Chapter 85: Body Transformation
His arms convulsed, and his body was pushed backwards. The white sword in his hands hummed louder and louder as all the wind energy was being absorbed into it. The energy flowed into the body of the young man. His body felt as if it was being shattered; the energy was so violent that Xu Min was wracked with severe pain in his entire being. Even so, he gritted his teeth and kept his wits about him. All the energy that entered his body poured out into the sword so that he could stand a chance against the wind blade currently crushing down upon him.
The wind blade was becoming less and less powerful as its energies were absorbed by Xu Min's blade.
Xu Min was no longer pushed backward as more and more energy was being absorbed. His face turned a more natural color. He was able to swallow the blood that had risen to his throat earlier.
Looking at the young man almost vomiting blood, one could see that the initial clash had been the hardest. Nonetheless, by the time it took an incense stick to burn down, Xu Min had managed to become capable of completely turning the situation around. Although he was still pressured by this massive wind blade, it was no longer a significant threat to him.
Standing behind the wind blade was the fairy. Her face was pale as she had used all of her energy reserves to create this blade. Shock shown in her eyes as she saw how the massive wind blade she had created with all of her efforts had shrunk in size and was continuing to shrink with each passing moment. The young man who had been close to being crushed was looking even more powerful now than he had been before. His entire body burst with energy, and the sword in his hand shone white from all the Qi that had been poured into it.
"Impossible!" The fairy called out. Her eyes were bulging. Her previously pretty face had contorted hideously as disbelief washed over her. How could a mere human withstand her attack? How could such a weak being look more invigorated after the attack than he did before?
Her eyes trailed toward the sword in Xu Min's hands. A grimace appeared on her face. "Is that a heavenly weapon?" She murmured to herself, "if not for this sword, how would it be possible for him to withstand me?"
Although the fairy was shocked, she could do nothing. She was but a soul, a fragment left behind within this Blood Pagoda. Even if she truly found an incredible treasure, she could no longer use it. Coveting the possessions of others was not something she could afford to do any longer.
"I lost," she mumbled to herself, filled with disbelief. Everyone who lost in the Blood Pagoda would have their souls released and return to the cycle of reincarnation. This was something they all dreamed about. However, they also knew that they could not lose on purpose or act weak. If they did, their souls would be shattered.
Standing there, the fairy was filled with mixed emotions. She was relieved that her living hell within the blood pagoda was coming to an end; her eyes simply could not believe that this was true, but, at the same time, she was filled with unwillingness. She could not accept that she had lost, even more in such an outstanding way. She had not lost to the young man; she had lost to his sword!
"Having found a treasure is also a kind of strength," Xu Min said while shrugging his shoulders. He could understand the fairy. However, for him, this was not just a sword; this sword had become a part of who he was. Without his sword, he would no longer be whole.
Any expert who used a weapon would always be at a disadvantage. Xu Min was no exception. That the fairy felt that it was unfair, Xu Min could do nothing about the feelings of unfairness the fairy felt.
The fairy knew that he was correct, and she fell to her knees. "End me," she said with faint excitement in her voice. This moment was the end of her old life, the end to her eternal suffering. It was about time for her to finally move on and become someone else.
Xu Min understood this as well and moved towards her without a shred of hesitation. He lifted his sword, and allowed for it to fall, landing on her slim and frail neck cleaving it off.
The moment her neck and head was severed from one another, her body dissolved spontaneously into a red mist which slowly entered Xu Min's body. He had previously absorbed the energy of some Golden-Furred Blood Lions, but now he was absorbing the energy of the fairy that was ranked equal to a five-star Warrior. This energy was simply outstanding; it was so empowering and overwhelming that Xu Min collapsed on the ground when it entered his body. His entire body was convulsing and spasming as it filled every cell with the essence of the heavens and the earth.
Xu Min slowly rose to his knees with strong determination and sat down in meditation. This act would make it easier to refine the essence which had entered his body. It was as if a flood had come crashing through his meridians, bringing with it a surge of power.
While Xu Min was meditating, not only was the energy he had gained from ending the fairy’s life floating around, the energy he had absorbed through the sword was undergoing refinement. The wind energy slowly became tame and joined in with his other energies, making it impossible to tell which energy was which.
Xu Min was cultivating for an astonishing eleven hours before he managed to have all the energy under his control. When he opened his mouth, he coughed out a black clot. Xu Min slowly opened his eyes; his entire face filled with excitement.
The black clot he had just spat out was the collective impurities in his meridians that had been purified and forcibly expunged from his body.
This black clot indicated that Xu Min had reached the fifth-star level. He was already a five-star Warrior! The speed at which he was progressing was simply impossible to comprehend for average people. When he had just entered the Immortal Valley, he was nothing but a three-star Warrior. Now, less than a year later, he had already reached the five-star level.
His strength was already amazing by the time he had reached the third-star rank. Now that he was a five-star Warrior, his strength was phenomenal. If he had the sword by his side alongside Ye Ling and Cao Cao, it was possible for him to get revenge against the Zhong family. Even so, Xu Min was not willing to immediately risk his life when he already advanced as swiftly as he did. He still had to return to Meilin when he was done. He would bide his time some more.
Thinking about Meilin, Xu Min's heart surged with warmth; a gentle smile appeared on t his lips. While he was lost in the thoughts of his long-lost love, the voice of the Blood Pagoda interrupted his thoughts.
"Congratulations on reaching the King rank!" The voice boomed through the entire room. Suddenly a set of stairs appeared in front of Xu Min, stairs that had not been there before but clearly led to a new level of the pagoda.
"If you choose to enter the next level, you will be given a reward for reaching the King rank. Not only this, but you will also be able to contend against the next tier of challengers. Just because you have the strength to kill others does not mean that you are strong. Kid, do you dare enter the Saint level of the Blood Pagoda?"
The voice might have seemed overbearing and haughty, but there was a subtle truth in what it had said. If the King-ranked trials were as dangerous as what he had already gone through, it was clear that this Saint level trials were a whole different league, which made him consider the matter seriously.
A smile spread on Xu Min's lips; he resolutely moved towards the stairs, grabbed onto the railing, and slowly moved towards the second floor. As to how many floors there were in total, Xu Min did not know, but knowing that he had reached the second floor, he was filled with pride. He was excited to reach the rank of a five-star Warrior.
....
"I told you he would become a King-ranked contender!" a smug voice sounded within the room of the guardians. Although time flowed differently within the Blood Pagoda, it was possible for the guardians to see everything which happened within. All of them were speechless. Xu Min had indeed defeated the King-ranked difficulties!
"He absorbed the soul of an elf!" one of the guardians said hesitantly, "his memories and his abilities. Even his appearance has changed slightly. He is no longer a simple human. He is also partly an elf; one could even go as far as to say that he is a half-elf," The guardian's words were spoken while everyone was completely quiet. No one dared to comment on what he had said. Everyone turned to look at a guardian who was sitting on a big chair in front of the water screen while also examining the events that had transpired.
After a bit of awkward silence, someone else said with a tentative voice, "he is a great talent, and he does have something to do with the elves. He is not a complete outsider."
Soon after, another Guardian spoke up, and it did not take long before a buzz was ongoing within the chamber. This was the chamber where everyone was discussing whether or not Xu Min was now a human or half an elf.
"Silence," the man seated in the high chair suddenly said. His voice was not very loud, but it was loud enough to silence everyone who heard him. No one dared to continue speaking.
"As to whether or not we will recruit him depends on a great many things," the man continued, "Firstly, he needs to survive this Immortal Valley Rankings. After the rankings finish, I will make my final decision."
Having come to this decision, no one questioned the words of the man. Instead, they all at once focused on the screen and observed attentively Xu Min moving towards the next floor. All of their eyes were filled with excitement to see exactly what could be on this second floor. None of them had ever seen it before.
....
Inside the Blood Pagoda, Xu Min moved towards the second floor. His every step was cautious, and his senses were fully alert. He clearly assumed that anything could happen. He could not help but be prepared for the worst.
As he reached the second floor, he found that there were torches lit with flickering flames all around the walls. He had arrived on a platform similar to the one he had just left, except this one was smaller than the previous platform. Right in front of him were three items hovering in the air.
"These three items are the three rewards you can acquire from finishing the three floors of the Blood Pagoda," the voice suddenly boomed out as Xu Min looked at the items. "The first item, the one you have already gained access to, is a medicinal pill created by the Alchemist God. It was hard to obtain, so treat it with great care! As for the second and third items, I will explain to you when you gain the rights to possess them."
"Now, go forth towards this pill and take it. It is a Pill of Bodily Transformation. As the name implies, it will awaken your body and detoxify it, allowing for you to cleanse your meridians, your veins, and even the cells in your body. This pill will heighten all parts of your body as if you were a healthy newborn baby. You will become reborn with a body so perfect that cultivating will be much simpler in the future."
Just hearing about this pill was enough to make Xu Min stare with eyes wide open in shock!