Chapter 170: Dragon Vein Awakening, Rebuilding the Foundation (Part One)
Before returning to the cave, Su Tianhao turned back to the fallen Crimson-Eyed Rockmaw Bear, frowning slightly.
'Leaving its body here will stir trouble.'
The metallic scent of blood hung thick in the air—and if he could smell it, so could every predator within a mile radius. It was only a matter of time before something larger, something hungrier, came to investigate.
He stretched his hand outward. His silver spatial ring flashed with brilliant light, enveloping the massive corpse. In the next instant, it vanished—swallowed into the ring's dimensional space.
While he couldn't use it now, and storing it might reduce its value over time, it was still worth keeping.
'One of the rogue laws I made during my thievery days — nothing is truly waste. Even trash can be refined into gold.'
With the corpse secured, Su Tianhao crouched and gathered sand and loose earth to cover the blood trails staining the ground. He worked methodically, scrubbing away the crimson smears until the metallic scent faded into the forest's natural musk of damp soil and moss.
He could have inscribed a cleaning array to do the job faster—but he didn't have the necessary array flags and equipments on him. And even if he did, why waste resources when it could be done by hand?
Without further delay, he vanished into the brush and returned to the cave.
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Inside, Su Tianhao swept the interior with careful, golden eyes. Seeing no threats lurking in the shadows, he moved deeper into the cavern, footsteps echoing softly against stone.
He reached a dead end. The space was dim, lit only by faint shafts of light filtering in from the cave mouth far behind him—fragile beams that cast shifting shadows across the uneven floor, painting the walls in muted gray and gold.
Su Tianhao sat cross-legged and rested his back against the cool stone wall.
He reached into his spatial ring and retrieved a massive blue bathtub—large enough to fit two grown adults comfortably. The tub was already half-filled with clear water, shimmering faintly under the dim light like liquid glass.
"The time has come."
A faint smile touched his lips.
He reached in again, this time retrieving the five spirit herbs acquired from the Thousand Beast Pavilion. Each one glowed with a distinct spiritual energy signature.
Dragonroot Ginseng. Soulvein Lotus. Verdant Marrowleaf. Crimson Origin Grass. Heavenpiercer Flower.
Su Tianhao's gaze fell first on the Heavenpiercer Flower—a six-petaled blossom of radiant gold, edges tipped in violet. Its jagged stem resembled a bolt of frozen lightning, and the air around it hummed faintly, as if the flower were alive and breathing.
'This one unblocks stagnant meridians and deepens the fusion between body and spirit, enhancing cultivation potential.'
He retrieved a small stone bowl and grinder from his ring. With slow, deliberate movements, he ground the entire flower into a shimmering golden powder, fine as silk.
Then he poured it into the water.
Whoosh.
The water transformed immediately—turning into a luminescent golden liquid, as if the bath itself had become liquid sunlight. Faint motes of light drifted upward like glowing embers, and the temperature rose noticeably.
Next came the Crimson Origin Grass—a cluster of blood-red stalks, each tip glowing faintly with crimson light, emitting a soft fiery heat that warmed his fingers even at a distance.
'This one tempers spiritual energy and reinforces its stability during internal restructuring and transformation.'
He ground the grass into vivid crimson powder and poured it in.
The liquid shifted. Golden hues deepened into crimson-gold, the surface began to bubble faintly, releasing soft plumes of heated steam.
Next, the Verdant Marrowleaf—a broad, vibrant green leaf etched with glowing emerald veins. Cool to the touch, like holding a living piece of jade.
'Purifies the bone marrow and eliminates hidden flaws within the physique, paving the way for deeper refinement.'
Ground into fine emerald powder. Added to the water. Rich green threads spiralled through the liquid, deepening the vibrancy and mingling with the crimson and gold already present.
He reached for the Soulvein Lotus next—a pale blue blossom pulsing faintly, its translucent petals veined in silver. Prized for strengthening internal spiritual channels and ensuring smooth, stable circulation of energy throughout the body, greatly reducing the risk of backlash under intense cultivation.
Ground into pale blue powder. Added to the mixture.
The liquid transformed into a mesmerising blend of crimson, emerald, gold, and soft azure—each hue swirling in harmony like the convergence of four elemental forces. What had once been clear water now resembled a sacred elixir, brimming with energy that pulsed and shimmered like a living storm sealed in liquid form.
Finally, Su Tianhao turned to the last herb.
The Dragonroot Ginseng.
It resembled a thick, ancient root shaped like a coiled dragon, golden veins running along scale-like skin. Faint wisps of steam rose from its surface, and each breath of its scent carried fiery, earthy vitality. It was warm to the touch—pulsing with latent power.
'This root serves as the core of the entire reconstruction process. Its purpose: to ignite the hidden potential within my meridians, awaken the dormant veins, and refine my physique to bear the burden of the heavenly devouring dragon bloodline.'
He didn't rush. He ground the root slowly and methodically until it turned into dense, amber-hued powder that glowed faintly in the dim light.
Then he sprinkled it into the mixture.
Fwoosh!
A sharp, fiery surge erupted. The colours within the bathtub blazed momentarily as golden-red sparks flickered across the surface like fireflies dancing over molten lava. Even after the sparks faded, the heat didn't stop. The liquid began to boil, and intense steam rose in thick, roiling clouds.
The elixir was ready.
But the preparation wasn't done.
Su Tianhao's spatial ring flashed, and a rain of spirit stones poured out—cascading like a waterfall of light until they formed a small mound. Five hundred spirit stones, to be exact.
'My total wealth has dropped to two thousand five hundred spirit stones.'
He arranged the mound carefully, surrounding the bathtub in a perfect circle. The moment the formation settled, a surge of potent spiritual energy saturated the space. The air itself seemed to hum with power, pulsing like a living heartbeat.
With that done, he retrieved two final items.
The Bloodroot Vitality Pill and the Raging Viscera Tonic—both secured at the Drifting Cloud Auction.
Su Tianhao opened the jade box. Inside rested a deep crimson sphere with faint black engravings spiralling across its surface, emanating a rich, metallic scent—sharp and heady, like freshly spilled blood mingled with ancient iron. Even without consuming it, he could feel the dense vitality sealed within.
The Bloodroot Vitality Pill. A grade 5 medicine capable of nourishing and strengthening the blood, fortifying the heart, and enhancing circulation throughout the entire body.
He didn't waste time admiring it and swallowed it in one gulp.
The vortex within his dantian roared to life. The potent medicinal essence was refined to its utmost purity—completely flawless, without a trace of impurity remaining.
The effect was immediate.
A blazing heat erupted from his chest, surging through his veins like molten iron poured into ancient channels. Su Tianhao gritted his teeth as the pill's medicinal power swept through him—fortifying his heart, thickening his blood, reinforcing every vessel it touched. His meridians throbbed with renewed vitality. Each beat of his heart sounded like the rumble of distant war drums—steady, powerful, relentless. His skin flushed slightly red as the immense life force coursed through him, mending old strain and purifying his already untainted body even further.
"So this is the power of a grade 5 medicinal pill..."
He exhaled slowly. Steam escaped from his lips, curling into the air like a dragon's breath.
Every inch of his body felt alive—sharper, sturdier, stronger.
This was no mere boost. This was transformation. A renewal of the very blood that would fuel the awakening of the Supreme Dragon Vein.
'Without the Heavenly Devouring Dragon Physique, swallowing a pill like this would be fatal. A grade 5 medicine isn't something a Martial Adept can handle—it would have shattered my meridians, ruptured the organs or even killed me.'
He gulped.
After digesting the Bloodroot Vitality Pill, Su Tianhao turned toward the steaming bathtub, its surface boiling with radiant multicoloured liquid.
His lips curved into a bitter smile.
"This is going to be really painful..."
Inside that tub were five spiritual herbs—each one potent enough to cause serious damage to a Martial Adept on its own, and he was planning to absorb all five simultaneously. Even with the Heavenly Devouring Dragon Physique, it wouldn't be easy.
"Good thing I have this."
He turned to the serpent-shaped jade bottle filled with thick, blood-red liquid—bubbling and humming gently, as if alive.
The Raging Viscera Tonic. The key to absorbing the elixir in the bathtub. Not only was it capable of rebuilding the internal organs and reinvigorating life force—it also granted the ability to endure the pressure of intensified spiritual energy far above one's current level.
"As long as I consume this, even if I can't fully suppress the intensity of the elixir, I can greatly reduce the risk of absorbing it."
He drank the tonic in a single gulp and set the bottle aside.
Swoosh.
The moment the Raging Viscera Tonic reached his chest, Su Tianhao's eyes went wide.
Fire and ice fused within him simultaneously—one half burning like a blazing furnace, the other freezing like glacial winds howling through an arctic storm. The contradictory energies surged toward his internal organs, crashing like tidal waves against unyielding cliffs.
His heart pounded violently. His lungs convulsed. His liver and kidneys trembled under the onslaught.
But instead of breaking—they began to pulse with light.
A deep crimson glow spread through his torso, outlining his organs in vivid clarity beneath his skin. Su Tianhao could feel every beat, every pulse, every contraction—as if his internal body had awakened into full awareness for the first time.
His breathing calmed.
The violent energy softened, settling into rhythm.
That strange, heavenly-like essence nourished his organs with astonishing speed—rebuilding, tempering, strengthening. The imperceptible inner weaknesses, the natural limits of the human body, dissolved like snow beneath a spring sun.
Su Tianhao clenched his fists, feeling the newfound power surging through him.
"My organs... they're evolving..."
His confidence surged.
'With this power coursing through me, absorbing the elixir will be manageable.'
Without hesitation, Su Tianhao stepped forward—and into the glowing, boiling elixir.