Chapter 163: A Surge of Power

Chapter 163: A Surge of Power

Titanium Cobalt Dragon blood was injected into his body, immediately flowing through his veins towards his heart.

Thump! Thump! Thump...

Ji Xinghuo listened to his heartbeat growing louder, like the beating of war drums, pumping the dragon's blood to every part of his body. Through his microscopic perception, he could see his blood being assimilated by the dragon blood, tinting the bright red with silvery strands, as viscous as mercury, slowly spreading throughout his body.

The energy contained within the dragon blood was gradually released.

Soon, a heavy and powerful sensation welled up within him.

Ji Xinghuo felt his entire body, from the inside out, wherever the blood flowed, undergoing earth-shattering changes.

His heart grew stronger, pumping blood at an increased rate; his lungs became resilient, each breath lasting longer than the last; his stomach, liver, and intestines, all five viscera and six bowels, were greatly enhanced after being permeated by the dragon blood, their functions now several times stronger than before!

The dragon blood seeped through the capillaries into his muscles and bones, and his countless cells throughout his body greedily devoured this energy.

Ji Xinghuo was immersed in a heightened sense of pleasure, indescribable in words.

This sensation was similar to the first time he merged with a foreign species, triggering an evolutionary shift in his life, as well as when he merged with the rotating magnetic field. The etheric energy in the cultivation room surged like a tide, frantically pouring into his body. However, this time, the etheric energy did not transform into starlight. Instead, it combined with the dragon blood, further reinforcing his physique.

Ji Xinghuo clearly felt his body growing stronger. On the surface, his muscles only appeared slightly larger, but the power they contained had skyrocketed.

Gradually, his skin turned silver-gray, and his pupils faded, shimmering with a silvery light.

Veins of scale patterns emerged.

The Golden Scale Iron Spine was automatically activated. Originally, it possessed a mix of green and gold hues, with green in the center of the scales and a golden rim. Now, it had gained an additional silvery hue along the edges of the scales, intertwining with the golden, creating a dazzling metallic luster.

Ji Xinghuo opened the interface of the Myriad Star Pupil and found that the level progress of the Golden Scale Iron Spine was skyrocketing.

Before, the Golden Scale Iron Spine was at [Level Four 23/5477].

Now, in just a few minutes, it had skyrocketed to [Level Four 1385/5477], and it was still rising steadily without any signs of slowing down.

"The blood of the Titanium Cobalt Dragon actually boosts the Golden Scale Iron Spine as well!"

Ji Xinghuo was delighted.

The Golden Scale Iron Spine was shared with Qinghong, so enhancing this ability would also synchronously strengthen Qinghong. Qinghong poked her head out of his pocket, her scales shimmering with silver light.

However, the biggest surprise was yet to come.

Ji Xinghuo discovered that his Rotating Magnetic Field was accelerating, and the range of magnetic field sensing was expanding, causing the upgrade progress to increase rapidly.

[Rotating Magnetic Field (Level Three 822/8089)]



Ever since the Rotating Magnetic Field had been upgraded to Level Three, Ji Xinghuo hadn't invested any mental source energy into it because of frequent use, and the progress had only increased by a few points.

Now, it had skyrocketed by over 800 points!

Moreover, Ji Xinghuo found that his self-healing abilities had improved.

The upgrade to Level Two of the Rotating Magnetic Field had granted him the ability to rapidly recover from injuries, an effect comparable to "Rapid Self-Healing." The Titanium Cobalt Dragon's blood also possessed an incredibly strong self-healing capability, and the combination of the two enhanced his recovery from both injuries and fatigue to an even higher level.

This fusion lasted for over ten minutes, and as the surrounding etheric energy dissipated, calm returned to the cultivation room.

"Success."

Ji Xinghuo looked at the interface information, pleased to find that he had gained a new ability.

[Titanium Cobalt Dragon's Blood (Level One 1/349)]



Both the Golden Scale Iron Spine and the Rotating Magnetic Field had made significant progress: [Golden Scale Iron Spine (Level Four 4126/5477)] and [Rotating Magnetic Field (Level Three 3305/8089)].

Ji Xinghuo was overjoyed. His guess had been correct—the Titanium Cobalt Dragon's blood had an immense boosting effect on the Rotating Magnetic Field.

According to legends, the Titanium Cobalt Dragon possessed abilities related to magnetic and electric fields.

These two abilities, influenced by the Titanium Cobalt Dragon's blood, had saved him over 7,000 points of mental source energy, and the Golden Scale Iron Spine was not far from reaching Level Five.

He glanced at the interface.

The day before, in the Immortal City, he had gained over 700 points of mental source energy, which he could now put to good use.

Ji Xinghuo immediately invested all his mental source energy into the Titanium Cobalt Dragon's Blood.

That feeling of strengthening his physique returned, and in less than half a minute, the Titanium Cobalt Dragon's Blood had reached Level Two: [Level Two 387/1499].

With the fusion of the Titanium Cobalt Dragon's Blood, his starlight energy had also increased to 742 points.

Ji Xinghuo stood in the center of the cultivation room, reveling in the growth of his strength. The increase in starlight energy was secondary; the primary enhancement was to his physique.

With a thought, his entire body turned silver-gray, as hard as titanium alloy. Three-colored scales appeared, covering his body and emanating an awe-inspiring aura.

He resembled a true dragon in human form! An infinite well of power seemed to reside within him, never knowing exhaustion.

Ji Xinghuo looked at his arms and the scales upon them, confident that with his current formidable defense, he could withstand shots from an electromagnetic rifle even while standing still. His defense was now superior to that of the "Iron Guards," a true testament to an indomitable steel body.

The Titanium Cobalt Dragon's blood not only enhanced his physical defense but also provided incredible resistance against energy-based attacks.

Whether facing extreme heat or cold, his endurance far surpassed that of ordinary anomalies.

"I'm practically not human anymore!"

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but exclaim as he felt his enhanced body, but the path of life evolution was indeed a journey towards transcending humanity.

He suddenly began taking deep breaths, drawing large amounts of air into his chest before forcefully exhaling.

Whoosh...

A gust of wind blew through the cultivation room.

With a smile, Ji Xinghuo walked out. Tan Jichun, who had been waiting outside, brightened at the sight of him and immediately asked, "Did the fusion succeed?"

"Yes," Ji Xinghuo nodded slightly.

"Congratulations!" Tan Jichun smiled. "Although you're not a Titanium Cobalt Dragonkin, possessing their dragon blood establishes an innate closeness to the Grand Xia Summer Army. If you ever encounter them, you'll be considered a half-brother."

Ji Xinghuo thought of those Titanium Cobalt Dragonkin clad in powered armor—tall, robust, and cool, sweeping through armies wherever they went.

The Titanium Cobalt Dragonkin were exceptional and powerful, but they had one drawback—they were soldiers who had to abide by the army's orders and remain lifelong members of the Grand Xia Summer Army.

His current situation was ideal; he possessed greater strength than the Titanium Cobalt Dragonkin and had a large degree of autonomy.

Tan Jichun went to report to Zhou Yi.

Ji Xinghuo headed to the training department and entered a training room to test his new abilities.

He didn't allow the swordsmen who were training to watch and closed the door. First, he did a few bench presses.

"Light!"

"Too light!"

Before fusing with the Titanium Cobalt Dragon's blood, Ji Xinghuo could bench-press three tons. Now, with five-ton dumbbells, he felt almost nothing and lifted them with ease.

He kept increasing the weight.

Six tons, seven tons, eight tons... he gradually started to feel the weight, and ultimately, his bench press reached ten tons!

Ji Xinghuo pushed the specially made giant dumbbells with both hands, his muscles bulging. His body didn't seem as exaggerated as a giant's, but it contained terrifying strength. He pushed ten times in one go without changing his expression, although he still had some strength left. This was already close to his current limit.

His squat and deadlift weights also exceeded fifteen tons!

"Hu..."

Ji Xinghuo exhaled lightly, his heart filled with joy.

He remembered a video he had watched before, featuring a legendary "Overlord," an advanced profession of giants and gravikins, known for their strength.

Without altering gravity, this legendary superhuman could bench-press 9.5 tons, half a ton less than Ji Xinghuo.

Their squat and deadlift weights were also slightly lighter than his.

A typical Titanium Cobalt Dragonkin could bench-press around five tons, only half of Ji Xinghuo's strength. And that was with the Dragonkin having fused with "Thunder Giants" to further amplify their strength. Of course, Ji Xinghuo had fused with level-two Titanium Cobalt Dragon's blood and also possessed the Rotating Magnetic Field.

Ji Xinghuo then performed a speed test. This time, the surge in strength hadn't affected his speed; instead, he had become even faster.

He could finish a 400-meter sprint in just 12 seconds!

His improvement in the 10,000-meter long-distance run was even more significant, completing it in less than seven minutes.

After running 10,000 meters, Ji Xinghuo didn't even break a sweat. He breathed evenly and smoothly, and the Titanium Cobalt Dragon's blood enhanced his endurance by four to five times, with remarkable recovery. He felt he could keep running, and a thousand-kilometer run would be effortless.

Strength, speed, defense, endurance, recovery, and resistance—all aspects of his physical fitness had improved!

"As expected of the Titanium Cobalt Dragon's blood!"

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but marvel.

These tests were done without activating the Rotating Magnetic Field, just his regular physical state. If he activated the Rotating Magnetic Field for an instant burst, the test results would be even more astonishing.

He trained in the room for several hours, fully adapting to his new strength.

Many superhumans, after evolving and experiencing a surge in strength, found it challenging to control their power in daily life, often damaging furniture and even accidentally injuring family and friends.

Ji Xinghuo, with his microscopic perception, naturally didn't have this problem.

Every muscle in his body and every movement and exertion of strength were under his control, making him relaxed and assured that there would be no loss of control or accidental injuries.

Leaving the Qinling Base.

In the evening, Ji Xinghuo met with Zhao Manying, and the two agreed to have dinner together.

"You've fused with a new exotic species?"

Zhao Manying noticed the difference in him as soon as she saw him. Having accompanied him to buy the expansion curios the day before, it was an easy guess.

"Hehe..." Ji Xinghuo's face lit up with pride, and he nodded happily.

"What ability is it? Can you tell me?" Zhao Manying sized him up with great interest. Asking about someone else's ability was usually taboo, but between couples who often sparred together, there was less restraint. She could ask if she wanted, and he could choose not to answer.

Ji Xinghuo didn't hide it. "Titanium Cobalt Dragon's blood."

"Ah?"

Zhao Manying's beautiful eyes widened. She had, of course, heard of this famous super-limit ability. "You actually got your hands on dragon blood?" she exclaimed in surprise.

"The bureau helped me get it because I performed well on the last mission," Ji Xinghuo explained vaguely.

"Let's go!"

Zhao Manying was so excited that she didn't even want to eat anymore. "Let's go to the martial arts field so I can see how powerful this Titanium Cobalt Dragon's blood is."

Soon, she regretted her decision.

"I give up."

Zhao Manying tossed her longsword back onto the rack, her body glistening with fragrant sweat, and a helpless expression on her face.

She found that Ji Xinghuo's strength had increased too much, especially his power. Before, she had often been able to suppress him with her kinetic energy amplification. But now, the situation was reversed, and she was the one being suppressed.

With each head-on collision, Zhao Manying felt like she was facing not a human but a humanoid true dragon. Each of Ji Xinghuo's casual strikes carried terrifying might that was hard to defend against. Moreover, he clearly wasn't using his full strength and remained relaxed and in control.

"Before, we were evenly matched, but now it's seven to three," Zhao Manying sighed.

As she looked at Ji Xinghuo, a sense of crisis emerged in her heart.

He had only fused with one exotic species, yet his strength had increased so much. If he were to become a super-human, she might not stand a chance against him.

"Not happy?" Ji Xinghuo walked over and put his arm around her shoulder with a smile.

"How could I not be? I can only feel joy for you," Zhao Manying shook her head. "I'm worried that I'll never be able to overcome my inner demon."

Ji Xinghuo fell silent, unsure of how to comfort her.

Zhao Manying suddenly hugged him and rested her head on his neck.

Ji Xinghuo felt her breath, smelled her fragrance, and sensed the soft touch of her body, but his heart remained calm and warm.

"Then don't overcome it," Zhao Manying suddenly said.

"What?" Ji Xinghuo was momentarily confused.

Zhao Manying leaned back, her eyes fixed on Ji Xinghuo's, and said seriously, "If we remain a couple, or even take the next step in the future, our hearts will be as one, and we will advance hand in hand. Your interests will be my interests, and your enemies will be my enemies. There will be no distinction between us. The stronger you become, the happier I'll be, and naturally, there will be no inner demons!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end