Chapter 5317, Ancient Dragon Vein Tempering Art
Translator: Silavin & June
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
As the Dragon Clans members above fought fiercely, Yang Kai was hungrily devouring the power of the Dragon Pool and tempering his Dragon Vein at a depth of more than 1 million metres.
He had grown tremendously.
When he entered Dragon Pool, his body was roughly 35,000 metres. Now, after only half a year, he had almost reached the limit of a Grand Dragon.
He was just one step away from reaching 50,000 metres and becoming an Ancient Dragon.
In half a year, his Dragon Form had increased by 15,000 metres! That meant that he had grown 2,500 metres per month, or around 80 metres every day on average.
Of course, the longer he grew, the slower his rate of growth. Initially, Yang Kai could grow close to 100 metres in a day, but now, he was not growing as quickly.
It was not easy for him to become an Ancient Dragon; in fact, Yang Kai had stagnated for more than 10 days now.
He had reached a bottleneck!
Yang Kai did not have any issues when he advanced from a Young Dragon to a Grand Dragon; however, now he felt resistance when he sought to advance from a Grand Dragon to an Ancient Dragon.
In fact, any Dragons breakthrough to the realm of Ancient Dragon was a big hurdle and was often accomplished by using a special Secret Technique. This was not part of a Bloodline Inheritance though, but was instead developed through Dragon Clans own research over the generations.
For a pure-blood Dragon Clan member, when he or she was ready to advance to become an Ancient Dragon, the Dragon Clans Elders would teach them this Secret Technique. Just like Ji Lao San, who was about to break through to become an Ancient Dragon, he was taught this method by the Ancient Dragons of the Ji Family before he entered the Dragon Pool. However, Yang Kai did not have this opportunity. No one taught him how to achieve the breakthrough. After arriving at the No-Return Pass, while the Phoenix Clan was willing to interact with him somewhat, the Dragon Clan totally ignored him. Needless to say, they did not share with him the typical breakthrough method.
Yang Kai also realized the problem when he went 10 days without any progress. Although he was still devouring the Dragon Pool power, it was not much help to him like before. Previously, every drop of Dragon Pool power was able to refine and enhance his Bloodline and Dragon Vein such that he became more powerful.
He did not know how long the Dragon Pool would remain open this time, but it certainly would not be too long. If he does not become an Ancient Dragon by the time it closed, then he would be disappointing Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and the other Human Masters who obtained this opportunity for him.
This was the first time Yang Kai encountered such a situation, so he had no clues about how to deal with it.
Looking around, Yang Kai grit his teeth and swam deeper into the Dragon Pool.
Six months ago, this was the limit of his Bloodline and Dragon Vein. Over the past six months, his Dragon Form had increased by 15,000 metres, and his Dragon Vein had improved tremendously; thus, this depth was no longer the limiting factor.
Now, he was qualified to go deeper.
Yang Kais thought process was very simple. Since his Dragon Vein had reached a bottleneck, then he needed to use a lot of energy to overcome it. As long as he had sufficient energy, he would be able to achieve a breakthrough!
After diving several hundreds of thousands of metres, Yang Kai felt like he had reached his limit once again; however, this time he did not stop and instead continued to descend.
Since he decided to accumulate more power to force a breakthrough, he had to go deeper; after all, the Dragon Pool power was naturally denser at the deeper depths.
Only after diving another million metres did he finally stop.
[This is about right.]
At this point, Yang Kai felt a huge pressure on his Dragon Vein. Any further down and he would be courting death rather than seeking a breakthrough.
The surrounding Dragon Pool power was incredibly dense, more than 10 times what it had been at his previous position.
It would not make sense if he could not break through to become an Ancient Dragon here.
Yang Kai composed himself and then activated the Great Sun and Moon Marks on his Dragon Claws. Instantly, the rich power of the Dragon Pool surged into his body.
Yang Kais Dragon Eyes instantly rolled backward as he felt as though he had severely overeaten. He felt extremely uncomfortable and nauseous.
However, he did not stop and instead urged the Great Sun Mark and Great Moon Mark to continue drawing in the ambient power.
As before, when stimulated by this immense influx, the dormant power of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer awaked. The power of Yin and Yang converged, turning it into an invisible millstone, grinding the incoming Dragon Pool power so that it was softer and easier to absorb.
Earlier, with the help of this power, Yang Kai was able to refine the Dragon Pool power easily without feeling too much pressure.
But not anymore. Even with the power of Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan helping him, the huge Dragon Pool power began to accumulate in his body, causing his blood to run wild and his Dragon Vein to pound.
Pain ripped through all parts of his body, and the place where Yang Kai hovered instantly glowed a bright golden color.
The Dragon Pool water around him became tainted with Dragon Blood as Yang Kai could feel his own skin cracking.
The power accumulated in his body was too much, and he was unable to refine and absorb it fast enough, so he ended up wounding himself.
Yang Kai clenched his teeth and held on, letting his Dragon Blood spurt out. Under the intense pain, his Dragon Scales almost stood on end while trembling.
However, at this moment, his Dragon Vein was like a sealed funnel. No matter how much Dragon Pool power was swallowed and refined, he could not absorb any of it.
If his Dragon Vein could not absorb the power, it meant that he could not strengthen it and he could not advance to become an Ancient Dragon!
Yang Kai did not care though, as he firmly believed that as long as he persisted, there would be a moment when this situation would change.
Just as Yang Kai activated the Great Sun and Moon Marks, in the madness of devouring the power of Dragon Pool, a pair of giant eyes opened a million metres below and looked upward.
Previously, when Yang Kai was devouring the Dragon Pools power 2 million metres above, the being below did not feel anything; however, now that Yang Kai was only 1 million metres away, he was able to perceive the disturbance in the Dragon Pool.
Since the isolation power of the Dragon Pool was very strong. Even though this being could only vaguely perceive something was happening, it couldnt really tell what was happening.
It took a few moments of silent observation before the beast with the giant eyes frowned and muttered, What reckless idiot is trying to use the Ancient Dragon Vein Tempering Art?
It was not that the Ancient Dragon Vein Tempering Art could not help one achieve a breakthrough, it was just too difficult and the requirements for success were prohibitively high. Special means must be used to absorb the huge Dragon Pool power, and the whole refining process was also extremely dangerous. The slightest mistake could result in ones Dragon Vein being destroyed.
In ancient times, the Dragon Clan did utilize this method to refine their Dragon Vein to achieve breakthroughs and strengthen themselves; however, in those days, there were too many Dragons who failed. Failure meant that their foundation was severely damaged. It would take hundreds to thousands of years in order to recover from such damage, if it was even possible. In serious cases, the Dragons death was even possible.
This resulted in many in the Dragon Clan falling.
The Dragon Clan was already scarce in numbers; thus, they could not accept such risks.
Therefore, the Masters of the Dragon Clan spent a lot of effort to develop a set of Secret Techniques specifically for breaking through. After generations of improvements, this Secret Technique was now all but perfected.
With this Secret Technique to use during the breakthrough to the realm of Ancient Dragon, although it was much slower than the ancient method, and the process was not as efficient, it was a lot safer. At least, when the breakthrough failed, the Dragon Clan member could try again.
It had been many generations since someone from the Dragon Clan last used the ancient method to breakthrough.
But now, someone had appeared and was trying to do exactly that.
Although he also appreciated the determination of this Junior, the Dragon Clan did not approve of this method. Members of the Dragon Clan had long lifespans, but they were few in number. There was no shame in taking the safe path and avoiding unnecessary risks when time was not a concern.
Now that this Junior had chosen to use the Ancient Dragon Vein Tempering Art, the being in the depths could not stop him, nor could he offer any assistance. It would be impressive if this Junior could use the ancient method to advance and become an Ancient Dragon, but if not, it was his own choice and no one else was to blame.
The only thing the being in the depths really cared about was that this Junior was making a lot of noise. He did not know what method was being used to draw in the power of the Dragon Pool, but even from a million metres below he had noticed.
He was thankful that his cultivation was not at a critical juncture, otherwise he would have been disturbed by that Junior.
The beast with the giant eyes pondered for a moment before he dove deeper down until he could no longer feel the disturbances above him. He then stopped and resumed his meditation.
Yang Kais Dragon Eyes continued to ooze blood, looking extremely appalling, as the golden light around him bloomed to the extreme.
He was suffering from intense physical pain, which would have been bearable if that was all; however, his restorative ability was incredibly strong and after his physique was torn apart, it began to heal and would then be torn yet again. And so, the process repeated itself over and over again.
Yang Kai felt like he was being subjected to the cruelest torture. The so-called death by 1,000 cuts could never be compared to his current situation.
However, it still wasnt enough!
Several days of persistence with intense sufferings did not yield the slightest progress. He was now out of ideas and furious.
He was furious because he did not know how long he had to suffer and endure.
He was also angry because if someone from the Dragon Clan could advance to become an Ancient Dragon, there was no reason he could not achieve a breakthrough. Although he was a Human, his Source was no worse than any others in the Dragon Clan.
With bloodshot eyes, Yang Kai gritted his teeth, and descended more than 100,000 metres further.
During this time, the Great Sun and Moon Marks continued to draw in the power of Dragon Pool. Simultaneously, the Yin-Yang millstone continued to grind and refine this power to nourish his body.
The unbearable pain pushed Yang Kai almost to madness.
Yet, he had no intention of stopping.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiaos concern was reasonable. The Human Races crusade would certainly be dangerous, so Yang Kais Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation might not be able to protect himself. It was difficult for him to improve his strength within his current Order in such a short period; thus, the only option was to strengthen his Dragon Vein. Now that he had this opportunity, he could not let it go to waste.
With this thought in mind, Yang Kai gritted his teeth and persevered.
At one point, he could not hold back anymore and roared.
While he was in intense pain, the battle of the Dragon Clan members above him had almost ended. The three Young Dragons and a few Grand Dragons were all badly mauled.
One of the Grand Dragons was particularly angry and gritted his teeth as he roared, You bastards!
In the past, although there were Dragons fighting for territory in the Dragon Pool, they basically only sparred against each other. Whoever was strongest stayed and whoever was weakest retreated.
This time, he was quietly cultivating in his own territory, but several Grand Dragons and three Young Dragons suddenly came at him...
He was alone, so how could he fight off so many enemies at once? Even when he valiantly resisted, he was beaten to the point where his Dragon Scales were sent flying and Dragon Blood spattered all about.
As he spoke, he glared viciously at the three Young Dragons and snarled, Never mind that the Grand Dragons came to fight for territory, what are you three Young Dragons doing here!?
Zhu Wu You and the other two Young Dragons were startled when questioned by this Grand Dragon.
Their 13th Uncle was not known for his graciousness, so he might shift all the blame back to them.
Naturally, the three Young Dragons felt a bit remorseful, but they had little choice as the situation had forced them to follow the Seniors down the Dragon Pool to fight. Otherwise, they could not obtain any benefits at their original depths.