Combat Technique Awakening

For ordinary cultivators and magical beasts, directly devouring a Magic Core was impossible, especially the Magic Core of a magical beast of the same tier. Swallowing one was simply courting death; it could burst them apart within minutes. But none of this was a problem for an Ancient Void Dragon.

The reason was simple: an Ancient Void Dragon was an Ancient Void Dragon. This was an innate advantage, the unreasonable talent of a top-tier magical beast. The Dragon Veins within an Ancient Void Dragon could suppress the violent energy of a Magic Core, much like how Zi Yan could ignore the toxicity and violent energy of medicinal ingredients and swallow them after a single bite.

"This! This is!" Zhu Jin's pupils contracted, his expression as if he had been struck by lightning. Then his face seemed to soften. "It's actually durian-flavored."

The instant the Magic Core entered Zhu Jin's mouth, it erupted. The earth-element energy within the Mountain-moving Ape's Magic Core surged violently, rushing toward every limb and bone of his dragon body. However, the Ancient Void Dragon flame within Zhu Jin's body soon emerged on its own, enveloping his entire body and sealing the energy away.

Inside the cave, Zhu Jin's purple dragon flame swiftly wrapped around him. Using Dragon Sense, Zhu Jin controlled his soul power and restrained the dragon flame. With a gulp, he swallowed the entire Magic Core, then abruptly released all the dragon flame. In an instant, dragon flame blazed and roared through the cave, nearly filling the entire cavern.

Amid the burning dragon flame, Zhu Jin discovered that the Tier Four earth-element Magic Core within him seemed to come alive. It began radiating yellow energy and struggled desperately, trying to avoid its fate of destruction.

Within Zhu Jin's body, the dragon flame and the Magic Core's yellow energy remained locked in a stalemate. Wisps of yellow mist seeped from Zhu Jin's nostrils and mouth, spreading continuously into the surroundings.

"So hot!" The Flame Wolf Unicorn guards outside the cave entrance hurriedly leaped up. They discovered that the ground temperature had suddenly risen. Even fire-element magical beasts like them found it scorching beneath their feet.

"What is Lord Dragon King doing?!"

"Could it be that Lord Dragon King is refining pills?" The deputy leader watched the faint flames spilling from the cave. It looked very much like the legendary phenomenon of pill refinement.

"Don't worry about that. Guard the cave and don't let other magical beasts discover it. Lord Dragon King may be our clan's hope." The Flame Wolf Unicorn deputy leader looked at the phenomenon inside, a strange gleam flashing through his eyes. "Perhaps Lord Dragon King can reclaim our clan's honor."

Looking at the increasingly dense fiery aura within the cave, Zhu Jin had no leisure to pay attention to any of it. All his focus was on the earth-element Magic Core locked in a stalemate with his dragon flame inside his body.

Zhu Jin gradually discovered that his dragon flame was unable to refine the Magic Core even after a long time. Soon, his stomach let out a series of hungry growls, and a powerful hunger swept over him.

"Damn it, my dragon flame is still at the lowest level. I don't have enough Dou Qi to refine this Tier Four Magic Core!" Zhu Jin suddenly realized the problem. Ancient Void Dragons could indeed refine Magic Cores directly without fearing their terrifying energy, but refinement required tremendous amounts of Dou Qi to sustain it. He simply did not have enough Dou Qi.

Put simply, Zhu Jin was currently using his body as a pill furnace. The dragon flame was the fire, and he consumed Dou Qi to activate it and refine the Magic Core. But because Zhu Jin's dragon flame was of such a low level, refining a Tier Four Magic Core required an enormous amount of Dou Qi.

Zhu Jin did not waste any words. He directly picked up the Mountain-moving Ape flesh that had been cooked by the geothermal heat and tore into it viciously to replenish his Dou Qi. The enormous, ten-meter-tall Mountain-moving Ape was devoured by him in only a few bites.

The stalemate continued until Zhu Jin had eaten all the Flame Wolf Unicorn leader's flesh in his storage space. Only then was it gradually broken. Though the Tier Four Magic Core contained considerable energy, it was still only a Magic Core. Under the relentless burning of the dragon flame, its energy barrier was finally burned through.

As the Magic Core's energy barrier was destroyed, the dragon flame let out an excited roar and surged forward, enveloping the Magic Core before beginning to refine it.

After the flames burned for a long while, fine cracks finally began appearing across the Magic Core's hard surface. A moment later, with a crisp crack, the Magic Core's surface turned to ash and scattered away. Once the ashes settled, a small yellowish-brown ball of energy appeared, drifting within his dragon body.

Seeing the energy ball appear, joy finally surfaced on Zhu Jin's tense face. He said in a deep voice, "Good! Heaven does not disappoint a diligent dragon. Absorb it at once!"

The moment the Magic Core energy ball appeared, Zhu Jin used Dragon Sense to control the Dou Qi within his body. Surging Dragon Dou Qi burst forth and surrounded the energy ball, then, under the control of his soul power, began circulating along his Dragon Veins.

As Dragon Sense guided the energy ball through the pathways of his Dragon Veins, Zhu Jin suddenly discovered that the Magic Core energy ball was gradually being devoured and fused by the Dou Qi within his Dragon Veins!

Seeing this, Zhu Jin was both shocked and delighted. Judging from the situation, he could be certain that this Tier Four Magic Core was exceptionally compatible with his Dragon Veins. He had truly struck it lucky this time!

When the final trace of the energy ball was completely absorbed and fused into his Dragon Veins, Zhu Jin, who had been sitting in the cave with his eyes shut, abruptly opened his Golden Eyes. Dazzling golden radiance shot from them almost tangibly. A moment later, the golden light faded, and Zhu Jin let out a long breath of turbid air.

A stream of information from Dragon Sense echoed in Zhu Jin's mind.

Combat Technique Awakening:

[Earth Tier Low-Grade Movement Technique — Dragon Flash (Beginner)]

[Mystic Tier High-Grade Enhancement Technique — Mountain-moving Strength (Mastery)]

The instant the Dragon Sense information arrived, Zhu Jin, knowing what it represented, could barely suppress the curve of his lips. His mouth nearly split from smiling as he laughed. "Hahaha, I've finally awakened combat techniques! An Earth Tier movement technique—now I'll have a means to save my life!"

Zhu Jin was no stranger to Dragon Flash. If not for the suppression of his cultivation back then, he would have nearly been caught off guard by his little brother's Dragon Flash.

"An Earth Tier low-grade movement technique. Judging by its rank, it's comparable to the Three Thousand Lightning Movement from the book." Zhu Jin could not help growing excited. Recalling the book's description of the Three Thousand Lightning Movement, it had been unbelievably cool.

Dragon Flash was a combat technique on the same level as the Three Thousand Lightning Movement, but unlike the Three Thousand Lightning Movement, it was not high-speed movement. It allowed one to rapidly traverse space for a brief instant, creating an effect similar to blinking. Not only could it evade attacks, it could also cross behind an enemy and launch a counterattack. It was an extremely powerful bloodline combat technique within the Ancient Void Dragon Clan.

"But this Mountain-moving Strength..."

After the excitement of awakening Dragon Flash faded, Zhu Jin examined the unfamiliar combat technique that had suddenly appeared in his mind. He had never heard of a combat technique called Mountain-moving Strength.

"Mountain-moving... Could this be the Mountain-moving Ape's bloodline combat technique? Did I fuse its bloodline combat technique?!"