A steady stream of deep purple blood flowed slowly from the circle, then gradually coalesced. After a brief moment, a rhombic crystal, roughly the size of a thumb, quietly formed and swiftly ascended, transforming into a beam of intense deep purple light that surged directly into Xiao Yan's heart. As the deep purple rhombic crystal entered Xiao Yan's heart, his body trembled noticeably. Fortunately, though the crystal appeared solid and tangible, it behaved remarkably—seamlessly integrating itself into the heart and settling precisely at its center, where it emitted gentle pulses of deep purple light, enhancing the strength and vigor of the heart's beat. "Boom!" At the very instant the deep crimson rhombic crystal pierced his heart, the external pool of blood erupted with a tremendous roar, splashing blood mist that spread throughout half of the great hall... Xun sat cross-legged beside the pool, and as the drifting blood mist reached half a zhang in front of her, it automatically dispersed like smoke. Yet her gaze remained fixed, unwaveringly focused on the now-closed-eyed Xiao Yan within the pool. Her jade hands, tightened with anxiety, clutched firmly. "Ah..." beside her, Xiao Xuan exhaled deeply, a near-ecstatic joy shimmering in his eyes. He vigorously rubbed his palms together, murmuring excitedly, "It's successful... truly successful..." "Xiao Xuan, senior!" Seeing Xiao Xuan's expression, Xun's previously tense heart finally relaxed, and she called out promptly. Hearing Xun'er's cry, Xiao Xuan quickly regained his composure, smiled at her, and sighed with relief, saying, "It's done... the three bloodlines have finally successfully merged." Upon hearing Xiao Xuan's confirmation, the face that had been tense for a month finally broke into a charming smile, and the heavy weight on her heart was finally lifted. The past month had been filled with so many uncertainties; with her steady resolve, it had been profoundly thrilling, and any small misstep among them would have surely led to an outcome utterly unacceptable. Xiao Xuan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. While Xun'er had been worried, he himself had never truly felt at ease. Xiao Yan was the sole hope for the revival of the Xiao clan—this "only child" was more precious to Xiao Xuan than anyone else. Should anything go wrong with Xiao Yan here, he would truly become the clan's greatest liability. "The fusion of the bloodlines has been successfully achieved... However, since the ancient clan's bloodline and the phoenix-drake bloodline are relatively rare, the newly formed bloodpower currently cannot fully permeate throughout Xiao Yan's entire body. Therefore, this strand of bloodline will be placed deep within the heart, where it will gradually be nurtured. Only when this new bloodpower eventually flows through all of Xiao Yan's blood vessels will it truly mature—then, whether or not Xiao Yan will break through to the Battle Saint rank and ascend to the Imperial Realm, a level never before reached in a millennium, will truly depend on his own destiny. "Xiao Xuan gazed at Xiao Yan within the blood pool, speaking slowly. "Xun'er nodded slightly. Though the quantity of this new bloodpower is modest, it functions much like a seed. Now that the seed has been planted, all that remains is to wait for it to grow into a towering, mighty tree—then, the entire Continent of Qi will tremble under its influence." "Next, I'll simply wait for him to fully inherit the energy I've left behind. This process won't be short. In the meantime, you should remain here, focusing on your cultivation. The energy here is the most concentrated within the Heavenly Tomb. Practicing at this location will yield excellent results..." Xiao Xuan glanced at the blood pool, where deep within, a steady flow of energy—dense and almost tangible—was continuously seeping into Xiao Yan's body. He knew that Xiao Yan was now beginning to absorb the energy he had left. "Hm." Xun'er nodded gently, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xiao Yan in the blood pool for a while. After confirming that everything appeared normal, she slowly closed her eyes and resumed her cultivation. Seeing Xuanchi enter her training state, Xiao Xuan smiled slightly and looked at Xiao Yan in the blood pool, murmuring softly, "This young one has quite a charm indeed..." As the former head of the Xiao clan, Xiao Xuan naturally understood that members of ancient, divine-rank bloodline races, as they aged, gradually developed increasingly refined and perfect minds—under such perfection, they rarely developed special feelings for the opposite sex. Thus, it was somewhat surprising to him that Xuanchi could stir such strong feelings in Xiao Yan. Yet, he was unaware that their bond had quietly begun to form even when they were still young. After finally resolving the bloodline issues within Xiao Yan's body, Xiao Xuan found himself free to step back, since all that remained now were matters fully within Xiao Yan's own domain. If he continued to assist, he would be doing more harm than good—effectively stunting Xiao Yan's growth. As Xiao Xuan had mentioned, Xiao Yan would need a considerable amount of time to absorb the energy left behind by him. During this period, with a notable loss of vital essence, Xun'er quickly entered a state of cultivation, and thus the entire hall once again became still and silent. Fortunately, Xiao Xuan had grown accustomed to such an atmosphere over the years and did not feel particularly lonely. In this quiet setting, time flowed as swiftly as sand slipping through fingers. Time passed swiftly—within a year, it quietly slipped by in this serene, ancient hall. Throughout this year, Xun'er spent most of her time in cultivation. As this area was the most concentrated source of energy within the Heavenly Tomb, she made substantial gains. Not only had she restored nearly half of the vitality lost in her bloodline, but her aura also strengthened slightly. Of course, at her level, progress in strength was inherently slow; yet even this gradual advancement proved significant within the Tomb's domain. When Xu'er occasionally practiced and became alert, she would pay close attention to Xiao Yan, who remained motionless in the blood pool, like a sculpture. Throughout the year, Xiao Yan had not opened his eyes even once. The intensely concentrated energy flowed into his body continuously, seemingly endless. Yet, despite this overwhelming influx, Xiao Yan's aura remained unchanged—stagnant at the level it had first been established. To Xu'er, this was no surprise, for she knew that the true breakthrough would only occur when the very last surge of energy was fully absorbed into Xiao Yan's body! As for Xiao Xuan, throughout this year, he had remained constantly outside the blood pool, watching as the blood pool, gradually becoming clearer under Xiao Yan's absorption, transformed. His smile grew ever more radiant, for this was the only wealth he could offer Xiao Yan. Under the cycle of awakening and continued cultivation that Xun'er experienced, time flowed on. Fortunately, it became evident from the increasingly clear pool water that the vast energies contained within were being steadily depleted with each subtle absorption by Xiao Yan. The pool grew ever clearer until, after approximately one and a half years of Xiao Yan's immersion, the final trace of blood hue finally vanished entirely. At that moment, the water once again returned to the clear and serene state it had held when Xiao Yan first arrived. When the final surge of energy from the blood pool flowed into Xiao Yan's body, Xiao Xuan and Xun'er, as if sensing something, opened their eyes simultaneously, fixing their gaze steadily on Xiao Yan, who remained motionless with closed eyes within the pool. Under their watch, Xiao Yan showed no movement whatsoever—his breath remained as calm and steady as ever. Yet how could Xiao Xuan and Xun'er, masters of such refined prowess, fail to sense the immense, volcanic energy building up inside Xiao Yan? "His aura is surging now..." Suddenly, Xiao Xuan's face twitched, and he spoke. "Boom!" As soon as Xiao Xuan finished speaking, a vast aura erupted violently from within Xiao Yan's body, then rapidly intensified at an astonishing pace. "Six-star peak... Seven-star... Seven-star peak... Eight-star..." Xiao Xuan and Xun'er, sensing Xiao Yan's aura rising with unstoppable momentum, grew increasingly serious. "Nine-star now..." Within less than ten minutes, Xiao Yan's aura had surged from six-star to nine-star, and the growth showed a clear upward trend. "Almost reaching nine-star peak..." After another two minutes, Xun'er's face grew more concerned. If Xiao Yan's aura remained at this pace, his chances of eventually becoming a Battle Saint would become extremely slim. Xiao Xuan seemed remarkably composed, though the slightly furrowed brows indicated that his mind was far from at ease. Under the watchful eyes of Xiao Xuan and Xun'er, Xiao Yan's aura gradually surged to the peak of the Battle Sovereign realm... "Xiao Yan brother, if this trend continues, he'll have to remain at this level forever," Xun'er said, her eyes filled with concern, and she tightened her hands.