Chapter 601: Chapter 383: Reward

In Huo Xiaochen’s courtyard, the door to the quiet chamber slowly pushed open.

He strode out, revealing a robust and muscular physique. His face was flushed with vitality, and his bronzed skin gleamed with a metallic sheen, brimming with explosive power.

His wife, Xiao Hui, had been waiting outside. She hurried forward with her maidservants. Taking a towel from a maid, Xiao Hui wiped the sweat from Huo Xiaochen’s body. As she did, she sensed a lingering aura that struck fear into her heart. It felt as if the man before her was not her husband, but a primordial Azure Dragon.

"Xiaochen, you..." Xiao Hui was deeply astonished.

She knew that he typically concealed his aura. The only explanation for such a palpable, terrifying presence was that he could no longer fully suppress it. There was only one possibility—his Cultivation had made a massive leap forward.

Huo Xiaochen laughed heartily. "Your senses are sharp, my dear. Yes, my Azure Dragon Dominating Body has officially reached the Entry Level. I have cultivated Dragon Qi."

The manifestation of Dragon Qi meant not only that his Azure Dragon Dominating Body had officially reached the Entry Level, but also that his combat power had surged drastically. Right now, his physical vessel was absolutely no weaker than that of Tu Gang, who possessed Innate Divine Power. From what he knew, Tu Gang had not yet cultivated Dragon Qi.

"So fast?" Xiao Hui asked in surprise. "Even Tu Gang hasn’t managed to produce Dragon Qi yet."

"I have that drop of Dragon Blood to thank," Huo Xiaochen sighed. "Without it, I would have had to train bitterly for several more months to achieve this."

The Azure Dragon Dominating Body was created by imitating the primordial Azure Dragon, and Dragon Qi was something unique to the creature. Cultivating it with a human body couldn’t be achieved overnight. Although that drop of Dragon Blood hadn’t come from an Azure Dragon, it still belonged to a dragon-type beast and naturally contained Dragon Qi.

"Congratulations, Mr. Xiaochen," the two maidservants exclaimed in pleasant surprise.

"Congratulations on the great advancement of your Divine Skill, Xiaochen," Xiao Hui smiled. "Are you going to challenge the Battle Tower again and catch up to those Spirit Bone Celestial Prides in one fell swoop?"

She believed that with two major Cultivation Techniques under his belt, Huo Xiaochen was now more than qualified to rival them.

"No," Huo Xiaochen shook his head. Others might not know, but having befriended Xiao Yun recently, he knew the truth. Those Spirit Bone Celestial Prides had cultivated the Azure Dragon Dominating Body long ago, and all of them had already formed Dragon Qi.

"Even with this newfound Dragon Qi, a massive gap still exists between me and them," he explained. "If I challenge the Battle Tower now, I still won’t pass the tenth floor. Only when I truly reach Celestial Essence Second Layer Perfection will I have the confidence to break into the eleventh floor.

"Furthermore, even if I possessed the strength, I don’t want to steal the spotlight right now. During previous tower challenges, those prodigies already showed disgust toward anyone trying to compete with them. If I catch up to their records now, it will only draw their ire.

"Of course, I don’t actually have that ability yet anyway. Neither my Azure Dragon Dominating Body nor my Purple Extreme Heaven-Burning Technique has reached the Second Layer Perfection. How could I possibly overtake a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride?"

"Keeping a low profile is good," Xiao Hui nodded. "Some people are claiming that Xu Yang will catch up to you soon. If they knew you had cultivated Dragon Qi, they’d swallow those words out of sheer terror."

Xu Yang had fought his way from twenty-sixth on the Lingyun List to nineteenth, and had now reached eighty-fifth on the Celestial Strategy Wind and Cloud List. Some felt it wasn’t entirely impossible for him to bridge the gap. While Huo Xiaochen was a genius, he had remained stagnated, whereas Xu Yang was displaying astonishing growth and ever-improving talent.

"As if he is worthy of being compared to me. If we ever fought, I could crush him with a flip of my hand," Huo Xiaochen scoffed disdainfully. In his eyes, he was already at ninety-nine points, while Xu Yang had merely improved from fifty to sixty. It looked like progress, and Huo Xiaochen might seem stationary, but there was simply no basis for comparison.

"Send someone to relay the news to the Xiao family later. Also, arrange a banquet," Huo Xiaochen instructed. "I want to invite my classmates and share the joyous news of my success in cultivating Dragon Qi."

Only after manifesting Dragon Qi did he truly grasp the profound mysteries of the Azure Dragon Dominating Body. Without a Cultivation Technique of the same caliber, Xu Yang could never catch up to him in this lifetime—not to mention the gap between them went far beyond just the Azure Dragon Dominating Body. Right now, Xu Yang wasn’t even an afterthought. Huo Xiaochen’s mind was solely focused on the Final Dragon Platform.

Sending word back to the Xiao family to secure more resources, hosting a banquet to build momentum, and networking with peers—these were the steps he needed to take to prepare for his ascent to the Final Dragon Platform. As for Xu Yang? Once he stood on the Final Dragon Platform, he could kill the boy whenever he pleased.

Meanwhile, Xu Yang had remained entirely secluded, spending another full day and night in his quiet chamber. He had finally mastered the Secret Technique for hiding his Spirit Bone, reaching a state of flawless perfection. With a single thought, he could conceal it completely. Even in combat, as long as he didn’t exert his full strength, he could mask the fluctuations and radiance of his Spirit Bone. Unless he encountered an old monster like Elder Mu, no one would be able to see through his disguise.

[Root Bone has broken through the Mortal Bone limit. Points +1000]

[Comprehension has broken the limit. Points +1000]

[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 2026]

That morning, Xu Yang had only glanced at his interface out of habit, never expecting such a massive surprise. A full two thousand points was, without a doubt, the highest single reward he had ever received. Even when he first entered the Celestial Strategy Academy, he had only been awarded one thousand points.

His Root Bone and Comprehension hadn’t improved in years; he had almost forgotten that upgrading them would also grant point rewards.

"This is fantastic!" he thought. He hadn’t expected his recently emptied points reserve to suddenly bounce back to two thousand.

"I’ll hold off on using these points for now," he decided after careful consideration, choosing to save them. He always had a habit of stockpiling points for emergencies. Previously, the desperate need to develop a Spirit Bone had forced him to drain his reserves, but now that he had one, the urgency had faded.

More importantly, while Root Bone and Comprehension were vital, resources could not be ignored. Without the backing of a powerful faction, he relied solely on the meager credits provided by the Celestial Strategy Academy. Relying on that alone to catch up to the Spirit Bone Celestial Prides was simply too difficult.

He had possessed the Pill Formula for the Spiritual Essence Pill for over a year, yet he still hadn’t learned to concoct it. If he mastered Alchemy for the Spiritual Essence Pill, he could not only supply his own cultivation needs but also sell the excess to earn resources. In the long run, saving his points to learn how to refine the Spiritual Essence Pill was far more cost-effective than dumping them into his Root Bone and Comprehension right now.

"I haven’t eaten in two days. I should head to the dining hall."

After hiding his Spirit Bone, Xu Yang pushed open the door, left the quiet chamber, and soon arrived at the dining hall. As he entered, snippets of conversation drifted into his ears.

"Huo Xiaochen is truly something else. He managed to cultivate Dragon Qi from the Azure Dragon Dominating Body so quickly."

"I heard he’s throwing a massive banquet to celebrate. What a show-off! The Iron Sword Sect really produced a capable figure."

"The Xiao family struck gold with him. Now that he has Dragon Qi, his combat power probably rivals those Spirit Bone Celestial Prides."

Listening while he ate, Xu Yang realized that during his two days in seclusion, Huo Xiaochen had successfully cultivated Dragon Qi and was currently throwing a high-profile celebration. Xu Yang didn’t pay it much mind. After finishing his meal, he returned to his courtyard, entered his quiet chamber, and revealed his Spirit Bone before tentatively swallowing a Spiritual Essence Pill.

As he circulated the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture, he discovered that after manifesting his Spirit Bone, his utilization rate of the Spiritual Essence Pill had significantly increased. At the same time, the speed at which he absorbed its medicinal efficacy had also surged dramatically.

"The improvements across the board are massive. Next, let’s test my Martial Technique training," he mused. He hadn’t yet tested what Comprehension beyond the limit of perfection felt like, but he was highly anticipating it.

[Black Tortoise Mountain Suppression Fist·Great Success (2677/20000)]

Glancing at the progress of his Black Tortoise Mountain Suppression Fist, he memorized the numerical value, stood up, and walked out of the quiet chamber to begin practicing in the courtyard.

Once his body was in motion, he noticed a distinct difference from before. The Black Tortoise Mountain Suppression Fist felt exceptionally compatible with him now. His power flowed with unparalleled smoothness. The profound essence of the Fist Technique continually surfaced in his Heart Spirit, as if an old master were constantly guiding him from the sidelines.

An hour later, Xu Yang stopped, a look of deep satisfaction on his face.

[Black Tortoise Mountain Suppression Fist·Great Success (2771/20000)]

Looking at the interface again, the progress for the Black Tortoise Mountain Suppression Fist had increased by nearly one hundred points. In the past, an hour of practice would only net him around fifty points of progress. This time, his growth was almost double what it used to be.

Next, he tested the Extreme Prison Heaven-Slaying Technique and the Wandering Dragon Void Step. He found that the difficulty of cultivating both had plummeted, and his progress was astonishingly fast.

Most miraculously, the Yunling Technique—the Secret Technique used for cultivating Spirit Medicine—saw its effectiveness multiply several times over. After executing the Secret Technique, the spirituality clinging to his medicinal herbs lingered for a long time. Brimming with vitality, they seemed to temporarily transform into true Spirit Medicine, independently absorbing Spiritual Qi from their surroundings.

"This effect is mind-blowing. I need to use it sparingly from now on," Xu Yang pondered. This boost was likely tied to his Spirit Bone. If his ordinary herbs transformed into genuine Spirit Medicine too quickly, there was a high probability someone would notice something amiss.

"All I’m missing now is a Spirit Bone Martial Technique."

He now possessed a Spirit Bone and a Cultivation Technique to train it, but he still lacked a Martial Technique tailored specifically for it. It was said that Spirit Bone Martial Techniques could unleash the true might of a Spirit Bone, making them terrifyingly formidable. He had seen them in the Hidden Skills Hall, but the credit cost was staggeringly high.

"I should go accept a tempering mission first. If I delay any longer, I’ll be stuck waiting for the Academy to assign me one."

From what he knew, a portion of the students had already accepted missions and left the grounds. Grabbing his Waist Token, Xu Yang headed to the Hero Hall. This was precisely the place in the Celestial Strategy Academy’s Lower Courtyard where students could accept tempering missions and earn credits.

It was far more bustling than anywhere else. People came and went constantly. Some Celestial Essence Third Layer experts didn’t even bother to hide their Cultivation, suffusing the air with an oppressive aura. Striding into the grand hall, Xu Yang spotted quite a few familiar faces: Li Chuyang, Liu Rumei, Lu Wei, Li Yunfei...

Since it was his first time here, he observed his surroundings carefully. He quickly realized that the Hero Hall was divided into several zones. These zones corresponded to missions suitable for different Cultivation realms, alongside a section for missions with no realm restrictions. The walls were plastered with mission postings: escorting, bandit suppression, tracking down fugitives, bounty hunting, herb gathering, beast hunting... Every type of mission imaginable was available.

After observing for a while, Xu Yang eventually walked over to the Celestial Essence Second Layer zone and began scanning the postings one by one. The variety of missions here was equally vast. There were tasks to capture Exotic Beasts and requests to harvest specific Spirit Medicines. These two categories made up the vast majority, but neither sparked his interest.

Both required leaving the Celestial Strategy Academy for extended periods to venture into the Jade Dragon Mountain. The Jade Dragon Mountain was boundless; it was said that no one knew where its edges lay. It was filled with untold treacherous terrains, death zones, and even powerful Exotic Beasts that had existed since ancient times. Even a Celestial Essence Ninth Layer Martial Artist risked death by entering. Naturally, because of this, the Jade Dragon Mountain was home to countless undiscovered, peerless Spirit Medicines. Even knowing the sheer peril, many people still dared to venture inside for the sake of such treasures.

But for Xu Yang, even if the ground there was littered with Spirit Medicine, he had no desire to risk his life in such a place right now. It was similar to the Yunling Mountain Range, where the Purple Sun Sect was located, serving as a mass graveyard for countless souls. However, the level of danger in the Yunling Mountain Range couldn’t even begin to compare to the Jade Dragon Mountain.

Since delving into the Jade Dragon Mountain wasn’t the only option, there was no need to deliberately choose such extreme danger. Skipping past those missions, Xu Yang soon found one that caught his eye.

This mission involved entering the Court’s Demon Suppression Bureau to serve as a Demon Suppression Commandant. Of course, it wasn’t a permanent post, just a temporary assignment for the sake of tempering oneself.

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