Beast Blood Essence had always been a highly coveted but equally dangerous resource in the cultivation world.
These essences were a core part of a beast, teeming with their life force, their Qi, their unique aura, and sometimes, their will. They were the concentrated essence of the beast's power, its potential, and all its possibilities.
This also meant that these essences were rife with the beast's impurities, contaminated with aspects that were wholly incompatible with the human constitution. Doing so was akin to undergoing a blood transfusion with the wrong blood type.
Attempting to merge such an essence with oneself was a gamble that often yielded mixed results. It really all depended on the beast's condition at the time of death, the extraction process, the compatibility, and the refinement/purity of the bloodline.
Forcing incompatible beast Blood Essence into the human body, despite the potential power it held, was risky. The human constitution, at its core, wasn't naturally equipped to process and purify these substances, leading to side effects that could significantly hinder one's potential or slow down cultivation.
In some severe cases, it could cause unrepairable damage to one's cultivation base, the backlash proving too much for the individual's Qi and spiritual sense to withstand.
However, those were just extreme circumstances. There were many ways to stabilize and maximize the effects of absorbing a beast's Blood Essence. The best way is to find one you are wholly compatible with.
Impurities, leftover beast Qi and life force can all be dealt with later. As long as you choose a bloodline you're compatible with, the side effects will be limited and the benefits maximized, but naturally, things weren't that simple.
For a beginner cultivator, it wouldn't make sense to absorb a Rank 1, 2, or 3 beast bloodline. It'll hardly increase their strength, and their potential may even be limited because of it. However, finding and/or killing a beast of a higher rank than one's own potential was nearly impossible for most people.
Someone in the Foundation Realm isn't going to go killing dragons, after all. If they were capable of that, they wouldn't need a Dragon bloodline in the first place.
Everyone wanted bloodlines from high-ranked beasts with great potential, but almost nobody could get them.
Therefore, most people don't bother absorbing beast Blood Essences early in their cultivation journey as it simply wasn't worth it. Unless they got lucky, it was better to look for other avenues to get stronger.
Still, that didn't mean that absorbing beast Blood Essences wasn't useful. Doing so increased one's physical strength, elemental affinity, vitality, and more, depending on the beast.
It could even increase one's potential!
If someone's body was only capable of reaching the Core Formation Realm, but they absorbed a Phoenix bloodline, it would be as if they'd undergone a metamorphosis! They could reach the peak of the Mortal Realm and beyond!
It's just that the risks often outweighed the benefits for most people, so they didn't bother doing it.
But what if there were no side effects?
What if there were no impurities? No left-over Qi? No foreign aura?
What if someone was able to absorb a pure, unadulterated bloodline that would seamlessly merge with themselves as if it was made for them?
Aside from enjoying all of the advantages and none of the risks, they wouldn't be hindered by the potential of said bloodline.
Instead, as they increased their cultivation, they would eventually just outgrow the bloodline and move on from there. Then, as it slowly became useless, it would eliminate itself from the person's body, allowing them to take in another, stronger bloodline.
This would form a never-ending cycle of strength, where those doing it would always be ahead of their peers!
That's exactly what Mira has done.
By merging Celestial Nectar with the Beast Blood Essence, she had purified it, eradicating the impurities and dispersing the beast Qi. The resulting essence was a highly concentrated source of pure power and life force, stripped of the beast's aura and free of contamination.
It was a whole new beast, so to speak. A beast Blood Essence that was not only safe to integrate but also ready to perfectly fuse with the consumer's Qi. A potent, untamed power source that posed no risk of backlash or long-term harm.
Aelina, as the Sect Master, instantly recognized the profound implications of what she had just witnessed.
She could see it now!
A future where she herded the beasts like cattle, fattening them and their juicy bloodlines up to feed to all future generations of her Sect! With enough time, she could even carve a spot out of the Central Continent for herself, turning the Battle Maiden Sect into a supreme power that nobody dared to threaten or look down on!
'Ahhh~ How nice that would be~' Aelina sighed, almost moaning in satisfaction. 'Once I obtain enough strength, I could even shove a pike up those Central Continent fogey's puckered little assholes! A lesson in humility would do them some good. Hahaha~'
However, in the end, dreams are dreams. She could work toward them, but they couldn't change reality.
And the reality is, she doubted things would be so simple. Not to mention, most of this relied on Mira being willing to help her.
'Technically, I can do almost everything she just did with a similar level of skill, it'll just take me a lot longer, and it's not really worth it for most of the disciples I take in.' Aelina thought.
The Battle Maiden Sect was filled with the most talented women on the continent. They had to at least have the potential to reach the Soul Transformation Realm, preferably the Mortal Shedding Realm, to join.
Thus, only beasts with Sovereign, Mystic, or Divine Grade Bloodlines from Rank 8, 9, and 10 beasts were worthy of attention. With only the former two being realistically obtainable, but even then, it's not like they were in unlimited supply.
There was also the fact that the Battle Maiden Sect prided itself on breaking one's limits. If one of the disciples absorbed a bloodline that limited their potential, it'd be akin to destroying everything they worked for.
'But this changes things.' She believed, trying to keep her smile in check.
"So, since it seems we're on a similar wavelength, how often can you do something like this? What is that golden liquid? And can you teach me the method you used to do all this?" Aelina asked, getting straight to the point.
"If I had to guess, I could do a few dozen to a few hundred bloodline purifications a day, depending on the grade. That golden liquid was Celestial Nectar." Mira paused and tilted her head as if she was considering something before she said, "As for your last question… Only if you give or teach me something of equivalent value."
"Oh?" Aelina's eyes sparkled with amusement, "And what do you think I could offer that would be equal in value?"
With a glance, she could estimate the approximate value. With her cultivation, she could tell that whatever Mira used to extract the bloodline and merge the Celestial Nectar with it was similar in nature to her cultivation.
Ever since Mira had sat down, she'd felt something oddly… Harmonic about Mira's cultivation. She couldn't put her finger on why that was, but it was definitely amazing, even for her.
Hearing Aelina's question, Mira didn't even hesitate to lift her hand and point at the Sect Master.
"Hmm? Why are you pointing at me?"
"Your servitude."
"..."
"..."
Aelina understood what she meant by those words and turned silent, staring straight into Mira's eyes. Mira met her gaze, not an ounce of deceit in her eyes.
The atmosphere became tense before suddenly, Aelina broke the silence by chuckling.
"Fufufufu~"
To which Mira follow up with a laugh of her own.
"Hahaha~"
"Fufufufufu-Hahahaha!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Eventually, the two burst out laughing for a while before suddenly, they stopped. Everything went quiet, the two of them still reeling in from their outbursts, until finally, one of them broke the tense silence.
"In about half a year, the selection for this century's Prime Disciple will begin." Aelina suddenly said, ignoring Mira's previous 'offer'.
"I see…" Mira nodded, "What are the conditions for winning?"
"You'll know in six months."
"I bet it has something to do with the beasts," Mira said, causing Aelina's smile to widen, but she didn't say anything. "I suppose you intend to stir the pot a little, knowing the potential of the Celestial Nectar."
"You could say that." Aelina nodded with a chuckle.
Seeing that Aelina had no desire to continue talking, Mira soon lost interest in this topic and decided to move on to something else, "If that's the case, then I think I should visit Maria sometime soon before things get busy again."
"That little wife of yours? The one with the great healing techniques?"
Mira nodded at Aelina's question.
"...I almost forgot about her." Aelina muttered, then said, "Well, that's fine. You can leave whenever you want. In fact, why don't you bring her back with you? I know you sent her away for her safety, but she's welcome back any time. I won't even make her go through another Entrance Exam or anything. That's the least I can do for you."
"That depends on her." Mira shrugged.
Maria leaving was less about her safety and more about her journey to find herself. If she wanted to come back, Mira would be more than happy with that decision, but if she didn't, then so be it.
The atmosphere became silent again, as neither of them had anything else to talk about.
"If that's all, then I'll take my leave," Mira said as she got up from her chair.
Aelina nodded silently, watching Mira begin to make her way down the mountain before she said, "Don't die out there."
Mira just waved and continued walking.
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