Lu Ye had an idea he needed to try, and he required some Blood Servants for assistance. Currently, he had only four Blood Servants under him; among them, only Ma Shangsi was at the Sun Blaze level, so naturally, he wanted to take this chance to recruit a few more.

At the spirit mountaintop, Lu Ye waited patiently.

One day passed, and guests came to visit.

Surprisingly, it was a few old friends Ma Shangsi had befriended in the Blood Jade World. There were not many, just six of them, all here because Ma Shangsi had sent them a message.

Lu Ye did indeed give Ma Shangsi the chance to choose nine candidates, but firstly, he didn’t have many close clanspeople in the Blood Jade World, and secondly, to become Lu Ye’s Blood Servant, one needed to have some strength. Those below Peak Moon Jade were not considered.

Among the six guests, one was Sun Blaze while the other five were Peak Moon Jade.

After the long separation, the six guests were naturally curious about Ma Shangsi’s experiences over the years and asked him questions. Ma Shangsi, however, remained mysterious and dodged their queries, opting to chat casually while they ate and drank.

After several rounds of drinks, Ma Shangsi observed his friends and noticed that although they had all improved in terms of strength over the years, they were still as frustrated as before. He immediately made a decision.

"Aren’t you all curious about how I managed to advance to Sun Blaze?" Ma Shangsi suddenly spoke.

"Senior Brother Ma is finally willing to speak?" A beautiful female Blood Race member reacted. She was one of the five Peak Moon Jade and was currently preparing to break into Sun Blaze. Unfortunately, her Bloodline was lacking, and she saw no hope of advancing. Ma Shangsi’s advancement could undoubtedly provide her some insight.

Among the group, she was the most eager to know.

The other Peak Moon Jade members, though not as desperate, were naturally interested in knowing more about such matters.

Even the Sun Blaze Blood Race member called Shern En was curious. He had managed to advance to Sun Blaze due to his outstanding talent, and based on what he knew about Ma Shangsi, his friend wasn’t expected to break through the Moon Jade constraints. Yet, here he was, returning as a Sun Blaze, which made him curious.

"There’s nothing I can’t share." Ma Shangsi smiled slightly, "Even if I can’t tell others, of course, I’m willing to reveal everything to you all."

This statement made the Blood Race members feel touched.

"Follow me then," Ma Shangsi said, after finishing the wine in his cup, and stood up to beckon them.

The Blood Race members followed him without any doubt.

Soon, underground in a secluded chamber, Ma Shangsi activated several restrictions, isolating the chamber from the outside.

The Blood Race members who followed saw how seriously Ma Shangsi was taking this matter, and couldn’t help but tense up. They vaguely sensed that the secret Ma Shangsi was about to reveal would be extraordinary.

After all, if it were just a simple explanation of how he advanced to Sun Blaze, there would be no need to be so mysterious.

Watching his friends’ expressions, Ma Shangsi smiled slightly and began to activate the Blood River Technique.

A bloody aura filled the chamber.

Ma Shangsi’s voice gradually rose, "The reason I could advance to Sun Blaze so smoothly is quite simple..."

As his voice fell, the saintliness he had concealed with secret techniques began to slowly unfold.

The Blood Race members’ faces changed, and Shern En exclaimed in shock, "Saintly Venerable?"

He could hardly believe his feelings at that moment. Within Ma Shangsi’s Blood River, saintliness only a Saintly Venerable could possess was being transmitted, and that saintliness was increasing rapidly, soon surpassing the level he had sensed in other Sun Blaze Saintly Venerables.

But... how was this possible?

Saint Blood was something strictly controlled by the upper echelons of the Blood Race. Every Saintly Venerable’s fall was meticulously recorded, the reasons traced, and the Saint Blood recovered.

If Ma Shangsi had coincidentally obtained and refined a drop of Saint Blood and achieved Saintly Venerable status, it would be understandable. However, a single drop of Saint Blood could never possess such intense saintliness.

How much Saint Blood would one have to refine to reach such a level?

Under such suppression of saintliness, even his Sun Blaze felt his blood Qi stagnate, and even if he exerted all his strength now, he could only perform at a level barely comparable to Peak Moon Jade.

If he was affected this way, those five Peak Moon Jade were even weaker, like limp creatures, barely supporting each other to avoid collapsing, faces showing a mix of fear and envy.

The fear came from the suppression of their Bloodline; the envy was for the extraordinary opportunity their friend received.

"Do you feel it?" Ma Shangsi tried to soften his voice. He had no ill intent towards his friends, but the bloodline suppression wasn’t something he could control.

They all nodded.

Shern En opened his mouth, seemingly about to ask something, but ultimately held back. He had intended to find out how Ma Shangsi advanced to Sun Blaze, thinking maybe he could gain some insights from Ma Shangsi’s method, but now seemed unnecessary to ask.

His heart felt heavy. Back then, he and Ma Shangsi, although powerful, held no real position in the Blood Jade World. Facing ordinary Blood Race members, they indeed felt superior, but facing any Saintly Venerable, they had to beg humbly.

Fortunately, he had advanced to Sun Blaze, improving his status somewhat. Ma Shangsi had ventured far away and now returned as a Saintly Venerable, making his own years wasted in the Blood Jade World seem utterly foolish in contrast.

"Do you... want it?" Ma Shangsi asked, his voice deep.

The few Blood Race members, whose minds were shaken, were momentarily stunned upon hearing this. Shern En instinctively asked, "Want what?"

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind, one he could hardly believe.

Ma Shangsi smiled faintly and raised a hand. Suddenly, six droplets of blood, shining with a golden hue, flew to each of their faces.

"If you want it, hurry up and refine it. Once refined, you will become Saintly Venerables!"

The six Blood Race members looked at the treasure blood that suddenly appeared before them, each like a starving wolf seeing tender meat, their breaths quickening.

Yet no one moved, because the treasure blood before them seemed to differ from the legendary Sacred Blood, though only slightly. Despite the difference, the saintliness contained therein was undeniable.

The most important thing was...

"Brother Ma, where did you get so much Sacred Blood?" Shern En’s lips were dry as he looked up at Ma Shangsi. It was one thing for his friend to have a strong saintly presence due to refining a considerable amount of Sacred Blood, but for him to still have extra in his possession was truly incredible.

Ma Shangsi smiled without answering.

Shern En didn’t inquire further, just looked at the treasure blood in front of him, his expression struggling yet filled with eagerness. He could feel his bloodline’s extreme desire for this droplet of Sacred Blood, a desire strong enough to obliterate his rationality, even though he knew that refining Sacred Blood was extremely dangerous. He was prepared to gamble everything.

And this desire would grow stronger with time!

This is an inevitable problem faced by Blood Race members tempted by Sacred Blood. All Blood Race know that refining Sacred Blood is dangerous; success leads to becoming a Saintly Venerable, high above, but failure means death and profound risk. Yet, no Blood Race can remain indifferent when confronted with Sacred Blood.

"I can’t care anymore!" He was still hesitating, but on the other side, a Blood Race member could no longer resist, reaching out to seize the golden treasure blood and, in one gulp, swallowed it whole.

Once the first moved, the second followed; in the blink of an eye, five Moon Jade seekers made their choice.

Shern En was still struggling, but since he didn’t leave immediately, his struggle was futile.

"Let’s fight!" He exclaimed, finally grasping the treasure blood and beginning to refine it. Years of yearning and pursuit lay before him; he truly couldn’t resist this temptation.

Ma Shangsi seemed prepared for this, and only then did he withdraw his Blood Technique, moving aside to quietly wait.

The next moment, terrible screams echoed in the chamber.

Ma Shangsi’s expression remained unchanged; he certainly knew the difficult process of refining treasure blood. But compared to refining true Sacred Blood, refining treasure blood had a significant advantage: it posed no fatal danger.

Over the years, not only had he repeatedly obtained treasure blood from Lu Ye, but so had Xiang Yin and her sister, and Dhing Beifeng, yet they were all alive and well. Each time they refined treasure blood, their saintliness grew richer, and their bloodline purer!

Time passed, and after a good half day, Shern En’s aura finally calmed, he opened his eyes slowly, his gaze full of joy.

He successfully refined the Sacred Blood, finally stepping into the ranks of Saintly Venerables!

Overcome with joy, he recalled the others and quickly turned to look, stunned at what he saw: "How can it be?"

His five friends were still alive, and judging by their states, evidently they were nearing the end of their refining process.

He had the highest cultivation, hence he finished the fastest.

"What I gave you is different from true Sacred Blood. Refining it is strenuous, but it won’t threaten your life." Ma Shangsi, who had unknowingly stood beside him, explained.

Shern En hesitated and asked, "Brother Ma, the source of this Sacred Blood is..."

"You’ll know soon," Ma Shangsi replied.

Shern En suppressed his confusion, quietly familiarizing himself with his now considerably denser bloodline. He finally understood why it was so difficult for ordinary Blood Race Moon Jade seekers to ascend to Sun Blaze. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

It’s certainly not a simple task. Even for Moon Jade of Saintly Venerable descent, success isn’t guaranteed for ascension to Sun Blaze, as it involves insight into one’s own bloodline—a process where Saintly Venerables have their advantages.

Now that he too had attained a Saintly Venerable body, his bloodline had grown significantly denser, making future cultivation certainly much more effective.

Moreover, he vaguely felt a kind of wondrous connection with a certain nearby position. Sensing this connection closely, Shern En’s face was filled with curiosity and doubt.

Another half day passed, within a side room, Lu Ye sat cross-legged, looking at the six figures before him.

Ma Shangsi stood beside him, bowing, "Master, they have all been brought."

Lu Ye nodded.

The six new Blood Servants, led by Shern En, were all gazing at him curiously.

Having refined his treasure blood, these Blood Servants now had an innate sense of awe and closeness towards Lu Ye, so even though it was their first meeting, they vaguely understood what had transpired.