Breakthrough

Ye Zong was overjoyed when they arrived back. Although they had informed the relevant parties that they would be on an expedition to gain tempering and experience, as a father, he was always deeply concerned for his beloved daughter every time she left Glory City even though he rarely showed it.

He already been preempted about the realm that existed through the portal right outside the City Lord's Mansion but was still a little shocked as he saw living proof in the two extra individuals they brought out of Abyss Prison Realm. He went through the formalities of welcoming Li Heng as the representative of the Divine Flames Family, and immediately asked his servants to prepare comfortable living arrangements for the young descendant.

Even more incredible were the crates of precious blood crystals that Ning'Er brought back from the realm. This was a valuable resource that even Legend Ranked experts could use to increase their cultivation and they allocated the resources to Glory Sect, Elixir Sect and the City Lord's Mansion accordingly. This would make a significant impact to the growth of the stronger experts of Glory City!

Aside from the resources and partnership gained from the Abyss Prison Realm, Ning'Er was also happy about the exposure the team had gained from the expedition. The numerous battles and experiences they had faced had solidified their cultivation growth, and they were ready to continue to increase their soul force without worrying that they would have shaky foundations.

They all retreated to the various training rooms that Ye Zong had arranged for their team, and began to single-mindedly press forward for the next cultivation breakthrough using the refined blood crystals that they had in abundance without worrying about running out. Ning'Er herself was ready to push for a breakthrough to Legend Rank soon, but instead she had something more important to do.

She remembered the incredible jump in strength Duan Jian had experienced when Nie Li had awakened his Black Dragon bloodline in their previous timeline. It had left a mark in the memories because of the screams of agony over ten whole days that Duan Jian had released, of which they were all in the room at that time. She couldn't imagine how much pain he must have gone through because she recalled that he had not even let out a sound in the past when he was being tortured by the Silver Winged Family.

She would leave it up to him on whether he wanted to go through this process.

In the training hall, she pulled him over to the side to talk to him. "Duan Jian, there's something I would like to ask you. You carry an immensely powerful bloodline. Even with your mixed heritage, the Black Dragon lineage which gives a terrifying physical strength and defensive capability to your body runs deep in your blood. You have the potential to become an unparalleled expert."

His eyes widened in astonishment as he heard her words. An unparalleled expert? This was completely out of his wildest imagination!

She continued, "However, when I saw it happen in our previous timeline, you experienced unbelievable pain and agony. I heard you screaming for ten whole days."

His forehead furrowed as he wondered what level of pain would cause him to be in such a state. He had faced plenty under the hand of the Silver Winged Family, and had barely let out a grunt, out of the immense pride in his heart.

"I'll leave it up to you on whether this is a path you want to take."

He kept quiet for a long while as he thought through the dilemma Ning'Er presented to him. Finally, he responded in his low, gruff voice.

"Ning'Er, do you have a reason why you want me to get stronger? If there is an enemy you are afraid of, let me know. In any case, I am indebted to you and it would help me to make my decision."

Her face softened as she was reminded of his deep sense of loyalty. "If I told you these things, it would put unnecessary pressure on you. I don't want you to feel obligated because of the gratefulness you feel. I want to tell you that you've repaid it many times in the past when you saved my life and others in the team as well."

He gave her a grim smile. "Your reluctance to tell me has already given me the answer. I will go through the process of awakening my bloodline and I will accompany you as long as you never make me do anything against my principles. And when you need me to confront a dangerous enemy in future, I will be your shield!"

She knew that once he made up his mind, he could not be convinced otherwise. "In that case, you have my utmost gratefulness. Comrades in the past life, and comrades in the present!"

The next day, she had a room prepared with a large bath in the middle and many spirit herbs lying on a table next to it. Although she did not have Nie Li's godly knowledge on acupuncture to forcefully awaken Duan Jian's bloodline, she had far more options available to her since she were not being imprisoned in the Abyss Prison Realm like they had been previously.

At the same time, she had an even better activating agent. The essence blood of the Winged Lightning Dragon! She still had two precious drops left which would have benefited herself greatly, but she did not hesitate to use one for her friend. However, it was much too powerful for him to absorb the way she did, so she would have to combine different calming and healing spirit herbs together with it to enable him to utilise it. And even then, it would just be a bath for his external skin instead of taking it into his internal body.

By her estimations, the essence blood would be an easier way to activate the power of his blood because he did not have to generate his own energy for the process. The essence blood had an abundance of energy to tap into! Also, the spirit herbs added in would aid in his recovery and help to sooth the immense pain of the transformation process.

She began mixing the potent spirit herbs into the hot water in the bath and a rich medicinal scent filled the air, combined with the steam that was forming around the room. "In order to have the best effect, your skin will need to be in direct conta-."

She was abruptly cut off mid-sentence as he walked towards the bath completely naked. She averted her eyes as he stoically stepped into the steaming bath, but inadvertently caught sight of the firm contours of his muscular buttocks.

"The lineage of the Black Dragon tribe sure is impressive..." she murmured to herself before abruptly snapping back to focus on the task at hand. It appeared that the cultural norms in the Abyss Prison Realm were not as conservative as those found in Glory City, and that nudity was quite normal there.

"Are you ready?" she asked him.

He looked into her eyes and gave a firm nod, before she tipped over the vial in her hands and poured in the drop of dragon essence blood.

The moment it came into contact with the bath concoction, the water began to boil and seethe, spreading outwards in intensity until it reached the body of Duan Jian. Although he had been anticipating the pain, even clamping down his jaws on a thick twig wrapped in cloth, he began to experience a pain he had never felt before.

"UUUNNNNGGGGHHHHHHHH!"

His body began thrashing as the agony wracked his body. However, she could see that his eyes remained clear and aware of everything going on, and his teeth continued to bite down on the wood. This was better than she had seen in the past, and she was relieved that the process definitely seemed easier this time.

In the bath, he felt like hot lava were invading each and every one of his pores, and the berserk power of the dragon's blood snaked its way across his entire body that lay submerged. He felt extremely sharp wrenching within his body as the meridians, blood vessels and organs were forcefully transformed by the rich draconic energy that coursed through his body.

Over and over again, he felt his inner organs get broken down and reformed to be stronger, and every sinew, muscle and vein was strengthened like steel within his physique. The pain of the breaking down and reforming continued to be excruciating but he entered into a type of trance as each cycle assaulted his frame, and was able to bear it better as time passed.

By the third day, he no longer made any sounds as he sat cross-legged in the bath that was still swirling and seething. Even after three whole days, the vigorous energy contained in that drop of essence blood was still not even close to being completely utilised yet.

The entire time, Ning'Er kept watch over Duan Jian in case there was any unexpected emergencies. As the situation stabilised after the third day, she decided to begin her own cultivation on the floor of the room. This way, she would still be close to him in case any emergency occurred but with his current ability to withstand the cycles of pain, she would not need to oversee the process so closely.

She took out a few refined blood crystals and began circulating her legendary Lightning Dragon cultivation technique. As she still had not found any cultivation methods of this tier for any of her friends yet, or discovered anyone else who had the same attribute as her who was trustworthy enough to be imparted this technique, she naturally continued to grow far more rapidly than others.

.....

Two weeks later.

"Thump! Thump! ......."

A deep sound was coming from Duan Jian's body. This booming sound that resonated off the walls of the room and caused ripples in the bath water that had become calm and still, was from his beating heart.

Suddenly, a majestic aura burst out from his body that released a pure energy to cover the entire room. The aura would be able to cause anyone close to him to feel a profound sense of pressure.

He stood up as he felt the powerful energy circulating around his body. It wasn't soul force but a pure, vibrant force that emanated from his physical strength. He unfurled his wings behind him and saw that they had grown larger and more powerful, and that the dark gold colour had gotten even closer to a rich black shade.

He tilted his head backwards and released a furious roar from the back of his throat that shook the walls of the entire mansion. He beat his wings as his body slowly floated in the air out of the bath. The expression on his face had a noble air to it, as though he were able to command the life and death of those around him.

Ning'Er's eyes remained closed as she continued cultivating. She had known what had taken place but she felt that she were close to a breakthrough and wanted to continue until she broke through the wall at the end of Black Gold Rank!

She smirked and struggled not to laugh, as her perception picked up that Duan Jian had landed right in front of her, in all of his glorious nudity. She resisted opening her eyes to peek whether the activation of his metamorphosis had transformed his physical body on the outside as well. She could sense from his aura that although his cultivation remained at five star Gold Rank, his physical body would remain completely unharmed if anyone below Legend Rank attacked him at full force!

"I'm approaching a breakthrough." she whispered in a calm voice as though it were extremely normal for her to speak to a naked man like that. "Can I trouble you to stand guard for a few days?"

"Of course," came the throaty reply.

"Your roar will be attracting all sorts of attention. You may need to go outside the door to explain that it was a breakthrough you experienced." she prompted him.

"And also...before you head outside...you may want to put on some clothes."