Infinite Professions-Chapter 90 - 20: Dragon and Tiger

The Martial Arts System of the Human Empire had long reached maturity, with distinct marks at each stage.

Tier One: Blood Coagulation and Qi Refining.

Tier Two: True Qi Transforming into Gang.

Tier Three: Transforming Gang into Yuan.

Tier Four: Celestial Spirit Returning to Truth.

Tier Five: Qi Sea Embracing Pill.

Embracing Pill, as the name suggests, is about cradling the Golden Core.

To enter this realm, a Martial Artist needs to condense the Gang Yuan throughout the entire body, creating a Martial Arts Golden Core within the Dantian Qi Sea. The Qi Sea embracing the Golden Core represents the Golden Core Realm, the Embrace Pill Realm, the martial arts fifth tier, transcending the ordinary.

Martial Artists in the Embrace Pill Realm not only enjoy a lifespan of eight hundred years but also possess the ability to fly and escape, to move mountains and pour seas. They can cultivate Upper Martial Arts like Xingyi Divine Martial with mastery even in Basic Martial Arts, and on remote planets like Yunlan Star, they are considered distinguished individuals.

Shen Hex arrived in this world less than a hundred years ago, and his cultivation has reached this threshold. Disregarding the accumulation of the Martial Dynasty and the fact of Spirit Beast pill consumption, he can be considered an extraordinary talent, unparalleled through the ages.

But this cannot satisfy him; he needs to advance further and truly complete the Embrace Pill.

Although his Martial Arts Talent is average, with perseverance, success is achieved through accumulated effort over eighty years, alongside the pill consumption support from numerous Contracted Spirit Beasts and his own diligent cultivation, this hurdle, this bottleneck, must be overcome.

Shen Hex sat cross-legged on the ground, his body surging with Qi and blood, and around him floated a flowing golden light, which was his Martial Dao True Essence, formed through eighty years of bitter cultivation and the support of countless Spirit Beasts, fully materialized and even existing outside the body, capable of condensing into gold and stone.

This is also a necessary condition for condensing a Martial Arts Golden Core; there must be enough profound cultivation to support it. Insufficient accumulation leads to forced Embrace Pill attempts, and even if success is attained, it remains unstable.

Shen Hex’s accumulation in this regard is enough, though it came with the "assistance" from Spirit Beasts, courtesy of the mystical Spirit Control Contract, along with his foundation in Xingyi Mastery and Dragon-Slaying Tiger-Subduing, this power is completely under his control, and he can call upon it at will without risk of losing control.

With his mind’s command, the true essence in his body began to condense inward, with that flowing golden light also retracting, spreading through limbs and bones, channels and meridians, eventually gathering in the lower abdomen area, behind the navel and in front of the kidneys.

Reaching this point, the next step is to compress the True Essence a hundred-fold, a thousand-fold, within the Dantian Qi Sea to condense a Martial Arts Golden Core.

This is the greatest difficulty in breaking through realms, requiring extreme control of power while connecting inside and outside, integrating Essence, Qi, and Spirit, using one’s Primordial Skill and essence to create this Martial Arts Golden Core.

This requires extremely high perception, strong control, and deep foundation.

Shen Hex’s control and foundation have been achieved through the accumulation of time.

As for perception, though dull, his perseverance pays off.

Shen Hex employed the Xingyi Fist Skill, concentrating on the lower abdomen, as the Martial Dao True Essence transformed into the shape of a dragon and tiger, beginning to contend and leap, intertwining and clashing, moving and pacing...

Dragon-Slaying Tiger-Subduing does not refer to literal dragons and tigers, but rather, like the Daoist School, using dragon and tiger as metaphors—dragon being yang, tiger being yin, dragon being firm, tiger being soft. The harmony of yin and yang achieves harmonious balance and strength, forming the Foundation of the Great Dao.

This is the Xingyi Fist Skill, the dharma gate of stepping into martial arts tier five—the Dragon Tiger Golden Core!

The method of combining yin and yang, and the power of harmony between firm and soft, further integrates the Essence of Dragon Tiger Form Intent, Essence, Qi, and Spirit unite to forge a Dragon Tiger Golden Core.

"Roar!!"

"Growl!!"

The Xingyi Fist Skill incites, Martial Dao True Essence converges, and from within the Dantian Qi Sea, the sound of dragons roaring and tigers howling echoes. On closer inspection, the true essence of two dragons and tigers are seen flipping and moving, within the convergence of yin and yang, amidst harmonious strength, condensing a point of golden light.

A point of golden light, indeed just a faint point, resembling specks of dust, difficult to perceive even upon close inspection.

But as the dragon and tiger merge and the Martial Dao True Essence continually condenses, this point of golden light begins to grow larger, from specks of dust to grains, from grains to longan fruits, from longan fruits to Dragon Pearl, finally transforming into a fist-sized, fully golden, flawless Golden Core.

"Boom!!"

As soon as this core forms, the surrounding temperature sharply increases, as if a blazing sun is rising in the room, clothing on the body directly turning to ash, and surrounding concrete bricks burst and crack under the terrifying radiation force.

Dragon Tiger Golden Core, Dragon Tiger Golden Core!

Shen Hex sat cross-legged on the ground, within the Dantian, gold light dazzling, seemingly cradling the great sun.

The Martial Dao True Essence compressed a hundredfold, creating this core, a highly energetic crystalline entity, akin to a small sun, even comparable to an atomic bomb, a nuclear reaction chamber, capable of fissioning out extremely powerful energy.

That’s why, after reaching tier five, martial artists master a variety of Burning Jade and Stone Together killing techniques, which involve exploding the Martial Arts Golden Core through various dharma gates, sacrificing life to unleash the most terrifying attacks.

In reality, compared to the same mass of a sun or nuclear reaction chamber, this Martial Arts Golden Core is far more potent because it is alive, capable of effectively manipulating power, operating at efficiency far beyond those lifeless objects.

With the Golden Core in embrace, Shen Hex reaches the critical moment. If unable to seamlessly absorb it into the Dantian, controlling it freely, this Golden Core will explode, leaving him in pieces.

The Human Empire has numerous countermeasures for this, such as consuming Dao Protection Pills or directly upgrading through Professional Experience, both reducing breakthrough risk.

But Shen Hex currently lacks these conditions and can only breakthrough by force.

Fortunately, enough accumulation ensures achievement!

"Roar!!"

"Growl!!"

The final dragon roar tiger howl, as the true essence in the form of dragon and tiger fully merges into the Martial Arts Golden Core, and then the core sinks into the Qi Sea Dantian, forming a mysterious and mystical connection with the human body.

Instantly, Shen Hex is engulfed in golden light, with every muscle, every drop of blood, every bone, even every hair on his body, permeated by the Martial Dao True Essence emanating from the Dragon Tiger Golden Core.

Power, immensely powerful force, fills this body, granting him unprecedented satisfaction.

"Bang!!"

Shen Hex opens his eyes, directly shooting out two beams of golden light, piercing the stone wall in front of him, as he stands up, unleashing immense light and heat, turning the chamber built within the mountain belly into ashes.

Outside the Forbidden Palace, within Wudu, Zhang Xuanming and Chen Luojun, leading others in cleaning up the aftermath, suddenly sense an indescribable palpitation, as if some extremely terrifying entity had been born, quickly turning their heads.

"Boom!!"

A booming explosion, from within the Wudu Forbidden Palace, golden light pierced through the mountain and shot high into the sky, shining with the sun.

"What is this...?"

Zhang Xuanming’s face was surprised and doubtful, Chen Luojun equally stupefied, but quickly sensing the familiar aura and the martial arts Primordial Skill sharing the same origin, instantly realized, disregarding the occasion, shouting spontaneously.

"It’s done, it’s done!"

"Dragon Tiger Golden Core, Dragon Tiger Golden Core!"

"Teacher..."