"It ends just like this…"
Xue Di and Xue Leng wore expressions of deep unwillingness. They had spent so much effort scheming to eliminate Xue Mie, only for him to end up stealing the spotlight. How could they accept this?
But unwilling or not, the Blood King had personally given the order—what else could they do?
For a moment, the group could only glare at Xue Mie with icy, murderous eyes.
Unfortunately, Lan An paid them no mind. He walked over to Xue Shang and Xue Qian and said calmly:
"Although I knew from the start that you two intended to use me, this time it was mutually beneficial. I helped you get onto the Blood Child Ranking. From now on, we owe each other nothing…"
Xue Shang's face was complicated, but he could only sigh and nod.
He finally understood clearly: even though Xue Mie came from a remote backwater, being able to cultivate Body Cultivation to such a terrifying level meant he was no fool. Wanting to continue using him… that was nothing but wishful thinking.
"Xue Mie, how can you be so heartless and ungrateful?" On the contrary, Xue Qian suddenly looked tearful, her eyes misty as she gazed at Lan An like a pitiful abandoned wife.
"Your husband is still standing right here—don't create misunderstandings!"
Lan An shivered all over and left those words behind, turning away decisively and letting Xue Qian sob softly.
He had zero experience dealing with this kind of woman…
The crowd watched the scene with strange expressions, secretly wondering if Xue Mie and Xue Qian actually had something going on.
"Alright. The first reward—and the most special one of this assessment—is right before you. You have two months to make use of the Blood Pool. How much benefit you can gain from it depends entirely on yourselves!"
The Blood King spoke in a deep voice. The Blood Pool was refined from the purest blood essence of countless species. The energy within it was extremely violent. Even he, a Blood King, could not absorb all of it.
Giving the Blood Pool to these twenty juniors to cultivate was more than generous. In fact, the Blood King believed that if they could consume even one-third of the pool's energy in two months, that would already be quite good…
"Hmph!"
Xue Leng snorted coldly and dove straight into the Blood Pool. Since this had been his main goal for participating in the assessment, he was more impatient than anyone else.
Although he was a pure-blood, his father was only a Blood Envoy. Even his father rarely had the chance to use a Blood Pool—let alone Xue Leng himself.
Blood Pools in the Blood Realm were priceless treasures that money alone could not buy—one also needed the proper status…
"AAAAA!"
The moment he entered the Blood Pool, a miserable scream erupted from Xue Leng's mouth. His clothes disintegrated instantly. Endless blood power swirled around his body like a vortex, tearing his skin and flesh apart in a bloody mess. The pain twisted his face grotesquely.
"Know your limits—quickly revert to your Blood Race form!" The Blood King immediately scolded. Even he had to be extremely careful when entering the Blood Pool. This brat was far too arrogant.
Hearing this, Xue Leng took a deep breath and activated his Blood Race form, transforming into a full vampire. His defensive power increased significantly, and he finally managed to endure inside the Blood Pool…
With Xue Leng setting the example, the other geniuses didn't dare act recklessly. They all activated their Blood Race forms and carefully entered…
"Consider yourself lucky!" Xue Di shot Lan An a cold, sinister smile. She too transformed into her Blood Race form—a ferocious female vampire—and dove in…
During her fight with Xue Mie, she hadn't even used her Blood Race form. That was why she had always felt unsatisfied, believing that if she hadn't been careless, Xue Mie would already be a corpse.
Compared to the pure-bloods, the ordinary blood cultivators struggled far more. They had to wrap themselves in blood power to protect their bodies before daring to enter the Blood Pool.
Even so, the pain they endured wasn't much less. One only needed to look at Xue Shang and Xue Qian—bodies trembling violently, bones creaking, faces twisted beyond recognition from agony—to understand.
Still, they had no intention of giving up. They had to show some resolve. After all, they were called geniuses…
Seeing that Xue Mie was also about to enter, the Blood King stopped him and spoke gravely:
"Young one, who exactly is your master?"
Lan An inwardly raised his guard but answered calmly on the surface:
"My master never revealed his true name to me. He has already passed away!"
"What a pity!" The Blood King sighed. Reclusive experts hiding their identities were not uncommon in this world. He naturally assumed that Xue Mie's master must have been an extraordinary figure to raise such a disciple.
"Although the Blood Pool cannot help you cultivate blood power and the benefits may not compare to what the others gain, you can still use it to temper your Body Cultivation. That's still worthwhile!" The Blood King nodded and waved his hand, signaling that Xue Mie could enter.
Lan An politely cupped his hands. Inwardly, however, he sneered… If I were an ordinary Body Cultivator, the Blood Pool really wouldn't help much. Unfortunately for you, I still have the Blood Gate to cultivate. At this moment, the Blood Pool's usefulness is greater than ever.
"Haha, how pitiful for the trash. He can't even taste the real benefits of the Blood Pool!"
Seeing Xue Mie enter the Blood Pool, the group of Blood Race geniuses couldn't resist mocking him even while enduring the pressure themselves…
They could use the Blood Pool's power to increase their cultivation and refine the quality of their blood power… while Xue Mie could only watch enviously.
Thinking of this, a sense of superiority rose in their hearts, and they laughed coldly without restraint…
"So what if your combat strength is strong? If you can't cultivate blood power, you're still just trash! In the future, we will definitely surpass you—it's only a matter of time…"
Lan An paid no attention to their self-satisfied thoughts. He found a quiet corner of the pool and sank down. A faint look of satisfaction appeared on his face.
His body had already been tempered by various异 attributes, by tribulation lightning, and even by the void itself. Ordinary forces could no longer affect his Body Cultivation. Yet the moment he entered the Blood Pool… he still felt his physical state improving slightly. Though the increase was small, the Blood Pool truly did help.
With that realization, Lan An relaxed his entire body and allowed the violent, ferocious energy to rush into him, penetrating every pore…
In an instant, intense pain surged through him. Lan An gritted his teeth and endured it all. He silently recited the incantation for the Blood Gate, closed his eyes… and entered a deep state of cultivation…
"This guy is crazy!" Seeing Xue Mie make zero defensive preparations inside the Blood Pool, the onlookers cursed wildly.
They either transformed into their Blood Race forms or used blood power to shield their bodies, only daring to absorb a small amount of blood power before slowly refining it. None of them acted like this madman… completely ignoring the terrifying energy from the Blood Pool as it flooded into his body…
Did he want to die?
With the Blood Pool's overwhelming power, doing so was no different from suicide—his body would explode into pieces…
For a moment, the crowd watched Xue Mie with glee, eagerly awaiting the tragic outcome of his arrogance.
…
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. Several geniuses who could no longer endure the pressure of the Blood Pool were forced to give up. However, the benefits they had gained were considerable. None of them felt any regret—on the contrary, they were filled with joy…
Xue Shang and Xue Qian were among them. Both had broken through a minor realm, and their blood power had become noticeably purer, laying a solid foundation for refining royal blood essence later…
Still, they didn't leave. Instead, they continued observing the progress of those still inside the Blood Pool—especially Xue Mie.
The scene they had expected—of Xue Mie's body exploding—never happened. On the contrary, he seemed completely detached from the outside world, calmly sitting with his eyes closed. The terrifying energy continued pouring into him without any sign of stopping. Xue Mie's body was like a bottomless abyss.
"Blood King, this kid isn't even a blood cultivator. Why can he absorb so much blood power?" One of the Four-Heart Blood Envoys asked, extremely curious.
"How should I know? Ask the wind!" The Blood King furrowed his brows and inwardly cursed. Even he couldn't explain the bizarre scene before him.
Logically speaking, the violent blood power in the Blood Pool would be absorbed by blood cultivators and converted into cultivation. Another portion would be used to purify their own blood essence, making it purer and stronger.
As for Body Cultivators, they could only use the blood power to temper their external flesh. Who had ever heard of someone madly absorbing blood power directly into their body like Xue Mie? It was simply unheard of.
They had no idea that inside Lan An's body right now… the terrifying blood power was acting directly on his own blood, accelerating its circulation while continuously expanding his blood vessels…
On the surface he looked calm, but inside, countless blood vessels had turned into a true battlefield—pain so intense it pierced the heavens.
Lan An only felt his blood boiling, his physical strength continuously increasing without any sign of stopping.
The Blood Gate had not yet been fully cultivated, but he had already grasped the critical point.
Only when his blood vessels expanded to their limit and adapted to the accelerated blood flow would it be considered complete.
However, Lan An knew this process could not be rushed. One careless mistake and his meridians would rupture. Therefore, he remained highly focused, carefully stabilizing every blood vessel in his body…
…
After two full months, Lan An exhaled deeply with a refreshed expression and rose from the Blood Pool… A set of clothes quickly covered his powerful physique…
The harvest this time was quite good. He had successfully cultivated the Blood Gate… and his Body Cultivation showed faint signs of breaking through—from mid-Seventh Revolution to late-Seventh Revolution.
"Haizz, it seems the higher Body Cultivation goes, the harder it becomes to advance. It wasn't even enough for a minor breakthrough!" Lan An felt a trace of regret. The Blood Gate had consumed two full months of his time, making his desire to return to Yuelong Star even more urgent.
Back in the void, he had cultivated the Void Gate in just a few days and broken through a minor realm in Body Cultivation. Yet inside the Blood Pool, he hadn't achieved the same. Clearly, the power from the Blood Pool was still not as advanced as the void. Not to mention, at that time he had still been under the effect of being a Child of Destiny.
However, it was only now that Lan An noticed the crowd staring at him like he was some kind of monster.
During these two months, even prominent geniuses like Xue Leng and Xue Di had only managed to endure for about a month and a half. Yet this guy had lasted the full two months? He truly was a freak.
"Hmph. So what if he stayed longer in the Blood Pool? Can the benefits he gained possibly compare to ours?"
Xue Leng sneered. As he spoke, he deliberately released his aura, which was now on the verge of breaking through to Tribulation Realm. He only needed a bit more accumulation to confidently face the tribulation and officially become a Tribulation Realm powerhouse.
This showed that Xue Leng's decision to wait for the right moment before registering for the Blood Child Ranking had been well-founded.
Xue Di had made similar progress. In her heart, she thought: When I break through to Tribulation Realm, the first person I'll settle scores with will be Xue Mie.
"Xue Leng is right!" The group of geniuses quickly calmed down. Even if Xue Mie could endure longer in the Blood Pool, so what? His progress still couldn't compare to theirs.
Lan An had no interest in explaining anything to them. He looked at the Blood King and asked urgently:
"Sir, when can I head to the battlefields on other planets to establish merit for the Blood Realm?"
The Blood King and the others were momentarily stunned. They hadn't expected this kid to be so eager for that…
Still, the Blood King patiently explained:
"To use the Transcending Star Blood Formation and travel to other planets, sufficient energy is required to maintain the transmission. Currently, only a limited number of planets meet the criteria for teleportation. You can go to the Star Guidance Hall to register!"
"However, I advise you to first refine the royal blood essence of the Blood Race to increase your strength and become a true Blood Race. Only then should you head to the battlefields. Caution is paramount!"
With that, the Blood King took out twenty jade bottles. Under the envious gazes of the spectators in Blood Heart City, he distributed them to the new Blood Children.
"Thank you, Blood King!" The group bowed in unison, their expressions varying.
In Xue Shang and Xue Qian's eyes, tears even welled up. They had waited for this day for far too long.
Becoming true Blood Race would elevate their status dramatically. They would become noble existences in the Blood Realm, standing above countless others…
As for the royal blood essence, pure-bloods like Xue Leng and Xue Di showed far less excitement… They were already Blood Race. Royal blood essence could at most temporarily boost their combat power as a life-saving measure. It wasn't particularly attractive to them.
Lan An put on an excited expression to avoid suspicion—his face flushed red. Inwardly, however, he remained completely calm. This stuff was completely useless to him.
Still, he was now only one step away from returning home. He didn't want a moment of carelessness to ruin everything. So he acted with full effort, nearly shedding tears.
This performance greatly satisfied the Blood King, while the group of Blood Race geniuses grew even more contemptuous.
"Congratulations on officially becoming Blood Children. In about seven days, your rankings on the Blood Child Ranking will be determined. For now, you may rest freely in Blood Heart City!" The Blood King gave one final instruction before his body transformed into a streak of blood light and vanished.
Watching the Blood King disappear, Xue Di and Xue Leng walked past Lan An. Their eyes flashed with a clear threat:
"Don't think this is over. No matter which battlefield you go to… we will follow right behind you!"
Lan An shrugged and smiled faintly:
"Like dogs chasing a tail?"
"You…!" The two nearly exploded with rage. They glared at Lan An as if looking at a dead man and stormed off furiously…
Watching their retreating figures, Lan An's smile faded. A cold glint of killing intent flashed in his eyes:
"In this world, why are there so many people who insist on courting death?!"
…
After all twenty new Blood Children had left, the Blood King—who had seemingly vanished—reappeared. He approached the Blood Pool and reached a hand down to inspect it…
A moment later, the Blood King's expression changed drastically. He cried out in disbelief:
"How is this possible? The energy inside the Blood Pool… it's completely gone?!"
Note: Bonus chapter to make up for yesterday~