Everything seemed hazy. The ceiling was still lit with a dim yellow light, but it was far less dazzling than the morning sun outside the window…

Xu Ke opened his eyes and squinted at the date on the electronic clock on the wall. Did I sleep at the Zhou family's house all night?

He slowly sat up. After fully recovering from his slumber, he was amazed to discover that the side effects from overexerting his potential last night, as well as the injuries caused by the rampaging Dragon Essence, had all healed completely!

Xu Ke murmured, "This is just too surreal."

However, he quickly accepted this reality. Previously, his leg had been crushed, and he had even attempted suicide, but after the Dragon Essence entered his body, he revived and healed that very night. Thinking about how that incident was even more extreme than this one, Xu Ke felt relieved.

It seemed that although Dragon Essence was difficult to subdue, it knew how to repair one's body after the struggle was over.

Beyond that, what made Xu Ke even more delighted was that his cultivation had finally reached the Postnatal Late Stage. While reaching the Postnatal Late Stage didn't cause a huge qualitative change in his strength, it meant that when dealing with an Innate Initial Stage expert like Ouyang Shuang, Xu Ke would no longer have to rely on luck and trickery to win.

Xu Ke sighed to himself. But this breakthrough process was really tough. I absolutely can't be as reckless as last night when absorbing Dragon Essence again!

He now understood that when new Dragon Essence entered his body, it would clash with the Dragon Essence already present. He could only absorb more when he was strong enough to subdue the newly introduced stream. If it hadn't been for Duan Chongfeng last night, with six or seven streams of Dragon Essence flooding into him, he probably would have been killed on the spot.

But conversely, the greater the risk, the greater the reward. Not only were all his injuries swept away and the side effects of his overexertion healed, but his strength had even broken through to the next level. One could say that with this Dragon Essence Ring, he possessed a panacea. It was just that this particular panacea was incredibly difficult to "consume."

…

After waking up, Xu Ke got up. The first thing he did was take out his phone to check for messages, but after pressing the lock screen a few times, he was startled to find it wouldn't turn on. Why is it out of battery?

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Duan Chongfeng's voice immediately followed from outside. "Brother, are you awake?"

"Yes, Brother Duan, I'm awake," Xu Ke hurriedly responded.

Duan Chongfeng opened the door and said, "After you fainted last night, Mr. Wang Wu came to pick you up, but Elder Master Zhou said you shouldn't be moved, so he had you stay the night here at the Zhou family's house."

Xu Ke nodded. "Oh, okay…"

At the same time, he noticed a sofa bed placed outside the door. Recalling how Duan Chongfeng had responded the instant he'd made a sound, Xu Ke was suddenly touched. He must have stood guard outside all night.

"Brother Duan," Xu Ke said, "you've worked so hard!"

"Don't mention it," Duan Chongfeng smiled. "I'm the one who brought you here. When something happened, it was my responsibility to ensure your safety."

The Zhou family had offered to post their own guard last night so Duan Chongfeng could go home, but out of caution, he had chosen to stay himself.

"Still, thank you for your hard work," Xu Ke said.

"It's nothing. By the way, how are your injuries now?" Duan Chongfeng asked, looking Xu Ke over with surprise. How can he look as if nothing is wrong?

Xu Ke laughed. "I've recovered."

"Recovered?!" Duan Chongfeng's eyes widened in astonishment. Bleeding from his nose and mouth, passed out cold, and he's perfectly fine after just one night's sleep? His recovery ability is simply unbelievable. He had no idea Dragon Essence could have such a tremendous effect; he thought Xu Ke had healed solely through his own natural resilience.

Xu Ke nodded.

"That's good." Duan Chongfeng breathed a sigh of relief. Then he remembered something, turned around, and took a box from the sofa bed. "Here, Elder Master Zhou asked me to give this to you."

Xu Ke was startled and subconsciously took it. "What?"

He opened it.

Inside was a ruby ring, glowing faintly.

The Dragon Ring.

Duan Chongfeng explained, "Elder Master Zhou originally wanted to give it to you personally, but he said this morning that he's going up the mountain for a few days to recover his vitality. He told me to give you this ring as soon as you woke up. He said you're the only one who can bring out its greatest value."

Xu Ke gave a bitter smile. "This is far too valuable." A ring unearthed from the Haojing Imperial Mausoleum… this thing had to be priceless. He had intended to offer something in exchange for the ring, but he never expected Zhou Hongsheng to just give it to him. Accepting it like this made Xu Ke feel a pang of guilt.

Duan Chongfeng continued, "What's so valuable about it? Elder Master Zhou said it was a bad omen for him to keep. It's better that you hold on to it, to prevent it from circulating and harming others. I think he's right, too. It's obviously an antique, and if the Qin Family—who deal in them—were to see it, they'd definitely pay a huge sum to acquire it. But this demonic thing is just creepy. This morning, I didn't even dare to touch it directly and had to hurry and find a box for it. It caused Elder Master Zhou's vitality to decline, and it could harm someone else. It's better that you, the Divine Doctor who can subdue it, keep it safe."

During their conversation last night, Zhou Hongsheng had revealed the cause of his illness. Only then did they realize the ring was responsible for his condition.

Xu Ke felt a bit helpless. To think this priceless object was being called 'creepy' by Duan Chongfeng...

Then, Duan Chongfeng whispered, "You saved Elder Master Zhou's life. Even if this thing is worth hundreds of millions, you have every right to accept it. Don't worry."

Seeing this, Xu Ke gave a wry smile. "Alright then."

…

Xu Ke wasn't the pretentious or coy type. Since he wanted it and the other party wanted to give it, he naturally accepted. He just made a mental note to properly thank them later.

To Duan Chongfeng and the others, the Dragon Essence Ring was a cursed charm, but to him, it was like rain after a long drought. The surging Dragon Essence contained within the ring can certainly sustain me for a long time. With this Dragon Essence Ring, I believe that as long as I can endure the pain of absorption, it can help me ascend to the Innate realm. Once I reach the Innate realm, my combat methods can be fully unleashed, and my life will be much more secure. Everything will be different!

However, how to actually absorb it is a problem. What if I try to absorb from the ring and all the Dragon Essence inside floods into my body at once? After all, the essence inside isn't a few separate streams; it's one whole mass. Seeing how Zhou Hongsheng was gradually eroded by it, I even wonder if just wearing the ring would allow me to absorb it little by little? But that seems too risky. What if I'm just walking down the street and the Dragon Essence suddenly invades my body? I don't even dare to imagine that scenario.

In the end, Xu Ke put the ring back into the box, deciding to figure out how to absorb it later.

…

As Xu Ke stared at the Dragon Essence Ring, lost in thought until he finally put it back in the box, Duan Chongfeng watched him with a nervous expression. He'd rushed to open the door the moment he heard Xu Ke's voice for two reasons. Firstly, he was incredibly anxious about Xu Ke's condition. Secondly, he was worried that Xu Ke might find out what happened last night right after waking up. That's why he'd started with other topics to divert Xu Ke's attention, waiting until he seemed emotionally stable before considering how to break the news about last night's events.

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