Liu Qing's Challenge

Within the Dragon Treasury, Long Jiuyyao's tightly shut eyes snapped open. At the same time, the Yuan Power Vortex surrounding his body burst outward like a storm.

"So this is the Heaven Origin Realm."

Long Jiuyyao let out a deep breath. Feeling the Yuan Power in his dantian, now several times stronger than before, he couldn't suppress the delighted smile spreading across his lips. He had finally reached this day!

"Since I've already received my reward, it's time to head out." Long Jiuyyao stretched and reached for the Dragon Halberd beside him.

"Hm? The Dragon Halberd feels a little heavier, and its color seems darker too. Could that be my imagination?" Long Jiuyyao scratched his head.

Long Jiuyyao didn't give it much thought. He beckoned with his hand, and the Demon Breaking Dragon Halberd rapidly shrank before turning into a streak of black light and shooting straight into his body.

Although the Demon Breaking Dragon Halberd was no longer at its peak and its power had fallen to that of a high-grade spirit treasure, its spiritual essence remained. It could still be kept within his body and nurtured.

As he continued to nurture it, the rapport between him and the spirit treasure would grow stronger. In time, wielding it would be as smooth and effortless as flowing water.

Long Jiuyyao swept his gaze around, then didn't linger any longer. He turned and walked toward the Dragon Treasury's exit.

The tightly shut stone doors of the Dragon Treasury finally began to rumble open.

The moment the stone doors opened, the Great Elder and the other four slowly opened their narrowed eyes.

"Long Jiuyyao, after half a month, you've finally come out." A smile crossed Great Elder Tian Sha's face, and the others all rose to their feet.

As the five stood, a young figure slowly emerged from the open stone doorway. He stopped, lifted his head, and calmly regarded the five people before him.

"Uh! I broke through to the Heaven Origin Realm in there, so I took a little longer." Long Jiuyyao said awkwardly.

"Hahaha, worthy of first place in the clan competition! Now that you're out, we'll leave this place." Great Elder Tian Sha waved his sleeve, and the group departed the Dragon Clan Secret Treasury Location.

Dragon Clan Plaza.

The five exchanged glances. Liu Qing, wearing a brazen expression, spoke up. "Long Jiuyyao, I'll remember you. When you reach the Creation Three Realms, I'll come challenge you."

"Since Brother Liu Qing is willing to give me pointers, I naturally accept." Long Jiuyyao replied just as proudly.

"Hahaha, good! I'll wait for you to reach the Creation Three Realms." Liu Qing laughed and left the Dragon Clan Plaza.

"Brothers, I've just broken through to the Heaven Origin Realm, so I'll take my leave first." Long Jiuyyao cupped his hands.

"Until next time," the three replied.

Watching Long Jiuyyao walk away, the three said, "Looks like Big Brother Liu has finally met his match. Long Jiuyyao's arrogance is every bit the equal of Big Brother Liu's."

The news of Liu Qing's challenge at the Dragon Clan Plaza soon spread throughout the Dragon Clan like the wind. When the members of the Dragon Clan learned that Liu Qing would challenge Long Jiuyyao once he reached the Creation Three Realms, they were all deeply shaken. Clearly, Liu Qing thought highly of Long Jiuyyao, who had shone so brightly at the clan competition.

In a quiet Courtyard, two people sat together, their peaceful laughter drifting through the air. They were Long Jiuyyao and Yuan Xin.

"Brother! Why did you agree to fight Liu Qing?" In the Stone Pavilion, Yuan Xin looked at Long Jiuyyao and asked.

"I've heard of Liu Qing. He loves to fight. By challenging me, he's acknowledging my talent and strength, so of course I had to accept." Long Jiuyyao smiled.

"Xin'er, do you know where the Yang Gang Qi is strongest in the Dragon Clan? It has to be at least as strong as the Yin Sha Power at Prison Dragon Yin Blood Peak," Long Jiuyyao asked.

"I do know one place, but you need to be at the Heaven Origin Realm to absorb Yang Gang Qi. Why are you asking—"

"Hm? Brother, you've reached the Heaven Origin Realm?" Yuan Xin realized, astonished.

Long Jiuyyao smiled and nodded. "I was lucky. I broke through in the Dragon Treasury, thanks to the dense Origin Energy there."

What a freak. It hasn't even been that long, and he's already broken through again, Yuan Xin thought, feeling put out.

"So when are you planning to absorb the Yang Gang Qi?" Yuan Xin asked, sounding a little jealous.

"In a few days. I'm a little tired after the clan competition, so I'll rest for a while." Long Jiuyyao stroked Yuan Xin's hair.

Ripples shimmered through the space around the Stone Pavilion, and a middle-aged man in linen clothes appeared behind them. "What are you two siblings talking about?"

"Dad!" they both exclaimed in unison.

"Nothing much. I was just asking my sister where the Yang Gang Qi is strongest in the Dragon Clan," Long Jiuyyao replied.

"You've broken through to the Heaven Origin Realm?" Yuan Gan immediately caught the meaning behind his words.

Long Jiuyyao nodded.

"Good lad. You take after me in my youth. Since you won first place in the clan competition, your dad won't be stingy. Take this." Yuan Gan handed him a palm-sized Golden Scale.

"Dad, what is this?" Long Jiuyyao asked after accepting the Golden Scale.

"It's a key to a Dragon Clan Secret Treasury Location. It's somewhere in the Dragon Domain, but it won't open for another three months," Yuan Gan explained.

"Show me what you got in the Dragon Treasury." Yuan Gan put an arm around Long Jiuyyao and smiled.

Long Jiuyyao nodded. A black, ancient-looking Dragon Halberd appeared in his hand. While they had been inside the Dragon Treasury, the Demon Breaking Dragon Halberd's aura had been fairly calm. But now that they were outside, a powerful, ferocious aura poured from the halberd and spread throughout the Courtyard.

Yuan Gan's gaze was fixed on the Dragon Halberd in Long Jiuyyao's hand. His body jolted, and he exclaimed, "You subdued the Demon Breaking Dragon Halberd?"

"Mm!" Long Jiuyyao nodded slightly.

Yuan Gan nodded. "Since you earned the Demon Breaking Dragon Halberd's recognition, I assume you also met the Formation Spirit in the Dragon Treasury."

"Mm!" Long Jiuyyao nodded again.

"That was the Demon Breaking Heavenly Dragon Formation, created by the Ancestor. The Dragon Halberd in your hand also belonged to him," Yuan Gan said slowly.

"Ah! This Dragon Halberd? Aside from its unusual material, it doesn't seem all that powerful to me." Long Jiuyyao pursed his lips.

"You little brat, you don't know what's good for you! Countless people in the clan dream of owning this treasure, and you act like it's nothing. You're going to give me a heart attack!" Yuan Gan rapped Long Jiuyyao on the head in exasperation.

"During that great battle, the Ancestor wielded the Demon Breaking Dragon Halberd. It was unstoppable, and he never lost."

"But the Ancestor perished in that battle, and the halberd was shattered. Its Halberd Spirits were lost in the same battle," Yuan Gan said with a sigh.

"Spirit treasures usually give birth to only one spirit, but the Demon Breaking Dragon Halberd had five." Yuan Gan sounded proud.

"What? Five?!" Long Jiuyyao cried out in shock.

"Mm. Those five hollows were where the Halberd Spirits belonged, but they've been lost. Do you know what was set into them?"

"Five of the Eight Ancestral Charms: Devouring, Flame, Lightning, Darkness, and Ice," Yuan Gan said with a smile.

"I bet they weren't complete Ancestral Talismans," Long Jiuyyao said, bluntly exposing the truth.

"Correct. They were only the origins of the Ancestral Talismans. But under the Ancestor's nurturing, they developed intelligence and became the five Halberd Spirits."

"Though each individual Halberd Spirit is weaker than a complete Ancestral Talisman, all five together possess a strange power that is no weaker than any single Ancestral Talisman," Yuan Gan explained.

"How does this Dragon Halberd compare to a Divine Object?" Long Jiuyyao asked.

"Let me tell you a little about them. There's an Ancient Divine Object Ranking that records the ten most powerful Ancient Divine Objects in the world. Nine of them were forged by Symbol Ancestor, the strongest person on Tian Xuan Continent."

"The Demon Breaking Dragon Halberd isn't on the Ancient Divine Object Ranking, but in terms of attack power alone, it could easily rank among the top five," Yuan Gan said proudly.

"Hiss! I didn't realize this Dragon Halberd had such an incredible history." Long Jiuyyao drew a sharp breath.

"But its Halberd Spirits are lost, so for now it only has the power of a high-grade spirit treasure. If you can recover all five lost Halberd Spirits, it can return to its peak and rival the top five on the Ancient Divine Object Ranking."

"Recover one Halberd Spirit, and it returns to the Earth Tier; two, the Heaven Tier; three, it becomes a Pure Origin Treasure; four, a Divine Object; and with all five, it can rival the top five on the Ancient Divine Object Ranking," Yuan Gan said solemnly.

"When you're strong enough, the Dragon Halberd will be able to sense the Halberd Spirits' locations within a certain distance. You'll be responsible for finding them," Yuan Gan said, patting Long Jiuyyao on the shoulder.

Long Jiuyyao had known the halberd was extraordinary, but he hadn't expected its history to be so remarkable.

Long Jiuyyao flipped his hand, and the Dragon Halberd disappeared.

Long Jiuyyao knew the state of affairs on Tian Xuan Continent better than anyone. He even knew the whereabouts of several Ancestral Talismans.

But Long Jiuyyao had no intention of claiming the Ancestral Talismans. He would leave them for the Son of Tian Xuan, Lin Dong. In the future, he would even help Lin Dong and get to know him. After all, Lin Dong was fated to have a connection with the Dragon Clan.

The three rested in the Stone Pavilion. Yuan Gan set aside his duties as Patriarch for the day and spent some quality time with Long Jiuyyao and Yuan Xin.

Long Jiuyyao also asked about various aspects of cultivation, and Yuan Gan explained everything he knew without holding anything back.

Yuan Xin occasionally added a comment, but for the most part, Long Jiuyyao asked and Yuan Gan answered.

Long Jiuyyao knew these peaceful days wouldn't last long, so he savored them as much as he could.