In the blink of an eye.
Three days have already passed since Ian Song's wedding.
During these three days, Ian spent most of his time with Lynne Ward. No matter what schemes the Ward Clan might have against him, Lynne herself was not involved—and she had given him her purity. Just for that, Ian would never hold any prejudice against her.
So, after three days, the relationship between husband and wife had shifted from unfamiliar to close and harmonious. The biggest catalyst for this, of course, was their 'intimate activity'—what exactly, any seasoned reader knows, so no need for detailed description.
"Husband."
Watching Ian Song about to leave for cultivation in the Ward Ancestral Land, Lynne Ward rarely showed a hint of reluctance.
"Wait for my return!"
Ian smiled at her, then walked out of the courtyard.
The Ward Ancestral Land was not located in True-Dragon City.
Ian had no idea where it actually was—he was simply teleported there via a formation inside True-Dragon City. The ancestral land was surrounded by great arrays that completely isolated it from the outside world.
Inside an ancient hall of the Ward Ancestral Land, Ian Song met the two other youths chosen to cultivate here: Victor Ward and Gavin Ward.
Victor was the leading young genius of the Ward Clan, famous throughout the Sky-Sun Region for ranking third on the Hidden Dragon Ranking. Gavin, the clan’s number two young prodigy, was much more low-key.
He had also reached the early Law-Phase Realm, but hadn’t made it onto the Hidden Dragon Ranking.
Still, his true power was not inferior to the top names on the ranking—clearly, the Ward Clan was deliberately hiding its fangs.
"Hello, Brother Chu! I'm Gavin Ward!"
Gavin came forward with a friendly smile, enthusiastically greeting Ian Song.
"Hello, Brother Ward."
Ian replied with a smile, but Victor, after seeing Ian, immediately turned his head away—making it clear he had no intention of acknowledging him.
Ian wasn’t about to let him off so easily. With a teasing grin, he said, "Come on, little Qilin, we spent more than ten days together as master and mount! Are you really going to ignore me?"
Victor’s face froze at Ian’s words. He shot back coldly, "Evan Chu, don’t push your luck!"
Gavin Ward watched this unfold, a faintly amused, almost teasing smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Don’t be so tense—it’s just a greeting!"
Ian walked up to Victor, patted him on the shoulder, then turned away before Victor could blow up.
"Evan Chu!"
Staring at Ian’s back, Victor clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, swearing inwardly that one day he would repay the humiliation tenfold.
Before long—
A Demigod elder who had appeared at Ian’s wedding banquet arrived at the ancient hall.
"You three, come with me!"
The Demigod elder swept a cool glance over the three of them and spoke flatly, then walked toward a side hall.
Soon, the group crossed the ancient hall and reached the foot of a mountain. At its base stood a black stone gate, densely covered in runes and radiating an oppressive aura.
The Demigod elder produced nine tokens, each carved with a different pattern, and inserted them into recesses on the gate. Instantly, the runes on the gate lit up and began to transform into light.
"Hurry up, go through the light gate!"
The Demigod elder urged them, then turned into a blur and rushed inside. Ian and the other two followed close behind.
Beyond the light gate was a tunnel about five or six meters wide, apparently inside the mountain’s core.
The tunnel was only a little over a hundred meters long. On the other side was a spacious chamber, where a fragrant, bloody scent hit them head-on. Normally the smell of blood would be unpleasant, but to Ian and the others, it felt strangely comfortable.
Instinctively, all three of them focused on the blood pool in the center of the chamber.
The blood pool wasn’t large—just over fifty meters across—but it was filled with thick, viscous blood. The fragrant, bloody aroma was clearly coming from the pool.
The Demigod elder’s voice rang out: "This is the True-Dragon Blood Pool, blended from True-Dragon essence blood and countless precious Treasure Herbs and divine medicines. Its uses are extraordinary. Once you enter, you’ll understand. Let me remind you—the longer you stay inside, the greater the benefits. Now strip down and get in!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
None of them hesitated—they stripped down to just their underwear and walked over to the True-Dragon Blood Pool.
"Hiss—"
As soon as Ian set one foot in the True-Dragon Blood Pool, he couldn’t help but suck in a breath. The pain was insane—like it stabbed right into his bones.
At that moment—
"Splash!"
Victor Ward dove straight into the True-Dragon Blood Pool.
"Aaaah!"
A shrill, agonized scream burst from his mouth, his entire face twisted in pain. The higher a cultivator’s realm, the greater their endurance, but even Victor was so wracked with agony his features contorted. Ian was sure that an ordinary person would die from the pain instantly.
Still, Ian had to admit he respected Victor—despite the extreme pain, the guy managed to suppress his instinct to leap out of the True-Dragon Blood Pool.
At the same time, Gavin Ward also stepped into the True-Dragon Blood Pool, letting out a cry of pain.
Painful as it was, Ian could feel the benefits from the True-Dragon Blood Pool—the thick blood was filled with mysterious power, which seeped into his body through his skin and rapidly strengthened him.
So, he let himself sink completely into the pool, immediately experiencing the same agony Victor had just endured.
The dragon blood had the power to utterly transform the human body, and it was packed with intense vitality. This amplified Ian’s pain receptors a thousandfold, making the agony even worse.
For a moment, his face twisted in pain, but instead of leaping out, he forced himself to sink deeper—because the deeper you went, the stronger the transformative power (and, of course, the pain).
Seeing Ian disappear beneath the surface and Victor’s head still twisted in agony above the blood, Gavin also submerged most of his body, nearly fainting from the pain.
And as time passed, the pain didn’t lessen with adaptation—it only grew stronger.
The Demigod elder watching from the shore nodded quietly to himself. These three hadn’t let him down.
After sinking five or six meters,
Ian stopped descending, realizing he’d reached his absolute limit—any deeper and he’d probably pass out from the pain.
The intense agony brought huge benefits; after only a short while, he felt his physical strength increase by at least one percent.
At the same time, a portion of the energy seeped into his soul-sea, nourishing his spirit.
"This stuff is amazing!"
Ian gritted his teeth and silently praised it, then quietly activated his Body of Ten Thousand Stars physique.