Chapter 24 - Dragon Warrior

Long Chen arrived at the base of the Desolate Mountains just as night fell.

The Desolate Mountains was a mountain range to the east of Baize Town. It spanned tens of thousands of li, and it was home to innumerable venomous insects and demonic beasts. It was a dangerous place to be.

The Desolate Wasteland, which Long Chen had accidentally entered before, was deep within the Desolate Mountains.

Unlike the Desolate Wasteland, a forest covered every inch of the Desolate Mountains, blocking out the entire night sky with their branches.

It was very silent as Long Chen entered deep into the Desolate Mountains looking for a quiet and safe spot.

It was so remote that almost no one visited. Even though there were many natural caves there, most of them were occupied by demonic or regular beasts. Still, there were a few empty ones.

Despite the darkness, Long Chen found a cave tucked away in a discreet location. He asked Ling Xi to check and see if there were any beasts. She found a few small beasts that were around Category 2 Yellow-tier. Long Chen evicted the beasts, cleaned up the area, and used a boulder to block the entrance of the cave.

“This is a very hidden spot. I can guarantee that it's safe. Xiao Xi, you can come out and refine the Dream Lingzhi Mushroom.”

Long Chen took out the purple Dream Ling Zhi Mushroom, which released a very unique fragrance. Long Chen felt his nerves relax as he smelled it.

“Herbs that nourish the Divine Soul have the effect of calming one’s nerves. If you eat one, it can also increase your perceptiveness. This was why that person was taking it around.”

Ling Xi’s voice was very faint.

Long Chen rummaged through Bai Shidong’s pouch and chuckled. “To think that he was also carrying around eighty spirit jades. What a good day for me. Not only did I get something for free, I even earned some money.”

When she saw Long Chen’s despicable expression, Ling Xi wanted to slap him but unfortunately she couldn’t do so.

The fragrance of the Dream Lingzhi Mushroom slowly enveloped the cave. Since they risked attracting a demonic beast, she immediately refined it.

Long Chen saw the Ling Xi Sword slowly place itself onto the ground as a blob of white mist emerged and enveloped the Dream Lingzhi Mushroom. There was a sizzling sound as the blob of white mist slowly shrank and disappeared.

Ling Xi’s voice grew much clearer.

“Hey, bastard, do you want to see a surprise?”

The way she called him “bastard” affectionately made his body tingle. He chuckled. “Of course. Who doesn’t like surprises?”

“You are too insincere. Hmph!”

“Alright, alright. No need to put on an act. I want to see your surprise.”

Ling Xi did not move. Just then, the Ling Xi Sword grew smaller until it turned back into a stud and pierced itself on Long Chen’s ear.

“Miss, is this the surprise you mentioned?”

“Don’t rush me ...”

He was startled by the voice in his ear. A warm breath gently caressed his cheek, and he turned around, surprised.

There was a girl standing extremely close to him, her nose practically touching his!

A fragrance enveloped him but instead of feeling charmed, he was just surprised to see a person only two centimeters tall touch his nose.

Despite her small size, Long Chen could make out her exceedingly beautiful face. If he could make her grow larger, she would be a literal goddess.

After hitting Long Chen’s nose, Ling Xi flew around in the white mist like a little fairy. “You bastard, your nose hurt me!”

Long Chen stared at the miniature goddess, speechless.

He was actually quite fascinated. He wanted Ling Xi to grow to her normal size and gain a physical body ... What a sight it would be.

Since Long Chen had not spoken, Ling Xi pouted and narrowed her eyes as she angrily said, “Hey, say something. Do I look good like this?”

Her cuteness made Long Chen feel like his bones were going soft. He had seen countless beauties, especially the girls from the Yang family. But Ling Xi’s beauty was out of this world. Her face, body, and even her elegance was beyond what he had seen before ...

He recovered and praised her exaggeratedly. “Xiao Xi, you are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met. You are on par with the goddess of the heavens!”

Ling Xi blushed.

Even though she was only a spirit now, her spirit still looked like her physical appearance. That was why to Long Chen, she was the same as a real person even though she was enveloped in the mist.

“Wait, can you maintain this form?”

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Ling Xi nodded. “I just came up with it. Whenever I present myself at my regular size, my spiritual energy dissipates a lot. But with this form, I’m only using a thousandth of my spiritual energy. It felt uncomfortable talking without you being able to see me. This was why I came up with it.”

Long Chen knew that girls hated being ignored. It was natural for Ling Xi to think this.

Ling Xi happily flew around Long Chen like an angel, stopping after quite some time. Her face was gloomy. “The Dream Lingzhi Mushroom only lasts me one to two months ...”

Seeing how sad she was, Long Chen felt his heart ached and consoled her. “Silly girl. Why are you worried? If I could already get you the Dream Lingzhi Mushroom today, I will be able to get you as many herbs as you want when I’m much stronger.”

“What are you talking about? Why do you think such herbs are as common as cabbage? These herbs are useful even for stronger cultivators, and they’re very popular even if you go to a larger town.”

Ling Xi sat on his shoulders silently.

Long Chen eyes were filled with confidence. “It’s alright. No need to get so depressed. You only had a few days left to live but I managed to solve it. Now we have around two months! Once the Demon Hunting Tournament is over, I will travel around to find you the herbs. You can get as many as you want!”

Ling Xi’s eyes turned bright as she looked at him in joy. “Really? Why are you treating me so well?”

“Because we are best friends.” Long Chen said matter-of-factly.

Ling Xi was extremely satisfied with his response, and she flew around happily. Long Chen was in a good mood too. Just as they were enjoying the pleasant atmosphere, Long Chen recalled the Dragon Seal. “Xiao Xi, do you know what a Dragon Warrior is?”

Ling Xi stopped as her large eyes twinkled. “Huh? How did you know about the legends?”

Long Chen was feeling excited.

Ling Xi indeed came from a powerful faction. She knew everything that no one knew in Baiyang Town.

“Don’t worry about that. Just tell me what you know.”

“To know what a Dragon Warrior is, you need to be able to distinguish Beast Warriors from Armament Warriors. Do you know about them? I somewhat recall that Dragon Warriors are technically a branch of the Beast Warriors but they’re also different.”

“I know about the Beast Warriors.” Long Chen recalled the things he had read in a book. “According to legend, once a cultivator completes the Body Quenching Stage and enters the Draconic Realm, they can use a secret technique to consume the soul of a demonic beast and use it as a Primary Beast Soul. This transforms their Qi into Beast Soul Qi, which is more aggressive and powerful. It even retains the original techniques of the Primary Beast Soul.

“A Beast Warrior can even consume a demonic core to cultivate or even transform into a beast. They can improve much faster than a regular cultivator. The strength and talent of the Beast Warrior affects the power of the beast soul they consume. Unfortunately, they can’t cultivate as many martial arts techniques, and a weaker Beast Warrior might explode from trying to consume a more powerful beast soul.”

Ling Xi nodded. “Yep. Sounds about right.”

She paused in front of him as she cocked her head and tried to recall something.

“You must know that we humans are the descendants of the Primordial Dragons, who are now nothing but legends. My dad told me that there are no more dragons in this world. The Dragon Warriors were a group of people close to the Primordial Dragons. Their cultivation method was similar to that of Beast Warriors, but instead of beast souls, they needed the true Inherited Blood Essence from the Primordial Dragon!”

When she mentioned the Inherited Blood Essence, Long Chen felt the mysterious Dragon Jade Pendant tremble. Long Chen’s heart was trembling too. “Does it mean that once you obtained the Inherited Blood Essence, you can become a Dragon Warrior?”

Ling Xi rolled her eyes. “How would I know? It is nothing but a legend. If everyone were at the same cultivation stage, a regular Armament Warrior would be stronger than a Beast Warrior, while a Beast Warrior would be stronger than a regular cultivator. However, a Dragon Warrior is much stronger than an Armament Warrior since they have awakened the bloodline of the Primordial Dragons. According to legend, they can use the same techniques of the Primordial Dragons and easily destroy the world. But this is all just a legend, so I don’t know how powerful they truly are.”

Even though Ling Xi didn’t know much, Long Chen understood that the Dragon Warriors defied all logic.

Long Chen also realized that since Long Qinglan wanted him to become a Dragon Warrior, he must know more than Ling Xi. This meant that his status was above Ling Xi’s!

Ling Xi had said that the Dragon Warriors were a legend while Long Qinglan asked him to become a Dragon Warrior. This was an important distinction.

Father, who are you? Ling Xi’s background must be very special since she knows a lot, but to think that you knew even more! What’s the connection between the mysterious Dragon Jade Pendant, the Yang family’s Dragon Seal, and the Inherited Blood Essence of the dragons?

Ling Xi stared at Long Chen curiously. She didn’t know what he was thinking.

Long Qinglan’s words were shrouded in thick mystery. Long Chen had no idea what his father was thinking. He remembered that Ling Xi could decipher the seal on the Dragon Seal so he took it out and placed it on the ground. “Xiao Xi, go ahead and see if you can unlock the seal.”

Ling Xi was excited and said haughtily, “Brat, you don’t know that even though I’m lazy with my cultivation, I’m an expert in deciphering seals. The more complicated it is, the more excited I get. Leave it to me, I assure you that I can unlock it!”

When he saw how motivated the little goose was, Long Chen teased her. “You don’t have to boast to me. If you do manage to unlock it, I will give you a reward.”

Ling Xi blushed and scoffed. She landed on the Dragon Seal and scrutinized it, deep in thought as her small brows furrowed. Long Chen thought that she looked cute.