Facing the black dragon's corpse, which had suddenly twitched, Chen Yuan walked over step by step. Once he got close, he thrust his sword forward. The sharp Seven Kill Sword tore through the dragon's scales and flesh, easily piercing its throat.
With a forceful pull, Chen Yuan ripped open a large gash in the dragon's throat.
He reached inside the stiff corpse, feeling around until his expression suddenly changed. He had found a spherical object—it was likely this thing that had caused the dragon's body to twitch slightly under the influence of his energy.
With a bit of effort, Chen Yuan pulled out the orb, which now rested quietly in his left hand. It was a black pearl, dark and dull, with no shine. It wasn't made of metal or jade but seemed like some kind of resin. Yet, when he squeezed it, it was incredibly hard.
Dugu Yan exclaimed in surprise:
"What is this? You took it out of the spirit beast's body. Is it a spirit bone? But why is it shaped like this?"
Dugu Bo, however, seemed thoughtful:
"It's probably not a spirit bone but something else. Yanyan, our Jade Phosphorus Snake martial soul is actually a type of dragon. When I broke through to become a Title Douluo, my Jade Phosphorus Snake martial soul evolved into the Jade Phosphorus Snake Emperor, and a pearl formed—a condensation of more than half of my cultivation."
"This orb might be the black dragon's pearl. For a ten-thousand-year spirit beast to form a pearl, its dragon bloodline must be extremely strong."
Chen Yuan came to a similar conclusion. This orb was likely the black dragon's inner core, or dragon pearl. In the Douluo Continent, only powerful spirit beasts could form inner cores, such as the Ten-Headed Fiery Yang Snake or the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. It seemed he had been lucky to encounter such a powerful spirit beast.
After absorbing the black dragon's spirit ring, Chen Yuan felt a connection to this inner core. He decided to test it, channeling his spirit power into his palm.
In an instant, the orb emitted a dark glow and unleashed a devouring force, sucking in all of Chen Yuan's spirit power. It seemed unsatisfied and directly merged into Chen Yuan's palm, traveling along his meridians straight to his dantian.
This sudden development caught Chen Yuan off guard. He quickly sat down cross-legged and focused inward, watching as the dragon pearl entered his dantian and began devouring all of his spirit power.
Chen Yuan was startled but quickly calmed down:
'I've already absorbed your spirit ring. Can this dragon pearl really turn the tables? Let's see how much you can absorb. Will you drain my spirit power, or will I completely refine you?'
With this thought, Chen Yuan mobilized all of his spirit power, creating a storm in his dantian. He poured all of his spirit power into the dragon pearl while also concentrating his spiritual power, attempting to leave his mark on it.
From the dragon pearl, Chen Yuan sensed some of its instincts—erosion, expansion, devouring… These were the pearl's instincts. It wasn't being controlled by anyone; it was purely acting on instinct.
With this information, Chen Yuan felt more confident and continued to pour his spirit power into the dragon pearl, or rather, refine it.
By the time all of the spirit power in his dantian had been devoured by the dragon pearl, Chen Yuan had successfully refined it, gaining 100% control over it.
Now, the dragon pearl no longer felt like an inanimate object. It seemed to come alive, trembling slightly. It stopped devouring spirit power and instead released a large amount of spirit energy, refilling Chen Yuan's dantian. Even the spirit power he had consumed by using his fourth spirit skill was mostly restored.
Not only that, but the dragon pearl continuously refined and released spirit power within Chen Yuan's dantian. Even without meditation, his spirit power slowly increased. If he did meditate, his cultivation speed would double.
This was like having a 24-hour cultivation cheat. Thanks to the dragon pearl, Chen Yuan's spirit power circulation speed, recovery speed, and explosive power… all saw significant improvements.
Chen Yuan was both shocked and delighted. He thought to himself:
'Isn't this the effect of a spirit core? I absorbed the black dragon's spirit ring, which allowed me to refine the dragon pearl. If this dragon pearl can grow like an external spirit bone, it will be an invaluable treasure. In the future, I might even be able to mimic this dragon pearl and condense my own spirit core. With dual spirit cores, my combat power will become terrifying.'
With that, Chen Yuan opened his eyes and stood up, stretching his body.
Facing Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan, he explained:
"This is indeed the black dragon's pearl. Thanks to the connection I formed by refining its spirit ring, I was able to refine the pearl just now. With this pearl, my cultivation speed will increase even further. It's a rare treasure."
After hearing this, Dugu Bo couldn't help but say:
"Your luck is too good. After absorbing a spirit ring, you even got a dragon pearl. You were already cultivating quickly, and now you'll be even faster. You're practically a monster."
Chen Yuan looked at Dugu Bo and said earnestly:
"I owe it all to you, Grandpa. Not only did you help me find this black dragon, but you also helped me kill it. Otherwise, none of this would have happened."
Dugu Bo was pleased. To outsiders, he might seem unruly and unpredictable, but he wasn't actually that difficult to get along with.
Dugu Yan smiled, relieved to see Chen Yuan and her grandfather getting along so well. It made things easier for her.
However, her smile soon faded slightly. Facing a genius like Chen Yuan, Dugu Yan felt pressure and even a sense of inferiority. Her anxiety made her nervous.
At this moment, Chen Yuan spoke again:
"We've wasted a lot of time. Let's head back to the valley now."
After saying this, Chen Yuan activated his third spirit skill. In an instant, he was standing on his flying sword. He extended his hand to Dugu Yan, inviting her to join him.
Dugu Yan happily accepted, taking his hand. With a slight pull, Chen Yuan helped her onto the flying sword.
Seeing this, Dugu Bo decided to turn a blind eye. He soared into the sky alone, heading back to the valley without waiting for Chen Yuan and Dugu Yan.
In mid-air!
Chen Yuan hesitated for a moment before speaking gently:
"Yanyan, I'm returning to the academy tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?"
Dugu Yan's heart tightened. She lowered her eyes and tentatively asked:
"Back to the academy? There are still two girls there who have feelings for you. How do you plan to handle that?"
Chen Yuan knew better than to answer such a question directly. He reached out and tightly wrapped his arm around Dugu Yan's waist, leaning down to whisper in her ear:
"I'll figure it out. But I'll never let you leave me."
Chen Yuan's actions made Dugu Yan feel weak all over, but she couldn't help but laugh inwardly. His answer was so childish…
(End of Chapter)
Word Count : 1,213
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