407: Chapter 408 Refining the Black Dragon Curse!

He had two main objectives for this seclusion.

First, he wanted to see if there were any significant changes in his Cultivation after his Spiritual Root had advanced to the second grade.

After all, although it seemed like only one grade difference from the third grade to the second grade, in the Cultivation World, the gap between Spiritual Root grades was often worlds apart.

Theoretically, the Cultivation speed of a second-grade Spiritual Root should be significantly faster than a third-grade one.

Second, he wanted to carefully investigate whether this "Immaculate Heavenly Fragrance Sacred Body" provided any additional benefits during Cultivation.

Just now, while conversing with Xia Qingyue, he had vaguely sensed that the circulation of Spiritual Power within his body seemed somewhat smoother than usual.

He did not know if it was just psychological, or if this sacred body truly brought some kind of benefit.

Time passed bit by bit.

Inside the Immortal Cave, Spiritual Qi was dense, swirling around Ye Changge like a thin mist.

He sat cross-legged, eyes slightly closed, his breathing long and even; every inhalation and exhalation caused the surrounding Spiritual Qi to vibrate slightly.

Until more than half a day later—

"Hoo!"

Ye Changge slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of turbid air. That breath was like a white ribbon, shooting straight out more than three feet before slowly dissipating.

He stretched his shoulders and neck, feeling the circulation of Spiritual Power within his body, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face:

"As expected of a second-grade Spiritual Root, this Cultivation speed... has improved by more than sixty or seventy percent compared to before."

He carefully savored the feeling and nodded secretly.

Previously, with a third-grade Spiritual Root, absorbing Spiritual Qi was like a stream flowing into a pond; although not slow, there was always a sense of stagnation.

Now that he had swapped to a second-grade Spiritual Root, it felt as if a narrow riverbed had been widened by more than double, with Spiritual Power surging through it, smooth and unhindered.

"No wonder in the Cultivation World, the difference in Spiritual Root grades is worlds apart.

A Cultivator with a second-grade Spiritual Root can leave a third-grade one far behind in Cultivation speed, not to mention those Cultivators with Heavenly Spiritual Roots."

Ye Changge sighed in his heart and carefully sensed the changes in his body again. A moment later, his brows twitched slightly.

"That's not right... This Immaculate Heavenly Fragrance Sacred Body doesn't seem to have any special improvement in terms of Cultivation speed."

He repeatedly circulated his Cultivation Technique a few times, confirming his judgment.

"I previously thought it was the Cultivation acceleration brought by the Spiritual Root advancement, but upon careful distinction, this sacred body doesn't seem to have any significant boost to the Cultivation speed of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. It's just..."

He slowly circulated his Spiritual Power, drawing it out from his Dantian and guiding it through his Meridians for a cycle.

"My Meridians and Dantian seem to have gained a bit more resilience than before."

This feeling was very subtle; it was as if originally tough ox-hide tendons had now transformed into more flexible silk. When Spiritual Power flowed through them, the sensation of being stretched and bloated was significantly reduced.

Although no changes could be seen in the short term, over the years, it would certainly allow his Meridians to be tougher than those of Cultivators of the same rank, capable of containing more Spiritual Power, and even withstanding stronger impacts when breaking through a Bottleneck.

"However, for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, this effect can only be considered icing on the cake."

Ye Changge pondered secretly for a moment and reached a conclusion:

"It should be said that it has little effect on Foundation Establishment Cultivators, but for those Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators who have not yet started Cultivating and are still laying the foundation, it should have a significant effect."

Ye Changge calculated silently in his heart and turned his attention back to his own Cultivation progress.

He estimated his current Cultivation progress and had a rough judgment in his heart:

"At the current speed, if I Cultivate with peace of mind, I should be able to Breakthrough in at most two years."

"However..." Ye Changge shook his head, "Two years is still too slow."

He did not have that much time to seclude himself in peace.

Currently, the situation in Zhao State was turbulent, and the Demonic Cultivators of Yu Kingdom were restless. He had to improve his strength as soon as possible to protect the Ye Family of Longmai Mountain during the upcoming turmoil.

"I still need to find a way to have more children; relying on the System's feedback to improve my Cultivation is the right path."

Ye Changge muttered to himself, then felt somewhat amused.

As a dignified Cultivator, he actually treated "having more children" as a shortcut for Cultivation; if he said it out loud, no one would believe him.

He composed his mind, stopped letting his thoughts wander, and turned his attention to another direction.

"Flood Dragon Curse."

Unlike the path of Talismans, this "Black Water Flood Dragon Curse" tended more towards condensing runes with one's own magical power and refining them into a Flood Dragon Curse within the body.

He closed his eyes, and the complete inherited memory of the "Black Water Flood Dragon Curse" emerged in his mind.

This Curse was somewhat similar to the Divine Sense attack Secret Art "Soul-Dispersing Needle" he had previously cultivated.

Both involved visualization and the circulation of magical power to condense runes within the body, eventually refining them into a complete Curse pattern.

However, the "Soul-Dispersing Needle" was a purely Divine Sense attack, while the "Black Water Flood Dragon Curse" placed equal importance on magical power and Divine Sense. It required both visualization and focused concentration, as well as precise control of magical power to condense the runes, making it much more difficult than the "Soul-Dispersing Needle".

Under normal circumstances, to comprehend and refine the "Black Water Flood Dragon Curse," even a talented Foundation Establishment Cultivator would have to spend months or even years of hard work.

After all, this Curse involved numerous runes, and each rune needed to vibrate at a specific frequency and resonate with specific acupuncture points; the slightest deviation would lead to failure.

But Ye Changge was different.

He had the System's enlightenment!

Now, this "Black Flood Dragon Curse," although more difficult, was directly imbued by the System. The structure of those runes, the paths of their operation, and the frequencies of their vibration were all clearly branded into his Divine Sense, as if he had painstakingly practiced them countless times.

"Tsk tsk, it's great to have a System."

Ye Changge sighed in his heart and immediately sank into a state of Cultivation.

He followed the guidance in the inheritance, first visualizing a phantom of a Black Water Flood Dragon in his Sea of Consciousness.

The Flood Dragon was pitch black like ink, its scales menacing, its eyes red like blood jade; it coiled in the center of his Sea of Consciousness, emitting an awe-inspiring aura.

At the same time, the magical power in his Dantian began to slowly condense.

Wisps of pure Spiritual Power were drawn from his Dantian, traveling along specific Meridians; every time it passed an acupuncture point, a profound rune was branded onto it.

Those runes were dense and complex, like miniature seal characters, flashing with a ghostly blue light, layering themselves onto the Spiritual Power, and gradually condensing into a Flood Dragon-shaped Curse pattern.

This process required extremely high precision.

But Ye Changge had the complete inherited memory in his Divine Sense, so every action was incredibly precise, without the slightest hesitation.

Time passed minute by minute.

Inside the Immortal Cave, a layer of ghostly blue light faintly appeared around Ye Changge, rippling gently like water waves.

Within that light, a tiny Flood Dragon phantom could be vaguely seen swimming slowly, its scales distinct and lifelike.

Don't know how long passed—

"Hum!"

A very faint humming sound came from within his body.

The Flood Dragon phantom coiled in his Sea of Consciousness suddenly opened its eyes, a flash of spiritual light passing through its blood-red pupils, before it slowly faded away, merging with the Curse pattern condensed in his Dantian.