A spirit box and a small bottle sat on the table.
Jiang Chen cast his Divine Ability, layering several soundproof barriers. He then used the Ice Fire Demon Lotus to confirm that no one was secretly observing them from the surroundings. Only then did he speak: "Old Master, this item is of extraordinary significance."
"Jiang Chen, what exactly is it? At my age, you've got me itching with curiosity." The old man asked eagerly.
"This bottle contains two drops of dragon blood — blood of the True Dragon, no less, and from the most orthodox Five-Clawed Dragon lineage. Inside this spirit box is a dragon crystal."
"What? A True Dragon?" The old man's expression changed dramatically. Ye Chonglou, who had maintained his composure for most of his life, nearly toppled backward off his seat.
His face turned pale, his throat went dry, and he stammered: "You're saying... a real... True Dragon?"
"Yes — a direct descendant of pure dragon bloodline, not some mutated hybrid. This is direct-lineage dragon blood. It's no small matter."
The old man was speechless for a long time, completely lost in a shock from which he could not pull himself free.
The Dragon Clan — those were legendary existences. In all his years, the old man had only ever read accounts of dragons in ancient texts.
And in the history of the Myriad Domains, there had never been a recorded appearance of the True Dragon clan.
Yet here was Jiang Chen, who had somehow obtained True Dragon blood. Even with his unconditional trust in Jiang Chen, the old man found it nearly impossible to believe.
Jiang Chen understood that this was too shocking to take in.
But the dragon blood and dragon crystal would be immensely useful to the old man.
If his Fengjiao Five-Winged Beast were to fuse with dragon bloodline, it would surely awaken far more inherited memories, and its strength would skyrocket.
Once that happened, a trip to the Wood Spirit Spring for baptism, and the Fengjiao Five-Winged Beast would absolutely become one of the most formidable forces in the entire Myriad Domains.
And the old man, having spent so many years alongside the Fengjiao Five-Winged Beast, already carried traces of dragon aura in his body. Fusing True Dragon blood and integrating the dragon bloodline would completely transform his constitution, washing his marrow and cleansing his bones — making him the very model of a late bloomer.
All of this was Jiang Chen's way of repaying the old man's past guidance and care.
Jiang Chen knew roughly that this would take time to digest, so he said nothing, simply waiting for the old man to collect himself.
It was a good while before Ye Chonglou finally came to his senses: "Jiang Chen, does the True Dragon clan truly exist?"
Jiang Chen smiled: "Old Master, you've spent years side by side with your Fengjiao Five-Winged Beast. Just open this bottle and take a feel — you'll know whether it's real or not."
Ye Chonglou considered this and carefully picked up the bottle.
He cracked it open just slightly, and the moment he brought it close, his entire body jolted. His hand trembled so badly he nearly lost his grip on the bottle.
A powerful, inexplicable force surged through him. The old man's heart hammered as though every drop of blood in his body had suddenly gone wild on its own.
The mysterious force seemed to ignite his blood in an instant, sending it boiling.
"This… this…" Ye Chonglou was completely stunned.
The overwhelming power, the inexplicable pressure — this was enough to nearly shatter the mental composure of an Origin Realm powerhouse like the old master. And all of it came from just two drops of blood sitting in a bottle.
The sheer might of its source was almost unimaginable.
"It really is True Dragon blood — it's real!" Ye Chonglou had spent his life alongside the Fengjiao Five-Winged Beast. While he wasn't intimately familiar with the dragon aura, the beast itself carried faint traces of dragon bloodline.
And these two drops of blood in the bottle — though only two — radiated a force both eerily familiar and overwhelmingly superior, clearly hundreds of times more potent than anything the Fengjiao Five-Winged Beast possessed.
That kind of power, that level of purity — it nearly shattered the old man's own bloodline on the spot.
The sheer dominance of it was staggering.
"Old Master, if you wish to fuse the True Dragon blood, you must first refine the dragon crystal. Only once your body bears the dragon brand can you integrate the True Dragon blood. Otherwise, if the blood enters your body prematurely, it will rupture your blood vessels — and could even reduce you to ash."
Jiang Chen had learned firsthand in his previous life just how domineering dragon bloodline could be.
These words left old Ye Chonglou momentarily too moved to speak.
"Jiang Chen, how can I ever repay you?" The old man laughed bitterly. "Your kindness is so great that even if I wanted to put on airs and refuse, I couldn't possibly manage it. The temptation is simply too powerful."
"Old Master, refining the dragon crystal is straightforward enough. But if the day comes when you wish to fuse with the dragon blood, you must find a remote location. Otherwise, once anyone catches wind of the True Dragon blood's pressure, they'll stop at nothing to seize it."
A single drop of True Dragon blood was enough to drive any martial cultivator mad with desire.
Because the True Dragon was a noble house of the Primordial Age — that kind of bloodline inheritance, dating back to the dawn of time, was exalted beyond measure.
For True Dragon blood, the higher a martial artist's cultivation, the greater the benefit they could derive. Even emperors and sovereigns who obtained True Dragon blood could trigger inherited memories, leading to breakthroughs beyond their wildest expectations.
This warning was no small matter.
If the secret of the True Dragon blood were leaked, at best it would invite mortal peril. At worst, it could drag everyone down — potentially even the entire Dan Qian Palace.
Ye Chonglou's face turned solemn upon hearing this: "Jiang Chen, I will treasure this True Dragon blood and keep it safe. When the time comes to fuse it, I will consult with you first."