The Savage God Pool

The national preceptor rose from the ground, casting an unhappy look at Zhang Ruochen, and asked, "Ninth Prince, why did you not kneel and pay homage to Empress Chi Yao?"

"I only bow to Heaven, Earth, and my parents, not to her."

With that, Zhang Ruochen walked through the Royal Shrine, passing through a hidden door and descending the stone steps behind it, heading toward the underground Savage God Pool.

The Fifth Prince, Situ Linjiang, Xue Kai, and Lin Ningshan stood up and glanced at Zhang Ruochen.

"With such an arrogant attitude, he will inevitably bring misfortune upon himself!" Situ Linjiang shook his head gently.

After battling with Zhang Ruochen, Situ Linjiang had come to admire his martial talent, but he felt Zhang Ruochen was too proud. Refusing to bow even to the Empress would surely bring disaster in the future.

"What's there to be arrogant about? He's only at the small extreme stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm, barely starting his martial journey. Who knows if he'll ever become a true powerhouse?" Lin Ningshan remarked.

Under the guidance of the national preceptor, the group—comprising the Fifth Prince, Situ Linjiang, Xue Kai, and Lin Ningshan—also descended the steps, entering an underground world filled with the scent of blood.

At the center of this underground realm lay a massive crimson pool, over a hundred meters long and wide. The red water bubbled violently, creating waves of blood.

At the center of the pool stood an ancient sacrificial platform, square-shaped and built from massive stones weighing thousands of pounds. Each stone was engraved with sacrificial texts and illustrations.

The platform extended upward, connecting to the altar on the ground above.

"Now, enter the Savage God Pool and begin your cultivation. Remember, the blood essence in the pool is extremely potent. If you cannot endure it, leave immediately—do not push yourself, or you risk losing your life," the preceptor warned sternly.

Zhang Ruochen, Lin Ningshan, Situ Linjiang, the Fifth Prince, and Xue Kai, the five young prodigies, stepped into the Savage God Pool.

The water was scalding, like boiling liquid that could cook a person alive.

"Ugh!"

As soon as the five youths touched the water, they all groaned in pain, feeling their skin dissolve as their legs became a bloody mess. Gritting their teeth, they quickly circulated their True Qi to resist the blood essence's power.

"If you use True Qi to resist the blood essence, it won't enter your body," the preceptor said from the poolside.

To absorb the blood essence's power, the five had to retract their True Qi, allowing the pain to wash over them again, making their veins bulge in agony.

With his strong mental strength, Zhang Ruochen could clearly sense the hot blood essence entering his wounds, merging into his flesh, blood, and bones.

"It truly is blood essence—this is fantastic! With its power, my physique will surely improve significantly. I can't waste this opportunity!"

Zhang Ruochen slowly closed his eyes and moved step by step toward the center of the Savage God Pool.

The deeper he went, the higher the water rose.

After just ten steps, the blood-red water reached his waist.

The more contact he had with the water, the faster he absorbed the blood essence, and the pain intensified.

Standing by the pool, the preceptor's eyes flashed with surprise. He thought to himself, "Impressive! Such strong willpower, and he dares to enter the middle zone on his first try. When the Seventh Prince first entered the Savage God Pool, he spent an entire hour acclimating to the outer zone before venturing into the middle."

The Savage God Pool was divided into three zones: the outer zone, the middle zone, and the inner zone.

The outer zone was the periphery of the pool, where the water only reached a warrior's knee at its deepest.

Typically, first-time entrants only dared to cultivate in the outer zone, avoiding the middle.

In the past decade, only the Seventh Prince had entered the middle zone on his first attempt.

Zhang Ruochen's bold entry into the middle zone immediately upon entering the pool shocked the other four prodigies, putting immense pressure on them.

Despite being his second time in the pool, the Fifth Prince still didn't dare venture into the middle zone, remaining in the outer zone, struggling to absorb as much blood essence as possible to temper his body.

Two hours later, Lin Ningshan was the first to give in and exit the pool. After all, as a woman, her physique couldn't match that of the male warriors.

As soon as she stepped out, her burned skin began to heal rapidly, and soon her legs were smooth and flawless again, without a scar in sight.

The searing pain vanished, replaced by a cooling sensation as if her entire body was submerged in a bath of icy milk, making her feel incredibly comfortable.

"How did it heal so quickly?" Lin Ningshan was amazed.

"It's the blood essence you absorbed earlier, healing your injuries! Now, sit and refine the remaining blood essence in your body to convert it into your own strength. If you don't, your earlier efforts will go to waste," the preceptor instructed.

Lin Ningshan immediately sat down cross-legged, circulating her True Qi to refine the residual blood essence in her body.

Half an hour later, Xue Kai also left the pool, unable to endure further.

Another two hours passed before Situ Linjiang and the Fifth Prince exited almost simultaneously.

Once out of the pool, they, too, sat down cross-legged to refine the blood essence within them.

At this point, Zhang Ruochen was the only one still in the pool, and he remained in the middle zone.

"It's been half a day, and he's still cultivating in the middle zone. Incredible. Even the Seventh Prince only managed to endure a full day in the middle zone on his first try. Could he last that long too?" the preceptor wondered, astonished.

In Yunwu Commandery, the Seventh Prince was considered a prodigy unseen in a century. He had activated a Grade Seven Sacred Mark at three years old and had been tempering his body with various treasures since childhood, building a solid foundation and displaying unparalleled talent and comprehension.

Zhang Ruochen, who only activated his Sacred Mark at sixteen, could he truly match the Seventh Prince?

Lin Ningshan, Xue Kai, Situ Linjiang, and the Fifth Prince had refined the blood essence within their bodies, enhancing their physiques and reaping significant benefits.

They didn't leave the pool area but watched Zhang Ruochen in the middle zone.

"How can the gap be so wide when we all entered the Savage God Pool for the first time?" Situ Linjiang found it hard to believe, his confidence shaken.

He prided himself on his steadfast willpower, capable of enduring extreme pain, but compared to Zhang Ruochen, the gap was immense.

A day later, Zhang Ruochen was still standing steadily in the middle zone.

It wasn't until noon on the third day that Zhang Ruochen finally emerged from the pool and sat down to refine the remaining blood essence in his body.

As he finished refining, he opened his eyes slowly, and a faint glint of blood flashed in his pupils before fading away.

"My physique has indeed improved significantly. With my current state, if I advance to the mid-extreme stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm, I should be able to open nineteen meridians, maybe even twenty," Zhang Ruochen thought.

After the year-end assessment, Consort Lin moved back to Yushu Palace.

Upon returning to Yushu Palace, Zhang Ruochen took out ten small jade bottles filled with Meridian Cleansing Elixir from the inner space of his Time and Space Crystal, lining them up neatly.

"It's time to break through to the mid-extreme stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm!"

He consumed the first dose of the elixir, beginning the process of opening his twelfth meridian.

At that moment, the national preceptor arrived at the queen's residence, reporting everything that happened at the Savage God Pool.

"Crash!"

The queen's fingers flared with white True Qi, shattering a crystal cup into pieces.

"So impressive. He actually managed to cultivate in the middle zone of the pool for two and a half days. Such high talent! Doesn't he understand the saying, 'The tree that stands out is blown down first'?" the queen said coldly.

The preceptor cautioned, "Your Majesty, the year-end assessment has just ended. If anything were to happen to the Ninth Prince now, the King would surely suspect you."

The queen sneered, "Do you think I'm that foolish? In the palace, of course, nothing will happen to him. But outside, if he is killed, it has nothing to do with me."

The preceptor said, "Even if the Ninth Prince's talent is high, he's only at the small extreme stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm—he's no match for the Seventh Prince. Whether he will grow into a threat is still uncertain. There's no need to…"

The queen interrupted sharply, "Anyone who poses a threat to my son must die! Precisely because he hasn't grown yet, he must be eliminated now to prevent future problems."