Chapter 204 - 174: The Power of the Blood Dragon Pill

Chapter 204: Chapter 174: The Power of the Blood Dragon Pill

Xie Yuan was Xie Yuan for a moment, then he changed back into Zhang Mountain and made his way back to the Outer Sect’s handyman courtyard.

The steward who had taken Xie Yuan to the mountainside came over and asked carefully,

"Zhang Mountain, did you attend to the guest properly?"

"I did. The guest was very satisfied and praised the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect for our excellent hospitality. She told me to go to the guest courtyard every day to manage the chores there."

Xie Yuan said in a prim and proper tone.

The steward nodded repeatedly, saying with admiration,

"As expected of you. I knew your thorough and meticulous work would leave the guest with nothing to complain about. In that case, you will be fully responsible for taking care of the guest at the mountainside courtyard. You don’t need to go to the Main Peak Hall for now."

The steward’s instructions meant Xie Yuan had received a small promotion. He was now equivalent to a handyman leader like Tian Zhuang, and once this guest courtyard assignment was over, his position would be made permanent.

’Situ Qin just has to show up and I get a promotion. I guess this is what they mean by having connections in high places...’

Thinking this, Xie Yuan declared righteously,

"Thank you for this opportunity, Steward! But the competition between the two sects is a major event for our Sect, and I wouldn’t dare hold everyone back! The honored guest said I only need to bring her food box over at noon. I can still go to the Main Peak Hall to work in the morning!"

The steward was deeply moved and, for once, tried to dissuade him.

"It’s fine. It’s good that you have the heart for it, but being one person short won’t slow us down... You’ve worked hard lately. You should spend the morning on your own studies, read the sword manuals. It’s a way to relax, and the Martial Dao should come first, after all."

"No! Steward, it’s no hardship to contribute to the Sect! Everyone is preparing for this; how could I slack off alone? Steward, please let me go to the Main Peak to help!"

Xie Yuan proclaimed passionately.

Seeing he couldn’t change his mind, the steward nodded again and again, sighing with emotion.

"Zhang Mountain, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a motivated disciple. If everyone in the Sect were like you, how could our Cloud Mountain Sword Sect not prosper! You lot, all of you, learn from Zhang Mountain! Tian Zhuang, you too. Last time I saw you, you were pulling Zhang Mountain aside for a chat. It’s one thing not to follow his example, but to hold him back? You shouldn’t be doing that!"

Hearing the steward’s reprimand, Tian Zhuang’s eyes widened in disbelief.

In the past, he was always the one being praised, like Zhang Mountain was now, while others were criticized.

How had he become the slacker the moment Zhang Mountain showed up?

Several handyman disciples who worked in the Main Peak Hall hung their heads as the steward dressed them down. After the steward left, they glanced at Xie Yuan with strange expressions.

’We heard that when this guy was transferred from the woodshed, it was a cause for universal celebration over there. Someone even told us to watch out for ourselves. We didn’t get what they meant back then. So this is why?’

’He even gives up his time off voluntarily, making those of us taking a proper break look like the weird ones. What a suck-up!’

Xie Yuan felt the familiar gazes on him and felt like he was back in the woodshed.

But he had to insist on going to the Main Peak Hall. Otherwise, how could he comprehend the Sword Qi of the Black Celestial Book? His persistence was so great that the steward mistakenly thought he truly considered the Sect his home, moved by his high level of dedication.

Xie Yuan simply wanted to seize this rare opportunity. After all, he might not get to be so close to Sword Peak in the future. Especially seeing the favor he was gaining from the various stewards and deacons of the Outer Sect, he would probably become an official disciple soon. By then, he wouldn’t have many chances to go to Sword Peak for comprehension. He had no idea how long it would be before he could actually enter Sword Peak, and without comprehending the Black Celestial Book, his whole reason for joining the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect would be diminished by half.

’I have to achieve at least one breakthrough first...’

Xie Yuan was also more than happy to spend time with Situ Qin, but he couldn’t neglect the important business of cultivation.

Back in his room, he washed up and lay down on the large communal bunk. When the moonlight shone through the window and snores rose around him, Xie Yuan quietly got up, pretending to go out to relieve himself, and crept all the way to Waterfall Cliff.

The scenery here was secluded, but the mountain wind was biting. It was several bends away from the sprawling courtyards of the Outer Sect, a place few people ever visited. It had always been Xie Yuan’s secret training spot.

He touched the porcelain bottle in his chest pocket. Thinking of Situ Qin’s "rich lady" behavior and how she was afraid he’d refuse, Xie Yuan couldn’t help but smile.

’Speaking of which, she let it go so easily today. She didn’t keep pressing the issue. After understanding the situation, she just said a few words and that was it. It went much better than I expected. Even though she was clearly a bit upset, she was still considerate of my feelings. She’s simply...’

Recalling their conversation during the day, Xie Yuan was a little lost in thought. Situ Qin was charmingly willful but not spoiled, and she had always been very understanding.

Even as just a friend, they had agreed to meet again, but Xie Yuan had been neglecting her lately. She had every reason to be angry.

What’s more, they were clearly not just ordinary friends, so she had even more reason to have a stronger reaction.

But Situ Qin did none of that. After a few sour remarks, she breezily let the matter drop, and the two returned to their previous harmony. She handled it with both grace and poise, leaving Xie Yuan, who had been bracing for a storm, with a feeling of ’that’s it?’ and a great sense of relief.

’Beautiful, rich, and understanding... How did I get so lucky to meet such a wonderful girl?’

Xie Yuan shook his head and sighed.

To be fair, both Situ Qin and Mu Chaoyun were peerless beauties in terms of looks and talent. Their cultivation aptitude was worthy of the title "prodigy." And though their personalities were vastly different, neither was difficult to get along with.

To know even one of them was a stroke of incredible luck. To be entangled with both at the same time... Xie Yuan didn’t know if he could be considered blessed by the heavens.

But even though Xie Yuan was no veteran in love, he could feel that his current relationships with both women were more than just ordinary friendship.

One is a blessing, but two isn’t necessarily so. Two might just be his karma.

But Xie Yuan didn’t know how to handle it. It didn’t seem like time to make a choice, yet if he just let things be, the thought of potential future scenarios gave him a headache.

Both women were too exceptional, which was both a good and a bad thing. To be with one would be a blessing; how could he possibly have both? One was a Grandmaster, and the other had many Grandmasters behind her. He feared that the moment he even entertained the thought, he would be ground to dust.

’Forget it. With my current strength, even dreaming about it is getting way ahead of myself. Besides, my relationship with either of them is just a little more than friends. It’s too early to start thinking about baby names.’

’If I can’t figure it out, then I shouldn’t overthink it.’

’Things have come to this. I should focus on cultivating first. Once I’m strong enough, maybe...’

Xie Yuan took a breath, pulled out the porcelain bottle, and tipped out a bright red pill. He looked at it for a moment before popping it directly into his mouth.

The Blood Dragon Pill. A top-tier Spiritual Medicine for supplementing Blood Qi during the External Training stage, it could even help those with insufficient talent break through their limits. When it came to boosting Blood Qi, nothing surpassed it.

With a Divine Medicine like this, after three pills, even an ordinary Fourth Training practitioner would be pushed to the very doorstep of the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm, just one kick away from entering. And that was to say nothing of Xie Yuan.

As the pill entered his stomach, Xie Yuan felt as if he had drunk strong wine, and his face instantly flushed crimson.

’What potent medicine!’

The Blood Dragon Pill, bearing the name "Dragon," naturally had an effect that needed no explanation. Xie Yuan felt the pill spinning in his stomach, releasing a dense wave of Blood Qi. Wisps of it gathered into the form of a dragon, which bared its fangs and brandished its claws as it flew a lap around his Dantian before surging into his meridians!

’It’s too big... I can barely handle it...’

Xie Yuan felt the blood dragon was too thick, too ferocious. His meridians couldn’t adapt to it at first, and a pained expression crossed his face.

However, his physique had been completely remolded by the Celestial Cyan Fruit, and it was nourished and protected by his body-nourishing technique. His meridians were tougher than most people’s. Thus, after only a short while, he gradually adapted, and his brow slowly unfurrowed.

The blood dragon traveled along his meridians, emitting strand after strand of pure Blood Qi that spread out, strengthening the meridians and every part of his body.

After one circulation, the blood dragon was reduced to a mere phantom as it returned to his Dantian. However, the Blood Dragon Pill had only shrunk by a tiny amount. It spun once, and the fully replenished blood dragon shot out again, baring its fangs and claws, continuously supplementing the Blood Qi in Xie Yuan’s meridians and strengthening his constitution.

Xie Yuan felt his Blood Qi increasing at an unprecedented speed. No medicinal bath or Spiritual Medicine he’d used before could compare to this rate. Looking inward, the Blood Qi in his chest was increasing at a practically visible rate. To put it dramatically, it was like pouring boiling water into a half-full pot; the water level was clearly and constantly rising.

’No wonder it’s a Divine Medicine for External Training! At this rate of replenishing Qi and Blood, three pills will be more than enough to fill my entire body with Blood Qi, using quantity to bring about a qualitative change, reaching the limit, and triggering a metamorphosis!’

Xie Yuan was thrilled. He could only say that he had never taken such fine medicine before; it was a real eye-opener.

’No wonder everyone says rich women are good, rich women are great... A woman will affect the speed of your cultivation, but a rich woman won’t. A rich woman will only help you soar.’

Xie Yuan was filled with gratitude for Situ Qin. After being excited for a good while, he suddenly remembered that the very spot he was sitting on was where Mu Chaoyun had meticulously guided his training.

His mood faltered for a moment. An inexplicable feeling of shame and guilt washed over him, almost causing his Blood Qi to go astray.

Xie Yuan hurriedly focused his mind, once again guiding the blood dragon to rear its head and circle through his meridians, completing a full circulation and replenishing his Blood Qi. Once his condition stabilized, his thoughts grew complicated.

’Why does it feel like I’m living off a woman... Is this a bad thing?’

’Forget it. This is fine. They are both my wings.’

As long as he didn’t deceive, didn’t hide anything, and wasn’t indebted to either of them, Xie Yuan’s three-no principle would be true to his conscience and fair to others.

’Since my conscience is clear, I’ll leave the rest to fate.’

The stream RUSHED by, plunging over the cliff’s edge. A diffuse mist of water rose into the night sky, reflecting the faint starlight.

The young man on the cliff sat silently cross-legged by the stream, his face flushed, his body burning hot. He let the stars and moon shine and set in the west, until a sliver of white appeared in the east.

Bathed in the faint morning light, Xie Yuan slowly opened his eyes and began his morning practice right there, digesting the last traces of the Blood Dragon Pill’s medicinal power.

He shifted from one Arhat stance to another, casting long, firm, and powerful shadows on the giant rock behind the cliff.

[Golden Bell Shield • 3rd Layer: (1447/2000)]

In a single night, his Golden Bell Shield progress had shot up by over a hundred points!

Xie Yuan clenched his fist tightly, a look of delight on his face.

This progress didn’t fully reflect his gains. The increase in his Blood Qi was actually far greater; it just hadn’t been completely converted into progress in his Cultivation Technique yet. And although the Blood Dragon Pill had been refined, its Blood Qi had not yet been fully assimilated. The next few days, as Xie Yuan circulated his technique, would be a period of rapid advancement.

’The Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm is not far off!’

Xie Yuan stretched lazily and turned to walk toward the Main Peak.