As soon as Han Li's body came into contact with the silver water in the pond, an azure light barrier emerged around him to part the water with ease.
Thus, Han Li slowly descended, and in the end, he was completely submerged in the pond.
As he continued to descend, the pressure in the pond began to increase rapidly, causing the azure light barrier to bend and warp slightly.
However, with Han Li's powers, he naturally paid no heed to this, and in the blink of an eye, he had already reached the section of the bottom of the pond where the fully bloomed Clean Spirit Lotus was situated.
He inspected the lotus flower within his light barrier momentarily, then flipped a hand over to produce a translucent jade box from his storage bracelet.
He then took a deep breath before swiping a finger toward the flower, and an azure thread shot forth out of his fingertip like lightning.
The azure thread quickly flew around the stem of the flower, and the flower itself was instantly detached before being propelled upward by the repelling force in the pond.
Han Li was already prepared for this, and he thrusted the jade box in his hand toward the lotus flower, upon which the lid of the box was removed, releasing a burst of golden light that swept the flower into the box in a flash.
The lid was then replaced, and the Clean Spirit Lotus was obtained.
Han Li had already learned about the flower's consumption method, and he knew that it had to be consumed while he was undergoing his transformation in the Spirit Cleansing Pond.
Thus, the jade box was stowed away, following which he made a hand seal, and countless golden arcs of lightning erupted out of his body amid a rumbling thunderclap.
The golden lightning instantly reduced his robes to nothingness, leaving him completely naked.
The proportions of his body were quite ordinary, but his skin was of a pristine white color and was giving off a faint sheen. [1]
Han Li then waved a hand toward the azure light barrier around him, and it immediately vanished amid a dull thump, allowing the silver pond water to instantly envelop his body.
In the instant that the water came into contact with his skin, bursts of turbulent spiritual power immediately flowed into his meridians through his pores, and it was surging into his body with such ferocity that he was given quite a fright.
He immediately calmed himself down, then began circulating his Provenance True Devil Arts through his meridians with all his might. With each revolution that was completed, most of the spiritual power that had surged into his meridians would be converted into magic power.
Even though this method of cultivation base enhancement was slower than absorbing the energy within those two mysterious beads, it was still extremely rapid nonetheless.
If he could keep this up for three days, then his cultivation base really would receive a massive boost.
However, he was aware that this rapid rate of magic power development was only a secondary benefit of bathing in the Spirit Cleansing Pond; the primary benefit that it could bring to him was its ability to completely reconstruct his body. That would be the key to whether he would be able to progress to the Grand Ascension Stage in the future.
At this moment, he could already feel spiritual power surging rapidly throughout his body, and a numb sensation had begun to develop in his meridians.
His bare skin, which was being exposed to the water in the pond, had also become very painful, as if he were slowly shedding his skin as part of an evolutionary process.
Han Li immediately sat down with his legs crossed at the bottom of the pond, then slowly closed his eyes.
Time gradually passed by, and after close to half a day had elapsed, a series of gashes had appeared on Han Li's skin, but strangely enough, not even a single drop of blood was being shed.
Furthermore, the mysterious energy within the water was infiltrating his blood, flesh, and bones, all of which were undergoing a transformation that was undetectable to the naked eye.
For the average person, this process would be so painful that they would rather die than endure it, but Han Li's physical constitution and willpower were both far superior to those of a normal person, so this was well within his tolerance range.
After a short while, Han Li suddenly opened his eyes before flicking his wrist, and the jade box that contained the Clean Spirit Lotus immediately appeared before him.
The lid of the box flew off on its own, and the lotus flower emerged.
Han Li opened his mouth to release a burst of azure light, which swept up a palm-sized flower petal before drawing it into his mouth.
He then closed his mouth, and the flower petal immediately melted into a sweet and fragrant liquid that flowed down his throat with ease.
A scorching sensation erupted within his dantian, then coursed through all of his meridians like a series of fiery snakes.
Han Li's brows furrowed reflexively, and an unnatural flush appeared on his face before spreading to his entire body within the span of just a few breaths.
In the next instant, his body temperature abruptly rose to 1,000 times of what it previously was, and a burst of scorching lava-like energy erupted from his body while also surging into his mind. He was caught completely off guard, and his consciousness immediately faded. The medicinal effect of just a single flower petal had knocked him out cold!
The burst of scorching energy continued to wreak havoc within Han Li's body, and his body temperature was still rising at an astonishing rate.
From a distance, it appeared as if Han Li's entire body had been set alight.
After a while, even nearby pond water was beginning to bubble and churn.
After an indeterminate amount of time had elapsed, Han Li finally awakened in a state of agony. At this point, his body temperature had already returned to normal, but he couldn't help but draw a sharp breath as he inspected his own body.
He had grown over a foot taller than he had been before, and his torn skin had been completely shed, revealing a layer of new silver skin that was writhing as it slowly took shape. Excruciating pain was spearing through every single inch of his body, but as he inspected his own internal condition with his spiritual sense, he was ecstatic to find that his bones had become noticeably thicker, and they were beginning to transition toward a purplish-golden color. Han Li quickly contacted the second Nascent Soul outside the pond, upon which he discovered that he had only been unconscious for less than four hours. This came as quite a relief to him, and he immediately consumed another flower petal.
Two days and two nights later, the tranquil mirror-like surface of the silver pond suddenly began to churn violently, following which a vortex with a diameter of around 10 feet emerged at the center of the pond.
The vortex began to release faint silver light, as well as countless purplish-golden runes.
At the same time, the ground around the pond began to tremor slightly, and countless balls of five-colored light emerged from the plants and soil before quickly converging to form a five-colored cloud that was around an acre in size.
Furthermore, the cloud was only continuing to expand, and it was also becoming brighter and brighter.
A burst of loud rumbling rang out from within the vortex, as if there were a terrifying monster wreaking havoc within the pond.
All of a sudden, a bolt of five-colored lightning crashed down from the massive cloud amid an explosive thunderclap before striking the vortex with unerring accuracy.
The entire pond was shaken amid an earth-shattering boom, and a purplish-golden pillar of light erupted out of the vortex, scattering the bolt of five-colored lightning before piercing through the center of the five-colored cloud.
The massive dazzling cloud rapidly shrank, and began to lose its luster, then scattered into countless balls of light again amid a dull thump.
The purplish-golden pillar of light quickly subsided, and peace and quiet returned to the pond.
The silver vortex at the center of the pond had also disappeared, and it was as if nothing had ever happened.
A long while later, the water at the center of the pond began to churn again, and a humanoid figure emerged before landing beside the pond; it was none other than Han Li, who had already undergone a complete transformation.
His facial features hadn't changed at all, but his skin was as translucent as jade and giving off a barely detectable silver sheen. He had grown over two feet taller, and his limbs had also elongated. His entire body seemed to have become broader and sturdier, striking one with a sense of immovability. Han Li did some stretches before abruptly clenching his hands into tight fists, and a string of cracks and pops immediately rang out from his joints. He then unleashed a casual punch toward a huge rock beside the pond, and he injected no magic power into the punch, so it was imbued with nothing more than his newfound strength.
A faint buzzing sound rang out from the space around his fist, and the air instantly funneled toward it, causing the space within a radius of over 100 feet to warp and blur violently.
An earth-shattering boom rang out, and a crater with a diameter of around 100 feet suddenly appeared beside the pond.
The huge rock had been reduced to dust in the process, and there was no longer any trace of it that could be found. Han Li was ecstatic to see this.
It wouldn't be noteworthy at all if he had accomplished this with an attack that was imbued with his magic power, but it was truly astonishing that he was able to do this with just his physical strength alone. After that, Han Li flicked a finger toward the silver water in the Spirit Cleansing Pond, and a streak of dazzling azure light immediately shot forth out of his fingertip before striking the surface of the pond in a flash.
In the next instant, a resounding boom rang out, and a massive wave that was around 50 to 60 feet tall erupted out of the pond.
1. IGT: Please author-san, I don't need to visualize it.
