78: Chapter 78 Stew, stew!
Ning Yuan stood proudly atop the massive dragon head, a spear held in one hand.
His posture was upright, his black hair danced wildly, and the tragic aura of the world-shaking battle still lingered on him, making him look like an Ancient God of War who had just returned from slaying a dragon.
That domineering and peerless aura, looking down upon the world, seemed to make even this piece of heaven and earth surrender to him.
Jiang Mingyue and Ling Wanhe stared blankly at this scene.
For a moment, an indescribable feeling of admiration unexpectedly rose in their hearts.
This feeling came so abruptly and yet so strongly.
It was like a seed quietly taking root and sprouting in the depths of their hearts, then rapidly growing into a towering tree.
"This guy... although he's usually a bit of a jerk, right now... he's actually quite handsome."
Jiang Mingyue thought to herself.
But in the next second, she suddenly snapped out of it, her pretty face turning red as she mentally spat "Bah" several times.
"What am I thinking! I am a dignified Martial Saint reincarnated! How could I admire this guy!"
"This must be an illusion! Yes! An illusion!"
She shook her head vigorously, trying to toss such a terrifying thought out of her mind.
Meanwhile, Wanhe lowered her head slightly, a complex light flashing within her beautiful, star-like eyes.
She had always held herself in high regard, feeling that no one among her peers could surpass her.
But today, Ning Yuan's performance had completely shattered her pride.
That kind of absolute strength and domineering air that ignored all rules made this favored daughter of heaven, who had been pampered since childhood, feel for the first time what a true "Prodigy" was.
In her heart, besides shock, there was a deeper sense of being thoroughly convinced.
This was perhaps the kind of existence she had always been searching for... someone who could stand side-by-side with her, or even someone she could look up to.
Seeing that the two hadn't reacted for a long while, Ning Yuan scratched his head, looking puzzled.
"What's wrong? Are you both scared silly?"
"At least give me some reaction. This is dragon slaying! Doesn't it deserve some applause and cheers?"
Right then.
That system notification sound, which he both loved and hated, rang out in his mind again like heavenly music.
[Congratulations Host! Through great effort and a stroke of luck, you saved Wanhe at her most vulnerable moment. Not only that, you took meticulous care of her while she lost her cultivation. According to the system's precise detection, Wanhe's favorability and admiration for you reached the task's required threshold at that very moment!]
[Congratulations Host for successfully completing the side mission—Make Wanhe admire you!]
[Obtained Mission Reward: great sun indestructible bell!]
"Holy crap? For real?"
Ning Yuan was overjoyed, nearly failing to hold back a direct laugh.
This works too?
He had just been having a headache about how to complete this high-difficulty "technical task."
And it was just... completed so simply and crudely?
It seems Second Brother was right!
As long as one shows enough strength and charm at the critical moment, a woman's heart isn't actually that hard to guess!
He happily checked the reward.
[great sun indestructible bell: A defensive treasure refined by the ancient Sun Great Saint using the Sun Star Core as the primary material, taking ten thousand years to complete! Once summoned, it can transform into an indestructible golden bell, immune to all techniques and eternal through all tribulations!]
"Awesome! This is definitely top-tier!"
Ning Yuan felt extremely smug in his heart.
With this thing, his sense of security would be maxed out whenever he went out to mess around in the future!
Even if he encountered one of those shameless old Prodigys who bullied the young, if he couldn't win, couldn't he at least hide?
He'd just dive into this golden bell; let them bombard him wildly outside, he would remain unmoved!
Just thinking about it felt great!
However, now wasn't the time for a detailed look.
He temporarily put away the reward and looked at the two women, a smirk returning to his face.
"I say, what's with those expressions on your faces?"
"You couldn't have been captivated by Big Brother's invincible heroic posture, could you? Let's get this straight beforehand, Big Brother doesn't swing that way!"
Hearing this, the little bit of admiration and favor that had just risen in Jiang Mingyue and Wanhe shattered instantly.
The two of them rolled their eyes in unison and shouted at the same time:
"Get lost!"
This guy really couldn't stay cool for more than three seconds!
No matter when, he could rely on his own 'ability' to completely ruin the expert image he had worked so hard to build!
Just then.
"Woof woof!"
A cheerful bark broke the awkwardness.
Wang Zai, who had already returned to his Corgi form, came trotting over happily.
He first rubbed vigorously against Ning Yuan's pant leg, then circled the massive dragon corpse several times, drooling all over the floor with eyes full of longing.
His meaning was: Big Brother, can we eat this? It looks very nourishing!
Seeing this, Ning Yuan laughed loudly, picked him up, and skillfully ruffled his backside.
"As expected, my Wang Zai understands me! Unlike some people who have no sense at all."
He glanced pointedly at the two women.
The two women were speechless again.
Comparing our sense to a dog's? You're really something!
Afterward.
The three people, the dog, and the fox sat around the massive True Dragon corpse and began to worry.
This was a genuine ancient Young True Dragon cub!
Its whole body was a treasure!
Dragon scales could be made into armor, dragon horns could be used for forging, dragon tendons could be made into bowstrings, and dragon bones could be used in medicine...
Most importantly, that incredibly pure True Dragon flesh and blood was simply the ultimate tonic for a martial artist!
This was a fresh True Dragon, even more potent than the previous True Dragon Blood Pool.
If they could fully refine and absorb it, the improvement to their physical bodies and cultivation would be unimaginable!
But...
How were they supposed to handle such a large mass?
Earlier talk of "steaming and braising" was just satisfying a craving for words.
If they actually tried to eat it, even with the three of them plus Wang Zai, they probably couldn't finish even one percent of it before their stomachs burst.
Moreover, eating it raw or through simple cooking for ingredients of this level was simply a waste of God's gifts; they wouldn't be able to fully absorb the essence.
"How about... we butcher it? Everyone takes some back?" Jiang Mingyue suggested.
Wanhe shook her head.
"It's too wasteful. Once the dragon corpse is dismembered, the essence, energy, and spirit within will rapidly dissipate, and the effect will be greatly reduced."
Ning Yuan rubbed his chin, frowning slightly as he fell into deep thought.
If such a good thing couldn't be put to its best use, it would truly be a sin.
Suddenly!
A flash of inspiration hit him, and his eyes suddenly lit up!
"I've got it!"
He slapped his thigh hard, startling Wang Zai in his arms.
Jiang Mingyue and Wanhe looked at him curiously.
"Got what? You thought of a way?"
Ning Yuan chuckled mysteriously, "Of course! Look who you're talking to!"
As he spoke, he flipped his wrist.
A warm, ancient jade pendant carved with nine lifelike miniature True Dragons appeared in his hand.
The nine dragons spirit nurturing pendant!
This was a treasure his grandfather, Ning Jianghe, had specially gifted him before he set out, saying it could be used to assist his cultivation, sense cosmic particles, and nourish his soul after he stepped into the Transcendent realm.
But his taking it out now was clearly not for that.
Immediately after, he took out the spoils of war he had snatched from Ox Whirlwind—the heaven refining bottle!
Inside this bottle was sealed an extremely rare cosmic divine fire—the Star Burning Violet Fire!
Ning Yuan looked at the two treasures in his hands, then at the massive dragon corpse, the smile on his face becoming even more radiant.
"Second Brother, Third Sister, we're really in for a treat this time!"
"I suddenly thought of a brilliant idea!"
"We can use this nine dragons spirit nurturing pendant as the formation eye, the Star Burning Violet Fire from this heaven refining bottle as the formation fire, and combine it with an ancient wondrous formation I learned from an old text—the 'Nine Dragons Heaven Refining Formation'!"
"We'll directly refine this entire True Dragon corpse into a pot of peerless 'True Dragon Tonic Soup'!"
"When the time comes, we'll all jump in to take a bath and absorb all of this essence completely! The effect will definitely be hundreds or thousands of times stronger than just eating the meat or drinking the soup!"
"What do you think? Interested?"
After hearing this, Jiang Mingyue and Wanhe's eyes instantly went wide!
This... this was way too crazy, wasn't it?
Using an ancient True Dragon's corpse to brew soup for a bath?
If word of this got out, those Prodigys would probably be shocked to the point of red-eyed envy and hatred!
But...
Why did it sound so tempting?
"Is... is it really possible?" Wanhe asked somewhat hesitantly, though she couldn't hide the expectation in her eyes.
Ning Yuan waved his hand with full confidence.
"It absolutely is! Trust Big Brother, it can't go wrong!"
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! If we miss this chance, we won't get another!"
Jiang Mingyue gritted her teeth and nodded fiercely.
"Fine! Let's do it! Fortune favors the bold!"
"We've already killed it anyway, so what's one more crazy thing!"
The three of them reached an agreement, raging fires of excitement burning in their eyes.
Time to feast!
We must have a feast!