After lying there for a moment, John finally recovered and slowly stood up. His body still trembled with pain, as the transformation that had taken place within had been excruciating.
"The powers of a True Dragon?" John mused as he inspected his body. He could tell that it was now vastly stronger than before, to an incredible degree no less, but couldn't detect the power of a True Dragon anywhere. However, he was still beyond elated with the changes to his body, which were beyond his wildest imaginations. Even utilizing his Bloodline Ability and Asura Transformation at the same time should no longer be as much of a burden as it was before.
"Why don't I feel much different then?" John asked curiously, his voice still slightly shaky from the painful process. "While I do feel much stronger than before, that's it. I.."
"You expected more?" the dragon-spirit asked, seeing through his thoughts. "To feel like a dragon somehow?"
John nodded at the dragon's words.
"If you expected something similar to your Asura transformation to happen, then you'll be disappointed," the dragon-spirit replied. "With how profoundly impossible that Asura Transformation is, I'm sure it's the work of the Divine. Expecting a similar transformation for this is nothing but a dream," the dragon-spirit explained.
"Then…"
"Then why did I say you have the power of a True Dragon?" the dragon-spirit finished John's words for him, to which John nodded.
"That's because you now have the ability to temporarily borrow the might of a True Dragon…by using this!" the dragon-spirit explained as a jade piece suddenly appeared in the air before John.
John stared at the jade piece, inspecting it carefully before reaching out and grabbing it. An exquisite dragon-etching was on the surface of the profound piece of jade, which he traced with his fingers for a moment before sending his divine sense inwards.
His mind was instantly flooded with information, and his face lit up with gleeful shock as he realized what it was.
"Dragon-God Shift! This is a Body Battle Art!" John exclaimed.
"That it is," the dragon-spirit replied. "By mastering this Body Battle Art, Dragon-God Shift, which activates the assimilated dragonblood and dragonbone you absorbed, you can temporarily borrow the might of a True Jade Dragon! Your recent internal assimilation has made such a thing possible! Should you manage to achieve the absolute peak of this battle art, it will be as though you have truly become a Dragon-God yourself."
John's face lit up with elation upon hearing this, as this inheritance could not be more perfect for him. His Asura Transformation was already a transformation so profound that it could most likely never be topped, and so if the Jade Dragon inheritance was another transformation, he would most likely never use it. However, since it was a Body Battle Art, much like the Supreme Battle Art, he could use it in tandem with his Asura Transformation.
Not only that, but the transformation process itself had vastly strengthened his body to an incredible degree, making his base body at least twice as strong and durable when compared to before, and then he still had the Dragon-God Shift to use once he learned it.
‘If I faced Asuros as I am right now, he wouldn't even last a minute against me. This change is beyond anything I could have imagined!'
"Just how strong is a Dragon-God?" John asked after recalling what the dragon-spirit had just said. "Were you a Dragon-God?"
"A Dragon-God is a Dragon that stands among the top of all creation. Your journey, now that you have accepted the power of a Jade Dragon, and also the burden of the Jade Dragon legacy, will eventually lead you face to face with a Dragon-God. You will learn of a Dragon-God's might when you are more powerful," the dragon-spirit replied, not directly answering John's question.
John didn't press any further regarding Dragon-Gods, as it appeared as though that was something to worry about far down the line. He continued to inspect his body with much excitement, savoring the new strength of his body.
After inspecting it for a while, he focused back on the jace piece in his hand, and read quickly through the introductory parts of the body battle art. The technique was beyond complicated, far more complicated than the Supreme Battle Art, but also far more powerful.
‘Learning this Dragon-God Shift will take quite some time, even just to learn the first form…I'll go over this in much more detail later on, but for now, let's give it a shot!'
After reading the introductory part to the first form of the Dragon-God Shift, John put the jade piece away and began to focus his mind.
‘It says to link my mind with the dragonblood and dragonbone I have absorbed, and then move it through the three chest meridians here, then the four arm and four leg meridians here, then back to the chest, then….'
John read over the technique, which was not only incredibly complicated from a Qi circulation perspective, but also a comprehension perspective. He needed to understand and comprehend the will and might of a jade dragon in order to use the technique, which coincidentally focused on a Dao he already had comprehensions in; the Dao of Power!
The Dragon-Spirit stared at John with a peculiar expression, and then amusement when he realized what he was attempting to do.
"Child, the Dragon-God Shift is one of the most profound body battle arts you will ever encounter. Even learning the most initial part of the very first form will take you several days. Attempting to use it already is nothing but misplaced arrogan-"
Roar!
A roar boomed out within the temple, instantly silencing the Dragon-Spirit, who looked at John with surprise on its face; an emotion it rarely ever felt throughout its long life.
The roar that had boomed out had not come from John's mouth, but instead his body, as if his body had roared and become a dragon itself. Green scales appeared on his body for the briefest of instants before disappearing, while John fell to his knees in exhaustion immediately afterwards.
"Ha-," he breathed in and out deeply, as the battle art had drawn much more Qi from his dantian than expected.
"How fearsome," John mused out loud, not expecting the requirements of this battle art to be so taxing. In his current state of pain and exhaustion, using the battle art for more than a few seconds was not possible. However, just tasting the initial part of the battle art made John realize how truly powerful it was, filling him with excitement to eventually fully use it.
After undoing the battle art, John realized he had been ignoring the Dragon-Spirit, and looked towards him, who looked back at him with a still stunned expression. After a short moment of silence, the Dragon-Spirit shook its head and spoke out once more.
"You managed to touch upon the initial form within minutes," the Dragon-Spirit muttered to him. "As expected of a Human, and one chosen by the Divine himself."
John scratched his cheek and smiled wryly at the Dragon-Spirits words, and couldn't help but ask a question he had on his mind.
"You mentioned the fact that I was a Human before, and now again, both times seemingly with approval. Why is me being a human so important for this inheritance?" John asked curiously. It would make sense that someone like a Barbarian, whose body strength was almost unrivaled, would be a better match for such an inheritance.
"The answer to that is simple," the Dragon-Spirit answered. "Because Humans are the race with the greatest ability for change. There is no other race in the universe that can assimilate the powers of others better than the Human race can!"
