Just how difficult was it to absorb Dragon Essence?

Xu Ke has to struggle to this extent! He just told me that once it was lured into his body, he could suppress it… So this is the method he has to rely on. Zhou Hongsheng thought. Once he understood the key point, he felt a flash of guilt mixed with gratitude. Xu Ke has really paid too high a price for my injury! Because of this, I must never forget his life-saving grace!

...

After stimulating his potential, Xu Ke steadied his arm and chased after the final wisp of Dragon Essence in Zhou Hongsheng's body. Moments later, he successfully extracted it.

Xu Ke quietly breathed a sigh of relief. This Dragon Essence is truly not something to be trifled with. Just seeing how it wreaked havoc in Zhou Hongsheng's body was enough to know it could absorb a person's vital essence and blood.

As the Dragon Essence vanished, Zhou Hongsheng felt his body become significantly lighter. Although the aftereffects remained, the crushing weight was gone. But before he had time to rejoice, he hurriedly got up. "Doctor Xu, are you alright?" he asked anxiously. "Wu Ming, quickly find a room for Doctor Xu to rest in!"

The elder named Wu Ming nodded hurriedly, his eyes flashing with gratitude and admiration. "Yes!"

Stimulating one's potential is a matter of overdrawing on the future. Ordinary people only resort to such a desperate move in a life-or-death struggle with no other way out. Yet Xu Ke just did this for Zhou Hongsheng's condition. This decisive action immediately filled Wu Ming's heart with intense respect. No wonder someone like him could become a Divine Doctor. This level of medical ethics, this self-sacrifice for a patient, is the very definition of a benevolent healer!

...

After Wu Ming complied with Zhou Hongsheng's request, he immediately went out.

Meanwhile, Xu Ke put away his Silver Needle. His face was slightly pale, but he managed a smile. "Elder Master Zhou, I'm fine. Just let me recuperate for a bit. Also, although the Dragon Essence has been extracted, your body hasn't fully recovered. Remember to replenish your qi and blood."

Xu Ke believed he didn't need to say much, as Zhou Hongsheng's medical experience was far more extensive than his own.

But Zhou Hongsheng was greatly alarmed. "Your face is deathly pale! How can you say you're alright?"

"Besides, you're in this state. Stop worrying about me for now," Zhou Hongsheng insisted. "How can I help you?"

At this moment, Xu Ke's face was as pale as paper, and he looked ready to collapse. Zhou Hongsheng was worried he might faint at any moment, but he was unsure about the side effects of absorbing Dragon Essence and didn't dare to act rashly.

Xu Ke set down the Silver Needle. "It's alright, Elder Master Zhou. You don't need to worry. I just need to rest quietly for a while."

Zhou Hongsheng nodded vigorously. "Yes, you should rest immediately. I'll have someone find you a comfortable room."

Xu Ke nodded. "Thank you, Elder Master Zhou."

With that, he sat down cross-legged to one side.

"Good," Zhou Hongsheng said, nodding as Xu Ke closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.

When that last wisp of Dragon Essence entered my body, I realized something would go terribly wrong if I didn't start cultivating immediately. Although cultivating at the Zhou Family estate was risky, Xu Ke knew one thing for certain: if he waited until he got home, it would be too late.

After the final strand of Dragon Essence entered him, the accumulated energy went on a rampage inside his body, throwing everything into turmoil and causing his qi and blood to flow in reverse.

Xu Ke closed his eyes, relying on his Cultivation Technique to forcefully absorb the rampaging Dragon Essence. But as soon as he began, he felt a crushing pressure in his chest.

He snapped his eyes open.

"PFFT!"

Turning away, Xu Ke spat a mouthful of thick essence-blood onto the ground.

Zhou Hongsheng's expression changed drastically. "Doctor Xu, what... what's happened to you?!" How could he start spitting up blood the moment he closed his eyes?

But Xu Ke couldn't respond. His face was rapidly turning crimson. As he tried to absorb the Dragon Essence, his True Qi flared up as if it had been set ablaze. His skin turned red at a visible rate, becoming the color of a boiled lobster.

Damn it... Xu Ke cursed inwardly. I never expected absorbing Dragon Essence to be this agonizing. Every single strand feels like a knife slicing through my flesh.

He tried to use his own innate Dragon Essence to pacify and assimilate the foreign strands. But the moment they made contact, the two forces clashed violently, like sworn enemies meeting on the battlefield.

It was only now that Xu Ke realized something. While Dragon Essence was a life-saving treasure, trying to absorb a new source of it when you already possessed your own was a grueling tug-of-war. He vaguely understood the reason. This Dragon Essence came from the Jiuwu Sovereign; it possessed its own pride and would naturally resist being consumed by another. That must have been why it went berserk during the acupuncture session earlier.

However, one thing comforted Xu Ke amidst the torment: his method of absorbing the Dragon Essence using his Cultivation Technique was working. Enduring the agony, he had already managed to refine a small portion of it. The process was just excruciating.

Just then, Wu Ming reentered the room. "Elder Master, I've already—"

"SHUSH!" Zhou Hongsheng gestured sharply for him to be quiet.

Wu Ming froze, turning to look at Xu Ke. His eyes widened in shock. Xu Ke's skin was glowing crimson, and even from a distance, Wu Ming could feel the scorching heat radiating from his body.

But what shocked him even more was that Xu Ke was showing signs of a breakthrough!

When I first entered the room, I noticed his cultivation right away, Wu Ming recalled. It didn't escape my notice that he was at the Innate Middle Stage. I was amazed that someone so young could reach that level—a truly prodigious talent. But now... he's about to break through on the spot to the Postnatal Late Stage?!

Ordinary people didn't reach that realm until they were thirty-five, yet Xu Ke was about to do it now? Prodigies like Chen Xiong and Wang Wu had only reached the Innate Middle Stage in their thirties. Even the great Wong Ting hadn't broken through to the Postnatal Late Stage back when he was still in Tianhai. If not for a fortuitous encounter abroad, Wong Ting would never have achieved his current cultivation level.

And now, Xu Ke is going to break through to the Postnatal Late Stage right here, in front of us! Isn't this pace of cultivation far too rapid? Even if the Dragon Essence is as helpful as he claimed and this is his own fortuitous encounter, the speed is still insane. Compared to others who've had lucky breaks, Xu Ke's progress is like a rocket. At this rate, he could reach the Innate Realm by next year!

"Elder Master, this..." Wu Ming was at a loss for words.

Elder Zhou's expression turned grave as he lowered his voice. "Wu Ming, pay close attention. If you notice anything is wrong, be ready to intervene immediately."

"Why?" Wu Ming was stunned. Interrupt a breakthrough?

Elder Zhou pointed to the blood on the floor beside Xu Ke.

Only then did Wu Ming's face pale. "Is that... vital blood he coughed up?"

"Exactly!" Elder Zhou nodded. "I think the Dragon Essence that was wreaking havoc in my body is now doing the same inside Doctor Xu."

Wu Ming was stunned by his words. So it was the rampaging Dragon Essence that made him vomit blood? A horrifying thought immediately struck him. If he's showing signs of a breakthrough even while being ravaged by the Dragon Essence to the point of coughing up blood... then without that hindrance, wouldn't he have reached the Innate Realm long ago?!

At this realization, Wu Ming couldn't help but gasp in shock.

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