Dragon Species, Flying Sword

Ten days later.

Half an hour before school ended.

In the private martial arts classroom.

"Li Xijun, Blood Essence Level: 7.4."

Looking at the Blood Essence Level displayed on the large screen at the front of the classroom, Li Xijun was not satisfied.

This was because he had just sacrificed over an hour of his Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist practice to achieve this breakthrough.

In Li Xijun's opinion, this was a very bad start.

If things continued like this, by the time he reached Blood Essence Level 8, he might genuinely have to sacrifice his progress in either martial arts or Spirit Refinement.

"I can't keep delaying the bottleneck in the Azure Dragon Heaven-Reaching Method. I need to see if there's an earlier solution."

With this thought, Li Xijun didn't hesitate. He went straight upstairs to Su Nianying's private office to seek her guidance.

"This kind of thing is quite common. In fact, basic cultivation methods are generally divided into four stages."

"The first stage is when you're just starting out, often with various incorrect movements. The second stage is when all the stance training movements are flawless and proficient."

"The third stage requires comprehending the true meaning within the basic cultivation method. The fourth stage is to completely master the basic cultivation method, allowing the technique to adapt to you."

"Generally speaking, reaching the Great Accomplishment of the second stage is sufficient for cultivating to Blood Essence Level 9.0."

"Most high school students cannot even achieve Great Accomplishment in the second stage before the college entrance examination."

After hearing Li Xijun's inquiry, the seemingly aloof senior teacher provided a detailed explanation.

As Li Xijun listened, his gaze couldn't help but wander.

Su Nianying was not wearing her usual ancient-style combat attire at the moment. Instead, she was dressed in a classic OL suit skirt, typical of women in the workplace.

Her white shirt was tucked into the skirt, accentuating her exceptionally slender waist. Although the skirt wasn't short, it did little to hide her tall, nine-heads-tall figure. Her long, shapely, fair legs were somewhat dazzling to Li Xijun.

She seemed to sense his gaze. She turned slightly, raised her purple eyes, and scanned Li Xijun's body, her delicate brows furrowed.

"Your talent has exceeded my expectations. You've actually cultivated the Azure Dragon Heaven-Reaching Method to the Great Accomplishment of the second stage so early."

"So, the speed of increasing your Blood Essence Level by 0.1 in the past 10 days was actually held back by the external martial arts fist technique you've been practicing. Otherwise, your progress would have been even faster."

"Asking me for a way to break through the bottleneck of the Azure Dragon Heaven-Reaching Method is also because you want to balance both."

"But I should have told you before that external martial arts techniques that temper the skin, flesh, tendons, and bones from the old era are not very effective."

"As long as your Blood Essence Level increases, the extraordinary physique you'll achieve upon advancing to the Mortal Shedding Realm in university will be incomparable to that of a mortal body."

"You have the ambition and talent to aim for the 'Imperial Capital Two Heavens.' Why aren't you focusing solely on cultivating Blood Essence?"

Su Nianying couldn't quite understand the young man's thoughts. Her expression turned stern, and the hint of her aura that was revealed seemed to make the surrounding air solidify.

An ordinary genius from the Elite Class would have already collapsed under such pressure.

However, Li Xijun, who had experienced the aura of Martial Sage Zhang Fuhu and possessed a powerful mental level, was completely unaffected.

He couldn't explain the great benefits of Viscera Refinement within the Da Sheng Martial Arts System, nor could he mention that he had also spent time on Spirit Refinement.

After a moment of silence, he simply pretended to ignore her displeased frown and the oppressive aura, continuing:

"Yes, it's because of these reasons. However, if my Azure Dragon Heaven-Reaching Method can break through to the third stage, it will definitely increase my Blood Essence Level progression speed as well, right?"

"As long as my Azure Dragon Heaven-Reaching Method realm improves, it won't affect my Blood Essence Level progression. If I truly encounter a situation where it hinders my Blood Essence cultivation, I will prioritize accordingly."

Seeing that her aura had no effect, Li Xijun remained persistent.

Su Nianying found herself in a difficult position.

She had always believed in solving problems with decisive action rather than excessive talk.

However, facing this exceptionally talented student, she couldn't resort to any violent methods.

But as a first-time guidance teacher, she couldn't think of any persuasive arguments to make him give up.

The two stared at each other in silence for a while.

Su Nianying spoke first, "The realm of the third stage of basic cultivation methods is usually achieved by students with high compatibility who awaken their Martial Dao Spirituality. However, there are ways even without comprehending Martial Dao Spirituality."

"Coincidentally, Nianyi is quite skilled in matters of 'true meaning.' I'll send her a message and have her come teach you the breakthrough to the third stage directly."

Upon hearing this, Li Xijun, who was about to express his gratitude as the other party conceded, was interrupted by Su Nianying's follow-up:

"However, let me be clear upfront. If your Blood Essence Level falls behind in the future, I will personally take action and beat you until you recognize your mistake."

Su Nianying, who was not good with words, gave up on persuasion.

She indicated that the most effective method was to use her hands and feet to make him understand his error.

Hearing this, Li Xijun felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

While calming his instinctively ruffled Divine Soul, he nodded repeatedly and quickly left.

The sun slanted westward.

In the school courtyard's maple forest.

A quiet girl with waist-length hair sat on a folding stool, meticulously painting on her easel.

The maple tree on the drawing paper was incredibly vivid and lifelike. Its fiery red vitality seemed ready to ignite, and the crisp autumn breeze accompanying the falling maple leaves felt as though it could leap off the paper and into reality.

Watching from the side for a while, Li Xijun fell into deep thought.

The other person wasn't just painting; they were using their mental energy to sketch the maple tree before them and the artistic conception of its vitality.

'In the main world without a Contemplation Method, this is actually a way to train one's mental energy.'

After finishing the painting and putting the "Maple Forest" into the sketchbook he always carried, Su Nianyi turned to look at Li Xijun, who had been observing for a long time, and said:

"When you have free time, try this method more often. It's good for your mental energy."

Li Xijun nodded slightly, neither agreeing nor refusing.

After speaking, Su Nianyi got straight to the point:

"The focus of the Azure Dragon Heaven-Reaching Method lies in the Azure Dragon on the World Tree. The dragon itself is the central pillar of the cultivation method. To understand the true meaning of this dragon and make it 'come alive' is to break through to the third stage."

This weekend, you'll come with me to the Bo City Mythical Creature Zoo. They have a Sub-Dragon Species, the Kui Wood Dragon, with a thin bloodline.

"At that time, I will guide you in 'painting' the 'dragon' characteristics and true meaning it displays. Although it's definitely not comparable to a genuine dragon species, it's currently the most suitable method."

Su Nianyi's words brought Li Xijun a sense of clarity.

It was like how many fist techniques were created by imitating animals like 'tigers,' 'cranes,' or 'monkeys.'

To comprehend the essence of the Azure Dragon Heaven-Reaching Method, the best way would naturally be to see the Azure Dragon itself. The next best thing would be to observe 'dragons' among mythical creatures. Given Bo City's capabilities as a small city, seeing the 'Kui Wood Dragon' with its thin dragon bloodline was the logical choice.

Of course, the process and methods of observing these dragon-like creatures were also crucial.

With a mental energy genius like Su Nianyi, who could easily present the true meaning of things like maple trees through painting, guiding him would be countless times faster than him trying to figure it out on his own.

"It's just a shame that Bo City's educational resources are somewhat lacking. If it were in the Imperial Capital, perhaps I could see a pure-blooded dragon species from the Mythical World. If I could observe it daily, I might be able to break through to the third stage quickly."

Having figured this out, Li Xijun lamented with a touch of greed.

His words made Su Nianyi couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.

"Pure-blooded dragon species are extremely precious resources. Even in the Imperial Capital, only top universities and powers have them. Observing them daily is just a dream for you."

The school bell rang precisely then.

Li Xijun, who had intended to ask for further guidance, recalled that the Da Sheng World also had various legends and stories about 'dragons,' and the Western Continent had extraordinary creatures like sub-dragon species. Perhaps there would be some gains.

"Haha... I'll be going now, Little Su Teacher."

Li Xijun thought about returning to Da Sheng to see if there was anything related to dragons, which might be effective.

Hearing his peculiar address, Su Nianyi paused, her amethyst-like eyes blinking as she looked at him.

Her sister was Teacher Su, so he called her Little Su Teacher, right?

Su Nianyi really wanted to ask him how he came up with that nickname.

However, Li Xijun, whose mind was already filled with matters of Da Sheng, was quickly walking away. Before she could speak, all she could see was his vanishing back.

His demeanor, not stopping for a moment, made her feel like some kind of ferocious beast.

This caused the usually quiet, long-haired girl to puff out her cheeks slightly.

At the same moment, a group from the Elite Class, who had just exited the teaching building, watched Li Xijun leave. Then they looked at the usually serene and unattainable top student, whose expression was now so cute.

The seventeen or eighteen-year-old boys and girls automatically imagined a youthful romance.

"Ahhh, Xiao Meng, the top student and the genius boy! This is just too cute!"

"Yeah, yeah! As expected, even in the competitive third year of high school, there's sweet romance."

The girls, who could 'ship' anything they saw, engaged in their imagined discussions.

The boys were also swayed, unable to help but discuss whether the usually unapproachable Su Nianyi might actually be in love.

Zhou Shenghao, mixed among them, also chimed in with a smile. He excused himself to go to the restroom and then, on the toilet, couldn't help but repeatedly text 'Chang Ge,' urging him.

A moment later, the other party's message finally arrived. Although it was just a classic [OK] emoji, it made his heart instantly excited.

By the time he returned to the car that picked him up daily, his cousin Zhou Yibai, drinking an energy drink in the car, casually asked:

"Cousin, you seem to be in a much better mood. Earlier, when I saw Brother Li and Su Nianyi downstairs, I felt like you weren't in a very good mood."

"Yeah, that's right. I'm much better, and it's all thanks to Yibai caring about me."

Zhou Shenghao glanced at his cousin a few more times, smiled, then turned to pick up the energy drink from the insulated box and downed it in one go. He drank it a bit too eagerly, even slightly crushing the bottle.

The first autumn night had arrived, and dusk spread across the sky like a black veil.

Passing through the bustling and prosperous streets, Li Xijun, as usual, walked into an alley with an old-fashioned style he had frequented for some time.

The red light on the camera at the intersection had extinguished at some point, as if it had malfunctioned.

Only the orange streetlights illuminated the road, forming circles upon circles. As the autumn wind blew, the orange light flickered, as if the circuitry was aging.

This made the alley, with only the sound of one person's footsteps, feel like a scene from a horror movie.

"Crack!"

The sudden sound made Li Xijun look over cautiously.

Seeing a black cat run across a trash can and knock a half-finished milk tea cup to the ground, He breathed a sigh of relief, turned, and continued forward.

It was at this moment that a hand, with a bloody gash appearing on its palm, silently struck towards the young man's back, intending to knock him unconscious.

However, the young man, who had just let his guard down, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, or perhaps could predict the future. He had already sidestepped and dodged the attack.

At the same time, as if by instinct, his hands shot up, like wings descending, his fingertips tearing through the air as he silently counter-grabbed for the attacker's throat.

"Riiip!"

Li Xijun felt as if he had grabbed solid concrete. With great difficulty, he tore off five layers of skin and flesh from the opponent, but could not advance further.

And at the moment his hand met the throat, The opponent, to his surprise, charged forward without hesitation.

He unleashed another palm strike, carrying terrifying power, like a mountain pressing down, heavily smashing towards Li Xijun's head. If this blow landed, his head would surely explode like a watermelon, scattering everywhere.

But for the middle-aged man at this moment, there was nothing he could do.

Li Xijun's displayed strength in this fight far exceeded the supposed Blood Essence Level 7.3 on paper.

The moment he was attacked by the opponent's five fingers, he could feel that the young man's body was like tempered steel and iron bones, and the True Martial Killing Move·Drooping Cloud Hand he used was terrifyingly powerful.

If he had intended to defeat or knock the youth out, he would likely be stalled, which was extremely dangerous for him, a member of the Blood God Cult.

He decided to go all out, kill the opponent directly, and further win over the hearts of geniuses like Zhou Shenghao within the cult.

With this thought, bloodlust filled his eyes. He allowed the large amount of Blood Essence he had absorbed to surge again, letting the power of this Mountain-Overturning Hand increase dramatically, far exceeding the 1000 kilograms of force at Blood Essence Level 9.0.

Even if the opponent was made of iron, he would be completely smashed by this palm strike!

"Whoosh!"

In the dark alley lit only by dim yellow lights, a streak of crimson light flashed by.

The middle-aged man suddenly felt his body lighten, his vision rising continuously, his entire being feeling as if he had been blown into the sky by the wind.

It wasn't until his gaze fell upon a familiar body, a body losing its balance and falling, a portly middle-aged man's corpse with its hand raised but unable to fall, that a thought formed in his mind:

"Am I dead?"