Chapter 141 - 113: Dragon Transformation Pool, Golden Scale Dao

Chapter 141: Chapter 113: Dragon Transformation Pool, Golden Scale Dao

Once a Cultivator stepped into the Mortal Shedding realm, it meant they completely lost the chance to achieve the Nine Transformations of One Vein.

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, another eight months had passed. After a month of crazed cultivation, even Jiang Hao entertained the thought of giving up. Was he truly not cut out for the Nine Transformations of One Vein?

Just as Jiang Hao was trapped in self-doubt one evening, Mu Zhen burst into his room, his face flushed with excitement.

"Brother Jiang, good news! Incredible news!"

"Brother Mu, what good news?"

Mu Zhen looked travel-worn. He sat down, grabbed the teapot from Jiang Hao’s table, and guzzled down a few mouthfuls. Wiping the tea stains from the corner of his mouth, he said excitedly, "The Celestial List selection! The selection for the Celestial List has begun!"

"The Celestial List selection? How is that good news?" Jiang Hao smiled wryly. Weren’t they brought into the Holy City precisely so everyone could compete for the Nanling Sacred City’s Celestial List? Since it was an inevitable event, where did the good news come in?

Mu Zhen’s expression remained exhilarated. "The start of the selection isn’t the good news itself.

"The good news I’m talking about is the reward for this year’s Nanling Sacred City Celestial List selection.

"To encourage the enthusiasm of this batch of prodigies, the Nine Saints plan to open the Dragon Transformation Pool and allow every prodigy who makes it onto the Celestial List to enter the Golden Scale Dao."

Hearing Mu Zhen’s words, Jiang Hao was completely lost. "Dragon Transformation Pool? Golden Scale Dao? Brother Mu, what are you talking about?"

"You don’t know about the Dragon Transformation Pool? Or the Golden Scale Dao?" Mu Zhen looked at him as if he were an idiot.

Jiang Hao just smiled wryly; the answer was obvious. Seeing this, Mu Zhen didn’t mock him. Instead, he began to explain.

"The most famous and terrifying thing in Nanling is the Dragon Transformation Pool.

"The Dragon Transformation Pool is a Holy Pool prepared for world-shaking figures to attempt the One Vein Many Transformations. Any Cultivator with sufficient talent can cultivate to the realm of One Vein Many Transformations within it.

"Rumor has it that thousands of years ago, the Dragon Transformation Pool produced a peerless figure who achieved Nine Transformations in four veins. Today, that person has long been an honored guest of the Imperial Race.

"Even for a Cultivator with average talent and potential, as long as they enter the Dragon Transformation Pool, at the very least, they can cultivate to the second or third transformation of eight veins, and their spine might even undergo a second transformation.

"As for the Golden Scale Dao, it is even more terrifying and formidable. It’s a Nine Dragons Path that assists in Mortal Shedding. It’s said that from ancient times until now, no one has ever been able to walk it to the end.

"But if someone were to finish it, an unimaginable, earth-shattering transformation would occur."

As Mu Zhen finished speaking, Jiang Hao’s eyes were filled with shock.

"The Dragon Transformation Pool... Are you saying it can facilitate the One Vein Many Transformations?"

Jiang Hao hadn’t heard anything else; he only latched onto the words ’One Vein Many Transformations.’ The mention of producing a ’four veins, Nine Transformations’ figure was like a beam of light in the dark, illuminating the path Jiang Hao had been blindly searching for. He had been stressing over his inability to achieve the Nine Transformations in his eight veins, but just when he needed a breakthrough, the perfect opportunity presented itself. If he could enter this so-called Dragon Transformation Pool, he might be able to cultivate his Conception Vessel to the Ninth Transformation, or even achieve the Eight Veins Ninth Transformation, and perhaps his spine as well.

Unaware of the shock and excitement in Jiang Hao’s eyes, Mu Zhen continued talking.

"I don’t qualify for the Golden Scale Dao. Only the thirty-six peerless freaks on the Celestial List have a chance to enter.

"However, there are eleven Dragon Transformation Pools in the Holy City. As long as you make it onto the Celestial List and aren’t ranked at the very bottom, you have a chance to enter.

"Brother Jiang, we shouldn’t delay. Let’s head into the city tomorrow and register for the Celestial List selection."

Mu Zhen’s eyes brimmed with longing, as if he were already cultivating in the Holy City’s Dragon Transformation Pool.

Jiang Hao, however, caught a specific detail. "We have to register for the Celestial List selection? Didn’t they say that all the prodigies brought into the Holy City’s territory are here to participate in the Celestial List selection? Why is registration needed?"

"There’s something you don’t know, Brother Jiang. The Holy City doesn’t force anyone. If a prodigy is unwilling to participate in the selection, they can settle down here and receive cultivation resources provided by Nanling.

"After all, the Celestial List selection is overly harsh. It can cost people their lives.

"Moreover, to participate in the selection, you must pay a hefty sum of Spirit Stones for registration. In a way, it eliminates a batch of people right from the start."

Any prodigy with true capabilities wouldn’t be short on this registration fee. Hearing this, Jiang Hao’s face darkened. This place truly was a cutthroat establishment where everything revolved around money. Fortunately, he currently possessed 183,500 Middle-grade Spirit Stones. The wealth on his person was no less than the accumulation of a Great Cultivation Race in the Xingyue City Earth Realm.

As for the 1,500 High-grade Spirit Stones, although it was agreed he could go collect them after three days, Jiang Hao had never gone. He figured he would have to enter the Holy City sooner or later anyway, so there was no rush.

"How many Spirit Stones are required to register for the Celestial List selection?" Seeing Mu Zhen look troubled at the mention of the registration fee, Jiang Hao subconsciously asked.

"Thirty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones per person."

That was equivalent to three hundred Middle-grade Spirit Stones. For countless prodigies, this was an astronomical figure—a truly massive sum. Jiang Hao was also startled by this number. A Foundation Establishment Pill only cost three thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones. A single slot in the Celestial List selection was actually worth ten Foundation Establishment Pills! If this were back in Xingyue City, it would be an unthinkable sum for any prodigy.

"Brother Mu, don’t worry. I will cover the remaining Spirit Stones for you and Little Sister Yiyi." Seeing Mu Zhen’s predicament, Jiang Hao immediately spoke up. It could be considered repaying the siblings for their care over the past three months, even if that care had been a mandatory task assigned by South Mountain.

"Really?" Mu Zhen’s anxiety vanished completely upon hearing this. Seeing the earnest expression on Jiang Hao’s face, he immediately stood up and bowed deeply to him. Then, unable to hide the joy between his brows, he walked out.

Soon after, Jiang Hao could hear the siblings conversing outside.

"Sister, Brother Jiang is willing to cover the Spirit Stones we’re short on! You can participate in the Celestial List selection too. With your aptitude, it’s not impossible for you to enter the Dragon Transformation Pool."

"Really? Brother, can I really go too? That’s wonderful! That’s wonderful!"

Mu Yiyi’s ecstatic voice rang out from the courtyard. Evidently, even though Mu Zhen had desperately earned Spirit Stones over the years, the wealth he had accumulated was still not enough for both of their registration fees. If only one of the siblings could participate in the selection, it naturally would have been Mu Zhen, whose talent and potential were slightly better. But now, both brother and sister could enter the Holy City together.

"As long as we obtain the qualifications to participate in the selection, we can stay in the Holy City long-term. Even if we aren’t selected in the end, we can still cultivate in the Holy City." The Spiritual Qi in the Holy City was dozens of times richer than outside; cultivating there would yield twice the result with half the effort.

"Jiang Hao, thank you." Mu Yiyi walked into the room and stood before Jiang Hao, the lingering excitement still evident on her face. However, the young girl suddenly grew apprehensive. "But Jiang Hao, if both my brother and I participate, we’ll need at least sixty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones..."

Mu Yiyi’s voice trailed off as she spoke. "Over the years, my brother has only managed to save around forty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones."

In other words, the siblings still needed twenty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones. Twenty thousand was no small sum. Converted into silver, it was a terrifying figure. One Low-grade Spirit Stone was equivalent to one hundred thousand taels of silver. Twenty thousand stones meant two billion taels of silver! That was an amount an ordinary person wouldn’t dare dream of in their entire lifetime. Of course, Cultivators were a different story, but it was still a massive sum. Mu Yiyi was clearly worried that Jiang Hao might back out after finding out the deficit.

Jiang Hao simply smiled faintly. "I’ll cover the twenty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones. Just treat it as a token of my gratitude for Little Sister Yiyi’s meticulous care during this time."

Twenty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones was merely two hundred Middle-grade Spirit Stones. To the current Jiang Hao, it was nothing at all.

"Jiang Hao, thank you! I’ll never forget you for as long as I live." Perhaps overly thrilled that she could also participate in the Celestial List selection, Mu Yiyi abruptly hugged Jiang Hao and planted a kiss on his cheek.

The young lass quickly realized what she had done. Her pretty face and neck instantly flushed hot, and she ran out of the room with a bright red face. For Mu Yiyi, if she couldn’t make it onto the Celestial List, she would have had to settle down in Nanling and marry a local Cultivator. Jiang Hao’s chivalrous intervention had altered the fate of a young girl who was about to be forced into marriage.

Outside the door, Mu Zhen listened to the conversation inside, his heart in absolute turmoil. Twenty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones. Two billion taels of silver. In the eyes of that white-robed young man, it seemed it wasn’t worth mentioning at all.