Chapter 96: 96. Chapter 96: Yuan Yu (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

96. Chapter 96: Yuan Yu (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

More than ten days later.

Fang Xing was utterly absorbed in the thrill of martial training and the explosive progress of his attribute panel.

The existence of the attribute panel made every effort yield tangible results—essentially a variant of the Heaven Rewards Diligence system.

Even the matter of the Eaglet Star had nearly slipped his mind…

After all, he’d originally chosen Devil Canyon precisely for its chaotic magnetic field, which blocked most technological devices.

There was no surveillance at all—not even satellite eyes could see through it…

Then he’d simply find a secluded spot to cross over, reappear after summer break, and claim he’d been in seclusion—no one could detect a trace.

Hoo hoo!

At this moment, his body had fully manifested the Dragon-Elephant form, radiating a faint golden glow.

On his attribute panel, the column for Dragon-Elephant Art had clearly reached: [Dragon-Elephant Art: 199/200 (Proficient)].

“Just a little more—then I can ascend to Master rank… Dragon-Elephant Art is the foundation of Great Golden Vajra Prajna Power; without a strong body, one cannot withstand the explosive force…”

“Has ordinary Boiling Blood become useless for breaking through bottlenecks now?”

He glanced at the several empty bottles of Boiling Blood beside him and shook his head: “Good thing I prepared in advance…”

Upgrading to Level 2 Citizen and purchasing a vial of ‘Kunpeng Blood’ with Merit Credits had nearly exhausted his rewards.

But since it’s served its purpose, it’s worth it!

Fang Xing opened the silver-metal box and took out the vial of azure Kunpeng Blood.

After uncorking the test tube, he poured it directly onto his chest.

The instruction manual inside the silver-metal box had already detailed the usage and taboos of Kunpeng Blood.

This body-refining spiritual blood was not meant to be ingested—only to be applied externally, or it would easily cause poisoning.

Sssss!

The azure Kunpeng Blood, speckled with starlight, struck Fang Xing’s skin and immediately emitted a corrosive hiss.

Even the Dragon-Scale Elephant-Armor stage of Dragon-Elephant Art, at its third-stage peak, could barely resist it!

Fang Xing felt the searing pain on his chest, yet his face lit up with delight: “Exactly… only this level of destruction can trigger another breakthrough in Dragon-Elephant Art!”

He watched as the Kunpeng Blood rapidly seeped into his skin, spreading from his chest to every limb and bone.

A sensation of both coolness and heat surged through his entire body.

In a daze, Fang Xing seemed to see a colossal beast, as vast as a mountain range, roaming through the cosmos!

‘An adult “Cosmic Whale” is a Leviathan-class organism, its size comparable to a planet…’

‘This one is no larger than a mountain range—clearly an infant among infants…’

‘Even so, just one vial of its blood has this effect?’

A hint of greed stirred in Fang Xing’s heart.

If he could, he’d bathe in Kunpeng Blood daily—Dragon-Elephant Art’s progress would skyrocket!

But sadly, he’d exhausted nearly all his Merit Credits just to buy one vial.

The Federation’s resource scarcity was plain to see!

Boom!

Under the stimulation of the ‘Kunpeng Blood,’ he used his spiritual force to internally observe himself—and saw his once-perfect body of Jade Skin, Mystic Flesh, Willow Tendons, and Steel Bones still evolving, growing stronger…

More power surged endlessly from every limb and bone!

Along with the surge of strength, a terrifying thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Vast… terrifying…

As if that Cosmic Whale had burrowed directly into Fang Xing’s consciousness!

_CO

‘What’s going on? Does using Kunpeng Blood come with this kind of side effect?’

Fang Xing recalled the manual he’d read: ‘It causes some spiritual shock? This is terrifying… Is the Federation restricting Kunpeng Blood sales because it’s too dangerous to consume?’

He felt his spirit being scoured by a monstrous entity—any misstep could turn him insane.

Yet in that instant, Fang Xing’s mind raced, and he devised a strategy.

‘Great Sun Tathagata Mantra!’

He meditated on the Great Sun—and suddenly, a crimson sun blazed to life in his consciousness!

Compared to that crimson sun, the mountain-sized Cosmic Whale was but a speck of dust!

Even an adult Cosmic Whale, as vast as a planet, meant nothing before a star!

Fang Xing seemed to hear a mournful cry—then the Cosmic Whale dissolved under the Great Sun’s radiance.

He abruptly opened his eyes and saw his skin glowing like polished yellow jade, faint golden patterns now etched across its surface.

When he relaxed his Dragon-Elephant Art, the golden lines vanished swiftly.

‘Did I… break through in Dragon-Elephant Art?’

Fang Xing murmured, glancing at his attribute bar:

[Dragon-Elephant Art: 1/400 (Master)]

‘Dragon-Elephant Art at Master rank… meaning I now possess Second-Class Body Refinement—upgraded weapons can’t even pierce my skin… This is the physique of a Second-Class Body Cultivator! Comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator!’

A faint smile appeared on Fang Xing’s lips.

To be blunt, even the Federation’s prodigies in the Courage Stage might not reach this level of Dragon-Elephant Art by the Fourth Stage!

‘Dragon-Elephant Realm!’

Moreover, Fang Xing clenched his fingers—and deep within his crown chakra, a faint roar of Dragon and Elephant echoed, granting him another realm purification, strengthening his spiritual force further!

'Each realm's comprehension makes a Courage Stage martial artist stronger!'

‘This can’t be stacked through resources—based on my experience, Kunpeng Blood delivers intense spiritual shock; most Courage Stage martial artists can’t digest it…’

He glanced again at his attribute panel:

[Great Dragon Stance: 155/400 (Master)]

[Taming Tiger Stance: 64/400 (Master)]

…

‘The two prerequisite martial arts for Dragon and Tiger Realms have also improved—excellent.’

Fang Xing was very satisfied.

At this point, every point of proficiency in Great Dragon Stance granted him a slight insight into the ‘Dragon Domain.’

He suspected that once proficiency reached 200—or even 300—he’d grasp the prototype of the Domain.

He estimated that upon entering the next major stage, he could transform the prototype into a true Domain—the key to becoming an External Scene martial artist, and thus breaking into the Fifth Martial Stage!

Of course, mastering Domain power, like needing Dragon-Tiger Realm for Golden Core, was merely a prerequisite.

Mastering Domain power didn’t guarantee immediate ascension to External Scene.

But without mastering Domain power, one could never become an External Scene martial artist!

‘Phase Five proficiency should let me reach the pinnacle—even stand on equal footing with the creator… allowing me to freely edit martial arts… Domain is just the beginning…’ ‘When Phase Five is perfected, I’ll surely merge Great Dragon Stance and Taming Tiger Stance into one, forging the ultimate Dragon-Tiger Realm—and even Dragon-Tiger Domain—laying the firmest foundation for achieving Dragon-Tiger Golden Core.’

…

Fang Xing reviewed each martial art in turn, and when he reached the Great Sun Tathagata Mantra, he winced.

This ‘Spiritual Martial Art’ was truly powerful.

Even at the beginner stage, it could shatter the spiritual remnants of a Leviathan-class entity in the consciousness.

In truth, it was at least an S-rank martial art—possibly even beyond S-rank!

But unfortunately… its origins were suspiciously vague, making him reluctant to train it.

‘Based on Blue Star Federation’s experience, the stronger one’s martial realm, the better one resists extraterrestrial demons… So I must maintain overwhelming dominance in my martial will—this art, even with side effects, likely won’t harm me…’

After reviewing his martial progress, Fang Xing clenched his fists, feeling the renewed surge of strength, and felt deeply satisfied with Dragon-Elephant Art: ‘After this upgrade, even facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator head-on, I’m not afraid…’

The advantage of a powerful physique lies in its high tolerance for error!

Combined with the immense strength from Dragon-Elephant Art and the combat boost from Great Golden Vajra Prajna Power, Fang Xing was confident he could stand against Second-Class beasts and Foundation Establishment cultivators of this world!

Liiii!

Suddenly, a piercing cry tore through the sky!

A streak of golden light descended upon the marketplace, revealing a terrifying Second-Class beast-bird!

It was the same Golden Feather Bald Eagle!

Glancing around, its beak flashed like golden light, snatching up a Clear Wind Wolf and devouring it in a few bites.

Then, its bald eagle head turned—and its eyes glowed with brilliant spiritual light, locking onto Fang Xing’s small courtyard!

‘Huh? It spotted me?’

Fang Xing was startled, then muttered: ‘This damn spiritual talisman is useless… Wait, no—Second-Class beast-birds like these often possess innate spiritual vision, especially raptors…’

‘This Second-Class beast-bird can surely pierce ordinary talismans and arrays… unless it’s a Second-Class defense, but how could I possibly have one?’

‘Liiii!’

The Golden Feather Bald Eagle’s eyes glowed crimson; its talons moved swiftly, smashing through houses as its massive body charged forward.

With Fang Xing’s vision, he could even see droplets of saliva trailing from the beast-bird’s beak.

‘This… it’s addicted to eating humans? Cultivators are rich in spiritual energy, their flesh tender… martial artists have chewiness…’

Seeing the Second-Class beast-bird charging straight at him, Fang Xing’s face curled into a cold smile.

Clearly, it mistook him for an easy target.

No!

To this second-rank beast bird, he was no soft target—he was prepared food!

“Perfect. I’d like to test the strength of a second-rank beast.”

A flash of green light appeared in Fang Xing’s hand—the second-rank Qinghong Sword now in his grip. His body blurred into afterimages, toes tapping the wall, launching him straight toward the second-rank beast bird.

As he drew closer, he felt the beast’s aura more clearly, and the thick spiritual radiance shimmering across its golden feathers.

For ordinary cultivators, even the mere defensive strength of a second-rank beast would be nearly impossible to penetrate.

Seeing the “little guy” come to him willingly, the Jin Yu Tuju had no suspicion—it simply struck down with its beak.

Its beak was incredibly hard, comparable to a second-rank spiritual weapon.

And its movement was swift as wind, astonishingly fast—like a martial artist thrusting a sword!

Fang Xing twisted his body, dodging the strike, eyes flashing with cold light.

Roar! Roar!

In the void, the Dragon’s aura and the Tiger-subduing aura erupted. The Dragon’s roar and Tiger’s bellow merged into terrifying martial will, surging into the Jin Yu Tuju’s mindsea, slowing its movements for an instant.

Immediately, his muscles swelled, revealing faint golden patterns across his skin—as if he had donned armor woven of gold thread and jade.

——Master-level Dragon-Elephant Art!

“Kill!”

Fang Xing gripped the sword with both hands, golden light flashing briefly in his eyes.

——Great Golden Vajra Prajna Power, one-fold enhancement!

Immense force poured into the second-rank Qinghong Sword, causing a terrifying blade aura, several feet long, to erupt from its edge!

Puff!

The green blade aura, like a long rainbow, gleamed with chilling sharpness, slicing with unbearable precision into the Jin Yu Tuju’s neck.

Bo!

The golden feathers, once shimmering with brilliant spiritual light and interwoven with countless sword qi, suddenly dimmed.

The second-rank spiritual weapon tore through the golden feathers, severing the tuju’s neck, cutting deep into flesh and bone…

Fang Xing unleashed his full strength, finally severing the neck entirely. His body shot forward like a golden meteor, slamming into the building behind the beast, sending dust and shattered bricks flying everywhere.

Bang!

The Jin Yu Tuju’s head, tuju-like, dropped to the ground, blood gushing from its severed neck.

It staggered forward a few steps before its massive corpse crashed heavily to the earth.

Even now, terrifying beast aura still clung to its body—evidently, it died with unbearable resentment.

After all, it never imagined that this “little guy,” who had always seemed weak and even been eaten by it before, could unleash such a terrifying strike.

Had it been prepared, its full plumage could have erupted with beast aura, surely blocking this sword!

Even more, had it faced a true threat, it would have soared high into the sky, continuously firing wind blades and beast aura blasts—losing might be possible, but escape was certain. It would never have died here!

But none of that happened… One moment of carelessness, and death came instantly—with no chance to restart.

“Indeed, for Blue Star martial artists facing Foundation Establishment cultivators or second-rank beasts, the best strategy is to decide victory in one strike—after that, either you die or you run.”

Fang Xing stood up, brushed the dust off his body, and looked at the Jin Yu Tuju’s corpse, a hint of delight appearing on his face: “This second-rank beast… every part of it is a treasure…”

This beast bird was certainly far stronger than the Qingyan Ox—likely at least a mid-tier second-rank beast.

Its flesh and blood must be even more nutritious than the Qingyan Ox’s. What Fang Xing regretted was that Su Ye had already left—no one to refine “Boiling Blood Elixir” for him.

“And these feathers—they look extraordinary…”

He stepped forward, running his hand over the glittering feathers, feeling each one as heavy and hard as steel.

Moreover, at the beast’s tail were several feathers over a meter long, entirely forged like gold—absolute prime material for crafting second-rank spiritual weapons!

“Too bad I don’t know where its nest is… Nearby, such a beast’s lair would surely hold some heavenly treasures.”

Fang Xing sighed and began plucking feathers and carving meat from the beast.

The surrounding beasts, intimidated by the bird’s aura and frightened by the prior battle, dared not appear—saving Fang Xing considerable trouble.

“Huh?”

While carving, Fang Xing reached into the beast’s belly, rummaging around—and pulled out a strange golden sphere.

The sphere was the size of a lychee, entirely pure gold, and extremely heavy.

“Could this be… a beast core?”

Fang Xing recalled his previous experience when Su Ye and other cultivators had slain the Qingyan Ox, and fell into thought.

Some exceptionally gifted second-rank beasts possessed a “beast core.”

Such a second-rank beast core was a primary ingredient for refining “Foundation Establishment Pills”—enough to drive even Qi Condensation peak cultivators into a frenzy to seize it.