Chapter 124
Chapter 124: Azure Dragon True Seal
Cang Yin Yue raised her head, gazing quietly at Li Mu Sheng’s retreating figure. Gently, she bit her cherry-red lip.
Drawing upon her bond with the Imperial Dragon Divine Sword, she circulated martial Qi within her body—energy that had somehow already recovered fully without her noticing—and summoned the enormous azure sword embedded in the ground.
The great sword trembled gently before swiftly shrinking in size, rising into the air, and landing neatly in her hand, now a slender blade of blue-green jade.
Cang Yin Yue softly caressed the sword’s icy surface. Her gaze lingered in the direction where Li Mu Sheng had disappeared, a complicated emotion she herself did not fully understand beginning to stir deep within her eyes.
The next moment, she drew in a deep breath, quickly clearing her thoughts, and hurried to catch up with Li Mu Sheng and the others.
…
The four of them exited through the deep well in the rear courtyard. After leaving the teahouse, they followed an enormous iron chain to the legendary Dragon-Sealing Well.
Suddenly, Bu Cheng Yang’s expression shifted oddly. He subtly glanced around, his eyes scanning their surroundings, but noticed nothing unusual.
Instinctively, he looked toward Li Mu Sheng. Seeing him calm and unperturbed, Bu Cheng Yang shook his head lightly. He was the first to leap down into the Dragon-Sealing Well, taking A’Bin with him.
Li Mu Sheng calmly beckoned Cang Yin Yue, and together, they followed.
The Dragon-Sealing Well was extremely deep, the water within freezing cold. Yet this posed no discomfort to Li Mu Sheng and his companions. Swiftly, they descended and discovered another large well at the bottom, sealed shut by layers of molten iron.
“The core of the mechanism must be beneath this sealed well,” Bu Cheng Yang sent a Qi-threaded message to Li Mu Sheng. “Young hero, you only just acquired the Azure Dragon Cang Ming Scripture. Perhaps it would be safer to return after you’ve fully mastered it and can safely absorb the Azure Dragon Qi.”
Li Mu Sheng glanced at him but shook his head lightly.
Creating a martial art might take time, but merely mastering one was as easy for him as a single glance. He had already quietly mastered the Azure Dragon Cang Ming Scripture. Although not perfected to its highest realm, it was more than enough for absorbing Azure Dragon Qi.
He gestured slightly, and the Imperial Dragon Divine Sword flew from Cang Yin Yue’s grasp through the chilly water, landing neatly in his own hand. At first, the sword shook violently, its azure glow flaring as it struggled to escape. But with a casual grip, Li Mu Sheng effortlessly subdued it.
Standing atop the sealed well, he activated the Azure Dragon Cang Ming Scripture. In an instant, dragon-shaped phantoms of azure Qi surged from beneath his feet, piercing straight through the thick iron and stone barrier below.
Watching from above, Bu Cheng Yang’s expression flickered with shock and disbelief once more.
[In such a short time, he’s already mastered a divine martial scripture… Truly, he is beyond extraordinary!]
Bu Cheng Yang inwardly sighed. The astonishment Li Mu Sheng brought him today surpassed everything he had experienced in the first half of his life.
Meanwhile, Li Mu Sheng carefully sensed the surroundings. Then, decisively, he hurled the Imperial Dragon Divine Sword downward into a corner of the sealed well.
The sword transformed into a dazzling azure streak, piercing effortlessly through the molten iron barrier and vanishing completely.
Soon, the entire Dragon-Sealing Well trembled gently. Beneath their feet came a faint, mechanical grinding sound of gears turning.
Yet Li Mu Sheng seemed unconcerned.
After inspecting earlier, he realized that although Bu Cheng Yang had correctly identified this location as the core mechanism, the passage of many years had left vulnerabilities and flaws in the structure. Others might be helpless against these faults, but Li Mu Sheng easily exploited them.
These weaknesses were also why Azure Dragon Qi leaked out from within.
Almost effortlessly, Li Mu Sheng lifted his hand once again. Immediately, the Imperial Dragon Divine Sword, now fully immersed underground, shot back upward, turning into azure light as it landed securely in his hand.
Now, the Imperial Dragon Divine Sword contained a dense cluster of Azure Dragon Qi.
Li Mu Sheng opened his hand slightly, absorbing the Azure Dragon Qi directly into his body. Then, with another simple wave, the sword returned underground to collect more Qi.
The sword’s capacity for absorbing Azure Dragon Qi was limited, so Li Mu Sheng repeated this cycle precisely nine times before finally collecting all the Azure Dragon Qi sealed beneath.
Each strand of Azure Dragon Qi entered Li Mu Sheng’s body.
Bu Cheng Yang silently observed the entire process. Yet by now, he had become as calm as Cang Yin Yue. After witnessing Li Mu Sheng’s extraordinary prowess, nothing he did could surprise Bu Cheng Yang anymore.
For instance, despite absorbing such an immense quantity of Azure Dragon Qi, Li Mu Sheng’s body showed no signs of overload. Bu Cheng Yang simply found this unsurprising, even normal.
With a casual toss, Li Mu Sheng returned the Imperial Dragon Divine Sword to Cang Yin Yue.
He then calmly focused on integrating the Azure Dragon Qi within his body.
As he did so, he again experienced the subtle but clear sensation of enhancement, similar to when he had absorbed the Qilin’s blood.
His once extremely ordinary roots, innate talent, and bloodline were subtly improved, refined by the mystical energies contained within the Azure Dragon Qi.
Although this improvement was minimal, Li Mu Sheng distinctly felt the change.
He felt quietly delighted. His original reason for visiting the Dragon-Sealing Well had been tracking remnants of Great Qi. This unexpected gain of Azure Dragon Qi, however, was far more valuable than mere clues for the Heavenly Revelation Secret Treasury—which might still be nothing more than rumors.
Li Mu Sheng spent roughly the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, fully absorbing the Azure Dragon Qi into his body.
Sensing himself closely afterward, he realized his physical constitution had improved by about ten percent. Though his martial power remained immense and seemingly unchanged, the improvement brought him genuine hope.
He believed that small steps accumulated into leaps. As long as he continued absorbing Qilin blood and Azure Dragon Qi, one day he might glimpse the possibility of transcending martial arts!
[Not bad, not bad.]
Li Mu Sheng nodded with satisfaction. With a single thought, he turned inward to observe his dantian.
Now that he had absorbed all the Azure Dragon Qi, a faint seal shaped like an Azure Dragon emerged there.
He recalled this seal from the final pages of the Azure Dragon Cang Ming Scripture.
This imprint was called the “Azure Dragon True Seal,” a mark that appeared only when one cultivated the Azure Dragon Cang Ming Scripture to its highest realm.