Chapter 87: Breakthrough of the Devouring Dragon
Su Tianhao sat cross-legged beneath the ancient oak, his expression calm and focused like still water reflecting the evening sky.
After everything had been achieved—perfecting his sword foundation, mastering the Flicker Edge, and unlocking the second layer of the Supreme Dragon Transformation Technique—there was only one thing left.
It was time to break through.
The courtyard was silent, save for the steady rhythm of Su Tianhao's breath and the gentle rustling of leaves overhead. His mind focused on the Supreme Dragon Essence Refinement Art with laser-sharp comprehension.
With his eyes still closed, he began guiding the surrounding spiritual energy through the intricate breathing patterns and energy circulation pathways described in the technique.
The moment he started, he could feel subtle changes happening deep within his body. The spiritual energy didn't just flow through his meridians—it seemed to resonate with something deeper within him, like a forgotten melody reawakening in a musician's soul. And within this energy flow, Su Tianhao noticed a foreign yet oddly familiar power stirring beneath the surface.
'This power... It must be the force of dragon might mentioned in the technique,' Su Tianhao thought as warmth spread throughout his entire body—seeping into his muscles, organs, bones, marrow, and even blood vessels, penetrating deep into his very core.
'I didn't realize this force of dragon might when cultivating before... Indeed the second layer reveals far greater truths than the first,' Su Tianhao thought, his analytical mind already making rapid calculations. But he quickly suppressed his curiosity and immersed himself completely in cultivation—like a diver plunging into the depths of an endless sea, leaving the surface world behind.
Hours passed as Su Tianhao lost himself in cultivation. The spiritual energy in his courtyard began swirling around him in gentle currents, drawn inexorably by the Supreme Dragon Essence Refinement Art's natural absorption methods. The ancient oak's leaves rustled softly as if responding to some invisible force permeating the air.
As the sun began its descent toward the horizon, painting the sky in brilliant orange and crimson, Su Tianhao slowly opened his eyes. He could feel that his understanding of the technique had deepened considerably—like touching the bottom of a well that had previously seemed bottomless.
"Second layer... Initial Mastery," Su Tianhao mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper. A profound gleam flashed within his golden eyes like a candle suddenly bursting into flames.
'Cultivate! Cultivate! Cultivate!'
Su Tianhao reminded himself internally with newfound resolve, the words echoing like a sacred mantra.
Whoosh!
The wind stirred visibly, the oak branches trembling violently, causing leaves to rain down like snow drawn by an invisible force. Su Tianhao wasn't holding back anymore. He was no longer just cultivating following the Supreme Dragon Essence Refinement Art's natural absorption methods—he was actively integrating it with his own innate ability.
"Devour!"
Su Tianhao's voice resounded like a heavenly command—deep, resolute, and carrying undeniable authority.
The moment his voice faded into the evening air, the dormant vortex within his dantian immediately stirred to life as if responding to his command. This time there was no hesitation. The swirling vortex revealed its power in all its glory.
A strong suction force manifested in the courtyard, greedily drawing in spiritual energy from over twenty meters around in massive waves—greatly startling Su Tianhao.
"This is... twenty meter radius?" Su Tianhao cried out in shock, his golden eyes widening with genuine surprise.
Before now, the devouring ability had only been able to devour spiritual energy within a fifteen-meter radius, and Su Tianhao knew that very well.
"It's not just the range... Even the suction force is stronger!" he thought inwardly, golden eyes narrowing with analytical focus.
"Luckily there's no one else living in Fei Wu Quarter, or this would have definitely caused a huge commotion," Su Tianhao mumbled with a wry smile before closing his eyes back in active cultivation. He didn't think much about the advancement and attributed it to his increase in cultivation realm.
Just then—
Whoosh!
A powerful wind stirred through the courtyard, blowing leaves wildly and fluttering Su Tianhao's azure robes like banners in a storm. Following the wind came a massive wave of spiritual energy flowing into his body like a tidal wave crashing into an open shore—wild, unstoppable, and full of raw power.
Su Tianhao's brow tightened with focused concentration, desperately guiding the overwhelming spiritual energy through the pathways described in the Supreme Dragon Essence Refinement Art, dramatically elevating his cultivation base with each passing moment.
If it were an ordinary Martial Disciple, they would be immediately overwhelmed by this surge of energy and instantly fall into Qi deviation—their inner energy turning chaotic and violent, causing severe backlashes, permanent damages to their cultivation base, or even death.
After all, such an overwhelming wave of energy was not something even a Martial Master could withstand without proper preparation. But Su Tianhao was no ordinary Martial Disciple—he was an anomaly who carried the bloodline of the Heavenly Devouring Dragon. His physique held power far beyond mortal limitations.
As time passed, Su Tianhao slowly adapted to the overwhelming flood of energy, now guiding it into his body in more manageable waves. It wasn't only his cultivation base being elevated—even his already solid foundation was being strengthened further.
A testament to the might of the Heavenly Devouring Dragon Physique.
The Supreme Dragon Essence Refinement Art was also playing a significant role. Phantom dragon roars resounded from the very depths of his being as the technique resonated with his bloodline. The swirling vortex greedily devoured and refined the spiritual energy into flawless Qi steadily being transferred to his dantian.
Through the Supreme Dragon Essence Refinement Art, Su Tianhao was also able to temper the already-refined energy with the force of dragon might—refining his body and even his very essence in ways not humanly possible.
Time continued to drift like golden sand slipping through an ancient hourglass—quiet, inevitable, and filled with weight. Su Tianhao's cultivation finally arrived at the critical junction of breakthrough.
"Now!"
The swirling vortex seemed to understand Su Tianhao's intentions and immediately responded by devouring energy in even larger amounts yet refining them with even greater efficiency—causing the surrounding courtyard to descend into chaos.
The previously gentle spiritual winds turned violent, howling like a tempest as the vortex within his dantian surged with newfound greed. The temperature dropped noticeably, the air growing dense and buzzing with invisible pressure. Leaves whipped through the air in wild spirals, and the ancient oak trembled violently, its roots groaning beneath the strain of the sudden burst of force.
The very ground beneath Su Tianhao vibrated subtly, as if the earth itself acknowledged the breakthrough taking place. Dust swirled around his seated form, rising in spiraling eddies before being sucked into the unseen current of spiritual energy converging toward him like rivers flowing to the sea.
There was a faint, low rumble in the air—like thunder trapped beneath the heavens—as if the very world held its breath in anticipation.
And at the center of it all, Su Tianhao remained perfectly still—like the eye of a storm, calm amidst absolute chaos.
Just then—
"ROOOOAR!!!"
A phantom dragon roar resounded within him louder than ever before—followed by an explosive sound erupting from the center of his dantian. If someone else were to witness such a phenomenon, it could easily be mistaken for a Martial Master breaking through to the Martial Grandmaster Realm, not a small breakthrough like advancing from 1st to 2nd level of the Martial Disciple Realm.
"2nd level Martial Disciple Realm..." Su Tianhao mumbled, clenching his fist and feeling newfound strength coursing through his veins like molten metal.
"Hah..." Su Tianhao exhaled calmly, foul air pouring from his mouth like mist dispersing into the evening. But it wasn't just from his mouth—his entire body's pores were emitting foul substances. Not air this time—liquid. Black liquid substances clung to his skin like tar.
"Impurities..." Su Tianhao said with instant recognition. These black substances were none other than the toxins that existed within the human body.
"So many of them..." Su Tianhao mumbled in surprise, examining his contaminated skin. "No wonder the Supreme Dragon Essence Refinement Art can even help achieve the Untainted Body... Impressive..."
Even after having just achieved a breakthrough, with these foul substances still clinging to his body, Su Tianhao wasn't in any hurry to stop cultivating. His goal was to reach the 3rd level in one go. If it were any ordinary person, such ambition would be impossible—but Su Tianhao wasn't ordinary.
Su Tianhao reached into his azure robes and retrieved the storage pouch given to him by Lu Ruyi.
From within it, he produced a small pill bottle containing exactly seven pills. These were the Essence Refinement Pills gifted to him by Lu Ruyi. He had originally received two full bottles along with several other valuable resources. During his breakthrough to the 1st level Martial Disciple Realm, he had already consumed three from one bottle—leaving these remaining seven.
These Essence Refinement Pills were high-level grade two cultivation pills, especially effective for those within the Martial Disciple Realm. And Su Tianhao was far from lacking. In addition to the seven pills in his hand, he still had a second untouched bottle from Lu Ruyi—and yet another full bottle gifted to him by the Patriarch himself.
A confident smile tugged at Su Tianhao's lips. "It's time to put all these pills to good use."
He opened the pill bottle and extracted three Essence Refinement Pills. The three pills gleamed faintly under the fading sunlight, their medicinal fragrance drifting through the air.
Without further ceremony, Su Tianhao gulped the three pills down without hesitation.
If others were present, they would have called him reckless and crazy. As cultivation pills beneficial to Martial Disciples, Essence Refinement Pills were naturally expensive—far too valuable to be taken so casually. But it wasn't because of this alone. The medicinal essence within these pills was very potent and required careful processing when used for cultivation—unless one risked falling into Qi deviation if things went out of control.
Most importantly were impurities—the contaminants contained within the pills themselves. Unless it was a flawless-grade pill, there would naturally be impurities present. But flawless-grade pills were extremely rare, almost impossible to find. So cultivators often took conscious effort to refine the pill essence as much as possible during cultivation to minimize the amount of impurities being absorbed into their bodies. Such impurities would only do more harm than good in the long run.
As the saying went: those who build their strength merely on pills walk a path paved with hidden cracks—easy to rise, easier to fall.
But Su Tianhao wasn't worried about any of this. His devouring physique could instantly handle the potent medicinal essence and could also subconsciously refine the pill essence to flawless quality—meaning no impurities at all. As for consuming such pills regardless of price? It wasn't lavish spending.
The Heavenly Devouring Dragon Physique was simply too greedy.
After consuming the pills, Su Tianhao immediately entered a tranquil state, his figure seated in perfect lotus position. As he cultivated in peace, many profound changes were already occurring within his body—and his cultivation base that had only just broken through was being elevated and strengthened simultaneously.
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Meanwhile, miles away from the Su family estate, news of the upcoming match between Su Tianhao and Su Jian was already spreading through Oakwood City like wildfire. Whispers turned to rumors, and rumors turned to fervent discussions. From bustling taverns to quiet training halls, the name "Su Tianhao" began to ripple through the hearts of cultivators, merchants, and mercenaries alike.
Some scoffed, calling Su Tianhao's rise an exaggeration—a story blown out of proportion. Others listened in silence, their expressions dark and contemplative, weighing the implications. But those who had witnessed the duel with Ye Wenjie firsthand spoke of a youth who defied logic, shattered expectations, and came out on top against overwhelming odds.
And amidst the growing storm of attention, Su Tianhao remained seated beneath the ancient oak—unmoved and undistracted.
While the city buzzed with speculation about his past, present, and future, he was already moving forward with singular focus.
One level was only the beginning.