Power outage, at an internet cafe, sweating like rain, writing environment is absolutely terrible. Last day of the month—please send your monthly tickets!
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Outside Dragon Valley, all the higher-ups of the Dragon Phoenix Manor had gathered together, their faces brimming with excitement as they gazed toward the valley's depths.
Manor Lord Chen Zhou was especially emotional, a broad smile plastered across his face.
The Dragon Phoenix Manor was a bit different from other powers, because they cultivated dual-cultivation techniques, which meant nearly every strong figure had a life companion at their side.
At this moment, Manor Lord Chen Zhou's companion, Yu Tingyi, stood beside him, gently holding his hand, though she still couldn't stop his mighty frame from trembling.
Yu Tingyi appeared to be a beautiful middle-aged woman with a full, graceful figure, but her aptitude was slightly lacking, so her cultivation had fallen a good deal behind Chen Zhou's. She was currently only at the third level of the Transcendent Realm. Seeing her husband in such a state, she couldn't help but laugh and say, "Alright, alright—it's just the inheritance reappearing. Is there really a need to be this excited?"
Chen Zhou drew a deep breath. "You don't understand! Every generation of Manor Lords has made the restoration of the inheritance their goal upon taking office. Countless years have passed, and now it has finally reappeared in my hands—how could I not be excited? The reappearance of the inheritance means that our Dragon Phoenix Manor will once again possess a Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress. As long as we have these two, we can restore the glory and prosperity of old…"
As he spoke, he suddenly shouted, "Has Xiao Ling not returned yet?"
Just as he asked, a figure came flying in from the distance. Before the person arrived, the voice had already reached them: "Manor Lord, your subordinate has returned."
It was that Transcendent Realm expert who had previously been following Chen Zhou.
Chen Zhou hurried forward and asked, "Did you find out? Where does that disciple come from? Is he one of our Dragon Phoenix Manor's disciples, or from one of the subordinate families?"
"Reporting to Manor Lord—the youth's name is Sun Yu. He belongs to the Dragon Phoenix Manor. He's lived in the Manor since childhood," Xiao Ling replied promptly.
Hearing this, Chen Zhou's face broke into an unstoppable grin, and he nodded repeatedly. "Good, good, good! That's the best possible outcome!"
Although it wouldn't have mattered much if Sun Yu had come from one of the subordinate families, the fact that he had grown up within the Dragon Phoenix Manor meant his attachment to the sect would undoubtedly be extraordinary. This eased a good deal of Chen Zhou's worry.
"Who was the master who taught him?"
"Elder Ling Jian!" Xiao Ling answered while stepping aside. "Elder Ling Jian has already arrived!"
Chen Zhou looked up and saw Ling Jian from the Manor walking over with a broad grin.
The two sides met. After a round of pleasantries, Chen Zhou said in a deep voice, "You've worked hard, Elder Ling. You've cultivated an outstanding disciple."
Ling Jian's aged face bloomed like a flower, and he repeatedly said he didn't deserve such praise.
Though he held the title of elder, Ling Jian's cultivation was only at the first level of the Transcendent Realm. Even among the elders, he ranked at the very bottom, and was rarely given much attention. On top of his advanced age, he had simply held the elder title in name all these years, enjoying a peaceful retirement.
He never expected that today would bring such an earth-shaking stroke of fortune.
The disciple he had taught had unlocked a prohibition that had been sealed in the Dragon Phoenix Manor for countless years. If all went well, the Dragon Emperor's inheritance could be obtained.
If his disciple obtained the inheritance, he—the master responsible for teaching him—would naturally rise in status as well, his value multiplying many times over.
To put it bluntly, once the Dragon Emperor grew to power, his status might come to equal the Manor Lord's himself.
Normally, Chen Zhou wouldn't have paid this aged elder much mind when seeing him, but today he didn't dare be the slightest bit careless, his words becoming exceedingly polite.
Ling Jian wasn't quite used to the shift, but he certainly enjoyed it.
The group of Dragon Phoenix Manor higher-ups watched from the side with envious eyes—so red with jealousy they looked ready to pop—secretly wondering why it wasn't their own disciple who had unlocked the Dragon Emperor's inheritance.
If one of their disciples had such fortune, then the one chatting and laughing with the Manor Lord right now would be them.
The scene was extraordinarily lively. Chen Zhou continuously asked about Sun Yu's situation and background, and Ling Jian held nothing back, recounting every trivial detail of Sun Yu's life from childhood to the present.
Chen Zhou listened without the slightest hint of boredom. On the contrary, his eyes sparkled with delight as he praised Sun Yu repeatedly as an excellent seedling. The Dragon Phoenix Manor would come to rely on him and Ling Jian in the future, and so on.
Ling Jian's heart swelled with satisfaction. He felt that even if he died now, he would have no regrets.
The boisterous scene continued for many days without subsiding. Every day, a crowd gathered outside Dragon Valley, gazing toward the depths, yet seeing nothing. Dragon Valley was already shrouded in mist and devoid of sunlight year-round, but now a layer of golden light enveloped it as well. Terrifying waves of energy radiated from within, and no one dared approach.
Manor Lord Chen Zhou had also taken precautionary measures, dispatching every elite in the Dragon Phoenix Manor to completely surround Dragon Valley, so that Sun Yu would not be disturbed while receiving the inheritance.
Day after day passed. The crowd watched with eager anticipation, but Sun Yu still hadn't emerged from Dragon Valley, and they were growing anxious.
…
In that world enveloped by a golden ocean of energy, Yang Kai fiddled with his small pill furnace, adding all manner of herbs into it. He refined pills using the fire of his Divine Sense, honing his craft and deepening his understanding of alchemy.
He was now only a single step away from becoming a Saint-grade alchemist. With nothing else to do while waiting here, Yang Kai had set himself to pill refining.
Sun Yu, who had been swept into this whole affair, appeared to be a diligent person as well. After spending two or three days with Yang Kai and learning that they couldn't leave for the time being, he simply sat cross-legged and began cultivating.
The golden energy in this place was dense to the point of being nearly solid, yet it was surprisingly not of the Yang attribute. Instead, it carried a feeling of sacred majesty.
Yang Kai couldn't quite identify what kind of energy this was, but it was perfectly suitable for cultivation.
Moreover, the power contained within this golden energy was also extraordinarily terrifying. If Sun Yu could absorb even a tiny fraction, it would be enough to benefit him for a lifetime.