In front of the stone monument, eighty meters out, Chu Lingguang stood motionless, fully concentrated as he meticulously sensed every reaction from his body.

He had now activated the fourth layer of his Dharma Aspect and established his Dantian Foundation, truly stepping into the Qi Sea Realm. His Abdominal Vortex was now capable of reinforcement.

But he still had a ways to go before it could strengthen him and operate on its own.

He had successfully activated his Bone Aspect here last time.

Through Introspection, Chu Lingguang saw that a Qi Vortex had appeared within the Sea of Consciousness between his brows. Together with the vortex in his abdomen, it bound all his flesh and Root Bones. The two seemed inextricably linked.

He was very curious. ’Are these two powers crisscrossing through my flesh related to the formation of my Dantian? Perhaps I can find the answer by making my Dantian vast and boundless, capable of absorbing and strengthening on its own.’

Under the pressure of the stone monument, it was easier for Chu Lingguang to hear the responses from his body. He could also more clearly feel the pull of the aura that bound his flesh, Root Bones, and even his bloodline together like a fine mesh—one end in his Sea of Consciousness, the other in his Abdominal Vortex.

He tried to find its patterns, unravel its mysteries, and even elicit a previously unknown response to increase his strength once more.

Unfortunately, even with his Spiritual Sense spread out during Introspection, aside from seeing the crisscrossing aura entangled in unique patterns, Chu Lingguang couldn’t find any mutual response between them at all.

He even tried to activate the power of his Abdominal Vortex to make the entangled auras react, but he discovered that the auras, the Abdominal Vortex, and even the vortex in his Sea of Consciousness were already inextricably linked.

No matter how his Abdominal Vortex shifted, the crisscrossing aura hidden within his flesh, Root Bones, and even his bloodline remained unchanged, with a constant force pulling between them.

「Two hours later.」

Chu Lingguang retreated beyond the hundred-meter mark.

Even though he had activated his Bone Aspect and the strength of his flesh and Root Bones had been significantly enhanced, Chu Lingguang didn’t defy Yun Hong’s instructions. He withdrew the moment the two hours were up, never lingering.

’I should probably ask Teacher Yun Hong about this strange aura,’ Chu Lingguang thought. ’Or I could just reach out to my master.’

Lately, he had been corresponding with Guo Wei every other day, and their discussions always revolved around the Bone Aspect and True Dragon Power.

Now that he was cultivating the Zhenyuan Technique and had successfully entered the Qi Sea Realm, Chu Lingguang felt he needed to discuss it with Guo Wei. ’Perhaps that interconnected aura is closely related to the evolution of my Dantian and Sea of Consciousness,’ he reasoned. ’Why else would they be so entangled?’

"Chu Lingguang, you said you activated the fourth layer of your Dharma Aspect here. I’d like you to describe it. What form did the response within your Root Bones take?"

Zhao Rushuang could now also last for two hours before the stone monument, and she would retreat the moment her time was up. She had asked Yun Hong and the goat-bearded elder for advice, and both had said that she had to activate the fourth layer of her Dharma Aspect before she could transform her Dragon Elephant power into True Dragon Power.

It was much more difficult for her to transform her Dragon Elephant into True Dragon Power first, as Chu Lingguang and the others had, because she practiced a slightly different Breathing Technique.

"Well, at the time, I just felt like there were countless little people inside my bones..."

Chu Lingguang and Zhao Rushuang were allies who helped each other, so upon hearing her question, he didn’t hold anything back and earnestly described his experience to her.

Zhao Rushuang listened with rapt attention, asking questions whenever she was confused. When something sounded familiar, she would quickly offer her own perspective. By combining their insights, their exchange of experiences sparked new revelations.

「An hour later.」

The two were still on the rear mountain. Xia Tianzhong, Long Xin, and Xu Kanghui were still holding on in front of the stone monument.

Chu Lingguang asked, "Commandery Princess, do you know where I can find a Dragon Claw Tree in the Trial Ground?"

Having trained in the Trial Ground for over fifty days, Chu Lingguang hadn’t forgotten his promise to Du Wushuang. He had been focused on his training before, afraid of being eliminated and losing access to the superior cultivation resources.

Now that he had activated the fourth layer of his Dharma Aspect, awakened his True Dragon Power, and formed his Dantian Foundation—truly entering the Qi Sea Realm—Chu Lingguang felt it was time to retrieve a Dragon Claw branch.

"Why are you looking for the Dragon Claw Tree?"

Zhao Rushuang was puzzled.

"I promised someone I would get a branch from the Dragon Claw Tree for them. They said it can be used for atonement."

"If he wants to atone, why doesn’t he get it himself? Asking you to retrieve it for him... he’s clearly trying to get you hurt," Zhao Rushuang said, frowning.

"What?"

Chu Lingguang was stunned.

Du Wushuang had been so earnest that day; it didn’t seem like he was lying.

Chu Lingguang vaguely remembered Du Wushuang saying he wanted to use the Dragon Claw Tree to return to his clan, have his name carved into the family records, and allow his family to hold their heads high again.

’How could that be an attempt to harm me?’

’Is retrieving a Dragon Claw Branch dangerous?’

"The Dragon Claw Tree grows on Dragon Back Mountain. Legend says it grew from the flesh and blood of the Old Dragon King. There are many folktales about it, but the general story is that the Little Dragon King committed a crime punishable by death. To save him, the Old Dragon King died in his place on Dragon Back Mountain."

"His blood-soaked bones grew into a menacing tree that looked like a dragon’s claw, so people named it the Dragon Claw Tree."

"Ever since then, it’s been a common belief that no matter how great your transgression, if you give a branch from the Dragon Claw Tree to the person you wronged, you will be forgiven and your sins will be absolved."

Zhao Rushuang continued, "But the Dragon Claw Tree contains immense electrical energy. Just getting close is enough to leave you stiff and paralyzed. In a worst-case scenario, your bloodline will be scorched, and you’ll die on the spot."

"No way!"

Chu Lingguang froze, completely dumbfounded.

"If that friend of yours wants to atone, he should come get it himself. Who ever heard of atoning for your sins by having someone else retrieve a Dragon Claw Branch for them?"