"These fluctuations! It is at the peak of the early phase of Body Refinement! A peak third stage!"
Wade went pale in shock. He was not even a proper cultivator!
The silver serpent looked at him with hostility, its reptilian eyes coldly scanned his naked figure up and down.
'Why isn't it attacking?'
Wade had already taken a combat stance and prepared himself to wrestle with this giant serpent. But he wasn't an idiot and knew that his chances were slim. Running away was even more out of question since the serpent could close the distance instantly.
'I should have tortured that bastard a bit more!'
Wade ground his teeth.
'My father had taught me that these slithering bastards react to movement. So do I have to stay still and wait for it to swallow me whole?! With its gigantic maw that won't be a problem for it!'
After realizing that his emotions were getting out of hand, he instantly calmed his mind and looked straight into the serpent's eyes with an indifferent gaze. He wanted to appear non-threatening but also firm in his footing.
'Will you make the first move?'
The serpent stood still for a while but soon started to circle around Wade, leaving only a meter of space for him.
Wade prepared himself to act. No matter what, he had already thought of multiple escape plans!
Contrary to his expectations, the serpent didn't wrap around him. It didn't even form a full circle, leaving space between its head and tail.
Wade was puzzled by this but was then surprised by the serpent's sudden stop. Its cold eyes moved as if pointing somewhere.
Wade felt like it wanted to divert his attention but he still decided to take the gamble and look at the direction it signaled.
Unexpectedly, it was the same bloody pond.
He looked at the serpent strangely.
'Is it inviting me into the pond?'
Suddenly, the serpent's head appeared behind his back as it pushed him toward the pond.
Wade felt goosebumps all over his body.
'It can't get any more obvious! But why would it want it?'
Wade braced himself and slowly approached the bloody pond.
Just to be sure that it wouldn't dissolve him, he tore a single strand of hair out of his head and threw It into the pool.
He breathed a sigh of relief seeing that it didn't react and then slowly submerged his foot.
The moment he made contact, an extreme burning feeling shot up straight to his brain. But it didn't damage his foot, rather it stimulated every muscle in his body!
Wade forced himself to go deeper despite the extreme stimulation his nerves received. The most intense feeling was when he fully submerged his head. It felt like a million needles prickling at his pressure points, releasing tension and promoting blood flow.
'Kxh-, this is too much! I need to release this energy!'
Wade started to perform the exercises of devourer despite being fully submerged in the water. However, he soon ran out of breath under these intense exercises and swallowed a bit of bloody water.
'W-What? I can breathe here?!'
Shock overwhelmed his mind. He had never heard of a breathable liquid before!
Nevertheless, he didn't stop his movements and tuned in the breathing of devourer, increasing the effects much more.
His body heat increased as time went on. Despite the resistance of the liquid, he still managed to perform the movements to perfection.
On the shore, the silver serpent closely watched him with its unfeeling eyes.
———
Wade's mind floated in a trance.
Hours turned into days and days into weeks.
It took a total of two weeks for the black tar to secrete out of his body again, refining his flesh to another level.
'The water resistance feels so much weaker now!"
Wade jumped out of the pond, marveling at his chiseled muscles that reached a new level of strength.
'I should be comparable in physical strength to the peak first stage of Body Refinement!'
However, he soon remembered the recent events and turned to look at the silver serpent that lay coiled up in the corner.
Out of curiosity, he tried to approach it. However, the serpent instantly woke up after sensing his gaze.
Its emotionless yellow eyes observed him for a while before it slithered into the bloody pond, disappearing into its depths.
Wade felt confused.
'What was its goal in allowing me to use so much blood essence? Maybe something within my body nourished the pond further…'
There wasn't a definitive answer. It would probably remain a mystery until the end of time…or not.
———
"It sure took a while to reach Radan City."
Wade sat atop his horse on a grassy hilltop, overlooking the flat lush plains that surrounded a massive city.
Tall, bronze walls with grotesque demon-like face carvings stretched Into the horizon, obliterating the magical scenery.
"Those distorted faces… it must be a massive Kill Formation."
Wade pulled the reins, urging his horse to rush to the city before sunset. The horse tried to disobey as its legs quivered.
"Damn, this horse has become too cowardly. I am going to turn you into a shishkebab."
The moment it heard his words, the soon-to-be shishkebab Instantly took off toward the city.
"This is such a long queue."
Wade sighed, lining up behind a crate full of small hooded figures.
'Hmm, these must be children that are going to be selected as acolytes. Many of them will die before becoming of age and achieving the title of actual disciple.'
Those hooded children had a mixture of emotions. Some were frightened to the core while others had resigned to fate.
'There are a myriad of ways a cultivation organization can fill up their ranks. In fact, the most cruel elders of Blood Temple have to come from these acolytes.'
'All of them will suffer without exception. They will not live by dog eat dog law, but as slaves trying to prove their worth in the master's eyes.'
As Wade was musing about the philosophical shortcomings of cultivation society, screams of people echoed from the back as a massive chariot mowed through the line of people, uncaring that it was meat-grinding everyone.