Chapter 162: Superspeed, Unyielding True Dragon, Skill Specialization, Dragon Concealment, and Willp

Chapter 162: Superspeed, Unyielding True Dragon, Skill Specialization, Dragon Concealment, and Willpower! (4K)



"That was a close one," the man in the bracelet's mirror commented.

"I didn't expect it to be a Life-attribute dragon species specialized in physical strength... It was cunning, devoid of the arrogance typical of other dragon species. Instead of engaging in a head-on clash, it wisely chose to fight you in the air, knowing your shadow flames could only keep you aloft for so long and that you'd be less agile."

Xue Jing pulled at the tattered remains of his black tactical suit, revealing an exquisitely sculpted upper body that seemed to have been chiseled by the gods themselves.

"I was hoping to conserve my energy and take it down without resorting to using my claws, just like with the previous one. But in the end, I had no choice but to use them."

He glanced at the sharp claw in his hand, its silvery-white radiance now somewhat dimmed.

In his battle with the last guard dragon, he had given his all. His Shadow Flames were completely exhausted, and he could no longer muster even a bit of their power. The name of the skill in his skill bar had turned completely black and was slowly recovering.

More than half of the dozen or so dragon-thunder plant seeds he had contracted with through Plant Pact had been destroyed during the fight.

He had also sustained numerous injuries in the close-quarters combat, which he had forcibly healed by channeling his mental energy into his life force.

Even with all his desperate efforts, he had only managed to deplete slightly less than half of the guard dragon's lifespan before he felt he had reached his limit and had no choice but to resort to using the Viper Striker's claw for the finishing blow.

The man in the mirror crossed his arms and said, "This is already the best outcome you could hope for under normal circumstances. The Floracrown dragon species was an unexpected bonus. You've done remarkably well."

"Three and a half claws... The half a claw you saved may very well be the last straw that helps you defeat the pure-blood dragon species."

Stretching his body, Xue Jing remarked, "I'll need a day or two to rest and recover before I take on the pure-blood dragon species."

It had been four days since he entered the Borderland.

The break between rounds for the U19 Tournament was seven days long. The day he had left, he had still been competing, so that didn't count. He had entered the Borderland the day after arriving at the gateway, so the timing of his entry aligned perfectly with the tournament's break.

In other words, if he wanted to make it back before the tournament resumed, he had to defeat the pure-blood dragon, shatter its core, and escape this Borderland tainted by the Mirror World within the next three days.

Glancing at the darkening sky, Xue Jing squatted down and opened his panel.

[+359 Divinity for slaying a divine creature]



[Divinity: 746]



[...]



[+1920 Fitness Experience]



[+1088 Health Cultivation Experience]



[+1246 Running Experience]



The grueling battle with the last guard dragon had yielded a bountiful harvest of experience points. The panel displayed a long list of four-digit experience gains, but Xue Jing furrowed his brows.

"It feels like something's missing."

The rewards were indeed substantial, but after such a protracted and challenging battle, he felt there should have been more.

After a moment's thought, he realized what it was.

"It seems the final victory wasn't entirely my own... I relied on the Viper Striker's claw to win, not my own strength."

"Is that why I received reduced experience?"

Xue Jing shook his head. "You're a tough one, Ah Ban."

He scrolled to the end of the panel.

[Running upgraded to Lv. 9 (290/8000)]



[Dragon Concealment upgraded to Lv. 8 (364/11000)]



[Mount upgraded to Lv. 6 (657/3000)]



Once again, three of his skills had leveled up.

Even after several days in the Borderland, where skill level increases had become commonplace, Xue Jing still found himself delighted by the sight of these improvements, his eyes lighting up.

Though the journey was arduous, the sense of accomplishment after pushing through and reaping the rewards was indescribably satisfying.

[Running], one of the first skills he had activated, had finally caught up with his other skills, reaching Lv. 9 and just one step away from the maximum level of 10.

Thus far, he had attained maximum levels in two skills: [Fitness] and [Charm].

Four skills were at Lv. 9: [Health Cultivation], [Running], [Aim], and [Martial Arts]. And with just a couple thousand more experience points, [Striking] would reach Lv. 8.

"Dragon Concealment also went up a level... I'll see what new changes it brings tomorrow. For now, I'm too tired. Time to rest."

Xue Jing glanced at the giant dragon corpse beside him, unconcerned about his surroundings, and lay down on the ground.

With his Lv. 9 [Health Cultivation], he had no trouble falling asleep, even without a bed. Closing his eyes, he quickly drifted into a deep and peaceful slumber, his breathing long and steady.

Even in death, the guard dragon's corpse exuded an extraordinary dragonic aura that kept all wild creatures at bay, ensuring that not even an insect dared approach within several kilometers, leaving his sleep undisturbed.

The man in the bracelet's mirror watched over the sleeping Xue Jing, who looked as peaceful as an infant, and sighed, "What a good kid."

The night passed uneventfully.

...

The next morning, a figure darted across the tranquil grassy plain at an incredible speed, creating a gust of wind that pressed the grass on either side downward, forming a temporary 'path' in its wake.

A rabbit, cautiously nibbling on grass, was sent flying through the air without any time to react as a figure darted past, soaring several meters high and performing multiple flips before crashing to the ground, dazed and unconscious.

Xue Jing raced towards the meeting place he had agreed upon with Rainia, relishing the unprecedented lightness in his legs as he struck the ground and a delighted gleam appeared in his eyes.

The wind, instead of being an impediment, now seemed to be an ally, propelling him forward.

As he ran, his body instinctually adjusted its posture, seamlessly aligning with the airflow to minimize air resistance.

"190? No, it should be around 200." Xue Jing made a rough estimate of his current speed by gauging the rate at which the scenery in his vision was retreating.

It was safe to say he had reached the 200-kilometer mark, a speed comparable to that of a high-speed train and truly superhuman!

In other words, his speed was around 50 to 60 meters per second.

"If I exert my full strength, I should be able to increase it by another one-fifth or so." Xue Jing thought to himself.

Running speed is greatly affected by air resistance, resulting in significant diminishing returns as one approaches higher speeds.

In his previous life on Earth, the top athletes would find it incredibly challenging to shave off even a hundredth of a second from their 100-meter sprint times once they broke into the 10-second range.

Even if their physical fitness were instantly doubled, it would be uncertain if they could reduce their record by a full second.

Xue Jing's current speed was truly extraordinary.

It wasn't just a matter of physical fitness anymore; it involved the 'spiritual interference with self-reality theory.'

His powerful mental will, coupled with his intense desire to move faster, silently interfered with his self-reality, and when combined with the speed boost from his Level 9 Running skill, resulted in the incredible velocity he was now capable of achieving.

"Amazing!" Xue Jing exclaimed in delight as his figure sped across the plain.

Half an hour later...

The charred earth was a mess, pockmarked with craters and littered with cooling black lava blobs.

Xue Jing rushed to the agreed-upon location and skidded to a halt, sliding forward uncontrollably for another dozen or so meters before coming to a stop, leaving a long trench in the ground with his footwork.

It was still early, so Rainia hadn't arrived yet.

"They didn't deal with the corpse," Xue Jing noted, looking at the remains of the Flametear Dragon he had slain two days ago, which hadn't changed at all.

"It's understandable that they don't know how to handle the remains of a high-level dragon species in this borderland, especially since Rainia's country seems to worship dragons. They wouldn't dare offend them," the man in the bracelet's mirror commented.

"Actually, we could just feed the blood, flesh, and core organs of this dragon species to their so-called 'Darkuca.' Dragon flesh and dragon cores are highly nourishing for borderland creatures and could make them stronger. If they're lucky, they might even undergo a bloodline mutation," Xue Jing said with a smile.

"Leaving these dragon species corpses untouched is like scattering opportunities all over this borderland for the natives. It'll be interesting to see if anyone dares to seize these opportunities." The man in the mirror nodded in agreement.

"If no one does, then once the aura of these dragon species' remains fades, wild creatures will come to feed on them, and we might see the birth of a new generation of powerful monsters."

As they chatted, Xue Jing leaped into the air, soaring several meters high and landing on top of the Flametear Dragon's head, taking a seat.

He first opened his panel to check his divine skills.

After a full night's rest, his [Shadow Flames] had regained much of their color, although they still appeared somewhat dull. However, it wouldn't be long before the blue bar was fully charged again.

He then closed his eyes and examined his physical condition.

The intense battle with the last guard dragon the day before had consumed a significant amount of his vitality, and despite the overnight recovery, his life force still felt somewhat weak and his vital flame slightly dim.

However, with his Level 9 [Health Cultivation], the rate of recovery had increased significantly, and at this pace, he expected to be back at full strength by tomorrow.

Satisfied with his assessment, Xue Jing calmed his mind and, for the first time in a while, initiated the consciousness simulation.

In his consciousness space, a pixel storm raged as a vast plain rapidly took shape.

Xue Jing appeared on this newly formed plain, double-checking his physical data to ensure it matched his real-world condition before taking a deep breath and beginning to circulate his energy.

With a dragon's roar, a lifelike energy dragon manifested within his body, a true testament to his mastery.

With his Level 8 Coiled Dragon Energy and the transcendence of human limits granted by his Level 9 Martial Arts, Xue Jing's control over his energy had reached new heights.

"Let's give it a try..." With a thought, the energy dragon within him began to transform.

The originally harmonious blend of gentle and fierce energies started to shift as all the gentle energy was rapidly extracted from the energy dragon.

Before long, the Vigorous True Dragon's eyes glazed over, and its body became completely still.

At this moment, not a trace of 'gentleness' remained in its body; it had transformed into a 'Pure Yang True Dragon' composed purely of rigid vigor!

Compared to the previous challenging extraction process, forming the Pure Yang True Dragon was now a smooth and effortless task, and it didn't take Xue Jing much effort at all.

"Excellent." Xue Jing's spirit lifted.

He had reached the most critical step of the Wishing Hand of the Vajra's Wishing Vigor, successfully condensing out 'pure yang' that contained not a trace of gentle vigor!

The next step was to crush it into a powder-like state and then integrate and mold it into any shape he desired with the 'Wishing Molding.'

Xue Jing thought for a moment, and, bolstered by the knowledge that he wouldn't suffer any real harm in the consciousness simulation, he fearlessly channeled his vigor.

"Crack! Crack!"

The Pure Yang True Dragon, now as hard as glass, shattered into countless powder-like vigor fragments under Xue Jing's channeled vigor.

"Puff, puff, puff, puff, puff—"

Countless holes suddenly appeared all over Xue Jing's body, and his viscous, clear blood sprayed out in all directions, even reaching as far as several dozen meters away.

The rampant vigor fragments rampaged through his body, and in just an instant, two-thirds of his blood had sprayed out, leaving his insides in tatters and him mortally wounded.

Xue Jing endured the inhumane pain, his expression unchanged. He willed it, and countless pixel blocks converged on his body, mending his shattered flesh and healing his wounds.

"I can't control the pulverized Pure Yang Vigor... Let's try again."

He didn't feel any sense of defeat; instead, he summarized his experience and immediately began the experiment anew.

"Crack! Crack! Puff, puff, puff, puff—"

Once again, his body was drenched in blood from the rampaging vigor, but he merely willed it, healing his wounds and continuing on.

...

After countless brushes with death, Xue Jing attempted to control the pulverized Pure Yang Vigor with each attempt.

And with each attempt, he made a little progress.

His injuries lessened with each iteration, from his body being almost completely blown apart at first to only minor tears and then to no external wounds at all.

The countless error-tolerant attempts and his unwavering resilience allowed him to observe his shortcomings in the most extreme and comprehensive manner, and his rate of progress was terrifyingly unimaginable.

One hour later...

"Crack!"

The Pure Yang True Dragon shattered, and countless powder-like vigor fragments went rampant.

The so-called vigor was, in itself, a non-substantial entity—merely the 'kinetic energy' produced by the body's own movement.

At this moment, Xue Jing, with an almost perfect response, controlled his body's interior, negating the rampaging vigor like a tamer patiently taming a wild beast, gradually soothing it.

The rampant Pure Yang Vigor gradually became obedient and compliant under his control.

Until, at one point, Xue Jing had an epiphany, and all the powder-like vigor fragments came under his command.

The powder-like vigor fragments converged, combined, and reshaped into a 'True Dragon.'

And this True Dragon was no longer the previously stiff and unresponsive entity; instead, it was extremely agile, its eyes full of spirit. It darted and leaped within Xue Jing's body with ease and flexibility, even more so than the previously yin-yang balanced True Dragon.

"Roar—"

The Pure Yang True Dragon let out a powerful dragon's roar that made Xue Jing's physical body tremble, seemingly expressing its joy at being reborn.

"Success!"

Xue Jing opened his eyes, a look of joy on his face.

He willed it, and countless pixel blocks spun before him, condensing into the form of the Flame-Crying Dragon.

As soon as it appeared, it glared at Xue Jing, its slit pupils filled with anger, and it roared.

"ROAR-!"

The roar that shook the void brought with it a strong gust of wind that blew Xue Jing's hair back, forming a slicked-back hairstyle, but his expression remained unchanged, and his body stood firm like a spear, unshaken.

The Flame-Crying Dragon lowered its head and opened its mouth wide, biting towards Xue Jing.

Xue Jing's right hand clenched into a fist and rested at his right hip, assuming a proper straight punch starting position.

The Pure Yang True Dragon split in two, and with Xue Jing's will, one half entered his bloodstream, igniting myriad starlights, while the other half entered his muscles, stirring up wind, clouds, thunder, and lightning.

Whirlwind Thunder and Shaking Starlight, the two kill moves in the Dragon Concealment Stream with the most contrasting vigor circulation, merged at this moment.

"Bang—"

The fist and the dragon's head collided, and the two became still as if time had stopped.

After a few seconds, Xue Jing retracted his fist.

The Flame-Crying Dragon's head began to tremble violently, and its skin started to bulge all over, as if the water inside had been boiled.

"BOOM!"

The dragon's head exploded, and flesh and blood splattered everywhere.

In reality, Xue Jing abruptly opened his eyes.

[You have gained insight in the consciousness simulation, Coiled Dragon Vigor Experience +2062]



[Specialization conditions met, Coiled Dragon Vigor specializes into—Wishing Dragon Vigor]



...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end