The Secret of the Dragon? Heavenly Realm

"Ah!" Chu Xuanao soaked in the bath, his head resting against Shuangxue's towering peaks as he let out a long sigh in the water. Behind him, Shuangxue massaged his head, helping him relax.

I really can't hold my liquor. I'd better drink less from now on.

Today, he had held a welcome banquet for his Maternal Grandfather and Maternal Aunt, only having a few drinks, yet his head was already a little dizzy.

"Your Highness, have some tea!" Qiuyue brought over a cup of mind-clearing tea, something similar to hangover soup.

But mind-clearing tea did more than sober one up. Drinking some before cultivation could also help one quickly enter a meditative state and steady the mind.

He suddenly remembered that Zhu Wushi and Yuan Tiangang's arrival had made him too excited, and then his Maternal Grandfather had delayed him. It seemed he still had lottery draws left unused.

System, draw.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host, on a successful draw. You have obtained one Earth Dragon."

Hearing the system's voice, Chu Xuanao abruptly sat up in the water, stunned.

Am I really this lucky?

Is this something I can have right now?

But when he saw the item description in the system, his face darkened. His joy had been for nothing.

You damn system, I urinate just fine. Go find some brothers who actually need it!

[Earth Dragon, scientific name: earthworm. In traditional medicine, it is called Earth Dragon and can clear heat, detoxify, and promote urination.]

"Your Highness, what is wrong? Was this servant's massage not good enough?"

Shuangxue behind him looked puzzled, thinking she had used too much force.

"It's nothing. Continue."

He lay back down between the mountains, closed his eyes, and resumed enjoying himself.

Keep drawing, System. Draw them all.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host, on a successful draw. You have obtained one Earth Fire Condensed Lotus."

"Ding! Congratulations, Host, on a successful draw. You have obtained the blade technique Three Slashes That Take Your Life."

Chu Xuanao's eyes widened sharply. He actually knew what the Earth Fire Condensed Lotus was.

A good treasure.

[Earth Fire Condensed Lotus: Born within the heart of a volcano, it takes a thousand years of refinement by the fire of heaven and earth to take form. It is among the rare wonders of heaven and earth.]

This was a supreme treasure capable of helping a Peak Ascension Realm expert comprehend the Heavenly Dao and step into the Celestial Phenomenon Realm.

It was no exaggeration to say that if this treasure were taken out, it would be enough to plunge the Martial World into chaos. Ascension Realm experts and even Celestial Phenomenon Realm experts would appear, and powers throughout the world would go mad over it.

Naturally, top-tier powers were an exception, but even they would be tempted. No one ever complained about having too many treasures.

The laws of the Heavenly Dao in this world were incomplete. If Peak Ascension Realm experts wished to step into the Celestial Phenomenon Realm, they could only rely on the laws of heaven and earth gathered when top-grade heavenly treasures were born to comprehend the Heavenly Dao, giving them a slim chance of entering the Celestial Phenomenon Realm.

Every appearance of such a supreme treasure would be accompanied by a bloody storm. What it represented was the qualification to become a Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert.

With it came the qualification to enter the Celestial Phenomenon Realm, as well as five hundred years of lifespan and the might of heaven and earth. It was enough to drive anyone mad.

Without it, the laws of the Heavenly Dao were incomplete, making it impossible to comprehend the Heavenly Dao. No matter how dazzling one's talent was, the Ascension Realm would be the end of the road in this lifetime.

You did not even have the qualifications to sit at the table.

Ordinary martial artists in the Martial World only knew that the Heavenly Realm stood at the peak, that Celestial Phenomenon Realm experts lived five hundred years and wielded the might of heaven and earth.

If one reached the Heavenly Being Realm and forged a Heavenly Being body, one could enjoy a lifespan of a thousand years, look down upon the mortal world, and stand invincible in the mundane realm.

Yet they did not know that even with peerless talent, they might never become a Heavenly Realm expert.

Of course, possessing this thing only meant having the qualification; it did not guarantee reaching the Celestial Phenomenon Realm. The Earth Fire Condensed Lotus was a supreme treasure for those with fire attributes, but if a water-attribute expert consumed it, unless they could attain enlightenment of yin and yang between life and death, preserving their life would already be a blessing from heaven.

It was not enough to possess heavenly treasures. They also had to suit the user.

Furthermore, one's talent and comprehension had to be sufficient. One had to use the laws of the Heavenly Dao within the supreme treasure to comprehend the Heavenly Dao and, during that period after consuming it, realize one's own Dao.

That was why there were so few Celestial Phenomenon Realm experts in the world beyond the top-tier powers.

No matter how peerless your talent, Peak Ascension Realm was the limit. Only by defying fate and accidentally obtaining a heavenly treasure could one break through into the Celestial Phenomenon Realm.

Yet the laws of the Heavenly Dao were incomplete, making it impossible to comprehend the Heavenly Dao and forge a Heavenly Being body.

Peak Celestial Phenomenon Realm was the end.

If Peak Ascension Realm was the limit of talent, then Peak Celestial Phenomenon Realm was the limit of this world.

And the Heavenly Being Realm?

No amount of heavenly treasures could bring you to the Heavenly Being Realm.

The Heavenly Being Realm required comprehending the complete Heavenly Dao and using it to forge one's Heavenly Being body.

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you do not lose it next time.

Heavenly Being Realm experts could only be born within the various top-tier powers. Beyond them, there were no Heavenly Being Realm experts anywhere in this world.

(System summons did not count.)

Take the Stone Buddha from a thousand years ago. What an unparalleled prodigy he had been.

Rare even in ten thousand years; looking across Dagan's ten-thousand-year history, his talent had been utterly unmatched.

The Imperial Clan Ancestor had once said that he regretted such a peerless prodigy had not been born into the Chu Imperial Clan.

At thirty, he had reached Peak Ascension Realm, yet he could not comprehend the Heavenly Dao. Only at a hundred did he obtain a rare wonder of heaven and earth and ascend into the Celestial Phenomenon Realm.

Before reaching two hundred, he had attained Peak Celestial Phenomenon Realm.

But the Heavenly Being Realm required using the Heavenly Dao to refine a Heavenly Being body!

In the end, he sat in meditation for more than three hundred years before helplessly passing away.

With the Stone Buddha's talent, had he been born into a top-tier power, or had some top-tier power helped him comprehend the Heavenly Dao—

Heavenly Being Realm? He might even have stepped into the realm of ascension to godhood.

Unfortunately, there was no such chance. A heaven-shaking prodigy ultimately stopped at the Celestial Phenomenon Realm. What could anyone do about it?

The Heavenly Being Realm represented a top-tier power.

That was why Chu Xuanao had dared to make such bold claims when he summoned Yuan Tiangang.

The only ones who could stand on equal footing with Yuan Tiangang were the Heavenly Being Realm ancestors of the Chu Imperial Clan and the various top-tier powers.

He wondered whether the Earth Fire Condensed Lotus would help Yuan Tiangang.

The first person Chu Xuanao thought of upon seeing the Earth Fire Condensed Lotus was Yuan Tiangang. As long as it could help Yuan Tiangang's cultivation, he would have struck it rich.

Yuan Tiangang was in the late Heavenly Being Realm. He could protect Chu Xuanao completely and could even establish a top-tier power that looked down upon the world. But to unify the world and make all factions submit, with the top-tier powers also possessing Heavenly Being Realm experts, it still was not quite secure enough.

If Yuan Tiangang could reach the realm of ascension to godhood, Chu Xuanao would dare ride the Imperial Clan Ancestor while unifying the world.

System, this is a blade technique? Where is the manual?

Chu Xuanao stared blankly at a ball of light in the system space.

"Host, that is correct! Once the Host extracts and uses it with your mind, the blade technique will be directly transmitted into your mind."

Extract.

Memories concerning the blade technique flooded into Chu Xuanao's mind. Already somewhat drunk, his head became even dizzier.

"Qiuyue, bring another cup of tea."

Chu Xuanao, resting among the mountains, furrowed his brow slightly.

Shuangxue, behind him, supported Chu Xuanao's head with both hands and shifted her body slightly, allowing him to rest more comfortably.

Her hands gently settled upon Chu Xuanao's head.

A cool sensation instantly swept through Chu Xuanao's entire body.

"Ah, that feels good."

After drinking another cup of tea, Chu Xuanao felt much better. He stood, walked out of the bath, and servants immediately came to dry his body, dress him, and tie up his hair.

He entered the courtyard and sat before the stone table. Night had just begun to fall.

"Qiuyue, go find me a blade."

Though Qiuyue was puzzled, she still headed toward Chu Xuanao's private treasury.

Yes, his private treasury. All fine weapons in the residence ranked as Famous Weapons were kept in His Highness's private treasury.

Or rather, every valuable good thing in the residence was kept in His Highness's private treasury.

After Qiuyue left, Chu Xuanao began studying the blade technique he had drawn. Though it could not exactly be called a blade technique.

Overall, it was more like an explanation of techniques and the human body.

Yes, an explanation of the human body: where to cut with the least effort, where to cut to kill with one stroke, and which places were easiest to cut.

The true Three Slashes That Take Your Life.

One slash to the chest, one slash to the throat; even Hua Tuo would shake his head when he arrived.

Three slashes, six pieces, covered with a white sheet; even Yama would bring funeral gifts when he came.

Yes, this blade technique did not leave a wound. It left a section.

One person became six, piece by piece.

Not bad. At least after cutting them up, the pieces could still be put back together.

Some people could not even be pieced back together after being cut.

Before long, Qiuyue approached with both hands holding a sheathedless blade whose body bore a faint milky-white hue.