Within the palace, the spirit-accumulating array voraciously absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy, drawing envious gazes from the inner disciples nearby.
"The palace truly is the best! I long for the days spent cultivating within the spirit-accumulating array!" The mad blade stood guard outside Ye Tian's palace, licking his lips, his cold eyes fixated on the grand edifice before him.
The other inner disciples, like ravenous wolves, also fixated hungrily on the ten palaces.
As the spirit-accumulating array activated, the ten palaces resembled black holes, devouring the surrounding spiritual energy at a rate that incited jealousy among many inner disciples.
"Damn it!"
"I refuse to accept this!"
Not far away, Wu Ding and Bai Yunfei seethed with indignation, their eyes ablaze with fury.
Both possessed strength within the top five, yet they had encountered formidable opponents too early; otherwise, they would now be relishing the comforts of the palace.
"Heh, I never imagined such benefits could be found here!"
At the entrance of the thirteenth prince's palace, Lin Fei sensed a surge of spiritual energy around him, and his heart leaped with joy as he promptly closed his eyes to absorb the influx.
The indiscriminate absorption of spiritual energy by the spirit-accumulating array filled the palace entrance with an abundance of it.
However, the entrance could not compare to the interior of the palace.
Inside, Ye Tian had activated his ten blood pills and azure martial spirits to their peak, each radiating intense light as they continuously absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy.
Peering into his dantian, Ye Tian could distinctly feel the once-dry blood pills rapidly regenerating at an alarming pace.
"At this rate, it won't take a day for my true essence to fully recover," Ye Tian mused quietly.
Indeed, after a few hours had passed, Ye Tian sensed that all ten blood pills within him had reached saturation. His meridians brimmed with potent true essence, a powerful sensation swelling within him.
"Next, it's time to consume the blood bodhi!"
Gently opening his eyes, Ye Tian's gaze sparkled with intensity, and the surrounding hall was suddenly imbued with a heavy, oppressive aura.
Moments later, he gradually withdrew his energy, retracting his imposing presence, and retrieved the blood-red fruit—the blood bodhi.
This fruit, the size of a fist, was a vivid crimson, resembling human blood in its brilliance. Resting in his palm, it shimmered with an enchanting crimson glow, irresistibly alluring.
"The demon tree bodhi delights in consuming beasts and humans alike; it bears fruit at night, and the fruit is as red as blood. Those who consume it experience a multiplication of their true essence, earning it the name blood bodhi!"
Recalling the accounts from the "Records of the Northern Sea," Ye Tian's face was filled with awe.
In his previous life on Earth, he had encountered some man-eating trees that fed on humans and animals, yet none were as fearsome as the demon tree bodhi.
According to the "Records of the Northern Sea," the demon tree bodhi possessed strength comparable to that of a martial sovereign, with the strongest capable of reaching martial lord level—truly terrifying.
Although the blood bodhi held great allure for martial spirit practitioners, the fearsome power of the demon tree bodhi deterred anyone from hunting it.
As for martial sovereigns and lords, they would only risk hunting the demon tree bodhi for their disciples or close friends; after all, the fruit's effects on them were negligible, almost insignificant.
"While I am uncertain of the demon tree bodhi's level that bore this blood bodhi, as I am only at the first level of martial spirit, it should allow me to break through to the next level."
Gazing at the blood bodhi in his hand, Ye Tian's eyes shimmered with anticipation and a hint of fervor.
He then began to consume the blood bodhi; despite its fist-sized form, Ye Tian was astonished to find that the fruit melted instantly upon contact with his tongue. Almost immediately, it transformed into a torrent, coursing down his throat and flooding into his body.
Boom!
Moments later, Ye Tian felt as if he were engulfed in flames, a searing sensation rising from within him.
Within all his meridians, the dense true essence began to boil violently, akin to lava erupting from a volcano, exuding a terrifying blood aura.
Simultaneously, the ten blood pills within Ye Tian surged with fervor, as if they had spotted something they adored, frantically consuming the blood aura.
To Ye Tian's delight, he observed that as the blood aura was absorbed, the size of the ten blood pills increased, and he felt his realm ascend to the second level of martial spirit.
True essence flowed like water, while realm was akin to a vessel; the size of the vessel determined how much water it could contain.
At this moment, as Ye Tian advanced to the second level of martial spirit, the enlarged blood pills could now accommodate a greater volume of true essence.
He hastily activated Blood Demon Transformation, channeling his martial spirit to absorb the spiritual energy from the spirit-accumulating array, which was then transformed into a continuous stream of true essence consumed by the ten blood pills.
Before long, Ye Tian sensed an overwhelming increase in true essence within him, and the ten blood pills began to fill to capacity, a sensation of power magnified by dozens of times surged within him.
Unlike other martial spirit practitioners, Ye Tian possessed ten blood pills, so each level he broke through equated to all ten pills advancing simultaneously, as if ten individuals were breaking through together.
As a result, Ye Tian's strength was not merely a tenfold increase but rather an exponential surge, exceeding dozens of times.
"Ha!"
When Ye Tian opened his eyes and stood, a robust wave of true essence emanated from his body, a tremendous force radiating outward from him.
Boom!
Instantly, the entire palace trembled.
"Haha, is this all the strength you possess, brat?"
"Submit and kneel before me, call me 'Grandfather,' and I shall spare you. Otherwise, every time I see you, I will strike!"
"Hahaha..."
Suddenly, a voice laced with mockery, disdain, and derision echoed from outside the palace.
"Hmm? What is happening?" Ye Tian furrowed his brow and strode toward the palace entrance.
As the palace doors swung open, a scene that ignited his fury unfolded before him.
Not far away, several inner disciples were mercilessly beating Lin Fei; though they were careful not to cause serious harm, Lin Fei was left in a wretched state.
More importantly, the derogatory remarks from the surrounding inner disciples filled Lin Fei's face with rage and humiliation.
Yun Shuiyao, the thirteenth prince, and Meng Shiyun stood at the palace entrance, yet they dared not step outside, for their strength paled in comparison to those inner disciples.
Meanwhile, the seventh prince and his companions looked on coldly, their faces adorned with malicious grins.
"What are you doing?" Ye Tian bellowed, charging out toward an inner disciple who was preparing to strike Lin Fei.
"Be careful!"
"Don't go out; they'll beat you too!"
The thirteenth prince, Yun Shuiyao, and others exclaimed in alarm, urgently warning him.
But it was too late; Ye Tian burst from the palace, throwing a punch at the inner disciple.
"Hmm? Brat, you've brought this upon yourself!" The inner disciple's eyes gleamed as he abandoned Lin Fei to confront Ye Tian.
"This is bad!"
"Oh no!"
The expressions of the thirteenth prince, Yun Shuiyao, and the others instantly darkened.
This inner disciple was a formidable warrior at the seventh level of martial spirit, far beyond their current capabilities to contend with, and even Ye Tian would likely struggle.
"Jiang Han, be gentle; this lad is my prey, and I do not wish for him to come to harm just yet!" a rugged voice echoed, prompting everyone to turn and discover it belonged to the Mad Blade.
Clearly intimidated by the Mad Blade, the inner disciple named Jiang Han smirked slightly, a cruel glint flickering in his eyes as he nodded, "Rest assured, even without your warning, I wouldn't dare inflict serious harm on him; after all, the inner sect's rules prohibit causing grievous injury."
As their words exchanged, Ye Tian and Jiang Han had already closed the distance.
"Kid, while I may not be able to seriously harm you, I can certainly teach you a lesson. I will make you understand that the inner sect is a ruthless place; even if you are a genius, you must learn to submit here!"
Jiang Han's face twisted into a sinister grin as he launched a powerful punch toward Ye Tian.
"Get out of my way!" Ye Tian said, not even sparing a glance at Jiang Han. He unleashed ten blood pills, an endless surge of true essence erupting forth, coalescing around his fist as he struck back.
Boom!
Both combatants unleashed their true essence simultaneously, a searing brilliance enveloping them, rendering the scene inside obscured to onlookers.
"Jiang Han is at the seventh level of martial spirit, while that kid is merely at the first level; he's bound to lose!"
"Knowing the disparity in cultivation yet daring to confront him directly, this boy is truly a fool."
"This year's champion is nothing remarkable after all; how disappointing!"
Surrounding inner disciples murmured disdainfully, their faces filled with scorn. The group that had been assaulting Lin Fei momentarily paused, their attention drawn to the clash between Ye Tian and Jiang Han.
"Second level of martial spirit?" The Mad Blade raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised as he discerned Ye Tian's cultivation level.
"Nevertheless, even so, he remains no match for Jiang Han!"
The Mad Blade chuckled lightly. Although Jiang Han had only recently ascended to the seventh level of martial spirit, the gap between the seventh and sixth levels was substantial; it was inconceivable that he could be defeated by someone at the second level.
Even a genius could not surpass such a significant gap; never had such a prodigious talent been seen within the entire Divine Star Sect.
However, mere moments later, the smile on the Mad Blade's face froze.
The derisive expressions of the surrounding inner disciples also abruptly solidified, their eyes widening in disbelief as they stared ahead.
From the radiant light not far away, accompanied by a muffled grunt, a disheveled figure was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.
When everyone finally recognized the individual's face, a collective gasp escaped their lips, leaving them utterly stunned.
"It's Jiang Han!"
A voice, uncertain of its owner, exclaimed, plunging the surroundings into a profound silence. Everyone gazed at Ye Tian, who emerged from the light, as if he were a monster.
Ye Tian walked directly to Lin Fei, assisting him to his feet. His sharp gaze swept the area, and he coldly declared, "Is this how you treat your fellow disciples?"