Wang Zheng

Within the Holy City.

The news of Fang Yang defeating Grandmaster Tuoba had spread to everyone's ears in less than half an hour.

A sixteen-year-old cultivator in the Four Extremities Realm was certainly eye-catching, but throughout history, there had been no shortage of child prodigies who failed to live up to their early promise.

Eastern Wasteland had seen cultivators reach the Four Extremities Realm at the age of seven or eight, only to fade into obscurity later on, leaving not even a name behind and becoming nothing more than a cautionary tale for the younger generation.

However, a sixteen-year-old Source Technique grandmaster was a completely different matter.

Source Technique was not like cultivation, which required the accumulation of heritage and the solidifying of foundations.

As long as one possessed the talent, soaring forward with unstoppable momentum was the norm.

Many believed that with the level of Source Technique mastery Fang Yang had displayed, it was impossible to even imagine his future achievements as a Source Heaven Master.

After all, in the history of the Eastern Wasteland, there had only been five Source Heaven Masters—supreme experts of Source Technique who could only succeed by possessing the perfect combination of favorable timing, geographical advantage, and human harmony.

But becoming a Source Earth Master was highly probable.

Because of this, many came to visit, hoping to befriend this rising grandmaster of Source Technique, turning the area in front of the Yaoguang Stone Workshop into the most bustling place in the Holy City for a time.

Yet, to everyone's disappointment.

Fang Yang had already left the Yaoguang Stone Workshop and returned to the Yao Guang Sacred Land; no one could catch a glimpse of this newly emerged prodigy who had defeated a grandmaster.

"Greetings, Holy Son!"

"Hello."

"Greetings, Holy Son!"

"Hello, everyone."

As Fang Yang walked along, countless people greeted him. He had become a well-known figure in the Yao Guang Sacred Land, known to all.

Some time ago, his remarks regarding the Tuoba Clan had stirred up excitement among many Yao Guang disciples, though it had also drawn criticism from some who felt he was too high-profile and arrogant for his age.

But after he defeated Grandmaster Tuoba and proved that his mastery of Source Technique was enough to rival and surpass that of a grandmaster, the slanderous rumors had all but vanished.

Arriving at the cave dwelling where Li Daoming resided.

Fang Yang carried the foot-and-a-half-long Dragon Loach in his hand, knocked on the door, and then swaggered inside.

He held his head high and stood before Li Daoming, saying:

"Master, here."

The foot-and-a-half-long Dragon Loach, even though it had been dead for countless millennia, still had a faint, flowing-gold luster shimmering on its skin.

Li Daoming felt a sting in his eyes, recalling his young disciple's words from back then: "Master, Source!" A sense of the vicissitudes of time washed over him.

"A Dragon Loach—this is worth at least a million jin of Source. Are you sure you want to give this to your master?"

He took a deep breath to regain his composure and spoke with a smile.

"If I don't give it to you, Master, who else would I give it to?"

"A disciple showing filial piety to their master is only natural."

Fang Yang said with a carefree laugh.

It was just a Dragon Loach.

His master, Li Daoming, had shown him immense kindness; the Blood Diamond Cauldron alone was likely worth no less than the Dragon Loach.

With the matter settled, there was nothing left for Li Daoming to say. He accepted the Dragon Loach offered by Fang Yang and then told him to leave:

"Source Technique can be practiced."

"But one's cultivation realm is the foundation of a cultivator. You've gained many resources from gambling on stones this time; it is best to go into seclusion and cultivate for a period."

"Go on."

Deep within the Yao Guang Sacred Land.

Li Daoqing and Li Daoming, two fellow disciples, walked slowly along a stone bridge—one with a complex expression, the other calm as usual.

"Junior Brother, doing this..."

"Senior Brother, say no more."

Li Daoming interrupted Li Daoqing, his face showing a sense of detachment; he had no regrets about what he was about to do.

"Although the Dragon Loach Xiao Yang offered was for me, his master, a half-step mighty figure like me would benefit far less from it than you, his senior uncle."

"Xiao Yang is a good child. Sometimes I wonder what kind of incredible luck I had to take on a disciple with such heaven-defying fortune and monstrous comprehension."

"This is a gift from the heavens to our Holy Lord Lineage. I believe the heavy responsibility of restoring the glory of our lineage will inevitably fall upon his shoulders in the future."

"The Ruthless Lineage is ambitious. Even if Xiao Yang is only a mortal, and his cultivation of their demonic arts would be of no benefit, they might still strike from the shadows to extinguish our hope."

"A Dragon Loach can extend a cultivator's life by three hundred years. For a half-step mighty figure like me, even if I lived a few hundred years longer, I would at most only reach the level of an Immortal Second Realm Mighty Figure."

"Senior Brother Wang Zheng is a living fossil. If he were to consume this Dragon Loach and extend his lifespan by three hundred years, that would be a truly joyous event for our Holy Lord Lineage."

Li Daoming analyzed the pros and cons for Li Daoqing, all from the perspective of the Holy Lord Lineage rather than personal gain or loss.

Li Daoqing remained silent.

Both palms and the backs of his hands were flesh.

His junior brother Li Daoming shared the same master and was as close as a brother, while his senior brother Wang Zheng had also shared life and death with him through thick and thin.

Li Daoming still had several hundred years of lifespan left.

Wang Zheng, however, had at most a double-digit lifespan remaining.

Fang Yang... I hope your luck holds out... and do not blame your master for giving the Dragon Loach to someone else... this is all for your own good...

Li Daoqing felt bitter inside.

As the Holy Lord of Yaoguang, he was seen by outsiders as a person of vast supernatural powers and boundless magic.

Yet, there were many things he was powerless to change.

Walking off the stone bridge, the two arrived before a lake and stopped in their tracks as they gazed at a simple stone house in the center.

The small lake before them appeared unremarkable.

In reality, however, it was protected by a terrifyingly powerful array, sufficient to defend against the onslaught of several Immortal Second Realm Mighty Figures.

A moment later, a ripple stirred on the surface of the lake.

Only then did Li Daoqing and his companion rise and head toward the stone house in the center to meet Wang Zheng, who had been in seclusion for a long time, attempting to break through the Dao-Severing barrier.

The dim, cramped stone house did not befit the status of a major figure in the Yao Guang Sacred Land, but it suited the identity of an ascetic perfectly.

Seeing Li Daoqing and Li Daoming arrive together, Wang Zheng's face revealed a weathered smile as he asked:

"What brings you two junior brothers here?"

"We ask that you come out of seclusion, Senior Brother."

Li Daoming took out the Dragon Loach and placed it before Wang Zheng without a hint of reluctance.

"This is a Dragon Loach? Where did you obtain it?"

Wang Zheng's gaze swept over the Dragon Loach without a hint of excitement; instead, he stared at Li Daoming and asked this question.

The Dragon Loach was a precious treasure.

But it did not necessarily have to be used on an old man like him.

Facing Wang Zheng's inquiry, Li Daoming remained silent.

Li Daoqing sighed softly and then explained the origin of the Dragon Loach to Wang Zheng.

"Fang Yang..."

A brilliant radiance rose in Wang Zheng's aged, cloudy eyes.

"Great comprehension, great fortune..."

"Perhaps he truly can revitalize the Yao Guang Sacred Land."

"It is just... Daoming, I am sorry."

He said this with an apologetic tone.

Accepting a life-extending item that should have belonged to his junior brother, Li Daoming, was not something that brought him joy.

Life—how long is long enough?

If not for the fact that Fang Yang possessed the aptitude of a Source Heaven Master.

If not for the fact that the Holy Lord Lineage was in decline.

Wang Zheng would rather pass away in this stone house than take Li Daoming's treasure.

"Set your heart at ease, Senior Brother."

"My little disciple possesses superb Source Technique and immense fortune; perhaps he will find an Undying Divine Medicine in the future, and by then, it won't be your turn anymore."

Li Daoming teased.

He did this so that Wang Zheng would not carry too much of a psychological burden and could refine the Dragon Loach with peace of mind.