Sea-Gazing Teahouse, in the southeastern corner of Yunlai City, lay hidden deep within the alleyways. Its second-floor window seats faced a spread of blue-tiled rooftops, where the morning mist had yet to disperse and gathered into tiny droplets along the eaves.
Qin He chose a seat there. He had just placed the purple sandalwood atlas on the table when the waiter brought over a pot of Biluochun. As the lid was lifted, white steam carrying a delicate fragrance spread out, perfectly concealing the cryptic writing on the atlas.
His fingers held the teacup, but his gaze had already fallen upon the atlas.
The pages turned at astonishing speed. Ordinary people would not even be able to make out the words, but with the soul strength of the Late Divine Bridge Realm, Qin He burned every mountain range and every marking into his mind.
Now and then, his fingertip lightly brushed the paper. Whenever he encountered a crucial faction marker, an imperceptible thread of Demonic Essence seeped into the page, activating the hidden patterns in the beast-hide rubbing—phrases such as "hidden strongholds of major powers" and "sect grudges" written in special ink became clearly visible before his eyes.
After less than half an hour, the atlas turned to the page containing Yunlai City, and Qin He suddenly stopped.
Amid the curling tea smoke, his eyes darkened slightly as his fingertip came to rest on the words "Dragon Clan."
The atlas's account was concise yet startling: "Dragon Clan, a millennium-old prominent family of Yunlai City. Their patriarch, Long Qingyun, once served as a Divine Court World Patrol Envoy. Late Other Shore Realm, at great completion; half a step into the Saint Realm. It is said that he once crossed the threshold of the Saint Realm and drew down merit-colored radiance, but later