[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-lies-hidden":3,"chapter-the-dragon-lies-hidden-the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-33":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},2289331,4477,"Chapter 33: The Ancestor","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-33",33,"\u003Cp>“Hmm?” The True Person Tengqiu suddenly opened his eyes outside the hall, gazing at the Ancestor’s statue, a hint of shock on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the hall, an elderly Daoist held a brush in one hand and a register in the other, his eyes wide open, not daring to divert his attention for an instant. He was specifically tasked with recording the Ancestor’s bestowals; in the past several decades, such a dramatic manifestation had occurred only twice—the last time being twenty years ago, when Zhang Sheng entered the sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, the Ancestor’s statue gained life in its eyes, as if awakening, lowering its gaze upon the kneeling disciples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tengqiu appeared calm, but one hand instinctively gripped the cuff of his sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire statue glowed with shifting light, then a point of radiance shot from its waist and sank into Yan Ming’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This outcome left everyone stunned, including Yan’s family outside the hall. Others did not know, assuming Yan Ming was merely another disciple of Tai Chu Palace—but Yan’s own family knew well: Yan Ming was actually a disciple of the lower cavern realm, merely borrowing study privileges within Tai Chu Palace, awaiting several years before being formally enrolled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now that Yan Ming had received the Ancestor’s bestowal, it was entirely different—it was as if the Ancestor himself had chosen him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The head of the Yan family was a tall, imposing man—Yan Ming’s father. Once he realized what had happened, he nearly lost control of himself, frantically pulling a handful of pearls from his waist pouch, ready to scatter them among the crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, he snapped back to his senses: this was Tai Chu Palace, surrounded by noble families; among them, the Yan family of Donghai could not even break into the top ten, let alone the top three. If he scattered these pearls, he would offend countless houses. Thankfully, he reacted quickly enough to halt himself and quietly withdrew his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elderly Daoist recording the event saw clearly: the radiance had come from the Ancestor’s waist jade pendant. Unlike the crown, this pendant was a minor but notable magic treasure, and its bestowal was thus extraordinary. The old man made a mark beside Yan Ming’s name and murmured, “This one has good fortune in wealth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearby, several young assistant disciples had already strained their ears; upon hearing this, they quietly noted Yan Ming’s name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, two more points of light shot from the statue—the jade ring on its finger and the book in its hand—each sinking into a young boy’s body. These two items carried even greater significance, especially the book, which could enhance comprehension and proved immensely valuable in later cultivation stages for crossing Tribulation Crossing. This was true talent; the old Daoist recorded it meticulously, filling an entire page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Ancestor’s bestowal was not yet over. Amidst the crowd’s admiration, a celestial sword suddenly glowed brilliantly, its blade luminous, then a blade intent shot into Xiang Xiaoyu’s body!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the Ancestor possessed many treasures, none surpassed the four celestial swords in martial might. This blade intent was clearly heavier than the previous bestowals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The burly man slowly grinned, letting out a long laugh, then turned to Zhang Sheng: “How’s that? Is my grandson worthy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Sheng nodded seriously: “Indeed impressive. He’s only missing one celestial sword compared to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang’s smile froze on his face; every word he meant to say was cut off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He studied Zhang Sheng up and down, clicking his tongue: “No wonder they say every disciple of Tianqing Hall possesses unmatched combat prowess! If a disciple of your hall weren’t formidable, he wouldn’t survive months outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Feng Yuanjun had already produced four recipients of the Ancestor’s bestowal, yet the statue’s manifestation persisted, the onlookers began to stir. Suddenly, a beam of light shot from the statue’s third eye and sank into Bao Yun’s body!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tengqiu’s eyebrows rose sharply, his face flashing with astonishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The recording Daoist’s hand trembled, nearly dropping his brush. The third eye was the dantian of spiritual sense—the very place where one would attain True Form, one of the most vital points on the Dao body. Clearly, a bestowal originating from the statue’s third eye was no ordinary matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the old Daoist racked his memory, searching through decades of records, and could not recall anyone ever receiving such a bestowal. That meant this third-eye bestowal was likely unprecedented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bao family, discerning and well-informed, were ecstatic—even the ever-stoic elder smiled faintly while stroking his beard. Bao Yun’s bestowal was likely even more significant than Xiang Xiaoyu’s celestial sword. But whether it surpassed Zhang Sheng’s two swords was hard to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet after Bao Yun received the bestowal, the statue’s manifestation still did not fade. All eyes turned to Xiang Weiyuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among those present were many with vast influence; some knew of Feng Yuanjun’s uniqueness. Xiang Weiyuan had outshone numerous noble scions in this fiercely competitive selection, emerging victorious—clearly a prodigy of extraordinary talent. Moreover, it was widely known that Xiang Weiyuan had no family backing—he was merely from Tianqing Hall, making his top rank in the imperial examination all the more impressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus everyone was curious: what bestowal would Xiang Weiyuan receive? Would it surpass Zhang Sheng’s record from twenty years ago? If so, the master-disciple pair would become a legendary tale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, high in the void, two terrifying auras had been locked in stalemate for an unknown duration; Xiang Weiyuan’s consciousness was trapped between them, utterly motionless. The gaze from above no longer scrutinized him, but fixed upon the ancient, desolate colossus. That colossus, seemingly from another world, was now slowly drawing nearer, as if seeking a path into this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint sigh seemed to drift down from the heavens. Xiang Weiyuan’s consciousness was no longer bound—it returned to his body like a swallow flying home. All illusions vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, everyone had finished reciting their tribute texts, but since the Ancestor’s statue’s manifestation had not faded, all these disciples had to wait. When Xiang Weiyuan opened his eyes, he saw a misty gray vapor rise from the massive stone beneath the statue’s feet and sink into his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tengqiu’s face showed confusion; the recording Daoist was also startled—he could now confirm: no bestowal had ever originated from beneath the statue’s stone base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young Daoist in charge of rituals whispered to his companion: “Isn’t that stone just part of the natural ground? Could it also be part of the Ancestor’s statue?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His companion hesitated: “The statue is the statue… the foundation is the foundation… right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just the young Daoists who were puzzled—the recording Daoist himself was troubled, uncertain whether this even counted as an Ancestor’s bestowal. He knew well: the massive stone beneath the statue was not a single piece, but part of the mountain itself, with most of it extending beneath the hall’s floor tiles. In truth, the stone was part of Konggu Xuanqing; the Ancestor’s statue did not include it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet at this moment, Tengqiu seemed to recall something and suddenly declared loudly: “Six disciples from Feng Yuanjun have received the Ancestor’s bestowal! Next group!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a True Person’s pronouncement, the matter was settled. The old Daoist wrote furiously—Xiang Weiyuan was now officially recorded as a recipient of the Ancestor’s bestowal. Only when he finished the final stroke did he suddenly remember something, and his brush trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three thousand eight hundred years ago, when the Ancestor first founded Tai Chu Palace with a single sword from the west, the boundary stone he placed lay directly beneath this statue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, six disciples from Feng Yuanjun received the Ancestor’s bestowal—more than the total of the previous four major provinces. No one could now question the number of slots allocated to Feng Yuanjun; all could only marvel at the noble houses’ vast influence and far-reaching schemes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1312,"2026-06-20T03:38:27.933Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b5c315240533e405e17d9b41120f776efd2f9f4f85f8b471472b17e8004d385d","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-34","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-32",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-lies-hidden-cover.jpg"]