Chapter 107: Training in the Blood Pool
After finishing his discussion with Jin Shi, Jin Shi handed Xiao Tian a dark golden rat skull. Xiao Tian placed it in his storage ring and began to wait.
As time passed, individuals and small groups started emerging from the maze. Once the maze closed, only a little over twenty people were left on the Tianshan Platform. Out of these, only eight could enter the Tianshan Blood Pool to train.
"Boom!"
A bell rang, and Jin Shi addressed the crowd, "The time has come. You can now start the challenge. You must pass through the light barrier set by our clan."
As he spoke, the area around the stone stairs leading to the mountain's peak began to churn. Suddenly, numerous gold-eating rats emerged from the ground, making the sight quite unsettling.
"The light barrier isn't difficult. You just need to reach the top through the sound waves of the rat swarm," Jin Shi explained. "You have five minutes to prepare. After that, you have one hour to complete the challenge."
Many people's faces changed upon hearing this. They knew that gold-eating rats were experts in sonic attacks that could penetrate Dou Qi defenses. Despite this, some skilled and brave individuals stepped forward as soon as the time started. Bowing to Jin Shi, they wrapped themselves in Dou Qi and rushed towards the stone stairs.
"Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!"
As soon as they entered the rats' territory, the rats' hair stood on end, and they emitted sharp, soul-piercing screeches.
"Ugh!"
The individuals' bodies stiffened, and moments later, they spat blood and were thrown back.
"Failed!" Jin Shi looked at the others. "Anyone else? If not, you'll have to draw lots for the remaining spots."
"I'll try!" Xiao Tian stepped forward, stomping hard and dashing forward quickly.
"Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!"
Just like before, the rats' sonic waves engulfed Xiao Tian, but they didn't affect him at all. He passed through the light barrier effortlessly.
"What is that? How can it even devour sound waves?" Jin Shi wondered, eyeing Xiao Tian closely. Xiao Tian had used the power of the Devouring Ancestral Talisman, which could devour anything, making the rats' sonic attacks ineffective.
Xiao Tian's success inspired others, and more people stepped up to try. By the end of the time limit, only four had succeeded, leaving the remaining to compete for the final four spots.
Once the participants were decided, Jin Shi told the rest, "The spots have been filled. You will be escorted out of the Tianmu Mountain Range."
Then, Jin Shi led Xiao Tian and the others to the mountain top. They weaved through a maze of rocks before stopping at a wide volcanic crater. In the center of the crater was a pool of fiery red liquid resembling lava.
"This is the Tianshan Blood Pool, but it hasn't reached its peak energy yet. Only at its peak can you enter," Jin Shi explained. "Remember, the pool contains a heavy fire poison that intensifies the deeper you go. You can stay in for a maximum of three days. Beyond that, the fire poison will infiltrate your body, and only high-level alchemists can remove it. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Hearing this, many people's expressions changed. They only knew the pool could help with breakthroughs, unaware of the fire poison's danger.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a thunderous sound rang out. The colorful energy tide in the sky stopped spreading and formed a massive multicolored vortex above the crater, gathering a colossal energy column.
"Boom!"
As the multicolored energy column appeared, it radiated brilliant light, thinning the surrounding fog. The next moment, the column descended into the crater.
"Whoosh!"
Gusts of wind and flying sand and stones erupted. Xiao Tian saw that the crater was now filled with dense multicolored light, teeming with immense energy.
"Now is the best time!" Jin Shi shouted. The two giant gold-eating rats beside him leapt into the crater, followed by the other participants.
"It's time to break through to Dou Zong!" Xiao Tian said, summoning his different flames and diving into the eerie blood pool.
The blood pool was deep red, thick like blood, with bubbles occasionally rising and releasing dense, bloody energy. Xiao Tian didn't start absorbing it right away but swam deeper into the pool, where the energy was more concentrated and purer.
After diving for over ten minutes, he noticed the space below starting to distort, seemingly separated by an invisible barrier. Xiao Tian took out the dark gold skull and pressed it against the barrier.
"Buzz!"
The dark gold skull emitted a light that spread out, creating ripples in the barrier. A passage appeared in front of Xiao Tian. Once he entered, the passage slowly closed.
This area was small, less than ten meters in diameter, but the blood-red energy here was far denser than outside. Xiao Tian noticed dark gray light spots within the blood-red liquid, emitting a hot, foul odor. When these spots touched the different flames on his body, they exploded instantly.
"Only with different flames can the fire poison be isolated!" Xiao Tian sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began cultivating. Using the different flames to isolate the fire poison, he activated the Devouring Ancestral Talisman, transforming it into a black hole that started devouring and refining the blood-red energy.
"Buzz!"
In an instant, the thick blood-red energy turned into streams of energy, continuously entering Xiao Tian's body. He controlled this energy, rapidly circulating it according to the Flame Mantra. During this process, his meridians, flesh, and bones all frantically absorbed the blood-red energy, quickly strengthening.
(End of Chapter)
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