Chapter 264

"Xiao Bai, are you saying that a dragon's transformation requires going through nine metamorphoses?"

In the room.

Li Rui and the little white dragon were chatting.

"Yes, my father went through five times before becoming a Demon Lord."

Five times.

Li Rui clicked his tongue in secret.

No wonder the old dragon could become a hegemon in the Ten Thousand Mountains where demon beasts were everywhere.

Dragon metamorphoses—every time one metamorphoses, one's strength increases by a large margin. The old dragon had already gone through five times; he was truly fierce beyond measure.

Li Rui was thoughtful.

'Martial arts begin with imitation; the laws of the world are all about the weak following the strong. In ancient times, the human race was weak and created martial arts by imitating all spirits of heaven and earth.'

'Lower-tier imitation of birds and beasts, leaping to strengthen the body; mid-tier imitation of demon beasts, nourishing true qi; upper-tier imitation of gods, reversing yin and yang, returning to the primordial.'

It was only with the changes in martial arts that it reached the current level.

But the essence remained unchanged.

Wasn't the White Ape Cloak Blade Li Rui learned derived from imitating the old ape's play? Just speaking of the recent, the Wu Kingdom's martial arts preserved the tradition of practicing by imitating companion beasts; the stronger the companion beast, the greater the potential.

'Isn't it the same now.'

'Nine metamorphoses of the primordial, transforming into an Earth Immortal. Once one steps into the Fourth-Rank Primordial, one must also go through metamorphoses like the dragon species to achieve the true flawless primordial body, thereby achieving the Earth Immortal realm.'

"Xiao Bai, how many metamorphoses are you at now?"

The little white dragon blushed: "Not even one."

Afterward, thinking Li Rui would look down on it because of this, it added: "Only Fourth-Rank demon beasts have the qualifications to metamorphose."

Li Rui understood.

This point was consistent with the human race; what they did was the same, which was returning to the primordial body.

By comparison, demon beasts had one more difference, which should be called returning to the ancestors.

It is said that the demon beasts of the world all originated from the twelve ancient divine beasts; even if it was thin, there was still a little bit of it. Demon beast cultivation was to regain the ancestor's bloodline.

The little white dragon was valued by the old dragon because the Ying Dragon bloodline on its body was thicker than other dragons.

Little white dragon: "Li Laoge, although I passed the dragon transformation method to you, you are a human after all; it's best not to practice it."

It said this purely out of consideration for Li Rui.

Of course, it was also out of consideration for itself.

Now its life was one with Li Rui's; it was truly afraid that Li Rui would practice himself to death.

Li Rui coughed lightly:

"Rest assured, I won't."

Although he had actually been trying to practice the dragon transformation method two days ago, just as the little white dragon said, humans couldn't practice it.

But it wasn't that there was no gain at all.

'It shouldn't take long to reach dragon strength.'

With the reference of the dragon transformation method, plus the nourishment of the little white dragon's dragon qi, the progress of Li Rui's Dragon-Elephant True Origin Force was extremely fast. He had already finished elephant strength and was now at the time to practice dragon strength; the little white dragon was of no small use to his cultivation.

After Li Rui finished practicing, he let the little white dragon stay in the room properly.

Although it was almost impossible for anyone to discover it with the little white dragon's current size, he was an official of the Yu Kingdom after all; if it were accidentally known that he was raising a demon beast, it would still bring no small trouble.

"Magistrate Zhong, happy cooperation in the future."

Assistant Magistrate Zhong Zheng walked out of the back door of a shop in the Trade Office with satisfaction. This led directly to the alley, and there was no one around; no one would ever know he had been here.

"Good, good."

Zhong Zheng smiled and tucked a small jade bottle into his clothes, disappearing at the corner of the alley.

Yuan Gao narrowed his eyes:

"A useless Assistant Magistrate, and we need to spend so much effort?"

Assistant Magistrate Zhong Zheng, acting as Magistrate, was himself only a Sixth-Rank, and his background was average. Yuan Gao really couldn't understand why Lady Lingluo had to spend so much effort.

Lady Lingluo's mouth curled up slightly.

Zhuang Renhe died.

Some of his connections fell into the hands of this Assistant Magistrate Zhong, including the weapon business with the Divine Weapon Shanzhuang.

On the surface, Zhuang Renhe and Cao Wei only managed Yu Kingdom's affairs and then split the profits.

In reality.

Through Zhuang Renhe's influence, a portion of the goods actually ended up in the hands of the Qi clan.

And Lady Lingluo was the true owner behind the biggest buyer among them.

Today, this Assistant Magistrate Zhong came here to continue the money that Zhuang Renhe hadn't finished earning before.

The weapon business earns money faster than minting coins.

Assistant Magistrate Zhong had already been to the Divine Weapon Shanzhuang; the reason he came here was naturally because he had read the account books and found that this shop could provide a twenty percent rebate.

Twenty percent is not small.

It was already worth it for him, the temporary master of Qinghe, to make a trip himself.

Yuan Gao squinted at Lady Lingluo.

He guessed that this woman should be thinking about reopening the trade route and replenishing weapons. These past few days, Lady Lingluo seemed not to care about the Immortal Venerable's affairs.

"You don't understand."

Lady Lingluo smiled slightly, still looking in the direction where Assistant Magistrate Zhong had left.

Yuan Gao snorted coldly: "The ancestor has already agreed to your conditions; now you should also fulfill your promise."

These past few days.

He had brought the news to the Blood Shadow Xueying Laozu through secret points.

The ancestor had already agreed.

Lady Lingluo then turned to look at Yuan Gao, as if complaining that Yuan Gao didn't understand romance.

"It's already being arranged; Elder Yuan can rest assured."

Yuan Gao didn't believe it and urged: "I heard the news that the Yu Kingdom is preparing to withdraw its troops. When Cao Wei and Lei Yong return, it will be even harder for us to make a move."

Lady Lingluo seemed to think of something interesting, as if saying it to Yuan Gao, and as if talking to herself:

"Indeed, we must hurry."

The Anning Guard became lively, with groups of soldiers visible everywhere, some of whom were faces that should have been in the Wu Kingdom.

"After three months, the Imperial Court will order the troops to return to camp, at which time Governor Yuan will personally reward the three armies."

Jiang Linxian said.

Hearing about rewarding the three armies, the expressions of the three people in the hall were all shaken.

Especially Guan Xinrong; he also participated in suppressing the demon chaos and could be considered to have participated in the battle; if there was no credit, there was at least hard work.

As long as it was operated properly, perhaps there would be a chance to climb up.

He no longer counted on continuing to be an official in the army; after all, he was already in the Dragon Gate Realm, and wanting to cross the threshold of Sea-Observing was too difficult.

But he could switch to being a civil official.

This is also the path many old generals take; the Ministry of War, Ministry of Works, Ministry of Justice all have corresponding errands, which can be considered a good ending.

Guan Xinrong understood that his martial arts path had come to an end, and he couldn't fight for it either.

It was better to seek another way out.

By comparison, Lu Jun appeared much more dejected; this time, it was he who had no participation at all, let alone credit, and he certainly had no hard work either. He couldn't help but look at Li Rui and Guan Xinrong with envy.

Li Rui had a calm face.

The Yu Kingdom withdrawing troops was within his expectations.

The current Wu Kingdom is a mud pit; whoever goes there will be trapped. Before, the Yu Kingdom sent troops wanting a quick victory; now that they have been fighting for almost a year, both sides have entered a stalemate, and continuing to stay seems not cost-effective.

Just the provisions for the soldiers are no small expense.

It is rumored that before Grand Secretary Zhang entered the Cabinet, he was the Minister of Revenue and was the number one person in the world at calculating.

Naturally, he understood that leaving now is making money, but if it continues to drag on, it's a losing business, the kind that's a bottomless pit.

The Yu Kingdom lost a Magistrate, Zhuang Renhe, but they gained too much.

A country sending troops for the death of one person.

Zhuang Renhe died with quite a lot of face; at least several thousand Wu Kingdom rebels were buried with him.

'Can he be happy if he knows in the underworld?'

Li Rui had a strange thought. Zhuang Renhe was killed by him; as the saying goes, the dead are the greatest, so he wouldn't care about getting some benefits.

Afterward.

Jiang Linxian gave a few more instructions and then waved his hand: "Magistrate Guan, Magistrate Lu, you go down first; I still have some words to say to Magistrate Li."

Guan Xinrong and Lu Jun stood up and looked at Li Rui with envy.

Look.

What is called a confidant?

Even though Guan Xinrong wasn't of Jiang Linxian's lineage, he was even a bit jealous.

Don't look at Jiang Linxian being Fifth-Rank now; that's a temporary matter. If it weren't for the fact that being a military officer requires a realm upgrade to be promoted, Jiang Linxian would have been promoted to be an official in the capital long ago.

They didn't think Jiang Linxian would stop at Fifth-Rank; with Jiang Linxian's momentum, becoming a Third-Rank Earth Immortal was very possible.

Li Rui hugging this big thigh, why worry about not being promoted?

The two left.

Jiang Linxian then looked at Li Rui with a smile that wasn't a smile: "Li Laoge, have you made progress again recently?"

Please... you.... collect_(!)

As long as it wasn't official business, he now addressed Li Rui as Li Laoge.

Li Rui: "Indeed, it has grown some more."

Jiang Linxian shook his head with a smile: "Li Laoge, don't be humble; this isn't growing some more; you've broken through to Fifth-Rank, it's a big growth."

Li Rui was somewhat surprised at how Jiang Linxian saw through his realm.

Has he become an Earth Immortal?

Otherwise, how could he see through Tiekuang's qi-hiding technique?

Jiang Linxian said: "Li Laoge's qi-hiding technique is indeed remarkable; I can't see through it, but Li Laoge's aura is weaker than when we last met. It might be possible for others, but you and I are both geniuses; there is no reason for it to regress instead of advance, so I guessed that Li Laoge had broken through."

Li Rui was speechless.

The qi-hiding technique can disguise the realm, but it's impossible to control it with extreme precision.

Jiang Linxian knew his previous situation, and now with a comparison, he naturally guessed seven or eight out of ten.

Since he was seen through, Li Rui no longer hid it.

In fact, he had originally planned to find an opportunity to tell Jiang Linxian.

"Thanks to Li Laoge Jiang's Shark King's Tears, otherwise I wouldn't have broken through so quickly."

Jiang Linxian shook his head: "No, the Shark King's Tears are just external objects; in the end, it's Li Laoge himself who is strong enough."

Saying this.

A flash of excitement crossed his eyes.

In the eyes of others, because of the Royal Secret Agent he mentioned, they all thought Li Rui had been practicing martial arts for decades; only he knew that Li Rui had actually only been practicing for ten years.

He had heard from his daughter, Jiang Yan.

When she first met Li Rui, he hadn't even entered the rank; only ten years had passed, and he had actually already stepped into Sea-Observing.

Ten years.

For ordinary people, it might be very long, but for martial artists, especially those above Willow Sinew, it was just a snap of the fingers.

This is equivalent to someone starting to practice martial arts at five and becoming Fifth-Rank at fifteen.

Although it doesn't quite match.

But the matter is just that matter; even those top disciples of big sects who eat pills like candy couldn't possibly do it.

What is a genius?

Jiang Linxian thought he was genius enough until he met Li Rui.

Unlike others, he didn't have a bit of jealousy, and even felt a sense of mutual appreciation.

Those who have been geniuses know that it is too lonely.

So he firmly believed that Li Rui was the same kind of person as him.

It was just because of life's opportunities that he had wasted a few more decades.

"By the way, I have a few jars of good wine hidden at home; you know, my daughter watches them tightly, and only when you go will she be willing to take them out. Why don't you take the trouble, Li Laoge?"

Jiang Linxian laughed.

Li Rui has now become Fifth-Rank, at least on par with his apparent realm, simply an excellent drinking buddy.

How could he let it go?

Li Rui was speechless.

"I am indeed a bit thirsty."

In the blink of an eye, two months passed.

Li residence, in the room.

A huge white dragon, fully three zhang long, lay coiled in the room.

If Li Rui's room weren't big enough, it would definitely have been burst open.

"This is..."

Li Rui stood in the corner, looking at the little white dragon with its eyes closed tightly.

Today.

He injected Immortal Xuan Qi into the little white dragon's body as usual, and then the little white dragon uncontrollably revealed its true form and fell into a deep sleep.

Two words appeared in his mind—metamorphosis.

But the little white dragon was clearly still Fifth-Rank; it shouldn't have the qualifications to metamorphose at all.

Is the little white dragon gifted?

Clearly not.

If it could metamorphose, the little white dragon would have been able to metamorphose long ago with the old dragon's help; why wait until now?

Li Rui's eyes brightened.

'It's the Immortal Xuan Qi.'

To be precise, it should be the superposition of the Ying Dragon form and the immortal qi, which allowed the little white dragon to metamorphose ahead of time.

'In ancient times, there were dragon-raising masters who used immortal qi to help dragon species transform into dragons.'

Li Rui didn't expect that his method actually coincided with the dragon-raising master's technique. The little white dragon already had a trace of Ying Dragon bloodline in its body, but it had never been able to awaken; the old dragon had tried every method for this, but he didn't expect it to be unsealed by Li Rui's unintentional act.

It was precisely because it gained the power of the Ying Dragon bloodline that the little white dragon metamorphosed ahead of time.

"This is a great stroke of fortune."

According to the little white dragon, one must be Fourth-Rank to metamorphose, and metamorphosis is bound to be extraordinary.

The little white dragon's future is limitless.

Li Rui stood on the side and waited quietly.

Metamorphosis can only be carried by the little white dragon itself; if it passes, it's a great stroke of fortune, and in the future, it might truly be able to turn into a true dragon; if it doesn't pass, it will naturally die.

Li Rui actually lied to the little white dragon about one thing.

What was set with the little white dragon was actually an unequal treaty.

If he died, the little white dragon would likely die with him, but if the little white dragon died, Li Rui actually wouldn't have anything happen to him.

A full day and night passed.

The little white dragon finally had a change; the scales on its skin lost their luster and fell off at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Li Rui's expression was shaken.

'Finally at the most critical moment!'

Whether the little white dragon can metamorphose successfully depends on now.

The huge dragon body gradually became shriveled, and afterward, only a layer of dragon skin as thin as a cicada's wing remained.

Looking closely.

On the ground, a small white snake only the length of a palm and the thickness of a thumb lay weakly, revealing a human-like excited expression.

"Dragon Grandpa, I succeeded!"

Li Rui squatted down, and the moment his finger was about to touch the little white dragon, the little white dragon opened its mouth and bit Li Rui's finger.

Severe pain!

In just an instant, Li Rui's body was soaked with sweat.

He fell to the ground in pain.

But a pair of eyes flashed with excitement that couldn't be hidden.

Dragon Essence!

(End of chapter)