Chapter 46: Dragon Blood Body Tempering (Requesting monthly tickets! Requesting follow-up subscriptions!)

Shaohing sat up from her prayer mat, closed her eyes, and repeatedly recited the Heart-Clearing Incantation.

Only when her mind was tranquil and her spirit at peace did she open her eyes.

She reached out to soothe the anxious and worried Duobao, then turned her gaze toward the little white dragon, who was slumped on the floor with a look of utter disbelief, eyes dull, silently questioning the heavens.

Ancient texts claimed that true dragons were heavenly demons, unruly and untamable, yet in the face of absolute power, hadn't this little dragon been forced into a blood pact with her? And a servant position at the lower end of that pact, no less.

Ancient texts could not be fully trusted, just as rules could be broken.

With both death qi and the blood pact working in tandem, Shaohing no longer worried about it daring to rebel or cause chaos; she simply ignored it, giving it time to accept reality.

Relentless suppression would only provoke more resentment; there was no need for it when the outcome was already decided.

Shaohing lay back down on the prayer mat. Duobao obediently curled up by her waist, allowing her to stroke the soft fur on its back.

As she moved, a dull ache lingered in her body—the injuries inflicted by Silver Willow had not yet fully healed.

Given the severity of the injuries at the time, an ordinary mid-stage First Realm cultivator would have required more than half a year of recuperation even with the help of medicinal pills. It was only because Shaohing possessed the [Azure Emperor] divine ability that she could recover so rapidly.

"But this works out well. In my current condition, using dragon blood to temper my physique will actually yield the best results."

Shaohing had already obtained the Dragon-Companion Grass, dragon blood, and the Bone-Shedding Jade Fruit, and had previously collected several other precious herbs.

Although she did not know how to refine pills, she had memorized hundreds of herbal encyclopedias to become intimately familiar with precious herbs. Combined with her shallow knowledge of medicine, she was well-versed in the medicinal properties of most precious herbs. Through the accumulation of quantity leading to a qualitative change, Shaohing was confident she could harmonize various herbs to avoid medicinal conflicts, using the white dragon's blood as the primary ingredient to complete a body-tempering medicinal bath for herself.

"In the human race, the fusion of spirit and flesh means that the enhancement of physical strength will also drive the improvement of the soul and spiritual sense. Furthermore, in First Realm combat, having a powerful physique will certainly provide a massive advantage."

With about two months left until the Xuanyue Secret Realm opened, Shaohing naturally had to find every way possible to enhance her combat strength.

She rose, walked to the table, took out a sheet of white paper, a brush, and ink, and wrote down the various spiritual herbs she had in mind, finally settling on seven auxiliary herbs.

Shaohing took stock of her assets; she currently possessed nearly four thousand spirit stones.

"Although I don't lack cultivation resources in the short term, who would ever complain about having too many spirit stones? To guard against Jiang Yunjiang, I can't use the [Azure Emperor] spiritual liquid to plant spiritual rice for a while. That's a huge loss—I'm keeping score!"

Shaohing huffed twice, then looked at the little dragon that was still playing dead.

"Come out with me. I'll buy you a Beast-Spirit Pill?"

"Let's go!"

At the mention of food, the little dragon immediately perked up, its eyes shining, looking for all the world like a great dragon that had decided not to hold a grudge against a petty person.

"Does your Dragon Clan have any methods to hide yourselves, or do you truly want everyone to know I've entered a blood pact with a true dragon?"

"Hmph!"

The little dragon flew into the air, lunged at her, circled around Shaohing's right forearm, and finally transformed into something resembling a tattooed totem.

As she sensed it carefully, there wasn't a single trace of leaking dragon breath.

"The True Dragon Clan certainly has impressive methods," Shaohing praised.

She then instructed Duobao, "Lots of treasures. You stay here and guard the house this time."

"Ying ying!" The little monkey chirped twice in agreement.

Shaohing then pushed open the door and headed out, planning to first visit the Law Enforcement Pavilion to exchange for contribution points, and then head to the market to purchase more precious herbs and cultivation consumables.

"As long as I sweep my tracks clean, what does it matter if Jiang Yunjiang knows I'm not short on spirit stones? Every time I trade spiritual rice, I use a Gray Cocoon to conceal my aura and wear a veiled hat, and I've adjusted my clothing and silhouette. If she really comes knocking, I'll just claim I made a windfall while performing tasks outside the sect. Due to sect rules, there's only so much she can do."

"Two months left. After this period, I'll enter the Xuanyue Secret Realm. After spending six months in the realm, I'll emerge and go straight to the Disciple Competition to secure a top ten spot and promote to the Inner Sect. By then, it will be a whole different world."

With high fighting spirit, Shaohing strode forward.

...

The winter wind howled, the night was thick, and dark clouds pressed down.

Within the disciple quarters, the sect's isolation arrays acted as a shroud, making it look dim and gloomy from the outside, but in reality, Shaohing's room was brightly lit.

A circular, pale purple compass hung from the ceiling, crisscrossed with crimson patterns that looked mysterious and profound. It was currently emitting a faint light, enveloping the entire room.

This was a second-grade, low-tier array disk she had purchased at the market for four hundred and thirty spirit stones.

Array disks were rare and precious, crafted by skilled array masters using precious materials and engraved with array patterns. Once refined by an owner, they only required a slight activation of spiritual power. Even without auxiliary items like array flags, they could exert over seventy percent of a complete array's power.

The disk Shaohing had purchased contained an array called the 'Golden Smoke Cloud-Locking Array,' which could isolate sound and aura, invert visual perceptions, and shroud intruders in golden mist to cause them to lose their way.

Even if a cultivator attempted to probe it with divine sense, the array would serve as an alarm.

Under the protection of the array, Shaohing stood in the center, pouring the prepared precious herbs and dragon liquid into a large wooden tub.

Bone-Shedding Jade Fruit, Dragon-Companion Grass, Bone-Washing Flower, Jade Poria, Three-Star Orchid...

After the seven auxiliary herbs were added, the water in the tub slowly turned light blue as the medicinal potency seeped out.

Shaohing then took out a white porcelain bottle and poured in the crimson dragon blood. Much like lava meeting water, the liquid began to bubble and boil within moments. As the dragon blood was added, the spiritual herbs dissolved, eventually turning the water a deep purplish-red.

"Hmph! That is my father's blood!"

The little white dragon, sitting cross-legged, roared in dissatisfaction, its dragon roar inevitably laced with sorrow.

Shaohing stepped into the tub and said calmly, "It's not like I'm the one who struck your old man. If you want to settle scores, go find Silver Willow. If you really can't get over it, I could leave a few drops for you as a memento."

"Besides, every grievance has its source. You don't dare face Silver Willow, so you only dare vent your anger on me?"

"You cowardly little dragon."

She took a deep breath, ignored the little white dragon, and sat cross-legged in the water, fully circulating the *Qi-Nurturing Foundation Technique*.

The moment Shaohing entered the water, she felt an intense pain, as if several steel knives were being thrust into her body. She struggled to endure it, and before long, cold sweat covered her forehead.

The power within the dragon blood was pure but violent. It was only because she had neutralized it with several types of precious herbs that she could barely withstand it without her body exploding.

As time passed, the purplish-red hue faded. The broken bones and meridians within Shaohing's body, which had not been perfectly mended, were nourished by the medicinal potency, gradually undergoing a metamorphosis to become tougher and broader.

Although most of the spiritual energy from the herbs was carried by the dragon blood to merge into her bones and flesh, the remaining spiritual energy circulated through her meridians, transforming into droplets of pure spiritual power that flowed into the Yellow Sprout in her sea of qi.

From her fierce battle with Zhu Wushuang in the Jianxi Mountains to the continuous tribulations on Mount Danyang, Shaohing had been in constant combat. Combined with her past diligence, her foundation was already very solid. Therefore, she did not suppress her spiritual power, allowing it to grow rapidly in successive bursts.

When the water finally cleared, Shaohing opened her eyes and smiled.

"Three hundred and fifty-three bursts of spiritual power! And that dragon blood is indeed incredible; it nourished my physique along with the medicinal potency. Now, even if a mid-stage First Realm cultivator uses a spell, if it isn't extremely refined, I doubt they could even break my skin!"