by Dragon King
“Uncle, Auntie, what is going on?” Hao Ren asked in confusion.
Zhao Hongyu looked at Hao Ren and then at Xie Yujia and the others behind them. She calmed down slightly and said, “Our East Ocean Dragon Palace lent the Dragon God Shrine something a long time ago. The leasing period was 200 years, and the time is almost up. However, the Dragon God Shrine doesn’t seem to want to return it to us.”
“What is it?” Zhao Yanzi blinked.
“You don’t have to worry about that.” Zhao Hongyu didn’t answer her question.
Zhao Yanzi didn’t push further since she noticed Zhao Hongyu’s bad mood. She turned to the hunch-backed Premier Xia and pouted, urging him to answer her.
Premier Xia took two steps back and shook his head when he noticed Zhao Yanzi’s look. He was the Premier of the East Ocean Dragon Palace, so he certainly knew what Zhao Hongyu and Zhao Guang were talking about. However, he didn’t dare to tell her that since Zhao Hongyu didn’t say anything.
Zhao Yanzi then turned to Zhen Congming since she thought he would know about it as well. However, Zhen Congming whistled as he looked around, ignoring Zhao Yanzi completely.
Zhen Congming was closer to Xie Yujia than Zhao Yanzi, so he didn’t tell her anything. This made Zhao Yanzi even madder, and she glared at Hao Ren.
“Is it very important? Do we have to get it back? Or is it vital to the Dragon God Shrine?” Hao Ren hesitated for a bit before he asked.
Hao Ren knew that Zhao Guang had his own reasons for coming to the Dragon God Shrine, and it seemed like Hao Ren’s intuition was correct.
“This thing is very important to the Dragon God Shrine, but it is more important to the East Ocean Dragon Palace. Due to the lack of this item, the East Ocean Dragon Palace got slowly surpassed by the West Ocean Dragon Palace in the last 200 years,” Zhao Guang said.
“The leasing period is almost up. If we don’t get it back in time, it will be difficult to get it back in the future, right?” Hao Ren asked after some consideration.
It was just like lend-out money. If one couldn’t get it back within the agreed upon time, it would become bad debt.
“Um!” Zhao Guang nodded seriously.
“If the Dragon God Shrine is unreasonable, our East Ocean Dragon Palace could fight them in a battle!” Zhao Hongyu said abruptly.
Lu Qing and Sun Yun, who stood beside Zhao Guang, kept silent.
Zhao Guang slighted sighed, “Three of the six Vice Shrine Masters have reached peak Qian-level.”
Zhao Hongyu looked at Zhao Guang in surprise, and she didn’t know what to say.
The Dragon God Shrine had been developing rapidly over the past 200 years, and it had far surpassed the East Ocean Dragon Palace’s expectations! It had exceeded all four ocean dragon palaces and had become the strongest dragon force!
The East Ocean Dragon Palace lent that item to the Dragon God Shrine to assist them in defending the human cultivation sects. Now, it seemed like the East Ocean Dragon Palace wouldn’t be able to get it back if the Dragon God Shrine didn’t want to return it!Zongzi is a traditional Chinese rice dish made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves.
410 Won’t Go Easy On You!
“Since Zhao Kuo is in the Dragon God Shrine as well, why don’t you discuss it with him before the afternoon competitions start?” Zhao Hongyu said.
“Looks like that’s the only thing we can do. We have half a year left…” Zhao Guang shook his head slightly.
If Zhao Kuo had reached the Heavenly Dragon Realm, the Dragon God Shrine could keep this item for another half a year at most. However, since the East Ocean Dragon Palace’s strength was way weaker than the Dragon God Shrine’s, they would keep playing dumb.
The item was essential to both the Dragon God Shrine and the East Ocean Dragon Palace. The fact was, the item belonged to the East Ocean Dragon Palace. However, in the last 200 years, it was used by the Dragon God Shrine.
Hao Ren knew even clearer that the old dragon king, Zhao Haoran, had passed away! It meant that the very person who lent out the item Zhao Guang was talking about 200 years ago was no longer here. It would be even more difficult for the East Ocean Dragon Palace to get it back!
“What on earth is this item? The item that tremendously reduced the East Ocean Dragon Palace’s strength in the last 200 years…” Zhao Yanzi was extremely curious, and Hao Ren wanted to learn more about it as well.
However, Zhao Guang and Zhao Hongyu had been obscure about this topic, so Hao Ren couldn’t push the answer out of them. There were many people from all over the place around them. Even if Zhao Hongyu were to tell them, she would wait until they got back to the East Ocean Dragon Palace.
“You can prepare for your afternoon battles.” Zhao Guang led them out of the battle area as he calmed down again.
Compared to other participants’ elder support teams, Hao Ren’s support team appeared youthful and lively. The average age was young, and there were quite a few beautiful girls.
Also, Hao Ren’s assisting inspector silver dragon embroidery on the brown robe made him look very special as well.
“They are from the East Ocean Dragon Palace.”
“The four ocean dragon clans never attend the Dragon God Shrine’s general exams, no?”
“I heard that the participant is the Fuma.”
“No wonder… so he is not really from East Ocean.”
“The princess is still young, and they aren’t married yet…”
“Ren Yin 246! He still has his identity token. So, he is from the Ren Yin group.”
“Gen-level… He is only at Gen-level…… Did the Dragon God Shrine do this on purpose? I heard that the Ren Yin group is the weakest group this time.”
Hao Ren and everyone around him could hear all sorts of discussions as they walked by.
The cultivators in the Ren Yin group indeed seemed to be weaker than what Hao Ren had expected. Rather than crediting this to the Dragon God Shrine, he thought that it was all a part of Qin Shaoyang’s plan!
He assigned the high-level cultivators into other groups, so Hao Ren could rank top in his group. This way, Hao Ren would be facing real masters in the grand arena, and tens of thousands of cultivators would be witnessing his loss!
Qin Shaoyang wanted to expose Hao Ren’s tragic loss in front of everybody!
Hao Ren and his group went back to his Ren Yin 246 room to pick up his belongings.
This was Zhao Yanzi’s first time at the Dragon God Shrine, so she found the rooms where the participants completed their written exams fascinating.
Since the written exam was done, all the energy sphere over the rooms were removed. The cultivators who didn’t want to go outside could take rest in the rooms.
The entire row beside Ren Yin 246 was empty. The crowd entered the rooms randomly, had snacks, and took a break.
Everything seemed to be peaceful, but there was a tornado in disguise. Neither Zhao Hongyu nor Zhao Guang seemed to be as relaxed as before.
Zhao Yanzi ran into Premier Xia’s room to ask about that item, but she went back to her own room with a pout after getting no information.
Xie Yujia and the Lu sisters were sharing the zongzi outside the rooms harmoniously.
Essence Replenishment Pill… Hao Ren poured an elixir pill out of the small bottle and swallowed it.
Nature essence traveled throughout his body instantly.
The Five Maintains Bracelets prevented the nature essence from being used in a large degree, but Hao Ren still consumed quite a large amount of nature essence after four hours of battling.
The battles in the afternoon would be more intense and fierce, and it would consume a lot more nature essence without a doubt. Xie Yujia’s bottle of Essence Replenishment Pills was undoubtedly a timely help.
Hao Ren took an empty bottle out of his bag and put 30 Essence Replenishment Pills into it. Then, he threw the new bottle into his necklace.
The sword energies of the Light Splitting
Sword Shadow Scroll dashed around rapidly in Hao Ren’s body. Two hours were more than enough for Hao Ren to fully recover.
Dang…dang…dang… The Dragon God Shrine’s bell rang.
It was one in the afternoon!
Hao Ren slowly pulled back his nature essence and walked out of his room.
Elder Lu and the rest of them came out of their rooms as well, and they headed toward the inner city.
The cultivators came in great numbers and soon filled up the area.
In the past two hours, the news about the East Ocean Dragon Palace’s Fuma attending the Dragon God Shrine’s general exams got passed around, and the audience all came to see how powerful this Fuma was.
Therefore, there were way more people in the east exam area than the other three exam areas. The regions around the arenas were congested!
“It’s one in the afternoon. Let’s welcome the winners!” a level 3 inspector shout after gathering all his nature essence. He stood on the grand arena which was surrounded by 24 smaller arenas.
The identity token at Hao Ren’s waist suddenly shone with bright yellow light.
In the meantime, 23 yellow lights shone in the crowd.
“Good luck!” Zhao Hongyu looked at Hao Ren in encouragement.
She hoped that Hao Ren could have a great fight, but she didn’t count on him getting ranked in the top three. In her opinion, he already gave his all in the Jing Zhe Arena. He used the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll with his fists, surprising his opponents. He could at most play outside of the box once with his actual sword array formation, and his opponents would know his trump cards.
“Eh!” Hao Ren hopped to the center of the grand arena before everyone else.
Then, the other 23 cultivators landed in the arena from different directions.
Hao Ren’s eyes opened wide when he saw Zhao Kuo among the 23 cultivators!
Zhao Kuo’s face was dark, and he had a long beard on his chin, as burly as before. His firm muscles filled his brown robe up, and it seemed like he could rip the robe apart just by flexing his muscles.
Jia Yin, Yi Yin, Bing Yin, Ding Yin… Jia Mao, Yi Mao, Bing Mao, Ding Mao… 24 cultivators exactly! They lined up in two rows according to code ‘Yin’ and ‘Mao’. Wang Xi, with the identity token which said ‘Ren Mao 197’, stood opposite to Hao Ren.
Wang Xi looked at Hao Ren in disdain. He was surprised that Hao Ren could get out of the Ren Yin group, but the gossips made him believe that the Dragon God Shrine favored the East Ocean Dragon Palace on purpose!
Zhao Kuo stood diagonally across from Hao Ren, and there were a few cultivators between them.
Hao Ren took the opportunity to observe Zhao Kuo. He realized that Zhao Kuo was only at Dui-level! He ranked top in the Yi Mao group simply with the help of his iron fists! He didn’t use the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll either!
Zhao Kuo rolled his eyes hard at Hao Ren when he noticed Hao Ren’s stare, forcing him to look away immediately.
“Third Uncle is still so short-tempered after cultivating again,” Hao Ren thought to himself.
Hao Ren looked at the other 23 cultivators on the stage as they observed their opponents as well.
Thirteen Dui-level cultivators, eight Xun-level cultivators, and two Kun-level cultivators! Hao Ren appeared to be the weakest as he was only at Gen-level!
Two Kun-level cultivators! Hao Ren remembered that Su Han was also at Kun-level when she attended the Dragon God Shrine’s general exam!
This was only the east exam area. There might be other Kun-level and Qian-level cultivators in the other three exam areas!
The Dragon God Shrine’s general exams really attracted a lot of undiscovered talent!
Amongst the 24 cultivators, there were four assisting inspectors including Hao Ren. Two of them were at Xun-level, and one was at Dui-level. Hao Ren was also the weakest!
Hao Ren found another acquaintance amongst the 12 Dui-level cultivators - Lu Qi!
The ‘Go Genius’ Lu Qi’s pale face was covered with scratches, and the identity token on his waist said ‘Jia Mao 166’.
Who knew how heartbroken his fangirls would be if they saw him like this.
Lu Qi was not only the new star in the Go circle but also a fire-elemental dragon cultivator. He couldn’t snatch the assisting inspector position from Hao Ren, so he decided to attend the Dragon God Shrine’s general exam as well!
“Yin and Mao, pick your opponents!” The inspector said between the two rows.
Hao Ren was slightly surprised at this remark since he thought that his opponent was Wang Xi, and he was already planning on how to defeat Wang Xi secretly. That might not be the case now.
“Jia Mao!” the inspector shouted.
Lu Qi, who was covered with wounds, took half a step forward and said immediately, “Ren Yin!”
Hao Ren was the weakest among all the cultivators. Lu Qi sure wanted to win a few more battles after ranking top in the Jia Mao group. Therefore, he picked Hao Ren without even thinking.
Hao Ren nodded at Lu Qi, accepting his challenge.
He appeared to be very calm, but he was actually worried…“Su Han, Su Han…Why aren’t you here yet!” he thought.
He could try his best to defeat Dui-level and Xun-level cultivators, but Kun-level cultivators were different stories!
If he encountered a Kun-level cultivator while wearing the Five Maintains Bracelets, he would be smashed before he could do anything.
It was a relief for him when Lu Qi picked him.
“Jia Yin!” the inspector continued.
The cultivator with the Jia Yin identity token picked a Dui-level cultivator as his opponent.
The inspector called out the names one by one. The Kun-level cultivator from Ding Yin group picked Zhao Kuo to fight against.
Zhao Kuo snorted coldly in response.
When it was Wang Xi’s turn, he picked a Dui-level cultivator from the Geng Yin group. However, he still glimpsed at Hao Ren as he made this choice; it seemed like he believed that he could get into the next round, but it was a pity for him not to be able to defeat Hao Ren in front of everybody.
Soon enough, all 24 cultivators were paired up. Twelve pairs of cultivators were led into 12 small arenas to battle at the same time. The six winners would be battling in the grand arena in the middle in the next round.
As the 24 cultivators walked to the edge of the arenas, Hao Ren quickened his steps after Zhao Kuo and shouted, “Third Uncle!”
Zhao Kuo turned around and stared at Hao Ren with his round eyes. He asked in a deep voice, “What? Do you want to beg for mercy? Don’t expect mercy from me even though you have passed the initial selection round!”
“Um…” Hao Ren searched through his necklace and took out a small bottle. “This is for you.”
“What the hell is this?” Zhao Kuo opened the bottle as he shouted. Then, he sensed a strong nature essence coming out of it!
Many level 4 Essence Replenishment Pills filled up half the bottle! They were all top-tier supplements!
“It would be my pleasure to battle with Third Uncle!” Hao Ren smiled before he hopped down the arena.
411 Watch Uncle or Third Uncle?
“Third Uncle! Third Uncle!”
Zhao Yanzi shouted in excitement when she saw Zhao Kuo.
However, Zhao Kuo hopped into the Li Xia Arena without hesitating.
Zhao Yanzi was confused as she watched Zhao Kuo dash through the air, wondering why her third uncle didn’t respond to her.
She had no idea that Zhao Kuo’s opponent was a Kun-level cultivator, so he had to give his full effort. He didn’t have time to greet them at all!
Hao Ren was assigned to battle in the Qiu Fen Arena, which was the one Lu Qi just battled in.
“Yujia, I gave half of your Essence Replenishment Pills to Zi’s third uncle,” Hao Ren said after he walked over to Zhao Hongyu and everyone else.
Xie Yujia was a little surprised. She didn’t mind it, but she didn’t underst
and why Hao Ren gave them to Zhao Kuo.
Zhao Kuo seemed to be very blunt. In the process of chasing after the goal as ‘the strongest’, he didn’t even go to see his relatives. In other words, if Hao Ren were in Zhao Kuo’s way of leveling up, he would show no mercy toward Hao Ren. It seemed a little weird for Hao Ren to offer the Essence Replenishment Pills to him.
“Oye, Hao Ren’s heart is sometimes too big to predict,” she thought.
Xie Yujia smiled lightly at this thought, “It’s ok. You have enough left anyways.”
“I’ll keep you company while cultivating when we get back to Fifth Heaven.” Hao Ren smiled back at Xie Yujia. Then, he suddenly hopped into the air and headed toward Qiu Fen Arena.
There was an array formation over the Dragon God Shrine’s platform. All the cultivators below Kun-level weren’t able to fly unless they had a high-level dharma treasure like Zhao Hongyu’s River-Mountain Qian-Kun Painting or the Dragon God Shrine’s identity token.
When Hao Ren entered the Qiu Fen Arena, Lu Qi was already ready for the battle.
Zhao Yanzi stood beside the grand arena. She looked to her left and then to her right, hesitating on whose battle to watch.
“Zi, me and your dad are going to see your third uncle’s battle,” Zhao Hongyu said to her and then headed toward Li Xia Arena. Elder Lu, Elder Sun, and Premier Xia followed them.
Zhao Yanzi stood where she was; she was more indecisive than before.
At this moment, Xie Yujia, Lu Linlin, Lu Lili, and Zhen Congming headed towards Hao Ren’s Qiu Fen Arena without any hesitation.
Since Zhao Kuo and Hao Ren would be battling at the same time, they split up into two groups. Zhao Yanzi looked at Zhao Hongyu and the others who had already stepped further from her to the left. Then, she looked at Xie Yujia and the others who slowly walked away to the right. She stomped her feet and ran after Xie Yujia and the others.
“Humph, Third Uncle is bad because he ignored me!” Zhao Yanzi complained as she ran away.
Xie Yujia was surprised when she turned back and saw Zhao Yanzi following them. She thought she was going to watch her third uncle’s battle.