“See my blade transform into a dragon!” roared Lu Yun.
An azure dragon shadow floated out behind him and melded into his blade light. The cerulean blue light shifted into an aquamarine color.
Lu Yun struck out with his sword.
“What?!” Li Quan’s eyes widened with shock and horror. “Bastard! Li Zhen, you taught our clan’s ultimate method to an outsider!”
Pfft!
Li Quan’s blade light and king grade weapon shattered to Lu Yun’s stroke. He flew backward, his chest caved in and bloody froth bubbling out from his mouth.
But he wasn’t dead. He stared fixedly at Lu Yun across the way, incredulity flooding his face. A single blow from the Champion Duke had defeated him, and the other had used the Dragonslay method of the Li Clan!
Li Zhen also fixed his gaze on Lu Yun’s blade light. He’d only used one stroke to defeat Li Quan! Though Li Quan wasn’t at a titled duke’s level, he was a very powerful half step king second only to titled dukes. But he’d just been defeated by his own method!
A blade as a dragon, and shattering a king grade weapon!
Li Zhen remained dumbly where he was, constantly replaying Lu Yun’s move in his mind. With his level of skill, he could naturally tell that the Champion Duke hadn’t fully practiced Dragonslay—his move was a result of observing Li Zhen’s technique.
And yet, it’d fully deployed the true meaning of Dragonslay.
Become a dragon?
Bewilderment appeared in Li Zhen’s eyes. Though the Li Clan possessed a dragon bloodline, all they obsessed over at every possible moment was to kill dragons and completely sever their clan’s connection with the dragon race. Transforming into one… ran counter to the clan’s core principles.
However, the stroke that’d transformed into a dragon really had displayed the true essence of the Dragonslay method and unleashed its full power.
If I can master this technique and practice it to great perfection, then I’ll be a half step king on the titled duke level! Li Zhen thought.
“The senior who created this move was an unparalleled genius. It’s a pity that his descendants are all idiots who changed the method beyond recognition. Even the true essence and meaning of the method is lost.” Lu Yun shook his head with sorrow and dismissed the blade light in his hand, departing from the inn.
Li Zhen shook himself all over and quickly caught up to his friend.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Lass Qing Ting’s hurt and the three of us have been through some tough times together. I can’t just turn a blind eye to her current condition, can I?” Lu Yun recalled a certain custom on Earth and took out a few Hongmeng spirit fruits from his seed storage. He’d planned on eventually using them in pill refinement, but tossed them into a bag instead and set off for Coiling Dragon City.
He didn’t look at Li Quan throughout all of this. That was still an obstacle for Li Zhen to cross. Only when he completely defeated Li Quan would he truly grow into his own strength.
“The, the bag of fruit you’re carrying… is that Aureate Fruit?” Li Zhen’s teeth chattered together when he looked at the bag of pale golden fruit in Lu Yun’s hand.
“Aureate Fruits taste great and they’re a perfect gift for a little girl.” Lu Yun nodded.
Aureate Fruit was an uncommonly rare king grade spirit fruit. Upon eating one of them, the fruit’s power condensed a layer of pale golden light over the body, as if the golden body of a Buddha. Its defensive properties were uncommonly ferocious and thus it was named the Aureate Fruit. [1]
Not only that, but this fruit was a key ingredient in refining the king grade Undying Aureate Pill. The indestructible body that the pill granted was truly fierce, making one on par with a king grade flying sword.
However, that indestructible body also made one’s skin resemble metal. Sparkling and glittering with every move, the wielder couldn’t retract the power at will. Thus, Lu Yun couldn’t be bothered with refining this particular pill. No one around him would be able to use it if he made it.
On the other hand, the golden body that one formed after consuming a fruit could be deployed at will, making it much more useful. His bag of thirty-six fruit would craft a perfect golden body for Qing Ting.
……
Lanterns and streamers festooned the Coiling Dragon City encampment in Cloudexit City and a joyous atmosphere filled every nook and cranny. Their little princess had been on the brink of death after being injured by a ghost king; even if she’d recovered, most of her cultivation would be gone and she’d have no hope of ascending to titled kinghood.
To think that she’d receive good from misfortune and be gifted a Pill of Creation! The Immortal Pagoda’s head overseer in Cloudexit City, the Skyfall King, had personally come with a pill for Qing Ting!
Many actually felt that it was a waste for the little princess to take it since it wasn’t just a healing pill; the secrets of creation lay within and its marvelous uses too many to count. However, the various kings in the city didn’t say anything. After all, the Skyfall King specifically said this was a gift for Qing Ting. After taking it, her strength would grow explosively and place her on the same level as her brother.
This overawed Coiling Dragon City and elicited some concern. Every faction in the Hongmeng begged to build a good relationship with the Immortal Pagoda, particularly after the one hundred and eight sixth step kings appeared. The pagoda’s sheer strength was greater than the city’s, but here it was with a present!
They plainly wanted to be friends with Coiling Dragon City, and the latter wasn’t fool enough to kick a gift horse in the mouth.
When Lu Yun arrived with his bag of Aureate Fruit at the Coiling Dragon encampment, a banquet was in full swing. The Mountain King would hear nothing of Skyfall leaving after he completed his errand and declared that the festivities wouldn’t end until they were both drunk.
Skyfall didn’t know Lu Yun’s intentions; though Coiling Dragon was a large faction and possessed high level pills, it wasn’t worth his master using a Pill of Creation to befriend. But since he was here, he would show them face. Skyfall was an old hat at navigating social settings—of course he knew why Coiling Dragon was making such a fuss over him. Thus, he happily sat down at the banquet.
When the Coiling Dragon servants noted Lu Yun and Li Zhen’s arrival, they didn’t block the two since they knew who the youths were. After reporting it to their superiors, they led the boys to where Qing Ting was recovering.
Lu Yun’s grand shopping spree in Haotian Tower a while ago had outfitted nearly every single hair on Qing Ting’s head. If it wasn’t for her mountain’s worth of king grade defensive items, she might’ve truly died to the combined attacks from the ghost king and Li Zhen.
The city lord of Coiling Dragon had only two children—Azureclad and Qing Ting. He doted exceedingly on his daughter and if she’d died, he might’ve blasted the Li Clan out of existence the next second. Of course, the depths of his fury might’ve impacted any other cultivator in the vicinity, so everyone was grateful that she’d now make a full recovery.
“Eh? You’re here!” Qing Ting was meditating in a rear garden while she digested the pill’s energy. When she sensed Lu Yun and Li Zhen’s auras, she quickly opened her eyes.
“It looks like you’ve almost recovered,” smiled Lu Yun. “Catch!”
“What’s this?” Qing Ting opened the bag with curiosity; delightful fragrance burrowing into her nose immediately enchanted her. “It smells so good!”
She couldn’t help but take out one of the golden fruits and bite into it.
Li Zhen swallowed hard—that was an Aureate Fruit, a treasure that could condense a golden body! The little girl was popping it into her mouth like it was candy!
“Ooh, yummy!” Not a care in the world, Qing Ting quickly plowed through the bag.
“Champion Duke, Li Zhen, how dare you two bastards show your face!” roared a furious voice as a glowering Azureclad Duke rounded the corner. “…eh? Qing Ting, what are you eating?”
“Some kind of fruit, the Champion Duke gave it to me.” She shoved another shimmering fruit into her mouth and swallowed it after a few crunches. Golden light flashed across her body.
“Is that… Aureate Fruit?!” Azureclad paused, shocked.
1. The golden body of a Buddha is a reference to how perfectly preserved the bodies of acclaimed monks would be upon death. Impervious to the erosion of the elements, it mummified and retained the look of the monk in life. Sometimes it took on a golden cast. ☜
