’If I absorb all of these remaining Yellow Dragon Pills, I should be able to reach the second level of the Dragon’s Roar Iron Cloth Shirt...’

The thought flashed through Fang Xing’s mind as he gazed at the Yellow Dragon Pills in the porcelain vial.

Perfectly absorbing the powerful medicinal energy of the Yellow Dragon Pills would provide a significant boost to his Dragon’s Roar Iron Cloth Shirt.

In about ten days, he would be able to break through to the second level of the Dragon’s Roar Iron Cloth Shirt.

Each breakthrough to a new level of the Dragon’s Roar Iron Cloth Shirt brought a great enhancement to his Flesh Body.

This was especially true for his strength.

Just by breaking through to the first level, he had gained a thousand jin of Divine Power.

The further he progressed, the more astonishing the changes from each breakthrough would become.

They increased exponentially.

Breaking through to a major stage, in particular, was not just an explosive increase in strength, but a complete metamorphosis and sublimation of his Martial Arts.

Composing himself, Fang Xing quietly focused on the changes within his body.

His foundation was steadily growing deeper.

This formidable foundation would be the very capital he needed to assault the True Qi Dragon Gate.

...

The next day, the team led by Shen Ye also returned to the Observatory.

Shen Ye was delighted to learn that Fang Xing’s group had already completed their mission, and he took them to a restaurant in the city that very day to celebrate.

The group ate and drank to their hearts’ content.

Completing a mission not only earned them Merit, but for a Commander, it also improved their team’s rating.

For a Commander, this team rating was a measure of their performance, and a higher rating allowed them to compete for more resources.

These quarterly ratings were also when resources were reallocated.

Mission performance was the primary factor in the rating, followed by the composition of the team itself.

The Jiang Province Observatory was divided into four queues.

A, B, C, and D! The designations carried no inherent ranking.

These four queues were each overseen by one of the Four Great Marshals.

Several thousand Official Captains were distributed among these four queues.

There was competition between the Marshals as well, but that was far beyond the concern of Fang Xing and his peers.

They belonged to the A Level Queue. This queue alone contained dozens of teams, and theirs was specifically designated Team A-5, all under the jurisdiction of Marshal Nangong Qing.

The competition was fierce!

The pie was only so big; without results, one had no right to a slice.

By the time they left the restaurant, the sky had already grown dark.

The nightlife of Jiang Province City was just beginning.

Colorful lanterns began to glow, their lights weaving together. The streets swelled with a sea of people, showcasing the prosperity of the foremost Prefecture City in the Nine Prefectures.

After strolling for a while and enjoying the night scenery, the group returned to the Observatory one by one.

For the next few days, Fang Xing didn’t set foot outside his door.

He focused all his energy on the Cultivation of his Dragon’s Roar Iron Cloth Shirt.

Completing a mission afforded them a generous amount of time for Cultivation.

They just had to meet a certain quota.

Fang Xing was in no hurry.

His current priority was breaking through with his Dragon’s Roar Iron Cloth Shirt.

Aided by the medicinal power of the Yellow Dragon Pills, he made fresh progress almost daily.

...

「Ten days passed in a flash.」

In his room within his courtyard at the Observatory, Fang Xing sat cross-legged, his entire body enveloped in a faint golden glow.

Within him, Dragon Qi surged, weaving through flesh and bone, continuously tempering his body.

Refinement with Dragon Qi was the core Cultivation method of the Dragon’s Roar Iron Cloth Shirt.

It was countless levels more profound than the normal Iron Cloth Shirt’s method of Cultivation through physical hammering.

His chest contracted and his spine arched. The great muscle along his back tensed, and an invisible might began to radiate from within him.

RUMBLE~

A sound like muffled thunder rumbled from deep within his body, rolling on and on.

Faintly mixed within the thunder was the hint of a Dragon’s Roar.

The golden Dragon Qi pulsed and flowed through him, like a living True Dragon.

His muscles tightened all over, and the golden glow suffusing his body grew ever stronger.

"ROAR—!!!"

A roar like that of a dragon exploded from within him. In that instant, the Dragon Qi in his body surged, seeming to shatter some invisible shackle as it shot through his entire being.

His flesh, sinews, and bones hummed with power!

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

His muscles coiled and knotted, and a layer of golden light covered every inch of his body.

A majestic aura radiated outward, and the very air in the room seemed thick with an intense pressure.

The powerful presence was so strong it seemed to physically suppress the air.

Dragon’s Roar Iron Cloth Shirt, Second Level—breakthrough!

After days of arduous Cultivation and relentless progress, he had finally broken through to the second level of the Dragon’s Roar Iron Cloth Shirt.

As the Dragon Roar Heart Method circulated, the medicinal power deep within his flesh and blood was fused and absorbed, strengthening his Dragon Qi.

Upon entering the second level of the Dragon’s Roar Iron Cloth Shirt, the Dragon Qi within him instantly doubled in strength.

The golden Dragon Qi roamed through him, like an illusory True Dragon passing through.

He stabilized his aura. After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, everything returned to tranquility.

The faint golden glow around him dissipated, and Fang Xing slowly opened his eyes.

’I finally did it...’

He let out a soft sigh. Feeling the changes in his body, a look of delight appeared on Fang Xing’s face.

He had reached the second level of the Dragon’s Roar Iron Cloth Shirt in just about ten days.

Such a rate of progress was beyond imagination!

He had achieved in less than a month a realm that others might not reach in two or three years.

Fang Xing was getting a real taste of what it was like to progress at the speed of a genius.

Besides the boost from taking the Yellow Dragon Pills, the biggest reason he could so quickly reach the second level of the Dragon’s Roar Iron Cloth Shirt was his Top-Grade Root Bone and his heaven-sent talent for Comprehension.

Without his Top-Grade Root Bone and prodigious talent for Comprehension, it would have taken at least a month or more, even if he consumed Yellow Dragon Pills daily.

A good Root Bone allowed for faster Cultivation and enabled the medicinal energy from Treasure Medicines and Elixirs to be absorbed more perfectly.

It was the difference between a trickling stream and a raging river.

Rising to his feet, Fang Xing went out into the courtyard.

Gazing up at the blazing sun, he stretched his limbs.

Then, he went through the motions of the Dragon Roar Palm.

With his Dragon Qi strengthened and having reached the second level of the Dragon’s Roar Iron Cloth Shirt, the power of his Dragon Roar Palm had also increased explosively.