Earlier, when he checked up on his body, Duncan had avoided checking his black heart due to some residual fear. He didn't want to experience such pain one more time. He was like a kid who had been burned by fire. There was an instinctive aversion towards turning his attention towards the black heart.
But now, the situation was really bizarre. And the only place he could find an answer was his black heart. Duncan already knew that his black heart wasn't like ordinary hearts. There was something mysterious about it. If there was one place answers could be found, then it would be at his black heart.
However, Duncan felt a little apprehensive after the last episode. So, he wasn't keen on doing such a thing so soon. But, the situation was bizarre enough that Duncan had no other option but to check the black heart out sooner than he was comfortable with.
Duncan wasn't willing to neglect internal injuries. He knew their effects and how they can be disastrous for a cultivator. So, with no other option left, he could only grit his teeth and check it out.
He only hoped that there would be some answer and no more pain due to this. Gritting his teeth, Duncan sent his consciousness to probe the black heart. He didn't dare to immerse himself entirely just yet. This was just a probe to figure out the situation.
The moment Duncan's tentative probe entered the black heart, Duncan's whole body stiffened. His posture became rigid and his face became slack in surprise.
Meanwhile, a deluge of information entered Duncan's mind in a neverending stream. Duncan's mind swelled as the huge overload of information he received directly made his head ache a bit.
This lasted for a few minutes before Duncan's eyes opened.
There was a bit of confusion mixed with surprise evident on Duncan's face currently. The information he received was something very valuable, but Duncan didn't know if he could trust its authenticity.
"Huh, there is a complete cultivation technique for [Slaughter Demon Sutra] in my mind currently. Not just for the first two levels, but for even levels above Nascent Soul realm is there," Duncan mumbled as he reviewed the information he received.
"But, anything above Nascent Soul realm looks vague and blurry. Even if I concentrate, I am not able to understand them at all. Even so, the technique up to Nascent Soul realm is very useful. However…"
Duncan trailed off as he pursued the information that appeared in his mind. A strange look appeared on his face. He looked as if he had encountered something bizarre again.
"How come there are certain differences in this [Slaughter Demon Sutra]? There aren't many, but some key points have been slightly altered. Why is this? Among the two I know, one came from my master, and another is from the black heart. Which one is the right one?"
Duncan scratched his head in confusion as he tried to figure out which one was the right one. Thinking for a bit, Duncan opened the spirit ring in his possession and took out the manual his master had given him to practice for the first two levels of [Slaughther Demon Sutra].
Duncan spent the next hour comparing the [Slaughter Demon Sutra] he received from the black heart and the one that was in the manual. After comparing the two several times, Duncan began to see a kind of pattern that made him a bit speechless.
The [Slaughter Demon Sutra] he obtained from the black heart felt more profound and mysterious than the one in the manual. While there weren't any major differences between the two techniques, the few altered wordings and a few additional sentences gave a whole new meaning to the cultivation technique entirely.
"Fuck! How can this be possible? The [Slaughter Demon Sutra] I obtained from the black heart is even more sinister than the one from the Heavenly Demon Sect. Comparatively, the black heart one looks more and more authentic as I analyze?" Duncan cursed.
"Does that mean that the [Slaughter Demon Sutra] I practiced so far is not the authentic version? Did I practice some knock-off version? Wait a minute; did my bastard master give me a substandard version? No, no no, I can't think like that. There must be something missing here…"
Duncan fell into more confusion the further he analyzed the two techniques. No matter how he analyzed it, the version from the black heart seemed more true. With the addition of those few sentences and replacing certain words, the whole technique felt like it was upgraded several times.
The mysterious quality he could perceive from it was far more than what he had cultivated so far. Moreover, there were a lot of sinister elements in the technique provided by the black heart. They looked more demonic than the technique he obtained from the sect.
"Let's put aside the matter of my master deceiving me for now. I don't know if the manual I received was altered or if the manual in the sect was different. I can only check it out later once I return to the sect. I could easily use the excuse of getting the manual for advanced levels to verify it," Duncan said sighing.
"Even if I find out my master had played tricks, what can I do to him? I am just a puny ant compared to him in status and power. There is no way I can seek justice for it. Moreover, seeking justice in a demonic sect sounds laughable even to me," Duncan shook his head.
"But, from analyzing the two techniques, I can see two major points of difference. One is whenever the technique mentions the black heart. This isn't something symbolic. I can tell that it clearly refers to the black heart like the one I have. There are even some references that state the black heart as the dark heart. So, there must be something here," Duncan said narrowing his eyes.
"The other major point of difference is also related to the black heart. These added sentences mostly discuss the evolution of a black heart. The one I got from the sect doesn't talk about such stuff. It was as if these things were redacted and the entire technique was altered to compensate for it. This has brought the mysteriousness of the entire technique a notch down," Duncan furrowed his brows and fell into deep thought.
"Huh," Duncan looked up sharply after some time. "There might be a clue here. These mentions of evolutions… they seem to relate to something I had read about in the sect. What is it?"
Duncan once more wracked his head trying to jog the memory of his readings. In his short stay in the sect, Duncan had memorized a lot of things that were common knowledge in the cultivation world in a bid to expand his knowledge. At that time, he had just memorized a lot of stuff and had even glanced at some very interesting but obscure things. Not everything was on the top of his mind.
After wracking his head for a while, Duncan finally recollected what he had read about techniques allowing evolution. As he recalled those writings, a strange expression crossed his face.
"That seems to be a bit impossible, isn't it? I am just some commoner who was lucky enough to step into cultivation. But, if this is true, that may not be entirely correct…"
Conflicting emotions warred within Duncan as he tried to make sense of his finding. He felt very difficult to believe his thoughts. Things like that were not very common. He didn't know how to feel about it if his conjecture was indeed true.
"But, if it is true, things would make a lot of sense…" Duncan mumbled. "Wait a minute, let me check the technique I obtained for higher levels. I may be able to ascertain if they are true."
Duncan once more delved into his memory and pursued the remaining information of the [Slaughter Demon Sutra]. If his guess was indeed right, then there would be mentions of it in the higher levels of the technique.
But, Duncan didn't dare to believe in such a wild thing. If his conjecture was right, then everything about him will change one way or another. It would also mean that there was something in his past that was hidden.
Duncan didn't like it one bit. He was content with who he was and he didn't want to change. This new revelation was very unwelcome. He could only hope that his conjecture was wrong and he was simply thinking wildly.
After some time, Duncan opened his eyes with a dignified look. There was a complicated expression on his face as if he couldn't believe the result. Letting out a deep sigh, Duncan stood up and looked at the ceiling of the cave. He stood in silence for a long time before uttering the words that he didn't want to believe.
"I have a bloodline…"
