236: Chapter 325 Xiao Bi!!

Inside his body, the great water-fire cycle slowly accelerated.

Tidal True Intent surged toward his right arm, while Pure Yang True Intent flowed toward his left. The two forces converged at his chest, enveloping the Inner Core within.

The power of ice and fire within the Inner Core was drawn by the two True Intents, slowly flowing into his body like a trickling stream.

This time, there was no violence, no loss of control.

Because a mature water-fire cycle already existed within his body. As soon as the incoming ice and fire power entered his Meridians, they were guided, absorbed, and assimilated by the Tidal True Intent and Pure Yang True Intent respectively.

The ice-cold power merged into the Tide force, adding a touch of tenacity to that long-reaching True Intent.

The fire baleful energy merged into the Pure Yang force, adding a touch of dominance to that blazing True Intent.

One stick of incense passed.

One hour passed.

Two hours passed.

Thirty percent of the power within the Inner Core had been refined.

Jiang Hanzhou opened his eyes, and a flash of red and blue light flickered and vanished within them.

He looked down at his hands. Beneath the skin of his hands, red and blue patterns could be faintly seen flowing slowly—a sign that his water and fire True Intents had further solidified.

But it was not enough.

He needed more power to stabilize the Realm of True Intent Fusion.

His gaze fell upon that dragon essence pearl fragment.

The fragment was only the size of a fingernail and dark gold throughout. The fine patterns on its surface shimmered slightly in the gloom.

Dragon Qi.

The gathered essence of a Flood Dragon.

He took a deep breath and raised his hand to draw upon the fragment.

The fragment slowly floated up, hovering before his chest.

Unlike the Inner Core, what drifted from the fragment was not the power of ice and fire, but pure Dragon Qi—a power from a higher level of life, majestic, overbearing, and inviolable.

The moment the Dragon Qi entered his body, Jiang Hanzhou's body jolted violently!

That power was too strong. Even though it was just a small fragment the size of a fingernail, the Dragon Qi contained within was still far beyond his imagination.

As the Dragon Qi surged into his Meridians, the meridian walls trembled slightly wherever it passed. That trembling was not pain, but—resonance.

Within his body, there was Dragon blood.

It was the Dragon Clan Bloodline he had fused with in the Dragon Blood Pool. Although thin and weak, it truly existed.

At this moment, that thin Dragon blood was resonating with the incoming Dragon Qi.

The resonance grew stronger and more intense until finally—

Boom!

An indescribable power erupted from within his body!

That power was not blood and Qi, nor was it True Intent, but—Bloodline Power.

The Dragon blood within him was activated at this moment.

The Dragon Clan Bloodline that had originally been dormant deep within his blood was like a sleeping giant being awakened, beginning to surge, grow, and transform frantically.

Fine golden patterns began to surface on his skin.

Those patterns wound like dragons, spreading from his chest to his limbs and then to his entire body. Every pattern glowed slightly, emitting an indescribable pressure.

They were dragon patterns.

It was a sign that his Dragon Blood Power had condensed to a certain Realm.

Jiang Hanzhou gritted his teeth and desperately operated the great water-fire cycle, attempting to guide the surging Dragon Qi.

But the Dragon Qi was too overbearing.

It did not merge with water and fire, nor did it coexist with True Intent. It simply rampaged through his body, forcibly widening his Meridians, strengthening his blood and Qi, and tempering his Physical Body wherever it went.

The feeling was like being possessed by an ancient Vicious Beast; every breath carried a dragon's roar, and every heartbeat was like the beating of a drum.

Time passed slowly.

One hour.

Two hours.

Three hours.

Most of the Dragon Qi in the fragment had been consumed.

Jiang Hanzhou's body had also completed its transformation.

He opened his eyes.

A dark golden light flashed and vanished in his eyes.

He looked down at his hands. They were perfectly intact, but beneath the skin, those golden dragon patterns were slowly receding, merging into his flesh and blood.

He closed his eyes and looked inward.

Deep within his Dantian, the three-colored flame still burned quietly. But around the flame, there was now a layer of dark golden halo—the traces of the Fusion between Dragon Blood Power and Heavenly Fire True Intent.

Tidal True Intent, Peak of thirty percent.

Pure Yang True Intent, Peak of thirty percent.

Golden Sharpness True Intent, thirty percent.

Heavenly Fire True Intent, Minor Achievement.

Cultivation—

Primal Elephant Realm Peak.

More importantly—

Water and fire aiding each other, metal and fire merging, and the enhancement of Dragon blood.

The four types of True Intent had finally reached a true balance.

He stood up and walked to the window.

Outside, the night was deep, and the sky was full of stars.

He raised his right hand, and with a slight thought—

A cluster of dark golden flame quietly emerged in his palm. As the flame surged, its edges contained both the scorching heat of crimson and the icy cold of deep blue, as well as the sharpness of gold—the characteristics of the four True Intents perfectly fused at this moment.

Within the flame, a tiny shadow of a flood dragon could be seen swimming—the mark of the condensed Dragon Blood Power.

He stared at the cluster of flame in his palm for a long time in silence.

Then, he clenched his fist, and the flame dissipated.

He turned around and walked toward the center of the cultivation room.

There, the tiger soul saber was quietly hovering in mid-air.

The fine cracks on the saber's body still existed. But at the edge of the blade, there was an additional layer of dark golden light—the result of him nourishing it with Dragon Blood Power while refining the Dragon Qi.

He reached out and grasped the hilt.

The tiger soul saber trembled slightly, as if responding to him.

The dark golden light on the saber resonated with his blood and Qi, his True Intent, and his Dragon blood.

He could sense that this spirit weapon, which had accompanied him for so long, was undergoing a transformation.

It wasn't a repair, but—an evolution.

Having absorbed Dragon Qi and fused with Dragon Blood Power, it was advancing from an ordinary Earth Rank spirit weapon toward a higher level.

He closed his eyes and used his Divine Sense to probe into the saber.

Inside the saber, those fine cracks were slowly healing. But the way they healed was not a simple repair, but—a reshaping.

Dragon Qi seeped into the saber, merging with the metal essence within to form a completely new material.

That material was tougher than profound iron essence gold and sharper than refined steel; moreover—it contained Dragon Might.

He opened his eyes and sheathed the saber.

Then, he walked to the prayer mat and sat down cross-legged.

Inside his body, the great water-fire cycle operated slowly, nourishing the Meridians that had just undergone transformation.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the Heart Blade trembled gently, the dark golden dragon patterns on the blade becoming deeper and more solid than before.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Seven days left.

The Inner Sect Minor Competition.

The next morning, a faint sound of footsteps came from outside the Hanzhou Residence.

Jiang Hanzhou opened his eyes, his brow twitching slightly.

He was very familiar with those footsteps.

Liu Chengfeng.

He stood up, walked to the entrance of the Immortal Cave, and pushed open the stone door.

Outside the door, Liu Chengfeng stood with his hands behind his back.

He was still wearing the blue and white martial attire of Heavenly Sword Peak, with a long sword hanging at his waist. But this time, the arrogance on his face was gone, replaced by an indescribable complexity.

Behind him stood two other people.

One was a burly young man with thick eyebrows and tiger-like eyes, surrounded by a faint green light—the mark of an Inner Sect Disciple of Heavenly Sword Peak. The other was a delicate-looking woman with lively eyes and a faint smile on her lips.

As Jiang Hanzhou pushed the door open, the three of them standing before the Immortal Cave turned their gazes toward him simultaneously.

Liu Chengfeng's pupils constricted slightly.

He could sense that in just a few days of not seeing him, this man's aura had changed again.

It had become deeper, more restrained, and more—terrifying.

The feeling was like facing a dormant volcano; the surface was calm and rippleless, but the interior contained power enough to destroy the world.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the fear in his heart, took a Jade Slip from his robe, and presented it with both hands.

“Junior Brother Jiang.” His voice was calm, even carrying a hint of politeness, “A joint Challenge Invitation from the Inner Sect Disciples of Heavenly Sword Peak. On the day of the Inner Sect Minor Competition, we wish to spar and exchange pointers with our fellow Disciples from Red Fire Peak.”

Jiang Hanzhou took the Jade Slip and scanned it with his Divine Sense.

A moment later, he looked up, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Within the Jade Slip were seven Divine Sense imprints. Each imprint represented a challenge from an Inner Sect Disciple of Heavenly Sword Peak.

The one at the head was Ao Zhan.

The remaining six were all Disciples ranked in the top ten of the Heavenly Sword Peak's inner sect.

Liu Chengfeng looked at him and said word by word:

“Senior Brother Ao Zhan said that he didn't have his fill during that battle in front of the Yuelong Hall. He hopes that Junior Brother Jiang can make him strike a second sword during the Inner Sect Minor Competition.”

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a moment, and then he smiled.

The smile was very faint, yet it caused Liu Chengfeng's heart to shudder for no reason.

“Go back and tell Senior Brother Ao,” he said calmly, “that during the Inner Sect Minor Competition, I will make him strike his second sword.”

He paused, looking directly at Liu Chengfeng:

“However, before that—Senior Brother Liu, do you have any other business?”

Liu Chengfeng's expression changed slightly.

Of course he did.

He had come to test him.

On Heavenly Sword Peak's side, the evaluation of Jiang Hanzhou's strength was constantly being updated. From the initial "decent talent," to "worthy of attention," and now to "must be guarded against." Every piece of intelligence made those Core Disciples feel uneasy.

How could a Disciple who had entered the sect less than half a year ago receive such high regard from Master Xue Mu?

How could he force Ao Zhan back in front of the Yuelong Hall?

How could he take those two trash from Red Fire Peak and retreat safely from the hands of the Bloodfang Old Monster?

They were not convinced.

But Liu Chengfeng was convinced.

At the very least, he no longer dared to be unconvinced.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his complex emotions, and cupped his fists in a salute:

“Junior Brother Jiang, I have one more matter for coming here.”

He took out a palm-sized token from his robe and presented it with both hands:

“This is the rules jade plate for the Inner Sect Minor Competition. The Grand Elder asked me to hand it over to you.”

Jiang Hanzhou took the token and glanced at it.

The token was pale gold throughout, with the words "Inner Sect Minor Competition" engraved on the front and dense rule clauses engraved on the back.

He probed it with his Divine Sense and browsed through it quickly.

A moment later, his brow furrowed slightly.

The rules were very simple—

The Minor Competition was divided into three stages.

The first stage was the True Intent Heart Examination. It was similar to the final stage of the Dragon Gate Trial but even more strict. It tested not only the type and Realm of True Intent but also its purity and stability.

The second stage was the Combat Martial Arts Competition. Opponents were drawn randomly for combat; winners advanced while losers were eliminated. Eventually, the top ten would be decided.

The third stage was the Challenge Platform. The top ten Disciples would accept challenges from other Inner Sect Disciples. Each person could accept a maximum of three challenges, and the one with the most wins would be the first place of the Inner Sect Minor Competition.

And the reward for first place made Jiang Hanzhou's pupils constrict slightly—

A “spirit essence pill.”

Plus the qualification to Cultivate in the “Dragon Transformation Pool” of the Dragon Abyss Palace Secret Realm for seven days.

The spirit essence pill was the key Medicinal Pill for breaking through from the Primal Elephant Realm Peak to the Dragon Fetus. A single spirit essence pill was worth at least a hundred thousand Spirit Stones, and it was unavailable at any price.

The Dragon Transformation Pool was one of the most core cultivation Secret Realms of the Dragon Abyss Palace. The pool contained extremely dense Dragon Qi; it was said that one day of cultivation inside was equivalent to a month in the outside world.

Either of these two rewards was enough to drive any Inner Sect Disciple mad.

Jiang Hanzhou put away the token and looked at Liu Chengfeng.

Liu Chengfeng was staring at him, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

“Junior Brother Jiang.” He spoke, his voice somewhat dry, “Heavenly Sword Peak will not hold back during the Inner Sect Minor Competition.”

Jiang Hanzhou looked at him and said calmly:

“I don't plan on holding back either.”

Liu Chengfeng's expression changed slightly.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat seemingly blocked by something.

In the end, he simply cupped his fists in a salute and turned to leave.

The two Heavenly Sword Peak Disciples behind him also hurriedly followed.

After walking a few steps, the delicate-looking woman suddenly turned back and glanced at Jiang Hanzhou.

A hint of curiosity flashed in those lively eyes.

But she soon withdrew her gaze and disappeared into the maple forest.

Jiang Hanzhou stood before the Immortal Cave, watching the departing figures of the three for a long time in silence.

Then, he lowered his head and looked at the Challenge Invitation and the rules jade plate in his hand.

On the Challenge Invitation, the seven Divine Sense imprints emitted a faint glow.

Ao Zhan's imprint was the most conspicuous.

The Ice Soul True Intent contained within that imprint was even more solid and pure than it had been in front of the Yuelong Hall—clearly, he had also made progress during these days.

Jiang Hanzhou stared at that imprint and remained silent for a moment.

Then, he put away the Challenge Invitation and turned back into the Immortal Cave.

The stone door slowly closed.

Inside the Immortal Cave, the light of the Spirit Gathering Formation flickered slightly.

He walked to the center of the cultivation room and sat down cross-legged.

The tiger soul saber lay across his knees, the layer of dark golden light on the saber flowing slowly in the gloom.

He closed his eyes and began his final meditation.

Inside his body, the great water-fire cycle operated slowly.

The four types of True Intent intertwined and wound deep within his Dantian, forming a faint, looming scroll—

In that scroll, there were tides hitting the shore, Pure Yang in the sky, a golden blade slicing through clouds, and heavenly fire burning the heavens.

The four intents as one, fused into a single furnace.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Seven days left.

The Inner Sect Minor Competition.