This time, Huang Xiaolong's closed-door practice merely lasted three short days. Three days' time with the Dragon Pearl assisting him to fully refine and absorb the sixteen beast cores of the half-step God Realm ancient species demonic beasts, propelling Huang Xiaolong to late-Tenth Order Saint realm!
Despite the seemingly thin dividing line between peak mid-Tenth Order Saint realm and late-Tenth Order Saint realm, after crossing that line, Huang Xiaolong's strength definitely increased more than two-fold.
Moreover, the true essence whirling inside his dantian was more concentrated within the ten energy balls, looking like they were each nurturing a divine dragon within them, overturning sky and breathing out mist inside the little sphere space.
Of course, Huang Xiaolong's True Dragon Physique had become even stronger, and even more heaven-defying. Yet Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi shook his head, "Although your body was rebuilt by the Dragon Pearl, you do not have a suitable body tempering technique, which is preventing you from bringing out this physique's potential and power!"
A suitable body tempering technique?! Huang Xiaolong dazed.
"I know you have the Linglong Treasure Pagoda, but the Golden Linglong Body is not suited to your True Dragon Physique." Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi continued, "There's not much use even if you cultivated the Golden Linglong Body."
"I'll teach you one of our Dragon Clan's body tempering techniques called Treasure Dragon Protective Shield Art." Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi said. Almost instantly, new information of a body tempering technique appeared in Huang Xiaolong's mind, the Treasure Dragon Protective Shield Art.
In the next half month, other than practicing his norm of Godly Xumi Art, Asura Tactics, the Body Metamorphose Scripture, this Treasure Dragon Protective Shield Art was the one he spent time on the most.
In the early days of practicing this Treasure Dragon Protective Shield Art, he had yet to feel anything special, however, half a month later, the results were obvious. After half a month, every time Huang Xiaolong began circulating the Treasure Dragon Protective Shield Art, the meridians inside his body resembled primordial divine dragons coming to life. These meridians, his five viscera and six bowels actually formed an indistinct formation diagram inside his body.
Within the formation diagram, dragon essence qi surged in abundance like a neverending energy vortex.
In the short span of half a month, Huang Xiaolong's True Dragon Physique had doubled in power and strength.
Huang Xiaolong was ecstatic, if the current him were to fight Deities Templar Preceptor Ying Tian, he had full confidence in defeating Ying Tian even without resorting to the Godly Xumi Art. And if he did, he could easily take Ying Tian's life without any help from Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi.
He then asked Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi about that indistinct formation diagram inside him, but who knew that the answer he received would be, "I'm not very clear about this. In fact, I have never practiced this Treasure Dragon Protective Shield Art."
Huang Xiaolong's eyeballs nearly fell out of their sockets, "You did not practice this technique?"
Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi retorted, "What's so strange about that? I've already practiced another Dragon Clan's top-ranked body tempering technique, therefore there was no need for me to practice another one. Still, I have to say, this Treasure Dragon Protective Shield Art is very difficult to practice, I didn't expect you to actually succeed!"
Huang Xiaolong was rendered speechless.
He felt like the Dragon Emperor deliberately gave him this difficult to practice Treasure Dragon Protective Shield Art and giving it to him also indirectly exposed the fact that Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi did not harbor any big expectations of success.
However, according to the information in his mind, reaching the minor completion stage required the cultivator to integrate as one with the formation diagram. Although the formation diagram did appear inside his body, it was indistinct and unstable. At the longest it could only last a few minutes, after that it'd vanish.
Another month passed.
In this month, Huang Xiaolong had begun to practice the ninth and tenth moves of the Asura Sword Skill.
Asura Sword Skill Ninth Move: Wind Blades Volutions!
When displayed, this Asura Sword Skill ninth move would send out spiraling wind blades in waves and tides, with the wind blades growing more powerful at the later stages of the attack. Reaching the major completion stage, one display of the attack could create ten thousand wind blades, without beginning or end, stripping the enemy off every last shred of their courage.
Whereas the tenth move of the Asura Sword Skill was called Asura Breaking Imprisonment. This attack created countless rays of Asura blade qi bursting upward from the earth, making it difficult to defend against. Moreover, it borrowed the vast potent energy of the earth, allowing one to kill enemies of greater strength.
One month later, Huang Xiaolong left the Southern Hill Estate alone, once again returning to the Ghost Domain in the Bedlam Lands. Reaching the Ghost Domain, Huang Xiaolong traveled to the deepest area, slaughtering half-step God Realm ghost creatures one after another.
Those that could be tamed were tamed, and those that couldn't be tamed, Huang Xiaolong resorted to the Blood Deed Pact to refine the half-step God Realm ghost creatures' souls.
Three months quickly passed.
Huang Xiaolong had subjugated more than fifty peak late-Tenth Order Saint realm ghost creatures and he actually managed to tame six half-step God Realm ghost creatures! Not to mention the five half-step God Realm ghost creatures' souls that he already refined.
Inwardly, Huang Xiaolong was genuinely shocked that so many half-step God Realm ghost creatures existed deep inside the Ghost Domain. One has to know that scouring the entire Martial Spirit World, you wouldn't be able to find even a handful of half-step God Realm human masters.
The truth that Huang Xiaolong did not know was that many of the human masters had fallen in the ancient Great Fiendgod War, which led to humanity's current weak forces. Moreover, these ghost creatures were not involved in the Great Fiendgod War.
The five half-step God Realm ghost creatures' souls that he had refined raised Huang Xiaolong's cultivation by a satisfactory margin.
Nonetheless, although half-step God Realm ghost creatures did exist in the deeper parts of the Ghost Domain, there were none at the God Realm level. Slightly disappointed, Huang Xiaolong had literally searched every corner of the Ghost Domain only to find two peak half-step God Realm ghost creatures.
These two peak half-step God Realm ghost creatures refused to submit, and thus were refined by Huang Xiaolong.
On this particular day, he had just subjugated a peak late-Tenth Order Saint realm ghost creature when he received a message from Zhao Shu through the communication talisman.
"Eh, there's news of Li Lu?" Huang Xiaolong immediately rushed back to the Southern Hill Estate.
The moment he stepped through the Southern Hill Estate's doors, he already summoned Zhao Shu and Zhang Fu both to report their findings in the main hall.
"Sovereign, according to our investigation, Miss Li Lu is most likely in Black Warrior Institute." Zhao Shu reported.
Black Warrior Institute? Huang Xiaolong was puzzled.
Following an introduction from Zhao Shu and Zhang Fu, Huang Xiaolong got to know that within the Black Tortoise Galaxy, the most famous learning institute was the Black Warrior Institute!
The Black Warrior Institute was the place where geniuses from over one hundred and twenty world surfaces of the Black Tortoise Galaxy gathered. Not to mention the fact that it was one of the few recognized top powers within the galaxy.
"How does one enroll into this Black Warrior Institute?" Huang Xiaolong asked in a solemn tone.
Zhao Shu and Zhang Fu exchanged a glance. It was Zhang Fu who answered, "The Black Warrior Institute only conducts admission once every two hundred years, and each time they will only accept one hundred candidates. Any genius from the Black Tortoise Galaxy world surfaces that does not exceed two hundred years of age is eligible to register and participate in the selection process."
Huang Xiaolong was flabbergasted, accepting only one hundred disciples every two hundred years?! In this vast Black Tortoise Galaxy of over one hundred and twenty thousand world surfaces… on average, there was only one successful candidate for every one thousand three hundred world surfaces?! This elimination rate was too devastating.
"Then, when will the Black Warrior Institute's next open enrollment be?" Huang Xiaolong asked.
"According to the information this subordinate found, it will be held three years later." Zhao Shu answered.
Three years later? Huang Xiaolong's eyebrows unconsciously furrowed into a frown. In that case, how did Li Lu enter the Black Warrior Institute? Weren't only Black Warrior Institute disciples allowed to enter its premises?