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In confusion, Xin Yun hastily ate some dry food and then sat down cross-legged to take out the Azure Sea again. He relaxed his body, and once more, he sprayed a mouthful of fresh blood onto the Azure Sea. Soon after... Xin Yun's mind once again sank into the Azure Sea.
As soon as he appeared in the Azure Sea, Xin Yun immediately looked at his body, and sure enough... just as he remembered, the body of Yinglong really had five claws. What in the world was going on?
Although he was puzzled, now was not the time to ponder. He activated the Power of the Soul, and in an instant... millions of blood-red dragon qi, mixed with strands of the blue mist from the Azure Sea, surged into Xin Yun's body.
After Xin Yun once again absorbed all the Essence Blood, along with the energy from the Azure Sea that came with it, he immediately returned to his body. By now, there were two dragon-shaped flows of qi in Xin Yun's body. Driven by Xin Yun, the two dragon qis circulated through the meridians for two rounds before once again settling in the Qi Sea, serenely circling there.
Slowly opening his eyes and inspecting carefully, he noticed the tattoos on his body had darkened considerably, no longer so subtly elegant, but neither were they too profound. At the same time, the power welling up inside him was twice as strong as the first time!
However, these were not Xin Yun's main concern. Standing in front of the mirror, Xin Yun searched carefully, but just like the first time, no matter how hard he looked, the fifth claw was nowhere to be found.
Sitting on the ground in a daze, he wondered if something had gone wrong, or maybe... would the fifth claw only appear after completely absorbing the energy within the Azure Sea?
With this question in mind, over the next seven days, Xin Yun entered the Azure Sea seven consecutive times. Finally... on the ninth day, close to midnight, Xin Yun completed the ninth refinement. Simultaneously, within his Qi Sea, there were nine dragon-shaped qi flows circling!
Slowly rotating the nine qi flows around his meridians for nine rounds, Xin Yun slowly opened his eyes and looked into his hands. The Azure Sea was now the size of a marble, this...
Shaking his head in bewilderment, Xin Yun checked his body. At this moment... Xin Yun's internal strength was nine times greater than before, but he had still not reached the Bronze rank. His power was at the level of an unranked Nine Star.
Indeed, the effect of the Dragon Creation Stone lies here. Using a First-grade Dragon-creation stone results in an unranked One Star dragon. A Second Grade gives an unranked Two Star one, and Ninth Grade results in an unranked Nine Star. After reaching Ten Stars, advancement depends on personal insight. Once a breakthrough occurs, that's the Bronze One Star rank.
Don't think that climbing star positions is easy. Take Old Yun's former charge, who, despite limited talent and poverty preventing any external aid, managed to reach Bronze One Star only after more than two decades, which sufficiently indicates the difficulty.
In comparison, Xin Yun isn't even eight years old yet, but he already possesses an unranked Nine Star dragon. Moreover... there is still a remaining piece of the Azure Sea. Once he fully refines it, even if he doesn't reach the Bronze One Star rank, he will be very close—meaning... with the Azure Sea, Xin Yun has essentially closed the more than twenty-year cultivation gap between himself and Old Yun's charge.
And most importantly, this is only one of many varied effects of the 9.9-grade Azure Sea, and perhaps even the least noticeable one.
Taking a deep breath, Xin Yun once again sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and then... biting the tip of his tongue, he placed the last piece of the Azure Sea into his mouth. With a thought, Xin Yun entered the Azure Sea for the last time.
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Whew, everyone indeed has the lineage of dragons, to so comprehensively understand them, even pinpointing the flaw of the five claws.
However, these five claws are not what they seem; they're just an ability bestowed by the Azure Sea and also one of the focal points. Xin Yun's understanding is incorrect; otherwise, why wouldn't it manifest under summoning shape?
The true five claws refer to the claw's power rank. Old Yun knows this. Moreover, Xin Yun's current dragon cannot be considered a True Dragon, much less Yinglong. If Yinglong was introduced at the start, what would there be left to write?
Actually, Xin Yun is still green, his story hasn't even truly begun. His advantage ultimately lies in memories from his past life. Compared to Yi Luo Xiang and others, he falls far short—worlds apart, really. This distinction will be clarified as the story unfolds officially. Though Xin Yun appears promising now, he's hardly better than Pig Dragon, and probably even inferior to Old Yun's former charge's Pig Dragon. It's only that fifth claw that gives him an edge, but it's useless against true experts.
Seeing the readers' disdain towards the protagonist earning money, the author decided not to include it moving forward. After transitioning a bit more, the author aims to quickly get into the main story. Old Yun needs to work hard to outline the book's features to make it easier for readers to get involved. Old Yun's idea is for each of Xin Yun's rivals and every Dragon Warrior who appears to be crafted by the readers. A single author's capabilities are ultimately limited, so participation is encouraged. However, discussing this is still premature until readers grasp the book's features; then we can continue.
Since readers dislike the money-making aspect, the upcoming story will hardly touch on it, and it won't consume much text in the future. The author always takes note of reader feedback—Old Yun is watching, just not keen on commenting.
After so many years and countless experiences, Old Yun is truly exhausted and now simply wishes to write quietly, about things he enjoys and hopes the readers will too. Regarding other things, Old Yun doesn't ask much—continue to support if you do, and there's no pressure if you don't. There's beauty in tranquility.
You may have noticed, or perhaps not, that Old Yun no longer seeks votes or rankings, merely updating quietly with a somewhat detached serenity. The truth is just that. If you enjoy Old Yun's stories, cast a vote or two. If not, it's fine to abstain. Even criticisms are acceptable, as long as they are not excessive. Let's maintain harmony in society, after all.
That's enough from Old Yun. Go on and enjoy the book. If you like it, vote. If it's decent but could be better, feel free to provide suggestions or even become actively involved in the story. Offer your ideas and help shape the narrative.
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