Chapter 37: The Wonderful Uses of Blood

　　When he arrived at the holy land, Frey, who was stationed there, sensed Lide's presence the moment he used his Bloodline power, so he came to wait at the cave entrance early.

　　"Good day, Clan Leader,"

　　The somewhat aloof figure bowed deeply to Lide.

　　"Good day, take me to the blood pool. I need to feed,"

　　"Yes, Clan Leader,"

　　This would be Lide's first time feeding on blood. Although it had been soaked in the Holy Spirit and was now filled with magic power, one could even say it was no longer ordinary blood but a miraculous substance.

　　Nonetheless, he felt a little nervous inside.

　　Arriving at the blood pool and looking at the milky white liquid in front of him that resembled milk, Lide found it hard to believe this was once blood.

　　The radius of the Holy Spirit's preservation of the blood extended to 100 blades, covering the entire underground hall, so there was no need to drink directly from the blood pool.

　　The blood pool was established to let the blood get closer to the Holy Spirit; the closer it was, the richer the magic power attracted by the Holy Spirit.

　　On the right were more than a dozen stone-carved seats, and Lide followed Frey to sit down.

　　Another Bloodline member then brought a gemstone-studded vessel, filled it with blood from the blood pool, and placed it on the stone table before Lide.

　　Lide watched the milky white liquid ripple inside the round vessel.

　　Magic Blood

　　Restores 50 points of magic power after drinking

　　Increases Bloodline members' recovery speed by 1000%, and can heal injuries.

　　Explanation: Blood soaked in the holy object of the Bloodline, filled with incredible energy.

　　"Ah~"

　　Even though he had seen it before, Lide still felt a bit awed inside.

　　Blood soaked in magic could no longer be called blood. It was more like a magic potion exclusive to the Bloodline.

　　Its effects were even more powerful than a magic potion.

　　The guard beside him took out an exquisite white porcelain cup and filled it with the Magic Blood from the round vessel.

　　Then, respectfully handed it to Lide.

　　Lide received it with an outstretched hand.

　　Examining the cup of liquid that looked like milk, Lide sniffed it. It had a very refreshing scent, entirely lacking the stench of blood.

　　He drank it in one gulp.

　　Savoring the taste, he found it surprisingly tasteless, much like plain water, the only difference being a slightly thicker texture.

　　Once the Magic Blood reached his stomach, a surge of heat rose within his body, making him feel instantly comfortable and mentally invigorated.

　　The fatigue from flying from Green City to the castle vanished without a trace.

　　Perfect effect.

　　The guard beside him immediately refilled the cup.

　　The round vessel probably held about three cups, around 1000 milliliters in total, Lide estimated.

After drinking, the emptiness caused by not consuming blood for a long time faded away.

　　Magic Blood had a far stronger effect on Bloodline members than ordinary blood. He needed at least three times the amount of regular blood to achieve the same effect.

　　Moreover, a temporary buff appeared on his attribute panel.

　　Magic Surge: Greatly increases body and magic recovery speed, lasts for 30 minutes.

　　Although it lacked specific values, Lide felt that his magic recovery speed had increased by at least three times.

　　Truly remarkable Magic Blood.

　　Feeling completely rejuvenated, Lide smiled at Frey before him.

　　"Thank you, my child. The holy land is our root. When humans populate the castle, your tasks will become more strenuous,"

　　Frey shook his head, a proud expression hard to conceal on his aloof face.

　　"No, it is my honor to guard the holy land, Your Grace,"

　　Lide felt a bit helpless about his Bloodline members' habit of constantly changing their terms of address, calling him father, clan leader, ancestor, or Your Grace.

　　He did not bother correcting them, answering to whatever they called him.

　　"All right, I'll head out first. The Bloodline needs to prepare for the arriving humans,"

　　"Yes, Clan Leader,"

　　After taking a few steps, as if remembering something, Lide casually took a cup and filled it with blood from the pool.

　　He left the holy land with it.

　　He wanted to test how long Magic Blood could be preserved outside the Holy Spirit's range.

　　Leaving the holy land, Lide returned to his manor.

　　The two familiar guards greeted him, and he headed to his study.

　　Fifth floor.

　　The castle did not have a Mage Tower, so his manor was the tallest building.

　　Looking down from the window, he could see the southern district's boundary, a stretch of land untouched by human cultivation, its soil a fertile black.

　　Most buildings in the southern district were two stories, with only a few three-story structures, built for human habitation.

After the Bloodline lost the war with Green City a hundred years ago, humans living in the castle ceased to exist.

Lide gazed for a while, then shook his head, collecting his scattered thoughts, and pondered over the Magic Blood on the oak desk.

There was no doubt about the Magic Blood's benefits for the Bloodline. Could it also heal magic rebound?

Lide grew eager. Magic rebound had become his biggest setback in refining spells.

Even with his extreme magic affinity talent, repeated failures still resulted in significant backlash.

If magic rebound could be resolved, he would be able to try many bold ideas.

With a calm mind, he decided which spell to test.

Small Fireball Skill.

For a first-circle spell, the small fireball skill was among the most destructive but came with obvious drawbacks:

More than 60 magic nodes, a casting time of up to two seconds, and a slow flight speed—all these made the spell less favorable. However, its excellent destructive power still granted it a place among first-circle spells.

The art of explosion.

After modifying the Mage's Hand, Lide had set his sights on the small fireball skill. But its initial 60 magic nodes and the need for fire elements activation meant its rebound effects were exponentially more severe than Mage's Hand.

So, despite having ideas, he dared not proceed.

Now, with Magic Blood, he could give it a try.

Lide was never one to procrastinate. He started working immediately.

He summoned the magic model of the small fireball skill and began channeling spiritual power into it.

Small fireball skill required 15 points of magic power, the same as the 90-node modified Mage's Hand.

Lide had studied the small fireball's magic model hundreds of times. Based on his experience refining the Mage's Hand, he had a rough idea of these magic nodes' functions and effects.

He boldly removed three magic nodes and added six new ones.

Such bold moves would cause any orthodox mage to curse aloud. Each magic model node resulted from countless experiments; tampering with them only led to one outcome: model collapse and spell rebound.

Magic models were constructed in the spiritual sea, and spell rebound occurred when the magic model collapsed upon infusing magic power, resulting in an explosion of magic power in the spiritual sea.

Most mages suffered severe injuries from spell rebound, with mild cases resulting in stupidity and severe ones causing their brains to explode.

The spiritual sea was the most vulnerable and injury-prone area for mages. No mage dared to be as reckless as Lide, knowing that even one spell rebound could take years to recover from.

Nonetheless, neither the Bloodline Ancestor nor Lide received orthodox mage education. He had no idea the extent of his audacity.

The Bloodline Ancestor's spells accumulated over two hundred years, and Lide was naturally fearless, embarking on a reckless path unbeknownst to others.

"Boom~"

As expected, the small fireball skill's model collapsed under such drastic changes.

Although Lide repeatedly reduced the input of magic power, the fire element's explosion far exceeded the rebound effects of the Mage's Hand.

He spat a mouthful of blood, feeling as if his brain had been struck by a hammer, rendering him dazed.

Were it not for his resilient Bloodline, Lide would likely have turned into an idiot.

After a harrowing two minutes, the deliberately reckless Lide finally regained his senses, wiping his nose to find his hand covered in blood.

With a pained mind, Lide gulped down the cup of Magic Blood.

Once in his stomach, the Magic Blood began releasing a dense magical aura, instantly revitalizing his previously weakened body.

A refreshing coolness spread through his mind, causing his damaged spiritual power to rapidly recover.

In just a minute, Lide went from a nearly fatal magic rebound casualty to a perfectly restored state.

Gazing at the cup, Lide felt no fear of the rebound's aftermath but rather a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

He muttered to himself,

"This time, surely. Finally, I can fully commit to future refinements."