The Blood Transformation Pool was very strange.
The stench of blood was overpowering.
Bubbles constantly rose from it too. Anyone who saw it would feel their heart drum uneasily.
The six of them exchanged glances.
None of them had any intention of going down first.
"Jiang Hao, I am Geng Qiuyi of the Flying Heaven Sect. I am at Transforming Force and older than you, yet I became an elite of the same Seven Sects Grand Competition as you. That truly makes me a little ashamed."
At that moment, Geng Qiuyi of the Flying Heaven Sect took the initiative to strike up a conversation.
Though she was a woman, she carried herself with easy grace and had a frank, straightforward nature.
Only the six of them remained here.
They could, in fact, get to know one another.
After all, they were all elites of the seven sects.
As elites from the same Grand Competition, they shared some measure of fate. More interaction was not a bad thing.
"I am Wang Chen of the Flowing Sand Sect..."
"I am Zhang Xiao of the Heavenly Saber Sect."
With Geng Qiuyi taking the lead, the remaining two Transforming Force martial artists also stepped forward to speak with Jiang Hao.
After all, Jiang Hao was a future Seed of the Dao. He was now at Transforming Force as well, placing him on the same level as them, and his future prospects were limitless.
Naturally, they wanted to get to know someone like him.
Yan Beiwu was equally poised and generous, and both sides chatted pleasantly.
Only Li Qingshan wore a gloomy expression. He ignored everyone and stayed by himself off to one side.
"Jiang Hao, all of us have already awakened divine blood, but the Blood Transformation Pool is still immensely useful to us. I presume your divine blood is only incomplete divine blood, correct? We must do everything we can to further improve our divine blood, perhaps even obtain complete divine blood."
"Only with complete divine blood will our chances of Entering Dao be greater."
"The Blood Transformation Pool contains a special power that is greatly beneficial to our divine blood. However, the Blood Transformation Pool is extremely painful, so painful that it surpasses the limits of human endurance. But if possible, endure for as long as you can. The longer you endure, the greater the benefits you gain!"
"Once you cannot bear it and leave the Blood Transformation Pool, the Qian Emperor will directly have us taken away. We will not be given a second chance."
Yan Beiwu suddenly spoke to Jiang Hao.
This already counted as a "secret."
Not everyone knew it.
Yet Yan Beiwu clearly knew.
Li Qingshan probably knew as well.
But the others did not.
Li Qingshan naturally would not say anything. Yan Beiwu had taken the initiative to tell him as a gesture of goodwill.
"Thank you, Senior Sister Yan."
Jiang Hao cupped his hands in salute.
The seven sects were fairly harmonious with one another, so Jiang Hao could indeed call Yan Beiwu Senior Sister.
Naturally, he could sense Yan Beiwu's goodwill.
Then Jiang Hao looked toward the Blood Transformation Pool.
The longer one endured, the greater the benefits.
As for pain—
Jiang Hao did not consider it at all.
How painful could it be?
Wang Chen, Geng Qiuyi, and Zhang Xiao actually thought the same way.
They were indeed geniuses with tremendous talent.
But their path in martial arts had not been smooth sailing either.
Of those who had reached this point, whose will was not firm, and who had not endured countless hardships?
What was a little pain worth?
Seeing that no one took it seriously, Yan Beiwu did not explain further.
No matter how much she said, it would be useless.
Once they entered the Blood Transformation Pool, they would naturally learn just how terrifying that pain was.
"Time waits for no one. Let's go down."
Yan Beiwu immediately removed her outer robe, leaving only a gauzy garment as she stepped into the Blood Transformation Pool one step at a time.
The others also removed their outer robes.
Jiang Hao did not hesitate either. After taking off his outer robe, he carefully entered the Blood Transformation Pool.
"Hm?"
Jiang Hao was somewhat surprised.
The Blood Transformation Pool was warm.
There seemed to be no pain at all. It was even quite comfortable.
But before long, he distinctly felt threads of warm energy entering his body.
They seeped in from every part of his body.
It was as though countless ants were gnawing at him.
The pain came with an intense itch.
More importantly, the pain continued to rise without end.
After merely one hour, someone was already close to being unable to bear it.
Their entire body trembled.
Yet the six truly had strong wills, and they forcibly endured it.
But after two hours, Wang Chen could no longer endure.
Splash.
Wang Chen left the Blood Transformation Pool and leaped onto the shore.
He truly could not withstand that pain.
Unfortunately, two hours was simply too short. He had failed to awaken his Bloodline.
At that moment, someone entered.
"Young Hero Wang, please come with me."
It was a eunuch sent by the Qian Emperor.
As long as someone could not endure and left the Blood Transformation Pool, they would be escorted out. There would absolutely be no second chance.
"I was the first one unable to endure. How embarrassing."
Wang Chen felt somewhat ashamed.
He was a Transforming Force martial artist.
Yet his willpower was inferior to two Hidden Force martial artists, Li Qingshan and Yan Beiwu?
Even Jiang Hao was only thirteen, still a child, yet his willpower was stronger than Wang Chen's.
"You all continue. I'll wait outside for you first."
After saying that, Wang Chen followed behind the eunuch and swiftly left the underground palace.
The other five naturally knew that Wang Chen had been unable to endure and had left the Blood Transformation Pool.
For a moment, all five of them felt restless.
Jiang Hao's willpower was very strong.
But he too felt enormous pain.
If this continued, he would not be able to hold on much longer either.
If I focus completely on Visualizing the Great Sun, then perhaps the pain in my body will be unable to affect me?
A flash of inspiration struck Jiang Hao's mind.
He thought of a method.
If his body could not withstand the pain, then rather than resisting it head-on, he would shift his "attention" to Visualizing the Great Sun.
Visualizing the Great Sun was painful as well; he would even be burned to ashes.
But his consciousness would immediately recover.
Besides, he had already grown accustomed to the pain of the Great Sun's burning. He could continue visualizing it without end.
This was merely Jiang Hao's conjecture.
Whether it would work, Jiang Hao had to try for himself.
Thus, Jiang Hao immediately began to Visualize the Great Sun in his mind.
When Jiang Hao Visualized the Great Sun, it hurt even more.
The pain inflicted upon his consciousness was actually even more terrifying than the pain in his body.
Not to mention Visualizing the Great Sun.
Even though Jiang Hao's consciousness had grown considerably and become quite powerful, he still could not sustain the visualization for long. Moments later, the Great Sun burned him to ashes.
However, after his consciousness was annihilated, Jiang Hao would not die. Instead, he would recover and continue Visualizing the Great Sun.
That was the wondrous aspect of Jiang Hao's Visualization of the Great Sun.
Though it was painful, the duration was brief, and he could continuously recover without suffering injury.
Thus, as Jiang Hao's consciousness was annihilated and restored again and again, he even forgot that he was currently soaking in the Blood Transformation Pool and enduring the ultimate pain in his body.
Three hours, four hours, five hours...
Finally, after five hours, Geng Qiuyi could no longer endure. She too climbed out of the Blood Transformation Pool.
"This is truly too painful."
"After enduring five hours, I still failed to awaken my Bloodline..."
Geng Qiuyi's expression was somewhat complicated.
She glanced at the Blood Transformation Pool. Four people remained inside.
She had only endured three hours longer than Wang Chen, which left Geng Qiuyi somewhat disappointed.
Deep down, she was also extremely proud.
She had believed her will to be strong.
She had believed no pain could make her will collapse.
But after enduring five hours in the Blood Transformation Pool, her will truly could not hold on any longer.
"Young Hero Geng, please."
Another eunuch led Geng Qiuyi away from the Blood Transformation Pool.
When Wang Chen saw Geng Qiuyi emerge, his expression brightened slightly.
After all, he had been alone all this time, which made him look all the more useless.
Fortunately, he had company now.
"Geng Qiuyi, I didn't expect you to come out too. I thought you could endure a while longer."
"The two of us Transforming Force martial artists were actually outdone by Hidden Force martial artists. Truly..."
Wang Chen sighed.
There was still Zhang Xiao, a Transforming Force martial artist, in the Blood Transformation Pool. Zhang Xiao was a disciple of the Heavenly Saber Sect, and saber wielders generally possessed strong wills.
Wang Chen even hoped Zhang Xiao could remain a while longer.
Otherwise, if all three Transforming Force martial artists were wiped out, it would truly become a joke.
Time continued to pass.
Six hours, seven hours, eight hours, nine hours...
This time, a full twelve hours passed.
Whoosh.
Zhang Xiao, Li Qingshan, and Yan Beiwu actually opened their eyes at the same time.
None of them could endure any longer.
Twelve hours was equivalent to an entire day.
Being able to endure for a full day was already quite impressive.
"Hm?"
"Zhang Xiao, you awakened your Bloodline?"
Yan Beiwu seemed to sense the changes in Zhang Xiao.
"By luck."
Zhang Xiao was very aloof and not good with words.
But it was clear that he was happy as well.
Awakening his Bloodline was an enormous boost to his strength.
Hmph, it's only an ordinary Bloodline.
Li Qingshan thought to himself.
His mood was terrible, and naturally he could not stand seeing others prosper.
But he was not foolish. He ultimately did not speak such needlessly offensive words aloud and could only think them in his heart.
Yan Beiwu and Li Qingshan had remained in the Blood Transformation Pool for twelve hours, so they naturally gained benefits.
Their divine blood had both improved somewhat.
But that was all.
The degree of improvement was not great.
After all, it was divine blood. Improving it even a little was extremely difficult, let alone improving it by a large margin.
"Hm? Jiang Hao still hasn't come out?"
Yan Beiwu looked at Jiang Hao in astonishment.
Jiang Hao sat cross-legged on the ground in the Blood Transformation Pool, utterly still.
His expression was calm, his breathing remarkably steady.
As if this were not the Blood Transformation Pool at all, but a hot bath.
There was not the slightest trace of pain on his face.
Li Qingshan gritted his teeth.
He refused to believe that Jiang Hao's will could be this strong.
Even the agony of the Blood Transformation Pool could not shake Jiang Hao's resolve in the slightest.
Impossible!
Yet that was the reality.
Jiang Hao showed no intention of leaving the Blood Transformation Pool.
"You three young heroes, please leave."
Another eunuch arrived and led the three of them out of the Blood Transformation Pool.
Once the three emerged, Wang Chen and Geng Qiuyi's eyes lit up.
They had finally come out.
The wait had been agonizing for them.
After all, the longer the others remained in the Blood Transformation Pool, the more awkward they felt.
Fortunately, they had finally emerged.
"Li Qingshan, Yan Beiwu, and Zhang Xiao have all come out."
"Zhang Xiao, the aura around you... bloodline? You awakened your bloodline?"
Zhang Xiao had only just awakened his bloodline, and it had yet to stabilize. He could not conceal his aura, so Wang Chen and Geng Qiuyi naturally sensed it.
"Just luck."
Hearing Zhang Xiao admit it, the bitterness in their hearts deepened.
They were all Transforming Force elites, ranked among the top three.
During the grand competition, Geng Qiuyi had even taken first place and was stronger than Zhang Xiao.
Yet Zhang Xiao had awakened his bloodline, while Wang Chen had gained nothing.
For a time, the atmosphere fell silent.
"By the way, where's Jiang Hao? Why haven't we seen Jiang Hao?"
Wang Chen suddenly asked.
Before you continue