As soon as his body touched the faint silver surface of the water, a layer of cyan light barrier flashed out from within, effortlessly parting the pool’s waters.
Han Li slowly sank deeper, eventually submerging completely beneath the surface, which quickly returned to calm.
As he descended, the pressure in the pool surged dramatically, slightly deforming the cyan light barrier.
But given Han Li’s abilities, he naturally paid it no heed.
In the blink of an eye, Han Li reached the bottom of the pool where the blooming Pure Spirit Lotus stood.
From within the light barrier, he examined the blossoming spiritual lotus for a moment before flipping his hand and retrieving a translucent jade box from his storage bracelet.
Taking a deep breath, he flicked a finger toward the lotus in the air.
A green thread shot out like lightning from his fingertip, lightly encircling the lotus stem. Instantly, the plate-sized, flesh-colored lotus detached and, under the surrounding pressure, floated upward.
Well-prepared, Han Li waved the jade box toward the lotus.
The lid flew open, and a golden mist surged out, enveloping the lotus in a flash and pulling it into the box.
With the lid snapping shut, the Pure Spirit Lotus was now safely secured.
As for the method of consumption, Han Li was naturally aware—it wasn’t to be taken immediately but rather during the marrow-cleansing process, in conjunction with the Spirit Cleansing Pool.
With a flick of his wrist, the jade box vanished into his palm.
Then, forming a hand seal, a thunderous crackle erupted as countless golden arcs surged from his body, coiling around him. Amidst the golden lightning flashes, his robes instantly turned to ash, leaving him completely bare.
His seemingly ordinary, well-proportioned frame now revealed skin as pristine as jade, faintly shimmering with an ivory-like luster.
Unfazed, Han Li waved a hand toward the surrounding cyan light barrier.
A muffled *bang*!
The barrier vanished without a trace, and the silver pool water surged toward his naked form, instantly enveloping him.
Han Li involuntarily exhaled softly.
The moment the water touched his skin, torrents of pure spiritual energy rushed into his meridians through his pores.
The sheer intensity of the influx startled even him.
Steadying himself, Han Li seized the opportunity, immediately circulating the True Devil Arts through his meridians. With each minor cycle, most of the spiritual energy was converted into his own mana.
Though this method of cultivation growth wasn’t as rapid as the energy from the two mysterious crystal pearls he had obtained before, it was still a significant opportunity.
If he could sustain this frenzied absorption for three full days, his cultivation might indeed advance considerably.
However, Han Li knew full well that this rapid mana increase was merely a secondary benefit of the Spirit Cleansing Pool. The true value lay in the mysterious forces within the water that transformed his body inside and out.
This was the key to whether he could advance to the Mahayana stage in the future!
Already, he could feel the spiritual energy coursing wildly through his body, causing all his meridians to tingle faintly.
Meanwhile, his skin, directly exposed to the pool water, ached subtly, as if slowly peeling or melting away.
His eyes flickered briefly before he sat cross-legged at the bottom of the pool, closing them slowly and remaining utterly still.
Time passed gradually. After nearly half a day, blood streaks appeared on his originally smooth, jade-like skin, yet bizarrely, not a single drop of blood seeped out.
But this was merely the surface. Beneath his skin, his flesh and bones were being invaded by the pool’s mysterious energy, undergoing an unseen metamorphosis.
For most, this transformation would be an unbearable torment.
But for Han Li, whose physical resilience defied reason and whose willpower was immense, this pain was entirely manageable.
A short while later, Han Li suddenly opened his eyes and flicked his wrist, summoning the jade box containing the lotus before him.
The lid lifted on its own, and the flesh-red lotus floated out silently.
Han Li stared unblinkingly at the Pure Spirit Lotus before opening his mouth and exhaling a stream of cyan mist.
Where the mist passed, a palm-sized petal was plucked away.
With a sudden inhale, the mist retracted, carrying the petal into his mouth.
As his lips closed, the moment his tongue touched the petal, a sweet, slippery liquid instantly filled his mouth.
The petal melted upon contact, effortlessly sliding down his throat.
A scorching force erupted from his dantian, splitting into over a dozen fiery serpents that surged through his meridians.
Han Li’s brow instinctively furrowed, but soon an unnatural flush spread across his face, descending rapidly down his body.
Within a few breaths, his entire form was suffused with the crimson hue.
Just as he was struck with alarm, his body temperature skyrocketed a thousandfold. A molten, searing energy burst outward, even invading his sea of consciousness.
Caught off guard, his mind darkened. With a silent cry of *”Not good!”*, he lost consciousness entirely.
The potency of a single petal of the Pure Spirit Lotus was unexpectedly overwhelming!
The scorching energy continued to rage within Han Li’s body, its temperature climbing at an alarming rate.
From afar, the unconscious Han Li now glowed with a fiery red light.
Soon, the surrounding pool water began to bubble ominously…
An indeterminable time later, Han Li slowly awoke to excruciating pain. The intense heat had long since dissipated, but when he glanced down at his body, he couldn’t help but gasp.
His frame had grown over a foot taller, his cracked skin had shed entirely, and a faint silver hue was forming beneath his writhing flesh. Every inch of his body throbbed as if being flayed alive.
Yet, compared to this agony, his spiritual sense revealed an even greater surprise—his bones had thickened considerably, their color shifting toward a faint purple-gold.
His thoughts raced as he connected with his second demonic infant outside the pool, learning that he had only been unconscious for two hours. Relieved, he wasted no time in consuming a second petal.
Two days and nights later, the once mirror-like surface of the pool suddenly churned violently. With a thunderous roar, a whirlpool spanning several yards formed at its center.
The vortex emitted a pale silver glow, but from within surged countless purple-gold runes!
Simultaneously, the ground around the pool trembled faintly as multicolored light orbs erupted from the vegetation, soil, and even the air, rapidly coalescing above the pool.
In moments, a five-colored cloud spanning an acre formed directly over the Spirit Cleansing Pool, growing ever larger and brighter.
Meanwhile, the roar from the whirlpool intensified, as if some monstrous entity were breathing beneath the waters.
Suddenly, a thunderclap split the sky, and a thick five-colored lightning bolt struck the whirlpool with pinpoint accuracy.
A deafening explosion shook the entire pool!
The lightning froze mid-air as a purple-gold pillar of light erupted from the vortex, dispersing the bolt and piercing straight through the center of the five-colored cloud.
The once radiant cloud rapidly shrank and dimmed before exploding soundlessly into scattered light orbs.
The purple-gold pillar spun once before vanishing without a trace.
Soon after, the pool’s waves calmed, and the silver whirlpool disappeared as if it had never existed.
After what felt like a full meal’s worth of time, the water at the pool’s center stirred once more as a figure emerged indistinctly before solidifying on the shore.
It was Han Li, now fully reborn through marrow-cleansing and body-refining.
His appearance remained unchanged, but his skin now gleamed like polished jade, faintly shimmering with a silver sheen.
Standing over two feet taller, his limbs were more elongated, his frame broader, and every movement exuded an overwhelming solidity.
Han Li flexed his limbs briefly before clenching both fists tightly.
A series of muffled cracks echoed from his joints as he casually threw a punch toward a nearby boulder—without channeling any mana, relying solely on his physical strength.
The punch seemed effortless, yet the air around it vibrated violently, funneling forward as space within a dozen yards distorted.
A deafening boom followed!
A crater ten yards wide appeared beside the pool, and the boulder had been reduced to dust, indistinguishable from the earth.
Han Li’s heart swelled with joy.
While achieving such destruction with magic was trivial, doing so with raw physical power was nothing short of astonishing!
But his testing wasn’t over. Raising a finger, he slashed it toward the pool’s silver surface.
A blinding cyan streak shot forth, slicing into the water.
A thunderous splash erupted as a silver wave surged over fifteen feet high!
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