Chapter 90: Dragonkin

A month passed by quietly and peacefully.

The night was cool as water, the stars brilliant, still a serene evening.

Li Yi sat cross-legged, breathing steadily and evenly, his face calm.

Above his left shoulder, the fierce roar of a great turtle echoed, as if one resided there. On his right shoulder, the savage bellows of an alligator continued nonstop, seemingly perched there. At the center of his brow, the faint song of a Black Dragon could be discerned. And deep within his body, the chime of a Dragon Turtle quietly rose.

His entire body was like mountains and valleys, concealing endless giant beasts. Their cries were continuous, almost magical!

A dazzling vortex of elements spun above his head. Streams of mana rushed down swiftly, sinking into his frame.

Inside the Meditation Chamber, the once thick and heavy Elemental Tide was actually showing signs of thinning.

One must know, this place was connected to the power source of the Star-Slaying Cannon!

This was enough to show just what level Li Yi’s meditation efficiency had reached.

In the Dragon’s Burial Ground, having tasted the sweetness, Li Yi hardened his heart and practiced both the Turtle Hibernation Art and the Alligator-Resting Art simultaneously. Anyway, his soul was robust, his spirit strong; splitting his focus was not difficult.

Sure enough, this way, his meditation efficiency soared!

Additionally, the Turtle Hibernation Art perfectly matched the Dragon-Turtle Qi, nourishing it with obvious effect.

And when meditation grew too fast, and his body struggled to bear it, his Bloodline Ability – “Lurking Abyss” – acted like a transfer station, temporarily storing the overflow. This method was Li Yi’s own invention. If it were a creature like the Black Dragon, it would only worry about not having enough, never about overeating!

When mana entered his body, there was “Bearing the Stele,” which condensed and compressed the mana, making it pure and clear.

His body faintly transformed into a well-ordered ecosystem, or an assembly line. His cultivation progress raced ahead yet remained organized and completely controlled.

Today, he would break through to the half-step ninth layer in one go!

Splash!

His breathing grew slightly rapid. Mana churned and flowed within his chest, producing the sound of water.

Liquid mana was generally something only a High-Rank Spell Apprentice, or even a Practicing Mage, could achieve!

But Li Yi, thanks to the power of Bearing the Stele, was actually showing signs of liquefied mana while still at the half-step stage.

“Rise!”

At his command, a faint golden light suddenly ignited within his abdomen, like the North Star.

Accompanied by the flow of mana, starting from his limbs and bones, one acupoint after another lit up, moving inward from the outside.

The mana’s flow, from many directions, all converged towards that “North Star.”

“Hah!”

Li Yi gave a soft shout, seemingly tense. Melancholy clouded his brow as large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

With this shout, his entire body glowed with a pale light. Torrents of mana converged from all sides, surging towards the North Star!

“Come on, come on!”

He roared twice in succession. As mana gathered, his whole chest glowed, releasing a breathtaking radiance.

His body, transformed by the Six Strategies Qi, was like flawless white jade, sparkling and clear, with distinct bones and flesh.

Therefore, one could clearly see the mana within his chest and abdomen concentrating into a vortex, like a dazzling nebula, resplendent and brilliant!

The starry river spun. A ripple of mana spread outward, resounding like the beat of a heavy drum, shaking the very air.

The surrounding elements echoed with the mana ripple. Lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, winds rose, clouds surged, and sparks flew everywhere.

“If I succeed here, frost-condensed snowballs, the dagger of frost, field fluctuations, animated ropes… all those spells! I’ll start from scratch, forge a new path of magic! Then, any so-called Heaven’s Pride with noble blood? I’ll crush them with a finger!”

Li Yi’s expression twisted in pain. To motivate himself, he ticked them off on his fingers, one by one.

But willpower was not everything.

Bang!

Several stiff rotations later, the ring-shaped nebula within his chest and abdomen couldn’t hold any longer. It split into three fragments and collapsed.

Losing the pull of the mana ripple, the surging Elemental Tide also scattered immediately.

Li Yi arched backward, coughing violently.

“Failed…”

He pursed his lips as if to say something, a bitter smile appearing.

“This… this is really troublesome!”

The half-step tenth layer was actually a false concept.

Once one reached the half-step ninth layer and managed to solidify the Magic Vortex, one could break through the bottleneck and become a Spell Apprentice.

It’s just that depending on individual talent, the state of advancement varied.

Generally speaking, with mana as condensed and almost liquid as Li Yi’s, reaching the half-step ninth layer meant a Magic Vortex could form effortlessly.

Li Yi had done exactly this.

Yet, he had failed.

The reason for the failure lay precisely in the three distinct streams of mana within him!

The Dragon-Turtle Qi, the Ancient Alligator Qi, and the ordinary mana. These three had always been separate, like clear boundaries of a river, each keeping to itself.

But the Magic Vortex acted as a mana hub; it needed to blend these three strands into one vortex, harmonious and indistinct.

The difficulty of this could easily be imagined!

Ordinary people faced no such trouble. Practicing several Meditation Arts at once was simply a wasteful effort.

But Li Yi was a novice and happened to possess the Heavenly Prophecy Ring. That was how he’d “stumbled down the wrong path.”

“It seems the only solution is that one – the Softshell Turtle Dream Art!”

Li Yi was certain. The Heavenly Prophecy Ring was Heaven’s Condemnation Equipment; the evolution of its Meditation Art was surely not haphazard.

And the Softshell Turtle Dream Art sparked his imagination.

Turtle (Yuan) also meant “the origin.” Profound was the creative Origin. It signified infinite greatness.

This art might possess the ability to encompass all streams. It could blend these three types of mana, fuse them together to create an entirely new and profound magic.

“However, I’m still about two thousand White Crystals short. This number isn’t huge, but it’s not small either…”

Li Yi shook his head. How could he bridge this shortfall?

He pondered. There were many possible ways; it depended on his choice.

Runes? Puppets? Even a Dao Transformation Armament could provide the solution.

Why not make a simpler Dao Transformation Armament?

His heart stirred, eager to try.

Thinking of that, his thoughts drifted elsewhere. “Wait! Why not test these two pieces of equipment right now…” he muttered to himself.

A green light flashed from his Sumeru Ring. The Stone Fist Gauntlets and the Werewolf Mask lay placed before him.

It was Yan He’s unintentional reminder that had triggered this thought.

Since these two pieces were already useless scrap anyway, why not simply modify them?

So, treating it as an experiment, he made some adjustments.

To be honest, it wasn’t a major overhaul. He just replaced the runes with ones he had drawn himself.

The Stone Fist Gauntlets’ solidifying spell – “Fist of Bedrock” – originated from the “Stone Fist Formation,” assembled from nine Bedrock Runes.

Li Yi boldly replaced all nine Bedrock Runes with new ones.

Each new rune weighed about four hundred jin, drawn using Dragon-Turtle Qi—thus naturally attuned to Li Yi’s mana.

“Interesting…”

Despite adding nine Bedrock Runes, the gauntlet didn’t feel heavy at all. One couldn’t help but marvel at the mystery of magic.

He slipped the glove onto his right hand. Li Yi’s eyes sharpened. He deliberately activated it with Dragon-Turtle Qi. A pale aura seeped between his fingers.

Roar!

It was as if the soul of a mountain roared at his knuckles. Streaks of mountain textures appeared deep and shallow across the Stone Fist Gauntlets.

“Hiss!”

Li Yi gasped in astonishment. A yellow light shimmered. A rigid, immense aura emanated from his fist and fingers, even reflecting a metallic sheen.

Whoosh!

Li Yi threw a punch into empty air. The sound of splitting air boomed relentlessly, deafeningly loud!

“Huh, vaguely, it feels a bit like ‘Shock Gauntlets’? Stone Fist Gauntlets only provide hardness, while Shock Gauntlets produce a ‘shock’ effect! That blow just now, although weak, definitely had impact…”

Impact, a relatively high-tier effect, strengthened damage and caused pushback. Hence, Shock Gauntlets and Stone Fist Gauntlets were worlds apart in quality.

To confirm the effect, Li Yi held his hands forward, firing off several quick jabs in succession.

Whoosh!

The whooshing sound of parting air mixed with low, dull thuds rang out continuously.

“The impact effect is very faint, but it’s already usable.”

Li Yi nodded; it was an unexpected boon.

He glanced at the Werewolf Mask, his expression revealing a flicker of hesitation.

The Werewolf Mask featured a “Moon Wolf Formation,” composed of over ten runes including “Shadow Runes,” “Cold Wind Runes,” and “Water Droplet Runes.” Among them, three Shadow Runes served as the core.

Something had gone wrong when drawing the Shadow Runes.

Estimating his mana incorrectly, Li Yi ran dry just as he finished the last rune. For some unexplainable reason, “Lurking Abyss” activated, releasing a surge of bizarre energy!

Formations were incredibly sensitive; the slightest change could trigger a cascade.

Just like the Stone Fist Gauntlets – who could have anticipated them gaining an “impact” effect?

“Forget it, just try it. If there’s a problem, quickly take the mask off.”

He exhaled slowly and put on the mask.

Instantly, the chant of a Dragon Turtle and the song of a Black Dragon clamored fiercely inside his body!

In a moment of spiritual resonance, shimmering scales appeared all over his skin! His jaw extended forward, revealing fierce fangs. His pupils gleamed with floating crimson light!

He looked at the mirror, shocked.

“Werewolf Mask? Clearly… it’s a Dragonkin Mask!”