He finally understood why Chu Lingguang was so resolute.

"Take care."

Guo Wei escorted Pan Tonghui out of the tavern.

"General, please wait."

But just then, Du Wushuang ran out. He handed a pill bottle to Pan Tonghui and, with reddened eyes, said, "General, there’s something you should know. Chu Lingguang cut down that Dragon Claw branch for me. I exchanged my battle merits for this bottle of Great Returning Pills. Please, pass them to Chu Lingguang for me. Tell him that I, Du Wushuang, will never let him down."

"Oh."

Pan Tonghui looked surprised. He hadn’t expected the person who tasked Chu Lingguang with cutting down the Dragon Claw branch to be standing right before him.

He accepted the bottle of Great Returning Pills and said, "The Trial Ground has strict rules. No student may consume any Elixir Pills inside. I can take this bottle of Great Returning Pills in with me, but whether I can give it to Chu Lingguang will have to be in accordance with the Trial Ground’s regulations."

"Thank you, General,"

Du Wushuang said with a cupped-fist salute. All that mattered was that the bottle of Great Returning Pills would eventually reach Chu Lingguang, allowing him to receive this token of appreciation.

"Yah!"

Pan Tonghui immediately led his six-man squad out of the small town at high speed. They charged back into the Hundred Thousand Mountains, heading for the Trial Ground.

Inside the tavern, Guo Wei examined the Dragon Claw Branch. The cut was smooth, clearly severed in a single strike by a spear. ’It seems that while cutting the branch might have been troublesome, he managed to sever it cleanly,’ he thought. ’He probably wasn’t injured.’

"Young Master Du, I’m giving you this Dragon Claw Branch on Lin Guang’s behalf."

Guo Wei closed the lid of the brocade box and pushed it toward Du Wushuang.

"Thank you."

Du Wushuang’s eyes welled with tears.

"My junior brother went through so much for you," Hei Hu reminded him. "You’d better not treat me poorly in the future. I’m his senior brother—no, his brother-in-law."

...

「Inside the Trial Ground.」

Chu Lingguang spent the entire day focused on cultivating his Zhenyuan Technique.

Although the Small Vortex in his dantian hadn’t grown into a large one, the amount of Qi Power it stored had increased significantly. If he kept practicing, it was only a matter of time before the small one became large.

「The next day.」

Pan Tonghui came to see him.

He handed a sealed bottle of Great Returning Pills to Chu Lingguang. "Yesterday evening, I personally delivered the Dragon Claw Branch to your master," he said. "Someone named Du Wushuang asked me to give you this bottle of Great Returning Pills. He said that since you helped him cut off a Dragon Claw branch, he will never let you down."

"Oh, you delivered it yourself?"

"Is my master okay? And Du is being far too generous."

Chu Lingguang was floored. A Black Armored Warrior had personally delivered the Dragon Claw Branch to Guo Wei, and on top of that, Du Wushuang had sent him a bottle of Great Returning Pills.

He accepted the Great Returning Pills.

A line of text appeared before his eyes.

"Helped Du Wushuang cut off a Dragon Claw branch. Received 6578 Favor Points."

’Over six thousand Favor Points in one go,’ Chu Lingguang thought. ’It’s clear how much Du Wushuang values this.’

"Master Guo is fine," Pan Tonghui said, his voice tinged with jealousy. "He said that you have your own path to walk, and he’ll be watching from behind as you do."

’Who wouldn’t want a master like that?’

"Why didn’t you give this bottle of Great Returning Pills to my master?"

Chu Lingguang asked. He was young and full of vitality. While an Elixir Pill like the Great Returning Pill could significantly boost one’s Qi Blood, he had no need for it at his age unless it was a last resort. Guo Wei, however, was old enough that his Qi Blood was beginning to decline. The pills would be much better used by him.

Pan Tonghui’s expression stiffened for a moment before he visibly relaxed. ’Of course,’ he thought. ’Guo Wei treats Chu Lingguang like his own son, and Chu Lingguang is a loyal and righteous person who always repays his debts. How could he forget Guo Wei’s kindness?’

He took back the bottle of Great Returning Pills. "The Trial Ground has its rules," he said. "No student is permitted to carry any Elixir Pills, much less consume them. We will hold on to this bottle of Great Returning Pills for you. When you leave the Trial Ground, you can give them to your master yourself."

Pan Tonghui had only come to pass on Du Wushuang’s thanks. After entering the Trial Ground, the bottle of Great Returning Pills had been immediately sealed with a layer of wax.

"Alright, thank you!" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Chu Lingguang nodded. It would be best to give them to Guo Wei himself.

After Pan Tonghui left, Chu Lingguang checked his status panel.

Favor Points: 6578

Mixed Element Skill (0/1000)

Primordial Bloodline (9221/12000)

Wind-Chasing Step (0/6000)

Broken Water Blade (0/1000)

Zhenyuan Technique (1536/7000)

(Remaining Lifespan: 128 years)

’Lately, I’ve been so busy improving my Spiritual Sense that I’ve let my Zhenyuan Technique fall to a mediocre level,’ he thought. ’Right now, the biggest gap between me and people like Xia Tianzhong is that my Elixir Field Power isn’t strong enough.’

’If I max out the points for the Zhenyuan Technique, I might be able to evolve my Dantian in these last few days. It could go from a Small Vortex to a large one, or even form a Qi Sea.’

’The top candidate receives a Washing Marrow. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If Master saw me become the top candidate, he’d be happy for me too.’

’Okay, I’ll max out the Zhenyuan Technique first, then upgrade my Primordial Bloodline.’

Having made his decision, Chu Lingguang spent all his Favor Points at once. He first brought his Zhenyuan Technique to Perfection, then added the remaining 1,114 points to his Primordial Bloodline.

The status panel changed.

Favor Points: 0

Primordial Bloodline (10335/12000)

Zhenyuan Technique (7000/7000)

(Remaining Lifespan: 139 years)

Chu Lingguang was completely satisfied. He went to the Learning Palace and listened attentively to the various instructors’ guidance on cultivating the Zhenyuan Technique.

The days passed one by one.

These last few days seemed to pass faster and faster.

On the sixth-to-last day.

"TRUMPET!"

A clear, melodious trumpeting of an elephant rang out from within Chu Lingguang’s body. He suppressed the sound, allowing it to echo only within his Sea of Consciousness.

After many days of evolution, Chu Lingguang’s True Dragon Power had finally transformed into the power of the Divine Image.

With the enhancement from the fifth level of his Dharma Aspect’s Qi Phase, the power of the Divine Image could now course through his body without restraint. Chu Lingguang could unleash this power to its most terrifying effect.