Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

The Blood Exchange Pool and the Regeneration Pool were both built in places with the densest primordial energy; they had similar functions.

But the Blood Exchange Pool and the Regeneration Pool were not comparable.

The Regeneration Pool was exclusive to sects, especially those with long-standing legacies. A Regeneration Pool absorbed the primordial energy of heaven and earth year-round, and the success rate for undergoing blood exchange and rebirth within one was far higher than in a family’s Blood Exchange Pool.

At this moment, inside the Regeneration Pool on Heaven-Stepping Peak, Lin Hao sat cross-legged while the Sect Leader and the three elders personally stood guard for him.

This honor, while perhaps not the last of its kind, was certainly unprecedented.

Lin Hao focused his mind and calmed his breath. His Spirit Platform was clear and tranquil, yet he delayed circulating his Cultivation Technique.

He knew his own situation; reawakening his bloodline was already a hopeless endeavor.

What he had to do was create something from nothing—forge his own bloodline!

Although he had experience from creating a bloodline for Yi Mingcheng, Lin Hao knew the dangers involved. There was no room for even the slightest carelessness.

Furthermore, the bloodline he intended to create was unheard-of, a world apart from Yi Mingcheng’s.

To forge a bloodline, one must first coalesce a Divine Soul!

Divine Souls were strange and varied, taking the form of anything in the world, but never before had the Divine Soul of a Martial Artist with an awakened bloodline been themself.

Lin Hao decided to do the opposite, intending to coalesce his Divine Soul first! To create his true self!

To create a "me" inside his own body—only Lin Hao would dare to think of, and attempt, such a crazy idea.

Previously, his life in the Lin family had been fraught with peril, and in the following days, he hadn’t even had a chance to cultivate. After long deliberation, Lin Hao decided to first familiarize himself with his current condition and adjust his state to its absolute peak.

With this thought, Lin Hao began to circulate his Cultivation Technique.

The white mist of the Regeneration Pool billowed, and Lin Hao, sitting cross-legged within, was only faintly visible.

Tonight, the sky was pitch-black, with dark clouds obscuring the moon.

As soon as Lin Hao’s Cultivation Technique began to circulate, the white mist in the Regeneration Pool started to churn. The movement grew fiercer and faster, until finally, the white mist became almost tangible, enveloping Lin Hao like a cocoon.

And in the heavens above, the dark clouds began to surge madly, just like the white mist. The spectacle was terrifying, as if gods or demons were about to tear through the sky.

From within the great white cocoon, a vast and majestic aura suddenly erupted, one that could crush all creation!

Beside the Regeneration Pool, Wu Taichu and the three elders retreated a hundred zhang, breaking out in a cold sweat as they exchanged looks of sheer terror.

’This display of power is too astonishing. Is he really just awakening a bloodline?!’

If they knew that this was merely Lin Hao circulating his Cultivation Technique, using the mysterious True Qi to understand his own body, who knows how shocked they would be.

Inside the Regeneration Pool, Lin Hao’s consciousness sank into his body. He circulated his Cultivation Technique, guiding the mysterious True Qi it produced to roam through every part of him.

He was simply tracing the form of his body, returning to his Origin!

He didn’t miss a single inch of bone or tendon, not even the tiniest pore.

Gradually, a "true self" began to take shape in his mind.

Thirteen years old, twelve, eleven...

The "true self" in Lin Hao’s sea of consciousness grew smaller and smaller... until finally, it took the form of a delicate, cherubic infant.

But this was not enough!

When he created the bloodline for Yi Mingcheng, Lin Hao had been keenly aware of the danger in the final moments. A Divine Soul in this form could not possibly be accepted by the Dantian.

With a single thought, Lin Hao circulated his Cultivation Technique once more!

During this time, the Regeneration Pool began to boil. The cocoon of white mist expanded again, emitting an aura that made one’s heart palpitate with fear.

The Sect Leader and the three elders explosively retreated another hundred zhang, their expressions filled with ultimate shock.

’Several hours have passed, yet the pressure from the Regeneration Pool hasn’t diminished. In fact, it has grown even more terrifying. What kind of bloodline is this?!’

They were horrified, little knowing that Lin Hao was still merely in the deduction phase and hadn’t even begun the most crucial stage of forging his own bloodline.

This strange phenomenon continued for another two hours before the Regeneration Pool gradually calmed down.

The Sect Leader and the three elders approached and saw an utterly exhausted Lin Hao.

They started to move forward, but Lin Hao gave a faint smile and stopped them with a look. He then spent half an hour recovering his energy.

Even though several hours had passed and he had the mysterious True Qi to aid him, he had only managed to deduce his Divine Soul down to the size of a head. This was far from enough.

Although he had created a bloodline for Yi Mingcheng, creating a true "true self" was incredibly difficult.

Half an hour later, Lin Hao stood up. His spirit was a little weary, but his overall condition was excellent.

Wu Taichu asked nervously, "Junior Ancestor, your bloodline..."

"My bloodline will take some time," Lin Hao replied nonchalantly, not telling Wu Taichu that he was forging it himself.

Wu Taichu’s eyes filled with extreme shock.

’That spectacle just now forced even me to keep my distance, and that wasn’t even the bloodline awakening? If so, what kind of phenomenon will occur when Junior Ancestor truly awakens his bloodline?!’

Wu Taichu simply couldn’t imagine it!

"Junior Ancestor, there’s no hurry. If you need anything at all, just let me know!"

At this thought, Wu Taichu resolved that he would help Lin Hao awaken his bloodline, even if it meant exhausting all the sect’s resources!

Lin Hao smiled faintly. "Sect Leader, there’s no need. I haven’t even used the Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Pill you gave me."

After the recent deduction, Lin Hao was now confident. The Regeneration Pool’s foundation was much deeper than a Blood Exchange Pool’s. If he could deduce his Divine Soul to its ultimate state, he wouldn’t need any other pills at all.

Wu Taichu visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Junior Ancestor, it’s getting late. I’ll escort you back to rest."

"There’s no need. I’ve already troubled you all enough, and this junior feels quite bad about it. I can go back by myself." Lin Hao didn’t act high and mighty because of his status. He bowed respectfully to the four of them before taking his leave.

As they watched Lin Hao depart, the four men, who had been slightly bowed, finally straightened their backs, their faces filled with gratitude.

It was clear that Lin Hao’s attitude had won him their goodwill.

"Sect Leader, you gave him all of the sect’s Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Pills. What about the rewards for the disciple assessment tomorrow?" one of the elders asked, filled with worry.

For such a large sect to have only five Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Pills... if word got out, no one would believe it.

After all, even the Lu family had casually produced over a dozen of them upon arriving in War Dragon City.

But that was the reality.

"Since we’re on the topic, I must bring something up. Ever since the sect’s only Alchemy Master left, we’ve had to rely on the Danling Sect for our pills. The expense over these past few months has been enormous. We were hoping Lord Lingdi could help us streamline our personnel, but now he... If this continues, things look dire."

Another elder’s brows furrowed deeply.

Wu Taichu’s expression was grim. He said guiltily, "Ancestor-Master mentioned in his letter that Junior Ancestor has a great talent for Alchemy and that I should let him interact more with the sect’s Alchemy Masters. But now, the sect’s Pill Hall is practically a mere figurehead. I have truly failed Ancestor Cang Yan! And I have failed Junior Ancestor!"

"Sect Leader, you can’t be blamed for this. How about this: I will depart immediately for the Danling Sect to try and purchase two Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Pills. It should solve our immediate crisis," one of the elders quickly offered words of comfort.

The sect’s situation was deteriorating by the day. As the Sect Leader, Wu Taichu was under immense pressure, but some things were beyond his control. The three elders had always been understanding.

"That’s our only option for now. Tomorrow, I will announce Junior Ancestor’s status and have the eight Peak Masters select their disciples. The matter of rewards can be postponed until the day after. Third Elder, I’ll have to trouble you," Wu Taichu said, his face desolate.

"Sect Leader, we will definitely overcome this difficult time!" the three elders hurriedly reassured him. The Third Elder nodded to Wu Taichu, then shot off into the distance to procure the pills.

"Sigh... To think that the Heaven-Stepping Sect was once so illustrious and powerful, dominating the Cangnan Empire... is it to be ruined in my hands?!" Wu Taichu gazed at the various peaks of the Heaven-Stepping Sect, his face etched with pain.

"Sect Leader, the sect’s secret realm is depleted. Even if Ancestor-Master were here, there would be nothing he could do. You don’t need to blame yourself. We’ve been searching for a new secret realm these past few months and we already have some leads. Everything will be alright," the two remaining elders said.

A sect’s secret realm was the foundation of its strength, and they were not easily formed, let alone found. Wu Taichu knew they were only trying to comfort him. His heart warmed, and he didn’t point it out.

"Mm, it’s late. You should both go rest." Wu Taichu gave a bitter laugh and was the first to leave. His figure seemed somewhat stooped, his departing back the very picture of desolation.

’The Sect Leader has given so much for the sect. We shouldn’t pressure him. Instead, we should do our best to help him and assist Junior Ancestor. Once Junior Ancestor is fully grown, our sect won’t be inferior to any other, even without a secret realm!’

The two of them thought of Lin Hao’s performance, and their hearts filled with anticipation.

If Lin Hao could mature quickly and reach the heights of Cang Yan back in his day, then who in the entire Cangnan Empire would dare to look down on the Heaven-Stepping Sect!

In that instant, all the hopes of the two elders were placed upon Lin Hao...

Meanwhile, Lin Hao was already fast asleep.

The matter of joining the sect had been perfectly resolved, and he could see the light of dawn for his self-forged bloodline. This was the most peaceful sleep he’d had in days.

「The next morning.」

"Lin Hao, get up!" Lin Hao was awakened by a clamorous shout.

Opening his eyes, he saw Wu Kui’s furious face.

Wu Kui was indeed furious.

Last night, Lord Lingdi had vomited blood and fallen unconscious. He had cared for him late into the night until Lord Lingdi finally came to, but his vitality was severely damaged. He had been busy for a long time and had only just laid down to rest when his master sent for him.

It was the crack of dawn, and Wu Kui had thought it was something important. He had eagerly scurried over, only for his master to tell him to come and *serve* Lin Hao as he woke up, then take him to the God-Proving Platform.

That’s right, his master had used the word "serve."

It was the most ridiculous thing Wu Kui had ever heard. He, a dignified disciple of the Sect Leader, was actually being ordered to serve a newly-entered disciple as he got out of bed!

But there was nothing he could do. The Sect Leader’s word was law, so he had to obey.

He had come over reluctantly, only to find Lin Hao sleeping soundly. How could he not be furious?

Lin Hao ignored Wu Kui’s anger and slowly climbed out of bed.

After washing up, Lin Hao unhurriedly asked Wu Kui why he was here.

"My master wants you at the God-Proving Platform!" Wu Kui’s words were practically squeezed through gritted teeth. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Lin Hao raised an eyebrow. "Are the sect assessment rankings out?"

"Yes! But what does that have to do with you? Don’t get cocky just because you got first place in the second trial. I heard your aptitude in the first trial was only average, and you didn’t even participate in the third one—you just backed out," Wu Kui said with contempt.

As the words left his mouth, his mood instantly improved. He had originally expected Lin Hao’s face to turn ashen.

He loved to build his own happiness on Lin Hao’s suffering.

But to his disappointment, not only did Lin Hao’s face show no pain, he actually looked even happier.

"Useless mud that can’t be plastered on a wall!" Wu Kui muttered curses as he walked straight out the door.