Chapter 549: Surprise

Chapter 549: Chapter 549: Surprise

"Get out!"

Long Heng roared, scaring Long Ling so badly he didn’t dare say another word and scrambled away.

"Long Heng, I’ll get my revenge on you. Just you wait."

Long Heng paid Long Ling’s threat no mind.

Sighing deeply, Long Heng said with a sense of helplessness, "What did you just do to me?"

"Since you’ve realized it, I won’t hide it anymore. I just influenced your will, making you decide a certain something."

To say he wasn’t shocked would be a lie.

Long Heng had always considered his strength decent for his generation, but he had been completely powerless when Long Ao influenced his will just now.

Without dwelling on the issue, Long Heng changed the subject. "Long Ao, there’s something I’m really puzzled about. I hope you can explain it to me."

"Go on." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Long Ao’s injuries were severe, but he endured the pain and found a place to sit.

"Long Ao, I’m very curious, why are you so insistent on taking me as your disciple?"

Before Long Ao could answer, Long Heng continued, "Even though I’m an Alchemist, with your high standards, you shouldn’t be interested in me, right?"

So that’s what this was about.

Long Ao didn’t hide a thing, saying directly, "Long Heng, the reason I want you as my disciple is very simple. I’m impressed by your talent."

He picked up a teacup from the stone table, took a light sip, and continued, "Your Cultivation talent is unquestionable; it’s just that something has been restricting your Realm breakthroughs. However, what I value even more is your talent for Alchemy."

"I’d like to ask, what Level of Alchemist are you right now?"

Alchemists were an extremely rare existence on the Celestial Martial Continent; you might not find one in ten thousand people.

The Alchemist Levels, from lowest to highest, were categorized as First Level Alchemist, Second Level Alchemist, Third Level Alchemist, Fourth Level Alchemist, Fifth Level Alchemist, Sixth Level Alchemist, Seventh Level Alchemist, Eighth Level Alchemist, and Ninth Level Alchemist.

Once an Alchemist broke through the Ninth Level Realm, the ranks above were King Level Alchemist, Emperor Level Alchemist, Venerable Level Alchemist, Emperor Level Alchemist, and Divine Level Alchemist.

Long Ao had always been very confident in his talent for Alchemy.

In just over a year, he had officially broken through to become an Emperor Level Alchemist. What kind of achievement was that?

"Emperor Level."

Emperor Level?

Long Heng obviously knew the Alchemist Level classifications. He jumped in shock at the answer, because all of Cloud Island didn’t have a single Emperor Level Alchemist—they didn’t even have a King Level Alchemist.

Long Heng could hardly imagine the uproar it would cause if the three great families of Cloud Island found out Long Ao was an Emperor Level Alchemist.

The temptation of taking an Emperor Level Alchemist as a master was something almost no one could resist.

But Long Heng remained calm, and the calmer he was, the more Long Ao admired him.

"Senior, I have one last question. If I follow you, can I become an Emperor Level Alchemist one day?"

"Hahaha." Hearing this, Long Ao suddenly threw his head back and laughed, leaving Long Heng utterly confused as to what was so funny.

"Senior."

The shift from calling him "Long Ao" to "Senior" was itself a testament to the change in Long Heng’s attitude.

Abruptly, Long Ao turned and asked, "I’ll ask you one last time: are you willing to take me as your master?"

"Master, please accept this disciple’s bow of respect."

Long Ao didn’t hesitate for a moment. He seemed quite fond of this disciple. The moment the formalities were over, Long Ao immediately began to impart his comprehension of the Alchemy Dao to Long Heng.

"Feel free to ask me about anything you don’t understand. I’m going to tend to my injuries now."

"Thank you, Master." He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t overjoyed.

「Inside a room.」

Inside the Dragon Seal Space, the moment Long Ao entered, he asked impatiently, "Long Fu, does Long Heng really have a Thunder Constitution?"

A large part of the reason Long Ao had insisted on taking Long Heng as a disciple was that Long Fu had told him Long Heng was no failure. In fact, he possessed the rare Thunder Constitution, which, while not as formidable as the Desolate Constitution, was still exceptionally powerful.

That was why Long Ao had heeded Long Fu’s words and taken Long Heng under his wing, making him his very first disciple.

"Master, Long Heng does indeed have the Thunder Constitution and has already successfully overcome a Thunder Tribulation. If trained properly, he can become a great asset to you in the future."

Long Ao nodded. He didn’t dwell on the issue; now that he had accepted Long Heng, he was committed to training him properly.

"Long Fu, was it you who saved me?"

"It was."

Long Ao wanted to ask how, but he held his tongue.

Based on the Dragon Seal Space’s current state, it should have been impossible to annihilate tens of millions of Spirit Beasts in one go. Yet he had just sensed that inside the Space’s Blood Pool were the corpses and souls of a full ten million Spirit Beasts. Once their Refinement was complete, it meant he would command an army of Beast Tide Corpse Slaves.

What kind of power was that?

Long Ao eagerly awaited the creation of the Beast Tide Corpse Slaves. When they were ready, the Dragon Sect’s power would increase a hundredfold, perhaps even a thousandfold. Only then would the Dragon Sect truly have the resources to stand against the Four Great Forces.

"Master, the reason I was able to eliminate the Beast Tide was thanks to the old master. Before he disappeared, he left a final trace of his power in the Dragon Seal Space. That is how I was able to destroy the Beast Tide."

So that’s how it was.

Long Ao didn’t doubt Long Fu’s words. In his mind, without the Ancient Divine Dragon’s help, it would have been impossible for the Dragon Seal Space, in its current state, to wipe out the Beast Tide.

As for Long Fu, he did not tell Long Ao the whole truth, not even mentioning the appearance of the Celestial Dao.

"So you’re saying that at the moment he disappeared, the Divine Dragon senior left a portion of his power for both me and Long Qiang. Is that right?"

"Correct, Master. I hope you can complete the Refinement of this power soon. It is the very essence of the old master’s life’s work. Unlike an inheritance, once you complete the Refinement, you can directly ascend to become a Divine Dao Martial Artist, and your Cultivation speed will increase dramatically."

Long Ao was astonished, and a wave of joyous surprise washed over him.

According to Long Fu, both he and Long Qiang had received the Ancient Divine Dragon’s power. Once they completed its Refinement, they could both become Divine Dao Martial Artists without the usual restrictions of an inheritance.

"Master, your injuries are quite serious this time. Unless it is absolutely unavoidable, you must not engage in battle. If you do, and it leaves lasting damage, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Long Ao nodded. He was already well aware of everything Long Fu had just said.

As if remembering something, Long Ao suddenly asked, "Long Fu, have you ever been to the Outer Sea before?"

Long Fu nodded, his expression unreadable. "I have. In the past, my two old masters brought me here to the Outer Sea. Of all the places on the Celestial Martial Continent, you could say the Outer Sea is the most mysterious and contains the most powerful Martial Artists. Therefore, Master, you must be exceptionally careful."

Long Ao had come to the same conclusion. The Outer Sea was home to countless islands. If a single, tiny place like Cloud Island was already this powerful, one could only imagine how terrifying the entire Outer Sea truly was.