Chapter 2257: The Python Ancestor’s Blood Pool

The Wang family made no attempt to force any of the students who had acquired training promises to stay, as the participants in the exchange program still had to visit the rest of the four ruling powers.

Wang Yan felt a wave of envy as he watched the paper boat fly towards Dragon Mountain. "It must be wonderful to visit and train with all the different top powers."

He was the patriarch of a branch family, and he had thus always been provided with resources. There had been no worries about not being able to become an Envoy, but Wang Yan only knew a bit about the other three ruling powers. It was a rather exceptional opportunity to be able to train with each of the four ruling powers at the same time.

There was no denying that the current situation was rather unique, as the 100 students were being targeted by the four ruling powers. If the students could be enticed into joining any one of the four ruling powers, it would create a fissure between the students and the faculty and be an opportunity to seize control of Virtue Archives. There was no way anyone would ever enjoy such unprecedented opportunities in the future.

Things had been proceeding very smoothly, but they had unfortunately been disrupted by Yu Hao. The five teams of students had only thanked Yu Hao after they emerged from the Tri-Petal. Yu Hao and Yu Hao alone had invalidated the Wang family’s efforts to recruit the students, and Wang Yan had no idea how he was supposed to explain this situation.

After bidding farewell to the Wang family, the God of Food was in a joyous mood, and he praised Lu Yin to the point where Lu Yin grew quite embarrassed.

"This junior only did what he should. As an instructor, it’s only right to work to ensure that our students receive the most benefits," Lu Yin stated in a humble manner.

The God of Food just laughed. "The Wang family was not only forced to hand over a great deal of resources, but our students also feel no sense of indebtedness or gratitude towards them! They were made fools and handed over a great number of benefits to our academy’s students. I don’t think that they’ll be forgetting you anytime soon, Professor."

Mr. Tang also joined in. "I’ve heard that sourcebox arrays are capable of doing things that can be beyond the abilities of even a Progenitor, and this was certainly an eye-opening experience. Most of our Perennial World’s Lockbreakers are on the rear battlefield, working there, and the rest are essentially monopolized by the various powerful families. It’s usually impossible to find a Lockbreaker, let alone an Array Master capable enough to impress even the Wang family. That was quite amazing."

Hearing this compliment, Lu Yin grew curious. "I’ve heard that the headmaster is an Array Master as well, so why doesn’t he teach lockbreaking at the academy?"

Mr. Tang replied, "The only option for someone to become a Lockbreaker is to apply to the Lockbreaker Academy on the rear battlefield. The reason why you are allowed to teach lockbreaking at Virtue Archives is because you do so as part of the research that your class is conducting, Prof. Hao Yu. Even Professor Xiao Wen had to become a Lockbreaker on the rear battlefield."

"Why is that?" Lu Yin felt increasingly puzzled.

The God of Food looked over at the Mother Tree. "Someone has to sacrifice themselves in order to save humanity, and Lockbreakers have been forced to take on that role. It’s a rule of the Perennial World that every Lockbreaker, even the four ruling powers’ resident Array Masters, must contribute to the fight on the rear battlefield. None of them are allowed to continuously remain in the Perennial World without returning to the rear battlefield. It’s a rule set down by Progenitor Hui himself."

Lu Yin had always admired how Progenitor Hui had dedicated so many of his efforts towards saving and protecting humanity, and he had even forced all future Lockbreakers to contribute to those efforts as well. However, Lu Yin had been to the rear battlefield, and he knew that the Lockbreakers did not want to stay there. This rule had to be ruthlessly enforced, and so Lockbreakers felt the need to get their enjoyment in the limited ways available to them.

Lu Yin still had a vivid memory of when he had first seen Master Zan on the rear battlefield. The man had had multiple women doting on him, which had been a harsh contrast to the brutality of the rear battlefield. Looking back, Lu Yin felt that such actions were more of a silent protest.

The Lockbreakers all hoped to be allowed to return to the Perennial World to live like normal cultivators, but due to their status as Lockbreakers, they remained trapped on the rear battlefield. That was why they indulged in the few things available to them.

Lu Yin also understood better than ever why so many people on the rear battlefield were willing to accommodate the Lockbreakers’ idiosyncrasies. It was not only because of what Lockbreakers were capable of, but also out of pure sympathy. Lockbreakers might enjoy an elite status, but they were also forced to bear a much greater burden.

In a way, it was similar to the Lu family’s position for many years.

The Fifth Mainland’s Lockbreakers did not suffer such restrictions. They were not forced to stay on a perpetual battlefield, fearing for their lives.

"Next, we will visit the White Dragon Clan. They do not have nearly as deep a foundation as the Wang family, but they do have their own qualifications. We just have to wait and see how far they’re willing to go to win over our students," said Mr. Tang.

As he spoke, a massive creature emerged from the void far away from the group from Virtue Archives. As soon as the beast appeared, it flew towards the paper ship. Flames surged when the creature let out a sky-shattering roar, and vicious eyes on two heads stared at the group of humans.

Was that Gui?

Lu Yin arched a brow. How could this creature be anything other than Long Kui's mount? Long Kui had been sent to the Fifth Mainland as part of the army sent to hunt down Lu Yin. Lu Yin had been surprised to not see Gui with Long Kui, and he had assumed that the beast had died. The truth turned out to be that Gui had remained in the Perennial World.

All of the students were amazed by the sight of the two-headed beast.

Even in the Perennial World, it was difficult for a person to become an Envoy, and yet this mount had the strength of an Envoy. This was something that everyone desired, and the sight of such a powerful beast incited a great deal of envy.

Standing atop Gui was Long Tian. He had personally come out to greet the students as they made their way towards Dragon Mountain after visiting the Wang family.

"Junior Long Tian greets Senior God of Food." Long Tian stood on one of the beast’s heads and offered a respectful bow.

On the paper ship, Nong Siniang's eyes grew wide.

Liu Que’s battle force surged.

Qing Feng took a deep breath when he felt the pressure radiating from Long Tian. Finally, Qing Feng was seeing the strength of one of the four geniuses who had received the title of Junior Progenitor for himself.

Bai Weiwei and everyone else were also staring at Long Tian. The students were all young and unfazed by older powerhouses, but this Long Tian was only one generation older than them. According to the standards of the Daosource Sect era, they were considered part of the same generation and would all be competing with each other.

There were two youths who indisputably stood at the peak of the Perennial World. One was Xia Shenfei, and the other was Long Tian.

Virtue Archives had a bad attitude regarding the four ruling powers, but of the four ruling powers, they had a slightly better impression of the White Dragon Clan. After all, the White Dragon Clan had not participated in many of the actions taken by the other three, and from an outside perspective, the White Dragon Clan was the most approachable of the four ruling powers.

Compared to his interactions with Wang Yan and Semi-Progenitor Chai, the God of Food did not appear nearly as cold when he spoke to Long Tian. "So Junior Progenitor Long Tian himself came out to greet us? Thank you for your efforts."

Long Tian remained very respectful. "This is only how things should be. My father has suffered an accident, or else he would be here to greet you, Senior. Please, follow me."

The God of Food nodded before following Long Tian towards Dragon Mountain.

Long Tian did not board the paper ship, as he simply sat down on Gui as the beast flew towards Dragon Mountain.

Liu Que was excited, as he wanted to challenge Long Tian, only to be stopped by “Hao Yu.” "You aren’t qualified yet."

This was not because Lu Yin cared about Liu Que, but rather because Lu Yin did not want to get too close to Long Tian. While Lu Yin’s appearance had changed and he felt confident that not even Semi-Progenitors could see through his disguise, changing his appearance did not change his scent. Lu Yin was a bit worried that Long Tian might recognize him by scent.

Liu Que softly replied, "I might not be qualified, but I still want to try."

This man always gave Lu Yin a headache. This was such a brainless idea. "Why don’t you challenge him after we get to Dragon Mountain? The White Dragon Clan is trying to welcome our academy, so this really is not the proper time."

Liu Que might be a battle maniac, but he was not completely stupid. "I understand."

The Wang family’s headquarters was located a great distance away from Dragon Mountain, so the journey between the two took even longer than the trip from the Cloud Shuttle to the Wang family’s floating continent.

The four ruling powers had divided the Higher Realm between them, and their various headquarters were naturally quite far away from each other.

Still, it was just a matter of time before the academy’s representatives arrived.

Someone shouted, "I see it! That’s Dragon Mountain!"

Lu Yin looked over, complicated emotions flitting across his eyes. He was finally back at Dragon Mountain.

The God of Food sighed. "Dragon Mountain. When I last saw this place, it was still in the Middle Realm. I didn’t think that I’d return to this place after so many years."

Mr. Tang also felt a great number of conflicting emotions. He had also visited Dragon Mountain in the past, back when it had been in the Middle Realm.

However, Lu Yin was certain that no one on the ship could feel more powerful emotions than him at this moment, as he had very nearly died on Dragon Mountain.

The White Dragon Clan behaved the same as the Wang family, and the first thing that happened after arriving on Dragon Mountain was a tour of the place, accompanied with an exaggerated spiel of the White Dragon Clan’s history. Unfortunately, the White Dragon Clan’s history was not nearly as impressive as the Wang family’s, and they did not have a statue of an outsider Progenitor like Chong Yue to demonstrate the family’s goodwill towards outsiders. The Wang family might be completely shameless, but their use of Chong Yue was truly well played.

Long Tian personally led everyone on a tour of Dragon Mountain while sharing the White Dragon Clan’s history. Unfortunately for him, the students were still chatting about their visit to the Wang family, which made the contrast between the two powers even more obvious.

Long Tian felt that his efforts were not nearly effective enough, so he skipped the original plan of spending a few days touring the mountain and instead led the students to a hidden cave.

Before arriving at the cave, Liu Que had already approached Long Tian and challenged him, but Long Tian had refused. Actually, it had not been a true refusal, but instead a request for Liu Que to wait.

"As expected, the White Dragon Clan doesn't have anything new to offer," Nong Siniang said when she saw a huge pool of blood in front of them.

Lu Yin felt confused. "What's wrong?"

Nong Siniang started to explain, "The White Dragon Clan can communicate with the Ancestor Python, which is the only way in which they are able to surpass the other three ruling powers. The truth is that their background and foundation isn’t comparable to the Celestial Frost Sect, or even to our Seed Garden and the Liu family. The only reason why they are part of the four ruling powers instead of us, aside from the fact that we were unwilling to banish the Lu family, is that the White Dragon Clan is capable of triggering the White Dragon Rolls Over. That is literally their only advantage.”

"As for their methods of enticing outsiders to join their clan, that’s also related to the Ancestor Python: the Ancestor Python's blood."

Long Tian then spoke up. "Everyone, my White Dragon Clan’s offered training for you won’t be as time-consuming as what the Wang family prepared for you, but you also won’t need to risk your lives. This training is quite simple."

He pointed to the pool of blood. "Go in there and soak in the blood. The longer you can remain in it, the better. This pool holds the Ancestor Python's blood, and soaking in it allows you to absorb the blood to strengthen your bodies. The longer you stay in the blood pool, the more your bodies will improve. Just a single use can increase your strength by at least ten to twenty percent."

Long Tian's words were shocking to many of the students.

"Ten to twenty percent? That much?" Qing Feng asked with more than a hint of disbelief. He had heard of the White Dragon Clan’s blood pool from Qing Chen, but he had not expected it to be this potent.

Long Tian was quite satisfied with the students’ reactions. "That's right. If you don't believe me, you can ask Senior God of Food."

Many of the students turned to look at the God of Food, and while the Semi-Progenitor did not want to admit that the blood pool was so beneficial to cultivators, he remained honest with the students. "It is indeed true."

Those words instantly erased the students’ doubts, and they then turned to look at the blood pool with great excitement.

Lu Yin remembered this blood pool, as he had seen it in Long Ke's memories, but he also remembered that there seemed to be something wrong with the blood pool.

When Lu Yin had used the alias of Long Qi, he had been accepted as a member of the White Dragon Clan, so he had never visited the blood pool. This place was exclusively reserved for outsiders to train with the White Dragon Clan, and Lu Yin had instead used Long Xi’s blood essence. When he used it, he had seen a vision of the Ancestor Python. Looking back, Lu Yin realized that Long Xi had paid a steep price for him.

A smile crept across Long Tian’s face when he saw the eagerness lighting up in the students’ eyes. "It’s possible to enter the blood pool once during each realm of cultivation. This is why there are countless cultivators throughout the Perennial World who want to join my White Dragon Clan once they understand the benefits of the blood pool, but my White Dragon Clan only chooses those whom we ask. This is why you don’t see many outsiders who have become part of my White Dragon Clan. It’s not that people are unwilling to join us, but rather that my clan is too selective."

Long Tian then turned to face Liu Que. "Didn’t you ask to challenge me? Why don’t you try now."