Li Xuan still remembered that Linhu Essence Blood contained Bloodlust, so absorbing it would be particularly painful. If too much Bloodlust accumulated in his body, he even risked losing his mind and suffering a qi deviation.
However, the Bloodlust within the Linhu Essence Blood, for some unknown reason, could be purified when he cultivated in the past.
The purified Linhu Essence Blood would be easier to absorb, and without the interference of Bloodlust, the risks would also be greatly reduced.
But Li Xuan still hadn't fully understood the underlying principle until now.
His earlier statement to Chief Steward Shang about conducting experiments wasn't entirely made up.
Seizing this opportunity, Li Xuan also wanted to figure out why he could purify the Bloodlust within the Linhu Essence Blood.
Li Xuan also leaned over to the jar and sniffed; it was still that familiar scent.
He couldn't help but take a deep breath; the scent of Linhu Essence Blood was still so sweet.
However, this time, he couldn't just gulp it down.
This jar of Linhu Essence Blood was obtained specifically to enhance the strength of Cat Overlord and the others.
Once Cat Overlord and the others' strength improved, they would be able to help Li Xuan even more.
Li Xuan first extended a paw and dipped it into the Linhu Essence Blood in the jar.
After waiting for a moment, he withdrew his paw, watching the dark blue Linhu Essence Blood slowly drip from his paw, falling back into the jar.
"Is it true that I can no longer absorb it?"
Previously, when Zhao Bugao taught Deng Weixian the Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw, he had said that Linhu Essence Blood could only be absorbed at a certain stage; once that opportunity passed, it would be gone forever.
The absorbed Linhu Essence Blood would nurture a trace of Ice-Cold Breath within the body.
Originally, this Ice-Cold Breath would not continue to grow with increasing strength, but Li Xuan, due to having Princess Ankang, became an exception.
Each time Li Xuan absorbed the cold qi from Princess Ankang's body, although the Ice-Cold Breath would also be completely consumed, when it recovered, the quality of the Ice-Cold Breath would advance further.
Li Xuan slowly reviewed this information in his mind, then re-submerged his paw into the Linhu Essence Blood.
He remembered that the first time he came into contact with Linhu Essence Blood, the Bloodlust within it was automatically absorbed into his body.
At that time, Li Xuan didn't know what that power was, only assuming it was an inherent peculiarity of the Linhu Essence Blood itself.
But now, it seemed that his ability to absorb the Bloodlust within the Linhu Essence Blood was likely greatly related to his extraordinary talent.
Li Xuan shook his head, pushing these thoughts aside for now.
He called over Cat Overlord and Fat Orange, then personally demonstrated the Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw to them.
To use Linhu Essence Blood to boost cultivation, this martial art was essential.
Once Cat Overlord and Fat Orange had both learned the Tiger Form Ten Styles and the Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw, the two complementary martial arts, it wouldn't be too late for Li Xuan to find a way for them to absorb the Linhu Essence Blood.
The Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw was much more complex than the Tiger Form Ten Styles. Under Li Xuan's personal instruction, Cat Overlord and Fat Orange still took a long time to memorize all the movements.
Moreover, Li Xuan taught them his modified 'cat' version, making it even easier for them to practice.
Perhaps because they had already practiced the Tiger Form Ten Styles and entered the path of martial arts, Li Xuan felt that teaching Cat Overlord and Fat Orange the Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw this time was somewhat easier than before.
Although Niu Niu was also watching from the side, Li Xuan didn't expect him to learn along with them.
"This fellow."
Li Xuan couldn't help but shake his head, looking at Niu Niu's intelligent eyes.
"Let him continue to practice the Tiger Form Ten Styles properly for now, and later let Cat Overlord and Fat Orange teach him the Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw."
If Li Xuan had to teach him personally, he would probably suffer greatly.
Such a task should be left to Cat Overlord and Fat Orange.
It could also allow them to review and reinforce their knowledge, gaining a more proficient grasp of the Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw.
Li Xuan, paw by paw, led Cat Overlord and Fat Orange through a practice session of the Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw, seeing them immediately become breathless and utterly exhausted.
Back then, Li Xuan was also like this when he first started practicing this martial art.
What was worse, Zhao Bugao, to test Deng Weixian's obedience, initially didn't offer Linhu Essence Blood, making Li Xuan and Deng Weixian waste their vital energy and almost crippling themselves.
But Li Xuan was not Zhao Bugao; there was no need to test his cat brothers.
Cats were generally simpler, without the human cunning and deceit.
This was also the reason Li Xuan dared to invest so much in nurturing Cat Overlord, Fat Orange, and Niu Niu.
Seeing that Cat Overlord and Fat Orange were in decent condition, Li Xuan then took out a very small amount of Linhu Essence Blood and called Cat Overlord over.
Under Li Xuan's instruction, Cat Overlord extended one of his paws.
Li Xuan didn't dare to take risks at first, so he gently dripped one drop onto Cat Overlord's paw.
The dark blue Linhu Essence Blood dripped onto Cat Overlord's paw, then quickly absorbed into it.
A faint, dark blue glow flowed along Cat Overlord's paw into his body, quickly disappearing.
Li Xuan nervously observed Cat Overlord's reaction.
Cat Overlord was superior to Fat Orange in both strength and temperament.
Therefore, Li Xuan chose Cat Overlord to try first.
But the next moment, Cat Overlord's fur suddenly bristled, his expression became ferocious, and he let out a high-pitched, piercing cry.
Cat Overlord's four paws dug into the ground, seemingly struggling against the earth, and his pupils were tinged with a faint crimson.
This sudden change startled Princess Ankang and Yuer, who were watching from the side.
Originally, the two little girls found it novel and amusing to watch Li Xuan teach the other cats to practice.
But Cat Overlord's reaction was truly frightening.
"Li Xuan, what's wrong with him?"
Princess Ankang asked nervously.
"Cat Overlord won't be in any danger, will he?"
Yuer also asked with concern.
Li Xuan had already told Princess Ankang and Yuer the names of the three cats.
Anyway, Li Xuan had named the three of them casually, without caring if they agreed or not.
These names were originally for humans to call.
Cats mostly judged each other's identity by appearance and scent, and had no concept of names at all.
Seeing this situation, Li Xuan directly poured the remaining Linhu Essence Blood from his paw back into the ceramic jar, then jumped to Cat Overlord's side, observing his reaction.
Cat Overlord's paws dug hard into the ground, leaving deep marks, clearly indicating he was enduring intense pain.
But this reaction came and went quickly.
In just a few breaths, Cat Overlord's taut body gradually relaxed, and his bristled fur slowly settled back down.
Cat Overlord was panting heavily, but he didn't show too much pain.
However, his state was already very telling.
"What a strong-willed fellow."
Li Xuan knew Cat Overlord was enduring, and he understood that the Linhu Essence Blood couldn't be absorbed directly by them.
"If even Cat Overlord struggles so much, it seems I must first find a way to purify the Bloodlust before letting them absorb it."
Li Xuan carefully checked Cat Overlord's condition and found that he was fine.
In fact, because he had absorbed a drop of Linhu Essence Blood, some of the energy consumed during his practice of the Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw had been replenished.
However, if they had to endure such intense pain, Cat Overlord and Fat Orange definitely wouldn't last long, and it would also affect the upper limit of their Linhu Essence Blood absorption.
Fat Orange and Niu Niu came forward to show concern for Cat Overlord. Cat Overlord merely shook his head, indicating he was fine.
In fact, Cat Overlord immediately turned his head to look at the ceramic jar, his eyes filled with longing.
Even after just experiencing such pain, Cat Overlord's yearning for power had not diminished in the slightest.
"This fellow."
Li Xuan noticed Cat Overlord's gaze towards the Linhu Essence Blood and couldn't help but smile inwardly.
Only cats with such determination, like Cat Overlord, could go further on the path of martial arts.
However, Li Xuan couldn't give Cat Overlord any more of this Linhu Essence Blood for now.
He had to first find a way to solve the problem of the Bloodlust.
Li Xuan didn't want Cat Overlord to turn into a mad cat in the future.
Jumping back onto the table, Li Xuan frowned as he looked at the Linhu Essence Blood in the ceramic jar.
He used to just put his paw into the Linhu Essence Blood, and the Bloodlust inside would be automatically absorbed by him.
But he had just tried it, and it no longer worked that way.
"How can I actively absorb this Bloodlust?"
Li Xuan stirred the Linhu Essence Blood with his cat paw, frowning and beginning to ponder.
What used to happen naturally, now became difficult when he tried to do it actively.
He began to recall his state when he absorbed Linhu Essence Blood several months ago, not letting go of a single detail.
"Bloodlust is also a type of energy that can be absorbed."
"I remember that after I absorbed Bloodlust, my body even received some slight strengthening."
"What I need to do now is find that energy in the Linhu Essence Blood and absorb it into my body again."
If Cat Overlord and Fat Orange could also successfully absorb Bloodlust, it would be beneficial for them.
However, the risks involved in gaining this benefit were too great.
It was clear that Cat Overlord and Fat Orange could not control the power of Bloodlust.
"That violent aura is hidden within the Linhu Essence Blood."
But after a while, Li Xuan still found nothing.
Just as he was at a loss, he tried to activate the Ice-Cold Breath within his body.
The Ice-Cold Breath itself originated from the Linhu Essence Blood and had now been strengthened several times.
Li Xuan thought that these powers, sharing the same origin, might be able to sense each other.
And the next moment, his desperate attempt actually worked.
Li Xuan could feel that as the Ice-Cold Breath gathered on his paw extended into the ceramic jar, a violent energy within the Linhu Essence Blood converged towards it.
This familiar sensation immediately allowed Li Xuan to identify it as the Bloodlust within the Linhu Essence Blood.
These Bloodlust seemed to have found a more comfortable environment, rushing to burrow into Li Xuan's paw.
And as this process occurred, the color of the Linhu Essence Blood gradually faded, soon becoming completely clear and pale blue.
All the Bloodlust within the Linhu Essence Blood was absorbed into Li Xuan's body.
However, this power was now too weak for him to further strengthen his body; it merely added a bit more to the Bloodlust already within him.
"Oh, so I can use Ice-Cold Breath to draw out the Bloodlust."
This discovery made Li Xuan's eyes light up.
Regardless, this tricky problem had been successfully resolved by him.
Li Xuan, still uneasy, checked the Linhu Essence Blood that had been purified of Bloodlust again. After confirming there were no issues, he took out another drop of light blue Linhu Essence Blood and dripped it onto Cat Overlord's paw.
This time, Cat Overlord didn't have much of a reaction; he merely shivered comfortably as the Linhu Essence Blood integrated into his body.
Seeing Cat Overlord shiver from head to tail, Li Xuan couldn't help but smile slightly.
"It's a success!"
Seeing that Cat Overlord no longer reacted with pain, Li Xuan directly let Cat Overlord jump onto the table and then allowed him to immerse his paw into the ceramic jar himself.
Cat Overlord's expression immediately relaxed, looking quite content.
"Meow, meow, meow. (Slowly, absorb it little by little. If you feel uncomfortable, be sure to tell me.)"
Li Xuan sat by and watched, then had Fat Orange and Niu Niu come over to observe as well.
They would also be absorbing Linhu Essence Blood later, so they should learn from this.
However, contrary to Li Xuan's expectation, Cat Overlord completed the absorption process much faster.
Cat Overlord could no longer absorb any more now that he had put his paw into the Linhu Essence Blood.
Li Xuan knew that the amount absorbed each time was limited.
However, the amount Cat Overlord absorbed was far less than what Li Xuan and Deng Weixian had absorbed.
Although he had somewhat expected it, Li Xuan still felt a bit regretful.
"It seems that body size is still a major disadvantage."
Leaving Li Xuan aside, he was naturally gifted and couldn't be judged by ordinary standards.
Deng Weixian, being human, was much larger in size than Cat Overlord, Fat Orange, and Niu Niu.
So, it wasn't surprising that Cat Overlord could only absorb this small amount of Linhu Essence Blood at present.
Li Xuan looked into the ceramic jar; the Linhu Essence Blood inside had barely changed, the absorbed amount was truly too small.
"Well, that's good. In that case, one jar of Linhu Essence Blood will definitely be enough for the three of them."
Li Xuan sent Cat Overlord to rest and digest the recently absorbed Linhu Essence Blood, then had Fat Orange come forward to continue absorbing.
Fat Orange had initially been a bit nervous after seeing Cat Overlord's painful reaction at first.
But once Fat Orange put his own paw in, he immediately cast all that nervousness aside, leaning comfortably against the ceramic jar, enjoying the nourishment of the Linhu Essence Blood.
This made Niu Niu, watching from the side, swallow continuously, his eyes fixed on the ceramic jar.
Li Xuan immediately felt curious.
Niu Niu hadn't even learned the Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw yet, so why was he coveting the Linhu Essence Blood so much now?
Moreover, this fellow had always shown little interest in cultivation; could he be changing his ways?
Li Xuan asked curiously, and Niu Niu's answer made a vein throb in his forehead with anger:
"Meow? (Isn't it my turn to eat soon?)"
Niu Niu asked innocently.
The Linhu Essence Blood that Li Xuan had gone through so much trouble to obtain was for their cultivation, yet Niu Niu was still only thinking about eating.
Furious, Li Xuan kicked Niu Niu, sending him flying off the table.
Unexpectedly, Niu Niu climbed back up, undeterred.
"Meow! (You can't cut in line!)"
Watching Niu Niu scramble back up in a hurry, all for food, Li Xuan no longer even had the energy to be angry.
"This fellow has no hope for martial arts. Is there a way to cultivate just by eating?"
Li Xuan couldn't help but start worrying about Niu Niu's future prospects.