On the deserted island.
Jiang Ning slowly opened the golden box in his hand.
In the next moment
"Worship me, and your flesh shall be eternal..."
"Offer to me, and your flesh shall ascend..."
"Serve me, and your flesh shall never perish..."
The same eerie whispers echoed in his ears once more, and the familiar illusion reappeared.
Just as the vision of an endless sea of blood and floating corpses emerged, Jiang Ning's pupils contracted. His surging spiritual force instantly shattered the illusion.
Everything that had just happened now seemed like a hallucination. The only sounds in his ears were the lake breeze and the crashing of waves against the rocks.
"This is truly sinister," Jiang Ning muttered as he stared at the divine statue submerged in blood.
Then, his gaze shifted to the blood in the box.
Earlier that morning, he had taken ten drops of Bai Ling Blood and given them to Lin Qingyi. Now, the blood in the box had diminished by about a tenth.
At the same time, as the box opened, Jiang Ning caught a whiff of an intense fragrance one that couldn't be compared to any scent he had ever encountered.
It was a fragrance that resonated with his body's deepest instincts, an irresistible craving from every cell within him.
It was as if this blood held immense benefits for the human body, and his flesh couldn't help but covet it.
A single drop of blood floated out of the box. Jiang Ning immediately closed the lid.
Once the box was sealed, the overwhelming hunger from his cells subsided significantly.
Though the floating drop of blood still tempted him, the urge was no longer strong enough to push him toward losing control.
"This should be fine."
Staring at the crimson drop hovering before him, Jiang Ning murmured to himself.
Then, he slightly parted his lips.
The drop of Bai Ling Blood, radiating an alluring aura, shot straight into his mouth.
The moment it entered, it dissolved like a drop of water merging into the ocean vanishing without a trace.
At the same time, Jiang Ning felt an overwhelming surge of pleasure, a euphoric response from every cell in his body.
This sensation far surpassed any physical pleasure he had ever experienced.
It was as if his soul had left his body, soaring into the heavens.
After several breaths, the pleasure gradually faded, and Jiang Ning regained his composure.
He immediately turned his focus inward, sensing a deep satisfaction emanating from every cell.
The Bai Ling Blood had already dissipated within him, leaving no trace.
Yet, Jiang Ning could feel its profound effects.
His vital energy was surging at an astonishing rate.
After quietly observing the changes in his body for a while, Jiang Ning opened his eyes.
"The Bai Ling Blood is truly miraculous. It takes effect instantly, without needing refinement."
"But then again, this is the ultimate aid for reaching the Blood-Exchange Grandmaster level. Its potency is only to be expected!"
Muttering to himself, he clenched his fist and immediately noticed a subtle enhancement in his physical strength.
The rise in vital energy brought about comprehensive improvements to his body.
Even though he was still in the Bronze Skin realm, his current physical resilience far surpassed what it had been when he first reached the peak of the ninth rank.
With his current toughness, even an ordinary steel sword would struggle to inflict significant damage a fact he had already tested before.
Then, another drop of blood flew out of the slightly opened golden box and into Jiang Ning's mouth.
This time, he observed.
He noticed that the drop of Bai Ling Blood, upon entering his mouth, dissolved instantly like a drop of water vanishing into parched sand.
Once again, he was engulfed in waves of pleasure and exhilaration from within.
Closing his eyes, he immersed himself in the sensation.
After a while, he murmured, "The Bai Ling Blood doesn't just enhance vital energy. It seems to contain certain substances that trigger a metamorphosis in the blood itself."
"Perhaps this is why it's considered the ultimate aid for Blood-Exchange Grandmasters."
At this moment, he also sensed the emotions emanating from his cells an insatiable demand for more.
Not enough...
More...
After a brief hesitation, Jiang Ning opened the golden box again.
Another drop of Bai Ling's Blood flew into his mouth.
Then another.
And another.
Only after consuming twelve drops in succession did he finally feel a deep sense of satiation from within.
Even with the box open and the scent wafting out, his cells no longer radiated that desperate hunger.
"Have they... had their fill?" Jiang Ning wondered.
He glanced at the open golden box again.
The previous overwhelming craving was gone.
"It seems they are satisfied."
Then, he focused inward once more and immediately sensed his vital energy surging like a geyser.
The rate of growth far surpassed anything he had experienced with previous rare treasures.
Clenching his fist, he channeled his vital energy.
BOOM
The energy surged like a roaring river, its momentum akin to a tidal wave vast and unstoppable.
"The difference is remarkable!" Jiang Ning's eyes gleamed with delight. "No wonder this is a treasure meant for Grandmasters!"
Half an hour later, after continuously observing his changes, Jiang Ning confirmed that his vital energy had increased by over 20% in this short span.
To him, this growth rate was staggering.
After all, his current vital energy had already reached the "River of Blood" level a volume typically only seen in sixth-rank martial artists who had reached the Mystic Bone stage.
The sixth rank, Bone Forging, consisted of three steps, each more difficult than the last and each bringing greater enhancements.
Every full transformation of the bones would trigger further refinement of the muscles, tendons, and skin essentially, an evolution.
Thus, the gap in strength between each step of the sixth rank was far greater than in the earlier ranks.
And as one progressed, the disparities only widened.
A martial artist at the second step, the Mystic Bone stage, possessed twice the vital energy of someone at the first step, the "River of Blood" stage.
This alone demonstrated just how immense Jiang Ning's current reserves were.
Yet, after absorbing twelve drops of Bai Ling Blood, his vital energy had surged by 20% in less than half an hour.
Such a drastic increase once again showcased the incredible potency of the Bai Ling Blood.
"Truly worthy of being a treasure for Grandmasters!" Jiang Ning couldn't help but praise it again.
Then, he glanced at his status panel.
[Skills]:
Literacy (4th Breakthrough – 3/5000) (Traits: Photographic Memory, Enhanced Senses, Quick Thinking, Exceptional Comprehension)
Five Beasts Fist (1st Breakthrough – 787/2000) (Trait: Essence Storage in Organs)
Wind-Thunder Archery (3rd Breakthrough – 49/4000) (Traits: Wind-Thunder Breath, Heart's Archery, Wind-Thunder Arrow)
Water-Fire True Force (Small Achievement – 54/500)
These were the only four skills remaining.
Since his body was still digesting the Bai Ling Blood, he didn't need to take any further action.
So, Jiang Ning turned his attention to his panel.
While waiting, he could choose a skill to grind for experience.
Given the tremendous effects of the Bai Ling Blood, he knew that his Source Energy would skyrocket the next day.
And the breakthrough of skills had always provided the most noticeable boosts to his strength.
After reviewing his four skills, Jiang Ning fell into deep thought.
Literacy had just undergone its fourth breakthrough, granting him a massive leap in spiritual power expanding his spiritual field to a 100-meter radius.
The results had been immensely satisfying.
However, grinding this skill further was difficult.
He had already read almost every book available to him.
Rereading the same book yielded no additional experience, and randomly rearranged text didn't count either something he had tested before.
After some consideration, he decided to set this skill aside for now.
His gaze then shifted to Five Beasts Fist, Wind-Thunder Archery, and Water-Fire True Force.
After a moment of contemplation, he decided to focus on Water-Fire True Force.
Why?
Because it was his only high-tier martial art.
Based on experience, breakthroughs in high-tier martial arts always brought greater rewards.
For example, Wind-Thunder Archery a mid-tier skill drastically enhanced his long-range combat capabilities after multiple breakthroughs.
If not for his mastery of Blade Intent, a pinnacle technique that fused spirit, energy, and will into a single strike, his thrice-breakthrough archery would still be his strongest asset.
With it, he could challenge opponents above his rank.
In the right environment, his archery alone would allow him, a seventh-rank martial artist, to kill any sixth-rank expert.
That was the power of a repeatedly broken-through mid-tier skill.
That night, he had pierced through the heart of a sixth-rank Mystic Bone expert from the Divine Worship Cult with a single arrow.
Had that expert not been a cultist possessing monstrous regeneration and near-immortality the shot would have been instantly fatal.
For ordinary sixth-rank martial artists, vital organs were still lethal weak points.
A pierced heart was an inescapable death sentence.
At most, they could cling to life for a few extra breaths nothing more.
The only reason that cultists survived was due to the cult's abnormal transformation, granting a monstrous form with limitless regeneration.
Jiang Ning knew all too well how terrifying that state was, having witnessed Shi Xiaoyuan's case before.
Once transformed, their combat power multiplied in a short time.
Not only did they lose all fatal weaknesses, but their speed, strength, and explosive power also skyrocketed.
Merely entering that state elevated their strength by at least a full tier.
Yet, Jiang Ning had killed that transformed monster with a single strike of Blade Intent.
This alone demonstrated the immense power of skill breakthroughs.
Even a mundane skill like Woodchopper's Saber Technique, after five breakthroughs, had become devastatingly powerful.
Thus, Jiang Ning had every reason to believe that Water-Fire True Force, as a high-tier martial art, would bring even more extraordinary effects.
"I hope tomorrow's Source Energy will let me splurge a little!"
Glancing at his current Source Energy, he mused to himself.
[Source Energy]: 241.31
Sitting cross-legged in the cold wind, Jiang Ning activated Water-Fire True Force within his body.
According to Feng Jiuge, this art originated from an ancient manual called the "Water-Fire Canon."
She had once mentioned that merging Ninefold Force and Ninefold Flame would give birth to a high-tier martial art Water-Fire True Force.
And if one could reverse-engineer the true essence of the Water-Fire Canon from this art, they could grasp a "True Intent" a key to the Grandmaster realm.
"True Intent?" Jiang Ning murmured.
He had never heard this term before only from Feng Jiuge.
"I wonder… if I keep breaking through Water-Fire True Force, will I eventually grasp this so-called True Intent?"
Shaking off his thoughts, Jiang Ning began circulating the two opposing forces within him.
Water and fire were incompatible yet, inside him, these two extremes harmonized, swirling like a grinding mill.
With each rotation, he could feel his vital energy being consumed.
At the same time, the Water-Fire True Force grew stronger bit by bit.
[Water-Fire True Force EXP +2]
[Water-Fire True Force EXP +3]
[Water-Fire True Force EXP +2]
[...]
As he nurtured this force, flashes of insight occasionally sparked in his mind.
The system prompts he saw now were no longer limited to +1 EXP increments.
Instead, they fluctuated between +2 and +3, with the latter appearing just as frequently.
Before he knew it, over an hour had passed.
[Skill]: Water-Fire True Force (Small Achievement – 89/500)
Jiang Ning frowned slightly.
"This is a bit slow," he sighed.
He remembered that, over an hour ago, this skill had been at 54 EXP.
Now, it was only at 89 meaning he had gained less than 40 EXP in that time.
Shaking his head, he turned his focus inward again.
The explosive surge of vital energy from the Bai Ling Blood had already stabilized.
With a thought, he channeled his energy once more.
RUMBLE
Like a roaring river, his vital energy surged with overwhelming force, resonating through his body like thunder.
"My vital energy has increased by over 50%!"
A look of delight flashed across his face.
Though a 50% increase might seem only 30% higher than the initial 20%, Jiang Ning wasn't disappointed in the slightest.
Through careful observation, he had realized that the effects of the Bai Ling Blood were like an erupting volcano most intense at the start, then gradually tapering off.
Thus, a 50% boost was more than enough to satisfy him.
It was equivalent to half a month of rigorous training.
Considering that he had reached his current level in less than six months, an extra half month's worth of progress was invaluable especially in his current situation, with He Jinyun's death looming over him.
The fact that the Bai Ling Blood could condense half a month's effort into less than two hours left him thoroughly pleased.
Without hesitation, he opened the golden box again ready to consume more.
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 410+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader