Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Jon

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

"Mother, why are you crying?" Yang Xiao got to his feet on the altar and looked dazedly at Fu Zhun.

Fu Zhun shook her head without saying a word, but her gaze was filled with sorrow.

Realising that something was amiss, Yang Xiao turned to look at Zhu Yan and asked, "Father, what happened?"

At that moment, Zhu Yan seemed to have aged tremendously. After his lips squirmed for a bit, he heaved a sigh, "The ceremony has failed."

The atmosphere around the celebration party, which was bustling with noise just now, turned solemn because of the failure.

"What do you mean that it has failed?" Yang Xiao appeared puzzled.

Zhu Yan didn't know how to explain it to him. On the other hand, Fu Xuan sighed and walked over to stroke the boy's head before replying gently, "Since the ceremony has failed, it means that you either don't have a Dragon Source or that your Source isn't pure."

Yang Xiao pointed at himself and asked in shock, "I don't have a Dragon Source?"

Yang Kai dashed forward and pushed away the others, who had surrounded the altar as he shouted, "That's impossible! There's no way he doesn't have a Dragon Source. After he was born, he was in his Dragon form. Old Qiong and I saw it with our own eyes."

Upon hearing that, Fu Zhun and Zhu Yan turned to look at him with hopeful gazes. At that time, they didn't manage to see Yang Xiao's true form as when they arrived, he had already assumed Human form. They even thought that their child was indeed extraordinary as he could assume Human form not long after he was born. After hearing what Yang Kai had said, they found what he said sensible. If Yang Xiao didn't have a Dragon Source, or that his Source wasn't pure, he wouldn't have been able to assume his Dragon form.

Then, they shifted their attention to Qiong Qi, who nodded his head to affirm what Yang Kai had said.

"Kid, show us your true form this instant." Yang Kai gazed at the boy and said. If Yang Xiao could assume his true form, it meant that he had a complete Dragon Source in his body. The reason he didn't pass the ceremony must be that something had gone wrong with it, rather than him.

Yang Xiao clenched his teeth and nodded repeatedly. Then, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Right in front of everyone's eyes, he remained unmoving as his Dragon Aura undulated.

A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes as he appeared helpless. Gazing at Yang Kai, he stated, "I can't do it!"

Yang Kai glowered at him, "What do you mean that you can't do it?"

Yang Xiao pouted, "I just can't…"

The hope behind the eyes of Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun turned into despair when they heard that. Fu Zhun parted her lips in an attempt to say something, but she couldn't bring herself to say a word in the end.

Yang Kai was dumbfounded as well as he wondered, [How is it possible that he can't do it?]

Yang Kai could still vividly remember the little White Dragon. He was around 20 metres long and a pure jade white colour. Although Yang Xiao's Dragon Form was still small, it already appeared intimidating. Since he was already in his Dragon form after he was born, why couldn't he return to it at this point?

"Did you really try?" Yang Kai asked.

"I-I've tried my best." Yang Xiao was flustered. What was he if he wasn't a member of the Dragon Clan?

Yang Kai said, "Don't panic and take it slow. Take a deep breath to calm yourself down first."

Upon hearing that, Yang Xiao did it as he was told.

Yang Kai went on to say, "Now, follow your instinct and imagine that you can roam the sky freely. You're a member of the Dragon Clan, so there's no way you can't turn into a Dragon."

Yang Xiao meticulously followed Yang Kai's advice as his face slowly reddened. A long time later, he let out a breath and looked dejectedly at Yang Kai. He still couldn't turn into a Dragon.

Then, he turned to look at Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun. When he saw their parents' disappointed gazes, his chest tightened, and he leapt away and ran off.

"Lin'er!" A flabbergasted Fu Zhun quickly ran after him.

Yang Kai hinted at Zhu Qing with his gaze, after which she hurriedly raced after them as well. He was worried that the young child would do something foolish in this moment of panic.

The place fell into silence.

Yang Kai stared at Zhu Yan and asked, "Great Elder, is there something wrong with this altar?"

Zhu Yan replied with a frown, "It's impossible for something to be wrong with the altar, and there was no problem with the ceremony either. Lin'er simply couldn't reveal his true form just now, everyone saw it."

He paused for a moment and stared seriously at Yang Kai, "I have to ask you one question. You must be totally honest with me. Did you really witness Lin'er in his true form that day?"

Yang Kai immediately nodded, "If I lied about what I had seen on that day, I'll dig out my own eyes!" As he spoke, he pointed at his eyes with his fingers.

A puzzled Zhu Yan said, "How is that possible? Since he had shown his true form after he was born, why couldn't he do so today?"

After a moment of hesitation, Yang Kai asked with a frown, "Could I be the reason behind it?"

"You?" Zhu Yan gazed doubtfully at him.

Yang Kai explained, "He's the child of you and Second Elder, so there's no way he isn't a member of the Dragon Clan; however, it was I who hatched him. Hence, I might be the reason if there's anything wrong. Perhaps when I was hatching him, my Human bloodline affected him in some way, causing his Source to become impure."

Upon hearing that, Zhu Yan knitted his brow for a moment before he nodded, "It's possible."

A helpless Yang Kai said, "If that's the case, I've caused him great harm…"

Zhu Yan, however, shook his head and consoled him by stating, "You don't have to blame yourself. Without you, it wouldn't have been possible for Lin'er to be born. Whatever the case, you've given him life. Even if his Source has become impure because of that, it's not your fault."

The corner of Yang Kai's mouth twitched, "Will he be resentful of me?"

Zhu Yan replied, "Only if he dares to be!"

If that was the case, Yang Xiao would truly be ungrateful; however, he had been obedient in the past few days, and his temperament was likeable, so it was unlikely that he would have this kind of thought.

After giving it a thought, Zhu Yan went on to say, "Moreover, there were severe problems with his Dragon Egg to begin with, which led him to be unable to hatch in the past. It's very likely he has a congenital defect, so it may have nothing to do with you at all."

Yang Kai asked, "Whatever the reason behind it, how will the Dragon Clan handle him if his Source is impure?"

The Dragon Clan emphasised the purity of one's blood, and only true members of the Dragon Clan had the right to reside in Dragon Palace. The ones with impure bloodlines would be sent to Half-Dragon City. Although Yang Xiao was the child of the Great Elder and Second Elder, there still wouldn't be any exception made.

Hence, Zhu Yan wasn't even sure how he should reply to Yang Kai.

Given how much Fu Zhun cared about Yang Xiao, she would undoubtedly go mad if her baby was banished to Half-Dragon City. However, since his blood was impure, how could he be allowed to stay in Dragon Palace?

Seeing that Zhu Yan was hesitant, Yang Kai immediately stated, "If that's the case, I'll take him with me. In any case, the outside world is vast and filled with interesting things."

Zhu Yan gave him a grateful look as this was the best solution for now. He wasn't worried at all if he had to entrust his child to Yang Kai; after all, Yang Kai was the one who had hatched Yang Xiao. Although they were not related by blood, they were just as close to each other as any father and son.

"I'll go check on him. He's so bad-tempered despite his age. What a naughty kid!" Yang Kai snorted and turned to leave.

After what happened, the other members of the clan were not in a mood to keep celebrating. They consoled the Great Elder for a bit before they left. At the same time, they were all crestfallen. Before the incident on this day, no one could have expected that the child of the Great Elder and Second Elder would have impure blood.

Although Yang Kai was possibly the culprit, he couldn't be blamed. Just like what Zhu Yan had said, without Yang Kai's efforts, Yang Xiao would never have been born. Furthermore, the egg likely suffered from a congenital defect in the first place.

On the edge of Azure Tree Island, Fu Zhun was standing on the beach as she stared fixedly at the reef from afar as though she was trying to penetrate it with her gaze. She wanted to go over, but she was at a loss for words and didn't dare to approach any closer.

Hearing some footsteps, she turned around and saw Yang Kai striding toward her. As if seeing a saviour, she immediately grabbed Yang Kai's arms and said with bloodshot eyes, "Yang Kai, Lin'er doesn't want to talk to me. Please help me persuade him. Please help me. I was wrong in the past. I'll apologise to you now."

Yang Kai looked down at her hands and secretly sighed. He knew that the Dragon Clan's Second Elder had completely lost her cool; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so humble.

She intended to repair the relationship between them at the celebration party and she had just expressed her gratitude to him; however, at this moment, she was begging him, even going so far as to apologise.

She was the Dragon Clan's Second Elder, a Master on par with Great Emperors, but at the same time, she was also a mother.

With a dark expression, Yang Kai said, "You're his mother. How dare he not want to talk to you?"

Fu Zhun shook her head, "My attitude just now must have saddened him. Please help me persuade him!"

An exasperated Yang Kai said, "What's the point of persuading him? You're his mother, so you should do whatever you feel is best for him. Since he dares to ignore you, I'll beat him up and make him stand before you."

Upon finishing his words, he pushed her hands away and dashed forward.

An anxious Fu Zhun exclaimed from behind him, "Don't beat him up! Please don't do that!"

Seeing as Yang Kai was oblivious to her, she immediately changed her stance, "Please be gentle when you do that! Be gentle to him…"

Yang Kai shook his head and sighed. Fu Zhun might be a dutiful Elder of the Dragon Clan, but she wasn't qualified to be a mother. Whenever Yang Xiao was concerned, she would lose her ability to think clearly.

Some time ago, he had told Zhu Qing that a loving mother makes a wastrel. Now, it seemed that Zhu Qing paled when compared to Fu Zhun in this regard. If Yang Xiao were to grow up by Fu Zhun's side, he might become an arrogant and reckless person when he grew up. Given his background, it would be too late to discipline him if he got into trouble in the future.

Considering all that, Yang Kai became more determined to take Yang Xiao with him. At the very least, he wouldn't allow Yang Xiao to grow up by Fu Zhun's side unless she could change herself and stop being so overwhelmingly doting on him.

As the waves splashed onto the reef, Yang Xiao's petite figure sat on the beach's edge. Although he had been soaked to the bone, he remained unperturbed as he submerged his legs in the seawater. Zhu Qing was keeping him company as she gazed at him with a helpless expression.

Yang Kai walked over and stood behind Yang Xiao, then he waved his hand at Zhu Qing.

Zhu Qing nodded and leapt into the air before she landed on the beach and stood beside Fu Zhun.

"Is my mother still over there?" Yang Xiao suddenly asked.

Yang Kai grunted and shot him a look, "She's heartbroken. I've heard that you're not willing to talk to her."