“Faster, keep jumping, faster, even faster! Anyone who lags behind will die in agony!” - I hollered, urging my companions onward.
By the end, when sprays of water and bits of foam were already licking at our heels, I delivered a mighty strike with my club against the next rocky outcrop. The wall crumbled, and we burst through into a large cavern. A second later, water came surging through the hole behind us, rushing upward and sideways before disappearing into the darkness. There was almost no natural light here, so only the glow of our “flashlights” dispelled the eternal darkness.
“We made it” - Fifth said, voicing everyone’s relief. - “Another second and…”
“And you all wanted to stay back there” - I reminded them of why we’d gotten delayed. - “If you’d obeyed my orders in the first place, we’d have had a whole ten seconds to spare.”
Everyone shot accusing glances at Seventh. - “What? I didn’t do anything. I just asked a question” - she tried to defend herself. Typical blonde.
“All right. Now we need to decide where to go next. We’ve more than fulfilled our treasure-gathering quota, so it’s time to focus on cultivation. First, do you know of any suitable spots around here, or is it all this depressing?”
“I do.” - He nodded. - “Dark, heavy Qi only accumulates around the Bone Graveyard and the Eighteenth Chamber. The best places for cultivation are considered to be the Crystal Palace and the Dragon’s Tomb.”
“Dragon?” - I repeated, somewhat surprised.
“Yes, it has an enormous dragon’s skull. Nobody knows how it ended up in that large hall. A special type of Qi radiates from the giant’s bones and gathers there.”
“Let’s have a look” - I said, pulling out my compass from habit.
But the device had absorbed too much “dark Qi.” Trying to see anything through it now was like looking at a black cat through tinted glass — there was something there, but you couldn’t make out a thing. I tried tuning in to the dragon’s skull. Faint images flitted through the compass, and then a clear picture of a glowing dragon skull and the rest of the skeleton appeared.
Immediately, I focused on figuring out a path to that location. It turned out it would be quite a trek — twenty kilometers through narrow, winding passages. At least this route lay well away from the main areas where cultivators gathered, which meant fewer interruptions. I knew how that crowd operated: the moment you caught someone’s eye, they’d start tailing you, planning to rob you or steal your secrets. After all, someone headed somewhere with a clear sense of purpose is easy to distinguish from someone just wandering in the dark.
“Let’s go” - I said, choosing the direction. - “You’ll get your dragon.”
They all sighed in excitement, although I noticed First’s eyes held little enthusiasm.
The next hour was spent running, crawling, squeezing through, and leaping around in caves. As we advanced, the surrounding Qi really did start to feel more pleasant, at least in a “taste” sense. I absorbed it continuously, storing it in the seal. It wasn’t the right time to stop and meditate to process the energy for myself, but later, when the opportunity arose, I’d make use of all I’d accumulated. Especially given that, at present, all the Qi I’d gathered and stolen didn’t even occupy one-millionth of the seal’s internal space. Such a neat little perk.
At last, after endless wandering through winding tunnels, we reached the place I’d seen through the compass in its dying throes.
“I thought it’d be bigger” - I said skeptically, eyeing what we found.
“This isn’t the right place” - First explained. - “This hall is called The Final Resting Place. Sometimes people come in here, but the Qi here is nothing special.”
We found ourselves in a relatively small hall. In one section of the wall stood a passageway blocked by something like glass or crystal. Beyond that barrier lay the skeleton of a young dragon, the very one I’d seen an hour before. The bones had a golden hue and faintly glowed, while on the forehead of the skull shone a large, blood-red, diamond-shaped ruby. It vaguely resembled the “third eye” as humans depict it, though it looked quite small compared to the dragon’s colossal eye sockets. Of course, relative to the two-meter-long skull, it might have seemed small, but in reality, it was bigger than the palm of my hand.
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Not a single particle of Qi seeped through the glass barrier. However, using my psionics, I sensed a massive accumulation of energy inside the chamber where the skeleton lay. The walls of this makeshift tomb were covered in intricate geometric patterns that reliably sealed the Qi within. Even more of it was stored in the bones themselves.
I practically started drooling the moment I laid eyes on it. This wasn’t just any kind of Qi; it was dragon Qi, brimming with formidable power. It vaguely resembled the Qi I’d absorbed when breaking through to the fifth level of Qi Condensation, but whereas that Qi had been more like “slightly infused water” this was a dazzling concentrate.
“Stand aside” - I said, pulling out my club.
“Wait, are you planning to desecrate a dragon’s grave? Wasn’t it enough to desecrate that other cultivator’s body?” - Seventh exclaimed indignantly.
“It’s pointless” - First sneered. - “That barrier’s been tested a thousand times.”
I paid no heed to these jealous grumblers and swung Skull Crusher with full force against the crystal barrier. To my surprise, it immediately shattered into pieces, as though it really were just plain glass.
“What?”
“How?”
“This can’t be!!!”
“You’ve got to be kidding!”
Everyone else burst out in disbelief, except for Fourth, who, as usual, remained silent but flashed a certain look in his eyes. I hurriedly grabbed all the shards of crystal and sucked them into my ring. A dense stream of Qi rushed out of the chamber, and I, too, began absorbing it as much as my body could handle. But a lot of it still whooshed right past me, so there was no time to waste.
“Get inside!” - I shouted, rushing in first.
No one hesitated now. In a single second, they had all piled inside, spreading out along the walls and trying to avoid touching the bones. I quickly scanned through the repertoire of techniques I knew and used the Heavenly Shield, blocking the entrance with an improvised replacement for the barrier I’d just demolished. Not only did the spell repel technique-based attacks, but it also held back the Qi flow. As a result, the precious energy stopped leaking out, and I was able to breathe easier. I’d cast the Heavenly Shield but hadn’t reinforced it with the Heavenly Law, so its strength was minimal, yet it more or less did the job, though not perfectly.
Next, I took out the box of herbs from my ring, opened it, and examined how it prevented Qi from dispersing. Having figured out the basic principle behind the seal inside, I modified the shield blocking the entrance. Now it cut the “leak” by 99%, which was more than enough for this situation.
Feeling satisfied, I put the box away, found a relatively smooth stone, and sat down on it.
“Everyone sit, absorb Qi, and don’t move” - I instructed. - “Don’t touch the dragon, if it doesn’t bite your arm off, I’ll tear it off myself. Got it?” - Mesmerized, they all nodded. - “We’ll meditate right here, until we’re practically unconscious, soaking up all the accumulated Qi.” - I flashed a grin, examining my new “treasure” while it stared right back at me with empty eye sockets.
Having freeloaders around didn’t bother me in the least. How much Qi could they absorb with their trivial breathing techniques? For me, the energy was pouring in through the entire surface of my body in a vast torrent. What’s more, that Qi wasn’t even going into the seal but settling directly into my bones and muscles. Only about a tenth of it flowed into my Qi Strand, where it was also absorbed almost without transformation. Now that’s what I call proper cultivation.
Closing my eyes, I relaxed and began meditating on the Qi and the dragon’s remains, trying to figure out what qualities they possessed and how they would affect me. Soon the stress of this unexpected stroke of luck subsided, and I was able to immerse myself in calm introspection, delving into what might be called the “law of dragon bones” if such an expression makes sense.
Even though I was continuously absorbing Qi, its concentration in the surrounding air didn’t seem to decrease. New Qi kept pouring out of the dragon’s bones, and there was still a lot stored in them. Later, I’d think about how to extract every last drop; for now, I needed to focus on stabilizing my cultivation base.
I’d been “absorbing” Qi for nearly an hour, gradually slipping into a trance-like state. Once I relaxed, I eased up on my control, and my consciousness was instantly pulled into a virtual world, similar to the ones I’d seen when examining jade slips or that mysterious orb. Before me stood a seemingly very-much-alive dragon, studying me intently with its large eyes. I noticed that it had no ruby on its forehead; furthermore, it was covered in a gorgeous bluish-green scales, whose shifting colors emphasized its youthful “facial features” making its eyes appear even bigger.
“Finally, I’ve managed to break into your consciousness” - the dragon said telepathically. It didn’t bother opening its mouth to “speak” so it was hard to tell whether it simply saw no reason to mimic such movements or whether it had communicated telepathically even in life.
“Sup! Well, I guess you’re, uh, dead, so… good day” - I greeted it.
The dragon radiated calm curiosity, without a trace of aggression. Yep, definitely a telepath. A telepath telepathically telepathing from afar. Look how it’s playing with emotions. I can do that too, but for now I’d keep a poker face.
“Yes, it is indeed a good day.” - The dragon dipped its head slightly. - “I’ve been watching you ever since you arrived in this dimension. The dragon bloodline in your body has awakened. More importantly, I see you bear the Seal of the Chosen.”
“This seal here?” - I pointed to my left hand, revealing the tattoo.
“Yes. Disciple Tu Dim Wit deemed you worthy to bear it. Therefore, I, too, wish to grant you a gift.”
“What, just like that? Boom, a gift?” - I was skeptical about free cheese.