Immortal and Martial Dual Cultivation

Chapter 2003 (Raw 2099): Someday in the Future

When Xiao Chen went to the main hall at the Heavenly Dragon Palace’s main peak, he saw that the First Palace Master Yi Yun was waiting for him.

Xiao Chen was about to bow when Yi Yun raised his hand slightly, indicating that it was unnecessary.

“Haha! Xiao Chen, you are now truly famous in the outer palaces. The Palace Masters of the other six outer palaces have been asking about you recently, showing a lot of concern about you,” the First Palace Master said with a smile, not hiding the joy on his face at all.

Xiao Chen said calmly, “This disciple is just doing what a disciple should do.”

“Very good. Neither arrogant nor rash. Such mental states are hard to come by. You should have heard why I called you here today. Honestly speaking, I was planning to tell you after the competition between the seven outer palaces.”

The First Palace Master sighed, “There is still about one month or so left before the competition between the seven outer palaces starts. If you ended up missing your chance to get into Ancestor Dragon City because of the Five Element Divine Lightning, it would not be worth it. If you do not go there, it would be a huge loss to the Heavenly Dragon Palace as well.”

The First Palace Master spoke honestly, not hiding his thoughts.

Right now, Xiao Chen was famous. If he did not appear during the competition between the seven outer palaces, not only would the morale of the Heavenly Dragon Palace disciples be affected, but the other six outer palaces would also see the Heavenly Dragon Palace as a joke.

Thus, the First Palace Master had to think about this carefully.

However, since the First Palace Master called Xiao Chen over, he clearly already made up his mind. “However, I have thought about it. Time waits for no one. The Five Element Divine Lightning is something that can only be found and not sought. If a Five Element Divine Lightning is born this time, your losses would be too high.”

The Five Element Divine Lightning was like the Grand Beta Profound Lightning that Xiao Chen once obtained, a singular rarity.

Like the Grand Beta Profound Lightning, a Five Element Divine Lightning only had a tiny chance of being born in a lightning tribulation.

The lightning tribulation did not refer to the lightning tribulations that cultivators took. Instead, it was a type of divine lightning that descended when other spiritual objects underwent a tribulation.

It was like how the Grand Beta Profound Lightning appeared in the Demonic Blood Thousand Wing Snake’s tribulation.

Xiao Chen actually took this in stride. He said solemnly, “There is one month left. Time is indeed tight. There might be more opportunities in the future.”

The First Palace Master was quite resolute. He rejected this idea. “No, you need to grab this opportunity. Fate works like this sometimes; if you miss it once, you might miss it forever. I cannot bear responsibility for this.”

When Xiao Chen heard this, he felt slightly stunned. This made sense.

For many things in life, once one missed it, one would never get it.

“Where is it?” Xiao Chen asked.

“In the Thundercloud Ancient Marsh. It is a danger zone near the White Marsh Beast Empire. Thunderclouds cover the place all year round, and the lightning-attributed Spiritual Energy there is exceptionally lively. There is a Propping Mulberry Tree that will be undergoing its tribulation there. The tribulation of such a divine tree has a high chance of producing a Five Element Divine Lightning.”

The White Marsh Beast Empire, one of the eight great empires, was in the northern region, along with the Divine Dragon Empire.

The White Marsh Beast Empire was also an empire established by cultivators with Great Desolate Eon overlord-class bloodlines. The eight great empires were ostensibly allies but had covert conflicts of various sizes.

After all, when it came to some benefits, a simple alliance would not suffice.

“You might meet the people of the White Marsh Beast Empire on this trip. Be careful. If there is no need, don’t make the first move. That will help avoid showing any openings,” the First Palace Master instructed.

Xiao Chen nodded and said, “I know.”

“Xiao Chen, how long have you been in my Heavenly Dragon Palace?” The First Palace Master suddenly asked something unrelated.

Xiao Chen did not calculate the days but just gave a realistic estimate. “I’m not too sure of the exact number but almost a year.”

When Xiao Chen first entered the Heavenly Dragon Palace, he knew that the competition between the seven outer palaces would start after one year. Now that the competition between seven outer palaces was starting soon, it should be about one year.

“It is not just about one year but precisely one year and twenty-five days!” the First Palace Master sighed.

When Xiao Chen heard this, he felt startled. He found this strange. Why does the First Palace Master know this so clearly?

The First Palace Master smiled and said, “You must be wondering whether I flipped through the sect records. That is not the case. When you first entered the sect and had a conflict with Elder Tian Yun, we three Palace Masters noticed it. Third Brother insisted on taking you in as a disciple, and we laughed at him, saying that you definitely would not agree. We even made a small bet.”

Xiao Chen revealed an expression of understanding. No wonder the Third Palace Master wanted to take him in as a disciple after his entry into the Heavenly Dragon Palace.

It turned out that the three Palace Masters had been observing the test.

It looked like no matter their responsibilities, the three Palace Masters were paying attention to the Heavenly Dragon Palace’s younger-generation disciples.

“One year passed in the blink of an eye. Even for someone who has lived to my age, I lament that time passes too quickly,” the First Palace Master Yi Yun sighed, showing an aged expression.

Indeed, time passed quickly.

Xiao Chen had gained a lot in one year. This was the year with the greatest gains since he left the Kunlun Realm.

In this short time, he had advanced from Star Venerate to middle-stage Holy Venerate.

Xiao Chen even learned a Dragon’s Gate’s forbidden technique, the Supreme Dragon Fist, the Firmament’s Rage Secret Technique, and the Light of Freedom Movement Technique, comprehended the Heavenly Dragon’s mysteries, and significantly increased his strength. His advance had been rapid.

In another month, he would leave this place after the competition between the seven outer palaces, heading for Ancestor Dragon City.

Ancestor Dragon City was the inner sect of the Dragon’s Gate. Once he entered, he would be a true elite of the Dragon’s Gate. At that time, his stage would extend to the entire northern region, even the entire Central Great Realm.

Xiao Chen could get involved in the four dynasties, the eight great empires, the Righteous and Demonic Dao, the nine layers of the Abyssal Underworld, and many other places.

The Heavenly Dragon Palace was a rare haven. All of the competitions and conflicts happened within the Dragon Race.

There was no danger to Xiao Chen’s life. Compared to future conflicts, all these were only minor commotions. Indeed, it was a rare period of peace.

The First Palace Master was someone who had walked the same path. He could tell how exciting Xiao Chen’s later life would be and how many horrifying waves awaited him.

To Xiao Chen, the Heavenly Dragon Palace was only a foundation, a springboard for him to establish himself in the Central Great Realm.

The First Palace Master hoped that Xiao Chen would remember the days in the Heavenly Dragon Palace, cherish this rare moment of peace, and remember the Heavenly Dragon Palace and the people here.

It was as the First Palace Master said: once one missed an opportunity, they might miss it all their life.

For many places, it would be hard to return after leaving. Even if one returned, one might not feel the same as in their memories, only chasing after it in their sorrow.

However, it was hard for one to understand this until one reached a certain age.

It was pointless to mention it, so the First Palace Master did not. He only sighed with sorrow. As for how much Xiao Chen could understand, it would depend on Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen looked at the First Palace Master and said, “First Palace Master, I understand.”

The First Palace Master shook his head and said, “You do not understand. You might be able to understand some things. However, without truly experiencing some things, you can never say that you truly understand. This trip to the Thundercloud Ancient Marsh might be dangerous. I’ll give you a talisman. At the crucial moment, you can summon a clone of a Heavenly Dragon to protect you.”

Xiao Chen did not argue. He stepped forward and accepted the talisman. The Heavenly Dragon statue above the Profound Dragon Platform was drawn on the talisman.

He recalled what Situ Changfeng once said, that the Heavenly Dragon statue was mysterious and unfathomable, filled with boundless mysteries.

It seemed that the value of this Heavenly Dragon Talisman far surpassed Xiao Chen’s understanding, something incredibly precious.

Xiao Chen carefully put the talisman away and performed a cupped-fist salute in thanks. With a resolute gaze, he said, “Many thanks for First Palace Master’s care. I promise First Palace Master that no matter what, Disciple Xiao Chen will definitely make it to the competition between the seven outer palaces. In this life, some opportunities will be gone forever after missing it. However, there are some things that one would end up regretting for life if one missed it. I can lose the Five Element Divine Lightning, but I will never miss out on the competition between the seven outer palaces. This is Disciple Xiao Chen’s promise.”

If Xiao Chen missed the competition between the seven outer palaces, he could just wait for another year. However, if he lost the Five Element Divine Lightning, he might have to wait for decades, possibly even for the rest of his life.

The former represented a collective; it was Xiao Chen’s respect and gratitude for the Heavenly Dragon Palace. The latter represented just him, a selfish desire to improve his personal strength.

Xiao Chen’s words showed that he made the right choice.

This stunned the First Palace Master; he had not expected Xiao Chen to take this so seriously. After a while, he smiled and said, “I believe you.”

“Goodbye.”

After Xiao Chen left the main hall, he showed a grave expression as he looked at the sky outside.

Xiao Chen’s figure flashed, and he landed on the top of the Heavenly Dragon statue to look at this vast Heavenly Dragon Palace once again. He took in the hustle and bustle below, seeing the hundreds of thousands of mixed-blood dragon cultivators.

He had often felt that he was indeed one of them.

In those times, he would forget about his Grade 8 Azure Dragon bloodline and the responsibility of revitalizing the Azure Dragon bloodline.

Someday in the future, when I become the Dragon Emperor, I will change the old system and allow the mixed-blood dragon bloodline to receive genuine respect.

Everyone should be equal. Bloodline should not determine one’s nobility.