Chapter 1743
Chapter 1743 (Raw 1754):
Upon seeing that Xiao Chen truly could catch Xiahou Yun's sword with two fingers, the observers were all in shock.
They whispered to each other, sharing their opinions.
As experts of the northern city, naturally, the strong members of the team could roughly grasp the profoundness behind this Sharp Spirit Finger.
These people could tell that this simple stretching of the hand required a lot of effort to practice and even more talent to pull off.
As these people look at Xiao Chen, they no longer showed their earlier disdain.
Regardless of Xiao Chen's cultivation, this move alone was sufficient to earn their respect.
"I'm not convinced! I was merely careless earlier. Give me another chance; I don't believe that he can catch it again."
Xiahou Yun got back to his feet, his eyes dark with dissatisfaction.
He felt like everyone was looking at him as though he was a fool. For someone to have defeated him with two fingers was truly a great humiliation.
"How audacious!"
Senior Ma's face sank. He scolded angrily, "Xiahou Yun, are you truly unable to see it, or are you just pretending not to? While he looked like he just gently clamped his fingers together, it was much more draining than your sword strike. To think that you actually want to go again! Are you not afraid of being laughed at?"
"Haha! If you try again and he still catches it, you will be completely embarrassed." Someone, who had always been on unfriendly terms with Xiahou Yun, took this moment to chime in.
The azure-clad Leng Feng smiled and said, "Brother Xiahou, everyone knows your strength. No one will look down on you for what happened today. Xiao Chen's move is indeed excellent. If it were me and I was unaware, I might not be able to strike him."
Xiao Chen could tell that Leng Feng held a rather high position in the team. Leng Feng did not want the harmony of the team to be affected, so his words gave Xiahou Yun a way out of this embarrassing situation.
Most importantly, Leng Feng said that he would not be able to strike Xiao Chen. This gave Xiahou Yun a lot of face.
Xiahou Yun knew that he could only leave it like this; he could only go with the flow and back off. "Xiao Chen's strength is indeed impressive. I have no objections to him joining the team."
Senior Ma turned his head and muttered a few words to Leng Feng. Leng Feng repeatedly nodded while smiling.
After a while, Senior Ma said with a smile, "Since everyone has no objections, then from today on, Xiao Chen will formally become a member of our Meteor Trail Team. Da Liu, prepare a place for Xiao Chen to stay. Also, reward five thousand Medial Grade Spirit Jades, one hundred Blaze Crystals, one Blood Flame Grass, and a Blood Flame Fruit to Gu Yun."
Da Liu was the stout guard that Xiao Chen sent flying at the start.
When Gu Yun, who brought Xiao Chen here, heard the rewards he would receive, he appeared joyfully surprised as he quickly gave thanks.
"Disperse, then."
Senior Ma waved his hand. Then, he gave Xiao Chen some instructions before leaving.
Up on the roof, the eyes of the masked bladesman known as the Ghost Saber glinted with a strange light as he looked at Xiao Chen.
With a flash, the Ghost Saber silently vanished.
Leng Feng slowly walked over and said, "It looks like we are really brought together by fate. After parting for just three months, we meet each other again."
Xiao Chen said, "It is indeed fated. Was Young Master Leng in the northern city for the past three months?"
Leng Feng shook his head and sighed softly, "We just returned. This time, we ran into another team. Not to mention the loss in our forces, we did not gain anything."
Xiao Chen thought to himself, It looks like experiential training in this Dragon Flame Ancient Land might not always result in a fortuitous encounter.
Leng Feng smiled and said, "I know what you are anticipating. Wait for another two months. The ancient transportation formation in Dragon Flame City will activate soon. At that time, we can be directly transported to the many unexplored areas of the Dragon Flame Ancient Land."
"Ancient transportation formation?"
"That's right. It's a transportation formation that the Dragon Race built when they still ruled this place. However, as it has been too long, it could be activated only once every few decades. Recently, it could be activated only once every century."
Leng Feng said seriously, "All the teams have returned to the city and started recruiting more people as well as buying supplies. This is the moment that we have all been waiting for. Hence, Senior Ma is exceptionally happy at your addition to the team."
After chatting for a while, Leng Feng also took his leave.
This place was really once the land of the Dragon Race. However, why did the Dragon Race abandon it?
I wonder which of the six Dragon Race bloodlines ruled this place? Xiao Chen thought to himself, his interest in this Dragon Flame Ancient Land piqued.
A Flame Dragon?
There does not seem to be such a dragon. Of the six Dragon Race bloodlines, the Red Dragon is of the flame attribute. It is possible that the bloodline mutated and created a Flame Dragon.
After thinking about it, the highest probability is that this was once the land of the Red Dragons.
However, it is hard to say. I can't make out much just from the words "dragon flame."
Any dragon could spew out dragon flames and refine flames; they just were not as strong and proficient at it as the Red Dragon bloodline.
"Young Master Xiao, your residence is ready. I'll bring you over."
The stout guard, who had stood watch at the front doors, now behaved very respectfully to Xiao Chen, no longer daring to be rude.
Xiao Chen collected his thoughts and nodded. "Lead the way, then."
There were many empty rooms and pavilions in the large courtyard. Everything a cultivator needed could be found here: a meditation room, a small pill refining room, a gravity room, and many more. Although they were on a small scale, everything was present.
This place was even better equipped than the courtyard that Xiao Chen rented in the southern city.
Xiao Chen felt extremely satisfied. After dismissing the stout guard, he entered the meditation room to cultivate.
He kept to closed-door cultivation for seven days, using more than ten thousand Medial Grade Spirit Jades. The bottleneck of peak Minor Primal Core Realm seemed to loosen further significantly.
Now, Xiao Chen took another step towards breaking through the Minor Primal Core Realm and entering the Major Primal Core Realm.
Nine stars decorated that exquisite Primal Core in his dantian, looking boundlessly resplendent.
Advancing from Minor Primal Core Realm to Major Primal Core Realm was not a qualitative breakthrough; it just allowed one to use much more Veritable Essence Energy than before.
It was like the container enlarging to contain even more energy.
A cultivator's combat prowess would greatly increase, as they would not have to worry so much about the energy consumption when they used their various killing moves.
Some killing moves that one could not practice due to insufficient Veritable Essence Energy could be practiced then.
If Xiao Chen broke through to the Major Primal Core Realm, he was confident of practicing the Mahāmāyā Abstinence Violation Saber Technique's third move, Entering Hell.
"There are two months. That is plenty of time to break through to the Major Primal Core Realm, so there is no hurry."
Xiao Chen opened his eyes and muttered to himself, "Right now, what I need are ancient dragon bones, so that I can start cultivating the Divine Dragon Body Tempering Art's second layer."
He already finished cultivating the Divine Dragon Body Tempering Art's first layer. Next was the second layer, cultivating dragon bones.
The human body had a total of two hundred six bones. Right now, what Xiao Chen needed to do was refine all of them until they equaled those of the ancient Dragon Race.
After the successful cultivation of the Divine Dragon Body Tempering Art's second layer, his physical body's ability to resist injuries would increase significantly.
The cultivation of dragon bones was something done throughout one's life.
While one's cultivation was insufficient, one could at most refine one's dragon bones to blue. As one's cultivation increased, the dragon bones would keep growing stronger before eventually turning into the noble golden dragon bones.
At the very end, everything would return to its natural state. The dragon bones would resume their normal color.
Right now, Xiao Chen did not aim that high. He just wanted to cultivate his dragon bones to blue, filling his entire body with them and achieving a complete dragon skeleton.
If one had some supplementary materials, the cultivation of the second layer would be speedier.
If Xiao Chen had sufficient dragon bones and some rare herbs of the world, he could turn all his bones to blue dragon bones within two months.
His strength would increase considerably by the time the ancient transportation formation would activate, and he entered the interior of the Dragon Flame Ancient Land.
Xiao Chen went out and looked for the busy Senior Ma. Then, he told Senior Ma what he wanted.
"You want True Dragon bones?"
Xiao Chen shook his head and said, "Not True Dragon bones, Great Desolate Eon dragon bones."
True Dragons were not even comparable to the Six Colored Divine Dragons. Such bones could not interest Xiao Chen.
What Xiao Chen needed were the pure-blooded Dragon Race's dragon bones from the Great Desolate Eon when the ten thousand races fought for supremacy, not the bones of the cultivators with the Dragon Race bloodlines from this age.
Those True Dragon bones that were left in the Kunlun Realm could not compare at all to the pureblood dragon bones of the Great Desolate Eon.
Senior Ma's eyes sparkled as he said, "This might be difficult in other places. However, this is not that difficult in this Dragon Flame Ancient Land. Many people suspect that this Dragon Flame Ancient Land was a battlefield during the Great Desolate Eon because people occasionally find pieces of Great Desolate Eon dragon bones in the depths of the Dragon Flame Ancient Land.
"How many Spirit Jades do you have? I'll send people to go and gather them for you. I still have some connections in Dragon Flame City."
Senior Ma was a Star Venerate expert. Furthermore, he managed such a large team in the northern city. Hence, he had many more connections than Xiao Chen.
However, based on Senior Ma's expression, he only took this for a business transaction and had no intention of letting Xiao Chen get the bones cheap.
After all, there was not much friendship between Senior Ma and Xiao Chen.
The so-called team had a lot of freedom. There was no direct subordination system.
If Senior Ma found a great opportunity, he might even leave Dragon Flame City. At that time, the team would immediately disband.
Xiao Chen could clearly see this. He said calmly, "The more, the better. No matter how many pureblood dragon bones there are, I will be able to pay for them."
"Good. I'll bring the results to you in three days."
"Deal!"
Watching Xiao Chen leave, Senior Ma entered deep thought. This fellow's origins are unknown. Despite being of low cultivation, he gives off an unfathomable feeling. His appetite is also astonishingly huge.
Even though I am a Star Venerate, he remains calm and indifferent, not fawning on me or bowing down to me.
I hope that I did not bring in an ungrateful wretch. There had been many occurrences of betrayal in teams in Dragon Flame City.
There is the temptation of benefits. I cannot completely trust anyone.
However, there is no need to pay too much attention to this Xiao Chen. After all, he is only a peak Minor Primal Core cultivator. The gap between his cultivation and mine is too large.
The ones that I truly need to keep my guard up against are people like Leng Feng and the Ghost Saber, who pose a threat to me.
Senior Ma viewed helping Xiao Chen obtain pureblood dragon bones as merely a business transaction.
The increase in Xiao Chen's strength would be a good thing for the team.
After thinking for a long time, Senior Ma personally went out to handle this for Xiao Chen. For three days, he ran all over Dragon Flame City to use his connections, collecting all the pureblood dragon bones that he could.
"Thirty pieces of pureblood dragon bones. Check for yourself. Among them are several perfectly preserved spine bones."
Three days later, Senior Ma put all the pureblood dragon bones on display for Xiao Chen to see.
Senior Ma had a cocky expression implying that only he could collect thirty Great Desolate Eon dragon bones in such a short time, that it would have been impossible for anyone else.
Who could have imagined that Xiao Chen would actually look disappointed? "That's not really a lot, but it is sufficient for now. Many thanks, Senior Ma."
Embarrassment flashed across Senior Ma's face. Then, he smiled and said, "Your appetite is really extraordinary. That is a total of three million Spirit Jades."
Xiao Chen gave Senior Ma a strange look. However, he did not say anything. After handing over the Spirit Jades, he turned and left.