At Batwoman's request, the Jade Emperor stroked his beard and pondered. Shou Lao's existence was tied to far too much of K'un-Lun's legacy.
Leaving aside Shou Lao's origins—for it had descended upon K'un-Lun tens of millions of years ago—it had lived in the Dragon's Den ever since, serving as part of the final trial.
Without thrusting one's fist into the brazier burning with Shou Lao's heart, without receiving that dragon-shaped curse mark, one could not gain the blessing of immortality and become the indestructible Iron Fist.
This was not merely a ritual; it was also the inevitable way successive Iron Fists strengthened themselves.
Of course, many had failed this trial and been killed and eaten by Shou Lao. But such was the path of martial arts: advance or fall behind. There was no room for luck.
K'un-Lun followed the most traditional path of "laying down arms" and disliked stirring up trouble, but everyone understood that without a hard enough fist, peaceful lives could not be protected.
Now an outsider was asking to see Shou Lao, and the Jade Emperor was unsure what exactly Batwoman intended.
Though Shou Lao could quickly revive even after death, hence its title of the Immortal Dragon, what if it killed the guests?
The Batwoman before him appeared to be a martial artist as well, and her body was in excellent condition, but the Jade Emperor could not sense even a trace of "qi" from her. She could not possibly be a match for a dragon.
Forget Shou Lao—she probably could not even beat Fin Fang Foom, could she?
"Is there something inconvenient about it, Grandpa?" Seeing Batwoman and the old man staring at each other in silence as the atmosphere grew awkward, Silver White joined the conversation. "Could you arrange for us to meet Shou