Chapter 15

*Puff!*

Lin Xi had just returned to his residence and could no longer hold back. A mouthful of fresh blood spurted out, his lips turning crimson.

"How hateful! Zhang Long, Zhao Xue, Wang Hai, I will make you pay for this!"

This was the first time Lin Xi had suffered such a significant loss since entering this world.

Zhang Long, Zhao Xue, and Wang Hai had clearly taken advantage of their superior strength, using their higher cultivation to forcefully suppress Lin Xi. Although Lin Xi had extremely high potential, he had only practiced martial arts for seven days since entering this world.

Fighting Meng Shi and Wang Yuehe in succession was already Lin Xi's limit. To then face Zhang Long, Zhao Xue, and Wang Hai, who had been practicing for over twenty years, was simply impossible.

This wasn't just a matter of strength; it was a challenge on a different level, one that was unfair from the start!

"How hateful! I will endure this humiliation for now. Once I improve my martial arts, I will settle the score with them! A gentleman's revenge is never too late, but I can't wait that long. Within a month, I will make them regret opposing me!"

Lin Xi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger. His disadvantage lay in the short time he had spent practicing martial arts. If given enough time, he was confident he could deal with Wang Hai, Zhao Xue, and Zhang Long.

"Revenge can wait. First, I need to properly store my mother's portrait."

Lin Xi thought for a moment, then reached into his chest to take out the portrait of his mother, intending to store it carefully. This was the only thing he had of his mother, and its significance was self-evident.

However, as his fingers touched the scroll in his chest, Lin Xi was startled.

"Bad! The scroll is broken!"

Lin Xi quickly unfolded the scroll. It was covered with fine cracks, and many pieces had fallen off. Fortunately, the portrait itself was not visibly damaged.

"It must have been shattered by Zhang Long's拳劲 (fist energy) during our fight!"

Lin Xi recalled the crisp sound he had heard during the fight, which was the sound of the scroll breaking. The thought that Zhang Long, Wang Hai, and the others had nearly destroyed the only portrait his mother had left him made him even angrier.

"These guys, I won't let them off! — Fortunately, the portrait isn't damaged. I'll ask Aunt to find a skilled painter to repair it."

Lin Xi's mind raced, and he immediately had an idea. Replacing the scroll for the portrait wasn't too difficult.

Lin Xi carefully sorted through the fragments of the scroll, preparing to remove the scroll part from the portrait.

"Hmm?!"

While organizing the portrait, a glint of gold caught his eye, making his heart race.

"There's something inside the scroll?!"

The scroll was hollow, and the glint of gold Lin Xi saw was coming from the crack in the scroll.

*Crack!*

With a light pinch, the intricately patterned hollow scroll broke into two pieces. When he gently shook it, a golden object fell out.

The object inside the scroll was as thin as cicada wings, rolled up, with intricate patterns resembling mountain and river veins, exuding a noble aura.

"It looks like a painting!"

Lin Xi's heart skipped a beat. He vaguely remembered his aunt mentioning that this portrait originally belonged to his mother, who was a princess of the Daliang Dynasty.

"Could this be something my mother brought from the royal family, a dowry?"

Lin Xi thought, unfolding the scroll.

It was an exquisitely crafted golden foil scroll, so thin and light that it seemed weightless. Even when shaken inside the hollow scroll, no abnormality could be detected. If not for the accidental breakage during his fight with Wang Hai, the secret inside might never have been discovered.

When Lin Xi fully unfolded the golden foil scroll, the true appearance of the painting was revealed to him.

It was a beautifully simple, hollow metal painting!

In the center of the painting was a majestic golden mountain peak, with a nine-clawed golden dragon coiled around it. The dragon's claws were deeply embedded in the mountain, and its body wound around the peak multiple times. The dragon's whiskers were spread out, and its eyes gazed out of the painting, exuding a sense of majesty and authority.

However, what caught Lin Xi's attention most were the rings of temporal light behind the mountain peak. They seemed to connect to another dimension, but when he looked closely, they appeared ordinary and empty.

The entire painting was about a foot square, exuding a grand and noble aura. The most striking feature was the intense mysterious aura it emitted, as if it held a great secret waiting to be discovered.

"Ten Thousand Emperors' Map?... What is this thing?"

Lin Xi's gaze fell on the three ancient vermilion characters at the top of the painting, and his brows furrowed deeply.

The Ten Thousand Emperors' Map was likely the name of the painting. However, the unique material and craftsmanship were beyond anything Lin Xi had ever seen in his two lifetimes. The skill displayed was so exquisite that it seemed almost supernatural.

"Incredible... But why is this strange Ten Thousand Emperors' Map inside my mother's portrait?"

Lin Xi marveled, feeling an invisible magnetic force drawing his gaze to the painting. He couldn't resist reaching out to touch it.

"Ah!"

As Lin Xi's palm touched the nine-clawed golden dragon, a sharp pain shot through his hand. He instinctively pulled back, seeing a red dot on his palm, with blood seeping out.

"Ah! What's happening?..."

Lin Xi's eyes widened in shock as the nine-clawed golden dragon's eyes suddenly glowed a bright red. The blood from Lin Xi's palm had brought the dragon to life.

The dragon, which had been part of the golden foil, suddenly seemed to come alive. Its metal whiskers trembled, and its body slowly moved, breaking free from the painting. It raised its head, standing upright like a snake, with its blood-red eyes fixed on Lin Xi, rolling around.

"!!!"

Lin Xi was completely stunned. The scene before him was too bizarre, completely beyond his understanding and common sense. He could feel the dragon examining him.

"Roar! —"

A deafening dragon roar echoed in Lin Xi's mind. In the next moment, the nine-clawed golden dragon, which had broken free from the painting, suddenly straightened its body, transforming into a bolt of lightning. It shot through the small hole in Lin Xi's palm, entering his body.

"Bad!"

Lin Xi was terrified and tried to shake his hand. But before he could, the painting on the table suddenly emitted a brilliant golden light. As the dragon entered Lin Xi's body, the foot-square golden foil painting transformed into a stream of light and entered Lin Xi's body without resistance.

*Boom!*

Lin Xi's mind was shaken, and his vision went black. He was immediately pulled into the depths of his mind by an invisible force.

In the darkness, a golden scroll radiated boundless light, hovering above Lin Xi's consciousness. It exuded a noble and supreme aura, like a celestial ruler surveying the land, instilling a sense of awe and reverence.

"This... How did this scroll end up in my mind!"

Lin Xi's mind was in turmoil.

The painting was identical to the metal scroll he had placed on the table.

Anyone would be shocked and terrified to find a metal painting suddenly appearing in their mind. The eerie feeling was indescribable.

Lin Xi managed to remain conscious, which was already quite impressive.

The golden scroll rotated above Lin Xi's consciousness. A hollow and resonant voice echoed:

"Ruler of all beings, Emperor of ten thousand emperors!"

With this voice, a large amount of information flooded Lin Xi's mind. Soon, a cultivation technique called "Imperial Dominance" was imprinted in his mind.

When the technique was fully imprinted, the scroll stopped moving, and the golden light rapidly dimmed.

*Boom!*

Lin Xi's mind was shaken again, and a wave of intense fatigue washed over him. He couldn't resist falling into a deep sleep.

When he woke up the next morning, Lin Xi immediately felt a powerful force coursing through his body. His body seemed to have been transformed, becoming more resilient, denser, and stronger.

*Bang!*

Lin Xi casually threw a punch, and a loud boom echoed in the air, like a steel rod being swung. The air where his fist landed exploded, sending shockwaves in all directions, causing the bronze table to tremble slightly.

"Such powerful strength! How did my strength increase so much!"

Lin Xi was startled. Just this one punch was much stronger than his original strength, even hinting at the Iron Bone stage.

Lin Xi looked around. The room was in disarray, with his mother's portrait still on the table, the broken scroll lying beside it. Everything seemed normal.

However, the cultivation technique in his mind and the sudden increase in strength clearly indicated that everything had indeed happened.

Lin Xi fell silent, recalling the entire process from last night. When all the events flashed through his mind, he finally realized what had happened.

He had gotten lucky!

Although he didn't understand how the nine-clawed golden dragon had broken free from the painting, Lin Xi realized that the dragon had likely been stimulated by his blood, causing the transformation. The dragon itself was not alive, which alleviated his greatest concern.

"This Ten Thousand Emperors' Map... It's incredible!"

Lin Xi pondered, his eyes shining brightly. Having been the young master of the Five Thunder Sect for over a decade, he knew many legends, but nothing as strange as this.

"How could such a strange thing be hidden in my mother's portrait? And even my father seemed unaware..."

Thoughts raced through Lin Xi's mind.

Clearly, Lin Xi's father, Lin Xiong, cherished the only portrait left by Lin Xi's mother and was unwilling to damage it in any way.

This was why the secret inside the scroll had never been discovered until Lin Xi's fight with Wang Hai accidentally broke the scroll, revealing the secret.

(Today is Monday, and I'm preparing to climb the rankings. Fellow readers, where are your recommendation votes? Also, there will be three updates today.)