The Blood Saint Clan's Source Blood

Kaimeng City, Red Mist Institute.

"The Broken Lake Prison has already sent notification regarding your case. Since she has already decreed your punishment, the Institute naturally will not defy her requirements."

Inside the office, the Red-Eyed Young Scholar wearing white robes looked at the blood-stained Blue Scale Fishman before him and said calmly, "Lawrence, how is your Blood Embrace progress?"

The Blue Scale Fishman lowered his head and said, "I have condensed two drops of Silver Source Blood and two drops of Golden Source Blood, but the third drop of Silver Source Blood has made no progress for over ten days... This should be the limit for this student."

"It is a pity that you were just one step away from condensing Seven-Colored Source Blood. However, you need not be dejected; perhaps you will have a chance to purify your bloodline in the future." The Red-Eyed Scholar sighed first, then turned serious: "So, you were certain there was no need for you to remain at Broken Lake Prison for the Blood Embrace Ritual, which is why you took the risk to steal a look at someone else's Spell Formula?"

The Blue Scale Fishman remained silent, offering no rebuttal.

"You were lucky this time to encounter someone soft-hearted; you won't have such good luck next time." The young scholar sighed: "Stay in the Institute and do research honestly for the next ten years, and do not participate in any academic activities. In ten years, the person you offended will likely have condensed her Seven-Colored Wing, and it will be impossible for you to even meet her."

"Yes."

"Go back and rest; I will arrange your office tomorrow." The young scholar tapped the wooden desk, "Remember to organize your study results and give me a report in two days."

"Thank you, Teacher. Goodbye, Teacher."

The Blue Scale Fishman left the office respectfully and walked quickly out of the Institute.

It was already late at night, and a blood moon hung high in the sky. There were few people in the Institute grounds. Lawrence's pace grew faster and faster, and as he passed a tree, he suddenly punched it!

Thwack!

A deep indentation was smashed into the tree trunk. The wounds bitten open by the Finger Shark burst with blood again, and even his scales cracked.

His hand hurt, his entire body hurt, but these physical wounds were far less painful than the invisible wound in his heart!

He was the Healer [176] who had been thrown out of Broken Lake Prison last night.

His original name was Lawrence Tiaodun, of the Blue Scale Fishman race, and a scholar at the Red Mist Institute.

After a night and a day, he had finally escaped the hunt of the Finger Sharks and returned to Kaimeng City. After crawling back to land, he hadn't even bothered to treat himself, heading straight to the Institute to ask about his future—if [222] were to pursue the matter to the end, the Institute would not only strip him of his status as a scholar, but might even extract the "Saint Blood" from his body!

Lawrence had considered fleeing.

But the microchip scan at the security checkpoint instantly dispelled that foolish thought.

Unless he went to the black market to pay a high price for a sorcerer to remove his microchip and then lived as a wild creature, there was no place for a criminal in this era of total microchip integration.

In the Blood Moon Country, after offending the Blood Saint Clan, there were only two paths: groveling for mercy or awaiting judgment.

Fortunately, [222]'s punishment for him ended there. Lawrence still had a bright future, was still one of the most promising scholars at the Red Mist Institute, and could still live for another century or two.

Yet, it was precisely because he no longer had to pay a price that Lawrence felt even more inexplicably resentful!

Perhaps others would think this was kindness.

But he only felt deep contempt!

However, the other party did indeed have the qualifications to look down on Lawrence. Just as his teacher said, in ten years, she would certainly achieve the Three-Winged Saint Domain, while Lawrence was struggling even to reach the Golden Two-Winged level!

Though both were of the Blood Saint Clan, the gap in their bloodline aptitude was like heaven and earth!

Yes, bloodline!

Lawrence was originally just a Blue Scale Fishman from a slum Nurturing Home, but because of his excellent learning ability, he was admitted to Kaimeng City Comprehensive University. Before he even graduated, he was recruited by the Red Mist Institute and granted the qualification to undergo the "Blood Exchange Ritual," becoming a member of the coveted Blood Saint Clan!

Like the Moon Shadow Clan, the Blood Saint Clan could not reproduce through normal mating rituals. The only way for the Blood Saint Clan to develop their kin was to absorb other races and perform a blood exchange.

Although different races would exhibit the same characteristics after the blood exchange, such as scarlet eyes, theoretically, the Blood Saint Clan was not a racial concept, but a cultural one—everyone identified as a higher race that had transcended the lower races.

There were many benefits to becoming a Blood Saint Clan member. The greatest benefit was that the body was completely free from lifespan limitations; they were forever young, an immortal race.

However, although the body did not age, the soul would wither. Every race's soul had a maximum lifespan; for example, a human Blood Saint would have their soul dissipate at around 150 years old.

Besides this, the Blood Saint Clan had another benefit that made sorcerers covet them: Blood Healing!

By drinking blood, the Blood Saint Clan could accelerate the recovery speed of their bodies and souls!

The reason sorcerers had to wait for many days after dying in the Void Realm before they could re-enter was to replenish their soul energy. The Blood Saint Clan, who could replenish soul energy through Blood Healing, could significantly shorten their Death Cooldown and increase the frequency of their explorations into the Void Realm.

Blood Healing and immortality were the Racial Advantages that established the Blood Saint Clan's ruling position in the Blood Moon Country.

While their Racial Advantage was outstanding, the shortcomings of the Blood Saint Clan were also severe.

In addition to having to observe many taboos, the biggest drawback of the Blood Saint Clan was: sorcerers could not absorb Artificery in the Void Realm.

That's right, they could not absorb Artificery!

The Blood Exchange Ritual was essentially a miracle that deeply combined the soul with blood, which was why the body gained the characteristics of immortality and why drinking blood could heal the body.

But for this very reason, an incomplete soul could not absorb Artificery in the Void Realm, which meant a sorcerer's future was ruined.

However, Blood Saint sorcerers had long since devised a solution, which was why Lawrence had gone to Broken Lake Prison as a Healer—all newborn blood descendants had to use death row inmates as sacrifices for the "Blood Embrace Ritual" to condense Source Blood!

Source Blood was the medium that replaced the soul in absorbing Artificery. According to their level, from low to high, they were divided into Silver Source Blood, Golden Source Blood, Seven-Colored Source Blood, and Colorless Source Blood, corresponding to the four types of Artificery in the Void Realm.

Every three drops of lower-level Source Blood could be synthesized into one drop of higher-level Source Blood. The Blood Saint Clan had to possess corresponding or higher-level Source Blood to absorb the corresponding Artificery; for example, Silver Source Blood absorbed Silver Artificery, and Golden Source Blood absorbed Golden Artificery.

If one wanted to summon a higher-tier Art Spirit, one had to possess a higher level of Source Blood!

A Blood Saint without Golden Source Blood could not summon a Two-Winged Art Spirit, and naturally could not promote to a Two-Winged Sorcerer.

This was why his teacher felt it was a pity for Lawrence—if he could condense one more drop of Silver Source Blood, he could synthesize Seven-Colored Source Blood, and the gates to the Three-Winged Saint Domain would open for him!

But now, with only Golden Source Blood, Lawrence's future would stop at the Golden Two-Winged level.

Only when he could purify his bloodline to condense the Seven-Colored Source Blood would he have any possibility of stepping into the Three-Winged Saint Domain!

Beyond that, the higher the grade of Source Blood, the higher the efficiency of absorbing Spell Power.

In the Sea of Knowledge, compared to a normal Spellcaster, the base absorption efficiency of a single drop of Silver Source Blood was only 30%, with each additional drop increasing it by 10%.

This was why his teacher said Lawrence only needed to hide for ten years—Lawrence possessed a total of two drops of Golden Source Blood and two drops of Silver Source Blood, totaling 3+3+2=8 drops of Silver Source Blood, granting him 100% absorption efficiency.

Meanwhile, new scholars at the Four Great Institutes could at least condense one drop of Colorless Source Blood, synthesized from 3*3*3=27 drops of Silver Source Blood, resulting in 290% absorption efficiency!

A full three-fold gap; even if this was only a temporary advantage within the Sea of Knowledge, the accumulation over ten years would be enough for the other party to grow into someone whose back Lawrence could only gaze at from afar.

To that person, Lawrence was nothing more than a fart that could be released at will, not worth a shred of attention.

How could the future Three-Winged Saint Domain possibly care about the resentment of a Two-Winged Gold?

Nothing made Lawrence angrier than this—perhaps it was pathetic, perhaps no one cared, perhaps he would be mocked by others, but for this Blue Scale Fishman who had struggled from the slums to the institute, dignity was the only wealth he possessed.

Without dignity, he would truly have nothing at all.