Another day passed.
Ling Han suddenly opened his eyes, a pleased smile turning up at the corners of his lips. He drew his sword and lowered the blade in a slash at his extended left hand.
If anyone had seen such a thing, they would definitely think he was committing self-mutilation, but after a while longer, they'd definitely be shocked to the point that their eyeballs were in danger of popping out of their heads, for as this slash encountered his hand, it did not leave a single scratch on his skin. The only proof of what he had done was a white line on his hand.
'Indeed, my defense has improved by a considerable amount,' Ling Han nodded. Although he had not poured Origin Power into that strike just now, he had also not used Origin Power to strengthen his defense. He had depended entirely on his physique's innate defense–without any external aid.
He increased the power of the strike, and simultaneously began to circulate the Indestructible Heaven Scroll.
The sword lowered once again in a slash, and this time it produced a gash on his hand. However, something even more bizarre appeared. Not a single drop of blood flowed from this gash.
'Haha, so this is the first layer of the Indestructible Heaven Scroll, the Dead Tree Tier! The physical body would be like that of a dead tree, and even after being struck by a sword, the body would not bleed, nor would the essential lifeforce be damaged!' The smile on Ling Han's face became wider. The gash he himself had created was healing at a tremendously rapid pace and very quickly vanished. There wasn't even a mark left behind. This was an unbelievable feat. 'And this is only the Body of Dead Tree!'
Ling Han could not help feeling a bit rueful. Once he reached Rock Cliff Tier and formed Body of Rock Cliff, then his skin would be as tough as rock. Even a heavy strike would not injure him one bit as his defense would have once again been upgraded to a new level. Iron Sheet Tier would be even more amazing, and his power would become even more tyrannical.
But when he finally achieved Diamond Tier, that'd be a fundamental change. Even a missing limb could be regrown, and his lifeforce would be so powerful it would be practically beyond reasonable limits.
'According to the scroll, I'd be able to condense a drop of Indestructible True Fluid once I reach Dead Tree Tier. In the future, no matter how heavy the injury I suffer, as long as I refine this Indestructible True Fluid, it'd heal instantly.
Indestructible Heaven Scroll… it indeed lives up to its name!'
Ling Han did not immediately begin condensing the Indestructible True Fluid. This was a very time-consuming process, and was not something that could be completed successfully within a short period of time.
'Haha, once I've formed the Body of Dead Tree, my last and only weakness would be eliminated!' Ling Han was extremely overjoyed.
In this world, there were certain races that were powerful from birth. One such example was the Four Winds Race, who possessed jaw-dropping speed–even their members who were only in Element Gathering Tier could be considered to be on even footing with Gushing Spring Tier. Another example was the Sword-Armed Race, whose arms could transform into sharp blades. The higher their cultivation level, the sharper and sturdier their blade arms.
An even more powerful example would be the Wild Thunder Race. Their members were born with lightning surrounding their bodies, and thus their attacks were terrifyingly powerful.
This was labeled as special body constitution.
Whether in his last life or in his current life, Ling Han did not have such special constitution, but the cultivation of the Indestructible Heaven Scroll allowed him to acquire one. This was practically inconceivable, as it had broken the iron-clad rules of nature!
'Body of Dead Tree could only be compared to some lower grade special constitution; but if I actually manage to form Body of Diamond, then what race would actually be able to compare to this kind of special physical constitution?
In this life, I am destined to be invincible, to walk the path no one has ever walked before, to shatter the void and become a god!'
Ling Han collected his stray thoughts and glanced over at Liu Dong and the rest. The essence of the bone marrow of the Dragon Snake drained very quickly. If it still could not be digested within a whole day and night, then there would only remain less than one tenth of the nutrition in it. Thus, they practically wouldn't obtain much benefit at all.
Indeed, not long after, Liu Yu Tong and the rest completed their refinement process, and stood up one by one.
They were not cultivating the Indestructible Heaven Scroll, so naturally, it was impossible to completely refine all the essence of the bone marrow; still, all of them looked very pleased, as they had indeed obtained some benefits.
"Big Brother Ling, there are about ten days left before the new year, so we have to return."
"After the new year, let us meet again at Da Yuan City."
"Farewell!"
The five of them bade farewell to Ling Han and Liu Yu Tong. Though Chen Peng Ju seemed like he had something that he was hesitant to say. In the end, he still did not say a single word and, with Li Hao and his group, walked further and further away into the distance.
Ling Han looked over at Liu Yu Tong and said, "How is it, how is your gain?"
"Very profitable!" Liu Yu Tong nodded, her beautiful face showing a joy that was difficult to conceal. "My physical defense has improved to a whole new level, and my bones, as well as my muscles' strength, have also improved considerably. If I battle with Cheng Wen Kun now, I can guarantee that I'd be able to kill him within ten moves!"
Demonic beasts that had a shred of a king's bloodline were much too rare, but the benefits they promised were also colossal. This was also why Ling Han had immediately raced over here once he had reached the peak period of the first layer of Element Gathering Tier. If he managed to gain these benefits, then his actual power would naturally improve greatly, and the chances of victory at the Da Yuan Tournament at the beginning of the year would also increase dramatically.
Even for the Liu Clan that was considered one of the most powerful Great Clans of Rain Country, they still might not be able to get their hands on demonic beasts that had a king's bloodline. This kind of thing was completely dependent on fate and fortune.
Ling Han took the second Transcending Origin Pill and continued cultivation. He had also gifted Li Hao with two pills to give this young saber wielder a helping hand. However, just what extent Li Hao's future achievements would reach… that still depended on his own potential and willingness to work hard.
After he had refined this Transcending Origin Pill, he had also reached the peak period of the third layer of Element Gathering Tier. However, the effects of the Transcending Origin Pill also ended here. It could not help him to advance any further than this.
Normally, the higher one's cultivation level, the fewer pills there were that could actually help one advance their cultivation level. For example, for Element Gathering Tier, a martial artist between the fourth and sixth layers needed to take "Revolving Origin Pill". However, this required the inner core of demonic beast kings that were in the Gushing Spring Tier. [1]
To use the inner core of a king in Gushing Spring Tier to concoct a pill for a martial artist in Element Gathering Tier was much too extravagant.
He still had six Transcending Origin Pills in his possession. He decided to hand them over to Ling Dong Xing on their return home, and allow him to gift them to those exceptionally gifted clansmen within the clan.
"Let's also return home!" Ling Han said to Liu Yu Tong.
"En!" Liu Yu Tong graced him with an enchanting smile. Even she herself did not realize that her icy demeanor was slowly melting in front of Ling Han.
The two of them left the Seven Wind Mountains and returned to the inn they had kept their horses at. After paying the fees, they urged their horses on a return journey towards Gray Cloud Town.
They rode by day and rested by night. Ling Han took advantage of this time to begin condensing the Indestructible True Fluid and, after two days, formed a drop about the size of a grain of rice. Theoretically, the drop had to reach the size of a bean to be considered successfully condensed and possess the greatest possible effects, but it was still usable now–though the effects were definitely much, much weaker.
'Looks like I need about ten days to condense a single drop. However, the Da Yuan Tournament is also at the beginning of next year, so there'd be enough time. This will become one of my trump cards.'
Seven days layer, they had returned to Gray Cloud Town, and Ling Han had also successfully broken through to the fourth layer of Element Gathering Tier. For him, this was really nothing too difficult. At this time, there were only about three days before the year's end, and almost all houses were decorated with lanterns and colored banners in preparation for celebrating the new year.
The Ling Clan Clan Residence was also filled with an air of celebration. Because Ling Zhong Kuan had died, the Ling Clan was now completely under the control of Ling Dong Xing. Everyone was united, giving off a brand-new appearance.
"Young Master Han!"
"Young Master Han!"
When Ling Han passed by, all servants he encountered greeted him respectfully. This young man who was soon going to be seventeen years old was going to be the future backbone of the Ling Clan, and no one dared to underestimate him anymore.
"Han'er, you've returned!" Ling Dong Xing revealed a relieved expression, which quickly transformed into one of shock, and said, "Your cultivation level seems to have improved greatly again!"
"Fourth layer of Element Gathering Tier!" Ling Han said with a smile.
Ling Dong Xing's expression became very colorful, though he did not gasp in surprise this time round. In the end, he finally settled on a wide smile that was filled with gratification.
His son was freakishly talented–this was something he already knew. In the future, he only needed to feel gratified by Ling Han's continuous progress and that would be enough.
As a parent, wasn't this the greatest source of pride?
After this, the only big event remaining was the celebration of the new year.
Yet Ling Han did not relax, and continued to work hard at cultivation every single day. He concocted some "Spirit Gathering Pills" for himself. This pill allowed him to increase the rate of his cultivation, and while the help it gave him was not much, every little bit counted.
Liu Yu Tong also displayed a strong talent in sword arts, and within a short period of more than ten days, actually managed to form another flash of Sword Qi.