People in Doupo: The beginning of the game intercepts the rich woman Xun'er

Looking at Xiao Xuan's suddenly aged appearance, Xiao Ling took a deep breath to suppress his turbulent emotions.

He knew this was not the time to act on emotion. This ancestor had exhausted his remaining soul and bloodline power to wait for a descendant who could carry on the future of the Xiao clan, leaving himself emaciated. All he did was to hand over the last spark of the Xiao clan to him.

He had no right to refuse; he could only accept it with all his might and do his best to fulfill this heavy responsibility, for he was now the only hope for this fallen tribe.

"Brother Xiao Ling, be careful." Xun'er whispered a word of concern beside her.

Xiao Ling turned his head and gave her a reassuring look, then hesitated no longer.

With a single step, his figure fell into the blood pool like a falling leaf, slowly walking towards the center of the pool on the crimson water, each step seemingly treading upon the thousand-year-old expectations of the Xiao clan.

The moment his foot completely stepped into the pool, the calm blood pool suddenly surged violently!
Countless thin, blood-red energies shot out from the pool, like silver needles tempered with the same bloodline, carrying an irresistible and tyrannical force, fiercely piercing Xiao Ling's body.

Before he could react, this energy broke through the barrier of his pores and surged into his body like a rushing river, creating waves of scorching heat in his meridians.

The sudden burning pain made Xiao Ling's brows furrow abruptly, as if countless fine needles were piercing his meridians at the same time. However, the pain in his bones and muscles during past breakthroughs and the burning agony when absorbing strange fire had already hardened his tolerance. At this moment, he gritted his teeth, not letting out a single muffled groan, and endured this intense pain.

"Relax, it will hurt a little at first, but this process is beneficial and has no drawbacks." Seeing that Xiao Ling's forehead was already covered in sweat, but his face was still tense and unwilling to show weakness, Xiao Xuan, standing by the pool, spoke slowly, his voice carrying a hint of understanding.

"The power of bloodline must first thoroughly cleanse the mortal blood in your body before the pure blood of the same origin can be infused into it... This is the first step of inheritance, which I call 'blood exchange'."

"Ah."

Xiao Ling responded with a deep voice, immediately suppressing all distracting thoughts and focusing his mind firmly on his body. The tearing pain surged through his consciousness like waves, as if his meridians were about to be ripped apart by the scalding blood-red energy, but his clenched teeth remained firmly in place.

Amidst this excruciating pain, he clearly sensed that his original blood was being devoured and dissolved by crimson energy at a visible rate. As his blood flowed away, a deep-seated weakness grew wildly like vines, rapidly spreading to his limbs and bones, causing his upright figure to sway slightly and his brows to furrow even more tightly.

"You'll be enveloped by intense fatigue, but you must stay focused." Seeing Xiao Ling sway slightly, Xiao Xuan quickly reminded him, his voice tinged with urgency.

“If the old blood cannot be completely removed, the subsequent bloodline power cannot be fully integrated and cannot exert its true power. The current Xiao clan members have long lost their bloodline imprint and cannot be activated by gentle means like the ancient clans. They can only be awakened by this most brutal method.”

He gazed at Xiao Ling, who was gritting his teeth and holding on in the center of the pool, a hint of approval flashing in his cloudy eyes.
"However, judging from your aura, you possess an extremely vigorous life force within you, with a recovery ability far exceeding that of ordinary people. This is quite a unique talent. With this foundation, enduring the pain of this blood transfusion should not be too difficult for you."

Hearing Xiao Xuan's words, Xiao Ling's lips twitched involuntarily. His recovery ability was indeed far beyond that of ordinary people, but this "talent" had become torture at this moment. The stronger his self-healing ability, the clearer he could feel the pain of his meridians being torn apart and his blood being stripped away. The burning numbness of every inch of his skin was magnified infinitely.

But now, he had no way out. Xiao Ling suppressed a muffled groan, clenching his teeth even tighter, with only one thought in his mind: no matter how painful it was, he had to endure it.

Xun'er, standing by the blood pool, had already unconsciously straightened her body, her almond-shaped eyes fixed on Xiao Ling, who was sitting cross-legged in the center of the pool, and she even breathed very softly.

She could see the beads of sweat rolling down Xiao Ling's face, and his hands clenched into fists on his knees, his knuckles white, and the worry in his eyes almost overflowing.

Her hands clenched tightly at her sides, her fingertips digging into her palms without her noticing, and she could only silently repeat in her heart, "Brother Xiao Ling, hang in there, you can do it... please don't let anything happen to you."

The voice, hidden deep within, was filled with anxiety and anticipation, and even the surrounding air seemed to be tinged with tension.

"Girl, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures." Xiao Xuan looked at Xun'er's tense profile, sighed softly, and softened his tone to comfort her.
"Xiao Ling's willpower far surpasses that of ordinary people, and his physique is also special. At most, he will suffer some physical pain, but there will be no accidents. If he wants to reach the peak of the Dou Qi Continent, these trials are the hurdles he must overcome."

After he finished speaking, he said no more. He turned around and sat cross-legged by the blood pool. His withered hands gently covered the edge of the pool, and his eyes were fixed on Xiao Ling in the center of the pool, paying close attention to the flow of bloodline power.

The blood transfusion process was much longer than expected, which meant that Xiao Ling would have to endure excruciating pain for a long time.

In the silent hall, only the occasional faint ripples from the blood pool could be heard. Time flew by in the agonizing passage of ten days.

For the past ten days, Xiao Ling remained immersed in the crimson pool of blood, motionless.

As his mortal blood was completely stripped away, his once upright body gradually withered, and now he was skin and bones, with high cheekbones, a face as pale as rice paper, and even his lips had lost their color.

If it weren't for the faint undulations in his breath, anyone who saw this would think it was a lifeless body.

Beside the blood pool, Xun'er watched the dramatic changes in Xiao Ling over the past ten days, feeling as if her heart was being repeatedly cut by a dull knife, the pain intense and tight.

In the past, Xiao Ling had always been composed, upright, and dignified in front of her. Even when he was in danger, he could not hide his sharpness. When had he ever looked so emaciated and disheveled?

Fortunately, she and Xiao Ling were of one mind, and she could vaguely sense the remaining will in his body, and even vaguely feel his tenacity in holding on. She knew that he was still persevering, which became Xun'er's only comfort at this moment, so that she would not completely panic in her worries.

Compared to Xun'er's anxiety, Xiao Xuan appeared much calmer. He also knew that blood transfusion was inherently dangerous, and this was the weakest moment for the recipient. Mortal blood had been lost and new blood had not yet been generated. If the mind wavered even slightly and was swallowed by despair, it was very likely that he would take his last breath on the verge of death and lose all hope.

However, Xiao Xuan was not too worried, because he had already sensed the special life force in Xiao Ling's body. That force was stronger than he could imagine. The life-or-death crisis that ordinary people could not overcome was not fatal to Xiao Ling.

He had lived for a thousand years and was very knowledgeable, but he had never seen such a peculiar physique. Although he did not know its origin, he was secretly glad that this talent was just right to protect Xiao Ling and help him get through this most difficult hurdle.

"Boom!"

A muffled sound suddenly rang out in the hall, breaking the deathly silence of the past twelve days. Amidst the complex emotions of Xun'er and Xiao Xuan's waiting, tiny blood bubbles slowly rose from the long-calm blood pool, bursting with a "pop." Then, the scarlet water began to rotate clockwise, gradually forming a small, blood-red vortex. At the very center of the vortex stood Xiao Ling, emaciated and resembling a skeleton.

"The blood transfusion was successful, just as expected."

Seeing this, Xiao Xuan's tense back finally relaxed, his tone was full of relief, and a hint of satisfaction appeared in his eyes. This junior had finally lived up to his expectations.

He knew that all he needed to do next was to infuse the bloodline power containing the origin of the Xiao clan into Xiao Ling's body, and this junior would be able to truly inherit the last bloodline of the Xiao clan.

Thinking of this, Xiao Xuan's hands suddenly moved, his ten fingers forming hand seals in a lightning-fast motion, and a condensed blood-red light shot out from his fingertips, falling into the blood pool as if it had a life of its own, and precisely merging into the vortex.

"Gulu—Gulu—"

As the crimson light merged into the pool, the blood pool, which had been only slightly swirling, suddenly began to boil!
The crimson pool water churned, and countless fist-sized blood bubbles rose up one after another, splashing fine blood droplets when they burst, making the air inside the hall seem to be tinged with a scorching temperature.

At the same time, a few strands of crystalline blood-red liquid slowly separated from the depths of the pool. The liquid was thicker than ordinary blood and shimmered with a faint golden light as it flowed, which was the original power of the Xiao clan's bloodline.

As if possessing sentience, these liquids climbed up Xiao Ling's emaciated body along the water ripples, and then flowed into his body continuously through his pores.

As this powerful bloodline energy surged in, Xiao Ling's originally pale skin, as white as rice paper, gradually took on a faint rosy hue.

The previously withered and collapsed muscles and skin have slowly rebounded at a visible speed. Although they have not fully recovered their former firmness, they are no longer the terrifying skeleton-like appearance they once were, and even their breathing has become stronger.

Feeling the long-lost warmth in her body and faintly hearing Xiao Xuan's sigh of relief, Xiao Ling's heart, which had been hanging in suspense for twelve days, finally settled down. A trace of relief flashed through her remaining consciousness; the agonizing pain of the blood transfusion was finally over.

He no longer deliberately suppressed the life force within his body, allowing that boundless vitality to surge like a spring awakening, flowing through his meridians to his limbs and bones.

The first thing to change was his skin. His pale skin, which was originally taut on his bones, was first thoroughly soaked in a layer of warm, rosy color, and then gradually became delicate and smooth, with a healthy, lustrous glow, and finally became as white as the finest mutton fat jade.

Next came the muscles and bones. The withered limbs slowly stretched out, and the originally sunken shoulder and waist lines gradually lifted up. The muscle lines in the forearms and thighs began to emerge clearly. It was not the kind of bulging, brute force, but rather smooth and firm lines that spread along the slender limbs, outlining his figure as upright and well-proportioned.

His chest slowly rose, his once prominent ribs disappeared beneath his skin, and the abs on his waist and abdomen became faintly visible. Coupled with his gradually recovering broad shoulders and narrow hips, he even gained a more refined and upright demeanor than before the blood transfusion.

In the short span of half an incense stick's time, Xiao Ling completely shed his disheveled, skeletal appearance and regained his former handsome look. His tall and slender figure stood in the center of the blood pool, his fair skin appearing even more translucent against the crimson water. His muscles exuded a just-right sense of strength, and even his fingers hanging at his sides showed distinct knuckles, revealing a clean and neat youthful air.

Although Xiao Ling's original clothes had been eroded to ashes by the blood energy and pool water during the previous blood exchange, and he was now standing naked in the center of the pool, neither Xun'er nor Xiao Xuan on the poolside cared about it in the slightest.

Seeing Xiao Ling's complexion becoming increasingly rosy, Xun'er finally felt relieved after a long period of anxiety. She turned to look at Xiao Xuan and asked softly, "Senior Xiao Xuan, is there still energy that you sealed away back then hidden in this blood pool? If Brother Xiao Ling can absorb all of this energy, his strength should increase dramatically, right?"

"You're right." Xiao Xuan nodded slowly, a hint of reminiscence for the past flashing in his eyes.
"Back in the day, I was a top expert on the Dou Qi Continent, and before I fell, I even had one foot in the Dou Di realm. The energy remaining in this bloodline is far less than when I was at my peak, but the energy it contains is already an enormous amount for you all. Just in terms of helping him break through to Dou Sheng, that's more than enough."

He changed the subject slightly, glancing at Xun'er's concerned face, a knowing smile playing on his lips.
“I know what you’re worried about. Strength forcibly increased by external forces, if not properly controlled, can indeed create hidden dangers for future cultivation, or even become a bottleneck. However, Xiao Ling understands this better than anyone else. I think he should know how to weigh the pros and cons and will definitely choose the safest and most rational way to absorb energy... Don’t worry, trust his judgment.”

Xun'er nodded silently, her fingers, which had been clenched tightly with tension, slowly loosened. She had indeed been too worried, to the point that she had overlooked Xiao Ling's consistent character. Ever since she had known Xiao Ling, he had placed great importance on his foundation, and even as an alchemist, he rarely relied on external objects like pills to forcibly improve his cultivation.

With such a calm and composed mind, how could she gamble her future cultivation path for the sake of a sudden increase in strength? Once she understood this, Xun'er's last trace of worry vanished, and her gaze towards the center of the blood pool was filled with nothing but complete trust and expectation.

"Next, we just need to wait for the new blood to fully stabilize. This process will probably take a long time, so you can continue cultivating here."

Xiao Xuan spoke softly, his tone tinged with weariness. He then slowly closed his eyes, his withered hands still resting on the edge of the pool, maintaining the stable flow of his bloodline power.

Xun'er nodded slightly, then stared intently at Xiao Ling in the blood pool for a moment. Seeing that his breathing was stable and there were no further changes, she felt relieved.

She took out the semi-saint energy core that Xiao Ling had given her from her storage ring, held it in her palm, found a corner near the blood pool, sat down cross-legged, and then closed her eyes to enter a meditative state. (End of Chapter)