The instant he entered the blood pool, it began churning violently. Threads of blood-red energy, fine as gossamer, darted like slender needles and stabbed viciously into "Xiao Yan's" body, then forced their way through his pores and surged madly inside him.
"Hiss!"
The sudden agony drained all color from "Xiao Yan's" face, and he could not help sucking in a breath of cold air.
Damn it! This is sheer torture! If the plan fails after this, I'll have taken one hell of a loss!
"Xiao Yan" clenched his aching teeth and endured the excruciating pain, cursing inwardly, wanting to cry but finding no tears.
Silence filled the ancient hall. Only the gurgling of rolling blood bubbles echoed ceaselessly through it. Amid that silence, a month had passed since "Xiao Yan" stepped into the blood pool.
Gurgle.
Blood bubbles continued to roll through the pool. After enduring blood exchange, bone tempering, body reconstruction, and other torments that made death seem preferable to life, he had finally begun to recover. His face was no longer pale; a rosy flush lent it a look of vitality.
Outside his body, countless threads of blood could still faintly be seen emerging and pouring into him. As they flowed inside, "Xiao Yan's" barely perceptible aura finally stabilized.
"Phew!"
Xiao Xuan, who had stood guard beside the blood pool without leaving it for even a step throughout the past month, finally let out a long breath when he saw "Xiao Yan's" aura stabilize. A knowing smile appeared on his face. He knew that "Xiao Yan" had weathered the hardest step.
Watching the blood pool gradually clear as "Xiao Yan's" aura climbed, Xiao Xuan's smile grew broader. This was the wealth he had preserved for Xiao Yan with every ounce of his strength. The more energy "Xiao Yan"