Chapter 274: Candle Dragon Phenomenon

“What in the world are you fiddling with!”

Chen Shihu’s brow furrowed, and he barked out the question.

“Huh?”

Lu Bai froze for a moment, realizing the Demon-Revealing Treasure Mirror was pointed right at Chen Shihu. He quickly flipped his palm to change its direction and said, “I just comprehended a new Secret Technique and was practicing it.”

“What kind of Secret Technique is that powerful?”

Chen Shihu muttered, instantly appearing by Lu Bai’s side. He peered at the Copper Mirror in Lu Bai’s palm.

“This Secret Technique is called the Demon-Revealing Treasure Mirror.”

Lu Bai explained, “I suspect it’s a Secret Technique for dealing with Demon Beasts, similar to a Demon-Revealing Mirror.”

“Dealing with Demon Beasts?”

Chen Shihu leaned closer, his expression grave.

When that invisible beam of light had landed on him just now, he had clearly felt his physical body and soul being pulled by some strange power, as if they were about to undergo an unexpected transformation!

If not for his profound Cultivation, having already become a Daoist Monarch Dharma, he would have certainly been caught by it.

Chen Shihu said, “Flip that Copper Mirror over. Let me have a look.”

Lu Bai turned the Copper Mirror over in his hand. As he looked closely, he couldn’t help but let out a soft sound of surprise.

Originally, the back of the Copper Mirror had just been covered in a large patch of complex patterns.

But now, these patterns seemed to have been drawn together by some force. They combined on the mirror’s back to form what looked like six beasts circling the edge, head to tail, each biting the tail of the one before it to form a closed loop.

In the center of the ring was a deep, swirling cloud pattern, radiating Demon Qi.

“They look like the Six Domesticated Animals.”

Chen Shihu murmured softly.

The so-called Six Domesticated Animals were the six most common farm animals in the world: pigs, oxen, sheep, horses, chickens, and dogs.

Prompted by Chen Shihu, Lu Bai looked again at the beastly forms created by the patterns and saw that they did indeed resemble the Six Domesticated Animals.

However, after just a short while, the Demon Qi gradually dissipated, unable to sustain the Secret Technique.

The beast patterns on the back of the Copper Mirror gradually broke apart, losing their arrangement.

And with that, the Secret Technique vanished.

Chen Shihu said, “I’ve never seen this Secret Technique before, but I’m certain it does more than just affect Demon Beasts; it must have other uses. Its power is considerable. I’m afraid you’ll need to cultivate a Primordial Spirit before you can release it at will.”

Lu Bai was lost in thought.

‘One can only condense a Primordial Spirit in the Nascent Soul Realm.’

‘I don’t have a Primordial Spirit, yet I was able to release the Demon-Revealing Treasure Mirror just now by using the Candle Dragon Demon Qi.’

‘I’ll have to go back to the Longling Mountain Range, kill a few Demon Beasts, and try a few more times.’

Chen Shihu praised him, “To have cultivated Nine Feet Blood Qi and even developed a Golden Core Phenomenon while only in the Middle Stage of Golden Core… Excellent.”

“Brother Chen, if I continue to cultivate, can I break through the limit of Nine Feet Blood Qi? What changes will happen after I do?”

Chen Shihu had arrived at the perfect time, so Lu Bai seized the opportunity to ask for guidance.

“Nine is the limit of numbers. Breaking through nine feet of Blood Qi is even harder than growing your Blood Qi from one foot to nine feet.”

Chen Shihu continued, “But if you can break past Nine Feet Blood Qi, you have a chance to comprehend a second Golden Core Phenomenon—the legendary Twin Phenomenon!”

The Golden Core Phenomenon was the most powerful tool of a True Master Golden Core.

If one could possess two Golden Core Phenomena, their combat power would naturally skyrocket!

Chen Shihu said, “You’ve only just stepped onto the Alchemy Dao, so you likely don’t have a deep understanding of the Golden Core Realm’s power, nor do you know much about Golden Core Phenomena.”

Lu Bai nodded quickly.

Chen Shihu went on, “Golden Core Phenomena can actually manifest in many ways. They can be related to the Demon Beast Inner Core one devours, giving rise to something like a Fierce Spirit of the beast. They can be related to one’s own Cultivation Technique, born from comprehending a certain artistic conception. They can also be related to one’s weapon, manifesting as a Divine Weapon…”

Lu Bai’s situation was a combination of his Cultivation Technique and the True Dragon Heart.

He had comprehended the Ultimate Skill, the Dragon Elephant Suppression Skill, and with the help of the True Dragon Blood, his development of the True Dragon Phenomenon was a natural outcome.

Chen Shihu clapped Lu Bai on the shoulder. “Originally, I was a little worried about whether you could take first place in the Golden Platform Martial Arts Discussion. But now, it seems there’s no suspense left.”

“Surely there are other True Master Martial Daos in the Wu Dynasty who have cultivated a Golden Core Phenomenon, right?”

Lu Bai asked.

After all, he hadn’t fought against a top-tier True Master Martial Dao, so he didn’t have an accurate assessment of his own strength.

“True Masters who can cultivate a Golden Core Phenomenon are exceedingly rare, both in the Martial Arts Realm and the Cultivation Realm.”

Chen Shihu said, “Our dynasty values martial prowess. As far as I know, there are no more than ten True Masters across both realms who have cultivated a Golden Core Phenomenon.”

Lu Bai nodded. “That’s certainly not many.”

Chen Shihu added, “Furthermore, all of these True Masters Golden Core are over one hundred years old.”

A thought struck Lu Bai.

‘The Golden Platform Martial Arts Discussion has an age limit. Only a True Master Martial Dao under one hundred years old can compete.’

‘This means that in this upcoming Golden Platform Martial Arts Discussion, there isn’t a single True Master Martial Dao in the entire Wu Dynasty who can match me!’

Lu Bai asked again, “Golden Core Phenomena must have different strengths and weaknesses, right?”

“But of course.”

Chen Shihu explained, “For Golden Core Phenomena derived from Demon Beasts, their power is closely tied to the strength of the beast itself, in addition to one’s own bloodline. Phenomena passed down from Ancient Times, for example, have been tempered by the ages and are thus more powerful.”

After a pause, Chen Shihu added, “But you don’t need to worry. Even without the age limit, there are very few phenomena that could suppress yours.”

“Oh?”

Lu Bai gave him a questioning look.

Seeing Lu Bai’s expression, Chen Shihu couldn’t help but ask in return, “You still don’t know what kind of phenomenon you’ve condensed?”

“A True Dragon?”

Lu Bai said tentatively.

Chen Shihu said slowly, “To be precise, it’s a Candle Dragon!”

“Despite what its name might suggest, the Candle Dragon is vastly different from common members of the Dragon Race like the Flood Dragon, Chi Dragon, Coiling Dragon, Qiu Dragon, and Mirage Dragon.”

Chen Shihu said, “I heard from my father that the Candle Dragon Race was originally an ordinary branch of the Dragon Race, excelling at the Flame Dao. But later, the Candle Dragon Race came into contact with another kind of power, shed their status as an ordinary Dragon Race, and became a truly unique existence.

“Though they originated from an ordinary branch of the Dragon Race, their true combat power is no less than that of the True Dragon Race!”

Lu Bai was lost in thought.

‘To think that there was a Candle Dragon’s heart in the Longling Mountain Range.’

Chen Shihu then shared some insights about the Golden Core Realm and his experiences in combat before turning to leave.

Lu Bai went out to find something to eat, then returned to continue his Cultivation and stabilize his Realm.

「Two months remained until the end of the year.」

During this period, Lu Bai’s progress in his Martial Dao Realm gradually slowed.

After all, the Eight Desolates Returning Essence Scripture was an Ultimate Skill for the Innate Realm. After stepping onto the Alchemy Dao, his cultivation speed had noticeably decelerated.

Lu Bai wasn’t anxious. He continued to cultivate the Martial Dao during the day and practice Qi Condensation for his Cultivation at night.

Compared to his explosive progress in the Martial Dao, his progress in Cultivation was simply pathetic.

After cultivating for so long, he was still stuck at the First-Layer Qi Condensation, showing no signs of improvement whatsoever.

‘No wonder the Old Gambling Ghost looked down on it. This Five Elements Spirit Root really is too useless.’

Besides lamenting his fate, Lu Bai would also occasionally leaf through the Talisman Manual.

The contents of the Talisman Manual were extremely complex and all-encompassing.

It recorded all sorts of talismans, Restrictions, and Arrays. Some of the talismans were even passed down from Ancient Times.

With the Magical Power of a First-Layer Qi Condensation cultivator, he couldn’t practice for long before his Magical Power was completely depleted.

In all this time, he hadn’t managed to master a single talisman.

However, the contents of the Talisman Manual did give Lu Bai an idea for a way to increase his Cultivation speed.

‘Whether this idea will work or not is hard to say.’

‘The prerequisite is that I have to fully comprehend the entire contents of the Talisman Manual.’

‘And I have to figure out a way to get some Soul Light.’

‘Relying on my First-Layer Qi Condensation Magical Power to practice talismans on my own… I might not master a handful of them even if I cultivate until the end of time.’