Chapter 10

With the Dragon Awakening Herb, Lu Chen prepared a batch of medicinal ingredients and returned to his room to refine the Dragon Awakening Pills.

A single furnace produced nine pills, each of the highest quality.

After swallowing a Dragon Awakening Pill, it transformed into a pure medicinal force, but it was not absorbed by the body. Instead, it circled around the Flame Dragon Meridian.

Lu Chen closed his senses, his soul power emerged from the sea of consciousness, directly descending into the Flame Dragon Meridian, seeping into the medicinal force and controlling it.

Subsequently, memories of ancient runes surged forth, one after another flowing through the sea of consciousness, endless and boundless, forming a sea of runes.

"Transform!"

With a thought, an ancient rune shot out from the sea of runes, passing through the soul power into the medicinal force.

In an instant, the medicinal force possessed the essence of that ancient rune, transforming into a rune-infused medicinal force.

"Imprint!"

The rune-infused medicinal force, guided by his will, was deeply imprinted into the Flame Dragon Meridian...

Roar!

A dragon's cry echoed.

As if awakening from a deep sleep.

The Flame Dragon Meridian moved, and the Nine Dragons Unification Technique began to run automatically.

The faint spiritual energy in the room was instantly absorbed.

The Flame Dragon Meridian released a series of suction forces, causing the doors and windows to be pulled taut, almost to the point of bursting.

The Flame Dragon Meridian had awakened and needed to absorb a large amount of spiritual energy from the heavens and earth.

However...

The spiritual energy in Shuangmu City was very thin, how could it be enough for this hungry dragon to absorb?

Lu Chen sent a will to the Flame Dragon Meridian.

Soon, the suction forces disappeared instantly, and the room returned to calm.

Taking out a Spirit Qi Pill, a smile appeared on Lu Chen's face.

Three years ago, Lu Chen awakened the Linglong Martial Meridian, receiving great attention from the family and being established as the young master.

The Grand Elder even gave Lu Chen the family's treasured thousand-year-old Dragon Essence Fruit and a low-grade Spirit Qi Pill.

The thousand-year-old Dragon Essence Fruit ultimately brought a heavy price to Lu Chen.

But the low-grade Spirit Qi Pill, Lu Chen did take it.

At the time, it took Lu Chen five days to completely refine the pill, but he only absorbed fifty percent of the spiritual energy contained within.

Even so, Lu Chen benefited greatly, breaking through from the third level of the Body Tempering Realm to the fifth level, advancing two minor levels.

Now, with fifty low-grade Spirit Qi Pills in hand, could he break through to the True Essence Realm and restore his peak state?

Swallowing a low-grade Spirit Qi Pill.

A powerful spiritual energy was released from the pill.

The Flame Dragon Meridian, sensing the spiritual energy, continuously trembled, as if it were about to burst out of the body.

Lu Chen quickly circulated the Nine Dragons Unification Technique, and the Flame Dragon Meridian gained momentum, crazily absorbing the spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy was rapidly absorbed.

The release of spiritual energy became faster, and the pill itself became smaller.

After a quarter of an hour, the Spirit Qi Pill was completely refined by the Flame Dragon Meridian, and all the spiritual energy contained within was absorbed.

At this moment, the Flame Dragon Meridian glowed red, channeling pure spiritual energy into the True Essence Seed.

The True Essence Seed grew slightly.

Crack!

A sound of breaking came from within the body.

Breakthrough!

The sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm!

Lu Chen was in high spirits.

Originally, it took five days to refine a Spirit Qi Pill.

Unexpectedly, it was completed in just a quarter of an hour, saving a lot of time.

Based on this, refining fifty Spirit Qi Pills would take less than a day.

If others knew this, they would be shocked to death.

The sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm, ordinary martial artists have a strength of three thousand pounds.

With the Flame Dragon Martial Meridian, Lu Chen had a strength of six thousand pounds.

And Lu Rong, at the peak of the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm, had only five thousand pounds of strength.

Theoretically, Lu Chen could crush Lu Rong, even sweeping through all opponents at the same level.

Lu Chen didn't believe in theory, as there were too many unexpected events.

What if Lu Rong broke through to the True Essence Realm? How could he fight then?

The Grand Elder's protection only lasted seven days. If Lu Chen couldn't win the Young Master Selection Competition, he would lose all support.

At that time, Lu Zhengning would dare to kill him openly.

Time was running out, and he needed to focus on cultivation and improve his realm.

But the higher the realm, the harder it was to advance.

Lu Chen took another ten Spirit Qi Pills in succession, barely breaking through to the seventh level of the Body Tempering Realm.

The True Essence Seed grew several times larger, now the size of a thumb.

Continuous breakthroughs significantly enhanced his cultivation.

But he needed to consolidate his realm.

Lu Chen put away the remaining Spirit Qi Pills and continued to circulate the Nine Dragons Unification Technique to consolidate his achievements.

By evening, Lu Chen finished his cultivation and stepped out of the room.

The sun was setting, and the sky was filled with red clouds.

The beautiful sunset, however, stirred up Lu Chen's thoughts of his father.

"Young Master."

A sobbing voice interrupted Lu Chen's thoughts.

Looking up, he saw Wan'er walking over with her head down, her face showing signs of委屈 (grievance).

"Who bullied you?"

Lu Chen's brows furrowed.

"No one."

Wan'er didn't dare to look at Lu Chen and stammered, "I just went to the internal affairs office, but I couldn't get my monthly salary."

"Why?"

"The Fourth Elder... He said that your realm has dropped drastically, wasting too many resources of the Lu family, so he won't give us our monthly salary anymore."

"How unreasonable!"

Lu Chen was somewhat angry, "This Fourth Elder, relying on his control over the monthly salary, has become so arrogant that he doesn't respect anyone."

"Should we ask the Grand Elder to intervene?"

"A small matter, no need to trouble the Grand Elder. I will go to the Fourth Elder myself and talk to him."

"The Fourth Elder is on the side of the Second Elder, how would he listen to you?"

"If he doesn't listen, I have ways to deal with him."

"Young Master, no, the Fourth Elder is a first-level True Essence Realm expert, you are not a match for him now."

"Who said I want to fight him?"

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed, and he chuckled, "To deal with him, I don't need to use force!"

The Lu Family.

A secret room.

Lu Rong was in seclusion, attempting to break through to the True Essence Realm.

Suddenly, the room door opened, and Lu Zhengning walked in.

Lu Rong opened his eyes, quickly stood up, and greeted him.

"Father, what did the City Lord say?"

"The City Lord hopes that you will eliminate Lu Chen in the Young Master Selection Competition."

Lu Zhengning took out a brocade box, placed it on the table, and opened it.

A spiritual energy and a medicinal fragrance spread out.

Inside the box, two pills were placed, one crystal clear and the other dark red and full.

"Low-grade Spirit Qi Pill, mid-grade Tiger Strength Pill!"

Lu Rong was both surprised and delighted.

"These are the City Lord's rewards. You have been stuck at the peak of the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm for a year, just a little away from the True Essence Realm. If you refine this Spirit Qi Pill, you have a high chance of breaking through."

Lu Zhengning smiled and continued, "The mid-grade Tiger Strength Pill can increase your strength by fifty percent in a short time. When you encounter Lu Chen in the Selection Competition, take this pill immediately and kill Lu Chen."

"The City Lord is truly generous."

"We work for him, how can he not be generous?"

Lu Zhengning snorted and sighed, "These two pills are good, but they can't compare to the thousand-year-old Dragon Essence Fruit. If you had the thousand-year-old Dragon Essence Fruit back then, you would have already reached the True Essence Realm, no need to wait until now."

Three years ago, the Grand Elder gave the thousand-year-old Dragon Essence Fruit to Lu Chen, not to Lu Rong.

Lu Zhengning harbored resentment and revealed this matter to City Lord Zhou He.

Later, Zhou He set up a plan, using Zhou Ruoxue's beauty to successfully trick Lu Chen.

The greatest benefit of the thousand-year-old Dragon Essence Fruit was that it could instantly break through a martial artist who had just reached the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm to the True Essence Realm, far surpassing a low-grade Spirit Qi Pill.

"Lu Chen has some tricks. Despite being only at the fifth level of the Body Tempering Realm, he managed to fight me to a draw, making me lose face."

Lu Rong gritted his teeth and said, "With these two pills, I can soar to new heights, and Lu Chen will surely die!"

"The City Lord said that once you eliminate Lu Chen and become the young master, he will pressure the Lu family to make me the family head."

Lu Zhengning smiled smugly, "Then, the Lu family will be in our hands, and all resources and wealth will belong to us."