As his consciousness returned, Hillman was awakened by birdsong in the woods.
He slowly opened his heavy eyelids. Dazzling sunlight spilled through gaps in the leaves, making him squint slightly. Agony surged through his body like a tide, especially around his broken ribs, where even the slightest breath made him grimace. He struggled to sit up, only to find his limbs weak and aching, with barely enough strength left to raise a hand.
Looking down, he saw that his robes had long since been soaked in blood, which had dried into a stiff crust. Traces of blood were still seeping from his wounds. The healing herbs were still in his storage space. Mustering what strength he could, Hillman retrieved several herbs that stopped bleeding and promoted flesh regeneration with a thought, stuffed them into his mouth, and chewed them up. He endured their bitterness as he swallowed the juice, then applied the remaining pulp to his wounds.
Only after finishing all this did he slump back down, gasping for breath.
[Ding! Host detected consuming healing herbs. Wound healing speed increased by 30%!] [Current physical condition: near death → severely injured. Severe internal organ damage, three broken bones, battle qi reserves below 10%!] [Recommendation: find a safe area to rest and heal while refining the Winged Bird Dragon's magic core to replenish battle qi!]
The system's notifications lifted Hillman's spirits. He looked around and found himself lying in a dense stretch of woods, surrounded by the familiar scenery of the Magical Beast Forest's outskirts, dozens of li from Mist Canyon. This area was relatively safe, with high-ranking magical beasts rarely appearing, making it just right for recovering.
Hillman hesitated no longer. He put the Healing Method from the Dragonblood Secret Manual into practice, guiding the battle qi remaining within him to slowly repair his damaged organs and bones. At the same time, he took out the Winged Bird Dragon's magic core and held it in his palm.
The magic core was pale cyan throughout, radiated rich wind elemental energy, and felt warm to the touch. Hillman extended his spiritual power into it and began refining its energy according to the manual's instructions. Pure wind elemental energy flowed into his body through his palm and mingled with his earth element battle qi. There were actually faint signs that the two complemented each other, considerably speeding up his battle qi recovery.
Just then, his gaze fell on the few stalks of blue heart grass in his storage space. Their pale blue leaves shimmered, giving off pure life energy. Hillman recalled what the Dragonblood Secret Manual had recorded-this blue heart grass was the key to stirring a Dragonblood Warrior's bloodline. Not only could it ease the agonizing, tearing pain of Bloodline Awakening, but it could also help cultivators merge with dragonblood energy. It was a supreme treasure passed down through generations of the Baruch Clan.
"The Spined Iron-Armored Dragon's blood..." A gleam flashed in Hillman's eyes. In the original story, Linley had awakened his Dragonblood Warrior bloodline by drinking this very dragon's blood in conjunction with blue heart grass. If he could challenge the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon again, obtain its blood, and supplement it with blue heart grass, perhaps he could fully awaken the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline hidden within him. His strength would surely undergo a qualitative leap.
The thought burned like a spark in his heart, dispelling some of the exhaustion throughout his body.
The days passed one by one.
Apart from cultivating to heal his injuries and refining the magic core, Hillman spent each day carefully studying those few stalks of blue heart grass. He tried dripping its juice into his wounds and discovered that its pure life energy could actually accelerate cellular repair. His bones, which would originally have needed more than a month to heal, showed clear improvement in just a few days, with waves of tingling itchiness coming from the fractures.
Beyond that, he repeatedly reviewed his battle with the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon.
Every time he recalled the dragon's terrifying pressure and formidable strength, Hillman's heart pounded fiercely. He knew very well that his defeat had been beyond doubt-whether in battle qi reserves, physical strength, or combat experience, there was a considerable gap between him and the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon. Had he not used Earth Cage to secure a slim chance of survival, along with the advantage of the terrain, he would probably have long since become the dragon's meal.
"The Spined Iron-Armored Dragon's scales provide extremely strong defense. Ordinary attacks can't break through at all. Only weak points like its eyes and abdomen offer any chance of inflicting damage..." Hillman muttered to himself, tracing the dragon's outline on the ground with his finger. "And there's its dual darkness and earth element attacks. I have to defend against them with Earth Shield at full strength. Once corrosion sets in, the consequences would be unthinkable."
He committed every detail of the battle to memory, constantly refining his tactics. At the same time, he began refining the energy in the Winged Bird Dragon's magic core while practicing the Body Tempering Chapter of the Mountain-Shaking Art to hone his body. Each day, he incorporated one drop of blue heart grass juice into his cultivation, allowing his physical strength to rise steadily through tempering. Even his meridians grew increasingly resilient.
Time slipped quietly by as he cultivated.
Half a month later, Hillman's wounds had healed completely, and his broken bones had knitted back together, becoming even tougher than before. The Winged Bird Dragon's magic core had been fully refined, and his battle qi reserves had soared, reaching the peak of the half-step Saint-level, just one step away from the true Saint-level.
More importantly, his control over earth power had grown increasingly proficient. Earth Shield's durability had increased by 50%, Earth Cage's range had expanded to thirty meters, and he had mastered the newly unlocked Earth Roar skill to perfection.
Hillman stood up and stretched his limbs. His bones gave a series of sharp cracks, brimming with a sense of power. He tightened his grip on the Fine Iron Longsword, feeling the battle qi coursing through his body, then glanced at the blue heart grass lying quietly in his storage space. A trace of resolve flashed in his eyes.
"Mist Canyon, Spined Iron-Armored Dragon... I'm back!"
This time, he was no longer a loser fleeing in panic, but a challenger who had come prepared! He wanted more than to defeat this dragon. He wanted to take its blood and use it with blue heart grass to awaken his Dragonblood Warrior bloodline, setting out on the path of a true powerhouse!
Without the slightest delay, Hillman gathered his belongings, checked his bearings, and raced toward Mist Canyon. He moved with tremendous speed, his figure flitting through the woods like a phantom. His Earth Affinity Talent worked at full capacity, taking in every movement around him.
All the magical beasts he encountered along the way trembled in terror at the pressure he radiated from the peak of the half-step Saint-level, not daring to hinder him in the slightest.
Several hours later, the mist ahead gradually thickened, and that familiar, sickly sweet scent filled the air.
Mist Canyon was now right before him.
Hillman stopped and took a deep breath, circulating the battle qi within him to its utmost. A pale earthen-yellow glow enveloped his whole body. He tightened his grip on his longsword, then touched the blue heart grass in the Storage Bag at his waist. His gaze fixed firmly on the churning mist, and he walked into it with steady steps.
This time, he would defeat the Spined Iron-Armored Dragon head-on and use its blood to pave his road to becoming a Dragonblood Warrior!
[Ding! Host detected voluntarily entering Mist Canyon!] [Spined Iron-Armored Dragon detected cultivating deep within the canyon. Energy fluctuations stable!] [Host's current condition: peak! Chance of victory increased to 40%!] [Tip: blue heart grass can assist in merging with dragonblood energy. If blood can be obtained from the living Spined Iron-Armored Dragon, the chance of awakening the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline will increase to 80%!]
Hearing the system's notifications, Hillman's lips curved into a confident smile. He tightened his grip on his longsword, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.
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