At the bottom of the Ten-Thousand-Fathom Gorge,a brilliant golden light surged into the bronze cauldron.
"Roar!"
A childish dragon cry echoed once more—this time, not within Jiang Xuan's mind, but audibly, loud and clear,rising from within the cauldron itself.
Cry after cry, it grew stronger, sharper—from weak and shaky to resonant and thunderous,maturing at a pace visible to the naked eye.
Soon, the invisible sound waves began to take form—golden ripples spread outward in tangible waves,like a divine heartbeat pulsing through the gorge.Nothing could stop them—not the ferocious bronze beast statues,not the jagged canyon walls.
Yet strangely, the moment the ripples reached Jiang Xuan,they disappeared without a trace,as if… absorbed into his body.
Jiang Xuan remained unaware of this.His focus was entirely on the blood streaming from his palm,flowing down the ancient patterns of the cauldron like a crimson river,painting the deep bronze with a sinister red glow.
To him, it was as if an army of blood was slowly overtaking a divine stronghold—an eerie, majestic ritual.
It felt like forever.
Outside the canyon, tens of thousands of fierce beastshad already gathered along the cliffs,their bodies trembling, their eyes blazing with reverence.
Meanwhile, more than 300 Jiang clan elites—participants in the ancestral trial—had descended through the black fog,their gazes now fixed on Jiang Xuan at the center of it all.
They dared not act rashly.
The divine dragon phenomenon from earlier—very likely triggered by him—still lingered in their minds.If they interrupted him now and ruined the emergence of the True Dragon's legacy…no one could afford that cost.
So they waited.Quietly.Eagerly.
In Jiang Xuan's mind, however, time seemed to blur.
His consciousness had been pulled deep into the patterns on the bronze cauldron,where he heard something faint… something ancient…like a whisper from across time itself.
"Descendant of Jiang...I am Jiang Kong, second patriarch of the Jiang Clan.While journeying through the stars, I discovered this True Dragon egg.After countless calculations and divinations,I created this beast domain to nourish and tame it,so that it might one day become our clan's guardian beast."
"True Dragons are proud, wild, and unyielding.Even freshly hatched, they do not submit easily."
"To fully tame it, blood must stain this cauldron.Then you shall inherit the sealing art I left behind."
"But heed this warning:Only those with a bloodline purity of 90 or higher may withstand it.Any less, and the backlash will drain your blood and cost you your life!"
"Remember this. Remember it well!"
Jiang Xuan snapped back to reality,eyes filled with astonishment.
"Ninety bloodline purity, huh?"
That requirement…was literally tailor-made for him.
"Am I actually... getting lucky for once?"
Then he recalled the hellish crap he'd gone through recently—especially almost being soul-snatched by that scumbag Lei Ancestor.
His lips twitched.
Yeah, probably a trap.
Too late to back out now though.
He looked down at the bronze cauldron—his blood had already soaked the entire thing.
That ominous red glow had now solidified into strange blood-colored sigils,floating from the cauldron into his body,branding his very soul.
Suddenly, Jiang Xuan felt a strange connection.
It was hard to describe,but he could now faintly sense… the emotions of the creature inside.
"Papa... I wanna come out~~"
A soft, childish voice echoed in his mind.
Jiang Xuan blinked.
"Wait… I already tamed it?"
That... was fast.Almost too fast.
Definitely not his usual luck.
Then again, maybe it wasn't that he'd gotten lucky—maybe he was just strong enough now to deserve it.
He exhaled slowly, preparing to communicate with the baby dragon further.
But the little guy had other plans.
Too eager.
After being trapped for so long,the baby dragon was already slamming against its shell.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Without the cauldron's seals,even its tough exterior was nothing more than brittle pottery.
The bottom of the gorge fell silent.
All eyes locked onto the cauldron.
BOOM!
A thunderous blast—the bronze cauldron shattered into pieces!
A radiant golden dragon burst forth,its scales blazing like sunlight,its roar shaking the heavens.
A tide of divine might swept across the canyon,cleansing the mists,and silencing all.
The beasts kneeled.Thousands of them.
Their howls echoed like fanfare,welcoming their king's birth.
Inside the canyon, the human cultivators were left gaping.
"That's not a legacy…"
"That's a real True Dragon?!"
Their hearts burned.Their eyes turned red.
True Dragon legacy was one thing.
But this?
A real, flesh-and-blood, pure-blooded True Dragon?
If one could tame it…
That wasn't just a weapon.That was a god-tier ally.
One by one, the top talents moved.
Jiang Bei, sword drawn, leaped toward the dragon without hesitation.
"That dragon's mine!"
"Back off! You're not worthy!" roared Jiang Feng, intercepting him mid-air.
Their fight exploded in an instant.
They weren't alone.
Every cultivator in the canyon was now moving.
They unleashed their strongest spells,tearing through air and rock to reach the baby dragon.
Desire trumped all.
Greed.Ambition.Madness.
Only Jiang Xuan—previously the center of attention—was now utterly ignored.
Like a bystander in his own story.
Watching them all tear each other apart,Jiang Xuan's lips curled into a calm, cold smile.
"Now this... this is starting to get interesting."