First Test of Skill, Playing with the Dragon Clan's Profound Immortal

Stepping out of the restriction and truly placing himself within the vastness of the Primordial World, Lin Dong—now to be called Xuan Wazi—finally felt the sheer boundlessness and desolation of this realm.

Mount Buzhou, as the pillar of heaven, connected earth and sky, towering and majestic, exuding an awe-inspiring, overwhelming pressure. Surrounding mountains stretched endlessly, ancient trees reached the heavens, strange flowers and rare herbs carpeted the ground, and dense, unyielding spiritual energy coiled as mist among the peaks. From afar came the roars of unknown savage beasts, shaking the wilderness, and occasionally a few powerful auras swept past in the distance—at least True Immortal or Profound Immortal level.

"Not bad for the dawn of the Primordial World—this resources, this environment, tsk tsk." Xuan Wazi took a deep breath. His Primordial Dao Body activated automatically, drawing in a sea of spiritual energy that converted into pure magic power, and his cultivation even showed a faint, barely perceptible increase. "Breathing here is like bitter cultivation."

He didn't rush to travel far. First, he familiarized himself with the power of the late Primordial Unity Golden Immortal stage. His divine sense spread like a tide, instantly covering billions of miles in radius—mountain ranges, terrain, the distribution of life, even some hidden spiritual vein nodes all vaguely perceptible. With a thought, his body could merge into the void, performing short-distance teleportation far faster than riding clouds.

"Not bad, not bad—if I can't win, I can run. Safety's guaranteed to some extent." Xuan Wazi nodded with satisfaction, then took out the [Heavenly Secret Concealment Mask]. The mask felt cool to the touch, neither metal nor jade, with no patterns on its surface, yet it gave an impression of unfathomable depth.

He focused his mind, imagining the image of an old immortal with an Immortal Bearing from his past life. A streak of light flickered across the mask, silently covering his face. In the next moment, his figure, appearance, and aura underwent a complete transformation. He became a gaunt old Daoist with white hair and beard, ruddy complexion, holding a Fly Whisk, and even the magic power fluctuations around him stabilized at the Heavenly Immortal level.

"Marvelous!" Xuan Wazi, now transformed into an old Daoist, looked at his new image in the Water Mirror and chuckled. "From now on, causing trouble... ahem, wandering the Primordial World—I'll rely on you."

He didn't head straight for the core territories of the Dragon, Phoenix, and Kirin Clans. Instead, he first roamed the relatively remote outer areas of Mount Buzhou. Partly to get familiar with the environment, partly to see if he could pick up some "junk." After all, in the early Primordial World, many innate materials that would be rare in later ages might now be as common as roadside weeds.

Sure enough, relying on his Primordial Unity Golden Immortal divine sense and his Primordial Dao Body's keen perception of spiritual objects, he soon found a few low-grade Innate Spiritual Roots, several ores containing innate aura, and even scooped up a handful of Innate True Water from an unremarkable mountain stream.

"Good haul." Xuan Wazi cheerfully stashed the items into the system's built-in space (a small perk from the newbie gift pack—not large, but enough). Just as he was about to change direction and continue "shopping," a strong energy fluctuation and shouts came from the distant sky.

"Oh? Trouble to watch?" Xuan Wazi's eyes lit up. He restrained his aura, used a concealment technique, and silently approached.

Above a valley, two azure divine dragons, their scales gleaming and horns imposing, were besieging a phoenix with magnificent wings wreathed in Southern Bright Leaving Fire. Both dragons were at the late Profound Immortal stage, while the phoenix was only at the mid-Profound Immortal stage. Though she barely held on with her flame abilities, she was already struggling, with several deep, bone-exposing wounds on her body and her gorgeous feathers scorched black by dragon breath.

"Fire Feather, wise up and hand over that 'Blazing Immortal Lotus,' or today you'll be annihilated in body and Spirit Soul!" roared the larger azure dragon, his Dragon's Roar making the valley hum.

"Ao Qing, don't even think about it! This lotus was discovered by my Phoenix Clan first—how dare your Dragon Clan seize it by force!" The phoenix named Fire Feather cried out, her voice clear but unyielding.

"Hmph! Treasures of the Primordial World go to the virtuous! My Dragon Clan rules the four seas, and all scaled beings submit. Taking your lotus is a courtesy!" The other azure dragon, Ao Chi, sneered, spewing a freezing dragon breath that clashed with Fire Feather's Southern Bright Leaving Fire, sending up clouds of steam.

Xuan Wazi watched clearly from the side. That so-called Blazing Immortal Lotus was merely a mid-grade Innate Spiritual Root—nothing special to him, but a rare treasure for beings at the Profound Immortal level. The Dragon Clan's domineering ways were plain to see.

"Tsk, in broad daylight, under the clear sky, two big long worms bullying a little bird—truly Not Being a Person!" Xuan Wazi stroked his fake beard, his eyes spinning as an idea came to him.

He silently moved to the side and rear of the battlefield. Timing Ao Chi's next dragon breath, he flicked his finger. A minuscule, nearly undetectable thread of Primordial Chaos Magic Power, carrying a bit of foul swamp mud he'd picked up from the roadside, shot precisely into Ao Chi's open dragon maw.

"Pfft—cough, cough!" Ao Chi, about to unleash his full dragon breath, suddenly felt his throat clog. An indescribably foul, filthy object slid into his stomach, making him cough violently. The breath he'd built up failed to release, leaving his face flushed red.

"Ao Chi, what's wrong?" Ao Qing was startled, his attack faltering.

Fire Feather, though confused, seized the chance. She flapped her wings, sending Southern Bright Leaving Fire into a storm of fiery feathers, forcing Ao Qing back slightly and buying herself a moment to breathe.

"Who?! Who dared to ambush this dragon?!" Ao Chi finally caught his breath, feeling the churning nausea in his gut, and roared in fury, scanning the surroundings. As a Profound Immortal, he naturally guessed someone was messing with him.

Xuan Wazi, hidden in the void, covered his mouth and snickered. This little trick couldn't harm Ao Chi's core, but it was enough to disgust him for a while.

"Skulking rat! Get out here!" Ao Chi bellowed, lashing his tail and smashing a nearby hill to rubble, trying to force out the ambusher.

Would Xuan Wazi let him succeed? He struck again, this time targeting Ao Qing. He simulated an extremely faint Phoenix Clan aura, condensed it into an invisible needle, and while Ao Qing's attention was on Ao Chi, silently pricked the tip of his dragon tail.

"Huh?" Ao Qing whipped his head around to look at Fire Feather, suspicion in his eyes. "You have an accomplice?" He had clearly felt a trace of Phoenix Clan flame aura attack him—though painless, it was unmistakable.

Fire Feather was equally bewildered.

"No!" Ao Chi shouted through his nausea. "That filthy thing just now was no Phoenix Clan technique!"

Just as the two azure dragons were caught in doubt and mutual suspicion, their attack faltering, Xuan Wazi struck a third time. This time, he used a sliver of the Law of Space—not an attack, but a spatial manipulation. He gently twisted the spatial structure in a small area in front of Ao Qing.

Ao Qing was about to pounce on Fire Feather when he suddenly felt his body sink, as if trapped in invisible quicksand, his movements momentarily sluggish. At that exact moment, a Southern Bright Leaving Fire blast that Fire Feather had instinctively released—aimed at empty air—due to Ao Qing's "voluntary" delay, struck his dragon face squarely!

"Boom!" The flames exploded. Though they didn't cause serious damage, they singed off half the whiskers and eyebrows on Ao Qing's face, leaving him looking disheveled.

"Fire Feather! You're asking for death!" Ao Qing was now fully enraged, believing Fire Feather was behind it.

Fire Feather was stunned too. She hadn't expected her random strike to actually hit.

Ao Chi, watching his elder brother's plight and feeling his own churning stomach, was momentarily thrown into confusion.

Xuan Wazi judged the moment was right. If he kept playing, the little phoenix might not hold out. He altered his voice, mimicking an aged, dignified tone, laced with a trace of Primordial Unity Golden Immortal pressure, and boomed out:

"Hmph! Dragon Clan juniors, how dare you run wild at the foot of my Mount Buzhou? Bullying the weak, seizing by force—truly Not Being a Person! I give you three breaths to flee ten thousand miles from here, or else don't blame me for disciplining you on behalf of Ancestral Dragon!"

The voice rolled like thunder, carrying unquestionable authority. The hint of Primordial Unity Golden Immortal pressure made both dragons' Spirit Souls tremble!

Primordial Unity Golden Immortal! This was a top-tier powerhouse of the current Primordial World! Though their Dragon Clan was mighty, they dared not lightly offend an expert of this level, especially one who mentioned Ancestral Dragon!

Ao Qing and Ao Chi exchanged glances, seeing fear in each other's eyes. Though unwilling, the situation forced their hand.

"Senior, calm your wrath! We'll leave at once!" Ao Qing, enduring the burn on his face and the humiliation in his heart, quickly bowed. He grabbed Ao Chi, who was still retching, and the two turned into streaks of azure light, fleeing in disgrace without even a backward glance at the Blazing Immortal Lotus.

Fire Feather, having survived the ordeal, was both startled and overjoyed. She quickly bowed toward the void: "Thank you, Senior, for your aid! Fire Feather of the Phoenix Clan is deeply grateful!"

"No need for formalities." Xuan Wazi maintained his lofty demeanor. "This place is not safe for long. Leave quickly."

"Yes, Senior!" Fire Feather bowed again, carefully picked the Blazing Immortal Lotus, and flew away with a flap of her wings.

After they had all left, Xuan Wazi revealed himself. Looking in the direction the dragons had fled, he stroked his illusory beard, a delighted smile spreading across his face.

"Heh heh, sowing discord, tripping them up from the shadows, and earning gratitude... This 'Not Being a Person' feeling is really not bad!" He felt his path of mischief flowing even more smoothly.

[Ding! Detected host successfully pranked Dragon Clan members, inducing strong resentment and frustration, conforming to 'Not Being a Person' behavior. Reward: Acquired Spiritual Treasure 'Dragon Binding Rope' crafting blueprint ×1, divine ability 'Stealth and Concealment' proficiency increased.]

"Oh? An extra reward?" Xuan Wazi's eyes gleamed brighter. "Looks like I should do more of this 'seeing injustice on the road, drawing my blade to help'... and pranking on the side."

He gazed toward the broader Primordial World, where friction among the Dragon, Phoenix, and Kirin Clans was constant—the perfect stage for this "Xuan Wazi" to show his skills.

"Next stop, how about a visit to the Kirin Tribe's territory? I hear First Kirin is quite honest. Wonder if he can withstand the test of Not Being a Person..."

With a flicker of his form, the old Daoist Xuan Wazi once again merged into the void, leaving only the chaotic valley and the faint, lingering aura of a trickster's smug laughter.