A real dragon?
I sat down on the sofa, and Xi Zhiruo listened intently as well.
“Alright, you go get busy.”
In the empty living room, I asked Xi Zhiruo, “Baby, what realm do you think the Qinglong is at?”
“And… do real dragons actually exist in this world?” I still couldn’t believe that such creatures could exist—it all seemed too fantastical.
Xi Zhiruo frowned slightly, “There are no dragons left in this world, but there’s still some dragon blood remaining.”
“So, I think that Qinglong is just someone with very concentrated dragon blood, displaying a late-stage transformation.”
“As for its realm, well, it definitely isn’t at the Emperor Realm.”
Xi Zhiruo’s voice was soft and childish, “Mommy, do you know why I insist on having a physical body?”
“Because after cultivating to the peak of the True Self Realm, I found there was almost no road ahead. Others break through to the Unity Realm by fusing their soul and body completely, but my method was to fuse my soul with my ghost body. That works up until the Emperor Realm, but not beyond. It’s not that only those with a physical body can break through, but there’s a key issue here.”
“Basically, all cultivators go against the will of Heaven, and the Dao invisibly suppresses everyone’s realm. This is Heaven’s way of balancing all things—it’s also why so few people live past two hundred years.”
“I was born a powerful ghost, with an unknown lifespan, and breaking through is even harder for me than for others.”
“So, I thought of a different method—the only path left for me.”
“That is—to go with the flow of Heaven.”
I was trying hard to process all this, and finally stammered, “But… what does this have to do with me!”
Xi Zhiruo sighed softly, “Mommy, haven’t you ever noticed that you’re a little different from other people?”
“You’re an extremely rare child of great destiny—in other words, you’re one of those rare lucky ones occasionally noticed by Heaven itself. That’s why, after you signed the Dao contract and drew Heaven’s attention again, your gender was automatically changed.”
“Of course, that doesn’t mean Heaven thinks highly of you.”
“Heaven is always impartial—no one is special. Why would it treat anyone differently?”
“But, even the tiniest bit of Heaven’s attention is enough to create a slight crack in the barrier to breaking through realms.”
“Plus, once I have a physical body, it’s like retraining the Unity Realm all over again, making me even stronger. When the time comes, I just need to charge at the opening and I’ll be able to forcibly break through to the Emperor Realm.”
“After all, breaking a flawless piece of glass and breaking one that already has a crack are two totally different things.”
“And by forming a bond with you and basking in your fortune, I’ll receive a little more of Heaven’s favor—which is absolutely essential.”
“Wait—” I suddenly interrupted, my head buzzing, unable to absorb so much information at once.
“Zhizhi, let mommy rest for a while.” I held my head with my pale hand, my face scrunching up in pain.
It was like running into a tough problem—my brain just wasn’t keeping up.
“That’s a lot to take in all at once. Give me some time to process.”
Back at the dining table, the food was still steaming hot.
I served myself two bowls of rice, ate happily, and returned to the sofa, listening to the TV while thinking over what Xi Zhiruo had said.
Xi Zhiruo continued, “That’s about it. Anyway, Heaven can’t actually think, it’s just a metaphor.”
“Still, since it’s Heaven, even the tiniest bit of extra favor is an incredibly powerful stroke of luck compared to others.”
I nodded seriously.
In other words, I’m just a little nobody that Heaven glances at when it’s bored.
Maybe that’s the source of my Extreme Yin Physique.
And it’s exactly that tiny bit of attention that made me the ghost baby’s first choice, completely changing the course of my life.
Looking back on my eighteen years, if I hadn’t met Zhizhi, I can easily imagine how bleak things would have ended up.
At the same time.
In front of an unknown valley, an elder from the Su Family led over a hundred young people to the entrance.
Mountains surrounded the valley on all sides, tightly packed and impenetrable.
The valley was so vast that even Su Liumeng, hovering in mid-air, couldn’t see the end of it.
A thick white mist hung over the valley all year round, and terrifying beastly roars echoed from the mountains, sending chills down the spine.
With that ever-present mist, no one could see what creatures lurked above—only shadows, dark and strange, moving about.
The elder stood at the entrance, hands at his sides, his voice hoarse.
“All of you are the outstanding youth of my Su Family. Even if you don’t place in the trial, you’ll still be the backbone of our family in the future. So, there are some things you ought to hear.”
“The Su Family has a long history, going back to the ancient tribal era.”
“This valley is the source of our rise. Our ancestor found a cultivation manual deep within the valley—the Heavenly Evolution Nine Dragons Art you all now practice. From that day, our family rose to greatness, becoming the strongest in the world.”
“No one knows the true origin of the valley. Out of respect for our ancestor, we call it Dragonfall Land.”
“The valley’s outskirts have been mostly explored, but no one knows what treasures or secrets lie in the forbidden depths. Not even us old folks.”
“The final ranking of this trial will be based on the value of the treasures you collect—fighting and looting are allowed. Only those who survive have the right to bear the Su name.”
Su Liumeng stood at the front, hands behind her back, her white clothes fluttering.
Beside her were several other outstanding young men and women—the core heirs cultivated by the main branches of the Su Family.
“Go!” At the elder’s command, countless streaks of light shot into the valley, racing to be first.
At the elder’s side stood a stooped, equally aged old woman.
“Third Elder, do you think anyone in this generation can bring out that sword?”
The Third Elder’s eyes were distant, as if recalling old stories.
He remembered being a child and hearing the legends from his elders.
It was said that when the Su Family’s ancestor found the manual, there was also a divine sword radiating cold light. The ancestor tried to pick it up, but the sword had a spirit of its own and soared into the sky, vanishing into the deepest part of the valley.
“Maybe.” The elder shook his head with a wry smile, though he already knew the answer in his heart.
After so many years, the Su Family had never managed to retrieve the divine sword—how could this generation succeed?
There are seven main branches in the Su Family, and the Elders’ Hall stands apart, overseeing and enforcing order within the family. They don’t interfere with daily affairs, but their status is high and their authority great.
Inside the valley.
Su Liumeng had a clear goal, charging ahead with the map in her mind.
The valley held not only treasures, but also rare dragon blood coveted even within the family.
She had to seize this chance to absorb more true dragon blood before the others.
The Heavenly Evolution Nine Dragons Art allows for the fusion of nine different true dragon bloodlines.
The more dragon blood you fuse, the greater the power of the technique—by a geometric factor.
But the difficulty also skyrockets, and you risk your body exploding at any moment.
Very few choose to risk their lives this way.
Currently, among the Su Family’s younger generation, the most anyone has fused is three types of true dragon blood.
But Su Liumeng’s goal was never just a number like three.
She’s always aimed to be the strongest.
She’s not the same as before—now, she has someone she wants to protect. In the scheming world of cultivation, if she doesn’t become the strongest, how can she have the confidence to say those three words?
A fierce ambition seemed to burn in Su Liumeng’s eyes as golden light flashed across the sky.
The Su Family’s existing dragon blood was all brought out of the valley by family members. To obtain more rare dragon blood, you have to search the valley yourself.
In the distance.
A colossal dragon corpse, as big as a mountain, appeared in Su Liumeng’s vision.
Only a layer of pale bones remained, but even after countless years, the majesty of the dragon above could not be erased.
This was a natural suppression from the race itself.
Even though she’d prepared herself, Su Liumeng’s breath still caught when she saw such a gigantic creature.