In Cloudveil Continent, Masters garnered much respect. Those who had yet to activate their bloodline and turn it into bloodsoul could never become power-wielding Masters.
Although the Ichor race's bloodline accorded many unique abilities to Li Ye, he was very much aware of his inferiority to any other martial cultivator if he were yet to form his own bloodsoul.
Devouring a person's bloodline was not as disgusting as he thought it was, but it was not nearly as simple and crude as sucking a person's blood dry.
"Devouring someone's bloodline is a bit more troublesome."
More than twelve hours were needed for Li Ye to successfully extract the essence of Li Haoran's bloodline. It was further refined into a drop of bloodpearl, which was then assimilated into his own body.
As soon as the bloodpearl entered Li Ye's body, he felt a sweltering heat, almost as though he was going up in flames.
The blood flowing inside his entire body began boiling, like a pot of boiling water.
It was an indescribable feeling. The initial pain would soon give way to a near-addictive, pleasurable satisfaction.
During that moment, Li Haoran looked rather pale, more so than his originally weakened constitution due to the drunkenness. His complexion was suffused with yellow and his skin was dry. Both eyes were listless while his body was convulsing.
"Is this the essence of a person's bloodline?"
Li Ye felt a warm current coursing through his body, signaling to him that his first act of devouring a person's bloodline had been successful. Following the course of that warm current, it slowly flowed through his five viscera, six bowels, four limbs, and hundred bones. Everything received nourishment.
Sadly, the feeling disappeared in the blink of an eye. He did not know whether it was because Li Haoran's bloodline was only average, or whether it was the years of excessive drunkenness that made his body rather devoid of substance.
Regardless, Li Ye's face had an expression of pure ecstasy!
"Is this…the bloodsoul?"
When the warmth entered into his body, it felt as though something inside of him was awakened. He could clearly perceive his heartbeat becoming a few times quicker and from there came some kind of strength being roused within him.
At that moment, his blood was boiling!
Having had the memories of the earlier soul inhabiting that body, Li Ye instantly knew that his guess, as well as his experiment, had succeeded! The occurrence was well-known in Cloudveil Continent as the early signs of one's bloodsoul emerging!
It may be said that success in manifesting one's bloodsoul was equivalent to a carp leaping over dragon's gate. From then onward, it would be like stepping into a whole new world!
Ba-dump! Ba-dump! Ba-dump!
His heartbeat began quickening, as though it could jump out of his chest.
LI Ye's expression changed dramatically. It was then that he remembered the general notion of having elders caring and guiding a person who had manifested his bloodsoul. The emergence of one's bloodsoul would leave one at one's weakest. Lack of proper guidance was an easy ticket to death by explosion!
LI Ye immediately realized that his heartbeat exceeded three-hundred beats per minute. Such rapid heartbeats were a health hazard to normal people.
"So hot!"
Blood began boiling throughout his entire body, akin to fire setting him alight.
In those situations, a senior martial cultivator could combine the spiritual energy of the surroundings along with their own bloodsoul's strength in order to guide, suppress, and lower the suffering. It would greatly decrease the danger of death by explosion.
Alas, the only person beside Li Ye was a dazed Li Haoran. No one else was there to help.
It was therefore very fortunate that things had changed and his constitution was much stronger than those normal people who had just awakened their bloodsoul.
After an indeterminate amount of time passed, Li Ye was about to feel himself enter a state of half-stupor when the suffering phase finally ended.
A moment of rest later, he got up from the ground and saw that the floor was soaking wet due to his cold sweat.
"So, this is the bloodsoul?"
Feeling the searing heat in his chest, Li Ye was in the dark over whether he was successful. According to his memories, however, he might have truly formed the bloodsoul at his chest.
"Pretty weird way of cultivation. The bloodsoul is condensed at the heart area."
Shaking his head, he could immediately sense the omnipresent spiritual energy of the earth and sky flowing gradually into his body, nourishing him slowly.
Only those martial cultivators whose bloodsoul was formed at the chest could feel that spiritual energy from the earth and sky. They could also absorb it into their bodies to enhance it.
BANG!
A punch to the air produced a loud explosive sound.
"My strength is at least three times higher than before! Now my strength is almost the same as someone in the initial phase of Martial Spirit Level Three. I might even be slightly stronger than that!"
Each state could be divided into upper and lower level which they referred to as the initial and latter phase—Martial Spirit Level Three was no exception. Based on Cloudveil Continent's method of calculation, Li Ye's just-awakened bloodsoul was considered to be his formal entrance into the world of martial cultivation. It would, therefore, be classified as the initial phase of Martial Spirit Level One.
He had the confidence that he could win a duel with someone in the initial phase of Martial Spirit Level Three and believed that he would draw if faced with someone in the latter phase of that same level.
After all, having condensed the bloodsoul, both his strength and his reaction speed increased considerably.
"I might even be a match for someone at Martial Spirit Level Four if I face them at night!"
His bloodline doubled in strength when nightfall came!
However, a change in constitution would happen after achieving the state of Martial Spirit Level Three. As an example, it was merely one change in state from Level Three to Level Four, but the increase in strength was at least five times, if not more.
Throughout the entire Wu Prefecture City, those who cultivated up to Level Three were ubiquitous but the same could not be said of those who could cultivate to Level Four. Any random Level Four cultivator within Wu Prefecture City could be considered very skilled.
Without a doubt, many among the Three Great Clans had a breakthrough from Level Three to Level Four before reaching the age of sixteen. It was a privilege accorded to descendants of those clans, as they had ancestors who bore extremely strong bloodlines. All because he had such eminent forefathers!
A bloodsoul's strength originated from the bloodline within one's body—with a bloodline came the ability to cultivate faster and subsequently their starting point would be higher too.
It was not wrong to say that there were occasions when some of Wu Prefecture City's great clans surpassed even the most paramount imperial power in might!
Condensing one's bloodsoul was merely the first step into martial cultivation. Next, one must tread the path of defying natural order so that one could begin the journey of cultivation.
"The only people who could stay in the Li clan are those descendants who manifested their bloodsoul. Li Haoran is one of the runts, but he still managed to cultivate until the latter stage of
He knew full well that the initial phase of Martial Spirit Level One was insufficient for the Li clan's members to take notice. He might not even have the right to live in the clan.
Looking at Li Haoran's cultivation progress, he would have long been chased out if he did not have the Li clan's Third Elder as his grandfather!
"I think the annual clan tournament is coming soon? It seems like a good opportunity."
Every year, all of Wu Prefecture City's clans—especially the more prominent ones like the Three Great Clans—would conduct an event where the younger generation could measure their martial skills against each other.
The first objective would be to examine the progress and pace of younger generations in the past year. Secondly, it was a way for the younger generation to display their strength.
If the examination proved that the individual did not make progress or made too little progress, being kicked out from the clan was a legitimate possibility. They would be given up on and left to fend for themselves.
"I'm not strong enough yet, so it looks like I need to give it my all this month!"
A maggot-like Li Haoran was the exception to the general rule. Li Ye wanted the Li clan to take him seriously, and to do that, he needed to have a show-stopping performance. It was utterly impossible to do so by virtue of the initial phase in his Martial Spirit Level One.
The Li clan was the primary wielder of influence in Wu Prefecture City. Along with the other two clans that dominated the area for so many years, all three were described as outstanding clans.
Other than the missing Li Kainian—who was Li Ye's
Rumor has it that he was an outstanding elder ancestor that was at least five positions higher than Li Ye within the family hierarchy, forming the present stabilizing force of Li clan.
In Wu Prefecture City, Martial Spirit Level Four was considered highly-skilled, while Levels Five and Six were even more impressive as individuals. Those who achieved Level Seven practically did not have a worthy match at all!
As for the Innate Sovereign Level, the number of such people within the whole of Wu Prefecture City could be counted on one hand alone! It was a state far exceeding that of mere Martial Spirit Levels! Level Nine Masters might even be considered child's play for an Innate Sovereign Level Masters.
Within all three great clans was the presence of such a powerful Masters overseeing the family. That was one reason why they were able to dominate Wu Prefecture City for so many years.
Such greatness was still a very remote possibility for Li Ye.
"There's a month left. The least I have to do is raise my state to Martial Spirit Level Three, otherwise, I won't even be a cut-out for it."
He understood that cultivators of Levels One and Two were plentiful within Wu Prefecture City's Three Great Clan. They were not valued in the slightest. Level Three was the minimum standard and only those whose strength was at Level Four were regarded as the cornerstone for those families, thus making them deserving of being nurtured.
"It's such a pity that the annual tournaments were always done in the daytime! Such a shame!"
Frustration beset him, as his strength would double in the night.
"I hope my spirit will take effect when the time comes."
Li Ye had a bit of confidence when he looked at the convulsing and frothy-mouthed Li Haoran who had collapsed onto the ground. Before Li Ye manifested his bloodsoul, he was only effective against Li Haoran's latter stage-Level Two. After the bloodsoul was manifested, it could properly be regarded as his all-powerful trump card!
When Li Haoran woke up, his entire person seemed to have waned and aged significantly. He was barely a couple of years older than Li Ye yet he had the addition of some wrinkles and grey hair.
"Li Ye! What the hell did you do to me?!"
Li Haoran was innately able to discern the change within him. He was just about to get angry when he noticed that his voice was huskily frail. In a moment of destabilization, he once again tumbled down to the ground.