The Calm After Battle

After returning to the Qin Clan.

Qin Wangchuan soaked in the warm, nourishing Spirit Liquid of the Dragon Raising Pool, the misty water nourishing his body, which was nearly exhausted after the battle.

This pool was originally prepared for Dragon Scale, but he did not use Dragon Scale's power in the previous battle.

The Mystic Heaven Ring is shattered; I'm afraid she'll shatter too.

After all, the Dragon Scale is more than just a divine weapon; it must be cherished.

Thus, this best place for healing became his private sanctuary for recuperation.

The pool water seeped into my skin, soothing hidden wounds, but that wasn't the key point.

Qin Wangchuan stared intently at the System Interface before him:

[Current Origin Source: 95 times]

The rewards from mining in the Wen Dao Palace, combined with his past accumulations, brought his pre-battle Origin Source to 114 times its original value.

A fierce battle, involving frequent Borrowing Law, actually depleted 19 times the Origin Source.

"I didn't expect that Borrowing Law would come at the cost of burning my Origin Source..." Qin Wangchuan mused. "It seems I've truly reached the limit of overdraft. I'll have to be more careful in the future."

To an outsider, losing 1900 points of Origin Source would likely have already burned away one's foundation, leaving one utterly destroyed, body and soul.

Fortunately, what he has in abundance is his Origin Source.

"I remember there was a gift pack I hadn't opened after the mining task settlement."

With a slight thought, he indeed found the phantom marked "[Mystery Gift Pack]" in a corner of the system.

Just as it was about to begin.

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a slender, delicate hand silently reaching down from the edge of the pool and grabbing at his lower abdomen.

Qin Wangchuan reacted quickly, grabbing the wrist in one swift motion.

The pool water rippled gently, and Dragon Scale was half-submerged at the edge of the pool, her black hair flowing freely, her pure and innocent dragon eyes gazing quietly at him.

"Ceremony."

She uttered two words, awkward yet clear.

At the same time, because their Divine Soul were closely connected, a memory scene originating from their bloodline was directly transmitted to them.

That was about the "companionship ceremony" of the True Dragon Tribe.

But that--

"It's just doing *!"

Dragons are inherently lustful, but once True Dragon Tribe chooses a mate, it will mark the mate to declare its exclusive sovereignty.

The mark is not merely a simple symbol; it possesses a special binding effect and, in the so-called "ritual," allows the spirit and body to merge, sublimate, and increase their combined strength.

Many True Dragon also compete to see who can leave behind the most marks.

For the Dragon Clan, this is instinct; it requires no teaching and is innate.

After browsing through this straightforward and passionate memory of inheritance, Qin Wangchuan sighed inwardly.

As expected of the Dragon Clan.

As soon as he raised his held hand, he saw a golden "Chuan" mark on the back of his hand that was faintly flowing with brilliance.

He looked up and saw that Dragon Scale's other hand was pressed against his lower abdomen.

There, under the fabric, there is also a mark with the word "Chuan" protruding through the clothes, reflecting the light.

Sichuan.

The "Chuan" in Qin Wangchuan.

This is the Dragon Clan's mark—marking the other while simultaneously revealing oneself, declaring belonging.

Ordinary dragons, upon seeing the mark, would immediately know which dragon it belonged to and would rush to seize it.

But--

Why is your mark on your lower abdomen?

He felt somewhat helpless.

Is that correct?

"No, the timing is wrong."

Without words, their Divine Soul were connected, making them almost perfectly in sync.

The connection between their Divine Soul far surpassed that kind of relationship; their intimate bond was perfectly natural.

But Qin Wangchuan still held her hand down.

"We still need to see the Old Ancestor later; now is not the time to do this kind of thing."

Dragon Scale paused in her movements.

Then--

Her aura suddenly changed, and a holy golden light emanated from within her body!

The figure of the girl, who was originally around fourteen years old, stretched and grew taller at a speed visible to the naked eye in the light.

Her black hair grew wildly like a waterfall, completely erasing her childlike figure. In the blink of an eye, she transformed into a stunningly beautiful adult woman in her early twenties.

Her skin was as white as snow, her curves were exquisite, and the red scales on her forehead burned like blood, adding a touch of eerie divinity.

"It's not that the size is wrong!" Qin Wangchuan's tone was slightly admonishing, but there was no anger in it.

Dragon Scale was simply naive and ignorant of worldly affairs; it wasn't intentional.

He took her hand, wanting her to squat down by the pool to talk.

However, Dragon Scale misunderstood, interpreting it as a more intimate gesture.

The girl lowered her eyelashes slightly and obediently knelt down, following the pull of Qin Wangchuan's hand.

His waist bent gracefully, lifting his round, full-moon-like buttocks high, the full curves taut to their limit in his kneeling position—ultimately, in this docile yet curvaceous posture, his gaze was perfectly aligned with his as he rose from the water.

A hint of grievance and confusion flickered in those dragon-like eyes.

If everyone else can do it, why can't I?

I bear your mark; the ritual should be completed!

Although no words were uttered, this thought was clearly transmitted to his Divine Soul.

Qin Wangchuan reached out and gently stroked the top of her slightly damp hair, his voice softening. "That kind of thing is very important."

"So we can't be careless; we need to prepare carefully. Understand?"

Perhaps it contains traces of certain beliefs from a previous life.

While he doesn't resist intimacy, he also doesn't want to be hasty.

Dragon Scale nodded blankly, then quieted down, lying by the pool and gazing at him like a docile creature that had withdrawn its claws.

Qin Wangchuan then refocused his attention on the system.

[Mystery Gift Pack]: Obtained as part of a mining quest. Opening it will grant you random Origin Source and corresponding item rewards.

(Note: The items obtained will always be useful to the host.)

"It will definitely work?" Qin Wangchuan's mind stirred slightly upon seeing those four promising words. "Activate."

The box bounced a few times and then exploded with a bang.

[Gained Origin Source +2000]

[Obtain Black Pickaxe: Specially targets ores, especially Spirit Stone veins, easily stripping away Spirit Mine and even completely mining the Spirit Vein.]

Qin Wangchuan looked at the simple, even somewhat rough, black iron pickaxe in his hand, his chest heaving slightly.

In the system's eyes, "I" am still buried in mining in Middle Thousand Provinces.

So they just gave me a draft?

Okay, that makes sense.

He shook his head and put away the Black Pickaxe.

You never know when you might actually need it.

[Current Origin Source: 115 times]

The Origin Source has rebounded, even surpassing previous levels.

As I closed my eyes and felt the subtle changes brought about by the abundance of my Origin Source energy, I suddenly heard a soft "tick-tock" sound.

Opening his eyes, he saw that the Dragon Scale had cut his fingertip, and drops of dragon blood, shimmering with a pale golden luster, were falling into the pool.

"Becoming stronger is useful."

Her thoughts returned.

Qin Wangchuan tried to stop her, but she seemed to sense something and nimbly dodged to the side.

He paused for a moment, then shook his head and chuckled.

"You..."

He beckoned again, Dragon Scale obediently leaned closer.

Qin Wangchuan stroked her soft, flowing hair and slowly closed his eyes.

"I'm going to sleep for a while."

There was no wariness, only complete trust.

The blood of the True Dragon, mixed with the essence of many heavenly materials and earthly treasures in the Dragon Raising Pool, slowly seeped into his body.

After destruction comes reconstruction. The Immortal Bone within the body are also activated, emitting a strange energy that nourishes every inch of flesh and blood, both internally and externally.

Golden light, like a thin mist, rose from his body and gradually solidified after covering his entire body.

It transformed into a layer of delicate and resilient Dragon Scale.

Dragon Scale watched quietly, her dragon eyes reflecting the growing Dragon Might.

She pondered for a moment, then her gaze hardened.

The fingertip was cut again, and this time, what was forced out were several drops of True Dragon Essence Blood, as dazzling as rubies.

The Essence Blood fell into the pool, and its radiance shone brightly!

If previously it was merely the manifestation of Dragon Scale, now Qin Wangchuan's body was filled with the might of Dragon Might, with faint phantom images of True Dragon coiling and roaring around him.

Wait until these few drops of incomparably precious Essence Blood are completely fused.

His physique will simultaneously possess the invulnerability of Immortal Bone's body and the domineering sharpness of True Dragon Body.

Dragon Scale stared intently for a moment, her determination deepening in her dragon eyes.

That's not enough...

She gritted her teeth and forced out a few more drops of Essence Blood.

After doing all this, the radiance around her noticeably dimmed, and she lay wearily by the pool, slowly closing her eyes.

Inside the Dragon Raising Pool, golden light shimmered, and the shadows of dragons rose and fell.

The pool was still, with only the gentle ripples of the Spirit Liquid.

Both were asleep, yet in their slumber, they were undergoing a transformation in their life levels.