The emergence of this power left him utterly shocked.

He carefully examined his True Dragon Power, wishing it would instantly transform into the power of the Divine Image. ’What kind of destructive force would the Divine Image Power unleash,’ he wondered, ’when combined with the fifth-level Dharma Aspect?’

But power transformations couldn’t be rushed.

With his evolved Spiritual Sense, his perception had soared. Chu Lingguang could already feel his True Dragon Power transforming. Faint trumpeting sounds emanated from within it. He had already latched on to the resonating power, and at this rate, it would only be a few days before his True Dragon Power became the power of the Divine Image. There was no need to rush.

He never expected that staying true to himself and bravely moving past that shadow would allow his body to reap such great benefits.

’What would Master think if he found out?’

A fifth-level Dharma Aspect.

The power of the Divine Image.

A high-grade, mid-tier Bloodline Level.

Any one of these achievements alone would be enough to keep someone awake for days with excitement. But now, Chu Lingguang had attained them all at once.

He wanted to tell Guo Wei the good news and share his joy.

But it was already the dead of night, and he would have to wait until morning to send anything.

So, Chu Lingguang retracted his Dharma Aspect.

He focused his perception on his bloodline.

Previously, Xu Zhongguo, Poisonous Snake, and many other instructors at the Trial Ground had all said that when a bloodline evolved to a certain point, it would grant Divine Abilities.

’Now that my Bloodline Level has reached high-grade, mid-tier, the next level is high-grade, top-tier. I wonder if breaking through to that level will awaken my Divine Abilities?’

Chu Lingguang was filled with curiosity and anticipation.

However, the Trial Ground instructors, including Yun Hong, had never explicitly stated that high-grade, top-tier was the highest level for a bloodline, and they had certainly never mentioned how to awaken Divine Abilities.

Chu Lingguang could only push the thought aside for now, waiting for a future opportunity to explore it.

He then focused his attention on his Dantian Small Vortex.

Before that, he couldn’t resist a glance at his status panel.

Favors: None

Mixed Element Skill (0-10,000)

Primordial Bloodline (9,221-12,000)

Wind-Chasing Step (0-6,000)

Zhenyuan Technique (1,536-7,000)

Broken Water Blade (0-1,000)

(Remaining Lifespan: 128 years)

Recently, seeing how intensely Chu Lingguang was focused on cultivating his Spiritual Sense and his goal of felling a Dragon Claw Tree, Sima Army, Jin Huang, and the others didn’t dare disturb him as they usually would. They had come to advise him, but they stopped short of asking him to exchange insights or help them pose questions to instructors like Yun Hong.

As a result, Chu Lingguang’s control over his Spiritual Sense improved by leaps and bounds, but his Favor Points remained at zero.

Fortunately, as his Spiritual Sense evolved beneath the Dragon Claw Tree, he managed to capture three resonating responses. This allowed Chu Lingguang to successfully unlock his fifth-level Dharma Aspect. His True Dragon Power began its transformation into the power of the Divine Image, and his Bloodline Level leaped an entire major tier. Without him even noticing, the value for his Primordial Bloodline had reached a startling 9,221.

Chu Lingguang was now very curious. ’If my Primordial Bloodline value reaches Perfection, will my Bloodline Level surpass high-grade, top-tier? Will I even awaken Divine Abilities?’

When he saw the value for his Zhenyuan Technique, Chu Lingguang was rather surprised.

Recently, aside from his Spiritual Sense, he had only practiced the Zhenyuan Technique, as the state of his Dantian Qi Sea determined the strength of his Spiritual Power.

Perhaps it was because of the epiphany he gained when his Spiritual Sense evolved under the Dragon Claw Tree, or perhaps it was due to those twenty days of focused cultivation. Whatever the reason, his Zhenyuan Technique value had unknowingly reached 1,536.

He focused his attention on his Dantian.

He saw a Small Vortex spinning on its own within his Dantian.

Xia Tianzhong was exceptionally talented; he had already formed a large vortex in his Dantian. Though the difference was only a single word, the gap in their Qi Power was immense.

The next step up from a large vortex was a Qi Sea.

A Qi Sea was when the entire Dantian became suffused with Qi Power. In battle, this provided an absolute advantage over anyone who had yet to form one.

Even if Chu Lingguang’s True Dragon Power transformed into the power of the Divine Image and he unlocked his fifth-level Dharma Aspect, he would still be at a great disadvantage if he clashed with an expert who possessed a Qi Sea.

So, for these final ten days, Chu Lingguang had to focus all his attention on the Zhenyuan Technique and strengthen his Dantian further.

However, turning a Small Vortex into a large one was already extremely difficult. To form an entire Qi Sea in just ten days was nothing short of a pipe dream.

Even Xia Tianzhong, who already had a large vortex, would be hard-pressed to succeed.

Thankfully, Chu Lingguang wasn’t greedy. Whether his Dantian evolved or his Small Vortex grew into a large one was irrelevant. He just wanted to give it his all for these last ten days.

「The next morning.」

Chu Lingguang ground ink to write a letter, wanting to tell Guo Wei the good news. It had been a while since he had written to Guo Wei, and he hadn’t received any letters either. The two of them, master and apprentice, shared a tacit understanding—it was as if they were both waiting for good news.

But when the ink was ready and he lifted his brush, he found himself at a loss for words.

His gaze fell upon the Dragon Claw Branch in the corner. He suddenly realized that a thousand words couldn’t compare to this single branch.

So he put down his brush.

He left his room and handed the Dragon Claw Branch to one of the Black Armored Warriors, asking for it to be sent by falcon to Guo Wei. Chu Lingguang knew that the moment Guo Wei saw the branch, he would understand everything.

Puzzled, the Black Armored Warrior took the Dragon Claw Branch and went to find Poisonous Snake. At that moment, Poisonous Snake was with Xu Zhongguo and Yun Hong, discussing the content of the final assessment for the top candidates.

"Instructors, Chu Lingguang asked me to send this Dragon Claw Branch out of the Trial Ground," said the Black Armored Warrior.

The instructors exchanged a look. Xu Zhongguo said, "No trainee in the Trial Ground is allowed to send out anything besides letters. But this Dragon Claw Branch is exceptionally meaningful to Chu Lingguang. We’ll make a one-time exception. Take it to the town yourself, deliver it directly into Guo Wei’s hands, and tell him that Chu Lingguang is doing well."