Countless streams of azure energy surged through the Dragon Transformation Pool like great serpents, each stream flowing toward one of the twenty-eight individuals. They looked like azure silkworm cocoons, and the streams of energy poured into the cocoons ceaselessly.
"What a peculiar feeling."
The moment Lin Lei entered the Dragon Transformation Pool, he felt a vast amount of energy envelop him. It was as though he had returned to his mother's womb. The strange energy gently seeped in from every part of his body.
His whole body tingled, yet it felt supremely comfortable.
"So this is the Ancestral Baptism. Quite pleasant." Lin Lei closed his eyes and immersed himself in the sensation of that strange energy permeating his body.
The energy continuously filtered inward through his skin—muscles, meridians, nerves, blood—everything was saturated. Even his bones were penetrated… even his eyes and skin were tingling. From the inside out, not a single part of his body was left unchanged.
Both mind and body, Lin Lei was in a state of absolute relaxation.
The great hall housing the Dragon Transformation Pool was enormous. It stretched three to four hundred meters in length and width, and rose over a hundred meters high. Across the ceiling was carved the image of a roaring dragon.
"Gurgling~~" The Dragon Transformation Pool continued to bubble and churn.
Along the edge of the pool, many black-robed figures rested and watched the twenty-eight younger clan members undergo their transformation.
"The Ancestral Baptism takes at least a day or two, and for those with purer bloodlines, it can take as long as six or seven days," said the bald black-robed man, shaking his head. "The two elders can go rest, but we still have to stay here."
A silver-haired young man beside the bald man chuckled. "Once you become a member of the Elder Council someday, you'll be able to do the same."
"Me? Become an elder? Let me get to the Seven-Star Demon level first," the bald black-robed man said with a helpless smile.
"Hmm, these juniors—their rate of absorbing the Dragon Transformation Crystal's energy is slowing down," the silver-haired young man suddenly observed.
The bald black-robed man turned to look. Indeed.
Inside the Dragon Transformation Pool, of the twenty-eight azure cocoons, twenty-five had already stopped absorbing the azure streams. Only three remained, still drawing energy ceaselessly.
"This time, among those who came for the Ancestral Baptism, three actually have rather decent aptitude," the bald black-robed man remarked admiringly. "The longer one can absorb the Dragon Transformation Crystal's energy, the more of the ancestor's bloodline one carries—the purer the bloodline."
"Mm." The silver-haired young man nodded. "But these days, the juniors' bloodlines are all quite diluted. They only need to absorb the Dragon Transformation Crystal's energy and the baptism is complete."
"I've heard that the most powerful members of the second and third generations—their Ancestral Baptism required a full day or two of absorbing the Dragon Transformation Crystal's energy alone," the bald black-robed man said in a mysterious tone.
"Really?" The silver-haired young man could hardly believe it. "Ordinary clan members finish in mere moments, but the second and third generations had bloodlines that much thicker?"
"Would I lie to you? Not long ago, that
"I do," the silver-haired young man replied admiringly. "I heard that he spent an entire night absorbing the Dragon Transformation Crystal's energy alone. That level of bloodline purity is truly rare."
"Just think—if even this Baruch's bloodline is that pure, what about the second and third generations?" the bald black-robed man said with a laugh.
"That time, a complete Dragon Transformation Crystal had a full third of its energy consumed in one go," the bald black-robed man sighed. "I saw it with my own eyes."
"A third? That much?" the silver-haired young man exclaimed.
Generally, when a Dragon Transformation Crystal's energy was depleted to half, it would be swapped out for a fully charged one. A single Dragon Transformation Crystal at half capacity could supply enough energy for the Ancestral Baptism for several thousand years. Once every hundred years, that meant it could endure dozens of consecutive uses.
Yet because of Baruch, a third of that Dragon Transformation Crystal's energy was consumed in a single Ancestral Baptism. It was truly astonishing.
"This one today—the crystal looks like it should be at full capacity," the bald black-robed man said.
Dragon Transformation Crystals were precious only to the
"Look—only one remains. The other twenty-seven have all stopped absorbing the crystal's energy," the silver-haired young man said.
The bald black-robed man swept his gaze across the pool. Indeed, only a single large azure cocoon remained at the center. Azure streams poured into it without end, and the cocoon devoured them all like a bottomless pit—no matter how much came, it absorbed every last drop.
"Tsk tsk… This one must be that mid-level god," the bald black-robed man said, seeing the other twenty-seven and knowing the last one had to be Lin Lei.
"A mid-level god?" The silver-haired young man smiled as well. "I heard he only recently returned from outside. He reached the mid-level god realm without ever undergoing the Ancestral Baptism—quite talented. No wonder he can absorb so much of the Dragon Transformation Crystal's energy."
"How much do you think he'll manage to absorb?" the bald black-robed man asked.
"Hard to say. Perhaps… ten percent of the crystal's energy?" the young man ventured.
"Ten percent? Unlikely," the bald black-robed man shook his head.
As they spoke, the two kept their eyes on the lone azure cocoon in the pool. The other twenty-seven clan members remained in a deep slumber.
Time passed…
"It's already past midnight, and he's still absorbing?" The black-robed figures surrounding the pool had begun to murmur amongst themselves.
"Hiss hiss~~"
The azure energy streams continued flowing without interruption toward the cocoon containing Lin Lei. Lin Lei's cocoon accepted everything, ceaselessly absorbing the streams. The strange Dragon Transformation Crystal energy flowed endlessly into every corner of his body.
And Lin Lei's bones, muscles, and sinews absorbed every bit of energy that came their way.
"My entire body is trembling." Lin Lei felt a deep sense of pleasure. He could sense that strange energy penetrating deep into his body, resonating with the dormant energy scattered throughout him. The Dragon Transformation Crystal's energy and his own bloodline energy were vibrating in harmony.
However…
Lin Lei's bloodline energy did not seem to have been fully awakened yet. The vast quantities of Dragon Transformation Crystal energy continued to pour in, continuously drawing forth more of the bloodline energy latent deep within him.
"It's been an entire night." The black-robed figures around the pool were growing alarmed.
"Last time, I heard that Baruch took an entire night. But this person… what was his name again?" the silver-haired young man asked.
"Lin Lei. His name is Lin Lei." The bald black-roled man had been the one who summoned Lin Lei and the others and was quite familiar with their details. "Oh, that Lin Lei—like Baruch, he's from the Yulan branch."
"The same branch?" The silver-haired young man was surprised.
"I wonder how much longer this Lin Lei will keep absorbing energy." The bald black-robed man stared into the pool.
The azure streams of energy continued to pour in, never stopping.