Chapter 514: Chapter 296: Perfection

"Huo Xiaochen is indeed a problem, but as long as the Young Master Marquis is around, would he dare make a move against him? Wouldn’t the Marquis Mansion arrange for experts to help Jiang Fan?" Bai Shaoling demanded angrily.

He knew, of course, that Huo Xiaochen planned to ambush Xu Yang, but as long as they allied with Jiang Fan, none of it would be an issue.

Besides, Huo Xiaochen wasn’t the only one in the Iron Sword Sect. If he dared to ambush members of the Purple Sun Sect, and they couldn’t get to him, they could certainly get to the other Iron Sword Sect disciples.

Given the mutual deterrence, Huo Xiaochen wouldn’t dare to cross the line.

The Sect had tasked him with organizing this and had naturally considered all angles. The one thing they hadn’t accounted for was the person they were supposed to be protecting becoming the one to ruin everything.

Zhang Hanzhou frowned. "The Marquis Mansion is a sensitive issue. If we join forces with Jiang Fan, isn’t that the same as aligning ourselves with them?"

He didn’t want to team up with Jiang Fan either, but because of Jiang Fan’s status, he didn’t dare say so outright as he had regarding Xu Yang.

Bai Shaoling sneered, "Align with the Marquis Mansion? You think too highly of yourself. If you don’t become a disciple of the Celestial Strategy Academy, you won’t even have the right to align with them."

’He hasn’t even gotten into the Celestial Strategy Academy, and he’s already worried about the politics after he’s in.’

He finally understood what kind of person Zhang Hanzhou was—someone who only wanted benefits and wasn’t willing to take the slightest risk.

’Aligning with Jiang Fan means picking their side? You have to get into the Celestial Strategy Academy first! If you don’t, the Marquis Mansion’s enemies won’t even bother to look your way.’

Xu Yang returned to Medicine King Peak. In the following days, he cultivated while also giving Xu Qing pointers.

Day and night passed. In the blink of an eye, half a month had gone by since the gathering at Wind Listening Pavilion.

[Bright King Unmoving Body·Great Success (11998/12000)]

After a period of secluded cultivation, his Bright King Unmoving Body was only a step away from Perfection.

"I’m going into seclusion!"

After informing Xu Qing, Xu Yang entered the quiet chamber and sealed himself inside.

He sat on the meditation cushion, and a ten-foot-tall phantom of the Bright King manifested, exuding an aura as immovable as a mountain.

His body began to glow with a jade-like light. A strange energy flowed from the Bright King phantom into his body, and the two almost seemed to merge.

Xu Yang was Holding the Essence and Guarding the One as his Heart Spirit sank into his body.

Gang Yuan and the Power of Imagery circulated, seeping into his limbs and bones, unceasingly tempering his flesh and blood.

’It’s time!’

After several Circulations of the technique, his physical body could improve no further. No matter how the Gang Yuan and Power of Imagery flowed, there was no more enhancement.

He knew that only by drawing the image into his body, merging the image and his flesh, could the Bright King Unmoving Body reach Perfection.

His Heart Spirit surged out, slowly taking control of the Bright King Image behind him. Xu Yang began to pull the ten-foot-tall image into his body.

Instantly, he felt as if his Heart Spirit was trying to drag a great mountain. The Bright King Image only trembled slightly, showing no sign of moving.

He wasn’t discouraged. If Body Refining Techniques were that easy to bring to Perfection, the streets would be full of people who had done so.

He continued to increase the Power of Heart and Spirit, moving the Bright King Image bit by bit. It truly felt like he was moving a mountain.

An unknown amount of time passed. Just as Xu Yang felt his Heart Spirit was about to be completely exhausted, the luminous Bright King Image finally pressed against his body.

Instantly, he felt a surging, tide-like power rush in from all directions. The Bright King Image seeped into his body like flowing water and vanished from behind him.

BOOM!

Xu Yang’s whole body jolted. His muscles and bones chimed in unison, and his entire being emitted a brilliant light as the giant Bright King phantom contracted and merged with his flesh.

He felt as if his entire body was being crushed under a mountain of immense weight. Every inch of his flesh and blood cried out as if unable to bear the load, enveloped by a terrifying pressure, on the verge of being pulverized at any moment.

The Power of Imagery, like a raging fire, began to forge his flesh, blood, muscles, and bones, seeping into the most minuscule parts of his body.

The Power of Heaven and Earth swarmed toward him. His body was like a long-parched land, frantically absorbing the Spiritual Qi from the air, but it was just a drop in the ocean.

Fortunately, Xu Yang had come prepared. He took out the Spirit Medicine given to him by Jiang Fan and swallowed it without hesitation.

His body erupted in an even more brilliant light, and his muscles and bones let out a thunderous sound. His frame rapidly expanded, his muscles bulging like coiling pythons, bursting his clothes apart.

Xu Yang’s aura surged. His power and strength underwent an earth-shattering transformation. He grew a full size larger, resembling a monster of knotted muscle.

BOOM!

A vigorous tide of vital energy and blood burst from his body, like a pillar of flame shooting into the sky.

The quiet chamber began to vibrate, as if it were about to be overturned by the vital energy erupting from his body.

The roar of a great river echoed from within him. His joints popped and cracked, and his major tendons grew taut as bowstrings.

’What is he cultivating?’

Outside, standing as a Guardian, Xu Qing felt her hair stand on end. Even though the quiet chamber blocked most of Xu Yang’s aura, she couldn’t help but retreat. It felt as if Xu Yang had transformed into a primeval beast, his ferocious might astonishing.

An expression of enjoyment appeared on Xu Yang’s face. He could feel his power and physical strength rising in tandem, feeling as though he could kill his former self with a single punch.

[Bright King Unmoving Body·Perfection]

A feeling of perfect harmony, of form and spirit becoming one, surfaced in his mind. The Power of Imagery continuously strengthened his mortal shell and his might. The Bright King phantom had already fused with him, and his entire body turned the color of jade.

He reined in his out-of-control aura; otherwise, if it had continued, the quiet chamber would have undoubtedly been shattered.

The Bright King Unmoving Body continued to operate. Amidst a series of crisp crackling sounds, his expanded frame returned to its normal size. Only a few strips of cloth still hung from his body.

Xu Yang’s expression was calm. The vital energy that had burst from him was also retracted. He quietly sensed his still-strengthening body and power, experiencing the mystery of his body and image becoming one. It was as if his entire being had merged with heaven and earth.

When he came back to his senses, an entire night had passed. The Heart Spirit he had exhausted while pulling the image had not only fully recovered but had grown much stronger. He was now full of vigor, his energy as boundless as a dragon’s.

[Bright King Unmoving Body Perfection, Points +150]

[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 1522]

He casually closed the panel and rose to his feet.

His upper garment had been torn apart by his expanding body, so he had to ask Xu Qing to bring him a new set of clothes.

When Xu Qing saw his lean and powerful build, his muscles clearly defined as if carved from jade, her small face couldn’t help but turn red.

"What’s there to be shy about? It’s not like you haven’t seen it before," Xu Yang laughed.

Xu Qing stomped her foot in anger. "You jerk, Xu Yang! That was when we were kids! How can you compare now to back then?"

For the next few days, Xu Yang continued his seclusion, using the union of image and body to strengthen and temper his Physique. He temporarily paused his practice of all other Cultivation Techniques.

’It’s about time!’

Seven days later, he descended from Medicine King Peak. He sold the items he had no use for to the Purple Sun Sect, and combining the contribution points he received with those Xu Qing had saved, he exchanged them for the three Spirit Medicines needed to refine the Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pill. Then he headed straight for Cyan Yang City.

A day later, with a vibration from the Pill Furnace, a batch of Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pills was successfully refined.

After extinguishing the furnace fire, Xu Yang put away the ten Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pills.

Stepping out of the courtyard, he gazed in the direction of the Ghost Tower. In the end, he decided not to go and storm their gates.

The Ghost Tower had a significant background. He had killed the Ghost Tower Master last time, so it was likely they had already sent experts to lie in wait for him. Attacking the Ghost Tower now would not be wise.

With a single step, his body shot into the sky, flying toward the Purple Sun Sect.

"Flying through the air... that’s a Celestial Essence expert!"

"That’s Xu Yang, the genius from the Purple Sun Sect! Rumor has it he has a high chance of achieving a Secondary Dragon Ascension!"

...

The people all around were in an uproar, watching in shock as Xu Yang’s figure broke through the sky and departed.

"Celestial Essence..."

In the crowd, Zhang Hong had a complex expression filled with envy. Who could have imagined that the boy who had struggled alongside him in the mud back then could have reached such a stage?

He was still struggling in the Gang Qi Realm, yet Xu Yang had already broken through to the Celestial Essence Realm and become an Ancestral Level figure.

’Even if I risked my life, I could never catch up,’ he thought, feeling a wave of despair wash over him.

Ever since he started practicing the Martial Dao, he had never slacked off. But his hard work had changed nothing. He could still only fall further and further behind Xu Yang, the distance between them growing ever wider.

...

"These are the Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pills. Keep them safe."

Upon returning to the Purple Sun Sect, Xu Yang gave all the Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pills to Xu Qing.

To make this one batch of Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pills, he had used up all of his disposable resources. The rest would be up to Xu Qing herself.

"Junior Brother Xu, Master wants to see you."

That day, Gao Lin came to Medicine King Peak to inform him that Elder Huoyun had summoned him.

After saying goodbye to Xu Qing, Xu Yang and Gao Lin quickly made their way to Li Fire Peak to see Elder Huoyun.

"Disciple pays his respects to Master," Xu Yang said, clasping his hands.

Elder Huoyun nodded with a smile. "Your aura is well-contained. It seems your Cultivation has been fully consolidated. How is your practice of the Wandering Dragon Void Step and the Extreme Prison Heaven-Slaying Technique coming along?"

[Wandering Dragon Void Step - Unentered (2815/3000)]

[Extreme Prison Heaven-Slaying Technique·Fourth Layer (3246/10000)]

Xu Yang secretly glanced at his panel and clasped his hands. "This disciple is slow-witted. I have not yet reached the Entry Level for the Wandering Dragon Void Step, and I am stuck on the second layer of the Extreme Prison Heaven-Slaying Technique."

’I should have reached the Entry Level of the Wandering Dragon Void Step by now, but achieving Perfection in the Bright King Unmoving Body delayed things, slowing my progress.’

Elder Huoyun laughed. "To reach the Entry Level of the Wandering Dragon Void Step, you must comprehend a Martial Dao Imagery. If you managed that in just one or two months, it would be far too frightening. Don’t be anxious. As long as you reach the Entry Level by the time the Secondary Dragon Ascension begins, it’s fine.

For the second layer of the Extreme Prison Heaven-Slaying Technique, you must comprehend Saber Intent, which is not something achieved overnight. If you can break through to the Third Layer by the time of the Secondary Dragon Ascension, then even if you can’t defeat that Huo Xiaochen, you’ll have the power to protect yourself."

Xu Yang nodded. "This disciple understands."

"In one month, registration for the Secondary Dragon Ascension will begin. After discussions with the Sect Leader and the other Peak Masters, it has been decided that you all will depart for Yun Province in five days. If you have any personal matters to attend to, finish them in these next few days," Elder Huoyun said.

Xu Yang was taken aback. The day had finally come.

"This disciple has already taken care of all his trivial matters. My only remaining concern is my younger sister, Xu Qing. I sincerely request that Master help look after her after I leave," Xu Yang said, clasping his hands earnestly.

Elder Huoyun nodded. "You don’t need to ask. As your master, I would have helped look after her anyway. Rest assured, as long as I am in the Purple Sun Sect, I won’t let anyone harm a single hair on her head."

"Disciple thanks you, Master!" Xu Yang said, bowing deeply.

"There’s no need for such formalities between us, master and disciple. I called you here today because there’s one more thing I need to give you," Elder Huoyun said as he reached into his robes.

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