Chapter 127: Common Blood (fixed)
Xiang Yu inhaled deeply, trying to steady his nerves as he prepared for the inevitable agony. The bloodlines had strengthened significantly since his last session, but his body had also advanced to a higher layer of refinement. He reassured himself that with his physical power now at least three times greater than before, perhaps the pain wouldn’t be as unbearable this time.
With resolute determination, he released his control over the dragon and phoenix bloodlines. True to their nature, they instantly surged toward each other like ancient enemies spotting their rival across a battlefield. The moment they collided, the brutal war within his body commenced.
To his momentary surprise, his skin didn’t rupture instantly as it had during previous sessions. A fleeting sense of relief washed over him, but the reprieve was short-lived. Within seconds, the opposing forces began inflicting real damage to his internal organs. When the first rupture finally tore through his skin, others followed in rapid succession, each break occurring faster than the last.
Blood seeped from the widening cracks across his body as Xiang Yu gritted his teeth. Though still excruciating, he noticed something different—the pain seemed somewhat dulled compared to previous sessions. Not that it didn’t hurt—it still felt like being torn apart from the inside—but his tolerance appeared to be building with each brutal training session.
With trembling fingers, he reached for a healing pill and swallowed it, consciously directing its restorative essence toward his most critical injuries. For hours, he endured this grueling cycle of devastation and recovery, his body becoming a continuous battlefield where the competing bloodlines raged against each other while his healing powers struggled to maintain the integrity of his physical form.
When the system reset screen finally materialized before his eyes, Xiang Yu realized his mind remained surprisingly lucid despite the ordeal. His capacity to withstand the torment was clearly improving with each session. Through the haze of lingering pain, he focused his attention on the results of his hard work:
[Body Refining: 12th Layer (1000/12,000) (+1000/12,000)]
[Qi Gathering: 7th Layer (300/700) (+300/700)]
[Mind: Level 5 (60/5000) (+60/5000)]
[Soul: Infant (20/100,000) (+20/100,000)]
[Spiritual Root: Medium-Grade Omni-Element (40/2000)]
[Transcendent Dao Body: Level 1 (550/1,000,000) (+10/1,000,000)]
[Chaos Body: Level 1 (350/10,000) (+50/10,000)]
[Bloodline: Dragon, Phoenix: Thin Blood (620/1000) (+100/1000)]
[Enlightenment: Superior (250/4000) (+30/4000)]
[Spirit Flame: Abyssal Void Flame: 5th Grade (30/50,000) (+10/50,000)]
[High-grade Lightning Strike & Palm: Minor Success (10/200)]
[High-grade Fire Palm: Minor Success (132/200)]
[High-grade Water, Wood, Earth, Metal Palm: Minor Success (36/200)]
[High-grade Ice, Wind, Light, Dark Palm: Beginner (56/100)]
[Cook: 3rd Grade (10/700) (+10/700)]
[Appraiser: 6th Grade (102/400) (+100/400)]
[Talisman Maker: 7th Grade (50/300) (+50/300)]
[Alchemist, Formation Master, Blacksmith: 8th Grade (150/200) (+50/200)]
[Experience Points Doubled]
[Alchemist, Formation Master, Blacksmith: 8th Grade (150/200) → 7th Grade (0/300)]
[Talisman Maker: 7th Grade (50/300) → 7th Grade (100/300)]
[Appraiser: 6th Grade (102/400) → 6th Grade (204/400)]
[Cook: 3rd Grade (10/700) → 3rd Grade (20/700)]
[High-grade Ice, Wind, Light, Dark Palm: Beginner (56/100) → Minor Success (0/200)]
[High-grade Water, Wood, Earth, Metal Palm: Minor Success (36/200) → Minor Success (72/200)]
[High-grade Fire Palm: Minor Success (132/200) → Intermediate (0/300)]
[High-grade Lightning Strike & Palm: Minor Success (10/200) → Minor Success (20/200)]
[Spirit Flame: Abyssal Void Flame: 5th Grade (30/50,000) → 5th Grade (60/50,000)]
[Enlightenment: Superior (250/4000) → Superior (500/4000)]
[Bloodline: Dragon, Phoenix: Thin Blood (620/1000) → Common Blood (0/2000)]
[Chaos Body: Level 1 (350/10,000) → Level 1 (700/10,000)]
[Transcendent Dao Body: Level 1 (550/1,000,000) → Level 1 (1100/1,000,000)]
[Spiritual Root: Medium-Grade Omni-Element (40/2000) → Medium (80/2000)]
[Soul: Infant (20/100,000) -> Infant (40/100,000)]
[Mind: Level 5 (60/5000) → Level 5 (120/5000)]
[Qi Gathering: 7th Layer (300/700) → 7th Layer (600/700)]
[Body Refining: 12th Layer (1000/12,000) → 12th Layer (2000/12,000)]
...
Xiang Yu felt an unsettling shift within his body. Despite having commanded the bloodlines to cease their conflict, he sensed movement continuing beneath his skin. Alarm surged through him—how could they still be active when he maintained control through the system? Had they somehow broken free after upgrading to the common blood level? If so, that would really be a disaster.
Focusing his awareness deeper into his internal landscape, he finally understood what was happening. The bloodlines weren’t moving independently—they were expanding. When he had first acquired them, each bloodline had been merely a single drop of essence. Through the system’s doubling process, they had gradually accumulated a few more drops over time. But now, something extraordinary was occurring.
The essences multiplied at an astonishing rate—one additional drop forming every second. Xiang Yu watched in fascination as the process continued, his internal senses tracking the rapid proliferation. Within moments, both the dragon and phoenix bloodlines had expanded to nearly a hundred drops each.
No sooner had the bloodlines stabilized in their new abundance than other transformations began happening throughout his body. The dragon bloodline’s expansion triggered profound physical enhancements—his bones became denser, infused with the resilience of tempered steel. His skin toughened noticeably as well, enhancing his durability. With each breath, Xiang Yu felt raw power flowing through his muscles, his physical strength climbing to heights he’d never experienced before.
Simultaneously, the phoenix bloodline’s growth manifested in different ways. His affinity for fire element energy deepened considerably, making the manipulation of flame techniques feel as natural as breathing. His regenerative capabilities accelerated dramatically—minor wounds now closed almost instantaneously. Even his enlightenment seemed to sharpen, granting clearer insights into cultivation concepts that had previously remained somewhat obscure.
As the transformations settled, Xiang Yu couldn’t help but marvel at the bloodlines’ substantial benefits. Despite the excruciating pain required to advance them, the rewards proved genuinely remarkable. If merely reaching the common blood level yielded such impressive enhancements, he could scarcely imagine the power awaiting at the progenitor stage.
Catching himself, he quickly tempered these thoughts. His imagination was running wild again—better to focus on the present rather than dream of distant possibilities.
Turning his attention to other changes following the system’s doubling effect, he noted his body refining had gained another thousand points, matching yesterday’s impressive progress. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before he triggered another breakthrough.
Most other stats didn’t show much progress, but his three professions—alchemy, formations, and blacksmithing—had all broken through to the seventh grade. This advancement came with valuable insights: new alchemical recipes, formation blueprints, and weapon designs now resided in his mind, ready to be implemented. Most significantly, he could finally craft high-level magical weapons.1
His appraiser profession had progressed past its halfway point and would reach fifth grade after the next reset, steadily catching up with his cooking skill. The cooking profession, however, had encountered a progress bottleneck. Since he could only prepare fourth-grade spirit food, which generated minimal experience points for his third-grade profession, advancement had slowed considerably.
Perhaps most exciting was seeing his Transcendent Dao Physique finally cross the thousand-point threshold. The pace of its development was clearly accelerating, filling him with anticipation for when it would finally advance to the next level.
For now, though, it was time to begin his mind cultivation session...
...
A/N: Surprise Chapter (yippee)