Chapter 255
Chen Huai'an sat cross-legged at the center of the Spirit Gathering Array, with Ba Ji resting on his lap. He then took out the Hunyuan Butian Dan, a pill crafted by Dan Bai.
The girl even apologized to him.
In truth, he had long been aware of Dan Bai's alchemical efficiency.
He could see part of the 'game' character information.
Dan Bai's character details laid everything bare.
[Dan Bai, daughter of the Dan Sect's ancestral partner, Dan Yun]
[A prodigy in alchemy, born with spiritual eyes, with a success rate of 92% (given the right formula, materials, and a qualified alchemy furnace). Particularly skilled in crafting Hunyuan Butian Dan (success rate +10%), with a chance to produce exceptional and immortal-grade Hunyuan Butian Dan (with favorable conditions).]
So when Dan Bai claimed the success rate was only 10%, he already knew the girl was wary of him.
Though he had no idea where that wariness stemmed from.
At that moment, he had no intention of exposing her.
Chen Jianzun had always believed in winning people over with virtue.
He would never oppress someone, especially a junior like Dan Bai.
Rather than forcing someone to submit through power,
Chen preferred to rely on personal charm.
Just like the female cultivators of Lingxi Valley, all practicing their swordsmanship.
This was a testament to the influence of his personal charisma.
[Divine Pill!]
Ba Ji watched Chen Huai'an hold the pill, its pupils trembling.
The mere fragrance of the pill was enough to dazzle it.
How many more treasures does this big shot have?
At that moment, it had no thoughts of escape whatsoever.
To put it plainly, it had once viewed Chen Huai'an as a rival, akin to a tiger facing a lion.
But now, it regarded him as a hermit master, seeing the Taotie as nothing more than an ant, much like the relationship between an elephant and an ant.
It was the ant.
Would a big shot bother with an ant?
Just enjoy the feast!
No hesitation!
Hesitating for even a second would be disrespectful to the big shot!
…
Chen Huai'an poured the Hunyuan Butian Dan from the porcelain bottle and swallowed it in one go.
From this day forward,
The last flaw in his body would be completely mended.
Aside from lacking a Dao body, with all other conditions combined, he would be a super genius coveted even by the Yaochi Sacred Land in the Cangyun Realm.
Buzz—!
As the advanced Spirit Gathering Array activated,
Pure spiritual energy surged from the spirit crystals, rising in the array like mist, even transforming into liquid that swirled around Chen Huai'an.
Ba Ji, too, benefited from the array.
However, just as it began to absorb a bit of the pure spiritual energy, a terrifying suction force surged from the big shot's dantian.
[Not good!]
Ba Ji's fur bristled.
It turned to flee the array.
But it was too late.
The suction force dragged it back, pinning it against the big shot's dantian.
At the same time, the little bit of demonic power it had painstakingly cultivated began to show signs of being purified.
[What kind of pill is this big shot consuming…?]
Ba Ji struggled desperately, tears welling up in its eyes.
It had worked so hard to cultivate its power.
Now it could only watch helplessly as it vanished bit by bit…
Chen Huai'an was still lost in the ecstasy of his dantian's upgrade.
He had no idea that Ba Ji was on the verge of being drained.
Nor did he know that within his dantian,
The slumbering dragon soul was gradually awakening, its scales shimmering with golden light under the wash of pure spiritual energy.
…
…
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Chapter 273: The Incomplete Dragon Soul
As the dragon soul gradually solidified from its ethereal state,
Black veins suddenly appeared on Chen Huai'an's bare upper body, demonic energy swirling around him within a three-meter radius. The Tianmo Gong (Heavenly Demon Technique) began to operate automatically, drawn in by the dragon energy and the aura of ferocious beasts. The first volume of Tianmo Gong—Blood Cocoon, refines the flesh and blood of demons and evil spirits to strengthen the body, forming an impenetrable membrane.
At this moment, dark red membranes seeped from Chen Huai'an's pores, weaving into a translucent cocoon.
This blood cocoon absorbed both dragon energy and Ba Ji's ferocious beast aura.
The two forces intertwined, swirling around his body like yin and yang.
After a while, the two forces were completely refined and absorbed, and the shattered cocoon disintegrated into powder, revealing Chen Huai'an's muscular form.
His skin glimmered with a jade-like sheen, with faint golden and blood-red glimmers flickering before finally vanishing.
The first volume of Tianmo Gong was now perfected!
As the Tianmo Gong ceased its operation, changes began to occur in Chen Huai'an's dantian.
The dragon soul swam within the dantian, its tail fin creating ripples of golden light.
On the windowsill, Xiao Qing curled up in a basin of water, watching as a blazing sun seemed to rise from Chen Huai'an's lower abdomen, causing her eyes to sting just from a glance.
All the spiritual energy flowing into the dantian was refined into golden dragon energy, spreading throughout his limbs and bones with the operation of the Tide Technique.
At this moment, the suction force emanating from Chen Huai'an had slowed, while the ten spirit crystals of the advanced Spirit Gathering Array had already turned to dust. Ba Ji lay collapsed nearby, clearly hearing the sounds of dragon roars and the subtle clinks of iron sand flowing within the big shot's body.
When the Tide Technique completed its first full cycle,
The dragon energy had thoroughly permeated his entire being.
Creak, creak—!
Delicate golden dragon scales began to grow slowly from his fingertips, spreading up to his neck.
Finally, they concentrated at the back of his head, extending along his spine to the base of his tailbone, forming a golden line that gradually faded away.
[That’s… dragon sinew!]
[What kind of potion did this big shot take?!]
Ba Ji stared at the strange phenomenon on Chen Huai'an.
It could only be shocked in its heart, having no strength left to respond.
Let alone getting up from the ground, it couldn't even move its ears.
After a while, Chen Huai'an opened his eyes, a fleeting golden vertical pupil flashing within.
“Wow, this Hunyuan Butian Dan is incredibly potent!” Chen Huai'an was astonished by the explosive growth of power within him.
In just this short time, he had reached the ninth level of Qi Refinement.
One more step and he would achieve perfection.
What’s the difference between that and Foundation Establishment if you round it off a bit?
“I finally understand what it feels like to be a genius breaking through continuously,” Chen Huai'an shook his head, sighing, “But these spirit crystals and the advanced Spirit Gathering Array are a bit too wasteful…”
In half an hour, he had exhausted ten spirit crystals.
To put it in perspective, the advanced Spirit Gathering Array built with ten spirit crystals would be more than enough for Li Qingran, Yue Qianchi, and even three of their direct disciples to cultivate for ten hours.
Was he really going to have to spend money to buy spirit crystals?
But the electronic girlfriend store doesn’t sell spirit crystals.
The advanced Spirit Gathering Array could only be used by Li Qingran.
Currently, the only sources of spirit crystals were the spoils from powerful cultivators in the Cangyun Realm or trading with modern items that had causal connections—like the Soul-Settling Nail of the Corpse King, Emperor Jiang.
Only the advanced Spirit Gathering Array built with spirit crystals could keep up with his speed of absorbing spiritual energy; the Nine-Turn Linglan could barely maintain a comfortable 'cultivator' living environment.
“Ba Ji, what’s wrong with you?”
Chen Huai'an noticed Ba Ji lying motionless beside his thigh, like a dead cat.
That shouldn’t be the case.
Ba Ji should be lively and bouncing around just like him.
After all, this was an advanced Spirit Gathering Array—how rich in spiritual energy could it be?
Could it be that the dense spiritual energy had overwhelmed it to the point of being half-dead?
Just as Chen Huai'an was about to reach out and examine Ba Ji's body, before his hand could touch it, Ba Ji suddenly sprang up like a carp, stumbling into a corner and curling up, refusing to come out.
“Useless!”
Chen Huai'an shook his head.
“A mountain pig can’t chew fine chaff!”
Ba Ji, hearing Chen Huai'an's muttering, felt like crying without tears.
It had lost more than half of its cultivation.
In the past, it could still disguise its demonic aura and true form, but now maintaining its cat form was already its limit. If the big shot were to investigate, what would happen?
Would its identity be exposed?
Though it considered itself an ant, that was only because the elephant hadn’t noticed it. If it did, whether it would be crushed or not was just a thought away for the elephant.
[Walking on thin ice…]
[My life has been like walking on thin ice!]
Ba Ji buried its head in its paws, silently weeping.
Now even Xiao Qing's cultivation was higher than its own.
It vowed never to cultivate alongside the big shot again!
This time it lost its cultivation.
Next time, it might cost it its life!
Chen Huai'an was just opening the game to check the player character panel.
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