NOVEL NEXT The Five Dragons
"Oh, okay... wait, what?!" Ling Xuan's response was a mix of surprise and confusion, trying to process the unexpected revelation from Shang Zhang.
“Hahahahaha surprised right?” Xia Longwei laughed.
Ling Xuan's face could only be described by a single word: shock. But not just any shock—this was the kind of shock one might feel upon discovering that their teacher, who also happened to be their girlfriend, had just revealed that they were step-siblings.
A wave of coolness washed over Ling Xuan, tempering his emotions.
"Be calm, Carto. If you mess up here, you're dead," Urizen's voice echoed in Ling Xuan's ears.
It was true; any rash move now could seal his fate with Shang Zhang, or rather Xia Longwei. Ling Xuan preferred that Shang Zhang find amusement in his composure rather than detect his shock.
"Ah, you've calmed down rather quickly. Interesting," Xia Longwei remarked, his eyebrows arching ever so slightly, a sign of his amusement just as Ling Xuan expected.
"Now, I suppose you have no idea who I am or rather who Xia Longwei is, correct?" Xia Longwei asked, to which Ling Xuan nodded.
“Alright let me give you a brief introduction.” Xia Longwei cleared his throat.
"I am the eldest offspring of Xia Fugui, having eliminated all my siblings except for the youngest brother, before my father banished me from the Empire to the Abyss Sea. There, I gained a substantial following, which later enabled my return to the Continent. Oh, and they used to call me Yimo Ji." Xia Longwei explained in a bland tone as Ling Xuan who was still under Urizen’s forced calmness couldn’t help but twitch his lips.
“Alrighty ! With that out of the way here take this book.” Xia Longwei took out a book from a place Ling Xuan couldn’t notice and handed it to the latter.
“Huh what’s this?” Ling Xuan asked in curiosity.
"Oh, I remember you were quite interested in Mythical Beasts, and since there are no books that fully explain them, I decided to write one myself. Take it, I don’t have anything else to give," Xia Longwei scratched his chin as he explained.
“Ah thank you then.” Ling Xuan happily accepted the book and examined it
The book had a leather cover with no title. Its pages felt rough and coarse, and the words looked heavy, as if they were hammered onto the pages.
“This book contains everything I have discovered about Mythical Beasts, as well as the findings from the Xia Dynasty. It’s quite literally an encyclopaedia of Mythical Beasts.”
Hearing this, Ling Xuan felt excitement bubbling inside him like a volcanic eruption. This was what he had always sought after! With this book, the development of the Mythical Technique would surely skyrocket!
“I see you like it.” Xia Longwei asked, grinning.
Ling Xuan nodded fervently, his eyes gleaming with enthusiasm. "Thank you for the gift, Senior !”
“Oh I didn’t know you would be so happy.” Xia Longwei was surprised.
“I would like to ask a question, senior.”
“Oh what is it ?”
“When you said that Old Ancestor Xia used the Qi of the Dragon’s Corpse to cultivate, does it mean that the reason the Xia Clan is so strong is because it cultivates Dragon Qi ?”
“Eh, something like that.You see, after Old Xia became King, he launched an enormous expedition to find the remains of other Mythical Beasts so he could cultivate their Qi as well. Unfortunately, it seemed that only the Dragons' Qi was suitable for Xia. Thus, he searched far and wide for more remains. This mission was passed on to his descendants. One after another, they came across several Mythical Beast remains, but few were those of Dragons. In the end, a total of five dragon remains were found, each more powerful than the last. We gave them titles to signify their level of power. I have documented this in the book, but I'll tell you now.
They were:
The Dragon of Far Reaching Floods
The Dragon of Ever Present Mortality
The Dragon of Earthly Attachments
The Dragon of Celestial Might
The Dragon of Everlasting Immortality
The Dragon of Everlasting Immortality was the most powerful Mythical Beast in existence, believed to be the Creator of All Life." Xia Longwei explained with passion clear in his voice.
As Ling Xuan heard this he couldn’t help but link the five dragons to the five levels of Cultivation.
“Senior, you haven’t answered my question: how does the Xia Clan cultivate.” Ling Xuan asked, breaking Xia Longwei out of his fervour.
“Oh I told you they transfer their Qi from one individual to another, that's all.” Xia Longwei cooly replied.
“Wait, they only transfer the Qi?”
“Indeed the so-called ‘Holy’ Technique of the Xia is just an incredibly precise Technique that ensures that every single drop of Qi is transferred correctly without any waste.”
“I thought it would be some Heaven Defying Technique.”
“Well you thought wrong Junior.”
“......”
“......”
“Well it’s been nice talking to you Senior but now I think it’s time for me to go.” Breaking the awkward silence Ling Xuan got up from the stone and began walking away.
“Yeah you're right.” Xia Longwei stood up as well.
In an instant Xia Longwei had disappeared and at the same moment the disciple who had fallen unconscious also woke up.
He was looking around confused yet the moment he noticed Ling Xuan his face turned stoic.
“Follow me.” He spoke coldly and began walking out of the forest.
“This dude thinks I’m blind.” Ling Xuan’s lips twitched as he followed.
—------------------------------------
As Ling Xuan closed the door to his residence and finally lay on his bed, countless thoughts swirled in his mind, all related to the day's events.
“Today was quite a day.” Urizen remarked, surprising Ling Xuan.
“What, you didn’t think that the talking voice in your head can’t talk ?”
“Nah it’s not that you just never talked to me in a conversation, most of the times you talk to me either when I am in danger and need information or something along those lines.” Ling Xuan replied.
“We never really needed to converse, I know everything about you and I won’t let you know anything about me.”
“So tell me what is the reason you are talking to me this time?” Ling Xuan asked.
“Information needs to be recorded from the book.”
“Alright.” Ling Xuan, still laying down on his bed, opened the book and began reading.
—-----------------------------------------
As he closed it he took in a deep breath still processing the amount of information he had just processed.
“Who would’ve thought?” Ling Xuan smiled incredulously.
“With such information the Development speed of The Mythical Technique will skyrocket !”
“It’s better to say skyrocketing, the information has already been transferred and is currently undergoing processing, each second the progress is advancing.”
Just then a knock resounded on the door.
“Talent Ling Xuan ! We heard you were calling for me !” It was none other than the voice of Lei Fei, The Sect Master;s brother, even though he now had to knock on Ling Xuan’s door.
“Ah, yes, please come in." Ling Xuan quickly hid the book, opened the door, and led the Elder inside.
He didn't bother to properly hide the book, knowing the Elder would focus solely on him. After all, he was the prodigy of the entire Sect.
"So, why did you send for me?" Lei Fei asked nervously, recalling their last meeting when Ling Xuan had almost roasted him.
"Oh, I just want you to inform the Sect Master that I will be entering seclusion for a few years," Ling Xuan replied nonchalantly.
"Oh, alright, I'll inform Lei Tei." Lei Fei nodded, then suddenly froze. "Wait, what did you just say?" Lei Fei roared in surprise.
"No need to get all worked up, old man. I said I am entering seclusion for a few years," Ling Xuan repeated, annoyed at the shouting.
"Why?"
"Because it is the right of a Legacy Disciple to enter seclusion for as long as they want, as long as they follow certain rules."
"I know that! But you also need the permission of the Sect Master!" Lei Fei exclaimed.
"I know, that's why I told you to go and inform him," Ling Xuan said calmly.
Lei Fei sighed, rubbing his temples. "You're impossible, you know that? Fine, I'll inform the Sect Master. But you better have a good reason for this seclusion."
“He knows the reason, just go and tell him.” Ling Xuan spoke calmly.
“Is that all?”
“Yes, now please leave my residence.” Ling Xuan gestured to the door which Lei Fei could only follow.
As Ling Xuan closed the door he sighed.
“Urizen launch the informational Program”
“Alright.”
With a final look at the door, Ling Xuan closed his eyes knowing full well that the Ling Xuan after this wouldn’t be the same.
For five years, Ling Xuan secluded himself, gradually fading from the Sect's collective memory. Seasons changed, disciples came and went, and soon, only Lei Fei and Lei Tei remembered his existence. Ling Xuan's name slipped into obscurity, his achievements buried below with the rest that came before him.