Golden Dragon Skin Transformation

"I'll smooth over the area first. We can't let anyone discover that this phenomenon of heaven and earth was triggered by the Qi Gathering Realm."

Nantian Xiu formed hand seals with both hands and cast the Earth Flattening Art, filling in every enormous crater blasted out by the Heavenly Tribulation. Then he walked over to the Purple Flame Fire Dragon's corpse.

Now, only a shed snakeskin and a pair of severed dragon horns remained here. The Purple Flame Fire Dragon itself had vanished without a trace.

"I never thought that sword strike just now still failed to kill that beast."

Nantian Xiu picked up the dragon horns and snakeskin from the ground and tossed them to Lu Chen.

"Materials from the Qi Descending Realm. These are good things. Once we get out, I'll have some fine equipment made for you."

"Thank you, Grandpa Xiu."

Lu Chen hurriedly collected the dragon horns and snakeskin.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

The sound of air being torn apart continuously came from afar. Cultivators had already begun approaching this area.

"Little one, let's go. Someone's coming."

Nantian Xiu swept out a palm, erasing the traces of all three of their auras, then took Lu Chen and Nantian Wan'er away from the site of the Heavenly Tribulation.

"Big Brother, it was here. The Heavenly Tribulation came from this place."

Lu Chen's group had barely left when two cultivators hacked down the trees with their swords and arrived at the site of the Heavenly Tribulation.

"Huh? Little Black's nose shouldn't be wrong. Why is there no one here?"

The large black dog held on the cultivator's leash was currently sniffing everywhere.

"It's here. The Lightning Spirit within me is reacting."

A fat cultivator turned his head and surveyed the surroundings before speaking slowly.

If Lu Chen were still here, he would certainly recognize him as the leader of the cultivators who had slaughtered his entire village back then.

After nearly a year, the cultivator leader's cultivation had now faintly begun to carry the aura of the Qi Descending Realm.

Cultivator underling: "Big Brother, I can sense that a Heavenly Tribulation descended here. It must be this place, but I don't know why he fled."

"Wasn't the first step after cultivators transcended mortality and became immortals to manifest heaven and earth, then begin preaching the Dao?"

"I don't know about that either."

The cultivator leader thought for a moment, then said, "That Heavenly Tribulation was so powerful just now. He must have suffered extremely severe injuries. Send a signal to the leader first. The Chongtian Realm isn't something we can handle."

"Yes, Big Brother."

Cultivator underling: "Big Brother, should we keep moving forward, or wait here for the leader to arrive?"

"We need to reach the Fire Prison as soon as possible and seize the Fire Essence. The leader will naturally deal with that Chongtian Realm cultivator."

The cultivator leader stared in the direction Lu Chen had left, withdrawing a fiery-red pill from his storage pouch.

"Follow the path ahead for another two hours, and we'll reach the center of the Fire Prison. With the Fire Repelling Pills bestowed by the leader, we'll definitely obtain the Fire Essence."

"I think we might even gain an unexpected harvest."

Lu Chen's group of three was on their way to the center of the Fire Prison.

Lu Chen was bare-chested, the lines of his upper-body muscles incomparably sleek, with faint threads of golden light flickering across them.

Before him, a Flame Leopard that had just entered the Breath Regulation Realm charged at him with surging momentum.

Its sharp claws struck Lu Chen's chest, yet left behind only a white mark.

Lu Chen slapped backhandedly, sending the Flame Leopard flying into a cliffside. After letting out two miserable cries, it turned and fled.

"Grandpa Xiu, hurry and see how strong my body has become."

Lu Chen allowed the Flame Leopard to leave.

"Golden Dragon Skin Transformation. This body is probably as strong as that of an ordinary Qi Descending Realm cultivator."

Nantian Xiu examined Lu Chen's body and placed both hands on his arms.

"Grandpa Xiu, can you tell me about body refinement? I've never heard of something like Golden Dragon Skin Transformation."

Lu Chen possessed Feng Tiancheng's memories, but he did not dare confirm whether those memories still matched the current cultivation system.

Nantian Xiu released spiritual energy from both hands, conjuring a diagram of the human body before Lu Chen.

As the image unfolded, Nantian Xiu began explaining the secrets of body refinement to Lu Chen.

Body refinement had four stages in total: Body Refinement Initial Success, Body Refinement Minor Success, Body Refinement Major Success, and Body Refinement Golden Body Great Perfection.

The initial stage of body refinement involved using spiritual energy during the Qi Drawing Realm to repeatedly scour away the body's impurities and continuously strengthen the tendons and temper the bones.

The mark of Body Refinement Initial Success was being able to withstand the ten waves of Heavenly Tribulation in the Qi Gathering Realm.

Only after body-refining cultivators reached Body Refinement Initial Success could they truly step onto the path of cultivation.

Just as when a cultivator entered the Breath Regulation Realm, this was when body refinement truly began.

Body refinement began with the skin, continuously removing the impurities within it.

Once the skin had been refined to perfection and emitted golden light, it was called Golden Dragon Skin Transformation. At that point, one had reached Body Refinement Minor Success.

Next came the bones, muscles, and internal organs of the human body.

Only after all of them had been refined to perfection and emitted golden light could it be called Body Refinement Major Success.

After that came entering the human body itself and removing the impurities of the human soul.

Once the human soul began to emit golden light.

The soul would connect with the other organs of the body and form a Golden Body.

Half an hour later, Nantian Xiu finished his demonstration.

"Little one, did you understand? Those are the major keys to body refinement."

Nantian Xiu withdrew his divine ability and turned to look at Lu Chen.

"I understand, Grandpa Xiu. Then how far has your own cultivation reached?"

Lu Chen was somewhat curious about Nantian Xiu's level of cultivation and also wanted to use it to verify his own level of body refinement.

"I've just reached Body Refinement Minor Success, Golden Dragon Bone Transformation."

With a wave of Nantian Xiu's hand, his skin began to emit golden light, and the faint image of a golden dragon appeared.

"Grandpa Xiu, is your body really this weak? Your cultivation should be far beyond this, shouldn't it?"

Lu Chen looked at the light emanating from Nantian Xiu's body, somewhat puzzled.

Nantian Xiu said, "There are countless paths of cultivation in this world. What I mainly cultivate is not the physical body. Increasing one's cultivation can likewise resist the Heavenly Tribulation."

"Grandpa Xiu, I don't understand. Didn't you just say that only cultivating the physical body could withstand the Heavenly Tribulation? Why are you now saying that raising cultivation can do it too?"

Hearing Nantian Xiu's explanation, Lu Chen became even more confused.

In Feng Tiancheng's memories, that era had not possessed so many cultivation methods.

The cultivators of that era mainly cultivated through bloodlines and never deliberately cultivated their bodies.

"What I just demonstrated were the rules established by a great mighty figure who attained the Dao through the physical body."

"At the time, he was unable to draw in qi to cultivate, but he refused to accept it. He refined his body at high intensity every day, and in the end, he successfully used a fleshly body with thirty-six Golden Bodies to force open an extraterritorial passage and ascend."

Nantian Xiu heard Lu Chen's confusion, withdrew the Golden Body's radiance, and explained.

"Then what would happen if one cultivated both body refinement and spiritual energy at the same time?"

Lu Chen had already reached Golden Dragon Skin Transformation in the Qi Gathering Realm. Perhaps he could make his cultivation and body refinement develop in tandem.

"Never think that way. There was once an extraordinarily talented woman who chose to develop body refinement and spiritual energy simultaneously."

"Although she truly succeeded in the end, cultivating both at once greatly wasted her time. Her lifespan ran out, and she failed to break through the final barrier."

Seeing Lu Chen's current state, Nantian Xiu formed hand seals with both hands and spoke to him.

"Little one, I know your talent is exceptional, and I don't wish to pry into your secrets."

"But you must also understand how vast the Eastern Pole Continent is, and how many geniuses have appeared throughout its history. Yet how many names can you still call to mind now?"

"Before you possess sufficient strength, trying to blaze a new path of cultivation is nothing but ruining your own future."

"Moreover, a genius without the protection of strength often means dying young. Do you understand, Lu Chen?"

Nantian Xiu had not wanted to say so much, but Lu Chen already looked as if he were about to go astray.

Thus, he delivered a "head-on roar," directly shocking Lu Chen awake.

"Little Lu accepts Grandpa Xiu's teachings."

Lu Chen was instantly jolted awake from his fantasies by that "head-on roar." Cold sweat drenched his entire body, and lingering fear rose within him over what had just happened.

Lu Chen was only eighteen, at the age when youth ran hot and fantasies flourished.

Others needed ten years to gather qi, while Lu Chen had taken less than half a year.

When the growth of one's state of mind could not keep pace with the rise in cultivation, it was easy to go astray.

"Alas... I've cultivated for too short a time."

"Last time, Grandpa Feng said he would help temper my state of mind, but before it could begin, Grandpa Feng fell into slumber. It seems I need to quickly find a way to improve my state of mind."

"Brother Lu, I know a place that can help you improve your state of mind."

At that moment, Nantian Wan'er's voice appeared in Lu Chen's mind.

Hearing Nantian Wan'er's voice, Lu Chen felt that she was his lucky star. Whatever he needed, Wan'er seemed able to bring it to him.

"Wan'er, quickly tell me. Where is that place?"

Lu Chen excitedly hugged Nantian Wan'er.

"Brother Lu, let go of me first. You're hurting me."

Nantian Wan'er wanted to push Lu Chen away, but she was not as strong as him and could not break free.

"Ah... all right, I'll let go first."

Lu Chen hurriedly released Nantian Wan'er. When he turned his head, he saw Nantian Xiu looking at the two of them with a beaming smile.

"Carry on. Don't mind this old fossil."

Lu Chen scratched his head.

"Hahaha, Grandpa Xiu, Wan'er just told me she has a way to temper my state of mind, so I got a little carried away."

"Oh? Wan'er has a way to improve one's state of mind? I'd like to hear it too."

Nantian Xiu stroked his beard and walked toward Nantian Wan'er.

"Grandpa, you keep teasing me. I'm not telling you. I'll only tell Brother Lu."

Nantian Wan'er leaned close to Lu Chen's ear and quietly told him about the changes within the Twin Fish Plate.

Lu Chen had been checking the changes in his body the entire way and had not realized that the changes within the Twin Fish Plate had already finished.

"Grandpa Xiu, I already know how to temper my state of mind. I want to give it a try, but I'll have to trouble you to stand guard for me."

Lu Chen prepared to send his consciousness into the Twin Fish Plate's Small World to see what method could temper his state of mind.

"Fine. Little one, go ahead without worry. I'm also a little curious now about this mysterious method Wan'er spoke of for tempering the state of mind."

Nantian Xiu watched Lu Chen sit cross-legged and circulate his cultivation until he entered meditation, then waved a hand and set up a barrier before him.

Lu Chen's consciousness entered the Twin Fish Plate's Small World.

"Hiss..."

Seeing everything before him, Lu Chen sucked in a breath of cold air.

"How did the world inside the Twin Fish Plate become like this?"