Star Gate

Chapter 56: The Calm Before the Storm (I)

This was the blood bank of the human body! But at the same time, Li Hao’s blood wasn’t gushing out due to a broken spleen. It was more like the organ was too full and expunging everything due to overeating. It came with a powerful feeling!

Under normal circumstances, a rush of blood only came with the amount of energy that the body needed. This time, however, it felt like the adrenaline rush associated with intense exercise. His blood thundered hotly and set the young man on fire! If Li Hao took his blood pressure now, it would undoubtedly top the charts.

Rush rush rush…

A small river flowed through his veins, accompanied by the actual sound of babbling water. Stunned and surprised, Li Hao noticed that his spleen seemed to be changing! So the ball of yellowish-brown was transforming and… strengthening his spleen?

“The energy of earth? The spleen? Strengthening?” the young man murmured to himself. In comparison, the mysterious energy pounding through his blood vessels seemed far less important. Something new was afoot.

However, he quickly found out the consequences of giving free rein to mysterious power in his body.

“Help!!” he shrieked. The door banged open and the team members jumped with shock at what they saw!

Li Hao was a person of blood, it seeped out of his skin! Blood bubbled out of every pore and his orifices flowed freely.

“Nothing happened the first time, so why is this occurring now?” Liu Long gasped. “This level of blood loss… Yun Yao!”

It was too much! It looked like all of the young man’s blood was bubbling out of his body. He’d die to his own devices if this continued, wouldn’t he?!

Yun Yao swiftly stepped forward, gentle energy rising out of her palm. She frowned as soon as she touched Li Hao. This was a bit odd.

“Are you feeling weak?” she asked solemnly.

“No… I feel… really excited!”

Yun Yao’s frown deepened and she continued her examination.

“You… are making new blood at an incredibly fast pace!” An odd look crept onto her face. “It feels more like a blood transfusion to me! There was too little energy in your bloodstream before, which meant that it supplied you with insufficient energy. But right now, your spleen is operating at an incredible pace and creating new blood infused with powerful energy!”

This was what she found incredible—Li Hao seemed to be undergoing a blood transfusion!

However, Liu Long’s expression flickered with hesitation. “Are you sure? A blood transfusion? Stronger blood replacing weaker blood happens to both martial masters and supernaturals, but it normally occurs at the Dominator or Sunflare level. He’s just a Slayer… how can he refresh his blood? Where does such a powerful mechanism come from? Take a closer look, don’t let him die from blood loss!”

Li Hao was simply losing too much blood! Yun Yao immediately conducted another examination as she also thought she was mistaken. It was then that the young man’s blood flow began to slow down.

“It’s not internal bleeding or broken blood vessels.” The team doctor frowned after a second passthrough. “It’s simply a normal purge! He’s somewhat weak after this renewal, but only because it consumed too many resources to create so much blood. This… really is a blood transfusion!”

She was certain of her conclusion—what was with Li Hao?

The young man in question was equally baffled, despite having guessed at the truth. He had no choice but to sob through a bloody face, “I have no idea! I started bleeding after I absorbed the earth energy. It scared the crap out of me! Chief, is this what happens with all attributed energy?”

“……” Liu Long finally relaxed upon seeing that Li Hao could still talk, and with a great deal of energy. “No… you’re the only one this has happened to,” he answered hesitantly. “Other people bleed, but not from a blood transfusion. You’re… a weird one! Stronger blood has replaced weaker blood, instilling your body with greater energy and explosive force. A similar occurrence happened to me when I reached Sunderer of Hundreds—I also sensed the strength in my blood rise. However, that was much fainter and not anywhere near as exaggerated as yours!”

It seemed that Li Hao had fully refreshed every drop of blood in his body! This was attainable by only Dominators of Thousands, what was with the boy? And through attributed energy? This was all too bizarre!

Liu Long didn’t fully understand it as mysterious power was too unknown. He had no idea what to say.

Off to the side, a very complicated look suffused Liu Yan’s eyes and she complained, “Chief, does this mean that the little guy is even stronger after his blood has been renewed?”

“I think so!” Liu Long nodded and stiltedly looked in Li Hao’s direction.

Fuck this shit! Why?? The kid made Slayer of Tens on day one and refreshed his blood on the second. Is he gonna break through to Sunderer tomorrow before he’s finally satisfied? How about Dominator the day after that??

The other five in the treasury looked at Li Hao with gleaming eyes, even Yun Yao. What they would give to dissect Li Hao to understand the situation! This was the first time any of them encountered this!

Covered in blood, the young man shook from the implications. A blood transfusion attainable by only Dominators? I really don’t know anything about this. Maybe my spleen’s function has grown stronger after it’s reconstructed. Maybe it’s bigger and filled with more energy… but I don’t know why this is either!

Is this the effect of attributed energy? No one ever told me about this possibility!

The current Li Hao was small and weak. Stop looking at me, guys! You’ll want to eat me alive before the scarlet shadow gets to me if you keep looking at me like that!

Attributed energy… reconstruction… A wild thought rose in Li Hao’s mind and he wanted to run the risk of great impudence to ask, “Chief, can you give me the rest of the eight cubes?”

But it only flashed through his mind. If he dared voice it aloud, the others would beat him to death on the spot. He didn’t dare think about the remaining cubes and to be frank, they were too weighty.

All he wanted to do at the moment was to grow stronger as fast as possible. Liu Long had mentioned that every five to six cubes was the equivalent of one fallen team member. He’d already absorbed four.

The chief had voiced only truth to Li Hao since the young man joined the Demon Hunters. The situation was clear from the start—he was bait. Giving four cubes of mysterious power to cannon fodder amply demonstrated Liu Long’s sincerity. Here was a person who schemed when necessary, but was otherwise on the level when circumstances called for it.

There was no need to give anything to someone whose function was to just lure out the mastermind. Any gifts would more than likely go to waste since the timeline was so heavily truncated. If Li Hao had been an ordinary person, he wouldn’t begin to touch the threshold of Slayer after absorbing four cubes. They were that short on time!

Thus, Li Hao skipped over his crazy question and continued reflecting on what made this instance of absorption different from the others.

Cosmic power… doesn’t neutralize attributed power. It distills the attribution within. This was a marked difference from unattributed mysterious power. When it came to the latter, cosmic power neutralized the destructive tendencies. As it split out the properties of attribution, the new ball of energy lost its offensive characteristic and transmuted into unique nurturing.

This sounded similar to cosmic power, but was different. Cosmic power enhanced the entire body, whereas attributed power enhanced the organs. Judging from the earlier instance, the five elements corresponded to the five major organs. Different attributes strengthened different organs.

Once more, the uniqueness of cosmic power was made apparent. But was Li Hao the special one or the energy within the jade sword? Regardless, there was no doubt that different effects took place when he absorbed mysterious power.

……

“How do you feel?” Liu Long suddenly asked as the young man pondered over new findings.

“I feel a little… weak!” Li Hao smiled ruefully. Whether it was a blood transfusion or internal purging, he’d lost a lot of blood. Although he could sense that his body was swiftly replacing it, there was still a slight weakness.

“Out with the old and in with the new, this is good!” Liu Long nodded with approval, then sighed, “I think I know why Yuan Shuo accepted you as a disciple!”

The sword of the Lis… Does Yuan Shuo know about it? Was there something special about the Li clan? Were they the descendants of ancient supernaturals and accordingly carried rare markers in their bloodlines?

So many questions! Liu Long was certain, however, that Li Hao was a genius. The young man brought a different perspective to the table each time and he improved too quickly. This wasn’t something that anyone who absorbed mysterious power could attain. Only the Heaven Favored within the Night Watchers could rival Li Hao.

The Heaven Favored… were they people like Li Hao?

According to studies made by the organization, this exceptional cohort born with supernatural abilities were very likely descended from supernatural ancestors. Their supernatural locks were unlocked at birth!

Li Hao seemed different from that.

“Li Hao, can you feel your supernatural locks?” Liu Long suddenly asked.

The young man gave it some thought and nodded. “I vaguely sense their existence when I absorb energy.”

“Ah!” Liu Long sucked in a sharp breath and dismissed some conjectures. His surprised exclamation stemmed from Li Hao being able to sense his locks so quickly, and his dismissal was tied to the presence of locks within the young man.

So Li Hao’s ancestors weren’t supernatural? But the sword of the Lis was plainly a supernatural object!

Has his family declined because they’re too far removed? Being the descendent of an ancient supernatural doesn’t automatically make one Heaven Favored either. Perhaps Li Hao is one with weaker potential, so his locks weren’t undone at birth?

This might be the only possible explanation.

“Being able to sense your locks so quickly means you’re a genius! But remember, you’re only a genius and not Heaven Favored. That particular group is born with their locks resolved!” Liu Long laughed self-deprecatingly, “Although I don’t think they’re truly favored by the heavens, the truth is that they have many more advantages compared to us. They’re inherent supernaturals and will instinctively grow stronger with time, even if they don’t cultivate!”

How it induced envy!

Heaven Favored are born without locks? Li Hao turned the idea over in his mind. That made cultivation so much easier without that step in the way. Just look at how much effort Liu Long and the others were going through to open their locks!

Meanwhile, the young man knew that he was no genius. His locks were well and present. They completely sealed him off like chains, cordoning off all of the vital areas of his body!