“And where does Jigme Perma fit into all of this?” Ling Xuan asked, his curiosity growing.

“Well, Jigme was not the first choice. Actually, five years ago, a friend of yours, Xiao Kang, was,” Xia Longwei explained. “He was one of the illegitimate descendants of Gramps, thus possessing the Dragon’s Boon. Since I was destabilising back then, I had to do something. Xiao Kang, among others who possessed the Dragon’s Boon, was interesting to me, to say the least. So after devouring them, I managed to control myself.”

Ling Xuan stayed calm, his eyes narrowing slightly. “You devoured them?”

“Yes,” Xia Longwei said matter-of-factly. “But this time, I am destabilising at a worse rate than last time, and I have to stabilise using a greater source, and fast. So, I came to The Archipelago.”

Ling Xuan stayed calm, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Still haven't answered my question."

"Oh yeah, right. I really didn't know where to start until one of my informants on The Archipelago told me about a boy named Jigme Perma being taken somewhere by The 32 Kings. I figured I’d start from there. Well, that was until I bumped into you," Xia Longwei stated.

"So, Jigme Perma may actually be useless, and The Empire might be baiting The Archipelago to buy time for preparations for The War?" Ling Xuan surmised.

“Indeed,” Xia Longwei nodded.

Both stayed silent until Ling Xuan decided to speak once again. "What do you know about The Sky Wandering Giant?"

"Nothing much, except that it's the god worshipped by The Temple, which was fabricated by an organism moulded from its ashes."

"Alright, so how about both of us go to The Maitreya, beat it up, and learn more about its origin? You may be able to absorb The Maitreya, while I can use its Qi to break through further. How about it?"

"What makes you think I'll go along with you, someone I can eradicate in mere instants?" Xia Longwei asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I'm your fucking junior," Ling Xuan grinned a most ridiculous grin and stretched his hand.

Xia Longwei looked at Ling Xuan's outstretched hand before shaking it. "We got a deal," Xia Longwei grinned as well.

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The sun was shining brightly as Ling Xuan and Xia Longwei boarded the ship bound for Kundang Ling Island, the farthest point a normal civilian could reach, as Chenrezig Ling was strictly off-limits. The ship's wooden deck creaked underfoot, and the salty breeze carried the scent of the sea.

"Hah, what are we even going to do? It's so boring. I mean, I could just fly, and you could’ve held onto me, and we would’ve already reached the island by now," Xia Longwei sighed, reclining against the ship's railing. His black robes fluttered slightly in the breeze, and his usually sharp eyes seemed dulled by the monotony of the voyage.

"There’s a reason for that," Ling Xuan replied, taking a seat beside Xia Longwei. He gazed out at the endless expanse of blue, watching the waves rise and fall rhythmically against the hull of the ship. The water sparkled under the sunlight, creating a mesmerising dance of light and shadow.

The ship set sail, and as the hours passed, the gentle rocking of the vessel and the monotonous sound of the waves began to wear on Xia Longwei's patience. He tapped his foot restlessly and drummed his fingers on the railing. The sun climbed higher in the sky, casting sparkling reflections on the water's surface. The crew bustled about, adjusting the sails and maintaining the ship, their movements practised and efficient.

Stolen story; please report.

"You know," Xia Longwei finally broke the silence, "in the last five years, I've made another development in the field of Mythical Beasts." His eyes gleamed with a mixture of pride and curiosity. His tone, usually so commanding, held a note of excitement that caught Ling Xuan's attention.

"Oh, what is it? Pray tell," Ling Xuan asked, turning to face him, his interest piqued. The sun's rays highlighted the determination in his eyes, and he leaned forward slightly, eager to hear more.

Xia Longwei smirked. "Wait a minute. Is this why you said no to flying? Because you wanted to syphon more information from me?"

"You finally got it," Ling Xuan calmly nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips as he gestured for Xia Longwei to continue. The ship's movement seemed to slow, as if even the vessel itself was keen to listen in on their conversation.

Xia Longwei chuckled and leaned back, taking a deep breath of the salty air. "Well, it’s quite fascinating, really. I’ve discovered that Mythical Beasts' power can be divided into five levels."

"Five levels?" Ling Xuan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Indeed, and surprisingly, they correspond to the numerical five ranks of us humans," Xia Longwei explained, his voice carrying a note of scholarly enthusiasm.

"That is not even coincidental. I am pretty sure you warped the system in a way that it has five, right?" Ling Xuan accused, though his tone was light-hearted.

"Let’s not talk about that. So imagine a triangle for starters, alright? Now, imagine it having five divisions with the higher it gets, the narrower it becomes. So firstly, at the bottom of the triangle, we have the Lesser Mythical Beasts like the Ever Winter Sparrow and the Core Burrowing Mole. At the peak of this level stands The Dragon of Far Reaching Floods, whose corpse was discovered in the now dried-up previously underwater cave system of the Amethyst Lake. Thus, we also refer to this stage as the Hills and Lakes Stage."

Ling Xuan nodded, absorbing the information. Xia Longwei continued, "Then we move a bit higher to the Mid Mythical Stage. This is called the Valleys and Rivers Category. Here you find beasts like the Thunderclap Wolf and the Celestial Prowler, The Dragon of Ever Present Mortality used to be at this level.

The ship creaked as it cut through the waves, a gentle reminder of their journey. Xia Longwei's voice grew more animated as he described the next stage. "Higher still, we reach the High Mythicals, known as the Mountain and Sea Beasts. These creatures, like The Thunder Qilin and The Frost Phoenix, possess power that can shape the very landscape.The Dragon of Earthly Attachments was thought to be at this level."

Ling Xuan listened intently, picturing each beast in his mind. Xia Longwei's eyes shone with excitement as he continued, "Now we go even higher to meet the Peak Mythicals, the Heaven and Earth Beasts. These are beings of legend, like The Great Suneater Ape and The Hound of Myriad Forms , whose mere presence can alter the shape of the continent.The Dragon of Celestial Might can be found at this level"

"And then finally, there is the Apex Mythical Stage, which only a single Mythical Beast can be at: The Dragon of Everlasting Immortality," Xia Longwei concluded, his voice filled with a mix of awe and reverence. The sheer power and majesty of such a beast seemed almost unfathomable.

"That's all?" Ling Xuan asked, his tone sceptical as he processed the information. The waves lapped gently against the ship, providing a soothing backdrop to their intense conversation.

"That is indeed all," Xia Longwei nodded, a faint smirk playing on his lips as he watched Ling Xuan's reaction. His eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief, knowing full well the gravity of what he had just shared.

"This was a waste of time," Ling Xuan muttered, shaking his head slightly. He leaned back against the ship's railing, letting out a sigh of frustration. The journey had been long and tedious, and he had hoped for something more substantial.

"Told you, didn’t I?" Xia Longwei chuckled, his laughter carrying over the wind. He stretched his arms and yawned, clearly amused by Ling Xuan's disappointment. The tension of the conversation melted away, replaced by a more relaxed atmosphere.

As they were resting, somebody called out to them.

“Senior Ling Wei! Is that you?” Ling Xuan was startled by the caller referring to his false identity.

“Who are you?” he asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

The man approaching looked bulky as hell and had no hair, a stark contrast to the boy Ling Xuan remembered.

“Senior, it’s me, Jigme Perma!”