Chapter 328 256: Dragon Ridge (2)

Moreover, he needed to know if the Cyan Dragon Sect had any records of this piece of jade.

Of course, all of this was predicated on his current strength. He was stronger than anyone in the Cyan Dragon Sect, which was the real reason he was so fearless and held nothing back.

At his words, Wang Sea and Li Kunsheng looked stunned, as if they hadn't quite processed what he'd said.

Throughout the history of the Cyan Dragon Sect, only masters at the Divine General level had ever traversed the Nine Dragon Cave, reached its end, and entered the secret room. Other than them, only a handful of exceptionally brilliant prodigies had ever made it to the end, but even they were stopped at the final cave, unable to open the secret room's door.

The final cave represented the Baihui Acupoint.

The Baihui Acupoint: convergence of a hundred meridians, zenith of the human body, the Celestial Human Pass.

Inside the final cave, the Baihui Acupoint was affected with a power nearly equal to the combined effects of the other eight caves. According to the Cyan Dragon Sect's historical records, it was widely believed that no one below the realm of a Divine General could possibly pass the ninth cave, let alone open the secret room.

'And now, Zhao Xuanqi was actually saying he'd opened the secret room?'

'And he'd obtained what the Holy Beast Divine General had left behind inside?'

'However, if the Holy Beast Divine General's legacy was intended for the heir to the Holy Beast Fist, then it wouldn't be so strange for Zhao Xuanqi to obtain it before reaching the Divine General realm.'

A sense of relief washed over them as they considered this.

Only by learning to console oneself can a person live more comfortably.

"Have there been any records of this item in the relevant ancient texts?"

Zhao Xuanqi's words snapped them out of their astonishment. They instinctively looked down at the piece of jade resting on his open palm.

"This... is the 'secret' the Holy Beast Divine General left in the secret room?"

Wang Sea and Li Kunsheng leaned in, frowning as they scrutinized the jade in Zhao Xuanqi's hand. They even took it from him to examine and sense it more closely, but they couldn't detect anything unusual.

'The Holy Beast Divine General went to all that trouble just to leave behind such an unremarkable item?'

"Alright. It seems you two don't know the origin of this jade either."

Seeing their bewildered expressions, Zhao Xuanqi knew they were just as clueless. He was a bit speechless and took the jade back.

"A piece of jade, you say? I'll go back and check the ancient texts thoroughly. We'll see if anything turns up,"

Li Kunsheng said.

"I'll leave it to you, then. By the way, I might need your help with something else,"

Zhao Xuanqi said.

"Oh? Don't be so formal. If you need anything, just ask,"

Li Kunsheng said magnanimously.

"Before I head north, I need to go into seclusion in the Thirty-Six Celestial Caves for a few days. During that time, I'm afraid I'll require a large amount of nourishment. I'll need to borrow the necessary materials from your esteemed sect, and the Martial Arts Association will compensate you for them later,"

Zhao Xuanqi said.

'Inside the Thirty-Six Celestial Caves, the Qi influences the Thirty-Six Celestial Spirit Acupoints throughout my body. I can faintly sense an opportunity for a breakthrough. Perhaps, with the help of the Celestial Caves' influence, I can reach the next stage for the Thirty-Six Celestial Spirit Acupoints in a short time.'

"You're being too polite. This Secret Land was established by the Holy Beast Divine General, and for millennia, we have all benefited from his legacy. Since you are the Divine General's successor, we will naturally give you our full support. Say no more."

"That won't be necessary. There's a saying: even brothers should keep clear accounts. The amount of nourishment and materials I need... well, it might be rather large."

"The Secret Land is bountiful, teeming with Rare Beasts. It will be more than enough to meet your needs."

"...."

And so, Li Kunsheng could only watch as Zhao Xuanqi, in the span of three days, consumed nearly three years' worth of the entire Cyan Dragon Sect Secret Land's supply of Rare Beast Materials.

...

...

「Three days later, inside the Celestial Cave.」

Zhao Xuanqi was in the cave corresponding to the Eight Dragon Spine Acupoints.

He sat cross-legged in the cave, his upper body bare, revealing an incredibly powerful physique.

THUMP!

Viewed from behind, eight ball-like lumps could be seen faintly bulging along his spine. His Qi and Blood surged. It was as if some restriction on his body had been lifted, triggering a terrifying transformation.

CRACK!!

Suddenly, a series of sharp cracks echoed out as each of Zhao Xuanqi's vertebrae protruded violently, threatening to pierce through his skin. At a glance, they looked just like the scales on a true dragon's back.

A spine like a dragon!

SWOOSH!!

Zhao Xuanqi's body shot up from the ground.

CRACK! CRACK!!

His spine cracked again as his body stretched out, segment by segment, becoming as pliable as a snake. In an instant, his head touched the ceiling of the three-meter-high cave.

At that moment, it was as if he had truly transformed from a human into a Dragon Form.

This was the effect of his spine deforming and stretching to its absolute limit.

Soon, with another series of cracking sounds, his body contracted, returning to its original size.

The next moment, his spine rippled. His entire body, now as soft as if it were boneless, undulated continuously. His arms waved in time with the movement, and his Force surged.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!!

Within a three-meter radius of Zhao Xuanqi, the wind howled, whipping up a violent storm. Even a Five Qi Chaoyuan master caught in the gale would be unable to remain standing, swept away by the powerful Force.

Yet, just beyond that three-meter radius, the rest of the cave was perfectly calm. If someone had been standing there, not even a single strand of their hair would have been stirred.

The gale seemed to be completely contained by some unseen power.

The space within the three-meter radius and the space outside it were like two different worlds.

Control!!

The second stage of the Thirty-Six Celestial Spirit Acupoints: the Eight Dragon Spine Acupoints.

The Weilu Acupoint, Qi Hai Yu Acupoint, Zhi Shi Acupoint, Mingmen Acupoint, Shen Shu Acupoint, Xin Shu Acupoint, Jueyin Shu Acupoint, and Fei Shu Acupoint.