142: Refining Dragon Essence

"Mo Yuan, having lost the true dragon bone, will certainly not let this go," Lin Yan thought to himself.

"Right now, Mo Yuan is likely leading his subordinates to search for me everywhere."

After considering everything, Lin Yan felt that the most important thing at the moment was not exploring this Water Palace, but finding a way out.

Since he was thinking this, Mo Yuan would most likely consider it as well and wouldn't let him leave easily.

He might have already set a trap, waiting for Lin Yan to walk right into it.

"First, recover my spiritual power!" Lin Yan shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

This small back garden had some vegetation, which was perfect for hiding his presence.

Immediately, he cast the Wood Spirit Concealment Technique and hid within a patch of shrubs.

Lin Yan's Wood Spirit Concealment Technique had already reached the Major Achievement Realm.

When he hid himself among the flowers and trees, even if someone passed right by him, they wouldn't notice anything unusual.

He refined several Essence Recovery Pills in succession, restoring his spiritual power to its Peak state.

The abundant spiritual power gave him a sense of security.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Lin Yan took out the true dragon bone he had just snatched from his Storage Pouch.

This true dragon bone had been eroded by time for countless years, yet it still faintly emitted a domineering pressure.

Lin Yan sank his Divine Sense into the bone and could perceive the residual Dragon Essence within.

The passage of time had caused the Dragon Essence in the outer layers of the bone to dissipate, with less than ten percent remaining; only at the core was there still a mass of pure Dragon Essence.

Even so, for Lin Yan, this Dragon Essence was an extremely vast amount of energy.

Moreover, it was of exceptionally high quality and could be directly absorbed and utilized.

"This Dragon Essence is most suitable for cultivating the Manhuang Refining Body Technique!"

Lin Yan made up his mind.

Using his Divine Sense, he cautiously guided the Dragon Essence within the true dragon bone, drawing it into his body like threads.

He circulated the Mind-Cultivation Technique of the Manhuang Refining Body Technique and began refining the Dragon Essence to strengthen his Physical Body.

In an instant, a pure and domineering force poured in from the crown of his head, traveled down his spine to his Dantian, and then surged back into his limbs and bones.

His bones felt as if they were being pierced by ten thousand needles, and his flesh felt as if it were being seared by a raging fire.

Cultivation is not easy, and being a Body Cultivator is especially difficult.

Enduring the intense pain, Lin Yan circulated his Wood Spiritual Power to protect his heart, then converted a portion into Earth Spiritual Power to suppress the violence, allowing the remnants of the Dragon Essence to rage, divide, and settle within his body.

With every cycle, the residual Dragon Qi in the bone was stripped away bit by bit, turning into pure tempering force that merged into Lin Yan's marrow and blood.

His Physical Body also grew stronger with it.

The Dragon Essence seemed to have a miraculous effect on tempering bone and marrow.

Before long, a layer of faint golden light emanated from Lin Yan's bones, his periosteum became tough, and his blood rolled like liquid mercury.

His Aura suddenly surged significantly.

Body Refining cultivation, Foundation Establishment Realm, Third Layer!

He continued refining the Dragon Essence.

Soon, even more powerful new blood was born deep within his marrow, and his tendons became as strong as coiled dragon sinews.

The Aura on his body grew increasingly powerful.

The "interlayer" between flesh and bone was completely opened, his blood circulation formed its own cycle, and a white jade-like luster appeared on his skin.

The Physical Body's Aura broke through the shackles once more—Foundation Establishment, Fourth Layer!

This Realm was the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment, representing a significant improvement.

The speed at which Lin Yan refined the Dragon Essence also increased drastically.

He was no longer satisfied with refining it bit by bit, instead guiding the Dragon Essence into his body in surges.

As the Dragon Essence continued to merge, his bones took on a jade-like appearance.

His entire body was imbued with the Dragon's Aura, and it felt as if a young dragon was dormant within him, ready to use Dragon Might to disperse any evil at any time.

The pleasure of rapidly increasing his strength by refining Dragon Essence fascinated Lin Yan.

Even the pain during the Body Refining process was ignored.

His Aura kept growing but was kept restrained, coiled like a thunderbolt ready to explode at any moment, making one's heart tremble.

Unknowingly, the Dragon Essence within the true dragon bone was completely refined, and the bone lost its mystical properties.

The bone in his hand suddenly crumbled, turning into fine powder.

Lin Yan then emerged from his cultivation state.

In an instant, the bones and muscles throughout Lin Yan's body rang in unison, and his blood surged like a tide.

His Body Refining cultivation had firmly stepped into the Foundation Establishment, Sixth Layer!

He slowly opened his eyes, a golden light flashing briefly within them. The Dragon Qi and Sword Intent within him intertwined, forming a thin layer of Dragon Scale Sword Astral Qi.

At this moment, his strength, speed, defense, and recovery power had undergone a comprehensive leap.

With just his Physical Body, he could withstand a Magical Artifact of the same level without being harmed in the slightest; even if he were heavily injured, he could stop the bleeding within a few breaths.

Even more miraculous was that the Dragon Essence seemed to have a certain nourishing effect on his Sword Bone.

Now, the patterns on the Sword Bone were much clearer, causing the Sword Qi within Lin Yan's spiritual power to strengthen as well.

"The Sword Spirit once said that the power of the Sword Bone hasn't been fully revealed yet and needs precious blood for nourishment. It really is so."

Regrettably, there was too little Dragon Essence, and it was non-renewable, so its effect on the Sword Bone was limited.

He restrained his thoughts, feeling the lingering charm of the Dragon Essence flowing between his bones and muscles, and whispered:

"Just a section of dragon bone was enough to be reborn; if I obtained the remains of an entire dragon, I wonder how far I could go."

"No wonder they say every part of a True Dragon is a treasure!"

Lin Yan stepped out of the shrubs, intending to continue exploring the Water Palace.

Just then, the voice of a Demonic Cultivator came from afar:

"Lin Yan, your Senior Brothers have already been captured. If you want to save their lives, hurry up and hand over the true dragon bone, otherwise not one of you will escape!"

Hearing this, Lin Yan frowned.

The Water Palace was only so big, and the Sword Pavilion Disciples were at a disadvantage; it was highly probable they would be found.

The Demonic Cultivator's shouting continued:

"Sword Pavilion Disciples, this Water Palace has already been sealed by Lord Mo Yuan. You'd better surrender obediently. Hand over all your treasures, and Lord Mo Yuan will spare your lives!"

...The Demonic Cultivators weren't searching everywhere but were repeatedly shouting, clearly confident of their victory.

Lin Yan followed the sound and found a Demonic Cultivator.

When the Demonic Cultivator saw Lin Yan, his face lit up with joy: "Lin Yan, your fellow Disciples are in Lord Mo Yuan's hands, hurry and..."

"Noisy!" Lin Yan snorted coldly.

His figure flashed, his physical strength exploded, and with the support of Wind Intent, he appeared before the Demonic Cultivator as if teleporting.

The Demonic Cultivator only felt a blur before his eyes, followed by a face full of horror, having no time to react.

A punch was thrown, like an explosion of thunder.

The Demonic Cultivator's spiritual power shield instantly shattered, his chest collapsed, and his body was sent flying, crashing heavily against a wall covered in Restrictions.

A mouthful of crimson blood sprayed from his mouth.

A single physical strike heavily wounded the opponent.

He flew forward with a kick, aiming straight for the head.

The Demonic Cultivator wanted to resist, but his entire body was limp and powerless.

"Bang!"

The head exploded like a watermelon.

Simple, crude, clean, and efficient!