Chapter 201 Blood Index
'There are five levels in this technique: Blood Index, Blood Fingers, Blood Fist, Blood Claw, and Blood Shockwave.
You must have reached the second level in the Blood Refinement Art to train this skill and develop Blood Energy. That already is an absurdly high requirement for a Wave Warrior since the second level was supposed to be exclusive for Wave Champions, and that is just the beginning.
I must condense my Blood Energy, channel it into my hand, and then use it to manipulate the molecular structure, exponentially enhancing strength and durability.
Blood Hand generates immense pressure on the cultivators' bodies. I can train the first two levels as a Wave Warrior. However, there is a way to begin the third level before becoming a Wave Champion: by achieving Flawless Marrow.'
Cain took out his Ego Wave from the starry gem the next second as he analyzed all he had just learned. Blood Hand was simply too fantastic, and the power it could provide for Wave Warriors and Wave Champion was off the charts, so it was the requirements and complexity of the skill.
Suddenly Cain's eyes widened as he stared at the starry gem. Now that his Ego Wave was out of it, he found himself unable to cultivate the technique. The words were still in his mind, but they lacked the insights and perception of the person that engraved them.
Cain could not train without the starry gem. If he wanted to share his knowledge with someone else, it would be impossible without handing it over. Asking Cain to explain Blood Hand to someone else would be like asking him to explain a rainbow to a blind man. He would not know where to start.
'Is this the might of a Saint Technique?' Cain could not help but wonder if all Saint Technique were as profound and strong as the one he was currently holding.
Not wanting to waste any more time in useless thoughts, Cain sent his Ego Wave back into the starry gem while at the same time bringing out of his space ring several Wave Champion Beast's hearts.
The amount of Blood Energy needed to train Blood Hand was much greater than the one that Cain currently had inside his body, so unless he wanted to use his own blood, he would have to use that of the beasts he had killed over the past month.
Cain put his left hand over the pile of Wave Champion Beast's hearts while raising his right index finger. He devoured the blood essence of the hearts and transformed it into Blood Energy. Then he condensed it before channeling it into the right hand's index finger.
While Cain was training Blood Hand, three figures were thousands of meters in the sky, watching over him. They were not other than Zarak, Jonathan, and Bloodless #4.
Zarak and Jonathan were pale, and it was clear they had not fully healed from the battle that happened over a month ago. Still, their vitality was calm, making it clear it was just a matter of time before their bodies fully recovered.
Bloodless #4, on the other hand, seemed perfectly fine. He received great injuries during the battle against the duo, but his body and regeneration abilities were so powerful that he was at his peak again.
Jonathan had his hand over Zarak's shoulder, using the Ego Wave of this one to look at Cain. Bloodless #4's eyes glowed with Blood Energy that allowed his sight to gain supernatural power, granting him the ability to stare at Cain as if this one was in front of him. The group's attention was completely fixed on Cain, with no concern for anything else. Unbeknownst to the young man, the success of this task would have a significant impact on his progress in the Astral Rebirth Path of Power.
Saint Techniques were more than just skills with great offensive power. Everything above the Wave Champion Rank involved them.
"Blood Hand is considered a core technique of Blood Sea. I am surprised you handed it over to the boy just like that."
Bloodless #4 showed nothing on his face, but there was a meaningful light in his eyes as he glanced at Jonathan.
"I can see by that boy's moves that he practices the Aegon Family's Void State. That skill is even more precious than Blood Hand."
Jonathan showed a small smile before shaking his head.
"I only imparted the first level of the technique. I do not have the authority to hand over the part of Void State classified as a Saint Technique."
"I see."
Bloodless #4 nodded and better understood Cain's relationship with the Amos Family. Since the other party explained things, he will do the same. "I would have handed Blood Hand after reaching Blood Sea to test his talent. Since you are unwilling to let me bring him with me, I have no choice but to do the test here."
Zarak and Jonathan exchanged awkward smiles upon hearing that. They had noticed during their confrontation with Bloodless #4 that the man was able to use all his power without overexerting himself, unlike them. If Bloodless #4 had been willing to endure some damage to his cultivation, he could have killed them, but they were relieved that he chose to compromise instead.
"How complicated is Blood Hand exactly?"
Zarak asked that question as he saw how Cain concentrated more and more Blood Energy into the index finger. "Core Disciples of Blood Sea usually need nine hours to enter the first level. A Blood Child only needs three hours to enter Blood Index."
Zarak and Jonathan nodded to Bloodless#4 and waited. They knew that Cain was extremely hard-working and had divine talent in the Ego Eternal Path of Power, having achieved a Wave King level willpower at fourteen.
However, the Ego Eternal Path of Power and the Astral Rebirth Path of Power were not the same. Cain had an impressive foundation, but that was due to his hard work, not necessarily a manifestation of his talent.
A true talent in the Astral Rebirth Path of Power was the ability to decipher the mechanism in the body and learn to untapt the hidden power of your cells. While the Essence Evolution Path of Power focused on deciphering the mysteries of the world around you, the Astral Rebirth Path of Power looked within, taking your own body as a world that needed to be explored and understood.
Thinking that you could rise in the Astral Rebirth Path of Power just by consuming an immense amount of resources was naive.
Zarak and Jonathan look at Cain with anticipation. The duo could not help but expect the young man to show them an impressive sight again, just like he had done many times before. However, the duo's excitement began to fade away as the hours passed, and Cain showed no sign of even getting near the first level of Blood Hand.
Bloodless #4 said nothing and let the hours pass, but it was clear to the duo that this one was growing impatient. Finally, after eighteen hours of waiting, a frown appeared on his face. "It seems that the generation of Blood Energy during the Wave Warrior Rank was pure luck, and his talent in the Astral Rebirth Path of Power is average at most."
Zarak and Jonathan could not help but sigh as they heard that. Bloodless #4 was not cruel with his words, just giving his objective analysis of Cain's talent. "I have to go back to Blood Sea. He only has a rudimentary understanding of the Blood Refinement Art and is unable to figure out the remaining techniques on his own, so it's not a big deal. Nevertheless, I will retrieve the Saint Technique. It's pointless for him to possess it."
Zarak nodded at Bloodless #4. The technique was not his, and he did not have the right or power to stop Bloodless #4 from taking it back. "I will speak with..."
Zarak was just about to establish a telepathic link with Cain to retrieve the starry gem when this one opened his eyes, and a burst of Blood Energy emerged from his hand.
The trio saw how the tip of Cain's right index finger began to change, adopting a blood-metallic color. That meant that Cain had entered the first level of Blood Hand.
Zarak and Jonathan showed small smiles as they saw that. Nevertheless, eighteen hours to achieve that was still too long, and they could see that Bloodless #4 still intended to take the starry gem back.
However, everything changed when the trio saw that the transformation of the finger did not stop at the tip. A human index finger is composed of three bones that mark the point at which it can bend, named the proximal, middle, and distal phalanges. Cain managed to transmute the distal phalange of his index finger, and it carried on. It only stopped once a blood-metallic color covered the middle phalange portion of the index finger.
Zarak and Jonathan were not familiar with Blood Hand, but they could tell from the shock on Bloodless #4's face that whatever Cain had done was impressive.