Chapter 575: The Blood Crystal’s Evolution

“The Blood Crystal is now very different from what we thought,” Xia Fei sternly said.

Phantom and Lionheart Emperor Oro looked curiously at Xia Fei.

“What’s different about it? How do you even know without testing?” Oro asked.

“When I gripped the Blood Crystal, the edge was so sharp that it injured my finger.”

Oro frowned. “I see. Fortunately, the cut was small, or else it wouldn’t care if you were its master and would suck your blood as well.”

Xia Fei nodded. “That’s the case. The Blood Crystal devoured a bit of my energy. It absorbed most of the energy for itself, but a small part was set through the hilt back into my body.”

Shock!

Silence!

The atmosphere in the cultivation chamber became much heavier.

“Say that again?! Part of the energy the Blood Crystal absorbed was sent to you?!” Oro exclaimed in shock.

There was no need to describe what this ability meant; absorbing the opponent’s energy to improve oneself! How was this any different from the legendary Cosmic Absorbing Power[1]?! It was wicked and sinister to the extreme!

The more enemies Xia Fei killed, the stronger he would become, and so would the Blood Crystal!

Too scary!

They were like a bloodthirsty duo!

The Blood Crystal, which had originated from the Assassin Sect, after going through the tempering of the Law of Primal Chaos, a demonic beast, and the Celestial Zerohammer, had finally revealed an astonishing savagery. This bloodthirsty dagger had already surpassed the category of weapons and become a unique existence in the universe.

Oro was stunned for a good few minutes; after which, he sternly said, “I thought that the Celestial Zerohammer would forge a divine weapon for you, but I was wrong.

“This is no divine weapon but a demonic one, instead!”

The mood was heavy. Nobody could say what the Blood Crystal’s ability to strengthen its owner and itself would bring for Xia Fei. It might be success, but it could also be destruction. After all, this ability was far too bizarre, different from any other weapon.

“Do you remember that offspring of the Empress Spider and the Pastel King Ice Spider?” Oro raised his head and asked.

“I do. Those were terrifying eyes which paralyzed me, but that lifeform didn’t look like any kind of spider,” Xia Fei said.

Oro nodded. “It truly didn’t. Its parents had only Beast King bloodlines, but that little monster’s bloodline was on the Divine Beast level.”

“A Divine Beast!” Xia Fei was stunned. He had seen Divine Beasts before. The two silly birds raised by the Gods of Black and White belonged to that category. Not only were they human-like, they could speak and even control space!”

Logically, Divine Beasts were on the same level as Holy Beasts like Furball, but Holy Beasts had unique characters and tended to be loners. Besides that, their few numbers made them much more valued.

Divine Beasts were like the elders of big sects, dignified and powerful. Holy Beasts were comparable to peerless wandering swordsmen. The former were revered by the common people, while the latter had songs and stories written about them. They were both experts, but the higher paths they sought were different. This was why those two silly birds had been so respectful to Furball, for Furball himself was a legend!

“Heavens! The Blood Crystal used a Divine Beast as a primer!” Xia Fei muttered. He had never expected something like this.

“A Divine Beast bloodline isn’t the same thing as a Divine Beast. It only means that that little fellow had the potential to become a Divine Beast, but his parents didn’t have that potential and ended their lives as Beast Kings. On this point, there’s still a difference between a Divine Beast bloodline and a true Divine Beast.

“The cause behind this situation might’ve been a gene mutation. You must surely also know that the universe originally had no intelligent lifeforms, only some simple single-celled organisms. It was only after hundreds of millions of years and innumerable gene mutations that higher forms of life finally began to emerge.

“In this divine weapon crafting, too many unknown factors ultimately led your Blood Crystal to become a bizarre demonic weapon.”

Xia Fei said nothing. He suddenly saw an opportunity before him.

If he did the same thing several more times, he might be able to obtain even more shocking divine weapons—divine weapons that were different from any other kind!

The monster’s gene mutations were also very important, but Xia Fei felt that the Blood Crystal owed its current form mostly to the Law of Primal Chaos!

It was precisely because of the subversive and disruptive force that had been added into the Celestial Zerohammer’s forging process which allowed Xia Fei to now possess a unique demonic weapon!

Alas, while Xia Fei still had the Law of Primal Chaos, there were not that many Celestial Zerohammers available for him to use. This thought made Xia Fei bitterly chuckle.

“What are you laughing about?” Oro asked.

Xia Fei put away the Blood Crystal and sternly answered, “It’s nothing. We’re setting off the day after tomorrow, so let’s focus on cultivation for now. As the saying goes, ‘sharpening the spear before battle may not make it very sharp, but it’ll shine at least’. Who knows what that Dragon Ascension Conclave will be like?”

…

As the skies brightened, Xia Fei got up early, and after eating breakfast and packing his things, he set off for the Spatial Gate.

From a distance, he saw Patriarch Yu Jiang, Chief Custodian Yu Jin, Chief Instructor Yu Luxuan, and Yu Hua sending off Yu Xiaobei.

Yu Xiaobei was in the clan’s direct line of descendants, and he had many servants, maids, and other followers with him. Xia Fei was all by himself and appeared rather lonely.

Turning his head and glancing at Xia Fei, Yu Xiaobei strode away. He proudly departed with a look of supreme confidence.

It was now Xia Fei’s turn, and each person told him to be attentive. For some reason, Patriarch Yu Jiang was somewhat more distant to him, but Xia Fei did not care that much.

Once they finished speaking, they all dispersed; only Yu Hua stayed behind.

“No one can go with you to the Dragon Ascension Conclave. If you encounter any problem, you’ll have to deal with it yourself. This is the Dragon Ascension Conclave! Don’t you feel nervous at all?” Yu Hua asked with a smile.

Xia Fei shook his head. “What’s there to be nervous about? Could it be more stimulating than an actual battlefield?”

Yu Hua patted Xia Fei on the shoulder. “This is one of the most important events in the Law Realm. I myself didn’t get the right to participate in it back then. The last time the Yu family had someone who could attend the Dragon Ascension Conclave was back when the patriarch was still in his prime. You’ll understand once you get there.

“In brief, take care, and I’ll wait for the good news. If you’re admitted into Dragon Ascension Martial Hall, your future prospects will be limitless!”

Xia Fei nodded, saying with a smile, “I still haven’t thanked you for passing onto me the secret to getting past the threshold. If not for you, I probably wouldn’t have met the requirements for participation so soon.”

Xia Fei spoke sincerely. He did not have any friends in the circle, and Yu Hua was one of the few people who had treated him well. Though Yu Hua was a complicated character, Xia Fei did not care that much. No one in this universe was simple, excluding children and idiots. Humans had always been complicated and special high-level lifeforms.

Yu Hua casually said, “A method still requires a person to execute it. Those people lacking in quality may be unable to get past the threshold even with the method. It also depends on one’s perception. Besides, I didn’t do it just for you but rather for the entire Yu family. You have to realize that it’s been several hundred years since the clan was able to get anyone into Dragon Ascension Martial Hall.”

Xia Fei was taken aback. “The patriarch didn’t get in, either?”

Yu Hua sighed. “No, he only obtained the right to participate. The Yu family can’t compare to the Nine Great Clans, and getting into Dragon Ascension is even harder than ascending to the heavens.”

Xia Fei was in disbelief. The vast Yu family had one million people, yet no one in several hundred years had been able to get into Dragon Ascension Martial Hall, or even get the right to participate in the Dragon Ascension Conclave. Were these requirements not too strict?

After saying farewell to Yu Hua, Xia Fei stepped into the Spatial Gate.

The more mysterious the Dragon Ascension Conclave was, the more interested in it Xia Fei became. What would the Law Realm’s number one martial hall look like?

…

The first stop on this journey was Myriadopolis, famed for the lights from its myriad homes.

The Law Realm had a strict hierarchy, and the Nine Great Clans as well as the few other famous clans did not live with the common folks. They lived in their own corner of the Law Realm, separate from the small clans like the Yu family.

Myriadopolis was where the headquarters of these small clans were located. As the Dragon Ascension Conclave was being held in the territory of the noble clans, no spatial gate could send Xia Fei there. He first needed to obtain a certificate at Myriadopolis and then get to the Dragon Ascension Conclave through a transfer station. Any other method of entering noble clan territory was illegal. From this, one could see how stark the divisions in the Law Realm were.

Myriadopolis was very large, and the offices and headquarters of various clans could be seen all over the place. If the Nine Great Clans needed anything or had some message to convey, it could swiftly be transmitted through these various offices.

With the Mu family’s letter, Xia Fei received a passcard from Dragon Ascension Martial Hall’s branch office in Myriadopolis; after which, he found a store where he traded seventy tons of Pure Spirit Silver for Origin Crystals. Oro was an existence of the past, and he had no idea that the exchange ratio of Pure Spirit Silver to Origin Crystals was now 1 to 1.5.

Xia Fei gritted his teeth and decided to just exchange all the Pure Spirit Silver for grade 4 Origin Crystals. This was 1050 crystals in all, and with his remaining crystals, Xia Fei had total assets of 1106 grade 4 crystals and 12300 grade 3 crystals, a rather significant fortune.

There were numerous people grouped around the spatial gate leading to the White Horse Constellation. Today was the important day when the participants of the Dragon Ascension Conclave would arrive, and security in Myriadopolis was tight. The figures of Law Adepts could be seen everywhere, with those in black representing the martial headquarters of Myriadopolis and those warriors in red representing the members of the Law Enforcement Board.

Though it was difficult to participate in the Dragon Ascension Conclave, there were so many clans in the circle that if each family sent one person on average, there would still be tens of thousands of participants.

The flow of the crowd was slow, with the average rate of one person allowed passage per minute. Xia Fei had several hundred people in front of him, so it would probably be several hours until it was his turn.

Xia Fei frowned as he joined the slowly advancing crowd.

“Big Brother Xia Fei,” a woman called his name.

Xia Fei turned his head and saw Mu Fuping. Miss Fuping was dressed very simply today, wearing a fighting uniform and an exquisite pair of combat boots, seemingly about to go onto the battlefield.

“Miss Mu.” Xia Fei returned the greeting. This young miss was quite troublesome, and Xia Fei was unwilling to get too involved with her.

“I knew that you’d break into Law Sovereign before the Dragon Ascension Conclave, so I came early in the morning.”

Xia Fei creased his brows. “You were waiting for me?”

“Mm!”

Mu Fuping firmly nodded. Her younger sister Mu Qingping was with her, as well as two warriors whom Xia Fei did not recognize. The only person who was not scowling at him was Mu Fuping, and they could not be blamed for it. After all, Xia Fei had offended Mu Nanchen.

“Big Brother Xia Fei, let’s go.”

“To where?”

“To the Dragon Ascension Conclave! Isn’t that why you came?”

Xia Fei replied, “The only path is in front of me. Can’t you see I’m waiting in line?”

Mu Fuping’s face reddened. “If you’re with me, you won’t need to wait in line.”

Not accepting a ‘no’, she dragged him to a spatial gate leading to the White Horse Constellation.

The moment she revealed her identity, the warriors guarding the gate immediately opened a path through the crowd for Mu Fuping.

Under the envious gazes of the crowd, Xia Fei hardened his resolve and went through the gate with her.

[1] A reference to an ability that a major antagonist had from the famed wuxia novel ‘The Smiling, Proud Wanderer’ by Jin Yong.