“All right! I have waited long enough! It’s time for Ryuu’s descendant and I… to…” He trailed off when he saw the situation they were in. He looked at Wu Jian, then at Hou Jingshu sleeping in his lap, and then at Zhou Lihua, whose hand still rested against Wu Jian’s cheek.

“Do you not know how to announce yourself?” asked Wu Jian with an irritated sigh. “Also, keep your voice down. Jingshu needs rest.”

“Hah! Why should I keep my voice down!” Loong Chen crossed his arms, spread his feet, and stared down his nose at them. “I am Loong Chen! The dragon Lord Seiryuu left in charge of this world before he left! I can do whatever I want!”

“You’re so annoying. Shut up.”

“I won’t!”

This guy…

Wu Jian had spent a lot of time with Loong Chen ever since their meeting, and if there was one thing he had learned about this man, it was that he was supremely arrogant. Every other word out of his mouth was about his own greatness. He couldn’t go ten seconds without bragging about how “Lord Seiyuu” left this world in his care.

Well, he did have a reason to be arrogant. Loong Chen was at the peak of the Perfection Realm, the highest realm on this world. The only other person with that claim to fame was Zhe Dāozhe--Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect. This man was at the top, so he did have a right to be arrogant, but his attitude seriously pissed Wu Jian off.

“Um… Wu… Jian Wu, maybe you shouldn’t argue with this man?” suggested Zhou Lihua, nervous sweat running down her forehead.

“There’s no need to be afraid of this guy,” Wu Jian hitched a thumb at Loong Chen.

“What?! There’s every reason to be afraid of me! I’m amazing! Powerful! Do you not realize I could crush you like a bug if I wanted, brat who does not understand the immensity between heaven and earth?!”

“Your long-winded title for me makes you sound like a two-bit villain.”

“How dare you!”

“I think you’re the only one who would say something like that,” Zhou Lihua’s smile was tremulous, and her face was pale, giving her a sickly complexion.

Wu Jian supposed he could understand where she was coming from. This man had, after all, picked a fight with the entire Ice Phoenix Sect, then went toe to toe with Hua Xue, who was forced to release the seal on her powers. Their battle had nearly destroyed the mountain they were on. Come to think of it…

“If it wasn’t for this damn dragon picking that fight, we would have gotten here much sooner,” Wu Jian glared at the man. “You realize it’s your fault we were so late, right?”

“Haaaaah? You’re blaming me? Brat, the only ones at fault are those hot babes who picked a fight with me.”

“That’s because you tried to molest one of their members.”

“It’s the right of the strong to take what they want. She should have been honored to receive my dragon.”

“And you wonder why no one likes you.”

“Urk…”

While Wu Jian was going through his back and forth with Loong Chen, and Yōuměi and Zhou Lihua watched from the sidelines, Hou Jingshu stirred on his lap. The woman released a yawn as she opened her eyes. Wu Jian noticed before anyone else, and he looked down as he caressed her face.

“I’m sorry. It seems this obnoxious dragon and his loud ravings woke you up.”

“How is this my fault?!” shouted Loong Chen.

“What’s going on exactly?” asked Hou Jingshu.

“I’ve come to take you away! Now let’s go!” said the obnoxious dragon.

“You shut up,” Wu Jian snapped. He looked back at Hou Jingshu as said obnoxious dragon ranted at him and did his best to explain the situation. Hou Jingshu listened with half-lidded eyes at first, but she quickly woke up once he had finished.

“I see. So this man, uh, Lord Loong Chen…”

“Heh heh. See that, brat? This girl knows how to show proper respect.”

“Don’t call this man by any title. You’ll just overinflate his already overinflated ego.”

“Do you want me to beat you again?! Because I can!”

Hou Jingshu ignored their bickering and continued. “Lord Loong Chen wants to take me away. I get that much, but you haven’t explained why.”

“Training,” Loong Chen said, expression suddenly serious to the point even Wu Jian was startled.

“Training?” Hou Jingshu raised an eyebrow. “Can you elaborate, please?”

Loong Chen crossed his arms. “You’re a descendant of Lord Seiryuu, and unlike your father, I can sense his blood flowing through your veins. We dragons have long served Lord Seiryuu. Now that I have found a descendant who can properly inherent his legacy, I plan to train you until you’re strong enough to complete the Trial of the Azure Dragon God and inheret the true Nine Heavenly Dragons Embodiment cultivation method.”

“Are you saying the cultivation method I have right now is incomplete?” asked Hou Jingshu.

“That’s right.”

“... Will you explain?”

Loong Chen sighed. “If I must.”

Wu Jian ended up sitting beside Zhou Lihua and Yōuměi as Hou Jingshu spoke with Loong Chen. He did not appreciate being sidelined like this, but he knew this conversation was important for Hou Jingshu’s future. That was the only reason he could grin and bear it like this.

“The cultivation method you have right now is incomplete. It was only ever intended on finding a successor who could inherent Lord Seiryuu’s legacy. Someone capable of cultivating this method would be able to learn the true Nine Heavenly Dragons Embodiment cultivation method, and it is my task to make sure that person is strong enough to take the Trial of the Azure Dragon God,” explained Loong Chen.

“I see. Well, I’m definitely interested in inheriting Seiryuu’s legacy.”

“Then--”

“However--” Hou Jingshu held up a hand. “--I can’t go with you just yet. My country has just finished a war, and my father isn’t yet strong enough to begin ruling again. I need to remain here until he recovers, at least. Can you wait until then?”

“Ugh… mrrr… fine, but only until he recovers! After that, you’re coming with me! You got that!” Long Chen pointed at her. Wu Jian wanted to take that finger and snap it.

“It seems we have a deal,” Hou Jingshu said with a smile.

***

Loong Chen was satisfied with Hou Jingshu’s response and left. Well, maybe satisfied wasn’t the right word. He grumbled and complained as he left, after all, but he seemed to realize Hou Jingshu would not budge on this. That did make Wu Jian wonder why he was being so accommodating, though. Loong Chen was an overbearing and arrogant man who listened to no one, yet he was willing to compromise with Hou Jingshu. Was it because she was Seiryuu’s descendant?

Even though she hadn’t gotten nearly enough sleep, Hou Jingshu had gotten back to work, and Wu Jian was left with nothing to do but cultivate. This battle may have been an easy victory, but he recognized that it wasn’t because of his strength. Hou Jingshu had weakened Li Liang to the point where the man couldn’t defend against Wu Jian’s space techniques. The battle would have been much harder if she hadn’t fought him first.

She took the lion’s share of the burden this time.

That was why he needed to be stronger.

I am one with the universe.

Everything exists within the universe.

If everything exists within the universe, then I exist within everything.

For I am one with the universe.

And the universe is me.

All things within the universe exist within their own space.

Space is boundless, which means I am boundless.

There was a new verse in his cultivation method’s mantra that he had learned. He was beginning to pick up a greater understanding of his cultivation method. Wu Jian had originally assumed these mantras were something he learned after ascending to another realm, but that wasn’t quite right. He didn’t learn a mantra because he ascended a realm, he learned it because his understanding into the Dao of Space had increased. His understanding just so happened to increase in proportion to his strength.

Zhou Lihua had gone back to the Zhou Clan’s manor. He wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t worried about her going back. Ever since those two women ambushed them in the Zhou Kingdom, he had been wondering about the Zhou Clan. He no longer knew if he could trust them. But they were Zhou Lihua’s family, and so he couldn’t actually tell her not to go, and it wasn’t like he had evidence they were doing anything wrong. It was just a gut feeling.

Yōuměi had gone to sleep in his shadow, saying something about how she missed spending time in there. He didn’t understand. Was his shadow really that comfortable? He put the thought out of his mind. It wasn’t a big deal. The most important thing for him right now was increasing his understanding into the Dao of Space and growing stronger as a cultivator.

Hours passed in solitude. Wu Jian breathed in chi through his mouth, let it flow through his meridians and into his dantian, then breathed out the pollutants. It emerged from his mouth like black vapor. He was completely aware of the space around him. This room, the house, and the surrounding grounds. He could count every blade of grass within the immediate vicinity, sense the gardeners walking around as they sought to repair the damaged plants, and even detect Hou Jingshu as she walked toward the house.

He decided to end his cultivation there.

He stood up, left his room, and opened the door just before Hou Jingshu reached it.

“Welcome home,” he greeted.

“Thanks, it’s good to be back,” Hou Jingshu said with an exhausted smile.

They entered the building and had a servant prepare them dinner. The meal was water buffalo with mi xian, which were noodles made from rice and water. The water buffalo was chopped into slivers and fried in a pan with plenty of oil, sacchuan chillis, and various vegetables like spring onions and bamboo shoots. It was a spicy dish meant to pep up people who were exhausted. Served as a side were meat buns, rice, soup, and tea.

“How is your father?” asked Wu Jian.

“Better.” Hou Jingshu paused, then smiled. “He still can’t walk yet, but he’s staying awake more than usual. He said he would like to meet you.”

“I’ll visit him tomorrow,” said Wu Jian.

“Thank you.” She paused again, but this time, it was to study him. “Have you… gotten a little stronger?”

Wu Jian grinned. “I see you noticed.”

“It is hard not to. I can no longer feel your cultivation. You’ve reached the Fifth Subrealm of the Human Limit Realm. That’s really impressive.”

“Thank you. I think my cultivation will probably slow down now. I’ve been riding on momentum to reach this point, but I can feel that tapering off.”

“It’s still impressive.”

Wu Jian’s leap in cultivation stemmed from battling foes much stronger than himself. First it was those two women, then it was Loong Chen, and then he fought Li Liang. Sure, that man had already been at half-strength, but he had still been strong. Combat against a stronger opponent was a surefire if reckless way for a cultivator to increase their strength. Not many people did it because of the risks involved. There was a high possibility cultivators using this method would gain a sequeala that prevented them from going further.

Hou Jingshu was the only person he knew who could safely use combat to increase her cultivation.

Dinner soon finished, and Wu Jian and Hou Jingshu found themselves relaxing together. The sun dyed the sky in reds, blues, and oranges, the colors mixing together in lighter and darker hues. Hou Jingshu’s warmth as she rested her head on his shoulder was quite welcome.

“There’s so much happening in this world right now. Moments like this are rare.”

“They are. The chaos happening across the continent has sent shockwaves through every nation.”

“I heard the Ming Province and Zhou Kingdom attacked because the Heavenly Sword Sect was preoccupied with other matters.”

“Yes.”

“Speaking of the Heavenly Sword Sect, one of their members wanted me to give something to you.”

“What?”

Hou Jingshu held out her hand, summoning an item from her storage ring. Wu Jian’s eyes widened when he saw the pendant resting upon her palm. It looked very similar to the one he wore now, except it was far more intricate and made from much higher quality materials. There also weren’t any cracks. He took out his own pendant, which was on the verge of breaking.

“You said, this came from someone in the Heavenly Sword Sect?”

“Yes. Zhe Fēnglì said someone called the Jade Goddess of the Sword asked him to give this to me. However, I believe it was actually meant for you.”

She handed him the pendant. He studied it for several moments longer before removing the one he currently had on and replacing it with this new one. While Wu Jian could not feel the difference, he did sense that something was different about this pendant as it rested against his chest.

“So, Wu Meiying is in the Heavenly Sword Sect,” he murmured.

“I believe so,” said Hou Jingshu.

Wu Jian had wondered for a long time about Wu Meiying’s whereabouts. Hearing that she was in the Heavenly Sword Sect made him feel relief. At the same time, hearing about her made him feel conflicted. He’d thought long and hard about what happened back then. The people who wiped out his clan had been after Wu Meiying, which meant his clan would have never been attacked if she hadn’t been there. That knowledge gave him mixed feelings.

He looked at the sky once more and wondered what he would do when he saw her again.