"Blood Energy Extraction"
This was the title which made Daneel step back with astonishment.
The very basis for the method of growing in power in the continent of Angaria was that one had to obtain Energy from Energy materials.
One of the earliest things that any fighter or mage learnt was that Energy was a magical thing which was modified in some way when any living being absorbed it. This was why resources were always more effective on those who had higher potential, because they would be able to advance more with the same amount of Energy because they could make use of more of it before it was modified in a way which made it unusable by any other being.
The very idea that Energy already absorbed could be extracted from blood was shocking.
Scrambling forward, he asked the system to analyse the book before impatiently waiting for the result.
[Technique 'Blood Energy Extraction' analysed. This is a hypothetical technique put forward by the 14th Sect Master of the Withering Leaf Sect. Although the premise of extracting Energy from blood was accomplished, there were certain side effects which rendered this technique unusable. First, while the level needed for a person to cast the spell to extract the Energy is that of an Exalted Warrior Mage, the amount of Energy extracted is so minuscule that all of the blood present in the human body of a typical exalted human mage would only result in the extraction of Energy equivalent to a single Ker Gem. Multiple attempts were made to increase the efficiency, but none succeeded. Second, the absorption of Energy extracted in this way results of the corrosion of the absorber's mind. Eventually, the absorber enters a state of bloodthirstiness from which there is no return. The book ends with the author promising that they will continue the experiments whenever a supply of fresh bodies resumes.]
Hearing this explanation from the system, Daneel did not know whether he was supposed to be excited or disgusted.
Finding himself feeling both equally, he put back the book and paused for a moment to assemble his thoughts.
His disgust came from the fact that such an experiment would definitely have needed an unimaginable amount of blood. Besides, the mention of a supply of fresh human bodies at the end was so chilling the Daneel couldn't help but wonder about just what activities the Sect was undertaking in this hidden location.
The only consolation was that this was a technique from centuries ago, which could mean that the Sect might have changed its ways since then either by necessity or force.
At least, if such a horror was going on in the continent today, there was no way that nobody would at least try and put a stop to it.
Yet, remembering the technique where two heads had been grafted onto the two individuals from the Sect, he decided to check for any clues regarding the matter.
His excitement, on the other hand, stemmed from the possibility that this technique could be modified by the system to apply to the blood of a different species, of which he had an abundance of.
On asking the system, a smile came on his face despite the gruesome origin of this technique due to the fact that it would be solving a very worrying problem that he had just been fretting about.
Asking the system to modify it in the way he wanted, Daneel continued to record each and every book in the room before proceeding towards the heart of the formation which was apparently located in the Sect Master's room.
Yet, when he tried to surpass the final barrier which led to the room on the tallest location in the entire sect, he found himself being blocked by a transparent barrier which seemed impassable.
[Core formation still in possession of a master. Please upgrade the system if host wants to break through and control it by brute force.]
This statement from the system mildly surprised Daneel.
The important location where all the core techniques of the Sect were stored was protected by a formation which was only at the peak of the Warrior Level. Then why was this formation a different one?
When he had entered the sect, Daneel had felt excited on seeing that he could access the library, making him think that the entire Sect was protected by formations of similar power.
Now, he found himself breaking out of the misunderstanding due to the answer from the system when he posed a question regarding this.
[Unlike the Dragon Heart formation, the formation covering the Withering Leaf Sect can only protect a single area, which is the Sect Master's Quarters that contains the heart of the formation.]
Shaking his head, Daneel realised that he had been too optimistic. After all, all the forces which could stand side-by-side in the Central Continent were all in possession of formations which needed Champion level attacks to break through. In fact, without such a formation, no force would be considered to be on the same level.
Hence, although Daneel was a bit disappointed that he couldn't get the spell technique that he had been hoping and yearning for since so long, he decided to take some steps because of the present situation where there was no one in the Sect.
After all, the remainder of the Sect would definitely come back one day, and when they did, they would find a nice surprise waiting for them.
The treasury was his next stop.
On arriving, he saw that it was exactly as he had imagined. There were no Energy Materials at all, with most of the room empty except for a few piles of Gold Coins from different forces.
The point was that the Sect Headquarters was supposed to look like it hadn't been touched since the advent of the mosquitoes, which was the reason why Daneel had been taking so much care not to trip any formations.
Thus, after a thorough search to ensure that there were no techniques or areas he missed, Daneel left the headquarters in the exact way that he had found it.
.....
Meanwhile, in an unmarked room in which a man was chained to a bed.
His body was covered with bandages, as if he had been torn apart in a thousand places from which his blood was still trying to leave his body.
This was the Eldest Prince: the man who had once been touted as the one who would inherit the throne to rule over millions of people as the rightful King of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.
Yet, right now, his future only held a public execution which he knew he wouldn't be able to escape from again.
Hate. Wrath. Rage.
These emotions racked him repeatedly, making him shake as he tried to control himself lest he angered himself to death without fulfilling one last goal he had set for himself.
Collecting all that anger and rage into a ball in his head, he tried to visualize himself pushing it towards the entity that was present on his chest.
He had been absorbed in this process whenever he had gotten the time since being captured by the Wretched King who was the target of all of his emotions.
The first few balls had had no effect, with the entity simply ignoring them or not being affected by them enough to elicit any reaction.
This was how it usually was; it had periods of high activity and hibernation. The former were when the Eldest Prince thought he was losing his mind as he felt as if someone was trying to take over.
Yet, during the latter, he would always find that he was much more aware of his surroundings while also being able to absorb Energy much faster than usual.
Of course, he had only been able to train a month after initiating this technique, as the first few weeks had only been spent lying on the ground writhing while hoping to keep control of himself without giving in to the pain that came from the attacks from the entity.
This made it all the more shocking, as it meant that he had managed to reach the Exalted Human level in a time that was two times shorter than what it would have been if he had followed the conventional method of training.
After sending as many balls as he could while knowing that time was running short, he felt a small amount of delight when he saw a similar rage emanating from the entity which was usually neutral when it was hibernating.
He knew that there was no way for him to escape death, so the only thing he hoped for was that his hatred would live on.
As a smile came on his face, he heard the door opening, signaling that the interrogation that had been going on for a few hours was going to continue. The first step of his plan was complete, and it was now time to embark on the second.