Born Equal

To be skinned, one must pay a price.

High above the imperial capital, Ma Feifei lay in a corner of the dragon's back, silently licking his wounds.

Yun Qingyang had just bitten him, causing him some injury. More importantly, Yun Qingyang was also quite audacious, retorting that her mouth had a mind of its own!

What kind of nonsense is this!

Can anyone really not control their own mouth? Are they bullying me for being stupid or something? This is clearly naked revenge, settling personal scores.

"When I get back to the bookstore, I must find a way to deduct her Spirit Crystals," Ma Feifei resolved inwardly.

"As expected of the dragon race, the speed of this flight probably surpasses even the Chu King's Flying Cloud Beasts!" Zhou Guanyu stood on the dragon's back, marveling as he watched the clouds recede beside them.

"I had the good fortune to ride the Chu King's Flying Cloud Beast once. Compared to the dragon race, it is indeed much slower," Yang Chengzhi glanced below, finding that the clouds and mist obscured everything, making it impossible to tell their current location.

Every year after the Dragon Ranking competition, the Chu State would have its mount, the Flying Cloud Beast, carry the top three hundred scholars of the Dragon Ranking on a flight around Chu State. This was for the citizens of Chu State to catch a glimpse of their proud talents. As one of the top three hundred scholars on the Dragon Ranking, Yang Chengzhi had naturally ridden it twice.

"I never thought I, Yang Chengzhi, would one day ride a giant dragon and soar through this vast sky. I have no regrets in this life!" Yang Chengzhi spread his arms, closed his eyes, and embraced the wind, sighing with emotion.

For thirty thousand years of Canglong, not a single dragon has appeared.

People only knew of the legends of dragons but had never seen a real dragon.

They were beings on the same level as Immortals. And Immortals were the lifelong dream of every cultivator on the Azure Dragon Continent.

Standing on the dragon's back, Yang Chengzhi felt a surge of ambition, a feeling of being invincible under heaven, welling up within him. The spiritual power in his body began to stir uncontrollably.

'Boom~' In an instant, Yang Chengzhi's aura suddenly became powerful, and the spiritual energy between heaven and earth surged into his body.

"He actually broke through again!" Zhou Guanyu stared at Yang Chengzhi dumbfounded, his eyes filled with shock.

He had broken through from the early stage of the Spirit Sect First Stage to the Spirit Sect Second Stage! This was the Spirit Sect realm! Ordinary cultivators could never reach this realm in their lifetime, yet Yang Chengzhi had not only just entered the Spirit Sect realm but immediately broke through from the Spirit Sect First Stage to the Spirit Sect Second Stage; it felt as if cultivation was as easy as drinking water, breaking through the moment it entered his stomach.

"His state of mind has changed, his thoughts have become clear, and he achieved enlightenment in an instant," Zhou Zhuling watched Yang Chengzhi, her tone also carrying a hint of surprise.

She had witnessed Yang Chengzhi break through from Spirit Master Sixth Stage to the Spirit Ancestor realm in one month. She had initially thought that Yang Chengzhi's current realm was solely due to that book, The Legend of the Condor Heroes; now, seeing him break through from Spirit Ancestor First Stage to Spirit Ancestor Second Stage, she finally understood that Yang Chengzhi's own talent was also extremely high.

Enlightenment was something most people never experienced in their lifetime; only those with extraordinary talent had a chance to enter such a state.

At least in the current Chu State, Zhou Zhuling had never heard of any young person entering a state of enlightenment. Yang Chengzhi was the first.

"This is quite interesting. I wonder what he has experienced in the past two years," Ma Feifei appeared beside Zhou Zhuling at some unknown time, sighing as he watched Yang Chengzhi break through.

Ma Feifei didn't know much about Yang Chengzhi, but he could discern Yang Chengzhi's character from their daily interactions; he was definitely a person with a sense of justice. Although he didn't know why Yang Chengzhi had clashed with Xiaoyaozi, Ma Feifei subjectively leaned towards Yang Chengzhi.

The fact that Yang Chengzhi could break into the top hundred of the Dragon Ranking two years ago proved that his talent was definitely not low. Moreover, the books in his bookstore weren't beneficial to just anyone; the fact that Yang Chengzhi could learn those techniques from The Legend of the Condor Heroes was a recognition from the system.

Therefore, there must be a reason why Yang Chengzhi's cultivation stagnated for the next two years.

Now that Yang Chengzhi's state of mind had changed, it was likely that he had figured some things out.

Zhou Zhuling looked at Yang Chengzhi and said thoughtfully, "He must have secrets."

Upon hearing this, Ma Feifei couldn't help but want to laugh, but he accidentally pulled on his wound, causing him to gasp in pain. He instinctively wanted to stomp his foot on the dragon's back but ultimately held back. He mentally stabbed Yun Qingyang ninety-nine times before letting her off and said to Zhou Zhuling, "Silly girl, everyone should have their own secrets; that's what makes them themselves. If everything were seen through, what difference would there be between living and being dead?"

Hearing Ma Feifei call her 'silly girl,' Zhou Zhuling's eyes revealed a shy glance. She subtly shifted her gaze, looked at Ma Feifei, tiptoed slightly, clasped her hands behind her back, and asked, "Does Big Brother Ma also have secrets?"

Although Yun Qingyang flew very fast, the few people standing on the dragon's back did not feel strong winds. Most of it was blocked by Yun Qingyang, with only a slight breeze brushing past them.

Zhou Zhuling was wearing a white, wide-sleeved Hanfu today. The embroidery on the sleeves and the back hem featured light green bamboo patterns. A delicate white jade pendant hung from her waist. As the breeze blew, her skirt swayed, and paired with her exquisite face, she looked like a celestial maiden from heaven.

Too beautiful, so beautiful it felt unreal to Ma Feifei.

"Sigh!" Suddenly, Ma Feifei wondered if he was dreaming, if even his transmigration was fake, and that when he woke up, everything would disappear, and he would return to being that ordinary person, unremarkable in another world.

"Is all of this real or fake?" Ma Feifei murmured, gazing at the vast sky.

Zhou Zhuling quietly watched Ma Feifei. She didn't understand why he had suddenly become so dispirited, his eyes filled with a sense of vicissitude.

This was not something that should be in someone his age.

"Someone as magical as him should have many secrets." Zhou Zhuling looked at Ma Feifei's face and was momentarily mesmerized.

Outside the imperial capital of Great Chu. A caravan slowly approached the capital.

The caravan was enormous, stretching for several miles, with over a thousand people. They rode third-tier unicorns on the sides, while a herd of wild oxen pulled carts laden with supplies in the middle.

Zhao Xiaodao rode one of the unicorns, her eyes filled with wonder as she gazed at the majestic, seemingly endless city walls.

"Is this the imperial capital of Great Chu! How magnificent!"

The Azure Dragon Continent had nine great ruins, all existing since ancient times.

The imperial capital of Chu State was one of the nine ancient ruins.

As a citizen of Chu State, it was a lifelong aspiration for everyone to visit the imperial capital at least once. This was a deep-seated desire in the hearts of every Chu person. Because the sacredness and historical depth of the imperial capital filled the people of Chu with genuine respect for this ancient city, making every citizen proud of having such a city in their country.

"Don't you feel particularly proud?" At some unknown time, Gongsun Qiong rode a white unicorn to Zhao Xiaodao's side and said with a smile.

"Guild Leader," Zhao Xiaodao bowed.

Gongsun Qiong gazed at the majestic ancient city ahead and exclaimed, "As a citizen of Chu State, it's only natural to feel proud. Among the Five Nations of Canglong, only your Chu State possesses such profound heritage."

Of the Five Nations of Canglong, Chu State was the only one with a ruin.

Hearing Gongsun Qiong praise her country, Zhao Xiaodao couldn't help but show a proud expression; although she had never been to the imperial capital before, its status was already deeply ingrained in the hearts of the people of Chu.

"Seeing how much you like the imperial capital, why don't you stay at the imperial capital branch in the future?" Gongsun Qiong said with a smile.

Zhao Xiaodao shook her head, glanced at the imperial capital, and said, "Although this place is good, it's not suitable for me."

She was just an ordinary person from the Chu State, who had lived on the border since childhood, working hard to survive every day, dreaming of becoming a cultivator at the Spirit Sect realm within her lifetime.

If it weren't for her accidental six-level jump, which earned her the appreciation of the Guild Leader, allowing her to follow by her side, she might never have come to the imperial capital in her life.

She was just a nobody.

Thinking of this, Zhao Xiaodao's eyes were filled with loneliness.

Gongsun Qiong raised her fair hand and gently flicked Zhao Xiaodao's forehead, teasing, "Why do you look down on yourself so much?"

She gently moved her hand away, extended her index finger, and pointed toward the imperial capital, saying, "Emperor Chu the Conqueror established the Chu State with his own hands, suppressed the monarchs of the other four states, and obtained this ruin to use as the capital of the Chu State. But in terms of background, he was nothing more than a beggar in his youth; in terms of talent, he only entered the Spirit Sect realm at the age of two hundred. Yet, such a person with ordinary aptitude ultimately surpassed the entire Azure Dragon Continent. What he relied on was nothing more than belief."

Having said that, Gongsun Qiong lowered her hand, stroked the fur of the unicorn beneath her, and murmured, "We are all born equal. Whether we become exceptionally talented and admired by thousands, or live an ordinary life as a drop in the ocean, is determined by ourselves."