C10 True Dragon's Blood

After encountering a myriad of magical events, Laojiu was no longer phased by the idea of a pill that could stave off hunger for ten days. Yet, Patriarch Lieshan's overview of the Celestial Dragon Guidance, along with its foundational principles and prerequisites, took him by surprise. To practice the Celestial Dragon Guidance, one needed to possess a Perfect Body; anyone falling short of this benchmark simply couldn't begin the practice. Forcing the cultivation could easily result in a fatal explosion of the body! Even for those who had achieved Perfect Body Refining, the cultivation journey was fraught with danger, and predicting one's progress was difficult.

"Brother Lieshan, is there a being even more formidable than one with Perfect Body Refining?" Laojiu's concern grew as he delved deeper into the knowledge. This legacy was not so easily mastered.

"In theory, Perfect Body Refining represents the pinnacle for humans; however, there are extraordinary beings whose physical strength far surpasses that of a human's Perfect Body Refining. For instance, species like the Giant Dragon and the Golden Venerable Beast are born with immense power. But every coin has two sides. These powerful beings have low intelligence in their youth, relying solely on their innate abilities. By adulthood, they're no longer capable of pursuing this path of cultivation. This might explain why no one has successfully mastered this legacy."

"You now face two options: one is to immediately start practicing the entry-level technique, and the other is to infuse your body with Dragon Blood, as directed here, to enhance your powers. Both choices carry substantial risks. The success rate for the first option is a mere ten percent, with failure resulting in a crippled state, ending any further cultivation aspirations. The second option's greatest peril is the violent reaction to the Dragon Blood, with a seventy percent chance of it being fatal. However, should you succeed, your chances of mastering the Celestial Dragon Guidance could exceed fifty percent. And even if you fail at the initial attempt, you can still pursue other cultivation methods without ruining your meridians."

Patriarch Lieshan's explanation left Laojiu at a loss for words. It seemed every choice led to a perilous path. Yet, the allure of mastering such a formidable legacy was too strong to ignore, especially since he had already met the entry criteria.

The most crucial point was that Patriarch Lieshan had no intention of passing on his cultivation techniques to Laojiu. Moreover, his master, the Xuanyuan Huang Monarch, hadn't left behind any additional cultivation texts.

"Then it's settled, we'll infuse our body with Dragon Blood! But where do we find it?" Laojiu pondered deeply before resolving to take a life-threatening risk. He trusted that Patriarch Lieshan wouldn't put him in harm's way.

"Have you not noticed the Dragon-shape relief on the stone wall of the Martial Training Field? It's more than just a carving. Within its eyes lies the Life Blood Essence of the dragon. I didn't grasp the significance of our Master's actions at the time, but now it all makes sense."

"Let's get started then! If it's meant to be a blessing, it will be, and if it's a disaster, it's inescapable!"

Patriarch Lieshan greatly admired Laojiu's willingness to take such risks. After all, cultivation is an act of defying the natural order. Without such reckless courage, how could one hope to become a supreme master?

Yet, he didn't let Laojiu act immediately. Instead, he assisted him in adjusting his mindset and conditioning his body to an optimal state before proceeding.

Drawing Dragon Blood into one's body was straightforward, but humans are not dragons, particularly those who have never practiced cultivation. The real challenge was enduring the immense Origin Energy within the Dragon Blood. Otherwise, the seventy percent fatality rate, resulting from bodies exploding, wouldn't be a reality.

Following Patriarch Lieshan's guidance, Laojiu procured the necessary equipment for the transfusion. Infusing Dragon Blood was akin to the common medical practice of intravenous fluid transfusion.

Introducing foreign blood into the body presented the issue of blood type compatibility, and the blood of an entirely different species was even more likely to reject human blood. Attempting to harness the potent Life Blood Essence of a dragon was fraught with peril.

From the Dragon-shape carving's eye, Laojiu extracted a bottle of red blood, glinting with traces of gold, roughly the volume of a mineral water bottle. The Dragon Blood within was not static; it flowed gently, churning slowly. Even after thousands of years, it had not lost its vitality.

Patriarch Lieshan explained that the Xuanyuan Huang Monarch had imbued the bottle with Origin Energy, ensuring its stability for another five thousand years, if necessary.

Laojiu secured himself onto the frame his master had prepared, anticipating the immense surge of Origin Energy that would follow the infusion of Dragon Blood. This energy could induce a violent frenzy, potentially disrupting the process and rendering all previous efforts futile.

Let's begin!

Laojiu connected the blood bottle to the tube, and the golden-lit Dragon Blood swiftly entered his body. His veins bulged immediately, expanding to more than double their normal size, accompanied by excruciating pain, as if he were being lacerated by a thousand blades.

Thankfully, Laojiu had achieved Perfect Body Refining. Had his constitution been any weaker, his blood vessels might have burst on the spot. The Dragon Blood charged like a bulldozer towards his heart.

Upon reaching his heart, Laojiu's pulse rate doubled in an instant, then tripled, quintupled, and finally increased tenfold! His entire body turned a deep red, trembling in every part, with even his hair taking on a dark crimson hue, all pulsating with the intense rhythm of his heartbeats.

"Kid, I know you're in agony, but you must hang in there! Once you get through this initial onslaught, it'll get easier," Patriarch Lieshan urged Laojiu, anxious to avoid any mishaps. The rewards for enduring were clear. If Laojiu were to perish from his body exploding, Patriarch Lieshan would be destroyed as well.

Laojiu bit down hard on his mouthguard, suspecting that without it, he might have shattered his own teeth. It felt as though countless dragons were rampaging through his body, each cell enduring a powerful shock!

His capillaries began to rupture, and a thin sheen of blood appeared on his skin. At this point, only a third of the Life Blood Essence had been transfused.

The ordeal was multifaceted, and Laojiu could no longer engage in conversation with Patriarch Lieshan. The trial was testing not just his physical endurance but also his willpower to the utmost. If his resolve were to crumble, the likelihood of failure would soar to a staggering 100%.

The Dragon Blood was coursing through at an alarming rate, and it was already more than halfway done.

Laojiu's body had undergone severe deformation, turning him into a figure drenched in blood, with an increasing number of shattered meridians within. If this continued, it would be incredibly challenging for him to endure until the end.

Neither Patriarch Lieshan nor Xuanyuan Dragon Monarch had anticipated Laojiu's dire situation. The Celestial Dragon Guidance did mention the infusion of Dragon Blood into the body, but not solely with the Life Blood Essence of a giant dragon. Xuanyuan Dragon Monarch had a somewhat simplistic view; he believed that using the Life Blood Essence for body refinement would yield the best results, with a significantly stronger effect.

To harvest this Blood Essence, his dragon had been weakened for a considerable time before it could recover. Regrettably, his well-intentioned act had adverse consequences, as he hadn't considered the cultivator's capacity for endurance.

Having lived through an apocalyptic disaster, Laojiu was no stranger to the vicissitudes of life, and his willpower had grown immensely strong. Even when he plummeted into the great fissure, he never gave in to despair. But now, he was struggling to persevere.

Despite his clarity of will, the explosive rupturing of his body's meridians and blood vessels was unstoppable.

"Is this the end for me? What will become of my parents? I haven't grown strong, I haven't freed myself from a destiny of servitude—must I die like this?" Laojiu questioned himself over and over.

"No! I must survive! I will survive, no matter what it takes!"

But how could he prevent his body from disintegrating?

Nourish life with Qi!

These words suddenly sprang to Laojiu's mind!

This concept is the essence of the first stage of cultivation, the Qi Fostering Rank—using cultivated Origin Energy to feed and fortify the body.

Laojiu couldn't afford to wait until the refinement process was complete to begin practicing the Celestial Dragon Guidance. He resolved to start immediately, refining his body with Dragon Blood while simultaneously cultivating the Qi Cultivating Technique from the Celestial Dragon Guidance!

Patriarch Lieshan had thoroughly explained this phase to him. The plan was to initiate cultivation immediately after successfully integrating the Dragon Blood, but Laojiu had preemptively embarked on this path.

Mastering any legacy is no simple feat for a novice cultivator, and the initiation into the Celestial Dragon Guidance is exceptionally challenging. Laojiu faced the daunting task of cultivating the entry-level Magic Spell while his body was on the brink of collapse, a difficulty magnified manyfold.

At that moment, even a tiny stone, no larger than a fingernail, landing on him felt like a mountain's crushing blow. Yet, to practice the entry-level Magic Spell, he had to assume the correct cultivation posture, which only intensified his agony.

Laojiu's pain was excruciating, but he couldn't afford to surrender; he had compelling reasons to survive.

"Kid, take it easy," Patriarch Lieshan advised without hindering Laojiu's determination. He couldn't help but admire the tenacity of this young man who was still learning the basics of cultivation.

Once the Dragon Blood had fully infused Laojiu's body, he shakily managed to adopt the proper cultivation stance. The Dragon Blood's rampage within him had reached a climax, and the ordeal was far from over, requiring at least half a day more to subside.

During this time, he nearly lost consciousness several times, only to be roused by Patriarch Lieshan's persistent calls.

Laojiu's meridians were now nearly ten percent shattered, and he was on the verge of becoming nothing more than a mass of flesh within half a day.

Ignoring the excruciating pain, Laojiu focused on calming his mind and channeling the external Origin Energy into his body.

His first attempt ended in failure, hindered by the physical torment.

On his second try, he failed again, yet he found a semblance of inner peace.

By now, twenty percent of his body's meridians were in ruins, with the rate of destruction accelerating.

Unfazed, Laojiu detached himself from the pain as if the body enduring it was no longer his own.

On the third attempt, a trickle of Origin Energy from the outside world finally made its way into his body.

The moment the Origin Energy entered, it acted as a beacon for the latent Origin Energy within the Dragon Blood, which surged forward in a powerful tide.

Boom!

A thunderous roar erupted from Laojiu's Low Dantian, and in an instant, a colossal vortex of Origin Energy formed, whirling into motion of its own accord.

The vortex of Origin Energy grew larger and larger, drawing the chaotic Dragon Blood Origin Energy within his body rapidly toward it.

"It's truly a miracle!"

Patriarch Lieshan was deeply moved. He had never imagined that a novice could achieve success so swiftly! Even more astonishing was the sheer abundance of Origin Energy within Laojiu's body, nearly rivaling that of Middle Rank Three!

And to think, he had only just begun his journey.

"This young man's potential is boundless!"