Chapter 158 - 121: Dragon Transformation Pool, All Prodigies Emerge

Chapter 158: Chapter 121: Dragon Transformation Pool, All Prodigies Emerge

Even though she was a woman herself, Mu Yiyi couldn’t help but stare in a daze.

"Hello," Gu Qingyan spoke up first, finally pulling Mu Yiyi back to reality from her trance.

Realizing her loss of composure, the young girl quickly snapped back to her senses. Her beautiful eyes filled with astonishment as she stammered, "H-hello, who are you looking for?"

"Excuse me, does Jiang Hao live here?" Gu Qingyan asked with a smile. Her smile was even more mesmerizing, leaving Mu Yiyi dumbfounded. She had never seen such a beautiful young woman before. No, she couldn’t even imagine that such a peerless beauty existed in this world.

Hearing that the visitors were looking for Jiang Hao, an imperceptible gleam flashed through Mu Yiyi’s eyes. She turned to the white-robed youth in the courtyard and instinctively called out, "Jiang Hao, they’re looking for you."

By now, Jiang Hao and Mu Zhen had naturally noticed Gu Qingyan’s group. Mu Zhen’s eyes were practically bulging out of his head, his gaze similarly glued to the graceful silhouette, unable to tear itself away.

"Qingyan?" Jiang Hao blurted out the moment he saw her.

Upon seeing him, Gu Qingyan broke into a smile—one filled with profound tenderness and joy.

"Jiang Hao, is it really you? I’m so glad to see that you’re safe," Gu Qingyan said instinctively, though she quickly adjusted her expression right after the words slipped out.

Seeing an old acquaintance, Jiang Hao didn’t hesitate and immediately walked over to the group.

"Elder Liu, Elder Bai, Elder Gai He, Pill Master Wu, Changsheng, and seniors, what brings you all here?" Jiang Hao greeted them one by one.

Aside from the Guardian surnamed Liu, the group accompanying Gu Qingyan included Bai Wufeng, the Pavilion Master of the Divine Pill Pavilion’s Xingyue City branch; Grand Elder Gai He; Pill Master Wu Jing; Inner Cabinet Hall disciple Zhang Changsheng; and four other Elders.

"Hehe, we’ve completed our mission and are escorting the Young Master back to the Central State. Passing through Nanling, we thought we’d drop by and visit Jiang Xiaoyou," Bai Wufeng said with a chuckle.

Gai He and the others simply smiled without saying a word, stealing glances at their Young Master from time to time. The truth was, she had insisted on taking a detour to Nanling; otherwise, they wouldn’t have traveled this far. Of course, Bai Wufeng genuinely wanted to see the young man again as well.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhang Changsheng suddenly dropped to his knees with a THUD. "Junior Changsheng greets Your Excellency."

"Changsheng, what are you doing? Hurry up and get up." Looking thoroughly bewildered, Jiang Hao quickly helped him to his feet.

Bai Wufeng explained from the side, "Jiang Xiaoyou, you might not know this, but back then, because of you, Gai He made an exception and promoted young Changsheng to work in the Inner Cabinet Hall. Unexpectedly, he accidentally came into contact with the Pill Spirit Cauldron and was recognized as its master, becoming a Postnatal Alchemy Master.

"Today, Changsheng is already a Tier Two Third Grade Pill Master. When the main pavilion caught wind of this, the Pill Master personally ordered us to bring him to the Central State, where the main pavilion’s Elders will train him themselves."

As soon as Bai Wufeng finished speaking, Zhang Changsheng chimed in, his eyes brimming with gratitude. "If it weren’t for you, Your Excellency, I never would have had the chance to work in the Inner Cabinet Hall, much less encounter the Pill Spirit Cauldron. Everything I have today is thanks to you. I will never forget your kindness for as long as I live."

"The Pill Spirit Cauldron? What’s that?" It was Jiang Hao’s first time hearing the name.

Gu Qingyan explained, "It’s the Pavilion-Suppressing Sacred Artifact of my Divine Pill Pavilion, the Nine Profound Pill Furnace left behind by the previous Pill Ancestor. Anyone who gains its recognition has the potential to become the next Pill Saint."

GASPS echoed as Mu Zhen and Mu Yiyi both inhaled sharply. The potential to become a Pill Saint? What kind of terrifying fortune was that?

No wonder the seemingly ordinary teenager was so incredibly grateful and had bowed so deeply.

After chatting for a bit longer, Jiang Hao invited the group inside.

"The accommodations are quite crude, please don’t take offense, seniors."

As they entered the house, Mu Zhen’s eyes rippled with curiosity. Unable to hold back, he pulled Jiang Hao aside and whispered, "Brother Jiang, who is that young lady? How do you know such a fairy?"

Faced with Mu Zhen’s question, Jiang Hao didn’t overthink it and blurted out, "She’s the Young Master of the Divine Pill Pavilion. In other words, she’s the future successor of the Divine Pill Pavilion, Gu Qingyan."

BOOM!

The moment those words fell, Mu Zhen froze in place, his eyes wide with utter shock.

"The future master of the Divine Pill Pavilion?"

To think that Jiang Hao was acquainted with such a terrifying cultivator—this was a height that the siblings could never hope to reach in their entire lifetimes.

Inside the thatched cottage.

"Jiang Hao, how confident are you in attempting the Nine Transformations across multiple veins?" Gu Qingyan looked at the youth before her, her beautiful eyes filled with anticipation.

Clearly, nothing in the Holy City could be kept hidden from this resourceful Young Master.

Before Jiang Hao could answer, Bai Wufeng couldn’t help but interject, "Throughout history, there has been no shortage of peerless figures who achieved the Nine Transformations across multiple veins. However, the more veins involved, the more perilous the process becomes—and naturally, the more terrifying the results.

"For you to have cultivated to the Eight Veins Eighth Transformation and the Spinal Eighth Transformation all on your own, Xiaoyou, is truly remarkable.

"But the Nine Transformations of One Vein is no child’s play. The dangers involved are unimaginable. When the time comes, you absolutely must not push yourself too far."

Jiang Hao could only smile bitterly at Bai Wufeng’s words.

Even he didn’t know how many veins he could push to the Ninth Transformation; all he could do was go all out when the time came. At the very least, up until now, he hadn’t even been able to break through the bottleneck of the Ren Meridian Ninth Transformation.

"The fact that you haven’t been able to break through the bottleneck might be because your cultivation direction is slightly off. The Nanling Dragon Transformation Pool is a rather famous source of reshaping in the entire Eastern Domain. You have to seize this opportunity." Gu Qingyan’s beautiful eyes were completely serious. The Nanling Dragon Transformation Pool was a place that truly birthed true dragons. Even she, the Young Pavilion Master of the Divine Pill Pavilion, didn’t dare to underestimate it.

After meeting Jiang Hao, Gu Qingyan and her entourage returned to the Holy City that very night.

They had no other choice—the tiny thatched cottage was already cramped with just three people, let alone trying to accommodate so many cultivators.

"Jiang Xiaoyou, we’ll be looking forward to your performance tomorrow," Gai He said with a broad smile as he offered his early congratulations before departing.

After seeing the group off, Jiang Hao gazed up at the night sky. With so many peerless geniuses gathered in Nanling, whether they were dragons or snakes would be revealed tomorrow.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, the next morning arrived.

By the time Jiang Hao and his two companions entered the Holy City, it was already packed with a sea of people, buzzing with deafening excitement.

"What kind of peerless existences do you guys think will be born in the Dragon Transformation Pool this year?"

"I heard that the most terrifying figure from the last iteration managed to push through to the Seven Veins Ninth Transformation. I wonder if anyone will be able to break that record this year."

"Breaking the record shouldn’t be too hard. At the very least, Leng Tianyu, the Saint Son of the Ice Race, has a good chance. Rumor has it that he already possesses the aptitude for the Seven Veins Ninth Transformation, so beating the record shouldn’t be much of a challenge for him."

"Setting Leng Tianyu aside, there are also those three astonishing existences who recently emerged. They’ll likely shatter the previous limits as well."

"This generation’s battle of geniuses is the fiercest this old man has ever seen. Geniuses are emerging in droves, and monsters are everywhere. It’s incredibly dazzling."

"By the way, what do you all make of that Jiang Hao, the newcomer who just reached the top of the Celestial List?"

"He’s certainly stunning, but I’m afraid he’s going to disappoint everyone. After all, as a newly risen monster, he probably hasn’t even acquired the Secret Techniques and Mental Techniques required to attempt the Nine Transformations across multiple veins."

"It’s a pity. Those Saint Sons and Saintesses have long since memorized the Mental Techniques and Secret Techniques for the multiple veins’ Nine Transformations. Some have even secretly visited the Dragon Transformation Pool ahead of time to feel things out. While Jiang Hao’s talent is astonishing, he’s ultimately a step behind."

"I’m not very optimistic about that kid. At the end of the day, he’s just a cultivator from a barren land. How could he possibly compare to the Saint Sons and Saintesses of the various races?"

Amidst the surrounding chatter, Gu Qingyan, Bai Wufeng, Gai He, and the rest of their group stood in the sea of people, their eyes locked tightly onto the dozens of terrifying Divine Pools in the very center of the Holy City.

There, Divine Power swirled, and Spiritual Liquid pooled like deep ponds, each one radiating terrifying Spiritual Qi and an uncanny energy.

Those were the Dragon Transformation Pools.

Beside every Dragon Transformation Pool sat a terrifying figure cross-legged, standing guard. Inside the pools, Spiritual Mist drifted as Array formations soared into the sky, creating a monumental spectacle.

Tens of millions of cultivators gazed at the Dragon Transformation Pools, their mouths dry with longing. Regrettably, these pools only opened once every hundred years, leaving them with no choice but to watch from the sidelines.

In stark contrast to the tens of millions of onlookers, the overwhelming throng of geniuses from the various races was buzzing with excitement, rubbing their hands together in eager anticipation.

These assembled favored sons and daughters of heaven were undoubtedly all ranked junior cultivators, meaning there was a place reserved for them inside.

At a certain moment.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Streaks of world-shaking auras swept over the crowd. Everyone immediately turned toward the source of the commotion.

High above the endless sea of people, over a hundred terrifying figures tore through the air and descended.

Each of them was wreathed in blinding light, their auras as vast as mountains and oceans. They were so terrifyingly powerful that their true faces couldn’t be seen clearly, yet their very presence caused the heavens and earth to tremble.

Clearly, these figures were the Saint Sons and Saintesses of the various races—the supreme representatives of Nanling’s younger generation.

With the arrival of these hundred-plus peerless figures, the entire Holy City instantly boiled over like a raging flood.

At that exact same time, Jiang Hao also slowly descended from the sky.

Compared to the grand entrances of those Saint Sons and Saintesses, Jiang Hao’s arrival seemed exceptionally ordinary.

Yet even so, the appearance of the white-robed youth still managed to draw everyone’s attention.