Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 123 Inner Core

Chapter 123: Chapter 123 Inner Core

"What do you mean by that look?"

Leon noticed Tassera’s ambiguous gaze.

Instead of directly answering Leon’s question, Tassera propped her chin and countered, "What do you think?"

"Well." Leon was not that naive, beneath the appearance of a teenage dragon was a grown man, not just a bookworm or workaholic who would ask questions he already knew the answer to, "I admit that the cultivation method is a bit strange..."

Leon pursed his lips and sighed internally. If he had a choice, he would definitely choose the Inner Core Cultivation Method, relying on his own efforts rather than having to depend on others, as he has disliked sharing purchases with others since childhood. But what choice does he have now?

"It’s not just a bit strange; it’s quite bizarre. I’ve never heard of that method of cultivation... You’re not a Martial Monk, are they? Even they don’t cultivate like that," Tassera squinted at Leon, "Are you really not deceiving me? You think I’m that gullible?"

"You haven’t seen a lot of things," Leon retorted, "Haven’t you seen me absorb the Sun and Moon Essence? Besides me, have you seen anyone else do that? Not even similar life forms. Also, all the spells I’ve used, before I used them, you had never heard of any of them."

"That’s different," Tassera shook her finger, "The spells you’ve used before, I’ve heard of or seen something similar, such as absorbing Sun and Moon Essence which is like absorbing Magic Power, Sword Control Technique is like Spiritual Body Weapon, immobilization spell is the same as human and monster immobilization techniques, Gathering Form and Scattering Energy is a combination of invisibility and vaporized forms... Only this cultivation method is completely unheard of."

Leon opened his mouth, unsure how to explain, and touched his neck, saying, "Forget it, if you don’t believe me, I’ll think of something else. I’ll find Cecilia; she will surely cooperate with me."

Leon casually mentioned Green Dragon. If he hits a wall here with Tassera, he truly wouldn’t mind seeking help from Green Dragon.

"You’re really impatient, you don’t have to rush it like that. I’m just saying it’s suspicious, I didn’t say I wouldn’t cooperate with you. Even if you are deceiving me, I don’t mind playing along," Tassera laughed, which somehow made Leon feel guilty.

"Don’t get the wrong idea," Leon reminded, "This really is a method of cultivation. You know, I am still a teenage dragon, I don’t have the capabilities."

Since Tassera agreed, Leon didn’t hesitate to start preparing for the Inner Core Dual Cultivation Method.

Leon thought about the troubles he might encounter along the way, but he never expected there to be so many.

Firstly, the Inner Core Dual Cultivation Method might not involve procreation, but skin-to-skin contact is inevitable. This was something Leon had to endure, but for the still teenage dragon Leon, it’s not a big deal at all.

So it’s said that the Inner Core Dual Cultivation Method isn’t about replenishing Dao by absorbing yin to replenish yang or vice versa. From beginning to end, only one person is cultivating, while the other is merely a crucible. Inner Core Dual Cultivation Method seeks dual cultivation and mutual benefits from both male and female, requiring concerted effort from both.

However, with only Leon knowing the Inner Core Dual Cultivation Method and being unable to teach Tassera, similar to how he couldn’t teach her the Breathing and Exhaling Skill.

Even if only Leon knows the Inner Core Dual Cultivation Method, it doesn’t matter, as long as Yin Yang Balance is achieved, he could take on Tassera’s share of the work, just like it’s difficult for two cultivators to have the exact same level of cultivation, usually, one is weaker, and the other has to assist.

Furthermore, if Tassera were "illiterate" it would be better, but she happens to be a Storage Dragon, a Mage, which can be understood as her system already having another operating system installed. Trying to install Android software on an Apple phone isn’t an easy task.

After a lot of trouble, Leon was totally exhausted and almost wanted to give up.

Leon didn’t want to move at all, but Tassera was quite enthusiastic, as she encountered a totally new type of Magic, completely different from any spells she had learned before.

"What you said turns out to be true..." she recalled the process Leon taught her step by step, "I really felt the energies flowing inside my body, reacting with one another."

"Really?" Leon responded nonchalantly, he just wanted to rest now.

"You’ve only seen vampires... that’s it, you probably don’t understand vampires," Tassera mused, "I’ve heard when vampires drink human blood, the victim experiences a peculiar pleasure, and some victims even become addicted."

"There seems to be that narrative." Leon didn’t remember much about it anymore.

"Did you feel a special kind of pleasure, right when we were cultivating just now..." Tassera said as she shook her head on her own, "No, that pleasure is different from the vampire’s blood-drinking. When vampires drink blood, it’s more like blood-sucking animals that inject a ’poison liquid’ to reduce resistance, whereas that pleasure... I don’t understand it either."

Leon naturally had that feeling, but that was about it; there wasn’t too much impulse.

"That’s a very strange feeling," Tassera continued, "When we cultivate together, it’s as if I can hear your breath, feel your spirit, and we have established a connection on a spiritual level, not just an exchange of magic power, but also spiritual communication."

Tassera talked eloquently about her feelings, like a top student giving an impassioned book report, talking and talking. Suddenly realizing Leon was silent, she asked, "Is it that tiring?"

"You’re definitely not tired since you don’t have to move. Not only do you not move, but you also resist," Leon couldn’t help but complain, "Can you cooperate with me a bit? Can you stop questioning me? This part is wrong, that part is wrong again. Do you understand or do I? This cultivation is completely different from the spells you usually learn."

Leon hung his head and let out a long sigh, saying, "Can you trust me at the end? I take your power but I will compensate you for it."

"If you don’t trust me, let’s end this here," Leon thought. The key to Inner Core Dual Cultivation Method was finding a like-minded partner, not just anyone. Fortunately, it was not too late to give up now, as the Inner Core Dual Cultivation Method didn’t bind one permanently to a partner.

"I believe you," Tassera said, "It’s just that everyone is skeptical in the beginning."

Tassera lay on top of Leon, feeling sorry, "Really, if you weren’t a teenage dragon, I would be willing to give it to you... Really, can’t you? You are already so big."

Leon sniffed, thinking he could endure, but the Blue Dragon... she couldn’t do it alone.

It took Leon almost half a year for Foundation Establishment, and the last and most crucial Dan Formation of the Inner Core Dual Cultivation Method would be even more difficult. Leon couldn’t guarantee how much time it would take, especially since his partner, or rather his Dao companion Tassera, was completely uncooperative, leading to efforts that were often half as effective.

Nearly a month later, Cecilia handed over her work results to Leon.

Leon looked through them and aside from some goblin, Kobold tribes, and other such forces he already knew about, there were no powerful forces he wasn’t aware of. At most, a Weretiger family settled in an oasis, and a group of Thri-kreen recently hunting in an oasis. He left all of that entirely to Cecilia’s discretion, focusing mainly on the Inner Core Dual Cultivation Method.

Dual Cultivation didn’t need to be done daily; Leon would go see Tassera about once a week and each time he left exhausted, but a sleep later he was radiant again.

Leon didn’t know if it was because of their cultivation together, but he and Tassera had recently become more in sync and attuned to each other’s thoughts. He would just make a gesture, and Tassera would know what action he wanted.

As a female, or a woman like Cecilia, was quite perceptive.

"You two... I remember it wasn’t like this in the beginning," Cecilia, not knowing about Leon and Tassera’s Dual Cultivation, said, "Now I see you two looking more and more like a pair, and although I hate to admit it... what have you been doing behind my back?"

"Is it really so?" Leon, being involved, was oblivious, or rather he didn’t care much about his relationship with Tassera since he was more concerned about when he could achieve Dan Formation.

"Who are you?" Tassera confidently felt she now had the upper hand, while at the same time she seemed to care more about Leon, getting more possessive and not wanting other people around him, "Do we need to report to you what we are doing?"

Cecilia really wanted to react, but she could not defeat the Blue Dragon, especially after finding out that the Blue Dragon was actually a Storage Dragon and also a Mage.

Another half a year passed.

Tassera excitedly found Leon, saying, "That cultivation method of yours really works; I’ve discovered I can cast more spells than before."

"Congratulations," Leon said, thinking Tassera also benefited from Inner Core Dual Cultivation Method by increasing her Magic Positions, but it was a pity she didn’t know the Inner Core Dual Cultivation Method herself and could only cooperate with him, and since she hadn’t established her foundation, she couldn’t achieve more benefits.

It must be said that the Inner Core Dual Cultivation Method was quite difficult to practice, even for Leon who was not ordinary, being a top-of-the-food-chain Red Dragon, a top-tier Magic Creature, who grew up breathing nature’s spiritual energy and absorbing Sun and Moon Essence, it still took nearly two years, an extreme effort, to finally achieve Dan Formation.

Dan Formation wasn’t about refining a Golden Core in the stomach, which could be spit out and then possibly stolen by others leading to a massive decrease in cultivation or having someone kill and harvest it from the stomach for concocting medicine.

The so-called great Dan has no form; this Dan was formless and intangible. Dan Formation refers to the strict control under one’s own conscious spirit, refining essence, energy, and spirit into one Dan, integrating them all together.

Perhaps external Dan would refine a core, but what he refined was the inner core.