Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword

Shui Yuqi was evidently quite famous here, not only did Tou Lan drool over her, but no male Dragon Kind could tear their eyes away from her dragon head, as if it were the most magnificent treasure in the world.

Dragon Kind had two types of aesthetic appreciations; one that aligned with humans, where the beauties in the majority of people's eyes were also seen as beauties in theirs; the second was based on race, which was distinctly different from any other race in the world.

Actually, every race capable of transformation had these two distinct aesthetic views, for they possessed two forms, didn't they?

In the eyes of all Dragon Kind, that dragon head of Shui Yuqi was the embodiment of supreme beauty, ranking among the top hundred throughout the entire Dragon Clan!

Don't think the top hundred is too low, do you know how vast the Dragon Domain is? There are nearly three hundred habitable planets, and the first on each planet adds up to over three hundred, being in the top hundred is definitely incredible and remarkable!

Apart from being awestruck, everyone was more astonished at Shui Yuqi's sudden participation in the baptism; they all thought she wouldn't partake in the baptism within the next ten years, but upon further consideration, she had already broken through the Comet Realm, what better time than now for the baptism?

It's commonly believed there are two optimal times for the baptism: one is when hitting a cultivation barrier, where the baptism can help overcome it swiftly; the other is just after a breakthrough, where the baptism further stimulates bloodline purity, dedicating more essential power to bloodline enhancement rather than breakthrough.

Of course, the mentioned cultivation pertains to physique, not Spiritual Power realm.

Body Dragonification represents partial regression, symbolizing high bloodline concentration! To date, the Dragon Clan has few pure-blooded descendants born directly in dragon form, mostly part-human, part-dragon.

And partial dragon form varies, not only depending on the size of the area but also the location.

For instance, the head is the most crucial part; under equivalent size, this indicates a higher bloodline purity, far surpassing the likes of dragon claws or tails.

Therefore, such a "stunning," yet pure-blooded beauty dragon naturally draws everyone's attention, with men awestruck and women jealous.

Shui Yuqi was extremely proud, holding her dragon head high, disregarding everyone.

Pride was not solely hers; the truth is, it's the common flaw of the entire Dragon Clan!

In the view of Dragon Clan people, all races under heaven were inferior, only they deserved to stand above, even the descendants of the other three Divine Beasts couldn't compare, only slightly less inferior.

Supported by this mindset, they were simply too lazy to inquire about anything happening in the Bright Realm, from the perspective of intelligence sources, Dragon Clan didn't deserve the title of the most powerful force, their level of isolation comparable to Duyang Star!

Thus, they weren't even aware of Huo Tian and Hongyue's return to the Bright Realm, Zhou Heng originally wanted to inquire about Huo Tian's news. But thinking about it, it was logical; if not, then how could the past greed-driven chaos at Long Mohe dare take action against Hongyue?

Because of blocked information, they weren't aware Huo Tian had become a Saint, nor that Hongyue had long returned to the Bright Realm!

Amidst Zhou Heng's wild imaginations, the Ancestral Pond baptism officially commenced.

The ceremony required first bowing to the Ancestral Dragon Lord, then to the Second Ancestor, then to bow to the current five Ancestral Dragons, followed by a whole host of retired Ancestral Dragons... the number of people to bow to was simply too much, making Zhou Heng's fists itch, keeping a mental note to settle this score with the old dragons later!

The tedious rituals lasted for over an hour, the presiding priest finally contentedly announced everyone could enter the Ancestral Pond, adding another name to Zhou Heng's list of targets to punch.

The Ancestral Pond was vast, shaped like a rectangle, about three hundred yards long, a hundred yards wide, and three feet deep, already filled with water, crystal clear, yet upon careful sensing, Zhou Heng discovered an indescribable force within the liquid, sparking an intense feeling of hunger, wanting to drink it all dry!

This was the instinctual yearning of the bloodline!

Not only him, but all the Dragon Clan revealed the same expression, eager to leap into the pool.

However, it wasn't that simple!

The presiding priest made everyone kneel down again, to express gratitude to the Ancestral Dragon, Second Ancestor, five Ancestral Dragons, a whole host of retired Ancestral Dragons... thankfully this time they were all bowed to together, saving quite a bit of time, yet it still took over ten minutes.

"The Ancestral Pond baptism begins, enter the pool!" The old priest announced in a solemn and dignified tone.

Finally… it was time!

Everyone entered the pool, parents holding their children also placed them into the pool, unexpectedly, the pool water had tremendous buoyancy, even newborns didn't need to worry about drowning.

Certainly, even without buoyancy it was fine, Bright Realm children were born at least in the Divinity Transformation Realm, Dragon Clan was even stronger, most born in the Moonlight Realm, with a few in the Sunshine Realm, truly enviable.

Zhou Heng silenced all thoughts, stepped into the pool, and sat cross-legged, immersing as much of his body in the liquid as possible.

Boom!

A mysterious power immediately surged into his body, merging into his blood, initiating a wondrous transformation.

Zhou Heng couldn't specify the transformation at first, but soon impurities began to expel from his blood vessels, seeping out through his skin.

Zhou Heng's eyes were closed, yet he could clearly sense everything happening around him.

He was surprised, for his physique had always been steadily improving. From the beginning of his cultivation until now, his body had been continuously refined, making it quite perfect theoretically.

Yet impurities were still being expelled, indicating the preciousness of this water, elevating his bloodline to another height.

In fact, a large amount of Dragon Crystal was added to this pool water!

Only Dragons above the Black Cave Realm can extract their Essence Blood to form Dragon Crystals. This cannot increase Spiritual Power accumulation or enhance realm comprehension, but it can enhance the physique of Dragons!

The lower the realm, the fewer Dragon Crystals that can be formed. The gap between Nine Caves and One Cave can even reach over a thousandfold!

However, the first baptism focuses on quantity rather than quality, but the second requires at least Dragon Crystals formed by Nine Cave Ancestral Dragons! And the third, the ultimate baptism, demands even higher standards, requiring Dragon Crystals from the Ancestral Dragon and Second Ancestor.

Precisely because the first baptism only requires quantity, not quality, it can be conducted on a large scale; otherwise, how could every Dragon clan member enjoy such treatment?

Zhou Heng frantically absorbed the Dragon Crystals from the liquid, enhancing his bloodline, while his inherent power was also increasing, albeit slowly.

Buzz!

The Star Vortex began helping to absorb the Dragon Crystal essence as well, showing how intense his body's "hunger" was.

This was an unexpected joy; the Star Vortex could actually absorb such physical essence!

Though Zhou Heng was initially surprised, he quickly set aside the question, thinking it was a good thing. He only needed to absorb and refine these benefits to their fullest.

However, he wasn't the only one with a big appetite. At the other end of the pool, someone else was absorbing Dragon Crystals like a vortex. With the joint efforts of the two "big eaters," the concentration of Dragon Crystals in the pool water rapidly decreased, and the water became increasingly turbid.

The Old Priest saw this and quickly said, "Hurry to the storeroom and fetch another batch of Dragon Crystals!"

He couldn't help but be delighted; the more Dragon Crystals absorbed indicated the higher quality of these Baptists. If absorbed by one or two people, their bloodlines would experience terrifying enhancement!

According to legend, a Golden Dragon clan Ancestral Dragon Lord transformed directly from human form to dragon form right after the first baptism, greatly enhancing his bloodline and eventually reaching Nine Caves, becoming one of the great Ancestral Dragons!

If someone from his Dragon Temple could also become an Ancestral Dragon, it would be a great honor for him!

This was indeed supreme glory!

Thus, when the pool water began to turn turbid for the second time, the Old Priest quickly sent people to fetch Dragon Crystals again.

Then a third, a fourth time!

By this time, individuals had gradually left the Ancestral Pond.

It's not that they didn't want to stay longer, but they had reached their limits. Staying any longer would cause them to burst from the inside out!

The greater the bloodline potential, the more Dragon Crystals they could absorb, and the later they would leave. Even infants born at the same time showed significant differences, with the earliest taken out being three times sooner than the last!

After one day, only eleven people remained in the Ancestral Pond, all adults who deliberately suppressed themselves to use their bloodline potential maximally for the baptism.

Even at the pinnacle of their realm, they chose to undergo baptism to absorb Dragon Crystals, maximizing bloodline potential rather than power enhancement. This approach proves profitable in the long term despite seeming a loss in the short term.

After two days, some of them gradually left, but staying for two days was already remarkable. Yet, this batch of geniuses seemed particularly plentiful—by the third day, seven people were still in the Ancestral Pond!

The Dragon Crystals in this Divine Temple were not sufficient. The Old Priest felt both shocked and joyful, hastily borrowing Dragon Crystals from other temples and requesting more, as it seemed more Dragon Crystals would be needed.

By the fifth day, only five people remained in the Ancestral Pond: besides Zhou Heng and Shui Yuqi, there was Tou Lan, and two men whose left and right arms, respectively, were fully dragon-claw transformed—they were twin brothers.

On the sixth day, Tou Lan reluctantly left the Ancestral Pond, having reached his limit! In fact, he reached this limit half a day earlier, but seeing four people still seated, he gritted his teeth and held out half a day longer, causing all his dragon scales to explode, leaving him drenched in blood.

Yet absorbing Dragon Crystals for an additional half day brings benefits that will sediment over time.

Half a day later, the twin brothers almost crawled out of the Ancestral Pond, collapsing into unconsciousness upon their feet touching the ground.

Now only Zhou Heng and Shui Yuqi remained. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian.com (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)