Blood Sea's Resonant Sound

Blood Boiling Potion, as the name suggests.

After drinking it, the heart beats faster, continuously pumping more blood into the body, as if trying to make the blood boil.

At this moment, it would be a lie for Duke to say he wasn't nervous. After all, his predecessor died from the potent effects of the Blood Boiling Potion. Every year, many unlucky souls meet their end because of it.

But this time.

Duke believed in Xiao Yi's abilities, and also believed that his physical condition, improved over the past month of cultivating his Spirit Sea, wouldn't be so easily overcome by the Blood Boiling Potion.

Thump thump!

His heart pounded, as if it would leap out of his chest.

Duke endured, choosing to observe his Spirit Sea internally.

At this moment, within his Spirit Sea, Xiao Yi, in the shape of a mobile phone, seemed to radiate light. From its endless energy circuits, dozens of beams shot out, illuminating the depths of the Spirit Sea.

"Thump thump!"

In his internal observation state, he could clearly hear, within the Spirit Sea illuminated by the light, a heartbeat sound like rolling thunder emanating from the depths.

So, he followed Xiao Yi's light, flying towards the depths of the Spirit Sea.

He traversed a boundless ocean of starlight. He didn't know how long he flew; it seemed like a mere blink, yet also like an eternity. Finally, at the end of the light's illumination, he saw a gateway.

It was a blood-red, vortex-shaped gateway.

Xiao Yi's light passed through the vortex.

Duke himself followed, passing through the vortex. Immediately after, he saw a blood-red ocean world, existing in a profoundly mysterious way.

One aspect seemed vast and boundless, its crimson spreading endlessly. Yet, another aspect allowed him to clearly see the outline of this blood-red ocean, resembling a beating heart.

Thump thump!

Bang!

It was as if drumbeats echoed in his ears, making his blood surge.

The blood-red ocean continuously churned with rising and falling waves, echoing the drumbeats. Xiao Yi's light had dispersed, outlining energy pathways around the blood-red ocean within the heart's silhouette. The purpose of these energy pathways was to maintain the blood-red ocean, preventing it from collapsing under the drumbeats.

Thump thump!

Bang!

Under the strong influence of the drumbeats, Duke's meditative thoughts quickly merged with the blood-red ocean.

Suddenly, he jolted, breaking free from his internal observation state. His consciousness returned to his body.

He was still sitting cross-legged on the bed, as if nothing had changed. But upon careful sensation, he could "hear" the incessant heartbeat sound in his mind—a special resonant tone.

"It's the sound of the Spirit Sea resonating with the Blood Sea!"

Duke rejoiced, "Xiao Yi, did it work?"

"Yes, congratulations Master on successfully opening the Blood Sea. You can now begin your Knight cultivation."

"Haha, all thanks to you." Duke stood up from the bed, stretching his limbs. His body had never felt so good. The continuous pumping from his heart wasn't just blood, but a solid sense of power.

This feeling was excellent.

With his Spirit Sea opened, he felt invigorated; with his Blood Sea opened, he felt full of strength.

Two of the human body's three seas were now open. And with the precedent of the Blood Sea's successful reopening, he believed he would soon figure out how to open the Qi Sea again.

Once all three seas were complete...

It didn't seem particularly magical. The Qi Sea and Blood Sea were merely branches of the Spirit Sea. Only Arcane Mages could truly touch the essence of Spiritual Arcana.

He swung his fists a couple of times in the air.

It took Duke a while to calm his emotions. The accelerated heartbeat caused by the Blood Boiling Potion had also completely returned to normal.

He sat down at his desk, not bothering to open the book Universal Blood Refining Method. The content had already been stored in Xiao Yi's database. With just a thought, the contents of the Universal Blood Refining Method would swirl within his Spirit Sea and project into his mind, as if he had read it countless times, with every detail at his command.

The meditation method granted him the ability to absorb free-floating spirituality particles from the outside.

The blood refining method, however, involved the heart pumping blood, refining the spirituality within his own cells and tissues, and then condensing it into a special way of circulating power—fighting spirit.

Bang bang.

As the Universal Blood Refining Method circulated for the first time, his heart emitted two clear ringing sounds. A trace of spirituality slowly seeped from all the cells in his limbs and torso.

Flowing with the blood, it was refined by the heart.

Then, it transformed into a wisp of spiritual power, gaseous and finer than a strand of hair.

"My first wisp of fighting spirit!"

"Now, I am a 0-ring Knight. No, I should be a 0-Ring Knight Squire. Only Knights who have contracted a spirit beast partner and use the spirit beast's bloodline to nourish their fighting spirit can advance to 0-ring Knight." Duke's thoughts flashed through his mind. He quickly suppressed his distracting thoughts and continued to circulate the blood refining method.

This first wisp of fighting spirit, as the blood refining method circulated, began to permeate a meridian within his body that he couldn't physically locate. This meridian was faint and appeared and disappeared. One end was connected to the heart's Blood Sea, and the other disappeared into his body. Then, it flowed out from another part of his body and rejoined the Blood Sea, thus forming a complete circulation.

With each completed circulation, the fighting spirit grew stronger by a trace.

The spirituality in his body was refined and decreased by a trace, but simultaneously, the strengthened fighting spirit would nourish his body again, enhancing his physique even more than the original spirituality.

"Xiao Yi, can you run the Universal Blood Refining Method for me?"

"Based on the current information, it's possible."

"Come on, give it a try."

Xiao Yi could even help open the Blood Sea, so naturally, running the Universal Blood Refining Method wouldn't be a problem. Soon, Duke felt the fighting spirit within him circulating on its own.

However, a problem arose.

Xiao Yi was limited by Duke's own hardware and couldn't simultaneously run the Field Meditation and the Universal Blood Refining Method.

"Forget it, you should continue running Field Meditation. The importance of cultivating the Spirit Sea is undeniable," Duke quickly decided. "I'll find time to cultivate the Universal Blood Refining Method myself..."

In reality.

Even if Duke had asked Xiao Yi to run the Universal Blood Refining Method, it would have been difficult to maintain.

The reason was simple: meditation methods draw free-floating spirituality from the outside, while blood refining methods extract spirituality from oneself. External spirituality is endless, but one's own spirituality is pitifully scarce.

This was also why Knights needed to consume large amounts of spirit beast meat.

Fighting spirit would grow very slowly on just three meals a day.

"I need to spend money to buy spirit beast meat..."

Duke suddenly felt the pressure to earn money return.

However, he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he turned his gaze to the long-haired mongoose cub in the cardboard box. Looking at the little cub, which was bald and hadn't grown any fur yet, he smiled like an aunt.

"Little one, come, form a contract with your Knight."

He extended his hand, made a small cut with the knife, and immediately put his finger into the cub's mouth.

Circulating his fighting spirit, the newly born wisp of fighting spirit in his body surged out through his finger with his blood. This mixture of blood and fighting spirit emitted a peculiar spiritual power, causing the cub to instinctively suck it down.

Then.

The ignorant, young long-haired mongoose cub felt a strange power guiding it, making it involuntarily follow this power and open its still-weak mental world.

Instantly!

The cub felt that Duke, who it had already felt somewhat close to, now felt even closer.

Duke also felt that the Blood Sea in his heart, through the extension of blood and fighting spirit, had established a peculiar connection with the palm-sized little beast before him.

It was as if their minds were linked.

There was a vague sense of telepathy.