X-Dragon Era

During his reflection, Xin Yun waved his hand, motioning for everyone to disperse. Yi Luo Xiang was right; this was indeed an issue, and one that had to be resolved quickly. However, the current problem was that while it was easy to hire a Purple Crystal Martial Artist, hiring a truly skilled expert was much more difficult. He had to put his brain to work and think this through carefully. Following Xin Yun's signal, everyone scattered from the tent and returned to their own tents to rest. Even Yi Luo Xiang had no choice but to leave. She knew... Xin Yun needed time alone to ponder, and she couldn't disturb him, not even her. Watching his three companions leave the tent, Xin Yun couldn't help but sigh. Today's events had finally concluded, but... this was merely the first layer of the trials they faced. Similar dangers abounded, many more of them. Though today they had already encountered a Diamond Rank expert, that had only been a One Star, the weakest of the Diamond Rank. It's important to note... above the Diamond Rank, the difference between each Star is immense, often even greater than an entire rank difference from before. Today's battle seemed easy for Xin Yun, but in reality, it was anything but. Although the Diamond Rank expert was instantly killed, Xin Yun knew that the opponent didn't die under the Seal, but rather was strangled by the nine energy-charged Jade Dragons. Wang Sheng was merely a One Star Diamond Rank expert, yet even so, he was able to withstand a blow from the Kongtong Seal. Although the Kongtong Seal's strike indented his skull, it was far from fatal, only stunning him. In his dazed state, he lost control of his energy and couldn't defend effectively, which is why the nine Jade Dragons succeeded in strangling him. At the time, it appeared quite formidable, but Xin Yun was aware of the profound mystery within. First off... the nine energy-filled Jade Dragons were not enough to strangle a Diamond Rank expert in a defensive state, even if it was just a One Star. They could only barely restrain him. If not for the dazing blow from the Kongtong Seal, which rendered the opponent unable to defend, the nine Jade Dragons wouldn't have had the capability to strangle the opponent at all. Secondly, the power of the Kongtong Seal was also insufficient. Even though it dented the opponent's skull, it hardly counted as a serious injury. If the opponent could withstand it and not be dazed, the outcome would have been quite different, and surely Xin Yun's side would have lost. The current situation was, neither the nine Jade Dragons nor the body of the Kongtong Seal could destroy a Diamond Rank expert. They could injure but not kill. Only by combining the two were they barely able to take down the One Star Diamond Rank expert, and even then, there was an element of luck involved. Originally, Xin Yun thought that with the Innate Spiritual Treasure, he would be invincible in this Diamond Rank era. But in reality, after today's events, Xin Yun realized that wasn't the case... only a Two Star Diamond Rank expert would likely be needed to withstand the Kongtong Seal! Is the Kongtong Seal too weak? No... that's not the case. How could an Innate Spiritual Treasure be weak! The key issue is... the Kongtong Seal has just emerged, innately perfect but yet to begin any postnatal development. Take the Sky-Overturning Seal as an example. Its embryo as an Innate Spirit Treasure, was the Heaven Seal, combined with half of Mount Buzhou, was forged into the formidable Sky-Overturning Seal. Only with Innate Perfection and subsequent postnatal development did it attain its supreme power! This artifact, like people, requires postnatal nurturing and growth to fully develop its power, no matter how good the innate qualities are. The most iconic example is the Chaos Bell. It is well known that the Chaos Bell is an Innate Supreme Treasure. But even as a supreme treasure, what of it? Innately, it is like an infant that, after postnatal refining, repairing, and strengthening, can reach its strongest state! The Chaos Bell and the Donghuang Bell might refer to the same artifact, but in reality, they differ greatly. The Chaos Bell is just a mysterious yellow bronze bell, its surface covered with profound patterns and characters. In contrast, the Donghuang Bell is inscribed with 365 Zhou Heavenly Stars and various Heavenly Demons. Based on appearance alone, no one would be able to link the two together. In fact... only after Taiyi's refinement did the Chaos Bell reach its highest might, otherwise, with only the innate abilities of the Chaos Bell, the most powerful aspect would be the Great Array of Zhou Heavenly Stars, not offensive or defensive capabilities. The Kongtong Seal is similar. Although it is an Innate Spiritual Treasure now, it is not yet in its prime. Firstly, the nine dragons on the Seal lack the seal of the dragon spirit, and thus cannot fully unleash their power. Secondly... the body of the Seal has not been fortified and can't exert much power. In comparison, the current Kongtong Seal is like an infant with perfect innate qualities, yet to awaken to its intellect and not robust in body. To strengthen it, one must first awaken its intellect and then train its body. For the Kongtong Seal, awakening its intellect means sealing the dragon spirit within, and training its body involves using materials to repair and enhance the Seal's body. That is to say, both the attack capabilities of the nine Jade Dragons and the Seal itself are capable of growth. Currently, they are just in their most basic state. Yet even so, they have already been able to defeat a One Star Diamond Rank expert. Such is the power vested in an Innate Spiritual Treasure! And let's not forget, this hasn't even accounted for the immortal imprint of the Kongtong Seal!