill poison?"

"I've done the same to you, what about it, not satisfied? Didn't you learn the skill of fire control from me? If you're not satisfied, then get lost."

Old Liefire snorted coldly, he was not afraid of Meng Yu at all. This was his Elixir Sanctuary, full of restrictions, and Meng Yu was about to participate in a tournament, he wouldn't dare to fall out with him.

"Then, please settle my remuneration and the alchemical elixirs."

"What's the rush, you won't miss out on yours when the time comes."

Old Liefire smiled as well, he had no desire to pay. After all, once the competition was over, Meng Yu would likely be transferred elsewhere; it would take some doing to make him pay up.

He had lived his whole life by one philosophy: only by having a thick face and a black heart can one live better.

"Boom!"

The next moment, the pill furnace in front of Old Liefire suddenly exploded violently, the fiery flames rampaging throughout the Quiet Room. It was an explosion comparable to a Second Order's full-force attack, and Old Liefire happened to be standing right in front of Meng Yu.