Heart of the Dragon, Dragon Blood Body Tempering Pill

[ Ding! Special mission 'Clearing the Clouds to See the Sun' completed! ]

[ Target 'Liu Erlong's' emotional state toward Yu Xiaogang: extreme disgust, rejection. ]

[ Mission rewards issued: Wish Value +1000 (Current: 1364); Dragon Blood Body Tempering Pill ×1; Liu Erlong's 'Heart of the Dragon' (deep bond established). ]

Xiao Yin listened to the prompts in his mind and looked at Liu Erlong, who seemed reborn from the ashes before him. A weight lifted from his heart, but at the same time, a strange premonition arose within him.

What exactly did this Heart of the Dragon mean...?

Liu Erlong took several deep breaths, forcibly suppressing the urge to drag Yu Xiaogang out and tear him to pieces.

She walked over to Xiao Yin and fixed him with a burning stare. Her face was still flushed, and her tone carried an unquestionable dominance, though that dominance seemed mixed with something else.

"Xiao Yin! From today onward, you're one of Blue Tyrant Academy's people! Whoever dares touch you is picking a fight with me, Liu Erlong! And also..."

She paused. Her gaze drifted slightly, and her voice unconsciously lowered, though it still carried a hint of forced ferocity.

"Don't tell anyone about this! Hear me?! Otherwise... otherwise, I'll stir-fry you like a dish!"

With that, she suddenly turned around and strode out of the kitchen. Her back remained fiery and imposing, but her reddened ears exposed the turmoil in her heart.

Xiao Yin watched her leave, then glanced at the completely charred greens in the pot. He smiled helplessly, though a glint flashed through his eyes.

This seemed to be getting more and more interesting...

That evening, Xiao Yin sat cross-legged in an open space Liu Erlong had specially cleared for him. The Dragon Blood Body Tempering Pill floated before him.

The pill was no bigger than a dragon's eye and entirely a deep, dark gold.

Its surface was not smooth, but covered in patterns resembling dragon scales. Faint dark-red streams of light flowed slowly through them, as if a drop of living dragon blood had been sealed inside.

Liu Erlong stood with her arms folded by the window, the setting sun outlining her fiery, tall silhouette.

As she looked at the pill, even her phoenix eyes could not hide her astonishment.

Even with her experience, she had never seen a pill of such quality. The pure dragon's might and immense vitality it emitted even made the Red Dragon Martial Soul within her let out a faint, yearning hum.

She did not ask where the pill had come from. Everyone had their own secrets, just as she would no longer question the miraculous method that had allowed her to see Yu Xiaogang's true colors.

She merely said in a low voice, "Kid, this thing doesn't look simple. Its medicinal power is probably insanely overbearing. Swallow it once you're ready. I'll stand guard for you. If you can't hold on, say something. Don't stubbornly ruin yourself!"

Xiao Yin took a deep breath and suppressed the excitement in his heart.

He could naturally sense the terrifying energy contained within the pill.

"Thank you!"

He no longer hesitated. Tilting his head back, he placed the pill into his mouth.

It melted the instant it entered his mouth!

There was none of the bitterness he had expected. Instead, a warm liquid with a sweet, rusty tang instantly filled his mouth and surged down his throat!

Boom—!!!

It was as if a living volcano had erupted inside his body!

An unimaginably violent torrent of energy exploded in Xiao Yin's stomach!

It contained the purest origin of draconic life and tempering power!

"Ugh—ah—!"

Xiao Yin let out a muffled groan, his body suddenly tightening like a drawn bow!

The skin over his entire body instantly turned crimson, and countless fine veins bulged beneath it!

The moment sweat seeped from his pores, the terrifying heat evaporated it into white mist that curled around him!

Pain!

Indescribable pain!

The power of dragon blood violently scoured his body, like the crudest blacksmith intent on forging his mortal flesh into steel tempered a hundred times!

Roar—!

With a roar, the Taotie phantom appeared beyond his control, its dragon head savage and its goat body coiled beneath it!

It fluctuated violently beneath the impact of the dragon blood's energy, as though it were resisting this foreign dragon might!

Liu Erlong's gaze sharpened, and she instantly straightened.

She could clearly sense the violent clash and fusion of the two terrifying forces within Xiao Yin's body.

The temperature in the room rose sharply. Without hesitation, she released her Soul Power and laid an invisible barrier around Xiao Yin.

It isolated any destructive energy leakage while allowing her to intervene at any moment.

Xiao Yin's consciousness rose and sank amid waves of agony, nearly drowning beneath them.

But the ferocity in his bones and the greed of the Taotie Martial Soul were fully awakened!

Want to eat me?! Then let's see who devours whom!

He roared inwardly and circulated the Myriad Spirits Unification Art with all his strength!

It was as though an invisible black-hole vortex had appeared inside him, madly devouring the violent dragon blood energy!

The Taotie Martial Soul also let out a soundless roar, opening its illusory maw and greedily tearing at that pure origin of dragon blood!

Refine! Fuse!

This was an exceedingly painful and dangerous process.

His bones were hammered again and again, while his meridians and flesh were torn apart before being rebuilt!

Time passed amid the agony.

Liu Erlong silently stood guard nearby, watching Xiao Yin with a complicated expression.

She watched his twisted face as he refused to collapse, watched his body continuously transform between destruction and rebirth...

The strange feeling born from the Heart of the Dragon bond deepened without her realizing it.

This kid... really was a monster!

A monster ruthless even toward himself!

No one knew how much time had passed before the violent energy fluctuations around Xiao Yin finally began to subside.

The suffocating pain receded, replaced by an overwhelming sense of comfort.

It was as if he had been remade from the inside out!

He slowly opened his eyes.

Buzz!

Two dark-golden beams of light, solid as substance, shot fiercely from his eyes like a slumbering beast awakening!

He felt the power surging through his body—

His meridians were broad and tough as rivers, his bones hard as divine iron, his muscles knotted with strength, and his defenses greatly enhanced!

He could even clearly sense that his Taotie Martial Soul—the dragon-headed, goat-bodied phantom—had become more solid, while the dark-gold sheen on its scales had grown deeper!

The dragon blood had tempered his body with astonishing results!

Xiao Yin slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid air that carried scorching white vapor.

He rose to his feet and stretched his body. A string of crisp, pleasant cracks rang out from his bones like beans popping in a pan.

A powerful sense of strength filled his entire body, making him want to throw back his head and roar!

He looked at Liu Erlong, who had guarded him the whole time, his eyes filled with sincere gratitude. "Thank you for protecting me."

Liu Erlong looked at the transformed Xiao Yin before her and those shining eyes. For no reason at all, her heart skipped a beat.

She forcibly suppressed that strange feeling and snorted fiercely, though her tone had softened in a way that was difficult to notice.

"Hmph! Enough nonsense! Go wash up already. You're covered in blood and filth, and you stink! Also, you burned cracks into the floor of my cultivation room. Remember to compensate me!"

With that, she turned and headed for the door, though her steps seemed just a little quicker than usual.

Xiao Yin lowered his head to look at the grime and blood expelled from his body, then at the faint scorched cracks in the floor. He smiled helplessly.

The dragon blood body tempering was complete. He was now one step closer to obtaining his ten-thousand-year third soul ring!

Next up—the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber!