Chapter 19

"Dragon Seal..."

Sitting on the bed in his own attic, Long Chen flipped through the Dragon Seal manual back and forth dozens of times until he felt somewhat exhausted. Only then did he place the Dragon Seal on the edge of the bed.

"Because it's a high-level cultivation technique, few people in the Yang family practice it. So the Dragon Seal given to me, judging from the ancient material of this parchment, should be the original manual. But Father said there's a secret on this manual, a key to me becoming a Dragon Warrior. Why can't I find it?"

Long Chen lay down on the bed, lost in thought as he gazed out the window.

"What a lousy thing, it's just a few pieces of parchment. What kind of secret could it have? So many people in the Yang family have seen this manual; if there was anything, it would have been discovered long ago..."

Long Chen felt somewhat dejected.

"No!" Long Chen sat up excitedly from the bed.

"Because the secret is hard to find, so many people in the Yang family haven't discovered it. Since Father gave me this manual, I'm sure if I try harder, I can figure out what's in it!"

Picking up the Dragon Seal again, Long Chen read through the neat lines of text, word by word. He even carefully examined the edges of some pages, but in the end, he found nothing.

"I'm already at the fifth level of the Dragon Vein Realm. With the highly accomplished Star Body, even a sixth-level Dragon Vein Realm practitioner isn't my match. With the Dragon Seal, I can unleash even greater combat power. Unfortunately, the Star Body is only a mid-level Yellow Rank technique, so against seventh-level Dragon Vein Realm experts, I have no advantage..."

"The Hunting Festival is about to start. Bai Shiji hates me to the bone. If I can't find a solution before then, I'll surely be dead. Not to mention, I won't be able to carve out a place for myself!"

Thinking about Bai Shiji and others, who were already at the seventh level of the Dragon Vein Realm, Long Chen's brows furrowed deeply.

He knew his own strength best. Facing a sixth-level Dragon Vein Realm practitioner, he might win easily, but against a seventh-level, he had no hope.

The Dragon Vein Realm is divided into nine levels. The first six levels involve breaking through small dragon veins, which are not very thick or long, so the amount of true qi they can release is limited.

The transition from the sixth to the seventh level is a turning point. The dragon veins broken through from the seventh level onward are called human dragon veins, earth dragon veins, and heaven dragon veins. Each of these veins is more than twice as thick and long as the small dragon veins, with the heaven dragon vein even winding through the body, its length almost equal to the sum of all the other veins!

So Long Chen knew that the higher the level of the Dragon Vein Realm, the harder it was to cultivate, which is why there were so few experts at the ninth level!

The biggest difference between Long Chen and Bai Shiji, who was at the seventh level of the Dragon Vein Realm, was the human dragon vein. The true qi required to break through the human dragon vein is more than ten times that of the sixth level, so Bai Shiji's true qi was at least twenty to thirty times stronger than Long Chen's.

"But..."

Long Chen's eyes flashed with a cold light, thinking to himself, "Bai Shiji is Bai Zhanxiong's son. If I'm his son, I have to be stronger than him to make that woman realize who the real waste of space is, who the real good-for-nothing is!"

Although he said this, he still felt a heavy pressure. At least for now, he had no idea what to do with the Dragon Seal. If these few days passed in a daze, he might end up living a dazed life forever!

"Dragon Warrior, what is this thing? Father said it's a long-lost legend? I've only heard of the incredibly powerful Beast Warriors and Weapon Warriors, but never of Dragon Warriors..."

"However, Father and Ling Xi mentioned that this vast world is called the Dragon Sacrifice Continent, and it's said that our human race is the descendant of the ancient celestial dragons. So the Dragon Warrior must have a close connection to the dragons of ancient mythology!"

At the family meeting, Ling Xi's power was almost completely drained, so she hadn't woken up in three days. Long Chen was somewhat worried, thinking, "This girl, did she just leave like that? The power she used must have been immense. She has saved me twice, so she's my savior. But I said I would protect her, so in the future, I must never let her use her power again!"

He looked at the Dragon Seal in his hand again.

"Father only wanted me to get this manual but didn't tell me how to discover its secret. I have to rely on my own efforts. But if Ling Xi were here, it would be great. This girl has a mysterious background, and she must have a powerful backing. She's also well-informed, so she could probably help me solve this problem."

Long Chen sighed, lay down on the bed, and placed the Dragon Seal on his face.

"What's going on?"

Long Chen noticed that when he placed the Dragon Seal near his head, the mysterious dragon jade in his mind, which had been inactive, suddenly trembled, but then nothing else happened.

At that moment, a faint voice whispered in Long Chen's ear, so weak that it was barely audible.

"There seems to be a restriction on this manual..."

The speaker was Ling Xi, who was now in the form of an earring-sized sword on Long Chen's ear. Even her faint voice was clear to Long Chen.

Hearing Ling Xi's voice, Long Chen's worried heart eased somewhat, but her voice was still weak. He knew she hadn't recovered, so he said anxiously, "Xia Xi, how are you now? This time, it's all my fault for being impulsive. I swear, this won't happen again. And you're so weak after using your power once..."

"It's okay..." Ling Xi interrupted.

Long Chen was touched but still gritted his teeth and said, "What do you mean it's okay? You better remember this. In the future, don't use your power for my sake. If I die because of my recklessness, it's my fault. But if you die because of me, I'll blame myself for the rest of my life. I might as well die too!"

"Now, tell me what's going on."

Long Chen was somewhat angry, and Ling Xi was a bit intimidated, so she obediently said, "My physical body is gone, and now I'm surrounded by darkness. My current consciousness is maintained by the power of my previous soul, which diminishes with each use. I was driven by panic and fear, so I flew a long distance with the Ling Xi Sword, leaving me with little soul power. After using it twice, if I don't get a soul-nourishing drug in the next few days, I..."

Long Chen felt like a bolt of lightning had struck him. He almost shouted, "Why didn't you say this earlier!"

Ling Xi felt wronged and sobbed, "Why are you so mean to me? I just woke up, and the last time you didn't use your power, you would have died. I didn't have time to say anything..."

Long Chen's mood eased, and he fell silent for a moment before saying, "Xia Xi, thank you. But as a man, I won't let this happen again. I'll go out now to find the soul-nourishing drug you mentioned."

Ling Xi had almost risked her life to save him. Although Long Chen didn't say how moved he was, in his heart, he already considered Ling Xi someone important enough to risk his own life for.

Long Chen put the Dragon Seal in his pocket and went out. He wasn't very familiar with the drugs for cultivators, so he decided to find Yang Lingqing, the only person he was close to in the Yang family.

"Soul-nourishing drugs aren't easy to find and are usually quite expensive. Long Chen, am I becoming a burden to you?"

"Stop talking nonsense! You saved my life. Spending some effort on you isn't a burden. Are you out of your mind?"

Although Long Chen spoke harshly, the deep concern in his tone made Ling Xi feel very comforted. Looking at the determined young man, Ling Xi's mind raced. This disaster had made her, who was once carefree, gradually mature.

"Right, what did you mean by the restriction on the Dragon Seal? Can you remove it?"

Long Chen had forgotten this important matter because of his concern for Ling Xi. Now, he asked with great anticipation.

"My current soul power isn't enough to see the restriction clearly, but if I get a soul-nourishing drug, I think I can try."

Long Chen was overjoyed and said, "Good job, Xia Xi. You're really capable. If you had a body, I could kiss you and reward you!"

After saying this, Long Chen laughed.

"Hmph! You wish! A lazy toad dreaming of eating a swan! But if you want to remove the restriction, you'll need more than just a little bit of the drug. I'm a big eater, so if you want me to help you in the future, it's simple: I need to eat the drug!"

"Alright, alright, you drug bottle."

After a joke, the atmosphere wasn't as heavy as before, but Long Chen knew that the burden on his shoulders was even heavier.

He not only had to become stronger but also needed to acquire more wealth. Only soul-nourishing drugs could sustain Ling Xi's life.

"Will a small place like Baiyang Town have soul-nourishing drugs..."

Long Chen was still very worried.

Walking through the courtyard of the Yang family, the guards and maids saw him and smiled, but their smiles were forced, looking more like they were in pain.

Long Chen's performance at the family meeting had truly elevated his status in the Yang family. With his strong power and ruthless character, if these minor characters dared to be disrespectful to him, they would be asking for trouble.

On the side, Yang Wu watched silently as a row of guards passed by, bowing to Long Chen. His gaze gradually turned dark.

"What belonged to Xiaoyue was taken by this servant. Look at that servant's smug face. But how long can you be smug?"

"Grandfather values you, but he's just using you. Uncle Two has been diligent for years. Although his cultivation is still at the seventh level of the Dragon Vein Realm, he handles most of the family's business and has made great contributions to the Yang family. You, a spoiled brat who has always brought shame to the Yang family, think you'll have a chance to rise like a sparrow to a phoenix?"

Long Chen actually knew that Yang Wu was watching him, but he just didn't care.

If someone had beaten his sister, Long Chen might have gone to fight them. So he knew exactly what Yang Wu was thinking.

"Xia Xi, did you see that man looking at me with a resentful gaze?"

"Yes, but it doesn't seem resentful."

"You don't know the truth. He's actually a pervert who has had a crush on me for a long time. But since we're both men, he doesn't dare to say it. But his feelings for me are as true as pearls..."

"Ah, so disgusting, I'm going to vomit!"