Chapter 447 - 422: The Grand Trend, I Will Forge Ahead

The cold wind whistled by the lake. Song Ciwan, who was eavesdropping on the story, felt a complex whirlwind of emotions.

The other scholars, however, couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with sorrow and pity for Immortal Venerable Mo.

Tragic! Utterly tragic! So tragic it defied description.

Even though it was the Dragon Maiden currently undergoing the Bloodline Transfer, the scholars somehow found themselves sympathizing more with Immortal Venerable Mo.

It just went to show that the human heart is, indeed, biased.

Of course, one of them came to his senses and asked, "Brother Zhou, what is this Bloodline Transfer Technique?"

Brother Zhou said, "The so-called Bloodline Transfer Technique is the transfer of Ao Yun’s Dragon Race bloodline to Xiao Yan. After all, Xiao Yan had already acquired the Dragon Maiden’s Dragon Pearl. By also obtaining her Dragon Vein and her very blood, he might just be able to Transform into a Dragon!"

The scholars were all dumbfounded. One of them hastily asked, "Xiao Yan is going to Transform into a Dragon? Then what about Ao Yun? What will happen to her?"

Another focused on a different key point. "Didn’t Ao Yun and Xiao Yan go to Kunshan to pray for a child? Why the need for a Bloodline Transfer? What’s the reason for this?"

Yet another, still sympathizing with Mo Yinghuai, asked, "And what did Immortal Venerable Mo do when he saw this?"

Brother Zhou waited for everyone to finish their clamorous discussion before speaking. "My dear brothers, when Ao Yun and Xiao Yan went to Kunshan to pray for a child, the answer given by the Kunlun Immortal Masters was that humans and dragons are fundamentally different. Therefore, they needed to completely strip Princess Ao Yun of her Dragon Race bloodline and have her truly become a Human. Only then could the barrier to having a child be broken."

As soon as he finished, a scholar immediately interjected, "Wait, that’s not right, Brother Zhou. If Princess Ao Yun becomes a human, it seems the couple would no longer have any obstacles to conceiving. But... Xiao Yan is transforming into a dragon! Doesn’t that still leave them as one human and one dragon? What was the point of ’praying for a child’ then?"

Another scholar caught on, and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. "This is a scam, isn’t it?" he exclaimed in shock. "Xiao Yan intentionally deceived her, didn’t he?"

Immediately, a scholar blurted out a string of curses, "Despicable! Shameless! That vile man! He’s utterly disgraced the Human Race! Some Bixiao Sword Monarch... he’s... he’s worse than an animal!"

Another scholar, whose focus remained on Mo Yinghuai, pressed on, "What about Immortal Venerable Mo?"

Brother Zhou sighed. "And that," he said, "is the story of how Immortal Venerable Mo became an outcast of Kunshan."

Everyone immediately perked up their ears and listened intently.

Song Ciwan, listening from the side, couldn’t help but feel concerned as well.

’She really wanted to start cursing, too, but thankfully, the scholars beside her were doing it for her.’

Brother Zhou continued, "Gentlemen, it was indeed a scam. You must understand, this Xiao Yan was originally the son of a seaside fisherman. During that maritime disaster caused by her transformation into a dragon, the victims were either his fellow villagers or his own kin—including his father, uncles, and brothers!"

The scholars all gasped. One realized, "So that’s the story behind it!"

But one of them remained indignant. "That’s just a shameless scoundrel making excuses for his shamelessness! If Xiao Yan truly hated Ao Yun, he could have dedicated himself to his training, mastered a True Skill, and then one day risked his life to avenge his family.

"If he had sought revenge openly and honorably, who would have blamed him, even if he’d flayed Ao Yun alive? It would have been perfectly justified. Who could have said he was in the wrong?

"But no! He used revenge as a pretext to deceive the Dragon Maiden’s heart, all while constantly scheming for his own personal gain. Even if he succeeds in transforming into a dragon, he’ll just become another Evil Dragon in this world! How is that any different from the Evil Demons that plague the Mortal World?

"Shameless! Utterly shameless! He’s... he’s..."

He was... what? The scholar, having reached this point in his tirade, found himself at a loss for words. He could only blame his single-minded dedication to the Scriptures of the Saints and Sages for not having learned enough curses to give his insults the proper bite.

At that moment, a clear, resonant voice from nearby finished the thought: "A man without shame, no different from a Demon!"

The scholar, hearing his sentence completed for him, felt a wave of satisfaction. He immediately turned his head and saw a young man in black robes standing behind them. The youth carried a long saber on his back, and his features were cold and severe. He possessed an ineffable, striking presence that was captivating to behold.

The scholars all turned to look. Upon seeing the young man, they instantly realized that while they had been engrossed in the story, this person had been listening in on their conversation without any of them noticing.

But despite being listened in on, the scholars didn’t take offense. A gripping tale was always more interesting with a larger audience. A passerby stopping to listen just proved their discussion was a worthy one.

Brother Zhou even laughed heartily. "That’s a keen insight, my friend. May I ask your name?"

The black-robed youth cupped his fist. "I am Lu Bell. It’s a pleasure to meet you all."

And yes, Lu Bell was none other than Song Ciwan.

Upon receiving the Emperor’s summons, Song Ciwan had immediately decided to have her ’Song Zhao’ identity enter ’seclusion’ for a while.

’After all, if she was in "seclusion," any summons from the Emperor would have nothing to do with her.’

’When navigating the world, a person like her could have a thousand aliases. The reason she chose the identity of Lu Bell was her recent acquisition of the Spiritual Artifact, Star River Slash. Since Star River Slash was a saber, it was a perfect fit for Lu Bell, who once bore the moniker "Black Heart Demon Saber."’

’She was curious to see how the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List would react once Lu Bell made a name for himself throughout the land.’

Song Ciwan had already made up her mind. She would advance with unstoppable momentum and raise her Cultivation by several levels as quickly as possible. She would keep climbing until she was so Strong that she feared nothing and no one in the world.

’No one would stop her march forward—not the Emperor, and not even the fall of a Dynasty!’

’The same went for the Ancient Divine Insect Race.’

’It was just that the Ancient Divine Insect Race would undoubtedly be a much higher-level enemy.’

What Song Ciwan needed to do was despise her enemies strategically but take them seriously tactically. When it was time to be cautious, she would be more cautious than anyone. When it was time to be fierce, she would be fiercer than anyone!

The Spiritual Energy Tide was a surging, unstoppable current. It left no room for hesitation or indecisiveness.

Lu Bell’s face wasn’t exceptionally handsome, but it possessed an indescribable, lethal aura. It was the kind of aura that naturally captivated those who admired the Strong.

Brother Zhou and the other scholars introduced themselves one by one. It turned out that Brother Zhou’s full name was Zhou Zhongqiu, and he was the son of this County’s Prefect.

’The son of a Prefect. No wonder he knows even secrets from a thousand years ago in such detail.’

However, Zhou Zhongqiu was somewhat lacking in talent. Despite studying for many years, he had yet to receive the Celestial Spiritual Light and become a true Scholar who could practice Cultivation.

But that couldn’t be helped. In this world, a Scholar’s Spiritual Light was the most difficult power to obtain.

Cultivating Immortality and Practicing Martial Arts were more straightforward. Qi Blood Martial Arts, in particular, could be practiced by anyone. It was simply a matter of those with aptitude going far, while those without did not.

A Scholar’s Spiritual Light, however, was unpredictable. Even the son of a Great Scholar might remain an ordinary person his entire life, to say nothing of the son of a Prefect.

Of course, if all else failed, Zhou Zhongqiu had more than enough resources to switch to the path of Martial Arts. That would solve all his problems, but it was clear he currently had no intention of doing so.

After they finished their introductions, Zhou Zhongqiu continued his story.

He said, "Seeing that Ao Yun was about to die from the Bloodline Transfer, Immortal Venerable Mo, despite being only a disciple, did not hesitate to defy the Three Immortals of Kunlun."