Opening the Mind

Dragon Blood Stones are rocks that have been soaked in dragon blood.

Dragon blood is precious. Even a stone that has been stained with the faintest trace of it—so diluted it's barely there—is worth as much as a Minor Marrow Cleansing Pill, requiring a Ninth-grade Merit to exchange.

Still, it's a relatively obscure item among Ninth-grade Merit exchanges. Few people trade for it; most opt for the Minor Marrow Cleansing Pill instead.

"My Lord, since His Majesty has issued the decree, it will come very quickly—likely within the next day or two." Gao Lingfeng smiled.

As the two were speaking, a minor clerk announced that someone from the Audit Department was looking for the Assistant Director.

The clerk from the Audit Department was young, with delicate features.

He delivered a Ninth-grade Merit token to Chu Zhiyuan.

At noon, bright sunlight streamed into the Listening to Waves Courtyard, making the flowers in the garden even more vibrant by three shades.

The emerald bamboo rustled, and a gentle breeze drifted through.

The breeze carried faint floral scents and crisp air through the open window, blowing onto Chu Zhiyuan as he sat on the couch.

He sat cross-legged, clad in a loose moon-white robe, his hair loose and unbound.

In his left palm, he held a crimson stone, examining it closely.

This Dragon Blood Stone was the size of a fist, red as blood.

It had already taken on a jade-like quality—smooth and warm to the touch, with a faint luster flowing within, much like red jade.

But its color was deeper than red jade. Gazing at it for a moment, it seemed as though flames were churning within, ready to burst into fire at any moment.

The Dragon Transformation Technique surged, moving at about three times its normal speed.

It was slower than the Flying Dragon Pearl—perhaps because the dragon blood was too diluted, or the blood on this stone wasn't of a high enough grade, inferior to that of a flying dragon.

What surprised him was that as the Dragon Transformation Technique circulated, it was drawing power from the stone.

The mercury-like, silvery breath from the Flying Dragon Pearl had transformed into True Qi when drawn out, but the breath extracted from this Dragon Blood Stone was not True Qi.

It was a kind of breath that could merge directly into the Dragon Transformation Technique—neither True Qi nor something the meridians could absorb. Most peculiar.

After observing it through Super Sensation for over a dozen cycles, a flash of insight struck him, and he began to circulate the second-layer technique of the Dragon Transformation Technique.

The second layer was about refining acupoints.

Refining acupoints meant opening them, expanding them.

These acupoints were a strange kind of existence—like acupoints yet not acupoints, seeming both empty and solid.

They resembled the acupoints along the meridians but were not actually acupoints. They were created by the Dragon Transformation Technique at the intersections of meridians.

No other animals or humans had such acupoints; they were unique to dragon bodies, akin to a dragon's own acupoints.

Human acupoints are nodes on the meridians, gathering points for qi and blood, like the confluence of rivers.

The acupoints opened by the Dragon Transformation Technique, however, were like whirlpools—places where breath and energy accelerated. Each acupoint opened increased the speed of breath and blood flow by one degree.

To complete the second layer of the Dragon Transformation Technique, one had to open twenty acupoints.

One acupoint on each of the Twelve Meridians and the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

Once the acupoints were opened, True Qi circulation would accelerate, strength and explosive power would greatly increase, and naturally, martial arts prowess would soar.

As the second-layer technique of the Dragon Transformation Technique circulated, the breath drawn from the Dragon Blood Stone rapidly gathered in his Dantian. Instead of entering it, the breath swirled around it.

This breath left the meridians, traveling freely through flesh and blood, converging at the Dantian, circling and spiraling around it. Gradually, a golden vortex formed above the Dantian.

Like a hawk circling a rabbit on the grassland.

The technique drove the process, and the breath from the Dragon Blood Stone poured endlessly into the Dragon Transformation Technique's energy, condensing into the golden vortex above the Dantian.

He could see it clearly through inner vision.

The golden breath was initially thin, but as time passed, it grew denser, stronger, more concentrated, and purer.

Eventually, it became dazzlingly golden, like a school of golden fish dancing in the sea—a magnificent sight.

The Dragon Blood Stone's breath was inexhaustible but not infinite. After an hour, the stone turned into a piece of white jade.

All breath was gone; it was now just pure white jade.

Chu Zhiyuan thought for a moment, then opened the Cold Jade Box.

Instantly, the circulating second-layer Dragon Transformation Technique accelerated. The golden vortex spun faster and faster, then suddenly contracted inward and collapsed.

With a final sharp contraction, it condensed into a brilliant golden orb, shaped like a Flying Dragon Pearl.

"Boom!" The golden orb exploded.

He felt as if the earth were shaking and the mountains trembling, a thunderous roar unending.

Dizziness blurred his vision, his five senses went haywire—even Super Sensation was useless at that moment. His body and mind were plunged into chaos.

His body shook violently, trembling without cease. Flashes of gold flickered before his eyes, obscuring everything else, like an electric shock.

When calm returned, his senses restored, and Super Sensation once again saw through all things, he found that his Dantian had become a vortex.

The Misty Purple Qi of the Greater Violet Sun Technique transformed into a massive vortex, spinning like a purple nebula—seemingly slow, yet carrying an astonishing momentum.

When he observed it, facing this nebula-like vortex of purple qi, he actually felt a sense of awe, as if it might erupt with earth-shattering power at any moment.

So this was opening a meridian point?

The first point opened in his Dantian.

The vortex spun slowly, but when he pushed his spirit to circulate the Greater Violet Sun Technique, it provided immense assistance, making the technique flow with ease, reducing consumption and increasing speed.

He tested it: speed doubled, mental consumption halved.

For someone with the Heavenly Yuan Art like him, mental consumption was irrelevant, but for others, it meant being able to sustain the technique for twice as long.

Twice the speed, twice the duration—combined, it meant his daily cultivation efficiency was four times what it had been, or even more.

One year equaled another's four, ten years equaled forty—how absurd!

He happily cycled the Greater Violet Sun Technique, marveling repeatedly, never imagining the Dragon Transformation Technique could be so astonishing.

The first layer's meridian training was far from showcasing its true power.

When he finally pulled himself out of that wondrous state, he looked up at the sky through the window.

The sun had shifted about thirty degrees toward the west; he estimated it was around two in the afternoon, so he decided to head to another residence.

Glancing at the faded Dragon Blood Stone, he shook his head.

The Dragon Blood Stone was good, but it wore out far too quickly.

Unfortunately, the Flying Dragon Pearl contained no such strange power to help him open the remaining meridian points.

If he could get more Dragon Blood Stones, he could open new points swiftly; if not, he would have to painstakingly cultivate the second-layer technique on his own.

Practicing the second layer of the Dragon Transformation Technique, his True Qi would purify to a certain degree and undergo a peculiar change, similar to the energy he had drawn from the Dragon Blood Stone.

But this cultivation speed was far inferior to the stone's assistance.

He wondered if His Majesty might grant him more?

He tossed the white jade aside, rose from the couch, and said, "Mo Yi."

Mo Yi and the other three women appeared gracefully, their colorful robes fluttering, a faint fragrance drifting, instantly filling the room with a charming atmosphere.

"They're yours now." Chu Zhiyuan tossed the white jade to Mo Yi.

This piece of white jade was valuable, but to him, it was nothing worth bothering over, so he simply gave it to Mo Yi and the others.

"Thank you, Young Master." Mo Yi caught it, examined it, then passed it to the other three women.

The four of them smiled delicately, their faces blooming like flowers.

Their radiance brightened the room even more.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Help me change; I need to go out."

--

The residence beside the Earthly Soil Hall at Bright Moon Tower was perfect for extreme cultivation.

The Imperial Heaven Earthly Soil Scripture could instantly restore meridian injuries, allowing him to push himself to the limit without fear, whether he was assaulting the Eighth Layer or practicing other Martial Skills—he could train recklessly.

He changed into a fresh set of clothes and left Prince Qing's Estate, soon exiting Prince Qing Street and merging into the bustling crowd, heading toward that residence.

In the small cloth pouch on his chest, the Flying Dragon Pearl lay quietly, positioned over his heart.

The Dragon Transformation Technique was cycling wildly, without him needing to urge it—like a horse galloping on its own without a rider.

He only needed to nudge his intent slightly to guide it into the first or second layer.

By the time he stepped out of Prince Qing Street, the first layer of the Dragon Transformation Technique had finally reached perfection.

But this perfection wasn't permanent; it was only the perfection of each cultivation realm.

Currently, he was at the Eighth Layer realm. Once he broke through to the Ninth Layer, the first layer of the Dragon Transformation Technique would become imperfect again, requiring him to cultivate it anew.

His body automatically cycled the second layer of the Dragon Transformation Technique.

As he walked into the dense crowd, more and more martial arts experts appeared around him. The proportion of experts in the crowd was rising sharply—if the Town Martial Division didn't take effective measures soon, chaos would erupt.

Chu Zhiyuan scanned the various shops and stalls along the street, then his sword-like brows suddenly lifted slightly, and his lips moved.

Guo Chi and Zou Fang both heard his voice in their ears: "Three Grandmasters are tailing us. They mean trouble. Don't get separated, and don't let them lure you away!"

The two remained expressionless, but Guo Chi moved a step closer to him.

"Let's go into a tavern and sit for a while," Chu Zhiyuan suddenly said.

Guo Chi and Zou Fang immediately understood his intent and stopped with him. The four estate guards also halted, staying below the tavern.

The three of them entered this Qiyun Tower.