Martial Peak

Translator: Silavin & Jon

Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun

Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys

"Who said I don't want to talk to her anymore?" Yang Xiao refuted loudly, but he soon lowered his tone and appeared hesitant, "I just don't know how to face her."

Yang Kai snorted, "She is your mother, so why wouldn't you know how to face her?"

Yang Xiao hung his head low and replied in a hushed voice, "But… She looks so disappointed."

"Of course she's disappointed. The ceremony has failed, do you think she'd be happy? How could she be joyful about it?"

Yang Xiao batted his eyes, "But I did not want to disappoint her!"

Yang Kai grinned and patted his head, "At least she hasn't doted on you for nothing. You're right to have this thought in mind."

In a dejected manner, Yang Xiao replied, "But my Source isn't pure…"

Yang Kai interrupted him by saying, "It's still too early to come to any conclusion. Who knows whether there's something wrong with the ceremony or not? You have shown me your true form after you were born, so it's not possible for your Source to be anything else but pure. You should know that only by possessing the purest Dragon Source could you transform into a True Dragon. I have a Dragon Source as well, and it's a very high rank one, but I can only transform into a Half-Dragon because I am originally Human. I will only be able to turn into a True Dragon if I manage to eliminate every ounce of my Human blood in my body one day."

A puzzled Yang Xiao asked, "Why couldn't I show my true form just now, then?"

"You have to ask yourself about that. Maybe you were too nervous? Or perhaps you are still not proficient in transforming since it was your first attempt." Yang Kai shrugged, "I can't give you an explanation. So, you'll have to look for the answer on your own."

With a solemn expression, Yang Xiao nodded his head.

Yang Kai went on to say with a smile, "In any case, so what if you don't have a Dragon Source or if your Source isn't pure? The world isn't ruled by the Dragon Clan. None of the Ten Great Emperors is from the Dragon Clan, so who says you can't grow without your identity as a Dragon? Can you not still reach the peak if your Source isn't pure?"

With a helpless smile, Yang Xiao replied, "Adoptive Father, don't you think it's too early to tell me this? I'm still a kid."

"A kid?" Yang Kai directly smacked his head and glowered at him, "Other kids don't behave like you do."

"Why did you hit me again?" Yang Xiao covered his head with an aggrieved expression.

Yang Kai stroked the young kid's head and consoled him, "Stop being unhappy. Do you understand that your emotions affect others? Your mother is especially crestfallen because you're her most cherished one. She is actually sadder than you are."

With a serious expression, Yang Xiao replied, "I'll remember Adoptive Father's teaching. I'll apologise to her now so that she will cheer up."

Upon finishing his words, he got to his feet.

"There's no rush." Yang Kai pulled him down and took a seat beside him. After giving it a thought, he asked, "I'll ask you a question. Do you want to leave Dragon Island with me?"

Yang Xiao's gaze brightened when he heard that, and then he asked excitedly, "Can I leave Dragon Island?"

Yang Kai replied, "Initially, you probably couldn't… But now, I guess you'll be allowed to leave."

After pondering on it for a moment, Yang Xiao understood the meaning behind Yang Kai's words. If his Source was pure, he'd be a true member of the Dragon Clan, and he'd have to remain on Dragon Island to cultivate; however, since his Source wasn't pure, he couldn't stay in Dragon Palace anymore.

No matter how much Fu Zhun loved him, she couldn't openly break the rules and would have to send him away one day soon. Compared to going to Half-Dragon City, leaving with Yang Kai would be the better option.

Upon that realization, Yang Xiao clapped his hands and laughed, "It's actually a blessing to have an impure Source, then. I should have celebrated it instead."

Yang Kai shot him a glare, "Why do you look like you don't want to stay on Dragon Island?"

Yang Xiao giggled and scratched his cheek, "It isn't that I don't want to stay here. It's just that mother always follows me around, so I can't do whatever I want."

Yang Kai let out a hollow laugh, "You don't even know how lucky you are. Many are jealous of you, but you don't appreciate having a mother like her."

Yang Xiao put on a fawning smile, "Adoptive Father, you're more powerful than I am, so you're always right."

The corner of Yang Kai's mouth twitched as he thought that his way of teaching Yang Xiao had made things problematic.

Although he hadn't managed to completely untie the knot in Yang Xiao's heart with this brief bit of persuasion, he had managed to make him calm down at the very least. Then, he also told the young child how interesting the outside world was to get him looking forward to leaving Dragon Island with him soon.

One hour later, Yang Xiao followed Yang Kai and shuffled toward Fu Zhun. With a serious expression, he apologised to his mother, which prompted her to pull him into his embrace and start bawling, constantly blaming herself for the suffering he had to go through.

Yang Kai and Zhu Qing were rendered speechless as they watched them by the side.

After Yang Xiao and Fu Zhun left together, Yang Kai and Zhu Qing returned to Half Moon Island.

At the break of dawn the next day, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun arrived at Half Moon Island together with Yang Xiao.

After making Yang Xiao wait outside, the four adults entered the side hall, and then Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun told them the purpose of their visit. A shocked Yang Kai questioned, "You want me to enter the Dragon Temple with Xiao'er?"

Zhu Yan bowed his head, "That's right. Last night, I gave it a thought and realised that what you said made sense. Maybe there was something wrong with the ceremony, which was why Xiao'er couldn't pass it. This Old Master also checked his body carefully and couldn't find anything wrong with him. Although I couldn't identify the Source in his body, he is undoubtedly a member of the Dragon Clan since he has a Dragon Aura which only a Pureblood could possess. Perhaps his Source is hidden somehow in a way I cannot detect; therefore, this Old Master wants you to enter the Dragon Temple with him and ask our Ancestors to check him."

Yang Kai asked, "Why do you want me to do that? Both of you are more than capable of doing so."

Zhu Yan shook his head, "The Dragon Temple is where the Dragon Souls of the past Great Elders reside. Unless something serious has happened, we cannot disturb their peace as we please. Hence, it is inconvenient for either of us to enter."

It really wasn't a serious enough matter for the Elders to ask the Ancestors to examine Yang Xiao's Source.

Fu Zhun said, "You, however, are not really part of the Dragon Clan, so you don't have to follow our rules. It would be good if you could lend us a hand on this matter."

Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was inwardly elated. The Dragon Temple was a sacred place, and even members of the Dragon Clan couldn't enter it unless something serious happened, so why was it that an outsider like him could go in as he pleased? After giving it a thought, he realised that Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun must have wanted to do him a favour, and by allowing him to enter the Dragon Temple, they could at the same time ask him to bring Yang Xiao with him to have the boy's Source inspected.

After all, Yang Kai had asked to enter the Dragon Temple previously; however, after he had nurtured so many Dragon Blood Flowers for them, Fu Zhun went back on her word, which caused him to be incensed. That was why he had returned to Dragon Island to sneak into the temple, though he ended up stealing a Dragon Egg instead.

Upon realizing the intricacies of this matter, Yang Kai nodded firmly, "Since both of you insist, I'll bring him with me."

To the side, Zhu Qing shot him a funny look. [He must be over the moon in his heart, but he still pretends to have been put in a tight spot. What a…]

After they came to an agreement, they hesitated no more and headed straight to the Dragon Temple.

Members of the Dragon Clan were well-known for their long lives, but there would still come a day when they had to depart for the next life. There were two places for their deceased to go. One of them was the Dragon Grave, and the other was the Dragon Temple. The Dragon Grave was where most of the deceased members of the Dragon Clan resided, so there were a lot of their remains there. Since they were powerful when they were alive, their Corpse Qi was naturally richer after they passed away. Yang Kai had never entered the Dragon Grave before, but he had heard that it was extremely gloomy inside. A top cultivator like Fu Xuan almost lost her life after being locked inside for just ten years, which went to show how terrible the environment really was.

On the other hand, the Dragon Temple was where the Dragon Souls of the past Great Elders resided. In other words, only the Great Elders had the right to be enshrined in that place after they passed away. For example, Zhu Yan would be placed in the temple one day, but Fu Zhun didn't have the right.

In return, the Dragon Souls of these Great Elders would continue to protect the entire Dragon Clan. The Blessing Technique that was drawn out of the temple could render the bloodline suppression on the Dragon Clan less effective or even completely useless.

Certainly, the valuable experiences and knowledge of the Dragon Souls of the fallen Great Elders were also a great treasure. It had been more than ten generations since the first Great Elder's Soul entered the temple, so there were quite a lot of Dragon Souls inside now.

In the past, after Yang Kai activated his Golden Divine Dragon Source and summoned all the slumbering Dragon Souls inside the temple, he became practically invincible. As long as he stood in the temple, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun wouldn't be a match for him even if they joined forces.

Yang Kai still remembered that the biggest Dragon Soul that had appeared back then was a full 1,000 metres in length. This Master was none other than the first generation Great Elder.

Yang Kai wasn't certain what order ones Dragon Vein had to be to produce a 1,000-metre-long figure, but judging from Zhu Qing's 300-metre-long figure as a Ninth-Order Dragon, Zhu Yan and Fu Zhun could possibly be between 400 and 500 metres in size. As such, Yang Kai estimated the first Great Elder to be a Twelfth-Order Dragon, which could be regarded as the peak of the Dragon Clan's power.

However, as time passed, the Dragon Clan seemed to become less powerful as the succeeding Great Elders all had shorter figures.

The Dragon Temple wasn't far from Half Moon Island, but it wasn't near either. It took them half a day to reach their destination.

Looking from afar, the Dragon Temple seemed to be floating on the clouds and appeared quite surreal. Its aura was ancient and imposing, fully displaying its illustrious history.

Not just anyone could enter the temple. Only those from the Dragon Clan could step into this place; otherwise, they would be crushed into dust by the ambient Dragon Pressure.

Upon landing on a spot in front of the temple, Zhu Yan fished out a Dragon-shaped token, from which a beam of light shot forward.

Soon, a spinning cloud appeared in front of them, and as it accelerated, a swirl that could let a person pass through appeared.

Fu Zhun crouched down and gave Yang Xiao some advice, "After you go in, you must listen to your Adoptive Father and mustn't run around. Got it?"

Yang Xiao nodded obediently, "I'll remember."

Fu Zhun then looked up at Yang Kai, "Please take care of him."

Yang Kai waved his hand with a smile, "Second Elder, you don't have to be overly polite with me. Since Xiao'er calls me Adoptive Father, I'll make sure that he won't be harmed."

He then beckoned to Yang Xiao, "Let's go."

The adult and child then stepped into the swirl and disappeared.

Fu Zhun looked longingly at her child, as if her heart could follow him into the swirl. After he disappeared though, she became dejected and anxious.

Zhu Yan sighed and consoled her by saying, "Don't worry. Yang Kai will take care of him."

Oblivious to him, Fu Zhun simply stared fixedly at the Dragon Temple.