Wang Dalong

Chapter 3: Wang Dalong

It was nearing midnight, and the small food street outside was buzzing with energy.

A bustling city, people drunk on the night.

Yue Wen had already washed up and was lying on the small bed on the second floor. After scrolling through his phone for a while, he was ready to sleep.

However, before he could drift off, there was one more thing he needed to do.

He put down his phone, closed his eyes to meditate, and his Spiritual Sense sank, instantly vanishing into a dark, empty void.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a grand, solemn hall of black and gold.

The walls and floor were made of ink-black stone, inlaid with large golden carvings that formed ancient, indescribable bas-relief murals. As he looked through them, they seemed to depict countless battles between gods and demons in ancient times.

Directly in front of him was a long staircase, each step as high as a wall. On the vast platform at the top of the stairs sat a single, massive black and gold chair, upon which coiled a dragon.

That's right, a True Dragon of legend.

A Dragon Throne in the truest sense of the word.

Its body was enormous; even the multi-story-high chair was only enough for it to coil around half its body. A significant portion of its tail dangled over the back of the seat.

The dark scales on its body shimmered with a dark golden luster, each one etched with mysterious patterns. Its raised head was steady and imposing, and within its slightly opened pupils burned a terrifying, scorching golden flame.

Its horns were like halberds, pointing directly at the ceiling.

"Big Dragon, I'm here again."

Yue Wen felt no reverence towards the sacred-looking creature before him, greeting it as if it were an old friend.

"I've told you many times, don't address me so casually," the giant dragon on the throne spoke in a voice like rolling thunder. "You don't understand the dragon tongue and cannot pronounce my true name, so I don't blame you. But when you call me, you should at least add the word 'Wang'."

"Alright, Wang Dalong," Yue Wen waved his hand dismissively. "I'm here to talk about something serious."

"..." The giant dragon on the throne was slightly speechless.

"I've cultivated to the late stage of the Third Realm, and should be close to completion," Yue Wen raised his hand, and a thick, coiling Chaos Qi Dragon appeared in his palm, emitting a faint whistling sound as it spun.

He looked at the giant dragon. "How much Demon Suppressing Coin do you want for your Fourth Realm cultivation method?"

The flames in the dragon's pupils flickered as it seemed to search its mind before replying, "The Gang Realm chapter of the True Dragon Dao Method is worth three nine nine."

"Ah?" Although Yue Wen had expected it, his face still tightened. "That expensive?"

He flipped his hand and summoned a stack of old copper coins, about a dozen or so. Each coin was inscribed with the words "Evil Spirits Suppressed, Universe Stabilized."

"I only refined twelve Demon Suppressing Coins after killing a Tree Nightmare with a hundred years of cultivation. That was the biggest job I've taken recently. How long will it take me to save up enough for your cultivation method? And that's just for the Fourth Realm. What about when I reach a higher cultivation level?"

Seeing his troubled expression, the giant dragon seemed somewhat amused. It snorted twice. "Think it's too expensive? Then go buy someone else's cultivation method outside."

"Sigh," Yue Wen sighed.

For his first three realms, he had practiced the True Dragon Dao Method sold by this giant dragon. Setting aside the issue of compatibility if he switched methods for the Fourth Realm, even if it were compatible, the cultivation methods available on the market were nowhere near as powerful as the True Dragon Dao Method.

This cultivation method was definitely comparable to the most top-tier cultivation techniques in the world. Otherwise, how could he, a pure rogue cultivator lacking resources, have achieved such cultivation in such a short time?

If the True Dragon Dao Method were put up for sale in the cultivators' market, just the Fourth Realm chapter alone could easily fetch over a million.

After some thought, Yue Wen spoke again, "Then let me ask you..."

The giant dragon seemed to anticipate his thoughts and interrupted directly, "No credit allowed."

"I'm not asking for credit, I already said I'd only ask for it that one time," Yue Wen chuckled. "I was wondering, can you accept installment payments?"

"Hmph."

The giant dragon didn't answer. It simply closed its eyes, the flames in its pupils vanishing. The entire hall instantly plunged into darkness.

Cut the power.

Big Dragon only cares about money.

Yue Wen opened his eyes again on his small bed, his consciousness returning to reality.

He didn't dare to join the Supervision Bureau; the existence of this dragon was a major reason why.

Three years ago, after falling into a coma, his consciousness had entered that space for the first time and he had seen that giant dragon.

When they first met, he still held some reverence.

The True Dragon coiled on the throne claimed to be the true king of the Dragon Domain, betrayed by a traitor and cast down here. It offered him five million Demon Suppressing Coins to help it regain its throne, and in return, Yue Wen would become the Prime Minister of the Dragon Palace.

Yue Wen didn't dwell on what kind of creature a Prime Minister of the Dragon Palace was, only asking, "What are Demon Suppressing Coins?"

Big Dragon replied that since Yue Wen was the chosen one destined to descend to this place, he only needed to slay demonic evils, and their souls could be refined into Demon Suppressing Coins.

Yue Wen asked, "I'm just a student, and I have no cultivation. How can I slay demonic evils?"

Big Dragon said, "You can use Demon Suppressing Coins to buy cultivation methods from me. Once you cultivate, you will have power."

Yue Wen asked, "But I don't have any Demon Suppressing Coins, how can I buy cultivation methods?"

Big Dragon said, "Go slay demonic evils, and you will have Demon Suppressing Coins."

Yue Wen asked, "But I have no cultivation, how can I slay demons?"

Big Dragon said, "If you cultivate the methods you buy from me, you'll gain cultivation."

Yue Wen said, "Are you sick?"

Big Dragon said, "Why are you cursing a dragon?"

Yue Wen said, "I &%#..."

So, he hadn't just seen a dragon; he had also cursed one.

After a period of back and forth, the person and the dragon both realized the problem. Finally, Big Dragon reluctantly agreed to sell Yue Wen a cultivation method on credit, specifically the first chapter of the True Dragon Dao Method.

Yue Wen thus gained entry into cultivation.

After cultivating, he finally woke up and was stunned to realize that half a year had passed.

After his parents were gone, this Big Dragon became his strongest support.

It could sell not only cultivation methods but also Magic Artifacts, Pills, Talismans... Apart from living things like Spiritual Plants and Exotic Beasts, it seemed all the cultivation treasures in the world were stocked in its vault.

And their quality was exceptionally high.

However, in transactions, it only accepted Demon Suppressing Coins.

Yue Wen opening this affordable Cultivation Firm was also forced by it. Besides supporting himself for the time being, the more important reason was to open a channel for obtaining information about Evil Spirits.

Although he desperately wanted to find his parents immediately, he knew that with his current strength, he didn't have the qualifications to investigate that secret.

Only by becoming stronger was the primary goal.

He had to kill more Evil Spirits and collect Demon Suppressing Coins to improve his strength at Big Dragon's place.

If his Supernatural Powers and Magic Artifacts were noticed by the Supervision Bureau, Yue Wen would have no way to explain their origin.

Big Dragon's motives were unpredictable, and he didn't know why he could establish a connection with it. Moreover, if he were to honestly disclose this ability, he wasn't sure if he would be controlled, becoming a research subject or a trading tool.

Therefore, he didn't want anyone to notice anything unusual.

Although rejecting a golden-tier position was a bit of a shame, keeping this dragon was the best way to get stronger. Yue Wen had a clear understanding in his heart.

While he was lost in thought, his phone suddenly vibrated.

There was a message.

Yue Wen glanced at it; it was a new message in the "Jiangcheng City Cultivator Order Group." He immediately perked up and tapped to view the details.

As expected, there was a new commission.

"The East City Cemetery needs Evil Spirits cleared. Seeking a brave, meticulous, and diligent cultivator, with a cultivation level no lower than the Second Realm. Submit your quote with price within three hours. City Seven prioritized."

This group consisted of peers who usually maintained a reserved and mysterious demeanor, only becoming lively when commissions were posted.

As soon as the commission information was released, several messages were replied to instantly.

"My cultivation is high, and I'm brave. I'll take the job for twenty thousand."

"Professional Nightmare Object cleaner. 12,000."

"I'm from City Seven. I can do anything. I accept both male and female clients. 11,000."

"..."

The East City Cemetery was a large cemetery in the suburbs. Many victims of accidental deaths or demon disasters, unclaimed by family for a period, were sent here for burial instead of being directly cremated.

In this era of active Spiritual Energy, corpses could easily spawn some Evil Spirits. It was mainly the residual mental power of the deceased combining with Spiritual Energy to create "Nightmares."

However, those buried there were usually not powerful individuals. Even if they spawned Nightmares, they were typically the weakest, Ghost Fire Nightmares, commonly known as Lantern Monsters.

These things were not very dangerous. The cemetery management would accumulate them for a while, and once enough Ghost Fire Nightmares appeared, they would hire cultivators to clear them out, like a regular spring cleaning.

This job was low difficulty, high safety, and the public paid generously. If done well, it could lead to long-term connections. For these freelance cultivators taking orders, it was a decent gig.

"Even a small Lantern Monster is still meat. Clearing them out periodically is quite good." Yue Wen pondered for a moment and decided to try and snag this job.

Seeing the fierce competition, he also sent a message.

"City Seven, handsome, sweet-talker, high cultivation. Live close, no need for room and board. 1,000."

Upon seeing his price, the peers in the group fell silent for a moment, after which a flood of replies poured in.

"Did you type the price wrong?"

"Holy crap, scab!"

"Do you have a hobby of fighting Evil Spirits?"

"???"

The first day concludes with the usual three updates. From now on, there will be two updates daily. Friends who are interested, please try to follow along during the new book period, as early reading data is particularly important right now.

Thank you, everyone.

It's been a while since I've published a chapter, and I'm a little excited after posting it, haha.

(End of this chapter)