Ling Xiao’s cultivation advanced to the early eighth layer.
His soul force surged dramatically.
Both Snow Lotus True Solution and Soul Burning Art reached the Great Perfection realm.
This created ideal conditions for cultivating Heavenly Dragon Golden Body.
He held two Qianyuan Bone-Swapping Pills.
Each pill was potent, so he decided to take one first. The Qianyuan Bone-Swapping Pill required a cultivation above the eighth layer, higher than other pills.
Taking two at once might be too much to handle.
After swallowing one Qianyuan Bone-Swapping Pill, Ling Xiao confirmed his judgment was correct.
Instantly, his bones felt as if they were shattering. The pain was unbearable for most.
For seven days and nights, Ling Xiao couldn’t move, enduring daily torment.
Yet, with unwavering resolve, he persevered.
His eighth-layer cultivation and robust true essence prevented him from going berserk or bleeding from his orifices.
The only issue was the pain—excruciating, nearly intolerable.
No wonder the Qianyuan Bone-Swapping Pill demanded eighth-layer cultivation. The pain and force were beyond what those below seventh layer could endure.
After seven days and nights, the pain subsided.
Ling Xiao fully activated Snow Lotus True Solution and Heavenly Dragon Golden Body, pushing the absorption power of his Mountain River Martial Soul to its limit.
The pill’s wild energy flooded his body. He felt the second-layer barrier of Heavenly Dragon Golden Body crumbling, showing signs of breaking through to the third layer.
His physical resilience grew rapidly, improving daily.
With the Great Perfection Snow Lotus True Solution and the Mountain River Martial Soul’s fusion, after about ten days, he fully absorbed the pill’s effects.
“Ha!”
Ling Xiao let out a shout, expelling waste gases from his body.
He opened his eyes and stood slowly.
He could clearly sense a significant boost in the toughness of his muscles, bones, and skin.
His bones’ resilience rivaled that of a fine treasure weapon.
This was his raw physical strength, without using Heavenly Dragon Golden Body.
During this process, repeatedly running Snow Lotus True Solution subtly raised his cultivation.
Though not as fast as when he took the Superior True Essence Pill, reaching mid-eighth-layer cultivation was imminent.
His cultivation had hit the peak of early eighth layer, teetering on the edge of mid-eighth layer.
With the pill’s power, Heavenly Dragon Golden Body broke through its second-layer barrier, advancing to the third layer.
The third layer of Heavenly Dragon Golden Body not only strengthened the body but had two distinct features: forming Heavenly Dragon Tendons and condensing Heavenly Dragon Scales.
These features had no specific order. Ling Xiao first mastered the Heavenly Dragon Scales.
When he channeled true essence into Heavenly Dragon Golden Body, golden scales appeared on his body’s surface.
These scales were still transparent, faintly visible.
Even so, their defensive power surpassed the ninth turn of Nine Turns Golden Body Art by far.
From now on, Ling Xiao’s defense had leaped to a new level.
Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor!
It wasn’t just visually striking; its defense was formidable.
Moreover, the armor’s versatility shone. Depending on where it formed, it could enhance attacks.
For instance, wrapping his hands in Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor greatly increased attack power.
When covering his entire body, it provided near-perfect absolute defense. Amid thousands of warriors, even under attack from tens of thousands, if they couldn’t breach his defense, he’d remain unscathed.
At this level, numbers meant little. Using human wave tactics against him was futile.
The scales were condensed, not generated, for a reason.
Ling Xiao’s true essence couldn’t sustain Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor indefinitely.
For a martial art like Heavenly Dragon Golden Body, even a peak eighth-layer martial master maintaining the armor for twenty breaths was impressive.
Thus, like many defensive treasures, it was a lifesaving measure, used only in crises.
Ling Xiao’s true essence was exceptionally robust, surpassing that of a peak eighth-layer martial master, nearing a peak ninth-layer’s total.
He could sustain the armor for a hundred breaths without issue.
Plus, his Mountain River Martial Soul could absorb true essence. The more enemies, the better for him.
Normally, he wouldn’t keep the armor active, but against an army, he could maintain it effortlessly.
The absorbed true essence would sustain the armor.
He estimated that without the armor, martial artists below late eighth layer couldn’t harm him unless wielding divine weapons.
With the armor, he could stand invincible against peak eighth-layer martial masters, exhausting them completely.
Against early ninth-layer martial masters, he’d struggle but could at least survive.
Over the next half-month, Ling Xiao focused on consolidating the third layer of Heavenly Dragon Golden Body, fully absorbing residual pill effects, and mastering the use of Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor.
It was a skill requiring precision—knowing when and where to use it.
Full-body coverage offered the weakest defense; localized focus maximized it.
It depended on the enemy.
Thankfully, his martial soul clone allowed repeated practice.
After half a month, he mastered the armor’s use, and the third layer stabilized.
He hadn’t yet formed Heavenly Dragon Tendons.
But he wasn’t rushed.
He knew haste could lead to deviation.
His cultivation speed was already astonishing; no need to risk it.
During this period, without taking more Qianyuan Bone-Swapping Pills, Ling Xiao employed Shadow Cultivation Secret Method.
His main body consolidated Heavenly Dragon Golden Body and practiced the armor.
One clone focused on enhancing his martial soul and developing new ultimate techniques, necessary after fusing two new martial souls.
The other diligently trained Divine Prison King Fist.
Clones could use the Mountain River Martial Soul for analysis, sharing the main body’s memories. Benefits from past battles were accessible to them.
Thus, training martial techniques via clones was highly effective.
