Chapter 299: Chapter 286: Qualifications for Dragon Transformation
The reason a trump card is a trump card is because, before it is used, outsiders can’t guess what it is.
The things Zhouyang left for Zhou Guangxiang, aside from the two of them, were unknown even to Zhou Guangxiang and Zhou Xuanhao.
This was not due to distrust of these two, but for confidentiality purposes.
Especially those two Puppet Flying Eagles, which were once possessions of Xiao Bufan, a Purple Mansion Cultivator of the Yellow Sand Sect. Zhouyang had landed in danger because of these items.
When he handed them over to Zhou Guangxiang, he clearly instructed that unless absolutely necessary, he mustn’t use this trump card.
One must know, Xiao Bufan was a disciple of Cao Wenjin, junior of Jiang Yuyan, and senior of Zhang Yunpeng.
If these things were exposed, emotionally and logically, they would be reclaimed by the Yellow Sand Sect on behalf of Jiang Yuyan and his spouse, directly exposing how Zhouyang obtained the Blood Nether Storage Ring.
To this day, Zhouyang no longer fears what Jiang Yuyan and his spouse could do after knowing this matter.
But if this matter is exposed, unless he returns all of Xiao Bufan’s relics, he will owe the Yellow Sand Sect a favor, something he doesn’t wish to see.
Afterward, Zhouyang did not continue his cultivation at Red Tiger Mountain; instead, he went to Purple Cloud Cave at Red Fox Ridge to accompany his father, Zhou Xuanhao.
Just as he told Zhou Guangxiang, this journey to Liuyun Continent’s Cultivation Realm won’t be short.
In recent years, he has been busy with cultivation and rarely meets his father, Zhou Xuanhao.
Now, about to embark on a long journey, he certainly needs to spend more time accompanying his not-so-young father.
Zhou Xuanhao, now the oldest cultivator of the Zhou Family in terms of age and rank, is already 191 years old. Calculating based on the 240-year lifespan limit of a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, he only has about one-fifth of his lifespan remaining.
Zhouyang is eager to go out and travel partly because he wants to return to the clan before his father, Zhou Xuanhao, exhausts his lifespan and passes away.
"Yang’Er, I’m very happy that you can spare time to accompany this old man."
"Being able to live until now, I’m already very satisfied. Seeing you successfully establish the Purple Mansion, watching the Zhou Family become the top clan in the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm, my life is luckier and more fulfilled than all my peers and ancestors of the Zhou Family."
"You want to travel through the Liuyun Continent’s Cultivation Realm; I fully support it."
"Our Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm, in the grand scheme of the cultivation world, is just a small pond. It’s too shallow to nurture Flood Dragons, and you are the Flood Dragon in this pond!"
"This Flood Dragon must leap out of this shallow pond, enter the vast rivers and lakes, and into the seas, where he can become a dragon, form a Golden Core, transform into a Nascent Soul, and truly become a prominent figure in the cultivation world."
"By then, whether it’s our Zhou Family or this Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm, both will be known throughout the world because of you; they will be proud because of you!"
"Go, go pursue the true Dao! You’ve already done much for the Zhou Family; don’t let the clan delay your own path, don’t let heaven’s bestowed talents and opportunities be wasted!"
On Jade Spring Peak, Zhou Xuanhao and Zhouyang worshiped Mrs. Zhou Lin Yuting, buried in the mountain cemetery, then in front of the wife’s and mother’s grave, under the bright moon, they opened their hearts and spoke of their sentiments.
From Zhou Xuanhao’s words, it’s not hard to discern his full approval and support for Zhouyang’s journey leaving the clan to Liuyun Continent’s Cultivation Realm, with no intent to keep Zhouyang in the family to accompany him.
He is indeed the elder of the Zhou Family, but above all, he is a father, a father with a heart hoping for his son to become a dragon.
Now his son possesses the potential for dragon transformation.
As a father, how could he let his own and the family’s reasons hinder his son’s grand path, hinder his son’s dragon transformation journey!
Moreover, as he says, Zhouyang has already done many things for the Zhou Family, achieving what no elder or ancestor of the Zhou Family could, fully repaying the Zhou Family’s nurturing and creation grace.
Now Zhouyang wishes to leave the Zhou Family for a time to focus on his own path, and no one can utter any idle criticism because of this.
And hearing his father Zhou Xuanhao say this, Zhouyang was deeply moved, his eyes slightly moist, gazing emotionally at his father, whose hair was gradually graying, and saying:
"Father, hearing you say this, your child is deeply touched and grateful."
"No one understands a child better than a parent. Father, you know your child well; born, raised, and taught by the Zhou Family, in terms of feelings for the clan, your child is absolutely second to none."
"As you say, though, the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm is too small, too barren, and cannot provide the resources your child needs for growth, also limiting our Zhou Family’s development ceiling."
"Your child wants to form a Core and transform into a Nascent Soul, only in a vast place like Liuyun Continent’s Cultivation Realm, rich in resources, can there be a chance to succeed!"
"Only by leaving the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm, leaving this confined small world, can the Zhou Family truly become a thousand-year clan, a ten-thousand-year noble family, and a true major family in the cultivation world!"
"Father, rest assured. No matter where I am in the future, no matter how high my cultivation becomes, I will never forget my roots, and I will never abandon the Zhou Family!"
A determined voice floated on the night wind, yet was restrained by an invisible force to only spread around the Zhou Family burial ground, unheard by any living soul other than the father and son.
Those who could hear Zhouyang’s words, besides Zhou Xuanhao, were only the ancestor members of the Zhou Family buried in the graveyard, if they could truly hear.
Moved by Zhouyang’s words, Zhou Xuanhao stood up emotionally, grasped his wrist, and turned to look at the rows of tombstones in the burial ground, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"Did you hear that? Yu Ting, did you hear? Old Clan Leader, did you hear? All of Zhou Family’s forefathers and ancestors, did you hear?"
"This is our son, this is the grandson you love most, this is the promise made by the most outstanding descendant of the Zhou Family to all of you!"
"If you have spirits in the heavens, bless him to be safe outside, to overcome misfortunes and turn them into blessings, and let his path be smooth, worry-free throughout his life!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
In the silent graveyard, only the sound of the night wind was swirling.
The wind tonight was indeed tumultuous.
After a long conversation under the moon, Zhouyang and Zhou Xuanhao gained a deeper understanding of each other, bringing them closer than they had ever been before.
Zhouyang originally planned to accompany his father until the day of departure arrived, but after this moonlit conversation, he realized he didn’t need to continue such a childish stance.
Since his father Zhou Xuanhao understood and supported his thoughts and actions, he would not feel any resentment due to Zhouyang’s absence.
Besides, both of them were accomplished cultivators, accustomed to solitude and living alone. Living together for a long time would rather make them both uncomfortable.
Thus, after the moonlit conversation, Zhouyang only stayed with his father Zhou Xuanhao for a few more days before directly returning to the Red Tiger Mountain Oasis.
"Oh, you really found such a prodigy?"
In "Qianyang Cave", Zhouyang looked at Luo Qiang, who had served as the Foreign Affairs Elder of the Zhou Family for only a few years, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Luo Qiang was the second Foreign Affairs Elder of the Zhou Family, succeeding Tan Qiu.
This person was originally from a non-clan mortal family on Yuquan Lake Oasis, and after being detected with a middle-grade spiritual root as a child, he was brought into the Zhou Family for cultivation by its cultivators. Later, he fell in love with a Zhou Family female cultivator from the same generation, married her, and became her Dao Companion.
Therefore, despite his status as an outsider clan-wise, Luo Qiang was, in essence, identical to the Zhou Clan members, apart from not having Zhou Family blood. He even regarded himself as one of the Zhou Family cultivators, and no Zhou Clan member rejected him due to his last name being Luo instead of Zhou.
Due to this special identity, Tan Qiu, the first generation Foreign Affairs Elder of the Zhou Family, specially recommended him to Zhouyang before passing away, to take over his position.
After evaluating Luo Qiang, Zhouyang was satisfied with his abilities and loyalty, thus agreed to let him try out the position of Foreign Affairs Elder.
Having inherited Tan Qiu’s duties, Luo Qiang naturally continued Tan Qiu’s task of recruiting outstanding talents for the Zhou Family. Over the years, aside from fulfilling his regular duties, he devoted most of his remaining time to this task.
And after years of search and interaction, he actually found a genius cultivator with exceptional talent in artifact refining.
According to Luo Qiang, this genius cultivator he found also possessed fire and gold attribute middle-grade spiritual roots and was only twenty-one years old.
This twenty-one-year-old girl, with third-layer Qi cultivation, had refined a tier two middle-grade spiritual artifact.
That wasn’t the main point.
The key point was that the cultivator who taught this twenty-one-year-old girl the skill of artifact refining—her grandfather—was only a tier two lower-grade refiner himself, and the refining skill inheritance he owned was merely the common variety available at marketplace shops.
Both Zhouyang and Luo Qiang knew what kind of quality marketplace shop refining skill inheritances were.
Following those could waste countless materials. Even if one relied on them to learn artifact refining, at most they could become a tier two top-grade refiner, and still only know how to refine a few fixed types of magical artifacts.
So, if Luo Qiang wasn’t lying, the talented girl he found, possessing a genius-level aptitude in refining, really deserved a visit from Zhouyang.
Facing Zhouyang’s doubts, Luo Qiang solemnly clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "Clan Leader, please discern. Every word I said is true. If there is even a hint of falsehood, I am willing to accept the punishment of being flayed alive!"
Seeing him speak so resolutely, the Zhou Family couldn’t argue further, merely nodded and said, "Alright, if that’s the case, first take her to the marketplace to meet Guangxiang, then have Guangxiang send me a flying sword communication about it. I will personally make a visit to assess her in the marketplace."
After saying this, he paused again, looked deeply at Luo Qiang, and said, "If she is truly as outstanding as you say and can pass my test, what I promised Elder Tan before will certainly hold true!"