Chapter 38

After smoothly obtaining the right to adopt the little fox "Jiu Jiu" from the Princess of Qingqiu, Mei Xue left Tianqing with the little fox in his arms, bidding farewell to the floating mountain with its mysterious power, and stepped onto the ground of the Azure Dragon Mountains.

When his feet touched the ground of the Azure Dragon Mountains, Mei Xue felt a vast and powerful force surge from his soles, a thread of which entered his body and resonated with the green dragon jade inside him.

Looking up, the majestic dragon head seemed to have gained more vitality, appearing even more imposing than the first time he saw it.

On both sides of the port road, one altar after another was being built, and the number was clearly increasing day by day. Looking towards the center of the town, even larger and more luxurious altars were already under construction, with various Azure Dragon statues erected in all prominent corners of the port.

Everyone's face was filled with excitement. The unusual phenomenon of the Azure Dragon's cry could be seen throughout the Azure Dragon Mountains. For the people of the Eastern Sea, it was a heavenly omen, a sign of great prosperity.

Occasionally, one or two people who had obtained the Azure Dragon jade would step forward to reveal their identity, immediately causing countless cheers from the crowd.

In this sea, in the territory of the Azure Dragon Mountains, obtaining the Azure Dragon jade was an extremely honorable thing, indicating that this person had a special connection with the Great Azure Dragon.

Even if only one out of the nine hundred and ninety-nine people who obtained the Azure Dragon jade would ultimately become the final victor, as long as they had been favored by the dragon jade, they would never have to worry about being unpopular in the Eastern Sea region.

After all, there was only one king of the Azure Dragon, and more powerful families and clans had the opportunity to recruit the remaining dragon jade holders. Only the most elite immortal families could compete for the title of the Azure Dragon's master, the King of the East.

The dragon jade released by the Azure Dragon's cry would never merge with a useless person. Those chosen by the dragon jade must have an extraordinary talent, a fact attested by generations of the Azure Dragon's legacy.

Therefore, as long as one revealed their identity as a dragon jade holder, even if they were the last one, they would never have to worry about their future, with many powerful families eager to form alliances or seek their talents.

The nine hundred and ninety-nine dragon jade holders were like drops of water in the desert, instantly snatched up by the various powerful families of the Eastern Sea as soon as they were found.

The remaining holders were either descendants of powerful families from the seas and mountains or proud individuals who did not plan to join any faction at the moment.

Of course, Mei Xue was neither. Although he had also obtained a dragon jade, he did not consider it a shortcut to success, nor did he plan to be bound by any faction.

He came here to take the entrance exam for the Azure Dragon Academy not for wealth and honor, but to gain the necessary strength to traverse the seas and mountains.

The power of the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* was very strong, even possessing great abilities like the transformation into a golden-haired, jade-faced nine-tailed fox. However, his transformation time was only a few minutes, and without the power of "Tianqing," it was impossible to fight the Nine Abyss Seeds for so long.

Since he had decided to rely on his own strength to traverse the seas and mountains, he needed to master more practical and enduring combat techniques. That was why he came to the Azure Dragon Academy, to this place where the Azure Dragon resided.

The ninth hundred and ninety-ninth dragon jade in his body did not contain combat techniques but a technique for cultivating immortal spirit flowers. Therefore, if he wanted to gain combat power, he still needed to enter the Azure Dragon Academy.

Moreover, for the sake of the little fox in his arms, he had to work even harder.

Because he was no longer alone, Mei Xue smiled and carried the little fox towards the registration point for the Azure Dragon Academy's entrance exam.

However, just as Mei Xue could see the crowd at the registration point for the Azure Dragon Academy's entrance exam, the entire world suddenly turned black.

It was an impenetrable darkness, a profound and complete blackness where the sky, the earth, and the sea all disappeared in an instant.

The people around Mei Xue did not notice this change at all. Only a few blinked, rubbed their eyes, and wondered if they had seen a young man with a pet suddenly disappear.

In the boundless darkness, the passage of time was indiscernible. Mei Xue cast a cloud mist spell but found no familiar earth and sky qi, only a lifeless, dead darkness.

This feeling was like the helplessness at the deepest point of a nightmare, a cold world that annihilated all things.

Then, Mei Xue's hand became empty, and the little fox disappeared from his grasp.

"Black Fox Elder... why?" Mei Xue was not a fool. The familiar aura in this dark world revealed who controlled it.

The Black Fox Elder of the demon fox clan, the ultimate trump card protecting the Princess of Qingqiu.

"You actually know it's me." Qingqiu Xuanming looked at Mei Xue in the darkness with some surprise. An ordinary person would have lost consciousness in this darkness long ago.

This was his controlled small world, the great ability "Xuanming Prison" he had cultivated after becoming the Black Fox Elder, formed by the fusion of countless Xuan waters and the aura of the netherworld. People with weak wills would be deprived of their minds upon entering, left to be slaughtered at will.

The fact that Mei Xue remained unshaken in this Xuanming Prison indicated that this human youth had a very firm will, not easily yielding.

But that was not enough.

"Boy, do you know why I came to find you?" Qingqiu Xuanming's voice echoed from a corner of the Xuanming Prison, cold and oppressive.

In the next moment, Qingqiu Jiuyue's figure appeared in the center of the cold Xuanming Prison, appearing so sacred and inviolable, like a holy maiden from the heavens, pure and ethereal.

This was different from the golden-haired, jade-faced nine-tailed fox princess Qingqiu Jiuyue Mei Xue had first met. It was the most perfect form of a nine-tailed demon fox in Qingqiu Xuanming's mind, the only hope to lead the demon fox clan to prosperity.

The original Qingqiu Jiuyue was a million miles away from this form, but Qingqiu Xuanming firmly believed that one day, Qingqiu Jiuyue would grow up to become such a breathtakingly beautiful demon fox.

He never expected his dream to come true so quickly. The runaway Qingqiu Jiuyue not only achieved the miraculous feat of slaying the Nine Abyss Seeds but also underwent a complete transformation after the battle.

If the distance between the original Qingqiu Jiuyue and Qingqiu Xuanming's ideal form was a million miles, then the current Qingqiu Jiuyue had surpassed his imagination, more perfect and flawless than his highest expectations.

Therefore, he could not allow such a Qingqiu Jiuyue to be moved by a human boy, even if there was only a ten-thousandth chance of it happening.

So, he came, to stand before Mei Xue.

"You cannot be friends with the Princess of Qingqiu; you do not have the qualifications."

"Look at you, in my eyes, you are as weak as an ant. Crushing you is no more difficult than killing an ant."

"I don't know how you met the Princess of Qingqiu, but I will not allow you to come near her again, let alone see her again."

"Otherwise, I will have to kill you."

"Boy, do you understand now?" The cold killing intent came from the darkness. Qingqiu Xuanming was not joking; if Mei Xue did not agree to this demand, he would really kill him.

Perhaps the Princess of Qingqiu would hold a grudge against him for this, but for the future of the demon fox clan, he was willing to bear this blame.

If he died, a new Black Fox Elder would take his place. As long as the golden-haired, jade-faced nine-tailed fox existed, the Black Fox Elders who could survive the ten-thousand-year calamity would only increase.

For the hope of the demon fox clan, he could not allow the Princess of Qingqiu, who was on the right path, to make any mistakes in her life.

"Think about it carefully. I'll take this little one with me. When you make your decision, come find me. You are too weak now, unable to even protect this little one. I cannot let someone as weak as you take on the task of raising our clan's young foxes." The darkness gradually disappeared, and Qingqiu Xuanming's figure vanished from Mei Xue's sight, the unconscious little fox on his shoulder, seemingly unaware of what had happened.

Mei Xue stood there, staring blankly at the departing Qingqiu Xuanming and the little fox. The sense of fulfillment he had felt upon arriving at the Azure Dragon Mountains vanished, replaced by a profound emptiness and doubt.

Too weak?

Yes, he could not refute it, not even a word of opposition.

Without the power of "Tianqing," he was powerless before the Black Fox Elder, unable to do anything.

In the dark Xuanming Prison, there was no earth and sky qi to draw upon, not even the most basic cloud mist could be summoned.

Before the Black Fox Elder, he was too weak, so weak that he could only watch helplessly as the little fox was taken away. Just as the Black Fox Elder said, he could not protect the little fox. If the one who appeared before him was not the Black Fox Elder but another powerful enemy, he would be equally helpless.

Something inside him was slowly shattering. Mei Xue looked up and saw that the sky had turned dark, and a light drizzle began to fall.

"Ah, it's raining."

"This light rain is nothing. Everyone, work harder. We must set up the grand altar for the Great Azure Dragon today. We cannot fall behind the other towns!"

"Right, for the Great Azure Dragon!"

Mei Xue wandered aimlessly in the rain, not going to the registration point for the Qingqiu Academy's entrance exam or looking for a place to stay. He just kept walking silently in an unknown direction.

It turned out he had been wrong from the beginning.

He did not have the qualifications to protect the little fox, nor the strength to guard her.

The Black Fox Elder was right; he was too weak, laughably weak, unable to even provide a safe haven for the little fox.

Stupid, arrogant, when did you become like this, Mei Xue?

So weak, so powerless, that he could not even refute it. In the eyes of the Black Fox Elder, he might be as insignificant as a pebble by the roadside.

Something was stirring inside him, something slowly growing. Unlike when he faced the Nine Abyss Seeds, this sense of frustration, this strong will, was gradually turning into something else.

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