Zhi Xuan inhaled deeply, waved his hand, and immediately the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron floated and whirred, echoing within the spiritual cave. The Cauldron expanded until it looked like a vessel capable of holding a human for bathing.

  THUD!

  The Divine Cauldron landed its three legs on the ground, standing upright as if ready to contain its master. Zhi Xuan had no other choice; he did not have a spiritual vessel like the Ancient Stone Cauldron which he had exchanged for the vital ingredients for his realm advancement.

  ‘The Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron,’ Ruo Xianxue echoed, her voice filled with disbelief. ‘You are going to use that sacred artifact as a purifying vessel? Monkey, you are insane! This Cauldron is meant to be the ultimate artifact, not skin and blood! This is an insult to the Divine Artifact!’

  Zhi Xuan ignored Ruo Xianxue’s sneer. He had refined the Divine Cauldron; he was its master. Utilizing the ancient artifact as a vessel was a bold and pragmatic act. No other spiritual vessel in this world could withstand the combination of energy he was about to mix—his Black Jade Essence, Soul Fire, and the heavenly herbs.

  “Be quiet, Red Stone,” Zhi Xuan replied coldly. “It is my Soul Artifact; it must be able to contain my Dao. If it breaks, then it is not worthy of me.”

  Zhi Xuan took out all the ingredients he had stored—the Seven Heavenly Herbs, half a bottle of Fallen Petal Powder, and only the last ingredient was missing, the essence of a savage beast. In the Blood Transformation realm, the quality and concentration of Essence were everything.

  “Xiao Die,” Zhi Xuan called softly. The Verdant Titan Moth immediately fluttered out of his red silk robe pocket, emitting a calm rainbow hum.

  “I need a thick savage beast Essence, Xiao Die. I need the pure concentration of Jade Essence. Can you give it?” Zhi Xuan asked.

  Xiao Die did not let out the usual sizzling sound. It fluttered its wings slowly in the air, and then, with a graceful and brave movement, it tilted its jade-emitting head towards the Divine Cauldron. The Pure Jade Essence accumulated within the spiritual core of the Verdant Titan Moth—the Essence it had used to calm and filter Zhi Xuan’s Black Jade Essence—began to flow out.

  WHIIIRL!

  A thick, sparkling jade-gold liquid, far purer than anything that could be found in ancient forests, flowed from Xiao Die's body, filling the bottom of the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron. The aroma of pure and dense Jade Essence immediately flooded the spiritual cave, refreshing Zhi Xuan's meridians.

  The process took several minutes. After enough Pure Jade Essence was collected, Xiao Die returned to Zhi Xuan’s shoulder, looking slightly tired but satisfied. The sacrifice made by the Verdant Titan was equivalent to the Essence of dozens of Azure King Spiritual Beasts.

  "Thank you, Xiao Die." Zhi Xuan smiled faintly, touching the moth's head and stroking it gently. He patted his waist and took out three Misty Cloud Fruits, the remaining stock of spiritual fruits he had obtained during his closed-door cultivation in the Dragon Ridge Jade cave.

  "Eat," Zhi Xuan said, placing the three spiritual fruits on a flat stone. Xiao Die obediently began to eat the fruits, recovering its recently depleted Essence.

  Meanwhile, Zhi Xuan turned to the most dangerous task. With Xiao Die's Pure Jade Essence serving as the base medium, Zhi Xuan flicked his finger. The Azure Holy Flame, the cold purple fire, immediately ignited beneath the Divine Cauldron.

  The fire did not burn the jade medium; it heated it with a stable warmth, creating a vortex of pure energy inside the ancient vessel.

  One by one, Zhi Xuan inserted the Seven Heavenly Herbs—Thousand Year Ginseng, Jade Dragon Root, and herbs with dense life force. As soon as the herbs touched the warm jade-gold liquid, they immediately dissolved, releasing sparkling strands of Life Essence.

  The liquid inside the Divine Cauldron turned into a thick jade-green soup, emitting an aura of life that made the spiritual cave feel like a small heaven. Fallen Petal Powder—the deadliest and most important ingredient—was last. Zhi Xuan carefully took out the half-bottle of the sweet-smelling powder.

  ‘Be careful, Monkey. That poison is capable of killing a Blood Transformation cultivator if it is not balanced,’ Ruo Xianxue warned, her tone tense.

  Zhi Xuan did not answer. He poured the powder slowly. As soon as the Fallen Petal Powder touched the jade soup, an explosive reaction occurred—purplish-black lines shot through the green liquid, trying to corrupt its purity.

  However, Xiao Die's Pure Jade Essence and the Seven Heavenly Herbs reacted with a dense life force, suppressing the Fallen Petal poison. The poison did not disappear; it was tamed, transformed into a stream of extreme purification.

  The liquid inside the Divine Cauldron now turned dark jade-green, emitting a deadly floral scent and strong life energy. This was the Perfect Blood Transformation Vessel—a medium capable of cleansing Mortal Blood and replacing it with invincible Spiritual Blood.

  Zhi Xuan stabilized his Azure Holy Flame to a constant maintenance point. He shed his red silk robe, leaving only his shorts. His slender body, adorned with Dao of Seasons scars and other old wounds, was now exposed.

  He took his last breath in the cold cave air. In his Sea of Consciousness, he focused on the Devil Seed which was now pulsating with excitement—the Devil was thirsty for the upcoming cruelty of purification.

  "Submit to my will," Zhi Xuan whispered, not to the Devil, but to himself.

  Without hesitation, Zhi Xuan stepped to the edge of the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron and with a single leap, he plunged himself into the Blood Transformation liquid.

  ZZZZT!

  As soon as Zhi Xuan's skin touched the dark jade liquid, indescribable pain exploded throughout his body. It felt like a million sharp blades simultaneously cutting every vein and capillary.

  The liquid was too concentrated, too strong. The Seven Heavenly Herbs tried to force their Life Essence into his meridians, while the Fallen Petal poison tried to kill all mortal sensation.

  Zhi Xuan gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot. He could not make a sound; if his focus wavered even slightly, this chaotic Essence would destroy his meridians and he would die inside his own sacred vessel. He immediately closed his six external senses and focused his entire Dao Heart on controlling the incoming energy.

  Within the ferocity of the heavenly vessel that swallowed his body, Zhi Xuan felt silence in his sea of consciousness. Slowly he felt numb, he opened his eyes and found himself in his sea of consciousness.

  In front of his face, memories were depicted of him bleeding while falling from a tree, trying to retrieve a peach. Then, the image of him falling into the swift river current below Shadow Cliff, staggering and death nearly claiming him along with Mingling and Tang.

  Then it changed, memories of the Star Village hunters, how Zhi Xuan at that time stared wide-eyed and in awe when seeing the hunters he knew in the Transformation realm. They were a strong foundation for the Star Village, but he also knew, he was not those hunters.

  "Am I, truly not a part of them..."

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Zhi Xuan stared blankly in his sea of consciousness, if other Blood Transformation cultivators would be surrounded by family or people guarding them. Zhi Xuan was alone, not surrounded by anyone.

  He was not surrounded by parents holding healing herbs, or mentors channeling protective essence. He only had the stabbing pain of the Divine Vessel and the mocking voice of the Sacred Devil waiting in the depths of his Sea of Consciousness. The silence was deadlier than the Fallen Petal poison.

  ‘You will never be a part of them, Monkey,’ Ruo Xianxue echoed, her voice sharp and contemptuous. ‘You are a parasite, a Devil walking in human form. You are a vessel. Why do you seek mortal warmth that you will destroy with your own two hands?’

  The sneer hit Zhi Xuan, but did not break him. His sapphire eyes in the Sea of Consciousness slowly regained their focus. He saw the memory of the Star Village hunters, they were strong, they were solid—they were the foundation he sought, but that foundation could not contain his destiny.

  “I do not seek warmth,” Zhi Xuan retorted, his voice in the Sea of Consciousness sounding cold like cracking ice. “I seek Power. They never needed a broken Dragon. They only needed peace, which I will never bring.”

  He was not alone. He had a Dao Heart forged in silence and cold blood. He had the Azure Holy Flame that burned away every doubt. he had a goal to achieve and a Devil that demanded transcendence.

  “I have promised under heaven and hell,” Zhi Xuan whispered, the silence around him feeling like an oath sworn to the heavens. “I accept the solitude. The Path of the Devil, the Path of the Emperor, the Heavenly Path—all are solitary. I am the Dragon that must fly alone.”

  As those words were spoken, his Sea of Consciousness trembled. His Dao Heart, which had felt fragile from the memory of lost warmth, now solidified, becoming an unbreakable Black Jade. It was a confirmation—Zhi Xuan’s Dao Heart was born from solitude and the will to surpass.

  Outside the Sea of Consciousness, inside the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron, an immediate reaction occurred. The chaotic energy that tried to tear him apart suddenly found a purpose. Zhi Xuan's Black Jade Essence, driven by pure will, flowed rapidly throughout his meridians.

  The energy from the Blood Transformation Vessel immediately responded. The Seven Heavenly Herbs and Xiao Die's Pure Jade Essence began to work with brutal force. The tamed Fallen Petal poison served as an extreme cleanser.

  The pain returned, now a thousand times more intense.

  ZZZZZZT!

  Zhi Xuan could hear his blood boiling. The mortal blood in his veins was aggressively attacked. Impurities stored over the years—toxins, mortal residue, and foul Taiyin remnants—were forced out of every pore of his skin.

  Zhi Xuan's newly forced out blood immediately met the dark jade liquid inside the Divine Cauldron, and an explosive reaction occurred. The liquid around his body immediately turned murky, its color changing to a dirty, foul reddish-brown. The smell of thick blood mixed with discarded toxins filled the spiritual cave.

  The process was incredibly cruel, as if Zhi Xuan's entire body was being washed with highly corrosive spiritual acid. He felt his skin peel away, replaced by a new, glowing layer, and his muscle tissue was being restructured by the powerful Life Essence of the Seven Heavenly Herbs.

  ‘Maintain your Essence, Monkey! Don't let those impurities seep back in!’ Ruo Xianxue exclaimed, her voice now containing urgency, no longer mocking.

  Zhi Xuan, holding his breath, channeled his black jade essence to the edge of his skin, creating a thin protective membrane that prevented the dirty Mortal Blood from soaking back in. The Essence exiting his pores was the mortal foundation he had to leave behind.

  Three hours passed in silent, concentrated torture.

  Outside the Divine Cauldron, Xiao Die, who had finished eating the spiritual fruits, now flew restlessly near the rim of the vessel, its anxious rainbow hum penetrating the spiritual cave formation. It could sense the brutal intensity of its master's purification.

  Inside the Cauldron, the dark jade liquid that was initially clear had now become a slimy mass, a disgusting reddish-brown color, filled with foul blood and mortal impurities. Zhi Xuan, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the liquid, looked like a newly carved jade statue from hell.

  He did not move. His black jade essence, now spinning like a whirlpool around his body, retained the pure remnants of Spiritual Blood and discarded the Taiyin sludge. He had discarded the Mortal Blood. Now it was time to replace it.

  With a slow movement, Zhi Xuan aligned the Heavenly Cycle of Samsara, allowing his purest black jade essence to begin absorbing the remaining liquid around him.

  The liquid at the bottom of the Divine Cauldron, although contaminated, still contained the core of Xiao Die's Pure Jade Essence, the Seven Heavenly Herbs, and the taming power of the Fallen Petal.

  WUUUMMM!

  The Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron emitted a deep hum. The remaining liquid was drawn back, not into the Cauldron, but directly into Zhi Xuan's skin pores.

  This was the second phase, Spiritual Blood Replacement. The condensed energy entering his blood vessels was the opposite of the pain he had felt before.

  It was a clean cold sensation, followed by an indescribable warmth. The blood in his veins, which had been emptied of mortal impurities, was now replaced by a thick, sparkling, and transparent substance.

  This was Spiritual Blood—the fluid of life filled with Pure Jade Essence and the dense life of the heavenly herbs.

  Zhi Xuan felt the viscosity of his blood increase drastically.

  His Black Jade Essence, which previously moved like water, was now carried by the Spiritual Blood at lightning speed, capable of transporting energy with ten times better efficiency.

  When the new Spiritual Blood reached his organs, he felt a cleansing shock. His heart beat with a stronger and more stable rhythm, his lungs absorbed the cave's Spiritual Essence more greedily. His body, which had been limited by mortal matter, now felt light, strong, and ready to leap across realm boundaries.

  In his Sea of Consciousness, a phenomenon occurred. The Devil Seed, which was previously passive, was now touched by the purified Spiritual Blood. The Seed no longer pulsed with excitement. Instead, it curled up, as if finding a much firmer foundation to perch on. The Devil Seed was now 'recognized' by Zhi Xuan's pure Spiritual Blood.

  ‘This is it, Monkey. Your blood is now Spiritual Blood,’ Ruo Xianxue echoed, her voice filled with a mixture of admiration and possessiveness. ‘An unparalleled Spiritual Blood in the ordinary Blood Transformation realm. Your foundation is complete.’

  Zhi Xuan opened his eyes slowly. The liquid inside the Divine Cauldron had completely dried up, leaving dirty residue at the bottom of the vessel, and his body was clean, radiating a soft and healthy jade aura. He had completed his first Blood Transformation.

  He raised his hand, his new skin as soft as silk, yet every muscle underneath felt like condensed steel. He summoned a drop of Spiritual Blood from his fingertip.

  The blood was not mortal red; it emitted a dark jade glow, thick and sparkling, as if containing small rivers of spiritual energy within it.

  He felt a phenomenal increase in strength. His Black Jade Essence now flowed through his new Spiritual Blood with unimaginable speed.

  It only took him a fraction of a second to transfer his Essence from the Heavenly Cycle of Samsara in his abdomen to his fingertips, ready for attack or defense.

  Healing. He focused his Spiritual Blood on a small scar on his shoulder—a scar left by a cultivator in the past. As soon as the Spiritual Blood flowed there, the tissue around the wound trembled, and the wound closed within a few breaths, as if it had never been there.

  This healing ability would be an invaluable asset in combat.

  Zhi Xuan rose from the Divine Cauldron. His movements were light, almost weightless. He leaped out of the ancient vessel, and Xiao Die immediately fluttered from Zhi Xuan's shoulder, emitting a relieved hum.

  "Thank you, Xiao Die. I owe you a great deal," Zhi Xuan whispered, putting on his neatly folded red silk robe. He then channeled his Black Jade Essence, cleansing the dirty Mortal Blood residue at the bottom of the Divine Cauldron.

  THUD!

  The Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron shrunk in an instant, returning to a jade-gold bead that now looked more brilliant and radiated an aura of joy, as if proud to have contained the transformation of its master's destiny.

  Zhi Xuan stood tall in the middle of the spiritual cave. He had become a Blood Transformation cultivator. His power level had jumped from First Ember Sanctum to a realm where he could directly confront most local geniuses in Green Cloud City—including Su Baolian who was rumored to possess Dragon Blood.

  Power. Zhi Xuan clenched his hand. He was no longer weak, but he was still under the shadow of Five Elements cultivators or higher realms who ruled Green Cloud City. Blood Transformation was the beginning, not the end.

  "Calm down, Monkey. There are still two full months left until the selection begins," Ruo Xianxue said, her voice sharp and encouraging again. "Why don't you look for an attack technique that suits you."

  Zhi Xuan did not answer directly; he knew that the Transformation realm was different from Divine Wheel and First Ember. Transformation cultivators were able to attack with their techniques or weapons; with spiritual blood, their essence was denser and capable of manifesting attacks.

  "You are right," Zhi Xuan muttered. He had no attack techniques; the scrolls he had so far were only techniques for comprehension, not spiritual attacks.

  Zhi Xuan flicked his demonic blood sword from his hand, passing through the spiritual cave formation. He stepped out of the spiritual cave. His Black Jade Essence, which now flowed a thick Spiritual Blood, was much easier to conceal and control.

  He walked past other cultivators, and no one looked at him twice. He was now just a Blood Transformation cultivator, a common realm in Green Cloud City.

  Zhi Xuan absorbed the city's Spiritual Essence greedily as he walked, allowing his new Spiritual Blood to adapt to the higher speed. He moved towards the main trading district near the Qinglong Stairs, a more luxurious route dominated by shops selling fake scriptures and technique scrolls. He had to acknowledge his limitations.

  Although he possessed the Azure Holy Flame, black jade essence, and unparalleled Spiritual Blood, he was a sharpened sword without combat moves. The Puppet Scroll and the Devil Purification Formation were knowledge, not attacks.