Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 386: Chapter 383: Scales Formed

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”The three Emperors wielding the Emperor’s Sword, along with the Emperors of Da Lie, Da Yong, and Da Jian, are beyond the Great Grandmaster?”

”Breaking through to the Great Grandmaster is no easy feat. The Great Grandmaster Realm has nine layers of heaven.”

”Nine layers of heaven...”

”To surpass the Great Grandmaster, one must first break through these nine layers. It’s nearly impossible to reach the upper three layers; possessing even the middle three are rare. Most are between the first and second layers... Perhaps it’s my lack of knowledge, but I’ve yet to meet anyone who has broken through to the third layer.”

”What about Mr. Su?”

Su Qiuyan said, ”I am in the first layer of heaven.”

Chu Zhiyuan was astonished.

Su Qiuyan calmly said, ”Your Highness, you are correct. The world is constantly changing. A thousand years ago, people could reach the third layer of heaven; now, even the second layer is challenging. Perhaps another thousand years later, even the Great Grandmaster will be beyond reach, leaving only the Grandmaster Realm achievable.”

Chu Zhiyuan frowned, ”Is it really that severe?”

”People a millennium ago thought the same, as did those two thousand years ago, and now the Princely Heir thinks so too,” Su Qiuyan said. ”A thousand years later, it will be interesting to see if they still believe that.”

”Does Mr. Su know why this is so?” Chu Zhiyuan asked.

”Life comes with death, both for people and for the heavens and the earth,” Su Qiuyan said. ”It seems like this world is in decline and may one day face destruction.”

Chu Zhiyuan looked up at the sky.

Li Hongzhao laughed, ”Sir, if the world were to end, it would take countless years, possibly thousands of years.”

”I have seen records in a Secret Land,” Su Qiuyan said. ”There was once a world that, after Ascension, descended into Innate stagnation, yet still lasted several millennia before its eventual destruction.”

Chu Zhiyuan frowned, ”Does this mean we will face the same fate?”

Su Qiuyan shook his head, ”The changes of the world are beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. It might take ages, or it might never happen at all, or it’s possible it could be within the next century.”

”It can’t happen in a century... Actually, there’s no need to worry so much,” Li Hongzhao said. ”It’s better to think about how to become the master of the Emperor’s Sword, or even about achieving the Great Grandmaster Realm.”

Chu Zhiyuan chuckled, too lazy to refute.

--

The three parted ways upon reaching the outer city, each returning to their respective quarters.

As soon as Chu Zhiyuan returned to the Listening Waves Courtyard, he took out the black Sealing Spirit Box.

He placed it in front of the bed and examined it closely.

Eventually, he decided to put the Sealing Spirit Box back into the Iron Ring, choosing to wait a while, sensing a vague danger.

He trusted his intuition; the danger, though not severe, was still enough to deter him from taking risks.

He slowly drew out the Bright Moon Saber, and with his left hand, he gently stroked its blade, sensing finely.

The Bright Moon Saber felt lively, as if it had matured from an ignorant infant to around one year old.

This change was apparent.

This shift not only enhanced the saber’s own power but also amplified the power of executing the Glazed Blade Scripture.

It even fed back to his body, strengthening his Glazed Body.

Realizing this, he furrowed his brows slightly.

Could the Glazed Blade Scripture be an Evil Skill?

So-called Evil Skills are empowered by Outer Heaven Power and cause changes in character.

The Glazed Blade Scripture does not leverage Outer Heaven Power, thus avoiding character corruption.

Yet, the thrill of becoming stronger through killing bore some resemblance to Evil Skills.

After contemplating for a while, he decided to continue practicing, feeling it unnecessary to stop.

His intuition didn’t signal danger, suggesting that the Glazed Blade Scripture could be pursued further.

It held legacies beyond the Great Grandmaster, providing a path for ongoing cultivation.

The opportunity to surpass a Great Grandmaster might lie within it, not to mention its significant effect on his current progress.

He sheathed the Bright Moon Saber back into its scabbard.

He drew out the broken saber, concentrating his Sword Intent.

Immediately, his complexion whitened, and sharp pain pierced his head as if stabbed by a blade.

Again and again, he gritted his teeth, sustaining his efforts while channeling the Spirit Transformation mental method, contending with the Sword Intent contained within the fragment.

Reaching his limit, he inserted the broken saber back, his face drenched in a sheen of sweat.

After resting for a while, he drew out the silver-sheathed long saber, pulling it more than halfway, confronting its Sword Intent anew.

Upon reaching the limit, he sheathed the saber back, his face turning even paler, akin to a sheet of white paper.

Alternating between the two types of Sword Intent prevented his own from stagnating into a fixed pattern, allowing faster growth.

After completing this round, he observed the two small Sword Gangs at the Heavenly Pond acupoint, watching them grow more solid, filling him with a sense of achievement.

Especially seeing their noticeably increased ability to damage the final layer of the copper tower filled him with a mighty sense of accomplishment and motivation.

...

Suppressing the urge to continue rigorously training the Glazed Blade Scripture, he swallowed the last two Phoenix Blood Pills.

He activated the Dragon Transformation Technique.

Soon, strange patterns began to surface on his skin, glowing increasingly brighter.

When the final trace of medicinal energy was nearly depleted, the glowing patterns suddenly merged abruptly.

In the next moment, radiant light burst forth as the merged strange patterns transformed into a layer of golden scales.

The scales interconnected densely, with swirling strange patterns on each scale as if they were alive, twisting and turning.

He smiled, understanding instinctively.

Refining Scale Formation was achieved.

He continued to operate the Dragon Transformation Technique, advancing further without halting at the Refining Scale Formation.

With the swirling and twisting of the patterns, the densely packed scales gradually retracted into the skin, piercing into its depths.

As time passed, the scales completely embedded within the skin, vanishing from view.

His skin turned smooth as polished yellow jade, emanating a soft, gentle glow like yellow jade.

An hour later, his skin had reverted to normal, devoid of any crystal-like sheen.

Yet the scales remained within the skin.

He could clearly feel the presence of the scales, rendering the skin resilient.

Suddenly, he drew the Qingying Sword, thrusting it into his left palm.

When the sword point reached the skin, it was blocked and couldn’t penetrate further, as if striking a solid iron armor.

The skin remained unscathed.

Yet, he could distinctly sense the presence of the scales, which dispersed the sword’s penetrating force layer by layer.

Ultimately, the gale exerted on the skin turned near impotent, unable to pierce through.

The skin exhibited exceptional resilience, as if the scales and skin were one entity.

He then perceived the wondrous utility of the refined scales: enhancing skin resilience by altering its fundamental structure and dispersing force.

Testing with a slap to his chest.

The palm power instantly diffused through the scales, reducing tenfold to merely a tenth of its original strength.

Returning the sword to its sheath, he couldn’t suppress a desire to laugh.

Yet, he shook his head regretfully.

Though this greatly boosted combat power, it didn’t significantly enhance his realm.

After not practicing the Jade Lock Gold Barrier Skill, the Dragon Transformation Technique’s impact on realm advancement slowed.

However, his intuition insisted he continue cultivating the Dragon Transformation Technique relentlessly.

It was crucial for stepping into the Grandmaster Realm.

After refining scales, only one challenge remained: Refining Claw.

He glanced at his hands, curious about what Refining Claw entailed.

Would it harden the fingernails, sharpening them like a Treasure Sword, possibly usable as weapons?

With curiosity, he continued employing the Dragon Transformation Technique, naturally progressing to the next stage.

Both palms heated up, a faint flowing light moving across the skin.

Yet, progression was exceedingly slow, and after training for an hour, his palms remained warm, light subtly flowing, with no further change.

Hence, he gave up temporarily, taking out the Sealing Spirit Box once more.

At this moment, he felt the danger had lessened somewhat.

Speculating internally.

Could there be a mechanism within the Sealing Spirit Box that unleashes hidden weapons upon opening?

With the Refining Scale Formation complete, could he withstand the hidden weapons impacting his body?

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