“Indeed,” Ling Xuan nodded, his expression unreadable.

The two lapsed into silence once again, the only sounds being the faint murmur of the bustling tavern below and the occasional creak of the wooden floorboards. After a few moments, Xia Longwei decided to break the silence.

“What are you doing in The Archipelago?” he asked, his eyes narrowing with curiosity.

“With the approaching war, The Archipelago is the safest option,” Ling Xuan replied, his face betraying no emotion.

“Hahaha! Who are you trying to fool, Ling Xuan? No place is safe with the war, and The Archipelago will be among the first to go,” Xia Longwei laughed, his voice booming in the confined space.

“Is that what you're here to do? Sink The Archipelago?” Ling Xuan asked, his eyes fixed on Xia Longwei, searching for answers.

“No, not now, but later,” Xia Longwei waved his hands dismissively. “So tell me, Ling Xuan, what is your real reason for being in this place?” he pressed, his gaze piercing.

Ling Xuan remained silent, his eyes darkening as he met Xia Longwei’s stare. The tension in the room grew palpable, each moment stretching into an eternity.

“It’s related to your Mythical Technique, isn’t it?” Xia Longwei said, a sly grin spreading across his face.

Ling Xuan’s eyes widened in shock, his composed facade cracking. “How!” he exclaimed, unable to hide his surprise.

“Looks like I hit the mark, eh?” Xia Longwei grinned, satisfaction evident in his expression. He leaned back against the door, crossing his arms over his chest.

“How long have you known!?” Ling Xuan asked, his voice a mix of disbelief and urgency.

“Since the very first time we met each other,” Xia Longwei replied, his grin widening.

“That’s not possible. The technique’s idea wasn’t even conceived before that!” Ling Xuan protested, his eyes narrowing in confusion.

“Ah, Junior, you still have a lot to learn. First, tell me, what does your technique focus on? Evolution, Mutation, or Refinement?”

“Manipulation and Storage,” Ling Xuan replied, his voice steady.

“I see... wait, what the fuck!” Xia Longwei nodded, then did a double-take, looking towards Ling Xuan in surprise. “What did you say again?”

“Qi Manipulation and Storage,” Ling Xuan repeated.

“Ah, well, that’s different from me,” Xia Longwei’s face twitched, his usual composure momentarily slipping.

“Anyway, now mind telling me how you know I have a Mythical Technique?” Ling Xuan asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Oh, that? It’s just that I saw your future, nothing more. Okay, so tell me about how you made the technique in the first place?” Xia Longwei said casually, as if seeing the future was an everyday occurrence.

“I made it after reading loads of documents about Qi Storage, as well as that book you gave me. So how the hell did you see my future in the first place?” Ling Xuan demanded, his frustration bubbling over.

“Well, when you either possess a fuckton of affinity towards Qi or your Qi manipulation has almost reached the peak, you can do those things. It’s quite easy, actually,” Xia Longwei explained nonchalantly.

“Does that mean any Grand Master can see my future?” Ling Xuan asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Of course not!” Xia Longwei scoffed. “The Grand Masters of the Sects are too weak, and The Archipelago is even weaker. I can easily say only two individuals can see your future currently, and that’s only because you are still not proficient with Qi. When you become proficient enough, no one can see your future. Heck, you may even know your own future by then—or your past—and influence it.”

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“Who are these two?” Ling Xuan asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Me and my father,” Xia Longwei replied, his tone calm.

“Oh, alright,” Ling Xuan nodded, digesting the information.

“Actually, I can only vaguely see your future, like only a glimpse. It's impossible for anyone to see further than that,” Xia Longwei added.

As Ling Xuan heard that, he couldn’t help but feel a shiver crawling up his back. “If even he can’t accurately view my future, then how the hell can Feng Mui know everything about my future!” Ling Xuan was undoubtedly surprised. Feng Mui had clearly seen enough to be able to make a map of an entire labyrinth that he, at that time, had yet to visit and even write instructions!

“Well, at least he means no harm, I think?” Ling Xuan said uncertainly, choosing not to dwell further on the topic of Feng Mui. “Who knows, he may have also seen this event occur.”

Ling Xuan shook his head to clear his thoughts. Then he realised that Xia Longwei was still looking at him, patiently waiting. “Sooooo, what were we talking about again?”

“How you made your Mythical Technique,” Xia Longwei reminded him.

“Oh, I think I’ve answered that?”

“Yes, you did,” Xia Longwei confirmed.

“So now, tell me the actual reason why you came to The Archipelago,” Ling Xuan asked, shifting the focus.

“Oh, that,” Xia Longwei said, his tone becoming more serious. “Well, I’m here for a certain individual.”

“Who?” Ling Xuan asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Eh, I don’t think you know him, but the boy’s name is Jigme Perma or something,” Xia Longwei replied.

“Jigme Perma, eh?” Ling Xuan suddenly remembered the boy he had dragged in to feast with the other Markseekers during his days at Kinnara’i Gyi Sangsum. “That should’ve been a week ago or something,” Ling Xuan thought.

“So, why are you after this boy?” Ling Xuan asked, trying to connect the dots.

Xia Longwei looked at Ling Xuan and grinned. “How do you imagine I managed to construct a Mythical Technique?”

“I don’t know, but if I had to guess, you assimilated the blood of several Mythical Beasts' carcasses, right?” Ling Xuan ventured. Five years ago, when he was constructing the framework of his Mythical Technique, he was given two choices: Qi Beholder and Chimeric Transformation. One promised control over Qi, whereas the other promised transmogrification of oneself into something that could manipulate Qi. He had chosen Qi Beholder but often wondered what would have happened if he had chosen the latter option.

“Well, I don’t have to think anymore,” Ling Xuan thought, realizing that Xia Longwei perhaps had something akin to Chimeric Transformation when he mentioned the type of Mythical Technique Ling Xuan had.

“That is indeed correct!” Xia Longwei nodded and continued. “I don’t know much about your path, but my technique, well, it’s not a technique per se. It’s more of a way of assimilation. I absorb the genome of several Mythical Beasts into my system, integrate them into a single genome, and then the technique is completed, allowing me to become a Mythical Beast myself.”

“And it isn’t still completed, right?” Ling Xuan inquired.

“Nah, it’s not. My technique has transmogrified me into something else. I am not any race that has previously existed or will exist. I am a unique organism, yet that is the problem. I am too unique. My very existence is continuously getting shredded to pieces by the several genomes within me, all containing minuscule specks of the Qi of Mythical Beasts. These specks got supercharged and awakened, adding even more diversity to my genome. I need a single genome that is strong enough to control and rear all other Mythical Beasts into place. I need a Dragon’s blood,” Xia Longwei revealed.

“Aren’t you the son of the Dragon Emperor, who, as you’ve mentioned a long time ago, possesses the Qi of all five Dragons? Also, if all the different blood of Mythical Beasts riot, why hasn’t the Dragon Emperor succumbed to the effects?” Ling Xuan pressed for information.

“It’s simple, actually, the answer to both of your questions. The blood of a Dragon is an incredibly rare and powerful substance. If even a single drop is transplanted into someone else, it could make them incredibly more powerful than their previous versions. Yet Dragon’s Blood can only be considered pure if it is nourished by Dragon Qi, which only my father can wield and no other. And as to why the different bloods don’t riot, it’s because they can’t. Each Dragon is far superior to the last. The Dragon of Far Reaching Floods wouldn’t last a single instant against The Dragon of Ever Present Mortality, much less against The Dragon of Everlasting Immortality. Thus, Xia Fugui is stable, whereas I am not.”

Ling Xuan absorbed this information, his mind racing with the implications. “So, you need this Dragon’s blood to stabilise your own existence?”

“Precisely,” Xia Longwei confirmed. “Without it, my existence is a ticking time bomb, ready to implode under the pressure of the conflicting genomes.”