The Eight Dragons bowed to Qing Xuan in unison. Although they did not address him as Master, they performed the ceremony of taking him as their teacher.
Qing Xuan did not refuse. He accepted the Eight Dragons' bows calmly, then turned to speak to the Four Seas Dragon Kings.
"The key to the Dragon Clan Inheritance isn't how to enter the Dragon Seed. It's how to cleanse yourselves of Karmic Debt."
"The Dragon Clan's Karmic Debt is different from other Karmic Debt. You could even say it's a Heart Demon planted by the Heavenly Dao as punishment for the sins committed during the Dragon-Han Initial Tribulation."
"As long as you can help the Dragon Clan overcome this Heart Demon, the Dragon Clan will be able to cultivate to the Zenith Heaven Realm. Then every dragon will be able to enter the Dragon Seed and receive its inheritance."
"The best way to cleanse Karmic Debt is through Merit. So the Four Seas Dragon Clan should accumulate Merit by bringing benefits to the Primordial Wilderness, rather than focusing single-mindedly on cultivation."
"As for what the Four Seas Dragon Kings choose to do, that's beyond my control. I can only say this much."
After listening, the Four Seas Dragon Kings all looked grateful. They immediately bowed to Qing Xuan and thanked him. At the same time, Ao Guang made sure to add,
"Qing Xuan Daojun, from today onward, these Eight Dragons will no longer belong to the Four Seas Dragon Clan. They will be your Island Protecting Divine Dragons, and their lives and deaths will be in your hands."
At last, Qing Xuan understood why the Eight Dragons the Four Seas Dragon Kings had sent him initially weren't their direct descendants.
So that was their plan: they wanted to use the Eight Dragons to test the waters and to curry favor with Qing Xuan at the same time.
Qing Xuan couldn't help thinking to himself, If they'd been your sons and hadn't hatched from their eggs yet, that would've been one thing. But now, just wait and see how much you regret this.
These Eight Dragons will surely become the pride of the Dragon Clan one day. As for what comes after that, it'll depend on their own fortunes.
As Qing Xuan thought this, he nodded at Ao Guang. "If I'd known the East Sea Dragon King would be so generous, I wouldn't have let them take Ao as their surname. I should've had them take my surname, Qing."
After saying this, Qing Xuan burst out laughing. He chatted with the Four Seas Dragon Kings for a little longer, then saw them off Fangzhang Island.
Once the Four Seas Dragon Kings had left, Qing Xuan turned his gaze to Ao Gan and the other seven dragons.
"Your cultivation is only at the Profound Immortal level. That's nowhere near enough to protect Fangzhang Island. From today onward, take your dragon forms and cultivate in that pool."
As he spoke, Qing Xuan pointed toward the Three Lights Divine Water Pool, indicating that the Eight Dragons should go there to cultivate.
Just as the Eight Dragons were about to transform into dragons and enter the Three Lights Divine Water Pool, Nuwa came over again and asked Qing Xuan,
"Little Gourd Vine, can you have them turn into koi and cultivate in the pool? It'd be so much more pleasing to the eye."
Qing Xuan was at a loss for words. "Keeping your original form is the fastest way to cultivate. Don't you know that?"
Nuwa pursed her lips, then pointed at the Eight Dragons. "Ask them yourself. Do they have True Dragon Bloodlines?"
At Nuwa's words, Qing Xuan froze. Then he turned to look at Ao Gan.
To Qing Xuan's surprise, Ao Gan nodded and said, "Teacher, Shiniang is right. Our ancestors were indeed Fish Dragons."
Being suddenly called Shiniang, with Qing Xuan as their teacher, made Nuwa's cheeks flush bright red.
Even Qing Xuan was stunned. Calling me Teacher is one thing, but where did Shiniang come from? Who told you to play matchmaker like this?
But Qing Xuan couldn't correct them now; doing so would truly offend Nuwa. So he simply changed the subject.
"Your ancestors were all Fish Dragons. So what are you now—fish or dragons?"
Qing Xuan couldn't help thinking, Could Ao Guang have tricked me by sending me eight fish? If so, he shouldn't expect me to help the Dragon Clan with anything from now on.
Ao Gan replied with complete certainty, "Teacher, all eight of us are dragons, not fish. Whether they're Fish Dragons or Flood Dragons, they're both dragon races."
"The true members of the Dragon Clan are known as True Dragons. After the ancient war, very few True Dragons remained. Across the vast Four Seas, there are no more than a handful of them now."
Qing Xuan did the math. There was Ao Pinghe, the Dragon Clan's patriarch, and his four sons, the Four Seas Dragon Kings. That made exactly five. Could it be that there were no other True Dragons left in the Primordial Wilderness?
"No way. Is the Dragon Clan really in such a sorry state?" Qing Xuan asked, his face full of disbelief.
Fu Xi came over from the side and said to Qing Xuan, "Daoist Qing Xuan, actually, even during the Dragon-Han Initial Tribulation, the True Dragon bloodline was exceedingly rare."
"The Dragon Clan's armies numbered in the hundreds of millions, but they were merely members of the Scaled Tribe who had transformed into dragons. Back then, the Dragon Clan possessed a supreme treasure called the Dragon Gate. As long as a member of the Scaled Tribe leaped over the Dragon Gate, they could transform into a dragon."
"So it's already no small feat that True Dragons still rule over the Four Seas today. The True Dragon Clan also has great difficulty reproducing. It takes at least tens of thousands of years, or even several Yuanhui, to produce a pure-blooded descendant."
"Otherwise, there wouldn't be the saying that the Dragon has nine sons, yet none of them are dragons. After all, the Ancestral Dragon was trying to prolong the True Dragon Clan as quickly as possible, but ultimately failed."
Qing Xuan nodded, then asked Ao Gan and the other seven dragons, "If you transform into koi, will it affect the speed of your cultivation?"
Ao Gan shook his head at once. "Don't worry, Teacher. The Dragon-Fish Tribe can freely switch between dragon and fish forms. Both forms are our true bodies."
"It's just that we got used to appearing in our dragon forms in the Four Seas. We rarely turned into koi."
Qing Xuan nodded. "Then do as you please. Turn into dragons if you want, or koi if you prefer. Just cultivate in this pool."
The Eight Dragons all answered in unison, then transformed into eight golden dragons and headed for the Three Lights Divine Water Pool.
But as soon as they entered the pool, they transformed into eight koi. Then they swam straight toward the Pure World White Lotus.
This instantly created a beautiful scene of Koi Playing with Lotus in the Three Lights Divine Water Pool. Nuwa clapped her hands again and again in delight.
Qing Xuan sighed helplessly, then said, "This pool contains Three Lights Divine Water, and that lotus is the Pure World White Lotus."
"Both the Three Lights Divine Water and the Pure World White Lotus can cleanse your Nascent Souls. I hope you can advance your cultivation to the Zenith Heaven Realm within ten thousand years."
"As for cultivation techniques, I'll find the ones most suited to you. Until then, keep cultivating as you have been."
As soon as Qing Xuan finished speaking, the eight koi leaped out of the water and spoke in human voices. "Thank you, Teacher, for granting us this opportunity."
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