Chapter Two: A Complete Transformation

A sudden anomaly erupted in the blood pool!

Shi Yan stood waist-deep in the pool, but the blood within seemed to awaken, twisting like vines that climbed his body. In mere seconds, he was enveloped, every inch wrapped tightly by the blood. The red liquid transformed into serpentine coils, winding ever tighter, encasing him within a giant cocoon of blood.

Agonizing pain surged through him; his mind felt as though it was being torn apart by knives, a torment beyond endurance. It was as if countless tiny insects burrowed into his flesh through every pore, gnawing at his bones and organs, bringing a suffering as if he were being flayed alive.

Shi Yan was blinded and mute, unable to move or cry out. Strange streams of liquid flowed slowly along his veins, like tiny rivulets. Wherever they passed, the unawakened meridians inside him felt as if they were shredded, the liquid splitting rapidly, pouring with wild abandon into each of his seven hundred and twenty acupoints.

He sensed those acupoints suddenly expand, growing impossibly large. They alternated between scorching heat and biting cold, a discomfort beyond words. The stabbing pain in his mind intensified; in a haze, Shi Yan glimpsed his acupoints changing under the influence of the mysterious liquid. Each acupoint became a tiny vortex, spinning madly.

Threads of crimson liquid flowed into these vortexes, seemingly digested instantly, becoming part of them. As the vortexes absorbed more, they grew larger, and their digestion quickened.

Perhaps the pain overwhelmed him, but in his dazed state Shi Yan felt his body transform into a vast container. The strange liquid that flooded in through his pores was altering him in ways he could not fathom.

More precisely, it was changing the seven hundred and twenty acupoints within him!

As this realization dawned, an unbearable agony suddenly exploded in his mind, wiping out all consciousness. Shi Yan blacked out instantly.

***

He did not know how much time had passed before he slowly awoke again.

He immediately noticed that the pain in his mind and body was gone, and the strange liquid flowing within him had vanished. Carefully sensing his condition, he found everything seemed normal, except for a faint lingering ache in his acupoints.

Then, he felt a warm stream, like a small snake, moving through his veins. After a cycle, his body felt comfortable, and his limbs seemed stronger.

Essence!

Shi Yan’s heart leaped as he realized the blood pool had granted him a benefit: the essence that only warriors possessed, flowing like a serpent through his meridians.

From the other Shi Yan’s memories, he knew essence was the source of power for warriors in this world, the foundation for unleashing powerful martial skills.

Depending on the strength of essence and the level of cultivation, warriors were divided into ten realms: Postnatal, Prenatal, Human Rank, Hundred Tribulations, Earth Rank, Nirvana, Heaven Rank, Divine Communication, True God, and God King. Each realm comprised three levels.

Warriors were the strong in this world, and the greatest distinction between them and ordinary people was the presence of essence within their bodies. As long as someone possessed even the slightest amount of essence, they could be called a warrior.

Many lived their whole lives without ever gaining essence. But once someone did, they could strengthen it through diligent cultivation. Thus, any warrior with essence held a place in this world.

Feeling the faint essence flowing within, Shi Yan finally felt a measure of peace. Even if he could not return home, at least he would not starve in this world.

Relaxing, he soon noticed the cocoon of blood still tightly wrapped around him.

Shi Yan struggled to break free.

“Rip!”

The cocoon split open, and Shi Yan leaped out. He looked around and saw he was still in that peculiar stone cave, surrounded by piles of white bones.

Yet the blood pool had dried up—every drop gone!

Only dozens of fractured bones remained in the emptied pool; the thick red liquid had vanished without a trace.

A giant cocoon of blood stood at the center of the pool, thin as a cicada’s wing, shimmering with a faint glow. But as he glanced at it, flames ignited from below, growing quickly and consuming the bones as well. In moments, both cocoon and bones were reduced to dust.

In the dry pool, brilliant red light shone, revealing a simple, ancient ring engraved with intricate blood patterns, lying quietly in the center.

Shi Yan gazed at the strange ring, sensing it had a connection to the blood pool. Hesitating, he picked it up and slipped it onto the ring finger of his left hand.

A warmth radiated from the ring, and instantly, Shi Yan felt as though his blood was linked to it, as if the ring had become part of his body. The faint essence within him surged uncontrollably toward the dark red ring. The essence rushed to his skin but was blocked by the flesh of his ring finger, unable to enter the ring.

Startled, Shi Yan realized the ring was strange and tried to remove it, but it was firmly attached, as if rooted, and would not budge no matter how hard he pulled.

The essence could not break through the barrier and soon calmed, sinking back into his abdomen. The ring’s red glow faded, and the warmth dissipated.

After flexing his fingers and finding nothing unusual, Shi Yan paid it no further mind. He looked around and pondered.

Soon, he drew a startling conclusion—the blood pool’s liquid had all entered his body!

The pool was ten square meters, not large, but contained several tons of blood—more than enough to drown an elephant, let alone be absorbed at once.

Shi Yan’s face darkened. He instinctively glanced at himself, wondering if he had become bloated.

But the sight shocked him again!

Not only was he not bloated, his body was even thinner than before—skin and bones, his clothes several sizes too large, his limbs devoid of flesh, his whole form resembling a skeleton draped in skin.

To call him emaciated was an understatement; he looked like a shriveled mummy.

Shi Yan’s expression grew grim. Not only had the blood pool failed to return him to his familiar world, it had brought him this bizarre transformation.

“Gurgle! Gurgle!”

His stomach rumbled hungrily; Shi Yan suddenly felt he could devour an entire elephant.

The cave was littered with corpses, but nothing edible. He glanced at the dry blood pool, realizing he might never return home.

He searched for a weapon to take with him. He remembered the guards fighting, the clash of blades and steel, but after circling the cave, he found all weapons had corroded away, none were usable.

Helpless, Shi Yan left empty-handed, exiting through the passage.

***

The air was humid, the heat oppressive, and the sound of flowing water came from afar. Towering ancient trees rose dozens of meters high, their dense foliage forming a canopy that blocked the sunlight, with only a few stubborn rays reaching the wet ground.

This was the Dark Forest, and upon emerging, Shi Yan understood his location from the original owner’s memories.

The forest was vast, its trees so dense that sunlight rarely penetrated, leaving the woods perpetually dim and damp even by day—hence the name.

The Dark Forest lay at the center of the Merchant Alliance, Fire Empire, and Divine Blessing Empire. The Merchant Alliance bordered the north, Divine Blessing Empire to the south, with the forest separating them. Fire Empire lay to the west. Any caravan traveling between nations had to pass through the Dark Forest.

Demonic beasts were common here, with sixth- and seventh-level creatures not unusual. But the caravans, mercenaries, and warriors traversing the forest were familiar with its dangers; the most formidable beasts kept to specific territories, while only the lesser ones roamed freely.

Generally, caravans following established routes avoided high-level beasts, and rarely met trouble. Only those specifically seeking out powerful creatures—mercenaries and warriors—risked deadly encounters.

High risk brought high rewards. Anyone who slew a sixth- or seventh-level beast in the forest earned a fortune in crystal coins. At level six, beasts possessed monster crystals—valuable to warriors, alchemists, and artifact makers alike.

Beyond crystals, beast hides, fangs, bones, even venom, were valuable; high-level beasts were treasure troves.

Thus, fearless warriors and mercenaries often ventured here, seeking riches. But only a few succeeded, as most underestimated the beasts’ intelligence and strength, ending up as prey instead.

Shi Yan emerged from the stone cave, surveyed his surroundings, and heard noisy voices from the direction of the water, all centered on women, with frequent lewd laughter.

As he hesitated whether to investigate, he noticed a faint rustling in a nearby thicket, as if someone was stirring the leaves.

His gaze instinctively shifted that way.

Within the thicket, a graceful woman loosened her plain white belt, squatted with her back to him, exposing her pearly white curves. One hand waved to drive away pesky insects, while she cheerfully relieved herself.

Unaware of his presence, she hummed a tune amid the sound of water, clearly in good spirits.

Shi Yan stared for a moment, then, unabashed, let his eyes wander over her dazzling whiteness, marveling at how enchanting even her figure was, wondering what her face looked like.

Suddenly, she slapped her smooth left hip, killing a bold mosquito. Her flesh contracted sharply, then rippled temptingly as she withdrew her hand, its elasticity captivating Shi Yan.

Reluctantly, Shi Yan watched as she finished, fastened her belt, muttering, “Damn mosquitoes…”

Without warning, she spun around, electric arcs flickering between her palms, enveloping the swarm of mosquitoes behind her. With a crackling sound, every insect was instantly slain.

As she turned, her face was revealed: a moonlit beauty, around twenty years old, about one meter sixty-eight tall, exquisitely alluring, slender waist, full chest, graceful curves. She wore a pale purple undershirt and silver-gray soft armor, which hugged her body but could not conceal her stunning figure, like a legendary wild fox.

Shi Yan’s gaze burned as he studied her, thinking she rivaled the most beautiful celebrities of his own world.

As his eyes lingered greedily on her shape, the beauty suddenly tensed, her eyes finding his through several broad banana leaves.

Her gaze sharpened like an arrow!

…

ps: Recommendations, favorites, rewards—give them all, hehe ^__^.