Born Equal

Being cheeky came at a price.

High above the clouds, on their way to the Imperial Capital, Ma Feifei lay at one corner of the dragon's back, silently nursing his wounds.

Yun Qingyang had just bitten him, leaving him slightly injured. More importantly, Yun Qingyang was just as cheeky as he was. She'd retorted that her mouth had a mind of its own!

What the hell kind of nonsense was that?!

Could someone really not control their own mouth? Did she think I was stupid or what? It was obviously a blatant act of revenge, abusing her position to settle a personal score.

Once we get back to the Bookstore, I'll have to find a way to dock some of her Spirit Crystals, Ma Feifei resolved.

"As expected of the Dragon Clan. I doubt even the Chu King's Flying Cloud Beast could match this speed!" Zhou Guanyu stood on the dragon's back, watching the white clouds stream past him, and couldn't help exclaiming in amazement.

"I was fortunate enough to ride the Chu King's Flying Cloud Beast once. Compared to the Dragon Clan, it really was much slower." Yang Chengzhi glanced down and saw nothing but mist and clouds. He couldn't even tell where they were.

Every year, after the Dragon Ranking competition ended, Chu Kingdom would have its mount, the Flying Cloud Beast, carry the three hundred Dragon Ranking students on a flight over the kingdom, giving its people a look at the kingdom's brightest young talents. As one of the three hundred students on the Dragon Ranking, Yang Chengzhi had ridden it twice.

"I never thought that one day I, Yang Chengzhi, would ride a giant dragon and soar through these vast skies. I have no regrets in this life!" Yang Chengzhi spread his arms, closed his eyes, and faced the wind as he exclaimed.

In thirty thousand years, the Azure Dragon Continent had yet to see a single dragon.

People knew of dragons only through legends; no one had ever seen one in the flesh.

They were beings on the same level as immortals. And becoming an immortal was the lifelong dream of every cultivator on the Azure Dragon Continent.

Standing atop the dragon's back, Yang Chengzhi felt an overwhelming ambition surge through him, as if no one under heaven could rival him. The spiritual energy in his body began to stir beyond his control.

Boom! In an instant, Yang Chengzhi's aura grew dramatically stronger, and spiritual energy from the surrounding world poured into his body.

"He broke through again!" Zhou Guanyu stared at Yang Chengzhi in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief.

He'd advanced from the early stage of Spirit Sect First Stage to Spirit Sect Second Stage! This was the Spirit Sect realm! Most cultivators never managed to reach it in their entire lives. Yet Yang Chengzhi had only just entered the Spirit Sect realm, and now he'd advanced from Spirit Sect First Stage to Spirit Sect Second Stage. It was as if cultivation were as easy as drinking water—he swallowed a mouthful, and then broke through~~

"His state of mind has changed. With his thoughts clear, he reached enlightenment in an instant." Zhou Zhuling watched Yang Chengzhi, her voice tinged with surprise.

She had witnessed Yang Chengzhi advance from Spirit Master Sixth Stage to the Spirit Sect realm in just one month. She'd thought that his current cultivation was all thanks to The Legend of the Condor Heroes. But now, seeing him break through from Spirit Sect First Stage to Spirit Sect Second Stage, she finally understood that Yang Chengzhi himself had exceptional talent.

Ordinary people could go their whole lives without reaching a state of enlightenment. Only cultivators of extraordinary talent had a chance of entering such a state.

At least in Chu Kingdom, Zhou Zhuling had never heard of any young person who had reached enlightenment. Yang Chengzhi was the first.

"Now that's interesting. I wonder what he's been through over the past two years." At some point, Ma Feifei had come to Zhou Zhuling's side. Watching Yang Chengzhi break through, he sighed.

Ma Feifei didn't know much about Yang Chengzhi, but from their everyday interactions, he could tell that Yang Chengzhi was an upright man with a strong sense of justice. He didn't know why Yang Chengzhi had clashed with Xiaoyaozi, but his first impression had always favored Yang Chengzhi.

Yang Chengzhi had made it into the top hundred on the Dragon Ranking two years ago, proving that his talent was no ordinary thing. Besides, not everyone who read a book from his Bookstore could benefit from it. The fact that Yang Chengzhi had learned those techniques from The Legend of the Condor Heroes meant the system had acknowledged him.

So there had to be a reason Yang Chengzhi's cultivation had stalled for the past two years.

Now his state of mind had changed. He must have figured something out.

Zhou Zhuling watched Yang Chengzhi, looking thoughtful. "He must have some secrets."

Ma Feifei heard her and almost laughed, but the movement tugged at his wound, making him suck in a sharp breath. He instinctively raised his foot, wanting to stomp on the dragon's back a couple of times, but thought better of it. After mentally stabbing Yun Qingyang ninety-nine times, he finally let her off and said to Zhou Zhuling, "Silly girl, everyone should have secrets of their own. That's what makes them who they are. If everyone could see through you, what would be the difference between being alive and being dead?"

When Zhou Zhuling heard Ma Feifei call her a "silly girl," a bashful look appeared in her eyes. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, rose slightly onto her toes, and clasped her hands behind her back. "Then does Big Brother Ma have secrets too?"

Although Yun Qingyang flew very fast, the few of them felt no strong wind as they stood on her back. She blocked most of it, and only a gentle breeze brushed past them.

Zhou Zhuling wore a white, wide-sleeved hanfu today, embroidered with pale green bamboo patterns on the sleeves and the back of the skirt. An exquisite white jade pendant hung at her waist. The breeze stirred her skirt, and with her delicate features, she looked just like a celestial maiden.'

She was so beautiful that Ma Feifei found it hard to believe she was real.

"Ah!" All of a sudden, Ma Feifei wondered if he was dreaming. Maybe even his transmigration was fake. Once he woke up, everything would be gone, and he'd be back where he started: an ordinary man, achieving nothing in another world.

"Is all of this real, or is it a dream?" Gazing at the vast sky, Ma Feifei murmured to himself.

Zhou Zhuling silently watched Ma Feifei. She didn't understand why he'd suddenly grown so dispirited, his eyes filled with the weight of years.

It didn't suit someone his age.

Someone as mysterious as him must have a lot of secrets. Zhou Zhuling gazed at Ma Feifei's face, lost in a daze.

Outside the Imperial Capital of Great Chu, a caravan slowly made its way toward the city.

The caravan was enormous, stretching for several miles and numbering over a thousand people. They rode Tier Three unicorns along either side, while a herd of savage oxen in the middle hauled load after load of supplies.

Zhao Xiaodao rode one of the unicorns. Looking at the towering city walls that seemed to stretch endlessly, her eyes shone with excitement.

"So this is the Imperial Capital of Great Chu! It's magnificent!"

There were nine ancient ruins on the Azure Dragon Continent, all of them dating back to the ancient era.

Chu Kingdom's Imperial Capital was one of the nine ancient ruins.

As people of Chu Kingdom, everyone dreamed of visiting the Imperial Capital at least once in their lives. The city's sacred significance and rich history filled the people of Chu with reverence and made them proud that their country possessed such an ancient city.

"Does it make you feel especially proud?" At some point, Gongsun Qiong rode up beside Zhao Xiaodao on a white unicorn and asked with a smile.

"President." Zhao Xiaodao saluted her.

Gongsun Qiong gazed at the towering ancient city ahead and exclaimed in admiration, "As a citizen of Chu Kingdom, you have every reason to be proud. Of the Five Nations, only Chu Kingdom has such deep roots."

Of the Five Nations of Canglong, Chu Kingdom was the only one with an ancient ruin.

Hearing Gongsun Qiong praise her country, Zhao Xiaodao couldn't help feeling proud. Though she'd never been to the Imperial Capital, its place in the hearts of Chu's people had long been etched there.

"Since you like the Imperial Capital so much, why not stay at the branch here in the future?" Gongsun Qiong said with a smile.

Zhao Xiaodao shook her head and glanced at the Imperial Capital. "It's a wonderful place, but it isn't right for me."

She was just an ordinary citizen of Chu Kingdom, born and raised on the border, struggling every day to get by and dreaming of becoming a Spirit Sect cultivator someday.

If she hadn't unexpectedly advanced six stages at once and caught the president's attention, earning a place at her side, she might never have made it to the Imperial Capital in her entire life.

She was just a nobody.

The thought filled Zhao Xiaodao's eyes with dejection.

Gongsun Qiong raised her slender hand and lightly flicked Zhao Xiaodao on the forehead, teasing her. "Why look down on yourself like that?"

She moved her hand away, pointed toward the Imperial Capital, and said, "Emperor Chu the Conqueror founded Chu Kingdom, overpowered the rulers of the other four kingdoms, and claimed this ancient ruin as the capital. But as for his background, he was nothing more than a beggar when he was young. As for talent, he didn't reach the Spirit Sect realm until he was two hundred. And yet, someone with such ordinary ability went on to reign supreme across the entire Azure Dragon Continent. All he relied on was conviction."

With that, Gongsun Qiong lowered her hand and stroked the unicorn's mane. She murmured softly, "We are all born equal. Whether we become dazzling figures, revered by all, or live ordinary lives, as insignificant as a drop in the ocean, is up to us."