Borrowed Sword

Chapter 301 : Entering the Imperial Pool

Chapter 301: Entering the Imperial Pool

At the far end of the Imperial Pool, there lingered a hazy, swirling mist.

That was a formation set up by the Female State Preceptor, along with a breath-concealing technique.

Since Chu Huaixu had been quite far from her to begin with, he did not notice her presence at all.

Seated upon a meditation cushion, with only a dudou remaining on her upper body, the woman carefully observed the young man in the distance.

Previously, within the Academy, Lin Qingci had merely swept her Divine Sense over him casually.

But now that she examined him closely—how should she put it—he was indeed far more handsome than Qin Xuanxiao.

Her entire cultivation, or rather, everything she possessed, had all been bestowed by the Ancestor Emperor.

Or perhaps it could be said that the life she had been manipulated into was also because of him.

At this moment, as Lin Qingci looked at Chu Huaixu, it was as if she saw an exit to her life—saw a hope for liberation.

All she needed was to engage in an act of fish-and-water union with this body, to pour everything she had cultivated through the 《Bridal Garment》 technique, along with the Origin Power within her body, into his body.

Then, she too would welcome a new life.

In fact, Lin Qingci was already imagining where she would go after leaving the Imperial Capital.

She could not think of an answer.

She did not know where she should go—she only knew she did not wish to remain here.

“Anyway, when the time comes, I’ll just use a secret method to seal off part of my consciousness.”

“Then, after taking the aphrodisiac, I’ll act purely on bodily instinct.”

“I’ll just treat it as being bitten by a dog,” Lin Qingci thought.

The cultivation method 《Bridal Garment》 had its own unique characteristics.

Just as the Emperor-level Divine Sense had said, it required both body and mind to cooperate.

Obtaining a woman’s primal yin would bring immense benefits.

However, it had to reach the peak of pleasure.

Lin Qingci remained seated at the farthest point, quietly observing Chu Huaixu.

The Emperor-level Divine Sense within her body did the same.

But after a while, her emotionless eyes—once as still as an ancient well—suddenly shifted away subconsciously.

The always composed expression on her face now revealed a trace of awkwardness.

Because Chu Huaixu was preparing to enter the first pool.

According to the rules, before entering the Imperial Pool, one could only wear the blood-colored crystal necklace; everything else had to be removed.

And although he had not pursued the route of exaggerated musculature—

The refined physique of a body cultivator was self-evident.

Even he himself sometimes felt that his physique was practically a walking work of art!

“If this were on Earth, I’d have to get the best artist to sculpt me a statue!”

“Too perfect.” Chu Huaixu often thought this.

What he did not know was that at this moment, there was also “someone” making a similar remark.

The voice of the Ancestor Emperor sounded within Lin Qingci’s mind.

“In this era, body training is a slow, grinding process.”

“In my time, when wars never ceased, body cultivators were tempered on the battlefield instead—producing quite a number of strong individuals.”

“This child cultivates both sword and body, yet has tempered his physique to such a solid degree.”

“Even with my standards, I have never seen a body cultivator more perfect than him.”

“Whether it is due to the Dao Ancestor’s 《Dao Canon》 being truly unparalleled, or that this child is naturally suited for body training, I cannot say.”

Lin Qingci could tell that the Ancestor Emperor was becoming increasingly satisfied with this body.

If she was honest with herself, she too felt that compared to Chu Huaixu, Qin Xuanxiao—aside from carrying the Qin family’s blood—was completely outclassed in overall qualities.

Inside this coffin-like stone structure, there were a total of ten Imperial Pools.

Chu Huaixu knew that according to the rules, he had to enter them in sequence.

Wearing the blood-colored crystal necklace, he slowly stepped forward, entered the Imperial Pool, and sat down to soak.

The water temperature was rather hot.

“Damn, this really feels like a bathhouse,” he thought.

Some bathhouses were exactly like this—the water so hot that one couldn’t sit down in a single motion.

Not long after soaking, he felt a warm current begin to arise within his body.

On his Character Panel, his Experience Points began to increase.

However, the rate of increase was not as fast as he had expected.

Every so often, it only rose by a few hundred points.

“At this level, it’s not much different from soaking in a medicinal bath,” Chu Huaixu thought.

But this was only the first Imperial Pool, so he was not anxious—he assumed the effects would gradually increase later.

Right in front of him stood a stone platform.

Embedded in the platform were ten pearl-sized beads.

At this moment, the first bead had already lit up, emitting a faint glow.

Chu Huaixu knew that these beads could essentially be understood as an evaluation standard.

The higher the absorption level, the more beads would light up.

If all ten lit up, it meant the absorption had reached its limit.

According to the rules, if in any Imperial Pool your absorption did not reach six beads, then you would not be allowed to enter the next one.

If the foundation was not solid and one continued forward, it would lead to death by body explosion.

“I’ve heard that when Qin Xuanxiao first entered the Imperial Pool, the first three pools all reached ten beads; pools four to six reached nine beads; and pools seven to nine reached eight beads.”

“During his second entry, the first five pools all reached ten beads, while pools six to nine reached nine beads.”

That was already the most outstanding performance in the past several hundred years.

“It seems that the Female State Preceptor of Moon Country had results similar to Qin Xuanxiao’s first entry, except that her ninth pool only reached seven beads,” Chu Huaixu thought.

Come to think of it, this place seemed very suitable for Little Xu, that medicine jar.

He felt that if Little Xu were here to absorb the energy within, he might even max out all the way through.

At this moment, Chu Huaixu did not even bother closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

He simply kept his eyes open, looking at the beads on the stone platform as they lit up one after another.

Very quickly, all ten beads were illuminated.

Chu Huaixu checked the 【Cultivation Method Experience】 on his Character Panel—it had increased by a total of 5000 points.

“Pitifully little,” he thought.

For his current level 37, five thousand Experience Points were already insignificant.

In the distant mist, Lin Qingci showed no surprise upon seeing all ten beads lit.

For the Xuanhuang Champion, if he could not achieve full absorption in the early pools, that would be the real anomaly.

Seeing that Chu Huaixu was about to rise from the Imperial Pool, she did not turn her head, only slightly averting her gaze.

However, just as the young man had risen halfway, he suddenly sat back down again.

“Hm?” the Ancestor Emperor voiced his confusion.

Chu Huaixu had already reached ten beads of absorption; continuing to soak would yield no further benefit.

To gain effects again, he would have to return after two years.

Qin Xuanxiao’s two entries into the Imperial Pool had indeed been separated by exactly two years.

Hearing the Ancestor Emperor’s voice, Lin Qingci refocused her gaze on the young man.

If he continued soaking, it couldn’t be because he simply found it too comfortable, could it?

The two of them began to wait quietly for his next move.

Then, they saw that at the center of Chu Huaixu’s brow, a golden mark began to appear—

And within his pitch-black eyes, blazing golden flames suddenly ignited, as though they were burning inside his pupils!