Time flowed steadily.
Six days later, Lin Xiao had refined seventy percent of the Martial Emperor blood, surpassing Long Tutian by ten percent.
Yet, he showed no signs of halting, enduring the pain without faltering, astonishing the Vice Dean and others.
Another six days passed, and he reached eighty percent, leaving them stunned.
Still, Lin Xiao pressed on. After six more days, he hit ninety percent, shocking the Vice Dean and his companions beyond their expectations.
Baili He’s hopes were realized.
By now, Lin Xiao’s body was scorched, billowing black smoke, his blood heavily seared.
But his will was unmatched. Having devoured the Swallowing Heaven Spirit Emperor during his first tempering, his resolve had only hardened through countless trials.
His potent spiritual power bolstered his mind, making it nearly impossible to break him.
His body, tempered by countless thunderstorms, held firm despite refining ninety percent of the blood.
He didn’t stop.
Six more days passed—a full two months from the start. Lin Xiao completely refined the entire drop, one hundred percent.
The Vice Dean and others were dumbfounded. Lin Xiao had wrought another miracle, fully refining the blood without wasting a trace.
They realized the Dean’s advice was sound: the lower the cultivation, the better the refinement. At peak Martial King, Lin Xiao achieved perfect results.
Inside the array, Lin Xiao endured the final wave of pain, his body numb, his mind teetering between consciousness and oblivion.
After this, the inhuman agony ceased, his body so numb he felt nothing.
A night passed. By dawn, the numbness faded, and Lin Xiao sensed his flesh’s vitality returning.
His dantian, tempered and purified, gleamed with pristine clarity, verging on primal simplicity.
A thin layer of chaotic matter formed around it.
Explosive, terrifying power surged within this chaotic layer.
“Chi!” The array’s suppression lifted, and a heaven-shaking aura erupted from Lin Xiao like a tidal wave.
“Boom!”
His aura soared, piercing the sky, accompanied by a faint, chant-like hum. Clouds churned, the heavens shifted, and the skies above the Holy City and cultivation zone turned blood-red, an oppressive aura blanketing the region.
The crimson phenomenon spread beyond the city.
In the Holy City, the sudden skyward anomaly startled everyone.
“What’s happening? A phenomenon at dawn? Is something big coming?”
“A supreme treasure emerging?”
“Perhaps a senior in the cultivation zone broke through, triggering this?”
Exclamations rippled through the crowd.
In the restricted valley, a blood dragon phantom, earth-grade mid-tier, materialized behind Lin Xiao, exuding an ancient, primal aura, its majestic pressure sweeping outward.
“Boom!”
The ground quaked violently, tremors spreading outward as if heralding an earthquake.
“Trouble! Act now!” The Vice Dean frowned, unleashing a terrifying aura to envelop Lin Xiao’s surroundings. A colossal palm of energy descended, sealing the area around him.
The Eight Directions Tower Master, Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion Master, and Baili He followed suit, their vast auras and palm forces converging to suppress the phenomenon.
Their combined efforts quelled the anomaly, the crimson sky fading, the tremors subsiding.
The group breathed a collective sigh of relief.
“This kid, just breaking through to Martial Venerable, and he causes such a ruckus!” Baili He grumbled.
“Triggering a phenomenon at Martial Venerable—Lin Xiao truly has the makings of a divine dragon!” The Vice Dean’s face showed awe as he sighed.
“Good thing we masked his aura, or this commotion would’ve spread who-knows-where,” the Eight Directions Tower Master said, relieved. They knew such a phenomenon at Martial Venerable marked a prodigy destined to soar, but it could also attract trouble.
“Did you notice? His blood dragon phenomenon is earth-grade mid-tier!” the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion Master exclaimed.
“Indeed, earth-grade mid-tier. In the chaotic lands, even the entire southeast domain, no one matches that talent. His dantian phenomenon alone outshines his peers!” Baili He marveled.
Then, a puzzled look crossed his face. “Wait, wasn’t Lin Xiao’s phenomenon earth-grade low-tier before? How’s it mid-tier now? Can phenomena upgrade?”
Dantian phenomena, innate and unchangeable, largely determined cultivation talent. Lin Xiao’s earth-grade low-tier blood dragon, displayed during the grand competition, was already exceptional among Shengyuan Academy’s youths.
Yet, his phenomenon had clearly reached earth-grade mid-tier.
Baili He wasn’t alone in his confusion; the Vice Dean and others were equally baffled.
Upgrading a dantian phenomenon was unheard of.
“This kid’s an anomaly,” the Vice Dean sighed. Seeing the phenomenon subside, he said, “That’s enough. Withdraw your forces.”
They nodded, ceasing their efforts. The Vice Dean waved, a gust scattering the residual energy around Lin Xiao, revealing him to the group.
