Sitting cross-legged at the bottom of the pool, Ye Tian closed his eyes tightly as strands of black aura flowed down his arms, gradually enveloping his entire body and wrapping him together with the azure crystal.
"Chirp, chirp!" The little Golden Mouse mimicked his posture, plopping its tiny rear on the pool floor. It scratched its small head, wagged its little tail, and glanced around for a moment before closing its eyes and dozing off.
At this moment, pure spiritual energy surged towards Ye Tian from all directions, centering around him.
Simultaneously, the azure Martial Soul Crystal at the bottom of the pool cracked with a faint sound and shattered into fragments, vanishing from sight.
"Ah... this feels incredible! It's as if every pore in my body has opened up. Is this the azure Martial Soul? The speed at which I'm absorbing the world's spiritual energy has increased tenfold!"
Ye Tian couldn't help but moan in pleasure. Upon inspecting his dantian, he discovered a baby-sized azure Martial Soul sitting cross-legged within. The abundant spiritual energy from outside was continuously drawn in, flowing vigorously through his meridians.
Seizing the opportunity, Ye Tian began to practice the Condensation Technique, and immediately, the spiritual energy coalesced into shining acupoints that filled his entire being.
Ten... twenty... thirty...
As time passed, the number of acupoints within Ye Tian's body continued to increase. In just one hour, he had already formed over a hundred acupoints.
Moreover, this number kept rising.
Boom!
A torrent of pure and potent spiritual energy was continuously absorbed into Ye Tian's body, turning his location into a vortex that relentlessly devoured the surrounding energy.
Splash!
Under Ye Tian's fervent absorption, the water in the pool began to churn violently, eventually forming a massive whirlpool above his head that rapidly drew in spiritual energy from all directions.
"This guy!"
"What a freak!"
"Is he that powerful?"
Such a terrifying commotion instantly attracted the attention of others in the Spirit Pool. Lin Fei, the Thirteenth Prince, and Yun Shuiyao, who were closest to Ye Tian, all opened their eyes in shock.
Soon, Wu Ding, the Seventh Prince, Bai Yunfei, and Meng Shiyun also opened their eyes, gazing in astonishment.
When they realized that the source of this terrifying disturbance was Ye Tian, their expressions varied.
The Seventh Prince, as domineering as ever, gazed with piercing eyes and exclaimed, "Excellent! A powerhouse like this is perfect to be my warrior, to follow me in conquering the world!"
The others nearby exchanged glances, their faces filled with disbelief, as if they were looking at a fool.
"Hmph!" Wu Ding's expression darkened as he let out a cold snort, then resumed his meditation.
Bai Yunfei's jealousy intensified, his narrowed eyes revealing a hint of murderous intent.
Meng Shiyun's curiosity grew, her expression hidden behind her veil, making it impossible for others to see her thoughts.
Boom!
A muffled sound echoed.
The water around Ye Tian began to boil violently, and the spiritual energy rushing toward him grew even denser, displacing the air in that area.
Finally, when Ye Tian reached the perfect mastery of the Condensation Technique, the number of false acupoints within him increased to 360, forming a celestial diagram that radiated an extraordinary aura.
Boom!
As Ye Tian mastered the Condensation Technique, the 720 acupoints shone like stars, emitting a brilliant light as they rapidly absorbed the surging spiritual energy around them.
"This feels amazing!" Ye Tian opened his eyes, two piercing beams of light shooting forth from them. At that moment, he felt an unparalleled sense of comfort, his vitality reaching its peak.
"With my mastery of the Condensation Technique and the abundant spiritual energy here, I should be able to ascend to the Martial Spirit realm, right?" Sensing his body's extraordinary peak state, Ye Tian's eyes sparkled with determination as he prepared to break through.
Following the method outlined in the Blood Demon Transformation, Ye Tian's first step was to condense the Blood Dan, ensuring that each main meridian had its own Blood Dan.
This was the method of the Ten Meridians Blood Dan proposed in the Blood Demon Transformation; upon success, he would ascend to the Martial Spirit realm, and become the most powerful Martial Spirit.
Suppressing his excitement, Ye Tian circulated the Blood Demon Transformation, and a crimson glow began to envelop him, accelerating his absorption of the surrounding spiritual energy.
"Let's start with you... the first Blood Dan!" Ye Tian focused on one of the thicker main meridians, and with a thought, began to gather his true essence.
Immediately, torrents of true essence surged forth, drawing endless spiritual energy from all directions. Under Ye Tian's control, a crimson light slowly emerged from the source of that main meridian, growing brighter until it formed a Blood Dan the size of a fist.
Though Ye Tian was exhilarated, his expression remained calm as he continued to condense the Blood Dan. This was only the first one; he still had a long way to go to reach his goal of ten Blood Dans.
The Blood Dan radiated brilliant light, even more dazzling than the acupoints, resembling a blood-red sun that emitted a blinding brilliance, making it seem as though his dantian was draped in a crimson silk veil.
"Condense!"
Ye Tian shouted, and boundless spiritual energy surged into his dantian, slowly coalescing into the second Blood Dan under his control.
Boom!
The true essence surged, the blood light shone brilliantly, and the vast spiritual energy spread, causing the water in the Spirit Pool to boil as if ignited. The evaporating mist formed clouds that floated above the Spirit Pool.
Ye Tian remained remarkably composed, his vitality still at its peak. Condensing two Blood Dans had little effect on him; the true essence within him remained incredibly abundant.
"Again!" Ye Tian murmured, concentrating all his true essence to begin condensing the third Blood Dan. As this Dan emerged, his entire dantian trembled, and his body radiated intense blood light.
"Not enough, keep going!"
Ye Tian's heart roared as he mobilized all the true essence in his body, splitting it into three streams that surged toward different points, attempting to condense three Blood Dans simultaneously.
This scene was utterly astonishing; Ye Tian's body glowed with brilliance, creating a blood-red world. Three radiant Blood Dans appeared, exuding fierce light and energy that made his body tremble.
He had underestimated the challenge!
Ye Tian's eyes narrowed with gravity as he felt a surge of alarm, yet he remained calm.
Although he successfully condensed three Blood Dans at once, the overwhelming energy pushed his body to its limits, and he began to struggle under the immense pressure.
"I can't give in; I must hold on!" Ye Tian's gaze burned fiercely as he gritted his teeth. Having come this far, he would never back down.
"If the Blood Demon Blade Lord can succeed, why can't I?"
"I, Ye Tian, will condense the Ten Meridians Blood Dan!"
"Either I don't break through, or if I do, I will be the strongest among Martial Spirits!"
Ye Tian's heart roared as he endured the intense pain coursing through his body and began to forcibly condense the seventh Blood Dan. His true essence was ample, and with 720 acupoints, it continuously erupted with boundless energy.
The spiritual energy in the Spirit Pool surged towards Ye Tian, but the only challenge he faced was the impending collapse of his body.
Ye Tian had never practiced techniques to enhance his physical body, so it was comparable to that of an ordinary half-step Martial Spirit. While others ascended to the Martial Spirit realm by condensing a single Golden Dan, he aimed to condense ten.
Thus, the pressure on Ye Tian's body was ten times greater than that of others.
He was nearing the limits of his physical endurance!
"The limit... is what drives one to breakthrough. Condense again!" Ye Tian shouted softly, his eyes like lightning piercing through the void. His true essence trembled violently, and he finally condensed a Blood Dan.
The seventh Blood Dan!
Ye Tian clenched his teeth, feeling unprecedented pressure on his body as drops of crimson blood began to appear, staining the surrounding pool water.
His body was on the brink of collapse.
Yet Ye Tian seemed to have gone mad; his eyes were blood-red, matching the crimson true essence within him, exuding an otherworldly aura as if he had fallen into madness.
"The eighth one..." Ye Tian growled softly, disregarding the impending collapse of his body as he prepared to forcibly condense the eighth Blood Dan.
Boom!
At that moment, the water in the area where Ye Tian was located boiled to its peak, the tremendous commotion making it impossible for Wu Ding, the Thirteenth Prince, and the others to continue their meditation.
One by one, they turned their astonished gazes toward him.
"What kind of perverse technique is this guy practicing?" Lin Fei exclaimed, utterly shocked.
"Is he attempting to ascend to the Martial Spirit realm? But this commotion is simply too great!" The Thirteenth Prince remarked, somewhat speechless. Just moments ago, he had ascended to the Martial Spirit realm, but the disturbance was so minimal that no one had noticed.
"With such a ruckus, he still hasn't reached the Martial Spirit realm!" Yun Shuiyao's big, adorable eyes widened in disbelief.
Everyone was once again astounded; this baptism in the Spirit Pool had been thoroughly disrupted by Ye Tian. Aside from him, no one else had managed to complete their baptism properly.
Not far from the Spirit Pool, the bald youth furrowed his brows and glanced toward Ye Tian's direction. His pupils suddenly constricted, and his expression darkened.
"This kid... is truly in for it!" The bald youth's face turned grim as he muttered under his breath. He extended a hand, unleashing his formidable true essence, which coalesced in the air into a massive hand, reaching for Ye Tian.
"Hand of the Stars!"
"That's..."
This commotion caused Wu Ding and the others to gasp in shock, their gazes toward the bald youth shifting entirely.
He was no mere youth... he was clearly an ancient being who had regained his youth, now revealing his true strength.
Boom!
As Ye Tian was in the process of condensing the eighth Blood Dan, he was suddenly attacked. He barely had time to react before a colossal hand seized him and hurled him out of the Spirit Pool.
"Kid, get as far away as you can, or I'll hit you every time I see you!" The bald youth coldly tossed Ye Tian out through the stone door, then shot a frosty glare at Wu Ding and the others, clearly furious.
Wu Ding and the others were already intimidated by the bald youth's power; they dared not breathe a word and quickly closed their eyes to meditate.
Outside the stone door, Ye Tian stumbled as he fell, awakening him from his daze as he looked around in confusion.