Translator: TheBrokenPen
Editor: Dhael Ligerkeys
Was it just a coincidence that this object came to him? Lu Ye reckoned not. As far as he could remember, it was after he had his fifty-fourth Spiritual Pattern “Gathering Spirits” constructed and activated upon his fifty-fourth Spiritual Point when those huge red eyes appeared. Then there was an old and ancient voice that echoed in his head, saying some sort of gibberish that he did not manage to pick up.
That was when this object came out of the spring’s eye.
It did not seem like a coincidence at all. If anything, it rather felt like some unknown and supernatural force or being had deliberately handed this dragon scale to him.
Whatever it was, it only meant one thing: there was more to the Dragon Spring than met the eye. Secrets pertaining to the Spring that not even Green Feather Mountain and the Tai Luo Clan were aware of. But Lu Ye did not see any need to trouble himself by overthinking it. At any rate, he needed to grow stronger before he could start thinking about the Spring.
He peered at the dragon scale. Red in color, it looked as if there was a cavity inside the scale and blood was swirling in it.
From within the object itself, he could sense a familiar aura—one that reminded him very strongly of the pale red-colored mist wafted over the Dragon Spring’s spout.
The Dragon Spring could enrich a Cultivator’s physical constitution only because of that pale red mist. Cultivators would only need to meditate and allow themselves to breathe in the vapors of the mist and the vapors would do their job. [So what if this dragon scale is actually—] he wondered quietly.
Then it dawned upon Lu Ye. [Well, if this is what I think this is, then this dragon scale is a priceless treasure indeed.]
The Dragon Spring was a fixed location that functioned only once every three years, and entry into the Spring needed to be earned through gauntlets of life and death, and a messy lot of fighting and violence. Whereas he could carry this dragon scale anywhere and use it any time he wished to.
As to how it should be used, that would be a question that Lu Ye needed to seek out himself.
It was the many Spiritual Patterns that he conjured over his Spiritual Points that helped him to consume all the red mist to enrich his body. So if the mist was a form of energy made air like how dragons were fire made flesh, then this dragon scale must be energy made solid.
The Spiritual Pattern “Gathering Spirits” would be useless in such an instance, or he would already be able to notice any difference since he already had fifty-four of his Spiritual Points assisted with “Gathering Spirits” at the moment.
Just when he was still wondering what to do, Amber came over and bent down, shoving its head towards the dragon scale, and drew in a long drag of air.
Thin tendril-like lines as red as blood rose like spiderwebs from the dragon scale and entered its nostrils before the giant white tiger fidgeted like it was having a stroke, then it froze before crashing to the floor.
“Amber!” cried Yi Yi.
Lu Ye got up at once to check on him too.
Moments later, both man and apparition traded quiet looks. At least they could calm down for now. Amber appeared to be absolutely fine, although it was now in a deep and peaceful slumber.
Maybe not so peaceful. Amber never stopped groaning even as he slept, to say nothing of the soft pulsing glow of red now enveloping its entire body.
“Lu Ye, do you think Amber’s fine?” Yi Yi whimpered again, still visibly concerned.
“Should be,” said Lu Ye, recalling his own experience of having his body reconditioned the same way. “I think he’s just had too much of whatever it is and it’s too powerful a kick for him. That’s why he’s fainted.”
He could still remember the gnawing pain that battered at his will and resolve to go on and that was just from the pale red mist he breathed in. But what Amber consumed was a deep-red line of whatever it was and Lu Ye knew without a doubt that it must definitely be more concentrated and more potent than the mist.
Both were energies given different forms but they worked just the same. Energies that could enrich one’s physical properties at a cost, terrible pain, that was what knocked Amber out.
The pulsing glow must mean that it was working.
With Amber’s accidental demonstration, Lu Ye did not want to pull off the same stunt himself. If he wanted to use the miraculous energies inside this dragon scale, then he would need to come up with a viable method.
Lu Ye stowed away the dragon scale. Yi Yi and he both sat together for the better part of the afternoon to make sure Amber was fine. Yi Yi relied on her spiritual link with Amber to keep a close watch but she could positively sense his vigor growing stronger and his physical body turning more robust very rapidly.
It was exactly what Lu Ye had guessed.
Whatever object this scale was—whether it was really a scale that came off a true dragon or not—it really was a valuable treasure!
He made sure that the dragon scale was kept safely inside his Storage Bag, then he had something to eat before he got up to practice with his saber.
Practicing for the first time since the Dragon Spring’s enrichment of his physical body was unlike any time he had before. He felt stronger. His strokes were faster and the force of every blow felt noticeably more powerful by at least threefold.
Such a major enhancement to his physical attributes easily made him a formidable enemy for anyone foolish enough to cross him. He doubted anyone had ever had as huge a degree of enhancement as his. But he wasn’t complaining; he had consumed so much of the vapor from the pale red mist that barely anything was left by the time he left that tiny room-like dimension in the Dragon Spring.
All of a sudden, his mind wandered to Hua Ci. He had the strange feeling of thinking if she might suspect him of having chosen to become a Body-tempering Cultivator if she could see him now.
Even the Fifth-Order Body-tempering Cultivator, whom the Tai Luo Clan had specifically sent to terminate him during the Dragon Spring Conference, could barely compare to Lu Ye’s present physical strength and vigor.
For the rest of the night, Lu Ye did not meditate. He spent the whole time training his skills with the saber so that he could quickly acclimatize himself with his new physical attributes.
The morning sun was just making its climb up a softly-lit pearl-gray sky when Amber finally woke up. Yi Yi immediately examined him to make sure he was all right. Which he was, plus a great increase in his bodily dynamism and a fresh, never-before-seen luster on his fur.
……
The shop adjacent to the one directly facing the Yi’An city Divine Trade Association was a pleasure house where the girls that worked there were not only ordinary common-folk but also independent Cultivators with little power. That somehow contributed to their roaring trade.
After a whole night’s worth of exertion, a vigor-sapped young man, the very same hedonistic young bully, trudged out the doors of the pleasure house with only his underclothes on. ‘Ding-Dong’ was waiting outside, albeit stiffly. He had been standing there all night, as steadfast as a retainer bodyguard ever could, using the time to derive rest and peace of mind. He had been very dedicated to his job and was thankful enough to have not been ordered to stand guard beside his ward’s bed all night.
“We’re leaving, ‘Ding-Dong’!” the wretched young prodigal strutted away, still licking his lips at the pleasures he had enjoyed all night and feeling carnally satiated. Most men would have shown more, if not greater respect to Cultivators. But he was not most men. One other reason that he had not sexually assaulted an ordinary woman was because of his exotic tastes for female Cultivators. Being able to dominate women with power and strength that easily exceeded most men turned out to be exceedingly gratifying to him and this particular entertainment establishment has just what he desired.
[So what if these whores are Cultivators? Dangle some Spirit Stones in front of their faces and they couldn’t get out of their dresses quickly enough for me!]
The madam of the pleasure house personally came out to see off the young man who swaggered his way down the street with ‘Ding-Dong’ dutifully shadowing him from behind. He was all that was left of the whole retinue; the playboy had sent them away last night.
……
Two individuals were hurrying as quickly as they could towards the Yi’An city Divine Trade Association building. The young male of the pair wore such a sour look as if he had just had cowpat smashed into his face.
Although the girl behind him looked no better.
So absorbed were they in their tour of a city of such wondrous and endless delights that they had forgotten the time. In fact, they would still be caught up inside this dream-like wonderland of dazzling sights and scenes if their Senior Brother’s message did not arrive, urging them to rendezvous with him quickly and that cut short their sight-seeing.
Apprehensive, both the young acolytes dreaded the stern admonishment that awaited them.
“We’re here,” gasped the panting boy as they finally drew near to the doors of the Trade Association. There was no time for respite and his hand groped for the handle.
The door swung open before his fingers grazed anything and the giant head of a tiger came face-to-face with the girl, who yelped with fright. The boy leaped to her aid, shielding her from what was just a harmless encounter as the tiger merely snorted and padded past them both.
The girl patted her own chest to calm herself down, realizing that they were not in the wilderness but in a developed and bustling city. Cultivators with Tamed Beasts were not an uncommon sight here in this city, even though such a handsome Tamed Beast was one.
The boy stared at the snowy-white tiger with envy and admiration too, until his gaze swept upwards to look at the Cultivator walking beside it. He gasped. Then his eyes shot wide and blinked twice as if to make sure that his sight wasn’t failing him. Just as he was sure that he saw the right person,? he scampered after the tiger and stood in the way of the Cultivator. He thrust a finger at the young man as he struggled to recall a name distant and far in his memories, “Y-You’re—”
Lu Ye’s hand gripped the hilt of his saber before he even started to think while his eyes squinted to scan the young man who might be a potential foe. Spiritual Powers focused around his eyes as he studied the young man.
[Second-Order of the Spirit Creek Realm… That’s a piece of cake…]
[Wait a minute… He looks oddly familiar…]
Not far away, at a roadside stall near the pleasure house, the hedonistic prodigal was chomping down on a delicious bowl of wontons and broth when he spied the white tiger outside the Divine Trade Association building. “Heavens, what a beautiful animal! ‘Ding-Dong’, go speak to that man and ask his price! I wanna buy that animal!”
‘Ding-Dong’ swiveled around to hide his face that was darkening with mounting rage from the brat calling him out in public. But when he saw the tiger, his pupils enlarged with disbelief. Did he just see a ghost?!
No! That was that boy! The boy that he thought he had killed!
How could this be!? The changes to his Contribution Points tally were correct and he was positive that he saw a body inside the pond and blood spreading on its surface… 𝚍ｎ𝚘ｖ𝚕．𝚘𝚛𝚐
[Wait a second], he mused. He was in a hurry to rush back to his stronghold and neglected to make sure that his target was dead. [What if that was another Third-Order Cultivator instead?]
[Could such a coincidence be true?!]
But the world had always been an ironic place, one filled with inconceivable and outlandish coincidences, like how Dong ‘Ding-Dong’ Shu Ye was here having breakfast with his ward who just happened to catch sight of the oversized white tiger Amber, and like how the young boy who was beginning to recognize Lu Ye…
“You’re Lu Yi Ye!” the young man remembered at last. It had been months since that day, but he could never forget that ‘Lu Yi Ye’ nickname.
Lu Ye’s face contorted into a frown, for he too, recognized the young man.
He was one of his fellow slave miners who was rescued by the Grand Sky Coalition a few months ago. Lu Ye had been a loner who kept himself only to himself and this young man arrived relatively late, so they had barely seen each other at all, let alone spoken.
[Why in Heaven’s name is this fellow here?!] Lu Ye was not liking this one bit at all. [Of all places, why the hell is he here!?]
“It’s me! Wu Hua! I was accepted into Burning Moon Mountain back then, remember?” said Wu Hua, brimming over with bonhomie. He looked very happy to find a friendly face here.
“I think you’ve got the wrong person.”
Lu Ye responded with cold placidness. He vaulted himself up Amber and left.
“The wrong person?” Wu Hua uttered incredulously, “That’s impossible!”
He was about to chase after Lu Ye when a voice called from behind.
“What in Heaven’s name is going on here?!”
Wu Hua and the young girl stiffened. They turned around to find their senior glaring at them sternly.
“Senior Brother!” The pair greeted him with a crisp salute.
Realizing that the senior was about to lose his temper, the young girl immediately quipped, “Brother Wu here stumbled upon someone he knew!”
Wu Hua was blank at first, then he bobbed his head vigorously, “Yeah, right! That’s the one! The one riding away on that big white tiger!” He aimed a finger at Lu Ye’s back.
The senior gazed into the distance and saw Lu Ye melting into the mob of swarming pedestrians. But that brief look was enough for him to read the aura radiating off Lu Ye’s back and discern his rank.
“But he said that I’ve got the wrong person,” Wu Hua muttered morosely, “But I was sure. He must be that Lu Yi Ye I knew.”
“Lu Yi Ye? What a strange name?” quipped the girl, hoping that the conversation might distract their senior from his wrath.
“His real name is Lu Ye. But during the entrance assessment, it was found that he only had the potential of one leaf. That is why people called him Yi Ye.”