Dragon's Gaze!

The burly man looked around, then threw out his long whip. The whip coiled around his feet, lifting him up.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a beam of light flashed past the burly man, but quickly returned.

It was a young man standing on a longsword, his entire body glowing. Upon seeing the burly man, he raised his hand in greeting. "Greetings, Uncle Flying Leopard. You've returned, sir?"

"Not bad, I've gained quite a lot this time," the burly man known as Flying Leopard said excitedly, but then he remembered his senior brother's instructions, coughed a few times, and then said sternly, "Alright, just focus on your cultivation and don't ask any more questions."

"Yes." The young man didn't take it seriously. He glanced at the Copper Furnace in the Flying Leopard Daoist's hand, then made a hand Method Formula, rode away on his sword, and in the blink of an eye transformed into a beam of light, heading straight into the depths of the mountain cave.

From deep within, several roars could be faintly heard, like the howls of wild beasts.

Flying Leopard shook his head, mounted his long whip, his whole body shimmering with golden light, and flew towards a seven-story pagoda on the cave wall.

In an instant, with lightning speed, Master Flying Leopard arrived at the destination in the blink of an eye.

Three large characters were written on the tower gate.

Treasure Pagoda.

These three words are arrogant and domineering, like a spoiled brat showing off his power, but they also subtly exude a strong aura that inspires subconscious awe.

After landing, the Flying Leopard didn't stop. It reached out and pushed open the door, stepping inside. But before it even entered the tower, a voice called out to it.

"Junior brother, what is that thing you're holding?"

The voice was clear and resonant, carried from afar. The first word came from a distance, but by the time the last word was spoken, it was already right next to Flying Leopard's ear.

Upon hearing this, Master Flying Leopard turned around and smiled, "Third Senior Brother, this is a treasure I found outside."

As he spoke, he swung his arm and smashed the Copper Furnace on the ground. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, a slender flame immediately rose from inside the Copper Furnace.

"This treasure possesses spiritual energy; it is Law Treasure. To obtain it, I once fought with a deity, causing the Law Treasure to be damaged. However, more than a month has passed, and the Law Treasure has absorbed Spiritual Qi on its own and healed! It is at least a second-grade artifact!"

"A second-class Law Treasure?"

The senior brother of Flying Leopard was a boy. Judging from his appearance, he seemed to be under the age of 18, but his voice was just like that of an adult. He was wearing a slightly loose Daoist robe with the hem trailing on the ground, and he was carrying a tiger-head cane as he walked slowly.

Spirit-Sealing Dao, Flying Tiger Daoist.

A burly man addressing a teenager as "senior brother" seemed rather odd, but Flying Leopard showed no disrespect whatsoever; in fact, a hint of awe flickered in his eyes.

As soon as Flying Tiger walked over, he reached out and grabbed him.

Bang!

The Copper Furnace sprang into the air, flew swiftly, and hovered in front of the person.

Then, without moving his hands or feet, Flying Tiger released strands of Divine Sense from his body, which coiled around the furnace. After moving back and forth a few times, he sneered and looked up at Flying Leopard.

"Flying Leopard, how many times have I reminded you? You need to be cautious and careful in everything you do, but I didn't expect you to be so careless."

As he spoke, his cane flicked and flew out, expanding and twisting into a wooden tiger that roared and howled. It landed on the Copper Furnace, opened its mouth, and sucked in the wisp of flame.

Using wood to swallow fire!

Snap!

The flames, along with the Divine Sense within them, shattered completely.

"What? Is there something strange about this fire?" Seeing this, even the slow-witted Flying Leopard guessed the reason and couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"Hmph," Flying Tiger shook his head helplessly, "You said you fought with a god before? Don't you know that gods are most skilled at manipulating thoughts? Why were you so careless? You didn't even realize that your Divine Sense had been possessed, and instead brought this Baopu relic into the mountain gate. I guess that god has already discovered something."

"How insidious! That day, when he fought me for the furnace, he deliberately created a diversion, but I didn't expect him to have a trick up his sleeve afterwards, hmm?" Flying Leopard complained at first, but then suddenly realized what his senior brother was saying and quickly asked, "Senior brother, what did you just say? Relics of Baopu? Could this Copper Furnace be a relic of Baopuzi? Pill Ancestor's Legacy?"

"Not bad," Master Flying Tiger gripped his cane again. "The furnace is full of chaotic energy, and the patterns are the same as those described in a book in the Scripture Repository Pavilion. It should be something from the time of Baopuzi. However, we cannot mention the name 'Pill Ancestor.' His external alchemy method is unorthodox and inferior to our orthodox one."

"Yes, Senior Brother is right." Flying Leopard replied, but his eyes were gleaming as he stared intently at the Copper Furnace.

Seeing this, Master Flying Tiger knew that his junior brother was eyeing the treasure, but he didn't expose him. He simply said, "This furnace cannot be placed in the Treasure Pagoda, as it will contaminate other Law Treasure. Find a place to temporarily place it."

"Alright! Alright! I'll take care of it!" Flying Leopard nodded repeatedly, picked up the Copper Furnace again, and flew towards the depths of the mountain cave.

Flying Tiger simply shook his head.

"This Copper Furnace is not so easy to refine. When I entered it with my Divine Sense, I could clearly feel that it was incomplete, with a part obviously missing. If it is not repaired, it will be difficult to refine. But this is for the best, so that he won't refine it and cause endless trouble Karma entanglements."

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he suddenly raised his hand and grabbed, and with a "snap," a thin layer of black smoke was extinguished.

"The deity who fought my junior brother is unknown in origin and ability to control Heart Demon. However, these Heart Demons have clearly lingered in the Mortal Realm for too long and are about to be pulled back to the Heaven Beyond Heaven."

Qiu Yan was unaware of Master Flying Tiger Hu's incantation. As his Divine Sense and the smoke of his Heart Demon dissipated, he could no longer perceive the scene in the mountain cave. However, even so, he still gained something.

"The gate of Spirit-Sealing Dao is actually located high in the mountains! Are other Daoist Sect like this? The pavilions on the cave walls are connected, clearly indicating that it is not a small sect. I wonder how many cultivation masters there are, and the senior brother of Flying Leopard is obviously not an ordinary person. What is his cultivation level? Besides, there seems to be something hidden deep in the cave."

As he pondered, the deity's gaze shifted, landing on the short sword and the bracelet.

"I didn't expect that Law Treasure had different ranks. A second-rank Law Treasure artifact can absorb Spiritual Qi and heal itself... I wonder what the criteria for this classification are. Also, Flying Leopard mentioned spirituality. Does Law Treasure possess spirituality...?"

He narrowed his eyes, his Divine Eye shining, enveloping the longsword and bracelet, from which Incense Thoughts surged forth and permeated.

Just as the deity was trying to analyze the two things in front of him, he suddenly felt a stirring in his heart. An unusual aura emanated from the Black Hole at the bottom of the Divine Pool.

Even though it was just a trace of that aura, it still gave Qiu Yan a heavy feeling, as if it were heavier than Mount Tai!

Elegant, noble, ancient, decaying...

Then, from this wisp of air, various different artistic conceptions were conveyed.

After sensing it for a moment, the deity's expression changed.

"This aura emanates from the scholar's clone, yet the clone itself remained completely unaware of it. If it hadn't seeped through the Soul Aperture and been detected by the deity, it would have been completely undetectable! However, this wisp of aura is truly strange..."

As Qiu Yan thought to himself, the deity himself separated a strand of Incense Faith to envelop the aura and analyze it. Unexpectedly, the aura, touched by the incense, suddenly surged and twisted, transforming into a slender divine dragon!

Its aura is like a divine dragon!

Dragon Qi!

Central Passes.

Prosperity Capital, an ancient capital with a history of thousands of years, Central Lands of the Great Rui Dynasty, a place where tigers crouch and dragons coil.

The Imperial City, located in the center of Prosperity Capital, is surrounded by a moat and covers a vast area.

Red walls, golden water, and nine-dragon wall; white bridges, jade bricks, and ten thousand gates.

Even standing on the walls of the Imperial City, the endless palaces stretch as far as the eye can see.

Magnificent and Great Qi.

Inside and outside the Imperial City, soldiers and armor were constantly at war. The Imperial Guards was known as the number one army in the world, with countless experts in the army. Any one of them could be said to be braver than the rest of the army and full of Qi and Blood. However, in this city, they were just ordinary patrol guards.

This is the land of the coiled dragon.

The dragon represents the emperor, regardless of bloodline, but rather the will of the people and the fate of the world.

Emperor Rui Li Kun has been on the throne for two years. When he first ascended the throne, he was young and ambitious. He encountered the invasion of the Northern Pastures into the territory of Great Rui, and from then on he had the ambition to reform and establish a new dynasty.

Now, two years have passed, and the emperor's sharpness has faded somewhat. He has become more steady in his actions, and his emotions are no longer easily revealed.

At this moment, he was sitting in the Imperial Study, reading a military strategy document, with several memorials and military reports beside him, and an elderly man with gray hair and a clean-shaven face waiting beside him.

It was called a study, but it was also a palace, spacious and bright, with several eunuchs standing around it.

Four guards with swords stood outside the hall, each with a solemn demeanor and eyes like lightning.

After watching for a while, the young emperor put down his military strategy, and the old man beside him immediately stepped forward and gently massaged the emperor's temples.

"The military conflict in Hexi has not yet subsided, and now there's unrest in the southwest." After a while, Li Kun finally spoke.

The old man then said, "Those soldiers are incompetent and cannot share His Majesty's burdens."

"This matter in the southwest is related to Pan Xiang," Li Kun frowned slightly. "The King sent him to Jiannan to build up his prestige and promote the New Law, but according to the secret report, this man is somewhat overconfident and needs to be honed for a few more years."

When Li Kun spoke, he mentioned matters related to the reform, and the old man dared not say more.

The emperor, who holds the reins of power, may appear frail, but a single word from him can alter the Fortune of the world. The Karma are too great for an old eunuch to easily meddle in. Otherwise, not only would he face karmic entanglements, but the memorials from the ministers of the outer court would be enough to cause him trouble.

Then, Li Kun added, "Fortunately, the country is prosperous and talented people are emerging. There are also rising stars in Jiannan Circuit who are knowledgeable in military affairs and good at making decisions. They even gave guidance to the southwest in the Provincial Examination."

Upon hearing this, the old man casually asked, "Could it be that beacon fire message?"

"Not bad!" Li Kun nodded, pointing to several memorials on the table. "The memorials from Liu Jing, Li Qi, Zhang Duling, and Song Yuan are all here. They were all sent by urgent messengers. Three of them mentioned a scholar named Qiu Yan and even sent his military strategy for the imperial examination."

He picked up the booklet in front of him.

"I have compared the military report with that submitted by the Left Military Governor's Office, and this military strategy can be said to be almost flawless!"

The young emperor's face lit up with joy as he spoke.

Upon witnessing this scene, the old man immediately knew that this scholar named Qiu Yan had already won the emperor's favor and gained his favor.

The emperor is a dragon, ruling over the Great Rui Dragon Vein. His favor is equivalent to the gaze of a dragon, naturally causing a reaction from the Dragon Vein, which will send a wisp of Dragon Qi down upon that person! (To be continued)

P. S.: Thanks to "Xiao Wu's Dad", "Wandering Mountains and Rivers", and "kaite" for their monthly votes!

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