The white-haired school beauty sighs every day, yet he keeps getting stronger.

Two and a half hours later, Zhang Ziyang opened his eyes wearily.

Even without the remnant soul of the Crimson Dragon causing trouble in the dark, absorbing and fusing the essence blood is not easy.

The Crimson Dragon was a high-level demon beast and a pure-blooded dragon in its previous life.

Its essence and blood contain an extremely large amount of intense heat energy.

Using mental power to guide and refine is too slow.

Fortunately, with Qi's help, the process became much smoother.

"Hu~~"

Zhang Ziyang opened his mouth and exhaled a long, stale breath.

His bare chest rose and fell with his breath, revealing smooth muscle lines.

He stood up, and seemed to have grown a little taller than before.

His muscles and bones seemed to have been tempered by the scorching flames of the demonic dragon.

But the biggest change was in the arms!

If you clench your hands slightly, your arm muscles will twist together like steel cables.

The thickened membrane quickly turned red, revealing blurry, dragon-scale-like patterns.

It looks extremely extraordinary.

Zhang Ziyang raised his hand in front of his eyes, his fingers curled and taut like eagle claws, and a thought flashed through his mind.

"boom!"

A crimson flame, the size of a child's ball, suddenly appeared out of thin air from his palm.

The dimly lit room was illuminated by the firelight.

The surrounding temperature also rose rapidly.

This flame is the new ability Zhang Ziyang gained after absorbing the Crimson Dragon's essence blood: Crimson Demon Flame!

This scarlet demonic fire is the Crimson Dragon's natal fire, and it is extremely powerful.

It cannot be extinguished by water; it will ignite upon contact with anything.

It will only dissipate when the target turns to ashes.

In addition, it has many other uses and features that need to be developed.

Unfortunately, the room was cluttered with a lot of things.

If you're not careful, you could set the whole room on fire and cause a fire.

It's really not a good place to develop skills.

Zhang Ziyang clenched his fists and extinguished the scarlet demonic flames, a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

This demonic fire is an ability gained through absorbing essence and blood, so it can be used freely in daily life without any restrictions.

Furthermore, as his cultivation level increases, his potential will be unlocked, continuously enhancing his power.

That's pretty good.

Zhang Ziyang stretched his shoulders and neck slightly and silently recited in his mind.

—View panel.

Soon, the screen appeared.

Name: Zhang Ziyang

Realm: Preparatory Stage 9 Stars

Soul Cards: Emperor Warrior (Gold), Five Elements Light and Shadow Armor (Gold)

Compatibility: 9% (increases with cultivation level); Flame Dragon Armor: 21%

Items: Release of the King's Descent, three wildcards

Abilities: Crimson Demon Flame, Basic Five Elements Mastery (Activated by calling a Soul Card)

Overall combat strength assessment: A newbie player in the starting village wearing top-tier divine gear, possessing outstanding physical abilities and skilled in fire manipulation.

……

Zhang Ziyang smiled as he looked at the changed panel.

The benefits gained from absorbing the essence of a high-level demonic dragon this time are considerable.

Acquire new skills.

Physical fitness has been greatly improved.

His cultivation level has also increased from 7-star to 9-star.

If I work a little harder today, I should be able to break through to level one.

The first engraving appeared on the six Soul Cards, awakening new abilities.

Besides that, the biggest gain was a significant improvement in the compatibility with the Flame Dragon Armor!

With a 21% compatibility rating, you should be able to use sealing techniques and ultimate moves.

If he cultivates step by step, he would need to reach the second tier, first star level to achieve this compatibility.

And all of these are real improvements brought about by absorbing the essence and blood of the demonic dragon!

"No wonder the essence of demonic beasts is so expensive and carries such high risks, yet so many card masters still flock to it."

Zhang Ziyang shook his head slightly, sighed, got up, opened the wardrobe, and took out a black short-sleeved shirt to put on.

He then walked to the full-length mirror and looked at himself carefully from the side.

Compared to before, I have indeed become taller and stronger.

The short-sleeved shirt, which was originally fitted and comfortable, now feels a bit tight on my body.

The cuffs and chest were supported by strong, well-proportioned muscles that created a slight curve.

It made him look less thin and more imposing and authoritative.

"Not bad!"

Zhang Ziyang was very satisfied with this.

His soul card is quite special, requiring him to wear armor for close combat.

The stronger one's physical abilities, the more powerful the armor can be.

"Drip!"

"Drip!"

Suddenly, the cell phone on the table rang.

"Huh? No one should be calling me at this hour, right?"

A hint of doubt appeared in Zhang Ziyang's eyes. He got up, walked over, and picked up his phone.

It turned out to be a video call from WeChat.

The ID name is a bit unfamiliar; it's called "Boss, Add More Spicy Food".

The profile picture is a chibi-style red chili pepper.

Zhang Ziyang clicked to answer and held the phone up to his face.

The screen image changes.

A white face suddenly appeared in front of the camera, almost startling Zhang Ziyang so much that he threw his phone away.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a woman wearing a face mask.

She was lying on the sofa, her long, smooth, black hair cascading down like seaweed, and most of her features were obscured by a face mask.

Her exposed peach blossom eyes were captivating, yet they also held a hint of weariness.

Half of her pink pajama collar peeked out from under her long neck, making her look like she was about to drift off to sleep.

The woman looked at him and spoke first:

"Hello, I'm Zhao Mingzhu. You must be Zhang Ziyang, whom Lao Zhao recommended?"

"Yes, hello, Teacher Zhao."

Zhang Ziyang nodded in agreement.

Judging from his tone, this teacher Zhao didn't seem particularly happy about joining the project's research and development.

Perhaps it's because I've been disappointed too many times before.

Principal Zhao also mentioned that many students with excellent Soul Card aptitude joined the project's research and development, but they all eventually left because they couldn't handle the hard work.

On the other end of the phone, Zhao Mingzhu looked at me with a serious expression:

"You've probably already heard the details from Lao Zhao, so I'll skip the unnecessary opening remarks. As long as you help me advance the project, I'll continue to invest resources in you. Essentially, this is a transaction, do you understand?"

"I understand, so when do we start?"

Zhang Ziyang remained calm and offered no objection.

At his current efficiency in absorbing crystal cores, the remaining stock in the briefcase won't last more than a few days.

Then we'll have to find a way to purchase new crystal cores.

He has enough savings to buy quite a lot.

But these funds are dwindling with each expenditure, so Zhang Ziyang doesn't want to make any rash moves unless absolutely necessary.

Therefore, it is essential to cooperate with Zhao Mingzhu and obtain stable funding.

Zhao Mingzhu was quite satisfied with his attitude, and her gaze softened slightly.

"No rush. Since it's a transaction, I naturally need to inspect the goods first. Go to any top-tier hospital and get a full physical examination, then submit the report to me. Remember to keep the invoice; I'll reimburse you for the cost."

Zhang Ziyang raised an eyebrow:

"Sure, but may I ask why?"

"Alright, then I'll make things clear to you in advance."

Perhaps her arms were tired from holding it up, the woman in the video turned over and adjusted her position.

The camera then panned down, capturing her delicate collarbone and a small patch of fair, smooth skin at her neckline.

Zhao Mingzhu patiently explained:

"Because I need to develop a training plan based on your physical condition."

If you have any hidden or hereditary conditions, I can mitigate some unnecessary risks by adjusting your training regimen.

Of course, if your physical condition isn't sufficient to support the project's requirements, the consequences are obvious, aren't they?

Zhang Ziyang accepted this explanation:

“That’s a very reasonable request. I understand. I will get the medical report for you as soon as possible.”

"Haah~"

Zhao Mingzhu raised her hand to cover her mouth and yawned:

"Okay, let's leave it at that for now. I was busy with the project all night and didn't sleep. I need to catch up on my beauty sleep."

"Okay, goodbye, Teacher Zhao."

Goodbye, little one, I hope you won't let me down!

On the other end of the screen, the woman smiled, her red lips curving upwards, before hanging up the phone.