Azure Dragon Method

This was his martial soul.

This was the other side buried deep within his bloodline.

"You have come."

The Azure Dragon spoke.

Its voice did not come from its throat, but echoed directly within Qing Mufeng's consciousness.

Low and resonant, carrying an ancient sense of vicissitude.

"That you were able to come here means you have already obtained a meditation method," the Azure Dragon said. "This is one of the keys to reaching this place."

Qing Mufeng recalled the Green Snake Meditation Method his grandfather had just taught him.

"One of the keys?" He caught the crucial point in the Azure Dragon's words.

"One." The Azure Dragon repeated, "There are two keys. The first is the meditation method. The second is the Azure Dragon Pupil. Neither can be absent."

Qing Mufeng understood at once.

The Azure Dragon Pupil had allowed him to look within and see his dantian, while the Green Snake Meditation Method had enabled him to stir his martial soul.

Only by combining the two had he been drawn here.

"The Green Snake Meditation Method does not suit you," the Azure Dragon said bluntly. "It is the path of a snake, not the way of a dragon."

Qing Mufeng was not surprised.

He had long since guessed as much.

"Then what meditation method should I use?" he asked.

A glimmer flashed through the Azure Dragon's vertical pupils.

"I shall pass it on to you."

As its words fell, the Azure Dragon's body trembled slightly. A beam of azure light shot from its brow and entered Qing Mufeng's forehead.

A vast flood of information poured in like a tide.

Not words, not images, but a more direct kind of knowing.

Qing Mufeng closed his eyes and absorbed the information flooding into his mind.

Azure Dragon Method.

That was the name of this cultivation art.

Built upon the foundation of the Green Snake Meditation Method, it transformed the snake's path into the way of a dragon.

The circulation routes through the meridians had been drastically altered. Soul Power moved several times faster, while three entirely new pathways had been added.

One led to the body.

One led to the soul.

One led to all things.

Qing Mufeng carefully sensed the contents of this cultivation art, and the more he examined it, the more alarmed he became.

This was not merely a meditation method.

It was an all-encompassing cultivation art.

Soul Power, physique, and spiritual power of the soul were cultivated together.

Each path had its own method of circulation, and the three paths echoed one another, forming an endless cycle.

Beyond that, the art also included introductory methods for dozens of auxiliary professions—alchemy, artifact forging, formations, talismans, puppetry, and more.

Everything centered on the wood attribute.

Alchemy relied on the affinity of the Origin of Wood toward medicinal ingredients.

Artifact forging relied on the nurturing power of wood-attributed Soul Power over metal.

Formations relied on the power of the stars from the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon.

Every auxiliary profession was intimately tied to the Azure Dragon bloodline and the Origin of Wood.

"This art encompasses all things."

The Azure Dragon's voice rang out in his consciousness. "Everything centers on the wood attribute. The deeper your cultivation, the greater your control over the Origin of Wood. Alchemy, artifact forging, formations, talismans... you will be able to draw inferences from one to understand the rest."

Qing Mufeng drew a deep breath and suppressed the shock in his heart.

"Besides becoming stronger, what other benefits does cultivating this art offer?"

A trace of approval flashed through the Azure Dragon's vertical pupils.

"Longevity."

The four words landed with immense weight.

"The Origin of Wood governs life."

"As your Soul Power rises through cultivating this art, the source of your life will continuously grow stronger."

"When ordinary soul masters reach old age, their meridians deteriorate, their vitality declines, and their cultivation stagnates or even regresses."

"But your body will grow ever younger, and your lifespan will far surpass that of ordinary people."

"At profound levels of cultivation, you may return to youth and preserve your appearance forever."

"At completion, you shall live as long as heaven and earth, undying and indestructible."

Qing Mufeng's pupils contracted sharply.

To live as long as heaven and earth.

Undying and indestructible.

If that was not a god, then what was?

"Do you understand now?" The Azure Dragon's voice deepened. "Why you must be the Azure Dragon, why you must endure in silence, why you cannot reveal yourself."

Qing Mufeng fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Because the road I must walk is farther than anyone else's."

The Azure Dragon did not answer, but the light in its vertical pupils was clearly one of approval.

Silence flowed through the little azure world.

After a long while, the Azure Dragon spoke again.

"The Azure Dragon Method has Nine Layers, corresponding to the Nine Rings of Soul Power. Each layer awakens an Innate Divine Ability. You have already awakened the Azure Dragon Armor at the first layer, while the second is the Azure Dragon Pupil."

"When you obtain your third soul ring, the third layer will naturally open."

"As for the God Realm beyond the Nine Rings, once you reach the Nine Rings in the future, I shall naturally pass it on to you."

"After you return, pass the Azure Dragon Method to your family. The Green Snake Meditation Method and the Azure Dragon Method share the same origin. Though they cannot cultivate it in full, they can draw upon its essence to improve the Green Snake Meditation Method."

Qing Mufeng froze. "I can pass it on to them?"

"The Azure Dragon Method was born from the Green Snake Meditation Method. It is the sublimation of the Qing Clan's century of painstaking effort."

The Azure Dragon's voice was calm. "They gave you the meditation method, and you repay them with a better one. This is cause and effect. Perhaps one day, they too may become true dragons."

Warmth surged through Qing Mufeng's heart.

He had wanted to ask whether the Azure Dragon would allow him to pass it on, but it had brought it up first.

"One more thing." The Azure Dragon's vertical pupils suddenly became profound. "Do not use your Azure Dragon Armor or Azure Dragon Pupil before others. Until you possess enough strength to protect yourself, they are your trump cards."

"I understand," Qing Mufeng said.

"Go." The Azure Dragon's voice gradually faded away. "Remember the circulation paths of the Azure Dragon Method. Cultivate every day, and do not slack off."

The little azure world began to blur, and Qing Mufeng's consciousness was gently pushed out by a soft force.

Qing Mufeng opened his eyes in the medicine barrel.

The medicinal broth in the barrel had already cooled, and the steam had long since dispersed.

He lowered his head to look at his hands, then clenched them into fists.

Every word of the Azure Dragon Method was etched clearly in his mind.

He drew a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began circulating Soul Power according to the pathways of the Azure Dragon Method.

Not the Green Snake Meditation Method.

The Azure Dragon Method.

Soul Power surged through his meridians, moving several times faster than before.

Three entirely new pathways opened at once. Soul Power, physique, and spiritual power of the soul circulated in unison, forming a cycle unlike anything before.

The corners of Qing Mufeng's mouth lifted slightly.

He had walked the snake's path for less than an hour.

From today onward, he would walk his own path.

The way of the dragon.

By the time Qing Mufeng emerged from the medicine barrel, the medicinal broth had gone completely cold.

He changed into a dry robe, dried his dripping hair, and sat by the bed for a while.

Every pathway and every node of the Azure Dragon Method was etched clearly in his mind, as though he had cultivated it for years.

This was not memory, but inheritance.

The Azure Dragon had directly engraved the essence of the cultivation art deep into his soul.

He rose to his feet and pushed open the door.

In the next room, Liu Yunlan was sorting medicinal herbs.

Hearing the movement, the old woman looked up. Her gaze lingered on her grandson's face for a moment, and her brows furrowed slightly.

"Feng'er, you..." She set down the herbs and walked over, reaching out to touch her grandson's forehead. "Your aura feels different."

Qing Mufeng paused slightly. "What feels different?"

Liu Yunlan could not put it into words. It was simply a feeling.

Her grandson was still her grandson, yet his aura was purer than before the medicinal bath, and more... profound.

"Grandma, where is Grandpa?" Qing Mufeng asked.

"In the study. Your grandfather spends all day cooped up in there."

As Liu Yunlan spoke, she examined her grandson carefully once more.

"Do you need something from your grandfather?"