Chapter 349 Ascended Realm

It was not only Xiao Mao who had undergone great changes; Xiao Hua had also benefited greatly from meeting her adoptive great grandfather.

While Xiao Mao had been given the blood essence of the Zheng beast, Xiao Hua did not require any particular type of bloodline, instead, it had been corging on countless high-ranked beasts and their flesh and blood.

Unlike the beast, Xiao Hua could not absorb any bloodline abilities or mutate in a specific direction based on the blood and flesh it consumed. However, the strength within could not be ignored, and the little Golden Emperor Vine had turned into a vibrant plant which almost burst with vitality.

Xiao Jin and Xiao Bao were also well-fed, but their appearance was more or less the same, only slightly more rosy than before, and finally, Jiaojiao was somewhere in between the two groups.

Her changes were not as obvious as those of the Cloud Leopard and the Golden Emperor Vine, but more changes had taken place when compared to Xiao Jin and Xiao Bao.

Jiaojiao had been able to look more human-like, although her dragon blood had been stimulated. So far, the reason for the dragon-traits was that she could not control her bloodlines, and they kept clashing within her, making her neither human nor dragon. However, Yan Wenxiu had given her, like Xiao Mao, essence blood to purify her own bloodline.

Unlike Xiao Mao, who had gotten a substantial amount of essence blood, Jiaojiao had only gotten a single drop, however this drop of blood was much more potent than all the other treasures added together.

Initially, Yan Wenxiu had been hesitant as to whether or not he should give her this drop of blood, as it was very potent and she was still young. The dragon he had taken it from was from the Divine Realm, and the bloodline was purer than most other dragon-bloods he had within his possession.

However, whenever he looked at the young girl who had been mistreated from a young age due to her background, he could not help but think of his own daughter who had gone through many difficulties, and wanted to do something else.

It was not that he was planning to take Jiaojiao as his own daughter, but he could not help but want to give her a chance to change her fate, much as he had hoped for someone to help his own daughter, once upon a time.

The bloodline was from a three-clawed golden dragon, and while it was still two claws away from being the purest bloodline, it was still much more powerful than what could be found on the Wushi Continent, so he feared whether or not her body could handle it.

However, after explaining the situation and the possible consequences, Jiaojiao still wished to take the chance. She understood that it was not possible to bear her condition for a long time, as she could feel her own difficulties.

Even if she was about to face danger, she still wanted to try it out, and thus she made her own decision, and Bai Rouyun decided to support her.

Seeing this, Yan Wenxiu did not try to dissuade them, but instead gave the blood to her right away. He explained which things to look out for and what she would face while absorbing the blood, in a hope that she would succeed.

Even so, Yan Wenxiu also admired the courage of the little girl, and also his own daughter's eyes for finding such a gem on her travels. To cultivate inner energies was never an easy task, and only those with enough courage would be able to walk far on the path towards immortality.

Bai Rouyun herself had also benefited greatly from her meeting with her new-found father, and she also had many treasures at hand. However, unlike the beasts and plants who could purify and improve their bloodlines, and the spirits that could wantonly absorb energy, she was in a more difficult situation.

Human cultivation depended heavily on their talent and diligence. Even if she could consume countless treasures, the cultivation base she would gain would not be the strongest, and thus she had to work hard in combination with these treasures.

Even so, she had consumed a few and managed to reach the ninth rank of the Core Construction layer within the Ascended Realm. She only needed a small amount of energy, but more importantly, the right opportunity, to fully construct her core, before she could move on to the Soul Refinement layers.

The Ascended realm was split into the Core Construction, the Soul Refinement, and the Corporeal Shedding layers. All of these had nine ranks, which showed how far the cultivator was from success of the specific layer.

The core construction was meant to construct a core that would gather all the energy that was present within the body of the cultivator. The core was located within the dantian, and after construction, the energy would no longer be roaming free in the dantian and the body as a gas-like energy, but instead become much stronger and powerful, as small threads taken from the core.

The Soul Refinement was meant to refine the soul and make it possible for the soul to withstand the process of going from a mere mortal to becoming a deity.

Finally, after ensuring that all the energy had been gathered within the core, and the soul would be able to withstand the breakthrough, the final layer in the Ascended Realm would be the Corporeal Shedding.

This process was, as it sounded, when all the mortal energy in the body slowly would be replaced by immortal energy, and the body no longer would be of flesh and blood, but energy and spirit instead.