When Long Qingyue arrived at the Dragon Battle Palace with Lin Ming and Zi Yan, they were greeted, as expected, by a grand victory banquet.
The entire palace was decked out in lights and decorations. Even the guards, usually stern-faced beneath their armor, wore long-absent smiles. Several elderly elders stood outside the main hall to welcome them in person.
Clearly, word of Long Qingyue's brilliant achievements in Dragon-Phoenix Haven had reached the Dragon Battle Palace ahead of her through some special means.
Those achievements were enough to restore the pride of a declining power that had suffered years of pressure, sweeping away its gloom.
And Lin Ming and Zi Yan had come too—the legendary figures who had reached the top of the Dragon-Phoenix Platform and surpassed Xuan Yuan and the Netherworld Prince. They had also saved Long Qingyue's life.
No one had set foot on the tenth step of the Dragon-Phoenix Stairway in ten thousand years. Now two people had done so, and both were walking through the Dragon Battle Palace's gates. Their presence alone was an honor any power would have treasured.
Though the Dragon Battle Palace remained one of the Northern Domain's top powers, Long Zhantian had spent years holding up that standing almost single-handedly.
The palace had been founded too recently to match the foundations of ancient powers with thousands of years of history. When it came to nurturing the younger generation, it ranked near the bottom among the Northern Domain's top powers.
Apart from Long Qingyue, the Palace Master's only daughter, who had at least lived up to expectations, the Dragon Battle Palace had not produced a second genius capable of making the Dragon-Phoenix Record in years.
Dragon-Phoenix Haven had opened once since Long Qingyue's father had taken part, but the Dragon Battle Palace had no