117 Nine Cycles Sanguine Resurrection
[Year 793: After witnessing the Peak Wave Realm Leviasaur's transformation for the sixth time, your innate talent and sharp mind finally grasp the underlying principles. A new path, one you could never have imagined, unfolds before you.]
[Year 830: The ape vampire was right. Without experiencing true life and death, how can one comprehend the profound meaning of Resurrection? But it doesn't have to be your life and death. Use your life essence to tame vampiric power, bind those vampires within your body, then subdue them with the essence of death. With the aid of Hundred Renewal Exoskeleton, repeat this process nine times... This is the Nine Cycles Sanguine Resurrection!]
[Remaining Absorbed Lifespan: 2548 years]
[Crystal Realm — Nine Cycles Sanguine Resurrection (Angelic Grade): untrained.]
I stared at the panel, my attention drawn to that unfamiliar expression: "Angelic Grade". If it meant what I thought it meant... why hadn't I seen it before?
The Harmonious Quartet, for instance, was a top-grade technique, a unique skill of the Admiral himself. And I'd enhanced it with Blood Evil energy, creating the Bloody Quintet, a technique of even greater power. Even that didn't qualify as "angelic grade"?
I took a deep breath, eager to begin training this Crystal Realm body tempering technique.
I channeled my remaining absorbed lifespan into it, but was immediately met with an obstacle.
[Year 1: You study the body tempering technique you've painstakingly developed, but find yourself lacking the necessary ingredients...]
I blinked. Of course. To bind vampire within my body, I first needed... well, a vampire.
I activated the Melting Sun Furnace to ensure the External Crystal remained firmly suppressed, its demonic energy safely contained. Then I consumed both the Wave Realm tiger vampire's beast core and the partially depleted Leviasaur crystal core.
[Year 2: Following the technique's instructions, you begin to nourish your body with the vampiric power contained within the tiger vampire's core. The violent energy tears at you from within, threatening to shred your very being. But then, a soothing white light emerges, calming the rampaging power and repairing the damage.]
[Year 8: The tiger vampire's core is fully consumed, its power integrated into your being. You consume the remaining Leviasaur's core, but the two vampiric energies clash, hindering your progress.]
This didn't concern me. Even at a fifth of its original strength, the Crystal Realm Leviasaur's energy far surpassed that of a simple Wave Realm beast core.
I recalled how the Vampire Devouring External Crystal had devoured the Peak Wave Realm Leviasaur core—its vampiric power had been merely a drop in the ocean. Just as I'd expected, the vampire subduing efficiency returned to normal in the next prompt.
[Year 9: The Leviasaur's power overwhelmed the tiger vampire's energy, restoring your normal rate of progress.]
[Year 12: In addition to refining the demonic power, your frugality compels you to consume even the dregs of the Leviasaur's core, slightly enhancing your Leviasaur Power talent.]
The process remained slow. While the Vampire Devouring External Crystal could instantly absorb vampiric power, integrating it into my flesh took far longer. Still, I remained patient—power merged with my body was infinitely more valuable than power merely stored in a magical vessel.
[Year 320: You completely subdue the Leviasaur's demonic power, binding it within your body, completing the first transformation of the Nine Cycles Sanguine Resurrection.]
[You are a Leviasaur Lord, ruler of the vast rivers. Towering waves are your throne, treacherous currents your bed. You stride atop the surging waters, or plunge into the abyss, overturning the very seas.]
[Nine Cycles Sanguine Resurrection: Apprentice.]
A wave of unparalleled power surged through me.
Boom!
My veins bulged as I slammed against the mountain wall, the force of the impact pulverizing the remaining tiger vampire flesh. The entire hillside shook. It was as if the combined might of Leviasaur Power, Hundred Renewal Exoskeleton, and Resurrected Body had been infused into my very being. And this was just the beginning! It already surpassed all my previous gains. This was true Crystal Realm body tempering.
I gasped, my back pressed against the rock face, my muscles spasming uncontrollably. I glanced down at my arm, my eyes widening. A golden pattern, resembling a Leviasaur tail, snaked across my skin, extending towards my shoulder.
As I slowly gained control of the surging power, the markings faded, disappearing beneath my flesh. I looked up at the sky, the torrential rain showing no signs of abating. I didn't utilize my techniques, simply observed. And then, I noticed something peculiar. The rain was falling around me, diverted by some unseen force.
"Controlling the weather?"
I was far from reaching such a level, but I'd clearly acquired some extraordinary ability. I frowned, retrieving the two remaining tiger crystal cores. These were my last reserves, intended for the External Crystal. But this first transformation... it had already granted me power comparable to a nascent Crystal Realm vampire.
No, not just comparable. Perhaps even greater. What wonders would the next stage bring? Perhaps, once I reached Journeyman, I wouldn't even need the External Crystal to achieve such power.
[Remaining Absorbed Lifespan: 2228 years]
[Year 1: You prepare for the second transformation. But first, you must use the essence of death to eradicate the lingering consciousness within the Leviasaur's vampiric power.]
I rolled up my sleeve, my fingers tracing the faded Leviasaur markings. I had to completely eradicate the lingering remnants of the Leviasaur's soul. Only then would this power truly be mine.
[Year 72: The essence of death torments the Leviasaur's soul, and a mournful roar echoes through your mind before fading into nothingness. Unfazed, you consume the tiger core. Your body, tempered by the first transformation, readily accepts the violent demonic power. Your progress accelerates.]
Based on my previous experience, the tiger core contained five times the energy of the depleted Leviasaur core. The transformation would take... fifteen hundred years?
Fifteen hundred years—an eternity by human standards. Yet the Nine Cycles Sanguine Resurrection was clearly beyond what any mere human martial artist could practice.
To bind vampires within one's body, to steal their innate powers... What kind of martial art is this?
I paused, hoping the accelerated process mentioned by the panel would prove significant.
[Year 631: You completely refine the tiger core, completing the second transformation...]
[You become the Mountain Lord, ruler of all beasts. Your tiger spirit shakes the very mountains, your might repelling all evil, your piercing gaze discerning spirits and vampires, your roar commanding the wilds.]
Leviasaur Lord, Mountain Lord... each transformation brought new and wondrous abilities. This time, I was prepared. I clenched my fists, bracing myself. The influx of power was even greater than before, but the mental strain was lessened.
Not enough... I realized.
I compared my current strength to the full might of the Vampire Devouring External Crystal. I was close, but not quite there.
A fully Crystallized vampire could easily crush a Crystallizing one. I still couldn't replicate that devastating palm strike that had obliterated the elder tiger vampire. Without the External Crystal, I was perhaps slightly weaker than Karim Shaheen from Crown Mountain.
Will I reach journeyman level after completing the third transformation? I wondered, studying the last tiger core in my hand. I sighed—it wouldn't be powerful enough to fuel the third transformation.