Chapter 186: Blood Dantian Pill

After another two hours of climbing, the S-Class knight finally reached the mountain peak.

Leon had been following from a safe distance the entire time. Only then did he finally see the group gathered ahead.

Theo was there, accompanied by five S-Class knights from before. Mercus and the remaining S-Class knights weren’t present.

Elena was there as well. Her hands were bound tightly with ropes as she sat beside a massive stone boulder.

Apart from them, there was also an elderly man standing quietly nearby. Strangely, Leon couldn’t sense the slightest trace of aura from him.

Whether the old man possessed a cultivation realm far beyond Leon’s perception... Or he was concealing his aura at the moment. There was another possibility. He wasn’t even an awakened person to begin with.

Leon couldn’t tell.

The moment Theo spotted the S-Class knight he had sent to retrieve the herb, his eyes lit up with excitement.

"Brudy! You’re finally here." He strode forward eagerly. "Did you get the herb?"

There wasn’t the slightest trace of grief over his uncle’s death the previous day. His mind was occupied by only one thing.

The herb.

"Yes, Young Master." Brudy raised the briefcase and unlocked it with a click.

The instant it opened, a rich medicinal fragrance spread through the surroundings. At the same time, a faint glow illuminated the inside of the briefcase, as though the herb itself was reflecting a portion of the morning sunlight.

Theo hurried over and carefully lifted the herb with trembling hands.

"Hahahaha!" He burst into wild laughter.

"Finally... finally I have it! With this, I’ll be immune to fire for three hours. That Blood Dantian Pill is as good as mine!" The more he spoke, the louder he laughed.

After calming himself down, Theo respectfully handed the herb to the elderly man. "Mr. Weng, how long will it take?"

"One to two hours."

Theo frowned. "Can’t you make it any faster?"

Mr. Weng shook his head. "Refining this pill isn’t as simple as you think, Theo. Instead of worrying about the time, you should make sure that no one learns I helped you. Otherwise, the entire royal family will come after me."

"Don’t worry." Theo waved his hand dismissively. "No one will find out. And even if they do..."

A confident smile spread across his face. "Once I obtain the Blood Dantian Pill, no one in this world will be my match. I’ll become the first person to reach the Ninth Heaven."

"Hmm?" Hidden behind a large rock, Leon narrowed his eyes. ’Ninth Heaven? This guy knows about it too? Just where did he come from? And how can a single pill help someone reach the Ninth Heaven?’ Leon wondered inwardly.

Unable to suppress his curiosity any longer, Leon asked, "Do either of you know anything about this?"

"Yes, Master," Noira’s voice echoed inside his mind. "Lamia explained it to us a few days ago while you were busy with your exams."

"Go on. I’m listening."

"The towers scattered across the nations of this world are actually gateways leading to the Ninth Heaven. However, one can go to the Ninth Heaven only after clearing the 100th floor."

"Oh? That’s interesting." Leon’s curiosity was piqued. "But what’s so special about this Blood Dantian Pill?"

"Master!" Frenrir’s voice echoed excitedly inside his mind. "I don’t know whether the Blood Dantian Pill truly exists, but if it does... you must obtain it at all costs."

"Why?" Leon asked.

"Because it’s nothing more than a legend." Frenrir’s tone grew serious. "Back in the Upper Heavens, we had only ever heard stories about it. No one had actually seen one.

When a cultivator breaks through from the Martial Grandmaster realm to the Martial King realm, they must sense the astral energy flowing on the Astral River above the Stary Way River. Only then can they condense an Astral Heart with the astral energy."

"Astral Heart?" Leon repeated, puzzled.

"Yes." Frenrir nodded. "An Astral Heart is like a second heart, but instead of pumping blood, it nourishes a specific path of power.

For example, if a swordsman condenses a Sword Astral Heart, every aspect of their swordsmanship undergoes a qualitative evolution. Their sword intent becomes sharper, their techniques become far more efficient, and every strike carries several times the power it once did.

If someone who cultivates the fire element forms a Fire Astral Heart, their control over flames reaches an entirely different level. The same fire consumes less Qi, burns far hotter, and becomes much easier to manipulate.

The same principle applies to all the awakened abilities. Once an ability condenses its corresponding Astral Heart, it enters an entirely new stage. Its efficiency, power, and mastery all increase dramatically.

In short..." Frenrir concluded, "an Astral Heart is the key that transforms an ordinary ability into something truly extraordinary."

"That all sounds impressive," Leon said, "but what does it have to do with the Blood Dantian Pill?"

"Let me finish, Master," Frenrir replied. "You won’t understand the true value of this pill unless you first understand how cultivation at that level works."

He paused briefly before continuing. "Just as a cultivator must condense their first Astral Heart to break through from the Martial Grandmaster realm to the Martial King realm, they must condense a second Astral Heart to advance from the Martial King realm to the Martial Saint realm.

And when breaking through from the Martial Saint Realm to the Martial Emperor Realm... They must condense a third Astral Heart. All three Astral Hearts are powered by the dantian.

The dantian is the reservoir that stores astral energy. No matter how many Astral Hearts a cultivator possesses, they all draw their power from that single dantian.

Now..."

A hint of excitement crept into Frenrir’s voice. "This is where the Blood Dantian Pill comes in.

It completely reconstructs the consumer’s body.

It shatters the original dantian...

And creates three separate dantians in its place.

As a result, each dantian can independently supply one Astral Heart in the future. Instead of three Astral Hearts competing for the same source of energy, each one has its own reservoir.

But that’s not even its greatest benefit.

Even before reaching the Martial King Realm... Even before condensing a single Astral Heart...

A cultivator with three dantians can store three times as much Qi as an ordinary cultivator of the same realm. That means their endurance, destructive power, and sustained combat ability are all several times greater. In other words...

Against someone of the same cultivation realm, they would be unbeatable. They would be the king of that realm."

Those words struck Leon like a bolt of lightning. His eyes widened as goosebumps spread across his body.

"T-three dantians...? That’s... That’s unbelievable... No wonder this Theo guy was willing to go to such lengths for this pill."