By the end of July, the thunderstorms had finally exhausted their fury, softening into a lingering drizzle that tapped almost listlessly against the tired, glazed tiles of the Imperial City.
The rain washed away days of accumulated dust, yet it couldn’t dispel the oppressive humidity that hung in the air. A heavy mix of loamy earth and an intangible, suffocating pressure, it was deeply unsettling.
Inside the Practice Room of Wenhua Hall, however, the scene was entirely different.
Xia Wuyang sat cross-legged upon the Cold Jade Meditation Mat, his eyes gently closed and his breathing long and steady. He cultivated relentlessly, and his aura was like a volcano on the verge of eruption—a terrifying, immense Power surged beneath his calm exterior.
After many days of consolidation and adjustment, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit had reached a flawless, peak state of Perfection.
This was especially true for his Body Refining Cultivation. He had spent a great deal of time tempering himself at the eleventh layer of the Dragon and Tiger Golden Bell Body, creating an exceptionally solid and stable Foundation. His Qi Blood was as potent as mercury, and when his Dragon and Tiger Spirit Blood surged, one could faintly hear the sound of wind and thunder.
’It’s time. Time to consume the Miracle Treasure.’
He slowly opened his eyes, and his gaze fell upon an open Cold Jade Box before him. A faint smile touched his lips.
The box was lined with soft, snow-colored velvet. In the center lay a quiet, fist-sized fruit, crimson as fire. Its mere aura was intoxicating.
The fruit was shaped like a miniature heart, its surface covered in natural, dark-gold patterns that bulged like gnarled blood vessels. Inside, a crimson-gold liquid like molten lava seemed to slowly flow and pulse. It far surpassed any ordinary Spiritual Object.
Merely approaching it, one could feel a searing, domineering aura brimming with primal life force wash over them. It made one’s Qi Blood surge uncontrollably and skin grow warm; an ordinary person would not dare to come within inches of it.
The Dragon Blood Fruit. A rare treasure among Low Level Spirit Treasures, it could drastically improve one’s Body Refining Cultivation.
He had obtained it from the Vajra Sect; it was a spoil of war from his victory over the Black Ape Demon Monarch, a feat that had earned him the title of Dragon Tiger True Monarch.
For a Body Refining Martial Artist, the Dragon Blood Essence Qi contained within this fruit was an ultimate treasure, capable of saving them decades, or even centuries, of arduous cultivation. The results were sure to be extraordinary.
Without hesitation, Xia Wuyang reached out, picked up the Dragon Blood Fruit, and examined it closely.
The fruit was warm to the touch, like holding a solidified flame, yet it wasn’t scalding. Instead, it gave off a bizarre sense of kinship, as if they were connected by blood—an intoxicating feeling.
He knew this was a resonance between the Dragon and Tiger Spirit Blood in his body and the aura of the Dragon Blood Fruit. It was the desperate urge of his own Spirit Blood to devour the fruit.
He regulated his breathing, adjusting his body and mind until he entered a state of pure clarity—the Realm of Perfection.
The Heart Method of the Dragon and Tiger Golden Bell Body flowed through his mind. His Qi Blood began to accelerate along its arcane pathways, the faint golden dragon-and-tiger tattoos beneath his skin began to faintly glow, and a low Dragon’s Roar and Tiger’s Howl emanated from his very bones... He was ready.
The next moment, he opened his mouth and placed the entire Dragon Blood Fruit inside.
No chewing. No hesitation.
The instant the fruit entered his mouth, it dissolved like the finest ambrosia, transforming into a scalding, pure, and indescribably immense crimson-gold torrent that surged down his throat and erupted with astonishing might.
BOOM...
It was as if a burning sun had been plunged into a calm ocean of Spirit Blood, causing his entire body to shudder.
The crimson-gold torrent of Dragon Blood Essence Qi instantly detonated, shattering into innumerable searing streams that rushed with unstoppable force into his limbs, his bones, his meridians—even the most minute acupoints. No corner of his physical body was spared.
PAIN!
An excruciating, burning pain, as if countless tiny Fire Snakes were boring through, gnawing upon, and searing his meridians...
It was as if he had been cast into a forge. His bones, muscles, fascia, and even his marrow were being repeatedly tempered, hammered, and reforged by the domineering Dragon Blood Essence Qi. The effects were shockingly potent.
Xia Wuyang let out a muffled grunt. Fine beads of sweat instantly broke out on his forehead as his skin turned blood-red and his veins bulged. His Spirit Blood raged through his body, creating a roar like a mighty, rushing river that shook his entire frame.
The Cold Jade Meditation Mat beneath him even began to SIZZLE. This was caused by the excess scorching energy leaking out, which he was unable to fully absorb. The potency of the Dragon Blood Fruit was even greater than he had imagined.
But his Heart Spirit remained as steadfast as a boulder, utterly unshaken.
His Extraordinary Spiritual Power circulated at full capacity, preserving a sliver of clarity in his mind. The Dragon Tiger Golden Bell Body and Mind Method acted as a faithful guide, leading the rampaging Dragon Blood Essence Qi along its designated paths to be circulated, absorbed, and integrated...
Through Introspection, he could clearly see the changes. Wherever the crimson-gold Dragon Blood Essence Qi passed, his meridians were forcibly widened and reinforced, becoming tougher and broader, able to contain even more Spirit Blood. Under the intense heat, the impurities in his flesh, sinews, and bones were refined and expelled, their very structure growing denser and more formidable. Deep within his marrow, faint, silvery strands of Dragon and Tiger Spirit Blood greedily devoured the kindred Dragon Blood Essence Qi. Their color deepened, subtly shifting toward pure silver, and the Power they contained multiplied... their might growing ever stronger.
Even more astonishing were the external changes happening on the surface of his skin and bones.
The faint, silvery dragon-and-tiger tattoos now seemed to come alive, ravenously absorbing the Dragon Blood Essence Qi.
The tattoos grew clearer and more intricate, showing signs of spreading across his entire body. They even began to emit a silver sheen.
The Dragon’s Roar and Tiger’s Howl from deep within his bones grew more sonorous and majestic, as if a true dragon and tiger had awakened and were growing inside his body, preparing to soar to the highest heavens.
His progress in the eleventh layer of the Dragon and Tiger Golden Bell Body began to accelerate at an unprecedented rate. Every second that passed was equivalent to days, even tens of days, of his past arduous cultivation.
The Essence Qi contained within this Dragon Blood Fruit was simply immense, far surpassing any ordinary Low Level Spirit Treasure.
Xia Wuyang could feel his Body Refining Cultivation surging at a nearly savage pace. The sensation was intoxicating.
It was as if an invisible hand were frantically shoving his Cultivation progress bar forward at a shocking speed.
An unknown amount of time passed. When the searing, violent torrent inside him finally subsided, transforming into a warm yet vigorous Power that settled throughout his body, Xia Wuyang slowly exhaled a plume of scorching white vapor.
The white vapor shot out like an arrow, extending three feet before it condensed in the air without dispersing—a truly bizarre sight.
He opened his eyes. Deep within his pupils, faint, silvery phantoms of a dragon and tiger were clearer and more substantial than ever before. When they occasionally shifted, they even left behind a bizarre, fiery trail.
He gently clenched his fist. The instant his fingers closed, a soft CRACK echoed in the air. The very light around his knuckles seemed to twist, as if on the verge of collapsing.
’I’ve advanced nearly a third of the way through the eleventh layer of the Dragon and Tiger Golden Bell Body. That’s equivalent to decades of normal cultivation... The Dragon Blood Fruit truly lives up to its reputation.’ Xia Wuyang mused, carefully perceiving the changes in his body as a surge of delight rose within him.

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