“Heh—”

Ling Ao lay weakly on the arena floor, unable to move even after being carried off by several disciples of the Golden Elixir Hall.

The exhaustion from burning his blood was intense. Even with the strong regenerative abilities of a dragon’s body, recovery would be slow, let alone with his merely frail human physique.

Elder Sikong approached with the aid of his cane, gently placing a hand on Ling Ao’s shoulder.

Ling Ao felt a warm current flow into his meridians, dispelling the extreme weakness and pain in his limbs. However, the sense of frailty in his blood remained, something he would have to recover from on his own.

“Master…” he murmured, unwilling to raise his head, “I have failed to meet your high expectations.”

“Foolish child,” Elder Sikong patted his head and smiled, “Reaching the top four is already enough to satisfy me. The only disappointment is your own ambition.”

Ling Ao remained silent, his head bowed.

Elder Sikong did not engage in further conversation, allowing his disciple to leave in dejection while he returned to the spectator stand on his own.

It wasn’t that he didn’t care for his disciple, but he knew that Ling Ao was proud and arrogant. Any excess attention at this moment of failure could make him feel even more dejected.

This was also a necessary trial for his temperament; he had to overcome it on his own.

“Hehe, your disciple is quite something, securing a spot in the top four as your sole successor. Why does he look so heartbroken? Did you scold him?” Di Nvfeng asked from the spectator stand.

“I didn’t scold him,” Elder Sikong replied, “He just can’t accept his defeat for the moment.”

“Your disciple is still not as good as mine,” Di Nvfeng shook her head.

“Heh, your disciple doesn’t have much of a chance of winning either, does he?” Elder Sikong didn’t get angry, just chuckled.

“I’m not talking about winning or losing,” Di Nvfeng said, “Believe it or not, even if my disciple boasts wildly and gets crushed in defeat, he’ll still come off the stage grinning without a care.”

Elder Sikong blinked, thinking to himself, isn’t that just shamelessness? Why are you so proud then?

Of course, as a cultivator who had experienced hundreds of years, he knew that this trait also represented a kind of strength.

The path of cultivation is long; who can always be victorious?

Throughout history, the strong have possessed the quality of not being defeated by any failure.

He hoped Ling Ao could overcome this obstacle.

…

Ling Ao walked alone to a secluded corner of the Tongtian Peak plaza, sat down against a rock, and looked up at the sky.

Why?

Is talent truly insurmountable?

He had been at Shu Mountain since a young age, following Elder Sikong, who assessed his aptitude as above average. With a life of diligence, and if he encountered some fortune, he might touch upon the Great Dao.

But geniuses like Jiang Yuebai had been destined for greatness since childhood, seen as future leaders of Shu Mountain.

He refused to accept this.

Why was his life deemed inferior from the start?

So he practiced cultivation with determination, striving to be the best. From the Body Refining Realm, he aimed to match those geniuses, setting them as his targets. He could keep up in the first realm, but the gap widened in the second. By the third realm, he was far behind, no longer able to see their backs.

When the news of Xu Ziyang reaching the fifth realm arrived, he was still stuck at the peak of the Divine Intent Realm.

At his age, being at the peak of the Divine Intent Realm was not weak. Shang Ziliang, at this level, was considered excellent among Shu Mountain’s younger disciples. Lin Bei had reached this realm only through a fortuitous encounter.

But Ling Ao was in agony.

Just like his name, full of pride, he constantly had to endure feeling inferior.

Elder Sikong had tried to console him many times; talent was predetermined, but on the path of cultivation, even if one’s innate ability was lacking, perseverance and effort could still lead to surpassing others.

Ling Ao believed this.

He continued his arduous cultivation day after day, though still unnoticed. Until one day, his master successfully fished for a dragon for Shu Mountain.

Ling Ao felt his opportunity had come.

Talent was fated, but if there was any great fortune that could change it, a true dragon was definitely one of them.

Ling Ao didn’t believe in fate.

He wanted to seize his chance.

Near the solitary peak’s waterside pavilion, he found an ancient ritual for worshipping true dragons in the old texts and prayed to the true dragon every day.

Finally.

Through his relentless efforts, the true dragon bestowed upon him the “Dragon Blood Refinement.”

Dragon Blood Refinement wasn’t about bathing in dragon blood, but the true dragon infusing a drop of its essence blood into his body. This drop of essence blood would boil and merge within him, continuously tempering his own bloodline and rapidly enhancing his physical strength.

In ancient times, true dragons used this method to reward and elevate their loyal dragon servants. Now, Ling Ao had received such an opportunity, boosting his physical strength to a terrifying degree.

He felt he had finally returned to the same starting line as those geniuses, and he would prove he was no less than any of them!

But soon after, something happened.

That was the White Dragon bestowing its core dragon scales to others, not just one, but two.

And those two did nothing, not even praying to the true dragon like he did; in fact, the true dragon pleaded with them to accept the inheritance.

His master instructed him to keep this a secret.

He was very puzzled.

Why could that person and that fish get better things than him without doing anything?

If Dragon Blood Refinement was a way for the true dragon to reward its servants, then the core dragon scales were a means for the true dragon to pass on its legacy. In the sects, it was akin to one being a servant and the other a true disciple.

This was without him knowing about the existence of dragon pearls. Similarly, obtaining a dragon pearl would probably be like attaining the position of sect leader.

Of course, in this era, there were no more dragon servants; it was all just a means to enhance strength.

But the enhancement from Dragon Blood Refinement was one-time, greatly boosting physical strength in the short term with limited potential for future growth. The core dragon scales, however, were different; just maintaining cultivation breathing, the future was boundless.

Even if you say I’m not as good as Chu Liang of Silver Sword Peak, I can bear it since he has a supreme Golden Elixir. But how am I inferior to a fish?

Anger rose again in Ling Ao’s heart. He racked his brains, searching for martial arts techniques… seeking dragon artifacts… trying every means to improve his strength, wanting to crush all those geniuses at the Shu Mountain summit!

To prove he was not weaker than anyone!

Then Jiang Yuebai’s effortless celestial technique shattered his dreams.

It was clear to all that her entanglement with him was just to hide her strength. With her cultivation and arsenal of divine abilities, if she went all out, defeating him would not be too difficult.

She didn’t even use a magical artifact.

And all his painstaking preparations seemed like a joke.

Is one’s destiny truly predetermined?

Just as he sighed in resignation, a figure in a white robe suddenly appeared before him.

“Ling Junior Brother, why so disheartened over a mere defeat?” the newcomer asked with concern.

“What do you mean?” Ling Ao looked up and asked.

“I have an idea that could still give you a chance to become Shu Mountain’s top disciple. Interested?”

…

“Xu Ziyang will win!” “Xu Ziyang will win!” “Xu Ziyang will win!”

As Xu Ziyang stepped onto the stage, cheers and shouts of encouragement erupted around him, as overwhelming as a tidal wave.

He too was dressed in white, his figure as straight and tall as a spear, with a handsome and radiant face, his eyes shining brightly. His face was expressionless, cold as ice.

His popularity on Shu Mountain was second only to Jiang Yuebai, and considering her appearance, it meant he received the most recognition for his strength.

Most people felt it was only natural for him to become the top disciple.

Especially since his opponent was Chu Liang, who had few supporters.

Only Lin Bei and a few others shouted different slogans at the edge of the arena, “Chu Liang, Chu Liang! The strongest in Shu Mountain!” “Chu Liang, Chu Liang! Dignified and imposing!”

But it was futile, completely drowned out by the support for Xu Ziyang.

There were even people deliberately shouting things like “Chu Liang, Chu Liang, utterly mad,” trying to disrupt their rhythm and break their resistance.

Amidst the one-sided support, Chu Liang walked onto the stage with a smile.

Hearing the shouts from all sides, he suddenly raised his left hand, tilted his head back, and put up a finger.

To his lips!

That gesture again.

Silence!

The entire place was in an uproar!

There was indeed a brief silence.

Ling Ao had just responded to the crowd in the same way and then suffered a setback. Chu Liang dared to make the same gesture, requiring even more courage than Ling Ao had needed.

It was double the madness!

Thanks to the brother for the second Sect Leader reward, much appreciated, 45 chapters owed.