Chapter 130: Supreme Dragon Vein Awakening Art
Cri-cri-cri...
The night stretched deep and silent, broken only by the steady call of crickets hidden in the grass. Their rhythmic chirping echoed through the stillness, brushing softly against the emptiness like whispers lost in the dark. Overhead, the moon hung hidden behind a veil of drifting clouds, its silver light dulled to a pale smudge in the sky.
No stars. No glow.
Just a heavy darkness that swallowed the world whole.
Lanterns flickered faintly in the far distance—their warmth unable to pierce the cold, quiet expanse of Fei Wu Quarter. For Su Tianhao, who had lived in the heart of that forgotten place through the worst of his years, the darkness was familiar. A quiet companion.
He sat beneath the lightless sky, still and silent, his golden eyes glinting faintly like twin embers in the void. The world had dissolved into shadow around him—every edge softened, every shape indistinct. But he didn't need to see.
He wasn't training this time.
The goal had been reached. Now, it was time to move forward.
"I've rested long enough," he murmured, his voice low and resolute, echoing faintly across the silent courtyard. "The Supreme Dragon Transformation Technique... let's see what the third layer has in store."
This was no longer just a technique. It was the foundation of everything he had become.
The First Layer—Supreme Dragon Body Tempering—had transformed his physique entirely. Each breakthrough surged his strength by two hundred pounds, placing him leagues above ordinary Martial Apprentices, while boosting endurance, accelerating recovery, enhancing spiritual energy absorption, and awakening dormant dragon instincts—all without external guidance.
The Second Layer—Supreme Dragon Essence Refinement Art—was even more monstrous. It refined not just his body but his very essence. Each breakthrough granted a staggering two thousand pounds of raw strength increase. It purged impurities naturally, requiring no elixirs or treasures, and had opened the path to the legendary Untainted Body—now achieved. And above all, it had awakened Advanced Dragon Instinct.
Su Tianhao didn't yet fully understand what that instinct truly was. But he could feel its pulse inside him. Dormant. Refined. Powerful.
Now, having stepped into the Martial Adept Realm and perfected the second layer, he had finally fulfilled the requirements to unlock the third.
He was done waiting.
He closed his eyes, breath steadying as his back straightened into a perfect lotus posture. Slowly, his consciousness sank inward—diving deep into the vast sea of inherited memories.
"Supreme Dragon Transformation Technique."
The name echoed like a divine decree resonating through the quiet expanse of his mind, its weight vibrating against his dragon bloodline.
He plunged in without hesitation—through the introduction, past the First Layer, past the Second—until the path ahead blurred and swallowed itself in shadows and uncertainty.
He did not falter.
After surviving two brutal mental assaults while comprehending Shadow-Splitting Flash, his spirit had grown considerably firmer. His soul force was denser now—more resilient. He pressed deeper, peeling through layers of fog like a blade cutting through silk.
Minutes passed in stillness.
The courtyard held its breath.
And then—like a gate opening in the void—the third layer revealed itself.
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Supreme Dragon Transformation Technique — Third Layer: Supreme Dragon Vein Awakening Art
Realm: Martial Adept
Focus: Spiritual Energy Amplification and Physical-Spiritual Fusion
The Third Layer marks a critical evolution—from physical refinement to spiritual dominance. While the first and second layers laid the foundation in flesh and essence, the third awakens the dormant dragon veins within the body, merging spiritual energy with raw physical power.
Upon cultivation, this layer tempers the practitioner's spiritual energy channels, rebuilding their cultivation foundation from the inside out. It allows the practitioner to achieve threefold spiritual energy strength amplification at just the 1st Level of the Martial Adept Realm.
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Su Tianhao paused at that phrase.
Threefold amplification might sound modest compared to the earth-shaking benefits of the earlier layers—but context was everything. He was no ordinary Martial Adept.
With the Supreme Dragon Vein Awakening Art, he could reconstruct his cultivation foundation and secure a threefold amplification from the very first level. While other Martial Adepts could only double their strength at this stage, he would be refining his already immense base by three times over. His raw strength had already reached twenty thousand pounds—double the Martial Mark. Amplified by three, he would command sixty thousand pounds of force. Power comparable to a 5th level Martial Adept.
Other cultivators could only reach that level of amplification at the second level. And for him, as levels advanced—fourfold, fivefold—the snowball of growth would leave his peers far behind.
His fists clenched unconsciously, his body buzzing with quiet anticipation.
He dove deeper.
One concept in particular stirred heavily in his heart—weighed down with mystery and power.
The Dragon Vein.
As his consciousness descended further, the truth behind the third layer began to unravel like coiled chains breaking apart, one link at a time.
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Aside from laying the foundation for greater spiritual energy amplification, the Dragon Veins further enhance the user's resilience, forming an innate spiritual-physical defense known as Dragon Defense—a hidden shield capable of negating damage from enemies of equal strength.
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Su Tianhao held his breath.
'Negates damage from enemies of equal strength.'
He let that settle.
If two cultivators—each possessing the strength of a 5th level Martial Adept—faced each other, the one who had awakened Dragon Defense would become invulnerable to the other. Their blows, no matter how ferocious, would land like strikes against an immovable wall.
To some, that might not sound overwhelming—especially for someone who could already cut down foes far stronger than himself using Shadow-Splitting Flash. But even that technique had its limits. It could only focus on a single target at a time. Against a single opponent, it was a supreme killing tool. Against multiple enemies of equal strength, surrounded and outflanked—it was insufficient.
That was where Dragon Defense would shine. An ultimate hidden shield. A trump card that could turn overwhelming odds into a crushing victory.
Just as that realization settled, the final section of the technique began to unfold.
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More importantly, this third layer lays the groundwork for something unprecedented—setting the stage for forming not just one, but potentially multiple Martial Cores upon advancing to the next major realm.
At Peak Mastery, spiritual energy flows through the body like surging draconic blood, granting unmatched power, heightened control, and the unshakable aura of a dragon in mortal flesh.
---
Su Tianhao's eyes snapped open.
"This technique... it actually allows for the potential to awaken multiple Martial Cores at the Martial Core Realm?" he muttered, genuine shock moving through him.
Not even in his inherited memories—at least not in the layers currently accessible to him—had there been mention of anyone unlocking multiple Martial Cores. There were stories of legendary prodigies said to have awakened dual cores, rare geniuses who later became world-shaking powerhouses. But multiple?
"Multiple Martial Cores..." The excitement in his chest ignited quietly. "Doesn't that mean far greater spiritual energy reserves?"
At the Martial Core Realm, spiritual energy reserves meant everything. The more one possessed, the longer one could fight, the deadlier one's techniques, the wider one's destruction.
As the saying goes: in the eyes of a Martial Core Realm expert, all who stand below are but insects—powerless and fleeting.
The reason was simple—spiritual energy attacks. Before reaching the Martial Core Realm, cultivators were unable to use spiritual energy offensively, relying solely on raw physical strength or amplification techniques. There were exceedingly rare exceptions—Lu Ruyi among them—but they were precisely that. Exceptions.
Possessing multiple Martial Cores would give one a decisive edge over any ordinary Martial Core Realm expert. Greater reserves. Longer endurance. More devastating techniques.
Su Tianhao's anticipation for that breakthrough surged.
Still, he wasn't blinded by the possibilities. He understood that cultivating multiple Martial Cores would demand far greater effort and would naturally make each subsequent advancement more difficult.
But that didn't discourage him.
'With the Heavenly Devouring Dragon Physique and my own innate talent, housing multiple Martial Cores shouldn't be a problem.'
His focus returned to the technique's final words:
At Peak Mastery, spiritual energy flows through the body like surging draconic blood, granting unmatched power, heightened control, and the unshakable aura of a dragon in mortal flesh.
One thing anchored itself in his mind.
Dragon Aura.
"Finally... I'll be able to control it," he said softly, his golden eyes opening slowly, gleaming with quiet resolve.
He had experienced its power once before—back when Blood Grin had cornered him in Dragonspire Forest, his life hanging by the thinnest of threads. In that moment of absolute desperation, his bloodline had stirred. The devouring ability had erupted. The world had bent.
And then—the Dragon Aura had released itself. Its higher will had rippled outward, scattering every spirit beast in the inner region and giving him the chance to escape.
That had been uncontrolled. Wild. Instinctive.
Now—it would be his.
Su Tianhao inhaled deeply, the chilling night air flooding his lungs like frost creeping over still glass—silent, sharp, consuming.
"The Supreme Dragon Vein Awakening Art," he murmured.
The benefits were real. The transformation was profound. But there was nothing flashy or exaggerated about it. No divine tribulations. No heaven-shattering proclamations.
It didn't need any of that.
Only one phrase came to mind when he thought of such a technique.
"Simple... yet profound."
Above him, the moon slipped free of the clouds at last—casting pale silver light across the quiet courtyard, illuminating the beginning of yet another transformation.