Dragon Blood Bone Tempering, Thousand Refinement Achieved

Early morning, at a manor on the outskirts of Shrek City.

The lake was calm as a mirror, reflecting the rising sun and shimmering with golden light. Xiao Cheng sat cross-legged on a bluestone by the shore. Before him sat a small furnace, its fire burning brightly as it slowly simmered spiritual herbs together with a small bottle of dragon blood.

This was the supplementary medicinal formula Xiao Cheng had specially prepared to balance the dragon blood—using century-old Poria Lingzhi, Blood Coral, and Bone-Cleansing Flower as the main ingredients, supplemented by several mild harmonizing herbs to neutralize the violent factors in the dragon blood and make it more suitable for human absorption.

"Almost done." Xiao Cheng looked at the batch of medicinal liquid, now refined into a deep crimson color, and nodded in satisfaction.

He extinguished the fire and waited for the medicinal liquid to cool slightly. Then he tipped back his head and poured the entire batch, along with the bottle of dragon blood, into his mouth.

As the medicinal liquid went down his throat, it first brought a cool sensation. Immediately afterward, the scorching heat of the dragon blood rose from his stomach. Two utterly different forces met and collided within him before ultimately merging into a gentle yet immense warm current that flowed through his limbs and bones.

Xiao Cheng did not dare delay and swiftly activated the Blood Refinement into Qi method from the Dragon Transformation Sutra.

As the technique circulated, the True Dragon Qi in his body began to stir. Like invisible tendrils, it reached into that warm current and stripped away the essence within the dragon blood thread by thread.

This process was far gentler than simply consuming dragon blood directly.

The effects of the supplementary herbs revealed themselves at this moment—the dragon blood energy that had originally been so violent became much more docile under their harmonization. Although it still felt scorching, it was no longer unbearable.

Xiao Cheng guided the True Dragon Qi to refine the essence from the dragon blood, transforming it into strands of pure "Dragon Blood Primordial Qi." This Dragon Blood Primordial Qi had already been cleansed of Sea Dragon's will and the assimilative properties of dragon blood. It would not pollute or affect the path of his martial soul's dragon transformation with foreign bloodlines.

"Almost there." With a thought, Xiao Cheng activated the first soul skill of his Body Martial Soul—Evil God Body!

The purplish-gold soul ring lit up, and an evil, tyrannical aura spread from his body. Black Tiger Skin Demon Patterns surfaced across his skin, while a trace of dark violet light flashed through his eyes.

Evil Demon Devour, activate!

A powerful suction force erupted from within him, drawing in the refined Dragon Blood Primordial Qi like a great whale swallowing water and merging it into his bones!

"Crack... crack..."

Subtle sounds came from inside his body. His bones, having absorbed the Dragon Blood Primordial Qi, were beginning to undergo a qualitative transformation!

Xiao Cheng closed his eyes and focused entirely on guiding that Dragon Blood Primordial Qi into his bones. He could feel his skeleton becoming harder and tougher at an astonishing rate!

Progress that had originally required days of stance training was completed in just one short hour under the nourishment of dragon blood!

Xiao Cheng opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. The breath lingered in the air without dispersing, faintly taking the shape of a small dragon before gradually fading moments later.

"The effect... is incredible!" Xiao Cheng felt the changes in his body, and surprise flashed through his eyes.

Just this small bottle of dragon blood had advanced his Bone Tempering progress by nearly three percent! It was even more effective than suffering through a month of stance training!

Moreover, Sea Dragon was water-attributed, and its dragon blood carried water's traits as well—unceasing endurance and all-pervading penetrative power. The benefits of these traits for body refinement went without saying. They allowed the Dragon Blood Primordial Qi to penetrate deeper into his bones and temper them more thoroughly.

"At this rate, I'll complete the first round of Bone Tempering in less than half a month!" Xiao Cheng calculated inwardly, a smile appearing on his face.

The facts proved that his estimate had been conservative.

With the aid of dragon blood, after only seven or eight days, Xiao Cheng felt waves of tingling numbness coming from his bones, as though countless ants were crawling within them. He knew this was a sign that the first round of Bone Tempering was about to be completed.

On the morning of the eighth day, Xiao Cheng consumed a bottle of dragon blood as usual. He circulated Blood Refinement into Qi and Evil Demon Devour, completely absorbing the Dragon Blood Primordial Qi.

At the instant the final wisp of Dragon Blood Primordial Qi merged into his body—

Boom!

A powerful aura erupted from within him!

Xiao Cheng felt as though his body had been ignited. A wave of heat rose from his dantian and instantly spread through his entire body! His bones crackled and popped as if cheering in jubilation! His blood and qi became even more vigorous, his blood surging through his veins with a rushing sound like a river in flood!

The first round of Bone Tempering was complete!

Xiao Cheng opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them. He rose to his feet and moved his body, feeling much lighter, as though he had cast off a heavy set of shackles.

He clenched his fist, sensing the surging power within him, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.

The first round of Bone Tempering is complete. My physical strength has improved by at least thirty percent. Xiao Cheng thought. And my True Dragon Qi has become much more abundant. I can already try cultivating that martial skill.

He took a deep breath and circulated the Soul Power and blood and qi within his body. Following the method recorded in the Dragon Transformation Sutra, he deeply fused the two together.

The process sounded simple, but it was extraordinarily difficult in practice.

Soul Power and blood and qi were two entirely different kinds of energy, belonging respectively to qi and essence. Soul Power leaned toward the energy level, while blood and qi leaned toward the physical level. Perfectly fusing the two required an extremely high degree of control over one's own body.

But Xiao Cheng had cultivated this martial skill in his previous life, so he was already thoroughly familiar with it. He guided his Soul Power and blood and qi to slowly meet, collide, and merge within his body...

Gradually, an entirely new power was born within him.

It was neither pure Soul Power nor pure blood and qi. It possessed a pale cyan quality, like liquid amber flowing slowly through his body. This power was immensely resilient and could travel through his limbs and bones, forming an invisible layer of protection.

Dragon Aura!

One of the fundamental martial skills of the Dragon Transformation Sutra, a completely new power created by deeply fusing Martial Dao true qi and blood and qi, then elevating them beyond their original state!

With a thought from Xiao Cheng, pale cyan Dragon Aura spread from his body and covered his surface, forming an invisible "Dragon Aura Armor." If someone reached out to touch it, they would feel a tough yet elastic texture, as though he were clad in invisible soft armor.

He then picked up the Azure Sky Divine Spear and coated its shaft with Dragon Aura. The originally cyan spear was now covered in a faint cyan glow, radiating a sharp yet heavy presence.

"Dragon Aura can not only provide formidable defense, but also enhance physical strength and attack power." Xiao Cheng swung the spear once and nodded in satisfaction. "And it doesn't consume much Soul Power, so it can be maintained for a long time. This martial skill greatly improves my combat strength and makes up for my weakness in defense."

Of course, this martial skill was also extremely difficult to cultivate. If not for his successful cultivation experience from his previous life, mastering Dragon Aura in a short period of time would have been virtually impossible. If someone else tried to learn it, they would not even grasp the basics without practicing for a year or more.

"With Dragon Aura, plus Evil God Body and Star Track: Absolute Domain, even if I encounter an ordinary assault-type Soul King without Battle Armor, I'm confident I won't lose." Xiao Cheng clenched his fist, confidence gleaming in his eyes.

After completing the first round of Bone Tempering, Xiao Cheng did not slacken his body refinement. Body refinement was a long-term endeavor that required persistent training. Therefore, he continued his habit of drinking a small bottle of dragon blood every day, further tempering his bones and blood and qi.

Another three months passed just like that.

West Shrek City, Zheng's Forge.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Rhythmic hammering rang out from the forge, steadier and more powerful than it had been two months ago.

Inside the forge, Xiao Cheng stood bare-chested, gripping a Thousand-Refined Thousand-Mechanism Copper Forging Hammer in each hand as he focused completely on hammering a piece of pale blue metal atop the anvil.

The metal was pale blue throughout, with faint streams of light moving across its surface and an unusual Soul Power fluctuation emanating from it. It was none other than the rare metal—Blue Pregnancy Copper.

Blue Pregnancy Copper was an extremely special rare metal. It possessed powerful Soul Power amplification properties, but its internal structure was complex and filled with impurities. Only Blue Pregnancy Copper that had undergone at least Thousand Refinement could be used to forge items. It possessed exceptional Soul Power conduction properties and was thus also known as a "Soul Power amplifier." It was one of the rare metals many Soul Masters chose when crafting their own Battle Armor.

However, it had a high impurity content, and its internal structure was variable, making it exceptionally difficult to forge. It could not undergo Hundred Refinement and had to be directly Thousand-Refined, solidifying its properties while causing them to disperse evenly. Only then could it be considered a successful Thousand Refinement.

Xiao Cheng had successfully completed Thousand Refinement before, but his success rate had not been high, and the rare metals he had Thousand-Refined were the most ordinary types. This Blue Pregnancy Copper was the most difficult rare metal he had forged to date.

He raised both hammers and began a sustained series of strikes. He did not use his full strength; the Thousand-Refined Thousand-Mechanism Copper Forging Hammers in his hands used only thirty to forty percent of his power. Sparks flew everywhere, and the rhythmic impacts echoed through the forging room like cheerful percussion.

Long periods of forging had long since given Xiao Cheng boundless patience. He was not anxious in the slightest, treating the metal as though it were a priceless treasure. Instead of increasing the force of his strikes, he slightly reined them in, using the continual hammering to judge the texture of the Blue Pregnancy Copper, sense its characteristics, and gradually complete the purification process.

One hundred strikes, two hundred strikes, three hundred strikes...

Xiao Cheng's movements maintained a stable rhythm throughout, neither hurried nor slow, neither arrogant nor impatient. His spiritual power was entirely immersed in the Blue Pregnancy Copper. He sensed every minute change within it and adjusted the force and angle of every swing.

Zheng Tie, who was usually extremely stern, gradually revealed a smile.

This kid... really is a genius. Zheng Tie thought. The difficulty of Thousand Refinement for Blue Pregnancy Copper ranks among the highest of all rare metals. Many Level 4 blacksmiths wouldn't dare guarantee success in a single attempt, yet he has reached this level... As expected of Xiao Spirit Envoy's son. He's truly intelligent.

Time passed second by second.

When the thousandth hammer strike fell—

Buzzz—!

The Blue Pregnancy Copper suddenly emitted a clear hum, and a layer of soft blue light bloomed across its surface! Its originally rough exterior became smooth as a mirror, its internal impurities were completely removed, and its structure became even and dense!

Thousand-Refined Blue Pregnancy Copper had succeeded!

Xiao Cheng set down his hammers and let out a long breath. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, picked up the Blue Pregnancy Copper that had completed Thousand Refinement, and examined it carefully. A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"Master Zheng, I succeeded." Xiao Cheng handed the Blue Pregnancy Copper to Zheng Tie.

Zheng Tie accepted the Blue Pregnancy Copper and inspected it carefully. Then he nodded, approval flashing through his eyes. "Yes. The impurities have been removed thoroughly, the structure is even, and the Soul Power conduction efficiency is excellent... This is an extremely successful Thousand Refinement. Congratulations, Xiao Cheng. From this day onward, you can be considered a genuine Level 3 master blacksmith."

He paused, then added, "An eight-and-a-half-year-old Level 3 master blacksmith—even in the history of the Blacksmith Association, that would be an exceptionally rare sight."

Hearing this, Xiao Cheng broke into a brilliant smile.

More than half a year of hard work had finally brought abundant rewards.

But this was only the beginning.

His goal was to become a divine craftsman.