75: Chapter 074 Condensation of Ancient Blood 75: Chapter 074 Condensation of Ancient Blood Earth clad in snow, a landscape of silver.

The world seemed like a silver furnace, casting the world into solemn silence.

Among the frozen rivers and silver mountains, even Heaven and Earth seemed to be stilled, with only the incessant falling snow affirming the passage of time.

The process of transforming Sword Qi into elemental power had begun externally, but upon arriving here, Zhou Yan felt he was undergoing a similar process, his body and mind immersed in tranquility.

Sword Origin, through a strange combination with the mutated Zhou Family bloodline and Zhou Yan’s soul power, had meld—from his veins, blood refined drop by drop, leaving his body as skeletal as a pile of bones.

Yet he wasn’t a skeleton, for the single drop of condensed blood contained a divine spirit, embodying an ancient vastness as if it could seize Heaven and Earth itself.

All his qi and blood had condensed into one drop of blood, coursing through his veins, terrifyingly powerful.

Time had passed, how long he did not know, nor did he attempt to measure, for here, he couldn’t even communicate with the Silver Snow Sword.

The only thing he possessed was the Broken Worry Sword.

The Silver Snow Sword here seemed trapped in a temporal and spatial rift, locked in time, unresponsive.

Around him, no others could be seen, as if after Zhou Xian and the others had entered, this place had become a world beyond worlds.

This was Zhou Yan’s world, as well as Zhou Xian’s, Zhou Ying’s.

In this world, they each stood alone.

Unaware of how much time had slipped by, a single drop of blood had condensed, and Zhou Yan’s realm had reached the peak of the Sword Origin Realm Second Layer Heaven.

This advancement was solely the result of the refinement of his physiological blood.

His Qi Column had not grown longer, but seemed to be re-forged in this heavenly furnace, becoming more condensed and thicker.

If it was nearly one centimeter in diameter before, it was at least three centimeters now.

Zhou Yan didn’t understand exactly how this happened, but he believed it to be a good sign.

He calmed his heart, no longer worried about reaching the Sword Intent Realm before the age of sixteen, for in Bixue Heaven and Earth, Zhou Yan could easily feel the Tao of this world and the mysterious help of its Sword Intent.

This world was an isolated space, designed to take the Great Zhou Family’s disciples from the Sword Beginning Realm, leap through the endless barriers of realms, and reach the Sword Intent Realm, a formidable aid to those disciples on their path of the Sword Intent.

Here, Zhou Yan could effortlessly sense all this.

Yet he chose not to integrate these into his body’s realm, boosting himself instantly into the Sword Intent Realm; instead, he began his own journey of enlightenment.

He meditated upon the Superior Water Swordsmanship and Sword Intent; his mental technique was a fusion of the Nine Yin Nine Yang Heart Sutra with the nearly Holy Level Bishui Sword Heart Method, while his Sword Intent was shaped by his own comprehension, even incorporating his personal understanding of Xingyi among its facets.

After the last fusion, Zhou Yan conceived the idea of creating his own Tao in addition to deriving Xingyi Swordsmanship—because, in this world, there is no perfect Tao, only one that is more perfect.

His master could develop the Xingyi Twelve Battle Beasts from a basic Xingyi Fist on Earth; thus, Zhou Yan could forge his own Sword Dao from his personally accomplished swordsmanship.

However, this idea remained just that, an idea; although it had begun, his own swordsmanship comprehension was merely an accompaniment.

“Every Zhou Family disciple harbors their unique Sword Origin Pool.

For some, it’s the Flame Canyon; for others, the Endless Desert; and for yet others, the Deserted Sword Tomb.

Yet, the essence of the Sword Origin Pool is a realm of icy tundra and snow, a place no one in history has ever entered, for it demands enormous potential to access!

This vast potential requires a constitution as unique and powerful as the Emperor Qi Sword Body, comprising three bafflingly potent types.

Zhou Yan, you possess a Sword Intent nearly equivalent to Emperor Qi, the potential for a Soul-controlling Sword Body, and a breath akin to the Sky Demon Sword Body…

If possible, with great resolve, imagine that you’re entering the icy tundra environment of the Sword Origin Pool, and the benefits for you will be immense.

However, if you cannot enter, don’t force it, for the Sword Origin Pool is more about one’s heart.

What mental state you hold dictates the realm you enter; what bloodline you carry discerns the Sword Intent you comprehend…”

These were the words given to Zhou Yan by Family Head Zhou Cangmu upon his departure, words Zhou Yan didn’t take to heart.

In fact, he did not even attempt to comprehend the icy tundra environment, simply taking that step as he would normally do.

And then, the realm of icy tundra engulfed him.

Indeed, even without knowing his own Sword Body’s condition, just possessing a body surpassing the Emperor Qi Sword Body warranted his eligibility here.

As expected, that was the case.

In such an environment, enduring one day was infinitely harder than enduring an hour in an ordinary Sword Origin Pool, because standing here meant being infused with the world’s energy, constantly progressing.

Various sudden enlightenments bloomed like a floodgate opening in his brain, revealing themselves one after the other.

His realm naturally soared rapidly.

Yet taking advantage of such effects, Zhou Yan did something that absolutely no one else would do—he condensed his bloodline.

He used all his resources along with his own Soul Power to condense his bloodline, refining the strength of his qi and blood.

This was akin to internal body refinement.

Zhou Yan wasn’t worried about breaking through to the Sword Origin Realm, as he had an abundance of Soul Energy to fuel his breakthrough.

Instead, in this place free from the shackles of Enlightenment, Zhou Yan did something against the heavens!

The stronger the bloodline, the longer one could stay here.

The longer the stay, the more enlightenment one could attain!

This was a cycle!

Ordinary people didn’t have the time or ability to condense their bloodline, but Zhou Yan did!

At this moment, as he awoke, he condensed his entire bloodline into a single drop of blood, rendering himself skeletal and ghastly, his qi and blood withered.

Yet this single drop of blood was several times stronger than the sum of his body’s qi and blood.

With the appearance of this drop of blood, Zhou Yan felt that the subtle intolerance for the Tao Rules of Heaven and Earth here had vanished.

After condensing the first drop of blood, Zhou Yan took a moment to catch his breath and then sat down quietly to meditate again.

He unleashed his furious Soul Energy in the same process, continuously refining it and merging it with the Heaven and Earth Tao Rules here, transforming it into his qi and blood.

He focused single-mindedly, cultivating only his qi and blood to become unimaginably powerful.

Only in this way could he take advantage of this soaring opportunity to stand proudly between Heaven and Earth.

After the first drop of blood emerged and his qi and blood strengthened, the compatibility between his body and his Soul intensified, the effect of his Soul Ability clearly enhanced, and the speed at which he extracted energy from Heaven and Earth greatly increased.

It took just over ten days to condense the second drop.

With the second drop of blood successfully formed, Zhou Yan felt the pressure from Heaven and Earth relax considerably once more.

Following the second drop of blood, Zhou Yan’s realm had reached the early stages of the Sword Origin Realm Third Layer Heaven—a natural progression.

The transformation of his Qi Column was like forging fine iron—extremely concentrated and thicker, at nearly four centimeters in diameter.

After this second drop of blood was formed, the benefits were further realized.

Whether it was the compatibility of the body and Soul or other aspects, it was like shedding the old and taking on a new form.

Zhou Yan felt that he could exhale a breath that could shatter someone of the same realm into pieces!

It was an indescribably wild and powerful sensation akin to a primordial beast.

After the second drop of blood, the third began.

This time, Zhou Yan even lost the desire to comprehend Xingyi Swordsmanship in such a place, after experiencing the benefits of strengthened qi and blood.

He set himself the goal of ten drops of blood.

From the initially difficult process to later producing a drop in about a day, the time required decreased, but the effects improved.

After succeeding with ten drops of blood, Zhou Yan felt as if his body would explode.

Suddenly, with a “boom,” he directly entered the Sword Intent Realm.

Upon reaching this realm, Zhou Yan saw everything with new meaning and could unleash powerful Sword Intent with his will.

With a flash in his eyes, two beams of Sword Intent whistled through the air, causing the snow and ice of Heaven and Earth to rustle loudly!

These two beams pierced through the sky, entering the boundless icy Void and disappearing without a trace.

However, the resonant hum of Sword Intent that pervaded Heaven and Earth left Zhou Yan utterly astounded.

It was an overbearing Sword Intent, as if declaring “none but me.” He hadn’t derived the Xingyi Swordsmanship, yet the Sword Intent contained within a single glance was already so formidable simply because of his powerful qi and blood.

This was an insanely terrifying Sword Intent!

Shaken, Zhou Yan was nevertheless uplifted by the advancement in his realm and the further growth of his Qi Column.

His abilities across all aspects were elevated once more.

Now, Zhou Yan no longer felt any pressure from Heaven and Earth.

It seemed that in this place, he could stay indefinitely.

Moreover, having reached the Sword Intent Realm, Zhou Yan felt a profound and ancient sensation permeating this place, like the vast and boundless feeling he experienced upon seeing Carefree Main City—no different in essence.

It was as if this place was an ancient land of Transformation awaiting the visit of an elder at dusk, hiding immense opportunities.

After reaching the Sword Intent First Layer Heaven, Zhou Yan suddenly felt such an aura, such a feeling akin to a message, leaving him momentarily speechless.

Up to this point, he didn’t know how much time had passed, but his hair had grown more than a foot long.

With hands clasped behind his back, he silently gazed at the unchanging Heavenly Vault, as timeless as the Void.

He silently resumed his attempts to continue condensing his qi and blood.

This time, forming another drop took him less than half a day.

“Since this place is rare, and the Zhou Family bloodline can only enter once for a single transformation and cannot reenter afterwards, then I should make the most of it.

Qi and blood are fundamental to the Cultivators on Earth where Master resides.

What is soul, what is root bone, without strong qi and blood?

Everything else is an illusion!

If Master hadn’t been lacking in qi and blood, he wouldn’t have perished in the Heavenly Tribulation!

If one’s qi and blood were strong enough to withstand the Heavenly Tribulation, how could one perish?

Strong qi and blood could also allow one’s injuries to heal instantaneously, akin to an Undying Body!”

Zhou Yan pondered, feeling he still had much time, and he continued to sit poised to condense qi and blood.

This time, Zhou Yan set himself the goal of a hundred drops.

But even a hundred drops were quickly condensed.

Forgetting about his realm and feeling the refinement was too quick, he set an even greater goal of a thousand drops upon his dissatisfaction.