The Dragon Pearl

"Earth Dragon Pearl..." Chu Zhiyuan murmured.

He searched his mind.

Soon he found some records about dragon pearls.

Within the Four Great Secret Lands dwelled all manner of Mysterious Beasts, overwhelmingly powerful—far surpassing any beasts in the Great Jing Dynasty or anywhere else in the world.

Among the Four Great Secret Lands, dragons existed.

Earth Dragons, Crane Dragons, Azure Dragons, Turtle Dragons, Flying Dragons, and so on—all were apex predators, at the very top of the Demon Beast hierarchy.

The Earth Dragon was one of the weakest dragons.

Only a Grandmaster could resist it.

Without a Grandmaster to suppress them, any random dragon that escaped from the Secret Lands could wreak havoc across the world, and countless common folk and martial arts masters would perish.

Only the top-tier experts among Grandmasters could kill a dragon.

Only by killing a dragon, by slaying it, could one obtain a dragon pearl.

The Earth Dragon Pearl should be the pearl of an Earth Dragon.

He also recalled the treasure catalog of the Heavenly Treasure Department. The catalog contained no dragon pearls, but it did list some other dragon-related items.

For instance, the lowest-grade Dragon Blood Stone was merely Ninth Grade.

The rest jumped sharply in grade.

Earth Dragon Armor: Seventh Grade.

Earth Dragon Blood: Sixth Grade.

Crimson Dragon Blood: Fifth Grade.

Dragon Tendon Bow, Dragon Tooth, Dragon Eye—each had a different grade, all above Sixth Grade, and some dragon blood had even reached Third Grade.

Lu Wan sighed and said, "This Earth Dragon Pearl was obtained by a disciple through a stroke of luck. It's quite beneficial for cultivation. We never expected the Thick Earth Sect to come claiming it as their own."

"You refused to give it, and the Thick Earth Sect was displeased?"

"Yes."

"...Do you know the Thick Earth Sect's backing?"

"I heard that the Thirteenth Prince, the master of Prince Huai's Estate, has a concubine who is the daughter of the Thick Earth Sect's leader."

"Don't you think the Thick Earth Sect wouldn't dare do anything to you, given that Grandmaster Song is here?"

"...We truly didn't expect it."

"Under normal circumstances, they'd hold back out of respect for a Grandmaster... It seems the Earth Dragon Pearl is very important to them."

Even with Prince Huai's Estate as their backing, the Thick Earth Sect wouldn't casually provoke a Grandmaster. If they dared, there had to be a reason—either the Earth Dragon Pearl was too vital to them, or they believed they had right on their side.

In the Great Jing Dynasty, no matter how formidable a Grandmaster was, they still had to abide by reason; they couldn't act without restraint, especially when the imperial family was involved.

Lu Wan fell silent.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "So you're determined not to give them the Earth Dragon Pearl?"

Lu Wan shook her head. "If we give in, another sect might come claiming some treasure was originally theirs and demand we return it."

"That's unlikely—not every sect has Prince Huai's Estate as their backing," Chu Zhiyuan said. "...Of course, the Thick Earth Sect won't be the only one."

From what he knew, many sects in the Jade Capital had ties to various princely estates.

Lu Wan said softly, "Isn't the Thick Earth Sect relying on Prince Huai's Estate's influence? Doesn't the Estate care about their actions?"

"Thirteenth Uncle's side..." Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

From his understanding, Prince Huai's Estate wouldn't intervene.

After all, from the Thick Earth Sect's standpoint, there wasn't much wrong with what they were doing. If their own treasure had fallen into someone else's hands, trying to get it back wasn't unreasonable.

Each side had its own position—right and wrong weren't so clear.

Lu Wan furrowed her delicate, charming brows, a look of disappointment on her face. "I didn't want to trouble Martial Uncle Song with such trivial matters."

Chu Zhiyuan couldn't help but laugh.

That was a clear threat.

You have your backing, and I'll bring out mine—let's see whose backing is stronger.

That was the way of the martial world: straightforward, no pretense.

The Thick Earth Sect's approach was still relatively tactful, but crippling a Flying Flower Sword Sect disciple right off the bat was arrogant enough.

It showed they truly didn't take the Flying Flower Sword Sect seriously. Even with Grandmaster Song around, they were confident he wouldn't dare do anything to them.

At this point, Song Feiqiong had no choice but to step in and deal with the Thick Earth Sect; otherwise, it would be hard to protect the Flying Flower Sword Sect.

The Thick Earth Sect had never produced a Grandmaster, so they had no real understanding of what a Grandmaster was—they didn't grasp the changes in mindset and perspective that came with that realm.

Once someone became a Grandmaster, their nature naturally transformed. Worldly affairs became like drifting clouds, all phenomena turned to emptiness—only the pursuit of that one true essence, that pure emotion and conviction, remained.

So they wouldn't be overly constrained—if they wanted to fight, they fought.

As long as they didn't strike directly at the Emperor, didn't personally target a Prince, and didn't throw the realm into chaos, the Emperor would only turn a blind eye.

So this time, the Thick Earth Sect was bound to suffer a loss.

But if it really came to that, Prince Huai's Estate would lose face, and the imperial family's dignity wouldn't look good either.

"Elder Lu, tell me—what kind of treasure is this Earth Dragon Pearl, exactly?" Chu Zhiyuan said. "Is there something that can replace it?"

He only knew the pearl's origin, not its wondrous uses, and wanted to take the chance to inquire.

Moreover, the name alone made him associate the Thick Earth Sect with the Earth Dragon Pearl.

He suspected that other Dragon Pearls might not matter much to the Thick Earth Sect—only the Earth Dragon Pearl likely aligned with their Imperial Heaven Earthly Soil Scripture, or with the Earth Venerable.

It probably involved secrets of cultivation.

Lu Wan's bright eyes flickered as she stared at Chu Zhiyuan.

Finally, she bit her red lip, made up her mind, and spoke slowly: "The Earth Dragon Pearl contains power within—an extremely peculiar power. It can replenish deficiencies in Internal Energy and True Qi, like having another Dantian."

"It aids cultivation?" Chu Zhiyuan said.

That was similar to his own Earthly Yuan Art.

The Earthly Yuan Art still required mental effort to activate, but the Earth Dragon Pearl could replenish directly—its benefit to cultivation was indeed immense.

Especially for practicing Martial Skills.

To master a martial art well, there were generally two dimensions: one was comprehension—grasping its essence and truly learning it—and the other was refinement—practicing it until it became polished, where familiarity bred skill and skill bred wonder.

Take his own Great Avalanche Sword Art, for example. With his extraordinary comprehension, he had learned it quickly, but he couldn't increase its power further afterward.

Each use of the Great Avalanche Sword Art drained all his True Qi. Without the Earthly Yuan Art and the Heavenly Yuan Art, he could only practice it once a day—thirty times a month, three hundred sixty times a year.

But with the Earthly Yuan Art, he could practice it more than three hundred sixty times in a single day.

Moreover, practicing once a day for three hundred sixty times had a completely different effect from practicing three hundred sixty times in one day.

Without the Earthly Yuan Art and the Heavenly Yuan Art, the Great Avalanche Sword Art's current power was less than half.

This showed how greatly the Earthly Yuan Art and the Heavenly Yuan Art aided cultivation.

The Earth Dragon Pearl had the same effect.

Such a treasure was indeed tempting—no wonder the Thick Earth Sect couldn't abandon it just because of a Grandmaster.

But the Earth Dragon Pearl was still different from his Earthly Yuan Art.

The Earth Dragon Pearl was like a spirit pill that replenished Internal Energy and True Qi. Though it wasn't the kind that directly boosted cultivation, it was still an external force and would still affect the path to Grandmaster.

The Earthly Yuan Art, on the other hand, drew power from heaven and earth itself, without affecting the path to Grandmaster.

Lu Wan nodded. "Yes, it's extremely helpful for cultivation. I haven't heard of anything that can replace it."

Chu Zhiyuan sighed and searched his mind for any treasure with such an effect.

The Heavenly Treasure Department was filled with countless treasures—there had to be something of this kind. He just knew their names without being very clear on their individual uses.

The Heavenly Treasure Department had many spirit pills that restored Internal Energy and True Qi. Such pills could save lives at critical moments, so they were very precious—no one was willing to waste them on daily training.

"Elder Lu, may I ask how your sect's disciple came upon this by chance?"

Lu Wan said, "Extremely lucky. She stumbled into an ancient Cave Mansion, and the Earth Dragon Pearl was inside, left for a destined person."

"That predecessor was from the Thick Earth Sect?"

"He was an Elder."

"They think it should be returned. You naturally don't want to part with it, feeling that they say whatever they want—where's the logic in that?"

"Even if the Cave Mansion's owner truly was a Thick Earth Sect Elder," Lu Wan said, "that Elder gave it as a gift. He didn't instruct that it be sent back to the Thick Earth Sect."

"Anyone in that position wouldn't hand over such a treasure." Chu Zhiyuan nodded, understanding the Flying Flower Sword Sect's thinking.

To give up a treasure already in hand, to lose it after gaining it—no one could accept that.

Moreover, the Flying Flower Sword Sect had another concern: if they really handed it over, it would show weakness, making them seem soft and easy to bully—anyone could push them around.

If that happened, it would be a joke. It would disgrace Song Feiqiong and make it impossible to attract talented young people to join the Flying Flower Sword Sect.

Chu Zhiyuan fell into thought.

Behind the Thick Earth Sect, besides Prince Huai's Estate, were there other shadows?

He suddenly called out, "Lord Gao!"

"My Lord." Gao Lingfeng pushed the door open and entered.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Bring me the Thick Earth Sect's files again—the more detailed, the better... and have the Supervisory Department submit their files on the Thick Earth Sect as well."

This was a special period, so he had the authority to view the Supervisory Department's files. Once this time passed, he probably wouldn't.

"...Yes." Gao Lingfeng paused, then gritted his teeth and agreed.

The Supervisory Department was the head of all departments, standing above them all. It had always been the Supervisory Department that reviewed the files of the Six Ministries and other bureaus—never had a ministry requested to see the Supervisory Department's files.

The Prince's Heir Apparent was indeed unlike ordinary officials.

After Gao Lingfeng left, Chu Zhiyuan looked at Lu Wan. "Elder Lu, you may return for now. I will investigate this matter thoroughly."

Lu Wan clasped her hands. "Then I shall trouble you, My Lord."

She rose and gracefully withdrew from the room, leaving the Ministry of Rites.

Chu Zhiyuan paced back and forth in the room with his hands clasped behind his back.