"You damn kid, nothing good ever happens wherever you go." Huaa Que looked at Qin Ya before him and said irritably, "Ku Mountain was perfectly fine, but the mont you arrive, you stir up two Beast Kings. Can’t you cause a little less trouble for ?"
"Can you really bla for that?" Qin Ya said, exasperated.
"So you must be Teacher Qin Ya." At that mont, an Extraordinary Martial Artist walked over and spoke with a faint smile. He couldn’t help but marvel internally, ’So this is the Young National Hero, the Empire’s only Seventh-Grade Alchemist. He’s so young.’
"I am."
Facing an Extraordinary Martial Artist revered by the masses, Qin Ya was neither servile nor overbearing. With his current status, he could indeed stand on equal footing with an Extraordinary Martial Artist.
"Su Chang, what are you all doing here?"
One of the Extraordinary Martial Artists was an Elder from the Su Family, and upon seeing Su Chang, he couldn’t help but ask.
Su Chang gave a bitter smile and proceeded to recount the whole story.
"So that’s what happened. A Gathering of Prodigies, heh. How interesting."
"Hehe, quite lucky. To actually obtain a Ninth-Grade Marvel."
"What about the others?" Huaa Que asked.
"We were separated from them when the two Beast Kings were fighting, but with their abilities, I don’t think they’re in any danger," Xiao Yunchen said.
Just then, one of the Extraordinary Martial Artists said, "Mm, that’s right. We ran into a young man on our way here. From his appearance, he seed to be the Gong Family’s top prodigy, Gong Cang. He had so injuries, but nothing life-threatening."
Huaa Que laughed. "Haha, I also ran into that kid Feng Yu earlier. He was in a much worse state, even had a few broken bones."
Qin Ya and the others exchanged a look. It seed everyone was safe.
Although the two Beast Kings were powerful, they weren’t targeting the group. Besides, these prodigies were no pushovers. Even though they hadn’t fully matured yet, escaping the aftershocks of the battle shouldn’t have been too difficult for them.
After exchanging a few more words, the group dispersed.
Before leaving, they didn’t forget to take so trophies from the two Beast Kings: flesh and blood to strengthen a Martial Artist’s physique, bones for refining weapons, white serpent scales for crafting leather armor, and so on. Qin Ya also found so containers and collected two large vats of blood—it would be excellent for Alchemy.
.........
"Hey, kid, why have you co back?" Huaa Que asked, looking at Qin Ya in confusion. After everyone else had left, Qin Ya had led him to the area between where the two beasts had fought. He muttered, ’Don’t tell there’s more treasure here.’
Qin Ya happened to overhear Huaa Que’s muttering. He smiled faintly and said, "You actually guessed right. There really is treasure here."
"Oh? What treasure?" Huaa Que’s interest was instantly piqued.
"Found it," Qin Ya suddenly said, his face lighting up.
Huaa Que looked over and saw a clear pond amidst a pile of shattered rock and earth, but no matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t see anything special about it.
"The pond is the treasure?" Huaa Que asked, sowhat bewildered.
Qin Ya smiled faintly. "I was worried you all fought too fiercely and destroyed this place. It seems the heavens are looking out for after all."
"Heh, the pond isn’t the treasure. The real treasure is beneath it. You all only know that the Transforming Mist Divine Flower is a Ninth-Grade Marvel, but you don’t know that its Companion Spiritual Object, the Ink Jade Divine Marrow, is also an exceptionally rare treasure," Qin Ya said, the corners of his mouth curling up as a playful look appeared in his eyes.
Few people even knew of the Ninth-Grade Marvel, the Transforming Mist Divine Flower. Since Su Chang and the others weren’t Alchemists, they were even more clueless about its Companion Spiritual Object, the Ink Jade Divine Marrow. Qin Ya hadn’t ntioned it, intending to claim the Ink Jade Divine Marrow for himself.
"Heh." Qin Ya let out a soft laugh and leaped into the pond. In the murky depths, a mass of pitch-black Jade Marrow emitted a dark luster.
Seeing this, a look of delight appeared on Qin Ya’s face. He moved to the Jade Marrow’s side, took it, and then leaped out of the pond. His True Essence surged, instantly evaporating the water from his body.
"So this is the treasure you were talking about."
Out of the water, the Ink Jade Divine Marrow looked like a gelatinous crystal. Qin Ya hefted its weight, a satisfied expression on his face. "Three jin and three liang. This piece of Ink Jade Divine Marrow will be enough to last a very long ti."
"What’s this stuff used for?" Huaa Que asked.
"It has tons of uses. It can improve one’s cultivation aptitude, be used to craft Divine Soldiers, regenerate bones and sinews, and more. The value of this mass of Ink Jade Divine Marrow is in no way inferior to that of the Ninth-Grade Marvel, the Transforming Mist Divine Flower. In fact, it might even be greater."
"It’s that miraculous?" Huaa Que asked.
"Of course."
After securing the treasure, Qin Ya and Huaa Que returned to Mingxin Academy.
Inside Ningxiang Pavilion...
"Old man, tell about Hidden Dragon Valley!"
Qin Ya asked, looking at Huaa Que.
"Oh? You know about Hidden Dragon Valley?" Huaa Que asked, puzzled.
Qin Ya was taken aback for a mont, then raised an eyebrow. "Old man, do you take for a blind and deaf fool? The Academy has that huge Hidden Dragon List hanging up for all to see. Anyone can ask around and find out about it. Besides, I’ve been hanging out with Su Chang and the others these past few days and heard them ntion it."
Huaa Que chuckled. "Since you already know, why ask?"
"Hmph. I want a spot to enter," Qin Ya said.
"A spot to enter Hidden Dragon Valley? That’s not difficult. With your current status and Cultivation, getting a spot is a simple matter."
"Tell about the situation inside Hidden Dragon Valley," Qin Ya said.
Huaa Que thought for a mont and said, "The Hidden Dragon Valley is a Secret Realm in the Azure Sky Southern Domain, jointly guarded by the three major powers of the Southern Domain: the Yunxiao Empire, Purple Cloud Heavenly Mountain, and the Vast Sea Divine Palace. Since the Hidden Dragon Valley only opens once every four years, the three powers select a group of youths above the Spiritual Elent Realm but below the Extraordinary Realm to enter, letting them compete with each other and chase their own opportunities..."
"Since the Hidden Dragon Valley was discovered, how many tis has it opened?"
"Mm, including this upcoming one, it will be the thirty-sixth ti."
"Thirty-six tis... that’s one hundred and forty-four years. In these hundred-plus years, how many of the Hidden Dragon Valley’s secrets have you uncovered? Tell ."
"In these hundred-plus years, the Empire has sent countless people inside. We don’t know how many secrets Purple Cloud Heavenly Mountain and the Vast Sea Divine Palace have uncovered, but according to the Empire’s historical records and the various pieces of intelligence brought back by those who entered, it’s highly likely that the Hidden Dragon Valley is the ruins of the Dragon Emperor Hall, a super Sect that was imnsely powerful ten thousand years ago..." Huaa Que’s expression turned grave as he spoke.
Upon hearing this, Qin Ya’s pupils contracted, and a flicker of reminiscence flashed in his eyes.
"The Dragon Emperor Hall..." Qin Ya murmured to himself.
Huaa Que didn’t seem to notice Qin Ya’s strange reaction and continued, "The Dragon Emperor Hall was a powerful Sect from ten thousand years ago, with countless Extraordinary Strong Persons and even legendary Saints watching over it. One can only imagine the value of the ruins left behind by such a Sect. A hundred-plus years sounds like a long ti, but what we’ve explored is likely just a drop in the ocean..." Huaa Que said slowly.
"When is the next ti the Hidden Dragon Valley opens?"
"In two months."
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