Chapter 576 - 358: Azure Dragon
Chapter 576: Chapter 358: Azure Dragon
"How can it be this difficult?" Huo Xiaochen walked out of the quiet chamber, his face clouded with gloom.
He had chosen the Spirit Bone technique full of ambition, intending to compete with the Spirit Bone Celestial Prides. Yet, who could have expected that after more than a month, he hadn’t even touched the threshold of the entry level?
"Husband, you’re out of seclusion. Was it still a failure?" Xiao Hui walked over with a look of concern.
Huo Xiaochen shook his head. "I failed."
Being unable to reach the entry level in the Spirit Bone technique meant he had wasted an opportunity and now needed to choose a new cultivation technique.
"Why don’t you try the Martial Tower? As for academy credits, I’ll have our family gather them for you," Xiao Hui suggested.
Celestial Strategy Academy’s Martial Tower was a cultivation treasure land. Once a martial artist entered, their comprehension would be enhanced.
"It’s no use. My inability to reach the entry level isn’t due to a lack of comprehension," Huo Xiaochen replied.
He hadn’t failed to reach the entry level because he didn’t understand the Spirit Bone technique. Therefore, going to the Martial Tower wouldn’t help him.
Seeing his dispirited state, Xiao Hui hesitated, opening her mouth but stopping herself from speaking.
"Just say whatever is on your mind," Huo Xiaochen frowned.
"I just received news that Sun Tao has already broken through to the Celestial Essence Second Layer." Xiao Hui took a cup of tea from a maidservant and handed it to him.
Huo Xiaochen’s expression darkened. "What about Xu Yang?"
The person he truly held a grudge against was Xu Yang, not Sun Tao. Sun Tao had only intervened out of camaraderie among fellow disciples, and it was Xu Yang who had actually beaten Lin Jingyu to death.
If given the chance, he naturally wouldn’t mind slaughtering Sun Tao, but the one he truly wanted dead was Xu Yang. Furthermore, he suspected that his master, Jiang Wang, might have been killed by him as well.
He hadn’t suspected it before because he thought Xu Yang lacked the capability. However, given Xu Yang’s performance during the secondary Dragon Ascension selection, it was clear he could have easily slain his master.
"Rumor has it he hasn’t even reached perfection in the Celestial Essence First Layer yet," Xiao Hui smiled. "A lowly bumpkin. Without any faction supporting him, it’ll take him at least another month or two to break through to the Celestial Essence Second Layer."
Hearing that Xu Yang had yet to advance, Huo Xiaochen immediately stopped caring. His most pressing concern right now was deciding whether to continue cultivating the Spirit Bone technique.
***
BUZZ...
Inside a quiet chamber, as the final wisp of the Li Fire Technique’s power was converted into the power of the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture, Xu Yang’s aura began to surge rapidly.
The overbearing power relentlessly drilled into his bones. He felt a wave of heat wash over them, followed by a resonant trembling.
His flesh, having been successively forged by the Bright King Unmoving Body and the Vajra Glazed Body, seemed somewhat overwhelmed at this moment, struggling to bear the tyrannical power of the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture. He had no choice but to slow down the circulation speed of the cultivation technique, allowing this tyrannical energy to slowly nourish his body.
"The Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture cultivates both the internal and external," he pondered. "Logically speaking, my physique is already strong enough. Yet, the scripture can still enhance it. This only proves that the body refined by the Vajra Glazed Body isn’t the absolute strongest."
Since the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture could still strengthen the body forged by the Vajra Glazed Body, there was no point in continuing to cultivate the latter. It would be a pure waste of resources and time. In other words, if he wanted to continue body refining, he had to choose a body refining technique that was stronger than the Vajra Glazed Body.
He had actually entertained this thought before.
Back in the Hidden Skills Hall, he had noticed that among the various body refining techniques in the Celestial Strategy Academy, the Vajra Glazed Body was only considered mid-tier, not the strongest. More importantly, the version he had obtained wasn’t complete; it only contained the first three layers. Since he would have to spend academy credits to exchange for the rest anyway, why not just exchange for the strongest one available?
Furthermore, while he cultivated the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture, the other Spirit Bone Celestial Prides did too. His goal wasn’t just to match them; it was to become utterly unrivaled within the same realm. Therefore, a supreme body refining technique was indispensable. Otherwise, when he faced those Spirit Bone Celestial Prides in the future, he would merely break even with them.
A night passed. Xu Yang felt as if his entire being had grown much denser. Explosive power was contained within his bones and sinews, and vigorous qi-blood surged through his body, heavy like mercury. Even a single wisp of it could easily suppress and kill a Bone Marrow Cleansing Martial Artist.
This was only the initial stage of success. After cultivating for a longer period and forging the Dragon Bone Symbols Body, his physique would become even more terrifying.
[Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture power conversion complete. Points +50]
[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 2451]
Waving his hand to dismiss the panel and grabbing his waist token, Xu Yang headed straight for the Hidden Skills Hall. Since he needed to exchange for a new body refining technique, the sooner he did it, the better.
There were quite a few people in the Hidden Skills Hall. Nowadays, most of those on the Lingyun List had already broken through to the Celestial Essence Second Layer. They were faced with the choice of either continuing their original cultivation techniques or switching to stronger ones offered by the Celestial Strategy Academy.
Naturally, it was a no-brainer—they would undoubtedly choose to cultivate stronger techniques.
"Brother Xu!"
"Brother Du!"
Du Ziming and several students from Basic Class A were also present. Seeing Xu Yang appear, they came over to greet him, and Xu Yang responded politely.
After exchanging pleasantries, everyone’s attention returned to the cultivation techniques.
Xu Yang swept his gaze across the walls of the grand hall and quickly located the section categorized for body refining techniques. There were quite a few listed—over a dozen—most of which Xu Yang had never heard of before.
However, he didn’t need to know their origins or characteristics; he simply needed to pick the one that cost the most academy credits. The most expensive one was impressively the Azure Dragon Dominating Body—the very same technique Jiang Fan had once mentioned, claiming that mastering it would allow one to contend with the Spirit Bone Celestial Prides.
After glancing through all the body refining techniques and confirming that the Azure Dragon Dominating Body had the highest requirement, he immediately strode toward the teacher in charge of the area.
In an instant, all the students in the Hidden Skills Hall looked over, curious about which cultivation technique Xu Yang would choose. Choosing a technique here wasn’t an easy task. Some of them had been coming for days, hesitating and unable to make a decision. Someone like Xu Yang, who made a choice shortly after arriving, was a rare sight indeed.
"How did he decide the moment he arrived?" Wenshan of Basic Class A frowned. He ranked twenty-third on the Lingyun List, placing higher than Xu Yang. He paid quite a bit of attention to Xu Yang, as the latter was only three ranks behind him and would very likely challenge him in the future.
"Perhaps he made up his mind long ago," Du Ziming chuckled.
Xu Yang quickly reached the desk and handed over his waist token. "I am Xu Yang, twenty-sixth on the basic-level student Lingyun List. I wish to use my final opportunity to exchange for the Azure Dragon Dominating Body."
Azure Dragon Dominating Body?
Du Ziming, Wenshan, and the others were all stunned. None of them expected Xu Yang to choose the Azure Dragon Dominating Body, the absolute strongest body refining technique in the Celestial Strategy Academy.
The teacher took the waist token, pulled out a registry, and quickly flipped to Xu Yang’s name. Raising his brush, he asked, "Are you sure you want to use your final chance to choose the Azure Dragon Dominating Body?"
Xu Yang cupped his hands. "I am sure!"
Hearing this, the teacher immediately made a checkmark next to Xu Yang’s name, then fished out a wooden plaque. "Head upstairs yourself."
Xu Yang took both his token and the plaque, offered his thanks, and turned to head up, his figure disappearing into the stairwell.
"Interesting. He actually chose the Azure Dragon Dominating Body," Wenshan laughed. The Azure Dragon Dominating Body sat proudly at the top of the body refining category in the Celestial Strategy Academy. What genius here wouldn’t covet it? However, when it came to cultivation techniques, the best wasn’t always the most suitable. If one couldn’t successfully practice it, what use was it?
"He probably failed to master the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture and is now pivoting to the Azure Dragon Dominating Body. Unfortunately, he doesn’t realize that for him, the Azure Dragon Dominating Body will be even harder to master than the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture," Du Ziming said, shaking his head.
Attempting to cultivate a top-tier body refining technique like the Azure Dragon Dominating Body without a tyrannical physique was tantamount to courting death. Among the basic-level students, only a freak like Tu Gang possessed the requisite physique to qualify for it; even Lu Wei didn’t dare attempt it. If one’s physique wasn’t strong enough, they would suffer fractured bones and torn sinews at best, or their body would completely disintegrate at worst. The risks were incredibly high.
"Xu Yang has been hyped up a bit too much. Killing Lin Jingyu gave him the illusion that his own talent rivals Lin Jingyu’s. He’s just thrown away two precious opportunities for nothing," Zuo Mu remarked. He ranked twenty-fourth on the Lingyun List—higher than Xu Yang—yet even he didn’t dare choose the Azure Dragon Dominating Body.
"The teachers of the Celestial Strategy Academy mentioned he had talent for body refining, so he probably assumes his talent is on par with Tu Gang’s," Du Ziming said with a sarcastic tone. He grew increasingly convinced that Xu Yang’s prolonged failure to break through was out of fear of being challenged. Thus, Xu Yang was burning his bridges by choosing the Azure Dragon Dominating Body in a desperate attempt to salvage his declining situation. "Wasting opportunities is a small matter, but forcibly cultivating the Azure Dragon Dominating Body can get a person killed. Let’s hope he knows when to quit."
"We should have stopped him earlier," Zuo Mu sighed.
Du Ziming laughed. "Let go of your savior complex and respect his choice. Besides, he’s already gone upstairs. It’s too late to say anything now."
The group turned back around and continued to deliberate over their own cultivation techniques. The crowd in the Hidden Skills Hall murmured among themselves for a while before quickly losing interest in Xu Yang’s affairs.
***
"Boy, why are you here again?"
The old man looked at the reappearing Xu Yang, a look of displeasure washing over his face. "Biting off more than you can chew with cultivation techniques is a fool’s errand. Your cultivation realm is what truly matters."
Xu Yang was the first person to frequently choose new techniques within such a short timeframe. Normally, with his personality, the old man wouldn’t bother interfering in such matters. But since Xu Yang had mastered the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture so quickly, proving himself to be a malleable talent, he couldn’t help but offer this advice.
Xu Yang cupped his hands. "To answer Senior, I am still lacking a body refining technique."
Hearing this, the old man’s expression didn’t change much. "The Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture cultivates both the internal and external. As long as you train diligently and forge the Dragon Bone Symbols Body, your physique will be more than enough for you to run rampant among your peers and contend with the Spirit Bone Celestial Prides.
"Besides, the effects of standard body refining techniques can’t even compare to those of the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture."
"I am aware," Xu Yang replied. "The technique I have chosen is no standard body refining technique. It is the Azure Dragon Dominating Body."
The old man’s eyes went wide. "The Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture alone is enough for you to cultivate. You actually dare to attempt the Azure Dragon Dominating Body?"
"Why wouldn’t I dare? Didn’t Senior teach me that my ambitions should reach the clouds? A mere Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture only allows me to contend with the Spirit Bone Celestial Prides. If I can only contend with them, how can that be called having soaring ambitions? I believe that only by surpassing them can I truly live up to those words."
Hearing Xu Yang’s response, the old man was instantly stunned. He thought, "So, this brat wanting to cultivate the Azure Dragon Dominating Body is the result of my teachings? Is he really that obedient?"
"Good boy. To think you have such ambition... not bad." The old man revealed a gratified smile. "However, I must tell you one thing. In your batch, apart from that little girl, the other Spirit Bone Celestial Prides are also cultivating the Azure Dragon Dominating Body. If you intend to use this to surpass them, it will be impossible."