Supreme Dragon Lord-Chapter 292 Refining the Inner Core!

"This is the Jinyin Tiger’s Inner Pill!" Long Chen explained to Chu Lingjun.

"The Jinyin Tiger’s Inner Pill?" A flicker of surprise crossed Chu Lingjun’s mind. "For a Jinyin Tiger to form an inner core, it must cultivate for at least one hundred years. Moreover, obtaining one is an incredibly difficult feat. I never thought you’d actually get your hands on one."

"It was a fortunate coincidence," Long Chen replied with a faint smile. "I prepared this Jinyin Tiger’s Inner Pill just for you."

Chu Lingjun stared at Long Chen, surprised. "For me?"

"Of course," Long Chen nodded slightly. "Otherwise, I would have used it myself long ago. Why else would I have saved it until now? I saw you hadn’t fully recovered yet, so I held off on taking it out. But since you’re better now, this is the perfect opportunity to raise your cultivation to the next level."

A warmth spread through Chu Lingjun’s heart. So, everything this man had done recently... it was all for her! First, he ventured into the Sacred Ruins Forbidden Land to find medicine, and then he saved this Jinyin Tiger’s Inner Pill, all for her. A sudden, indescribable happiness washed over her. So this is what it feels like to be cherished!

Seeing Chu Lingjun lost in a daze, Long Chen waved a hand in front of her eyes. "What’s wrong?"

"No... nothing." Chu Lingjun shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "It seems I’ll have to work harder. Otherwise, it will be difficult to keep up with you."

"With your talent, it’s only a matter of time before your cultivation advances," Long Chen said with a faint smile. "Go ahead and start refining the Jinyin Tiger’s Inner Pill. I’ll stand guard and act as your protector."

"Okay." Chu Lingjun nodded, found a spot to sit cross-legged, and began her devoted cultivation.

Her hands formed a sphere, with the Jinyin Tiger’s Inner Pill suspended between her palms. A torrent of battle qi began to wrap around it. She was attempting to enshroud the inner core with as much of her own battle qi as possible. This would make the subsequent refining process much smoother.

Seeing this, Long Chen felt much more at ease. He could tell Chu Lingjun was very experienced with this process. Her technique, while time-consuming, would minimize the risks involved.

A moment later, Chu Lingjun had largely neutralized the Jinyin Tiger’s Inner Pill. Now, the true refining could begin.

Her expression turned solemn. She formed a seal with two fingers and pointed at the inner core, commanding, "Rise!"

At her command, the pill flew into her mouth, and she swallowed it. Instantly, a wave of heat surged through her body. Not daring to be careless, she immediately circulated her battle qi to suppress the power contained within the inner core.

Long Chen watched her intently, ready to intervene at any moment.

Chu Lingjun had expected a smooth process thanks to her initial preparations. To her shock, however, a potent energy erupted from the inner core once she ingested it. It completely resisted her suppression, rampaging wildly through her body.

Instantly, Chu Lingjun’s face twisted in pain as beads of cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

Seeing this, Long Chen was startled, but he didn’t rush to intervene. He knew the time wasn’t right yet. For now, she had to endure on her own.

Chu Lingjun rapidly circulated her battle qi, concentrating all of it at a single point in an attempt to forcibly subdue the rampaging energy.

But then, trouble arose. She discovered a thorny problem: the more she tried to suppress this energy, the more agitated and uncontrollable it became!

The calm on Chu Lingjun’s lovely face was visibly replaced by grave concentration. She used all her strength, desperately trying to suppress the power of the Jinyin Tiger’s Inner Pill. As difficult as it was, she had to continue, not daring to stop for even a moment. If she failed to subdue this force, at best, she would suffer irreversible heavy injuries; at worst, her body would explode, and she would die.

ROAR—

At that moment, a phantom image of a Jinyin Tiger appeared above Chu Lingjun, snarling with bared fangs. Its aura was overwhelmingly powerful, and its sharp teeth incited fear. The deafening roar came like a powerful sonic wave, crashing toward the nearby Long Chen.

Long Chen reacted swiftly. He immediately circulated his battle qi to form a Defensive Barrier in front of him, managing to block the sonic wave.

He was inwardly stunned, marveling at the power contained within the Jinyin Tiger’s Inner Pill. It completely surpassed his imagination. If she could refine this power, the benefits would be truly boundless!

"Spirit Monarch, steady your mind!" Long Chen cried out, his heart racing with anxiety. "Don’t let it overwhelm you!"

As if hearing Long Chen’s words, Chu Lingjun suddenly erupted with an even greater force, suppressing the inner core’s power in one fell swoop.

"AAAH!" Chu Lingjun let out a sky-piercing cry as a terrifying aura burst forth from her body.

Long Chen quickly waved his hand, blocking the wave of energy. A faint smile touched his lips. Chu Lingjun had successfully merged with the Jinyin Tiger’s Inner Pill. However, she had expended a massive amount of battle qi while suppressing its power. She looked very weak, her face pale.

Suddenly, a gentle yet robust power flowed into her from her back, instantly restoring her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Long Chen behind her, his hand pressed to her back, offering support.

"I’m here," he said. "Just focus on refining and don’t worry about a thing."

"Mm," Chu Lingjun nodded, calming her heart once more. The critical period had passed. The inner core would no longer be rejected; she just needed to focus on refining it completely.

「Meanwhile」

A dangerous aura was approaching Guiyuan Academy. The people of the academy, however, remained completely unaware as everything proceeded as usual.

"Brother Long has been out for so long. Why hasn’t he come back yet?" Lin Feifei muttered, sitting in a pavilion and gazing into the distance.

Wei Lin and Dong Xuan, who were seated beside her, heard her.

"The Dean said Long Chen went to save someone," Dong Xuan said immediately. "He’ll return with Elder Feng once he’s finished."

"That’s right. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine," Wei Lin chimed in.

As he spoke, a flash of sadness crossed his eyes. After all, the woman he longed for was worried about another man. It was natural for him to feel unhappy, but he had become much more resigned to the situation. With his arm gone, his strength was greatly diminished. If it couldn’t be regrown, he’d be no different from a cripple. He knew he was no longer worthy of Lin Feifei, so his intense longing had faded. He could only leave it to fate. Besides, he had been thoroughly convinced by his loss to Long Chen.

Lin Feifei simply smiled and nodded without saying anything more.

The perceptive Dong Xuan noticed Wei Lin’s dejection. He walked over and patted his shoulder without a word.

"Don’t worry, I’m okay." Wei Lin squeezed out a smile. "I’ll pull myself together. You too, First Senior Brother!"

"Of course!" Dong Xuan smiled. "I’m the First Senior Brother. It’s my duty to set an example for you."

Just then, an ancient voice, filled with authority, drifted over from the distance. "Excellent. That is the best attitude you can have."

Seeing Fu Qing and two elders arrive, Dong Xuan, Wei Lin, and Lin Feifei all rose and bowed respectfully. "Dean! Elders!"

"There’s no need for formalities." Fu Qing waved his hand, looking at Dong Xuan and Wei Lin. "You both seem to be recovering well."

"Don’t worry, Dean. We’re not that fragile," Dong Xuan said with a simple grin. "I’m following the treatment methods provided by the academy every day. I’m sure it won’t be long before I’ve recovered."

"Good." Fu Qing nodded, then turned to Wei Lin. "Wei Lin, you must also remain patient. I have already mobilized the entire Guiyuan Academy to search for medicinal herbs that can regenerate flesh and bone. As soon as we find them, your arm can be restored!"

"I will!" Wei Lin nodded. His mindset was quite stable now. The incident had made him much more philosophical. Things he had once cared so much about now seemed trivial, and his previous desperate desires had faded.

Just then, a deafening noise from outside abruptly captured everyone’s attention.

What happened? they all wondered in shock.