Currently, Gu Xuan had no immediate way to hunt the Spatial Demon Dragon. Since Ning Fengzhi and the others had not yet returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Gu Rong naturally could not leave the sect unattended. Consequently, Gu Xuan was in no great hurry.
However, he immediately penned a letter to Gu Rong, detailing his current condition and his intention to absorb that specific Spatial Demon Dragon for his fourth soul ring. He delivered the letter to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan disciples stationed on the outskirts of the Sunset Forest for urgent delivery.
Simultaneously, Gu Xuan needed to arrange for Yang Wudi to relocate to the Sunset Forest. Yang Wudi was perfectly suited for cultivating here and would be an excellent steward for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Of course, he would wait until Zuo Yi and the other two newly ascended Titled Douluos returned, as the spring required a powerful guardian at all times.
With these matters settled, Gu Xuan approached the dragon blood pool. The dragon egg had already begun absorbing the essence; the blood of two ninety-thousand-year dragons was a supreme tonic for the creature within. Moreover, since the pool contained all the essence and marrow of its own sire, Gu Xuan was nearly certain that once this egg hatched, its future potential would far surpass the original Sword-Winged Demon Dragon hunted for Mi He's ninth ring.
Seven days had passed, and even Gu Xuan could clearly sense that the life signs within the egg were becoming more robust and profound.
Watching the dragon blood being absorbed bit by bit, Gu Xuan's eyes suddenly lit up. He cut his finger, intending to drop a bead of his own essence blood onto the egg. However, the moment he made the incision, the wound scabbed over and healed before a single drop could even form.
This left Gu Xuan between laughter and tears. His recovery ability was truly formidable, but he hadn't expected it to be so inconvenient at a time like this. He cut his finger again, this time using soul power to prevent the wound from closing. After letting a single drop of essence blood fall onto the egg, he withdrew the soul power and allowed the injury to vanish instantly.
The loss of a single drop of essence blood didn't affect Gu Xuan much, but the moment it touched the egg, it merged into the shell seamlessly. The dragon egg gave a slight, rhythmic tremor in response.
Gu Xuan wasn't sure if this would actually cause the creature to recognize him as its master upon birth, but he recalled many protagonists in novels performing this exact ritual. He figured he might as well try; if it worked, he'd be the winner. Furthermore, since he had fused with the Sword Dragon Eight Wings and possessed the inheritance of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings, he was essentially a humanoid Dragon King. This might actually be the key to subduing the creature before it even saw the light of day.
After completing the ritual, Gu Xuan turned his attention to alchemy. He began refining pills—though these were not the Barrier-Breaking Pills or Soul Ascension Pills that could influence a Titled Douluo. These were for Yu Tianheng and the others. As they were his future allies, he didn't want them to fall too far behind.
With the new semester starting, he wanted to give them a surprise upon his return. The pill he refined was called the Mixed Yuan Pill, designed to boost soul power and solidify one's foundation. While its effects couldn't compare to pills made from Immortal Herbs, it would still provide them with an unexpected leap in strength.
Gu Xuan didn't expect this group to follow him into godhood, but they would still be a force to be reckoned with. By maintaining these good relationships, they would become his most loyal allies once they inherited their respective clans. This was why he wouldn't give them Immortal Herbs—unless someone was "his person," giving away an Immortal Herb was simply a waste of a strategic resource.
The alchemy didn't take long; within a day, the batch was complete. Shortly after, Dugu Yan and Ning Rongrong finished their cultivation and came to find him.
"Xiao Xuan, since your Sword Dragon Eight Wings can fly, why don't you take Rongrong and me for a spin?" Dugu Yan asked.
Hearing this, Gu Xuan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked at Ning Rongrong. The girl was currently pouting, staring at the sky, and tapping her toe on the ground, pretending not to notice him.
Gu Xuan smiled helplessly. "Alright."
Dugu Yan shared a faint, knowing smile. During their cultivation, Ning Rongrong had constantly badgered her about this, so she eventually gave in and asked on the girl's behalf. Dugu Yan wasn't a fool; she knew Gu Xuan was trying to avoid acting too intimately with Rongrong to avoid misunderstanding, but the girl's cute persistence was simply too hard for even Dugu Yan to refuse.
Upon hearing the "yes," Ning Rongrong practically jumped for joy. "Yay! Brother Gu Xuan is the best!"
Gu Xuan gave her a light flick on the forehead. "Doesn't Grandpa Sword take you flying enough? Why the sudden urge now?"
Ning Rongrong rubbed her forehead with a piteous expression, her voice soft and sweet. "That's different! Grandpa Sword's Seven Kill Sword is his. I haven't experienced Brother Gu Xuan's dragon swords yet!"
Gu Xuan chuckled and circulated his soul power. The eight dragon-patterned blades erupted from his spine, unfurling to a staggering wingspan of six meters. With a deft manipulation of his spirit, two of the blades detached from his back and floated down in front of the two girls.
"Step on," Gu Xuan said gently.
Dugu Yan and Ning Rongrong each stepped onto a dragon sword. Gu Xuan held each of them by the hand while the remaining six blades on his back flapped gently, carrying them into the sky.
Controlling two detached blades was currently his limit. Even though his Spiritual Power had seen a massive jump, the precision required for remote sword manipulation would take much more practice to master.
They soared over the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for about half an hour before Gu Xuan brought them back down. Having satisfied her curiosity, Ning Rongrong went back to cultivate with Dugu Yan after dinner.
Gu Xuan, however, didn't rest. Since it was only evening, he spent his time practicing the remote control of his flying swords. If he could learn to command all eight blades simultaneously in combat, he could truly call himself a swordsman. In the original story, Chen Xin was the undisputed peak of "cool" on the continent; Gu Xuan intended to use the Sword Dragon Eight Wings to reach that same level of mastery, not just use them for show.
Over the next few days, Gu Xuan practiced his sword control by day and cultivated his soul power by night. On the third day, a messenger arrived.
Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin had finally returned to the clan.
(End of Chapter)
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