At this moment, Brandon couldn't afford to head back just yet. He lay on the ground and used his mental energy to inspect his body internally. His inner power circulated steadily, thick and slow like porridge, moving through his meridians. He noticed that an additional meridian had formed in his body, and his originally pale golden inner power had turned a deep golden yellow.
This golden yellow inner power was continuously absorbed by his flesh, giving his body a faint golden hue, almost like a protective film. As his cells absorbed this energy, they began a new round of strengthening. Invisible to the naked eye, mysterious runes within the golden inner power were absorbed into his cells, making them seem even tougher.
Unbeknownst to Brandon, his Golden Bell Shield had apparently advanced. This time, the advancement seemed particularly smooth; he hadn't even felt any intense pain before reaching the ninth level. His mental energy probed his dantian. According to his inherited memories, if his fighting qi advanced, it would form a crystal core within his body. He wondered what would happen with his inner power.
His mental energy easily entered his dantian, which seemed to have grown larger, with his inner power swirling around the center. As he looked at the core of his dantian, Brandon was nearly shocked speechless.
There was no crystal core or inner dan as he had expected. Instead, all he saw was a small golden bell continuously rotating, with surging inner power flowing in and out of it. Brandon was utterly bewildered by the sight. Normally, advancing to the ninth level would result in the formation of an inner dan or a crystal core, but the Golden Bell Shield had formed a literal golden bell within his body, explaining its name.
The small golden bell appeared almost solid, emitting a dazzling golden light and covered in intricate, mysterious patterns. These patterns weren't static; they moved like swimming fish, constantly shifting and changing. The sheer complexity made Brandon dizzy after just a short look, prompting him to quickly withdraw his mental energy.
In a state of heightened mental focus, the brain's intake of information increases significantly. Staring at something extremely complex for too long can cause severe headaches.
Brandon had a vague sense that the patterns on the golden bell were composed of numerous runes that combined to form the intricate designs. He also felt that the golden bell wasn't just acting as a crystal core; it likely had other functions too. He sensed a close connection to the bell, as if he could control it. However, this was not the place to experiment. Although the strange creature had left, he still didn't feel safe here.
Especially considering the fissure ahead that continuously emitted cold air, which gave Brandon a sense of danger. Without hesitation, he stood up. By now, his wounds had mostly healed, although new scales hadn't yet grown back. After the battle, most of Brandon's scales had fallen off, leaving only a few scattered remnants hanging on his body.
Brandon took a deep look at the fissure, planning to explore it thoroughly after understanding his own body's changes. The eerie arm-shaped island was deeply etched in his mind. He wouldn't feel at ease until he had clarified the situation, as no one would want to stay in an unsafe place.
Brandon stood up, noticing that his injuries had largely healed during this period, although new scales hadn't yet grown back. Most of his scales had fallen off during the battle, leaving only a few scattered patches hanging loosely on his body.
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Taking a deep breath, Brandon resolved to first study the changes in his body before delving into the mystery of the arm-shaped island. The unsettling nature of the place was firmly lodged in his mind, and he knew he wouldn't rest easy until he had resolved its secrets. No one wants to remain in a place that doesn't feel safe.
The thought that he might be living on someone else's arm and could be swatted like a mosquito any day was unsettling. With that in mind, Brandon spread his wings and flew into the sky. Within minutes, he returned to his territory, descending quickly from above and rushing back to his cave, his massive body stirring up a strong wind. He didn’t even pay attention to the little sub-dragon lying on the ground.
Excited and eager to investigate the golden bell within him, Brandon hurried to his nest, lay down, and closed his eyes. Even without internal vision, he could sense the presence of the golden bell, feeling as if he could command it.
The thought startled Brandon. Neither his inherited memories nor his spiritual knowledge mentioned the possibility of an externalized crystal core. Though the golden bell wasn’t a crystal core, it served a similar function, acting as the center of his body’s energy despite its unusual shape.
Once the idea took root, Brandon couldn’t shake it off, driven by intense curiosity to try it out. He opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and his eyes sparkled with excitement. However, the intense thrill made him hesitant to conduct such a dangerous experiment in his current state.
Unable to calm himself, Brandon recited the Diamond Sutra several times until his excitement subsided.
With a clear mind, Brandon closed his eyes again. In his mind's eye, he could see the golden bell rotating within him. With a thought, he connected to the bell, which seemed to vibrate. Taking a deep breath, Brandon willed the bell to move. It wasn’t a solid object; it passed through his dantian and out of his body without causing any sensation. Under his mental command, the bell continued to rotate outside his body.
Opening his eyes slowly, Brandon saw a golden bell, over a meter tall, radiating dazzling light and spinning before him. He could clearly see waves of power rippling through the air. The intense energy fluctuation indicated that this was not merely for show. After the bell left his body, his inner power circulated much more slowly, but Brandon was too focused on the bell to care.
The golden bell, now outside his body, appeared more real than it had inside. It looked like it was made of solid gold, filling Brandon’s eyes with golden light and making him very happy.
Under his mental command, the bell danced in the air, leaving golden afterimages. It moved incredibly fast, appearing instantly at the designated position, as if time and air resistance didn’t affect it.
The bell felt like an extension of Brandon’s body, moving with perfect precision and fluidity. The more he watched, the more pleased he became. It only seemed a bit too small; for Brandon’s 17-meter-long body, a meter-high bell looked like a tiny trinket. It would be perfect if it were larger.
To his surprise, the bell began to grow as soon as he had the thought. It expanded rapidly, soon touching the cave walls. The hard limestone shattered like tofu against the growing bell, which soon reached 50 meters high and 40 meters wide, still expanding. The surrounding stone walls crumbled, and the entire cave began to shake, on the verge of collapse.
Brandon snapped out of his stupor and quickly commanded the bell to stop growing. It immediately halted, its golden light dimming significantly, turning from bright gold to pale gold, almost transparent.
Looking at the cave now filled with cracks, Brandon couldn’t help but laugh and cry. But he quickly felt elated. The golden bell’s power was incredible. Although he didn’t fully understand its capabilities, its defensive strength was evident. If he ever faced an unbeatable foe, he could simply release the bell to shield himself—a somewhat passive but effective survival strategy.
Brandon swiftly shrank the bell and absorbed it back into his body. Once inside, he noticed the bell had dimmed considerably, and his inner power had been halved.
Brandon realized that while the golden bell was highly effective, it was also an enormous energy consumer.