Dragon Blood

"Congratulations on passing stage c of the second floor of the Trial Tower. Your current Trial Tower rating is 3.0!"

Chen Daolin stood on the desert sands, his body stained with patches of blood. The long spear in his hand dripped steadily, while dozens of Iron-Armored Scorpion carcasses lay scattered in a dense pile around him.

"That should do it."

Chen Daolin broke into a smile and exited the Virtual Space.

With a Trial Tower rating of 3.0 multiplied by a fist force output level of 4.0, his combat power amplification had reached 12, meeting the requirements of his contract!

Today was December 25th, the traditional Western holiday of Christmas.

"Xiao Han, I have a Christmas gift for you, but you'll have to wait until I get back to receive it." Stepping out of the Nine-Layered Tower, Chen Daolin took a deep breath, a joyful smile spreading across his face.

Finally, he had reached this point.

His hard work had not been in vain.

Inside his residence at the Jiangnan Pavilion, Chen Daolin dialed the number listed on the contract he had signed with the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. Once his combat power amplification met the requirements, he was authorized to call this number to claim his rewards.

"Beep—beep—"

The call connected.

"Hello," a deep voice replied.

"Hello, this is Chen Daolin from the Elite Training Camp," Chen Daolin said, his voice calm. "I previously signed a contract with the Martial Arts Hall that included five reward clauses. I was told that if I met any of them, I could call this number to claim the corresponding reward. Is that correct?"

"That is correct!" the deep voice replied.

"My combat power amplification has reached 12, which satisfies the first clause," Chen Daolin stated.

"Hold on a moment while I check." A moment later, the voice returned. "Ah, congratulations, student Chen Daolin. Your combat power amplification is indeed 12, and since today is December 25th, 2056—well before the January 1st, 2057 deadline—you qualify for the rewards. Your rewards are... a full set of Grade 9 combat gear and weapons, a secret manual of your choice, and a portion of Dragon Blood valued at 80 billion."

Chen Daolin said, "By the way, I have an agreement with Inspector Wang of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall that I can exchange items of equivalent value from my rewards for Water of Life."

"Oh? Is that so? Let me check..." The person on the other end pondered for a moment, seemingly consulting with someone else. Shortly after, the voice returned. "That is correct. I have just confirmed that Inspector Wang did agree to help you exchange for the Water of Life, though it will take three days to be delivered to your location. Do you confirm this exchange?"

"Yes, I confirm," Chen Daolin said firmly.

"Very well..."

After some further negotiation, Chen Daolin's rewards were finalized: the combat gear and weapons were exchanged for a portion of Water of Life, the rest remained the same, and he chose the World Destroyer secret manual.

"The Elite Training Camp is located within the headquarters city. Aside from the Water of Life, the other rewards should arrive at the main entrance of the camp within an hour. You may go there to collect them," the deep voice said.

Chen Daolin ended the call and sat in his study, a brilliant smile plastered on his face. He clenched his fists, his excitement difficult to contain, and quickly took a sip of tea. They say Dragon Blood can double one's strength. I wonder how much my power will actually increase? Chen Daolin was filled with anticipation.

Fifty minutes later, Chen Daolin appeared at the main entrance of the training camp.

There were guards stationed at the gate, but they all recognized Chen Daolin as a rising star of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall and wisely refrained from questioning why he was there.

"Beep!" A horn sounded as a large truck drove toward the camp entrance.

"It's here." Chen Daolin's face lit up.

A short while later, Chen Daolin returned to his residence carrying a large briefcase and headed straight for his underground secret room. "It's safer to use the Dragon Blood here."

In the brightly lit room, Chen Daolin opened the briefcase to reveal two wooden boxes. He looked at them, thinking, One should be the Dragon Blood, and the other the secret manual. The Water of Life isn't here; it won't arrive until the 28th.

Chen Daolin opened the first box, which contained a thick manual and a stack of discs. The two large characters on the cover read: World Destroyer. He then opened the second box, which held a test tube secured in foam. The tube was sealed with a stopper, and inside was a golden liquid, filling about a third of the volume.

"This is the Dragon Blood, worth 80 billion, capable of doubling one's strength." Chen Daolin couldn't help but hold his breath. Under the lights, the golden blood shimmered with a mesmerizing, heart-stopping luster. There was also an instruction manual underneath. Chen Daolin picked it up and read, "Oh, the application method is simple—just apply it directly to the skin." He wiped a bead of non-existent sweat from his forehead; he had almost wondered if he was supposed to drink it.

My fist force is currently [X] kilograms. If it doubles, I'll reach [Y] kilograms, Chen Daolin thought to himself.

In reality, the higher one's strength, the weaker the effect of the Dragon Blood. The lower the strength, the more pronounced the effect; for a Warrior Level martial artist, because they were inherently weaker, the Dragon Blood could even quadruple their strength! The legend that it "doubles" strength was merely a rough estimate.

Chen Daolin stripped down to his underwear and lay on the cold floor. He applied the golden Dragon Blood from the tube directly onto his chest; applying it to one spot was sufficient, as the blood would naturally permeate the body.

Chen Daolin lay on the floor, quietly waiting for the effects to take hold.

Soon, waves of heat surged from his chest throughout his entire body, and his temperature began to rise steadily.

Chen Daolin remained still, silently observing the changes.

Pain.

It was very painful.

But this sensation was all too familiar to Chen Daolin; he often felt something similar when practicing the King Kai Fist, though his body temperature had never been this high.

His muscles twitched, his skin burned, sweat poured off him, and his heart raced...

Aside from the occasional twitch, Chen Daolin remained remarkably calm.

Bring it on. I'm already used to this.

Chen Daolin could feel the genes within him undergoing an astonishing transformation under the influence of the Dragon Blood. His cells were frantically devouring the strange energy carried by the blood, initiating a series of metamorphoses.

Every part of his body was undergoing incredible changes, progressing much faster than his usual training.

His physical fitness continued to improve as time passed.

With his powerful and resilient will, Chen Daolin remained fully conscious, keenly sensing every change in his body.

He didn't know how much time had passed when Chen Daolin finally opened his eyes and sat up. His entire body was covered in a layer of grime. With a sudden flex, he shook the black filth off, revealing bronze-colored skin. His firm, perfect muscles looked as if they had been cast from steel. However, Chen Daolin paid no mind to this; he got up to take a shower, then headed to the martial arts hall to test his newfound strength. He was filled with curiosity and anticipation—just how much had his strength increased after using the Dragon Blood?