A month passed like flowing mist beneath moonlight.
Within the sacred heart of the forest, in a crystalline cavern beside the Earth Dew Pond, Long Tian sat cross-legged on a floating stone platform. The Qi in the air thrummed like lightning—dense, pure, and crackling with life.
Azure thunder arcs curled around his scales, illuminating the lines of his growing form. At his side, a glowing jade embedded with ancient draconic runes pulsed rhythmically—his Ancestral Dragon Jade, inherited from the father he had yet to meet again.
His bones groaned. His meridians throbbed.
Yet his eyes remained steady.
> "True Immortal Azure Thunder Dragon Body – First Step… completed."
The moment he muttered the final phrase, his body surged. Lightning veined across his limbs, fusing with his blood, reinforcing his muscles, bones, and skin. His defenses had ascended beyond the realm of ordinary Qi Condensation. Within his stage, he was nigh-invincible.
> "Next."
He turned inward again, rotating his core.
A vast sea of Qi condensed and flowed in rhythm with the True Dragon Qi Cultivation Technique. Dragon Spirit Qi flowed like a roaring river. Under the 300% cultivation boost of his territory, and the convergence of the Earth Dew Pond and Qi Gathering Formation—
Boom—
Qi Condensation – Layer 4.
Boom—
Qi Condensation – Layer 5.
He exhaled sharply, steam pouring from his nostrils.
> "With this... my base is solid."
---
[Notification – Companions Advancing]
Even while immersed in his own growth, Long Tian remained attuned to his domain.
Yunxiao, the silver-furred fox, had advanced to Qi Condensation Layer 3, her control over illusion and wind stepping into dangerous precision.
Baoyun, the iron-furred golden bear, tempered his body to the peak of Body Tempering and was now approaching Qi Condensation. His aura grew denser, and his strikes—heavier.
The Ice Phoenix, refined and graceful, had honed her frost flames to the level of spirit frost, her control elegant and terrifying.
Long Tian had provided them with pills, Dragon Fruit, and sacred water. His generosity bore fruit.
But what surprised him most was not their growth…
It was what they held.
---
Late one night, as they gathered by the pond, Tian's eyes narrowed.
Hanging around Yunxiao's neck—hidden under fur—was a faintly glowing silver fox-shaped jade.
Baoyun carried a cracked amber medallion carved with bear runes. The Ice Phoenix's feathers hid a crystal feather-shaped pendant with faint divine runes.
Each pulsed… the same way his Ancestral Dragon Jade did.
> "Could it be…?"
He approached Yunxiao. "Where did you get that jade?"
She blinked. "I've always had it… it feels familiar. Like it's part of me."
Baoyun nodded. "Mine too. I don't know where it came from. It's always been there."
The Phoenix added, "When I touch mine during cultivation… it whispers something. Words I can't understand. But… they feel like ancestral techniques."
Long Tian fell silent.
> "Just like my jade… passed down from my father. Could it be—our parents… all left us here on purpose? In this forest, to survive, to awaken?"
> "But why?"
He didn't have the answers. Not yet.
But a resolve burned brighter in his chest.
> "If I keep growing, one day… I'll learn the truth. Not just about myself, but about all of us."
---
That night, he walked through his territory. The pond glowed softly. The trees—now sprouting from three planted Origin Grade Seeds—emitted a natural aura of creation, destruction, and balance.
Beasts moved with respect. Spirit Qi swirled naturally around his lair. Everything was thriving.
He found the Wolf Leader, now older, grizzled, and wiser.
"Anything unusual in the past month?"
The wolf bowed its head. "No, Lord. No intrusions. The forest has remained quiet."
Long Tian nodded. "Good."
> "The storm may come soon. But for now… I prepare."
He looked to the stars.
His claws clenched.
And the path forward—though unclear—was now his to carve.