Chapter 11: Innate Divine Ability
Countless streams of cyan qi slithered through the Dragon Transformation Pool like pythons, surging toward the twenty-eight individuals. They formed cyan cocoons, with the qi flowing endlessly into them.
"What a peculiar sensation."
The moment Linley entered the Dragon Transformation Pool, he felt vast amounts of energy enveloping him, as if he were nestled in his mother's womb. The strange energy gently seeped into every part of his body.
His entire body tingled, yet it was comfortable.
"So this is the ancestral baptism—quite pleasant." Linley closed his eyes, savoring the strange energy penetrating his body.
The energy seeped through his skin, permeating muscles, meridians, nerves, blood, and even bones. His eyes and skin tingled. From the inside out, every part of him was transforming.
Both his spirit and body were in a state of absolute relaxation.
The hall housing the Dragon Transformation Pool was enormous, spanning three to four hundred meters in length and width, with a height exceeding a hundred meters. The ceiling was carved with a roaring dragon.
"Gurgle, gurgle~" The pool bubbled continuously.
At the edge of the pool, several black-robed figures rested, watching the twenty-eight younger members undergo their transformation.
"This ancestral baptism takes at least a day or two. For those with purer bloodlines, it can take six or seven days," a bald black-robed man said, shaking his head. "The two elders have gone to rest, but we have to stay here."
A silver-haired young man beside him chuckled. "Wait until you become a member of the Elder Council, and you can do the same."
"Me? Become an elder? I'll say that when I have the strength of a Seven-Star Fiend," the bald man replied helplessly.
"Hmm. These youngsters are slowing down in absorbing the Dragon Crystal's energy," the silver-haired young man suddenly remarked.
The bald man turned to look. Indeed.
In the pool, twenty-five of the twenty-eight cyan cocoons had stopped absorbing the cyan qi. Only three remained, still drawing it in.
"Among those here for the ancestral baptism, three have decent talent," the bald man praised. "The longer they absorb the Dragon Crystal's energy, the more of the ancestor's bloodline they possess. The purer the bloodline!"
"Yes," the silver-haired young man nodded. "But these days, the younger generation's bloodlines are very diluted. They finish the baptism after absorbing just a bit of Dragon Crystal energy."
"I heard that the most powerful second- and third-generation members of our clan took an entire day or two just to absorb the Dragon Crystal energy during their baptism," the bald man said mysteriously.
"Really?" The silver-haired young man found it hard to believe. "Ordinary clan members take only a moment. Are the second and third generations that much richer in bloodline?"
"Why would I lie to you? Remember that Baruch fellow from a while back?" the bald man said.
"I know him," the silver-haired young man praised. "They say he spent an entire night just absorbing Dragon Crystal energy. Such a pure bloodline is truly rare."
"Think about it—if even Baruch has such a pure bloodline, what about the second and third generations?" the bald man laughed.
"That complete Dragon Crystal back then consumed a third of its energy in one go," the bald man sighed. "I saw it with my own eyes."
"A third? That much?" the silver-haired young man exclaimed.
A Dragon Crystal was typically replaced when half its energy remained. A single crystal with half its energy could supply the ancestral baptism for thousands of years—once every hundred years, for dozens of sessions.
But Baruch had caused that Dragon Crystal to lose a third of its energy in a single baptism. Truly astonishing.
"Today's Dragon Crystal seems to be fully charged," the bald man said.
Dragon Crystals were only valuable to the Azure Dragon clan. To others, they were worthless, as they only worked with the Azure Dragon bloodline. The clan spent vast sums to produce them.
"Look. Only one left. The other twenty-seven have stopped absorbing," the silver-haired young man said.
The bald man swept his gaze across the pool. Only one large cyan cocoon remained at the center, with endless cyan qi flowing into it. The cocoon was like a bottomless pit, devouring everything.
"Hmph. This one must be that mid-stage god," the bald man said, noting the other twenty-seven had finished.
"A mid-stage god?" The silver-haired young man smiled. "I heard he just returned from abroad. He reached the mid-stage god level without undergoing the ancestral baptism. Impressive talent. No wonder he can absorb so much Dragon Crystal energy."
"How much do you think he'll absorb?" the bald man asked.
"Hard to say. Maybe a tenth of the Dragon Crystal's energy," the young man guessed.
"A tenth? Unlikely." The bald man shook his head.
As they spoke, they kept an eye on the sole cyan cocoon in the pool. The other twenty-seven were in a deep slumber.
Time passed...
"It's past midnight, and he's still absorbing?" The black-robed figures around the pool began murmuring.
"Chi chi~"
Cyan qi streamed endlessly into Linley's cocoon. It accepted everything, absorbing the strange Dragon Crystal energy without pause, which flowed into every part of his body.
But Linley's bones, muscles, and flesh consumed as much energy as came.
"Every part of me is vibrating." Linley felt a pleasant sensation. He sensed the strange energy penetrating deep into his body, resonating with the energy dormant within him. The Dragon Crystal energy and his bloodline energy vibrated together.
Yet...
His bloodline energy seemed not fully awakened. Vast amounts of Dragon Crystal energy poured in, continuously drawing out the latent power hidden deep within him.
"It's been a whole night." The black-robed figures around the pool were shocked.
"Last time, I heard that Baruch took a night. But this one... what's his name?" the silver-haired young man asked.
"Linley. His name is Linley." The bald man, who had gathered Linley's group, was familiar with their details. "Oh, Linley. Like Baruch, he's from the Yulan branch."
"The same branch?" The silver-haired young man was surprised.
"I wonder how long Linley will keep absorbing energy." The bald man stared at the pool.
The cyan qi continued flowing without end.
At some point...
The qi gradually slowed and finally stopped. The cyan cocoon merged into Linley's body. He lay motionless in the pool, sleeping like the other twenty-seven.
"Half a day and a night."
The bald man and silver-haired young man exchanged glances, their eyes filled with shock and envy.
The longer the absorption, the purer the bloodline. The higher the water-element affinity. And the greater the power of the innate divine ability!
Half a day and a night!
This could only be compared to the legendary second and third generations of the clan.
"Ah!" Though Linley seemed asleep, his consciousness was awake.
He felt that every part of his body—skin, bones, internal organs—was filled with countless tiny energies vibrating and leaping in excitement.
Every part of him pulsed with minute fluctuations.
The Dragon Crystal energy and his bloodline energy merged.
"It's as if every part of me has come alive." Linley found it incredible. As the energies resonated, they quietly transformed his body.
From the deepest cellular level of his muscles and tissues.
A fundamental change.
Linley let his body change, observing with his consciousness.
Not long after Linley stopped absorbing Dragon Crystal energy, the others in the pool underwent major changes. "Roar~" A young man in the pool suddenly opened his eyes and roared. Dragon scales burst forth rapidly, and his dragon tail slapped the water.
Waves splashed.
"Ah~" The dragonized young man let out a pained roar. After a moment, he calmed down.
Then—
"Hum~" A wave of natural law descended.
A black crystal emitting a cyan glow floated above his head—a water-element divine spark!
"This kid is becoming a lower-stage god," the silver-haired young man laughed. Anyone undergoing the ancestral baptism would naturally become a god in water-element and gain an innate divine ability.
"Hmph. The first to transform, the least Dragon Crystal energy absorbed, and the worst talent," the bald man sneered.
"You're harsh. He just went through the baptism—say something nice," the silver-haired young man said lightly. He knew it was true, though. The least bloodline meant the lowest water-element affinity and the weakest innate divine ability.
As time passed, one by one, the people in the pool became gods. Most finished within two days. The second-to-last and third-to-last became gods on the third day. After that, only Linley remained asleep in the pool.
The twenty-seven stood at the edge, watching Linley.
"Just wait. It'll take Linley at least a few more days to complete his transformation," the silver-haired young man said.
"I'd guess longer than Baruch," the bald man added.
Time flew. It was now the eleventh day since Linley entered the pool. Such a long transformation was extremely rare in the Azure Dragon clan. Only Linley remained.
"Ah~" Linley suddenly let out a low roar.
The black-robed figures and the twenty-seven by the pool were startled and looked over. Dragon scales now covered Linley's entire body, with sharp spikes protruding.
A terrifying aura spread.
"So painful!" Linley gritted his teeth. He felt every cell in his body explode with immense energy. Countless streams of power merged within him. This explosive energy forced him to transform.
The energy from his powerful body flowed like countless rivers, merging and surging upward.
Upward. Upward!
Straight to his mind.
The soul-defense divine artifact was useless now. It defended against attacks, not his own energy.
The vast, surging energy directly entered his soul sea, enveloping his soul, which was split into four parts.
In the soul sea, the strange cyan glow intensified. This glow had saved Linley's life several times when he was a Saint. Now, it grew stronger and stronger.
The cyan glow became as bright as the sun, illuminating the entire soul sea.
By the pool, everyone stared wide-eyed at the scene.
Around Linley, a coiled cyan dragon phantom appeared, filling almost the entire hall. It hovered behind him, its eyes sweeping over the crowd.
"A dragon phantom! Such a clear dragon phantom!"
The black-robed figures were stunned.
Linley opened his mouth, and the dragon phantom let out a terrifying dragon roar. A hazy cyan glow spread outward, covering the entire hall.
The mid-stage and lower-stage gods instantly fell into a daze, as if losing consciousness.
Even the upper-stage god black-robed figures felt their souls enter a strange state.
The bald man snapped back to reality, shocked. "The innate divine ability 'Dragon Roar' is this terrifying? And he's only a mid-stage god. If he were an upper-stage god..."
"Hum~"
Natural law descended.
Linley was about to become a god in the water-element laws!