"Hey, wait, Great-Grandfather. So the Mountain Dragon King just let you freeload like that? Isn't that just plain stu—cough, a losing deal?" Murong Huai quickly changed tack.
Murong Zhige replied, "I wouldn't call it a losing deal. Look, I'm still here, aren't I?"
"Huh? Oh, right. Great-Grandfather, why are you still here?" Murong Huai finally remembered that.
"That came later. After that, it took me ten years to cultivate the Dragon Body Secret Art to the minor mastery stage, and my cultivation realm rose rapidly.
"In just ten years, I advanced from Rank 81 to Titled Douluo. With my newfound strength, I killed a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in the Cangwu Desert and obtained a Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Ring.
"Also, after I retired and came here, the Mountain Dragon King gave me most of the authority over the Dragon Spine Mountain Range. In other words, I get to call the shots here.
"Later, your grandfather and your father both came here. I taught them the Dragon Body Secret Art, and they were able to cultivate here for a few years."
"So you were working for them to pay off your debt, while they kicked back and did nothing. Hey, wait. You had to hunt for your Spirit Rings? No, the Mountain Dragon King was already a divine beast. Didn't he give you a God-Bestowed Spirit Ring?"
Murong Huai was puzzled. In the original story, the Sea God and the others had all given out God-Bestowed Spirit Rings, hadn't they?
"Oh, you even know about God-Bestowed Spirit Rings. My great-grandson really is clever." Murong Zhige smiled, then explained, "The Mountain Dragon King is a divine beast and believes in the strength of the self. If you want something, you have to go find it yourself."
Murong Huai couldn't help complaining. "So