​"NOW THAT THE NUISANCE IS DEALT WITH, LOOK HERE AND LET US PROCEED," the Abyssal Dragon rumbled, raising its massive, razor-sharp claw.

​Hearing the Dragon’s command, Kai firmly nodded. He raised his head, pure, unyielding determination shining in his sunken eyes.

​Just like it did with the previous man, the black Dragon gently tapped its claw against the center of Kai’s forehead. A single drop of glowing, golden liquid—barely visible to the naked eye—seeped from the Dragon’s talon and sank directly into Kai’s skin.

​The moment the golden liquid entered his body, Kai immediately dropped into a lotus position, closing his eyes to begin cultivating.

​’I can see it... the golden liquid is sinking directly into his skull and mixing into the bone,’ Ian thought, watching intently through his borrowed eyes.

​"Mmmmmmm!" Kai suddenly groaned, violently gritting his teeth as a tremor ran through his frail body.

​’This looks incredibly painful just based on how he is reacting,’ Ian sighed internally. ’At least I am only watching a memory, so I don’t have to actually feel the pain right now.’

​Some time passed. From the point where the golden liquid had entered Kai’s skull, a faint, glowing golden line began to rapidly spread downward. It snaked its way through his spine, branching out into his ribs, his arms, and his legs, traveling all the way down to the very tips of his fingers and toes.

​Suddenly, the glowing golden lines turned a violent, boiling red. Small, jagged branches began to sprout from the red lines, digging aggressively into the marrow.

​"Aaaaaaghhh!!" Kai finally broke, throwing his head back and screaming in absolute agony, sweat pouring profusely from his body.

​’No wonder all the previous failures were screaming,’ Ian realized in horror as he watched the brutal process. ’His bones are practically splintering from the inside out! Those small red branches are physically breaking down and refining his mortal bones!’

​Ten excruciating minutes passed, and Kai was still screaming.

​’Wow... this guy really is something else. He is still holding on after all this pain. That first guy lasted less than two minutes before he literally exploded,’ Ian thought.

​Just as Ian finished that thought, the red, branching lines inside Kai’s body began to change color once again. The boiling red darkened, solidifying into a deep, pure, abyss-like black. Slowly, Kai’s agonizing screams began to minimize until he fell completely silent, his breathing heavy but steady.

​’I guess this means it was a success. There wasn’t much martial arts movement to see, but I definitely get the basic idea. This entire stage is purely about willpower and endurance,’ Ian deduced. ’If I had to guess, that first guy blew up because he fainted from the pain or lost his concentration. Losing control probably caused that violent red energy refining his bones to go berserk and explode. A really terrifying way to cultivate, though.’

​"AT LAST... SOMEONE HAS FINALLY SUCCEEDED," the black Dragon rumbled, the edges of its massive jaws curling up into a terrifying smile.

​"Aaaaagh... not again!"

​Just as the Abyssal Dragon finished speaking, Ian felt a massive, splitting headache hit him like a hammer. The dark cavern violently blurred and spun around him.

​The moment he opened his eyes again, he was back in his own sunlit bedroom, gasping for air.

​"Aaaagh... my head..." Ian groaned, falling back onto his mattress and rubbing his temples. "I really hate this feeling. My brain feels like it’s on fire. If all future high-tier cultivation techniques are going to force me into full-dive memory cutscenes, it’s going to be a real pain."

​After a few minutes, the headache finally subsided. Ian sat up.

​"System," Ian called out.

​Instantly, the blue panel appeared in front of him.

​[Name: Ian Thorne]

​[Age: 17]

​[Lifespan: 73]

​[Martial Arts: None]

​[Cultivation Arts: Adamantine Ox Hide Technique, (Abyssal Dragon Jaw Forging Technique)]

​[Martial Stage: Peak Stage of Skin Cultivation]

​[Prosperity Points: 115]

​[Prosperity Shop]

​[Notifications]

​[External Members: 4/5]

​Seeing that he had exactly 115 points left after purchasing the manual, Ian took a deep breath. He immediately crossed his legs into a lotus position on his bed. He took off his linen shirt, tightly rolled it up into a thick bundle, and shoved it directly into his mouth, biting down hard.

​’This should at least muffle the sound of my screaming,’ Ian thought nervously. ’If a crazily will-powered guy like Kai screamed like his soul was being torn apart, what the hell is going to happen to me?’ Ian gripped his knees.

’But I am kind of curious... where is the System going to get the golden liquid? Will it just magically produce the Dragon’s marrow to help me break through?’

​"Hmph!" Ian grunted around the shirt. ’Let’s do this.’

​Ian mentally clicked on the Abyssal Dragon Jaw Forging Technique in his status panel. A new notification immediately popped up in front of him.

​[DETECTED THAT THE HOST WOULD LIKE TO INITIATE THE ABYSSAL DRAGON JAW FORGING TECHNIQUE. 100 PROSPERITY POINTS REQUIRED.]

[YES / NO]

​[NOTE: IF THE HOST CHANGES CULTIVATION TECHNIQUES, THE PREVIOUS TECHNIQUE’S EFFECTS WILL BE LOST UNLESS THE NEXT CULTIVATION TECHNIQUE IS OF THE SAME ORIGIN, OR IF THERE WAS A PERMANENT PHYSICAL CHANGE IN THE HOST CAUSED BY THE PREVIOUS TECHNIQUE.]

’A warning note? Same origin?’ Ian thought, scratching his head. ’I guess that means if I had chosen the Iron-Marrow Rhino Bone Technique, it would have been the same ’beast’ origin as the Adamantine Ox Hide. But as for the permanent physical change... I don’t get that one at all.’ Ian furrowed his brow, the rolled-up shirt still clenched tightly in his teeth. "Mmph!" He shook his head. ’Well, it doesn’t matter anyway. Let’s just do this.’ He mentally pressed [YES].

​The absolute second the system deducted the 100 points, Ian felt a scorching drop of liquid materialize directly in the center of his skull.

​A glowing golden line rapidly shot down his spine, spreading out into his ribs and limbs out of nowhere.

​’Mmmm... It doesn’t actually hurt that much thou—’

​CRACK! Before Ian could even finish his arrogant thought, a sudden, blinding spike of agony ripped through his entire body. The golden lines had instantly turned boiling red.

​Ian could literally hear his own bones splintering and cracking apart inside his flesh as the jagged red branches aggressively dug into his marrow.

​’FUCKKK! I spoke way too soon! This is so painful!’ Ian’s eyes rolled back, his body violently seizing up. ’It’s a completely different kind of pain from the soul assimilation! My entire skeleton feels like it’s being crushed piece by piece! I finally see why that first guy in the memory fainted!’

​Suddenly, the red lines inside his bones flared with the intense, suppressive heat of a Dragon’s intent.

​"AAAAAAHHHH!"

​Ian screamed so violently that the tightly rolled shirt fell right out of his mouth. He didn’t care about being quiet anymore. He only cared about surviving the forging!