[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-lies-hidden":3,"chapter-the-dragon-lies-hidden-the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-101":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon Lies Hidden",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2289399,4477,"Chapter 101: Academic Elite Tactics","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-101",101,"\u003Cp>After the deal was preliminarily settled, the shopkeeper no longer disturbed him and withdrew. On his way back to the accounting room, he suddenly saw a head pop out from the kitchen as he passed by: “How was that man?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shopkeeper’s flippant demeanor vanished; his face turned grave. “He’s a ruthless one! He looks like he’s missing a few brain cells—maybe he really is—but I can’t read him at all, not even a hint of his Dao foundation. This man is simple-minded and broke as dirt; all that show was just to avoid paying a few days’ room fee. Such a sharp blade is rare. But sharp blades cut their wielders too—don’t provoke him. Treat him as a Level-Tian assassin for now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man in the kitchen sounded reluctant: “But his sword really was impressive…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shopkeeper’s face darkened instantly: “I can’t find a good cook easily—I don’t want to replace him yet. Keep your damn hands off him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The head withdrew, sullen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the shopkeeper left, Wei Yuan wiped the smile from his face, though a faint grin still lingered at the corner of his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled out a formation disc and a pile of small objects, silently calculated the directions, then dug several tiny holes into the room’s walls, placed a few minor spiritual items inside, and sealed them back up. Once finished, Wei Yuan waved the formation disc—and the feng shui formation activated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone entering the courtyard would be cursed with misfortune: everything would go wrong—spiritual arts backfiring, magic treasures malfunctioning, incantations halting mid-recitation as the next line vanished from memory, and more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Wei Yuan carved a ghostly face into an inconspicuous corner of the wall and poured a small bag of beast blood over it. Following local custom, this was the witchcraft of the Wu Yu clan. In this region, such curses worked twice as well. If anyone sneaked in, the curse would trigger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This curse didn’t kill outright—it scrambled the mind, ignited hidden desires, and forced the victim to submit to instinct, committing utterly irrational acts. For example, drawing a poisoned dagger to intimidate an enemy, then licking it himself to demonstrate cruelty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan worked tirelessly, setting down multiple traps. As a top scholar of the Dingxin Faction of Tai Chu Palace, he now realized, while laying these out in person, just how many underhanded tricks he knew—so many he struggled to choose. Each one was vile and deadly; even seasoned Jianghu villains would bow in awe. The teachers who taught him the Art of Deception truly had something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The feng shui formation and curse Wei Yuan set up looked simple, but the activation disc was gifted by an Immortal Lord—its rank was terrifyingly high. Thus, once triggered, the curse would inevitably strike with exceptional potency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After completing all preparations, Wei Yuan placed the disc on the table, took out the jade paper bearing Yun Feifei’s image, carefully extracted the single strand of Primordial Spirit energy sealed within, slowly inserted it into the disc, then tapped it with a finger. A faint glow flickered across the disc, then it stilled—the strand of Yun Feifei’s energy vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This disc, gifted by the Immortal Lord, was designed for fortune-fishing. Once Yun Feifei’s energy was placed inside, all people or objects connected to her would, under the invisible pull of fate, drift toward Wei Yuan. The tighter the bond, the stronger the pull. Unless one’s rank was extraordinarily high or one was currently riding a great tide of fortune, escape from the dual fishing of the Listening Sea Immortal Lord and Wei Yuan’s celestial fortune was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone with great wisdom and deep mastery of the Way of Fortune might sense the fishing and find a way to break free. But Wei Yuan judged himself a newly established Dao Foundation cultivator—no such figure would appear in his mission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With everything set, Wei Yuan now waited like a fisherman beside a tree, hoping someone would come to him on their own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan used himself as bait, sitting idly to fish—waiting for fish who thought they could pull the fisherman down. Of course, the fish thought the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With nothing else to do, Wei Yuan read by lamplight. The innkeeper, fond of pretentious elegance, had placed a bookshelf in the room—several bound paper books, old-fashioned in style, their pages worn at the edges. Clearly not for display—they’d been read often.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan idly picked one up and opened it—only to find it wasn’t orthodox history, but a folk-expansion version of Yin-Yang Dao he’d once read.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Books placed on an inn’s bookshelf were naturally premium. This one, for instance, brimmed with ingenious and wild ideas—common minor arts were twisted into dazzling new forms, sparking fresh insights in Wei Yuan. But the highest figures depicted were only True Jun—no Immortal Lords. Writing about Immortal Lords invited lightning strikes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan appeared to be reading, but his spirit was hard at work in his spiritual sea—only pretending to read by occasionally turning pages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his spiritual sea, Wei Yuan selected a stone and kneaded it continuously; the stone slowly deformed, gradually becoming a square, three-legged ding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since constructing the Taiyin Full Moon, Wei Yuan had advanced his mastery of the Dao Foundation—under conscious control, he could now slightly alter things within it. He could, for instance, mold a stone into a stone ding or a stone sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To play the part fully, Wei Yuan, with his ample Dao Foundation, shaped a ding and left it there. In battle, he could visualize it and hurl it—whether its power was great didn’t matter; it looked intimidating enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swords were easier. Zhang Sheng’s three swords were too famous—he couldn’t use them. But Xiao Yu, after achieving the Immortal Sword Great Sun, had spent half a year constantly showing up before Wei Yuan, sword in hand, waving it around—until he finally got bored and stopped coming. Only after Xiao Yu ceased visiting did Wei Yuan realize something was off: who walks around daily with their Dao Foundation on display?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But thanks to Xiao Yu, Wei Yuan knew the Immortal Sword Great Sun intimately—visualizing it was effortless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet since forging his Dao Foundation, Wei Yuan had been too busy to visit Xiao Yu and show off his own—something he regretted. Even if he wanted to, the Ten Thousand Rivers and Mountains wouldn’t allow it. How could he carry it? Hold it? Step on it? Even carrying a small jade mountain around would be glaringly absurd. Wei Yuan still had shame—he couldn’t do such a thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the Wanxiang Palace held not only the Ten Thousand Rivers and Mountains, but also the old sweeping Daoist. Even if Xiao Yu didn’t recognize Wei Yuan’s Dao Foundation, the old man would guide him—he wouldn’t be blind to it. Having shaped the stone ding and stone sword, the title “Ding and Sword Supreme” now matched reality. Wei Yuan now waited for fish to bite. With nothing else to do, he sat against the jade mountain, manifesting the Dao Foundation chapter of the Heaven’s Wild Rogue in his hand, studying it closely. The full moon in the sky watched too, studying alongside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan had barely begun his cultivation when a piercing scream rang out nearby—charged with spiritual power, it pierced through the air and jolted half of Quliu Town awake. Wei Yuan’s train of thought shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a lawless land; whoever died here, Wei Yuan had no intention of intervening. He returned to his book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he regained his focus and was about to gain insight, a loud crash shook the entire inn—gusts of wind blasted outward, overturning dozens of nearby shacks!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spilled spiritual power jolted Wei Yuan—he nearly instinctively hurled his longsword like a spear. Twice interrupted, even his patience snapped. He set down his book, drew his longsword, stepped out, and climbed onto the roof, gazing toward the source of the disturbance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A masked giant leapt skyward, fleeing. On the ground, a short figure chuckled darkly, raised a wooden staff, and pointed it upward—a stream of green energy shot forth, striking the fleeing man instantly. The giant made no sound, collapsed, and by the time he hit the ground, he was a pile of white bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant, Wei Yuan saw the staff was held not by a human hand—but by a bird’s claw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The short figure walked to the skeleton, picked up something, and strode away. Within ten zhang of the battle, every shack and tent had been overturned, yet the locals, long accustomed, calmly gathered their belongings, showing no alarm. Beneath one overturned tent, a man and woman writhed in entangled motion—now that the roof was gone, they didn’t stop. Beneath another, several things writhed together; Wei Yuan barely recognized one as human—the rest, he couldn’t tell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the surrounding area, Wei Yuan was the only one standing atop a roof, watching with predatory intent. Instantly, many eyes turned toward him—most filled with malice. Wei Yuan sneered, and above his head appeared a faint image of a square ding. A flash of golden light—dozens screamed, clutching their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After establishing his dominance, Wei Yuan returned to his room, picked up his unfinished book, and read by lamplight until dawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At dawn, after a night of studying the Heaven’s Wild Rogue, Wei Yuan finally felt weary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the sky brightened, the shopkeeper knocked and entered the courtyard, personally bringing Wei Yuan his breakfast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After placing the meal down, the shopkeeper slid a paper from his sleeve onto the table, whispering: “Immortal Li, this man is worth five hundred immortal taels. Additionally, you may choose one magic treasure as extra reward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fish bit so soon? Wei Yuan remained impassive, picking up the portrait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The portrait depicted a middle-aged man with a stern face, thick prominent eyebrows, and a black mole the size of a fingertip beside his mouth. The painting was skillfully done, but since it wasn’t jade paper, it couldn’t be viewed from multiple angles or record Primordial Spirit energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shopkeeper lowered his voice: “His name is Wang Lang. He specializes in Dao arts. Publicly, he trades in spiritual materials and elixirs, but every month he sends a batch of young women westward—even female cultivators. He arrived in Quliu Town yesterday, setting camp three li outside. This time, his cargo includes three female cultivators.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan asked, expressionless: “What use are these women?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Some are for Wu Yu clan sacrifices. Others are sent to brothels in the west. Female cultivators? Both sacrifices and brothels demand them—whenever available, they take them all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan frowned: “Kill him for this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your reverence sees clearly! Actually, a certain noble specifically requested one of these women from the shipment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still not worth five hundred immortal taels—and a magic treasure on top?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shopkeeper whispered: “Wang Lang’s affiliation is troublesome—he works for the Xu family. This must be done cleanly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Which Xu family?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shopkeeper pointed upward: “West of Ningzhou, which Xu family could there be? The one that controls half of Ningzhou, of course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1849,"2026-06-20T03:38:27.933Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","6f12634deaf2bba34ca807d5d3c336f67d23e3ba279008e5cbf1dd78b9fa63b0","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-102","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-100",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-lies-hidden-cover.jpg"]