Dragon Tamer

“Don’t mention it, that remark of yours actually reminds me of some youthful affairs.”

“Our Family Door encountered a catastrophe, the kind where all the members of the clan were conscripted into the army. I went to ask your grandfather what to do, and he appeared very calm, even continuing to drink his tea. Thus, I asked your grandfather expectantly if our family had a powerful figure behind us, someone who could hold up the sky even if it were to fall. Your grandfather nodded.” Zhu Heavenly Officer gestured to the chair beside him, motioning Zhu Minglang to sit down.

Zhu Minglang sat down, facing the open Ping Lake, watching the cold moon reflected in the lake, and seeing several Charming Shadows fluttering on the opposite shore.

“So, does our family truly have such a powerful figure behind us?” Zhu Minglang asked.

“We do, but that figure did not show up during that disaster. Consequently, many in our clan were drafted, and I ended up in the Imperial Dynasty’s army, spending days in front of a huge furnace forging weapons for the army. For three full years, I did not see the sun, but I mastered unparalleled casting art,” Zhu Heavenly Officer said.

“Eh…” Zhu Minglang did not know what to say for a moment.

...

“When I returned to Zhu Gate, your grandfather told me that the powerful figure was not unwilling to help but wanted to temper our generation. A life of smooth sailing is actually dangerous. I believed him, after all, I had obtained the most superior casting art on the continent, and all the sects, big and small, became dependent on us. Even your mother, who is as pure and unworldly as a fairy, was impressed by my talent,” Zhu Heavenly Officer explained.

“Have you ever felt that grandfather was deceiving you?” Zhu Minglang asked.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. What felt like a sky-collapsing calamity at the time can now be resolved with just a few words. In the years that followed, I have encountered crises that are ten or even a hundred times more terrifying, and yet I have still managed to overcome them. Of course, I always believed that your grandfather is a trustworthy person. If our Family Door truly faced extinction and I had done all that I could but it wasn’t enough to solve the problem, surely a Heavenly God who would shock the world would descend to fight mightily for Zhu Gate,” Zhu Heavenly Officer said, gazing at the calm lake with a serene expression.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen someone describe giving up so eloquently,” Zhu Minglang commented.

“…” Zhu Heavenly Officer gave an embarrassed smile.

“The Jade Blood Sword, was it forged by you?” Zhu Minglang inquired.

“That’s right, to the outside world, it was said to be your grandfather’s work, but in fact, I was the one who forged it. With that sword, which was hailed as The Best Sword in the World, I turned our clan’s fortunes around, and Zhu Gate rose from an eighteenth-tier clan to become one of the Six Great Clans. The Jade Blood Sword, that was my third most satisfying work,” Zhu Heavenly Officer said with a touch of pride.

“Third??” Zhu Minglang expressed his surprise.

“The second one is the Silver Chuan Sword, the one in your mother’s hands. She is the youngest and most powerful Sword Master of Miao Kingdom, and I am the most outstanding of the Supreme Court…” Zhu Heavenly Officer continued.

“Okay, okay, no need to dwell on the past. With each telling, the story changes. I think she was with you probably just interested in your craftsmanship rather than you personally,” Zhu Minglang said.

“You don’t understand.”

“And the first one?” Zhu Minglang asked, curious.

Zhu Minglang had not expected the Jade Blood Sword, which Elder Jing Lin and the Chief Guardian called The Best Sword in the World, to be ranked only third among Zhu Heavenly Officer’s creations.

It seemed that his father, who exuded an aura of unreliability from head to toe, indeed had true skills; it was just that his solemnity, which was beyond the reach of others, was easily overshadowed by his various irresponsible antics.

“The first one…,” Zhu Heavenly Officer smiled but did not say.

Zhu Minglang was very anxious.

The reputation of the Jade Blood Sword was already enormously loud. Zhu Minglang urgently wanted to obtain it as Dragon Food for his Sword Spirit Dragon, which had not eaten a good Sword in a while.

If there was an even more powerful sword than the Jade Blood Sword, the strength of the Sword Spirit Dragon could be greatly enhanced, making him capable of contending with the Sparrow Wolf God after the Sword Awakening.

“Do you want the Jade Blood Sword?” Zhu Heavenly Officer seemed to see Zhu Minglang’s little schemes.

“If that thing falls into the hands of the Sparrow Wolf God, he might recover his Divine form,” Zhu Minglang said.

“Why are you beating around the bush with me? Just tell your dad whether you want the Jade Blood Sword or not,” Zhu Heavenly Officer stated.

“I used to want it, but now I want the number one sword that you forged even more,” Zhu Minglang responded without any courtesy.

“That will be difficult,” Zhu Heavenly Officer said.

“Then how about this, including the Jade Blood Sword, I want all the swords you’ve ranked from tenth to third!” Zhu Minglang declared.

“Are you trying to trick me?”

“Isn’t that what you told me, not to beat around the bush??”

…

Following Zhu Heavenly Officer to the Sword Casting Hall of the Zhu Clan Inner Court, Zhu Minglang was also somewhat fanatical about swords, especially due to the uniqueness of the Sword Spirit Dragon. He could almost collect all the famous swords in the world and infuse their Sword Souls into his Sword Spirit Dragon.

Frankly, Zhu Gate was the perfect nutrition warehouse for the Sword Spirit Dragon. As long as the right opportunity came to open the storage, the Sword Spirit Dragon could leap several ranks in succession!

Now, Zhu Gate was also at its most dangerous stage. Zhu Heavenly Officer and the Zhu Clan Inner Court would no longer have much to hold back. They had consolidated all their resources early on, preparing for this day.

“Everyone in the world admires cultivation, constantly striving to elevate themselves above all else. Only our Zhu Clan specializes in the art of casting. I dare say that even in the Tianshu God Domain, there are no casting masters like us,” Zhu Heavenly Officer said as he walked towards the hall, speaking to Zhu Minglang.

The several shadow guardians that had followed from the forest also came along but stood in places out of Zhu Minglang’s line of sight.

Zhu Minglang suspected that these three strongmen had always been guarding Zhu Heavenly Officer’s side; it was just that his own cultivation base had been too low in the past to detect their presence.

“You have never been to Tianshu, so how do you know there are none in the Tianshu God Domain?” Zhu Minglang asked.

“To be human is to have enough confidence in oneself. I don’t care whether they exist or not, I’ll say this before I see it, so what!” Zhu Heavenly Officer replied.

Alright then, shamelessness is everything.

“Dawn is approaching,” Zhu Minglang said, glancing at the high window, the faint morning light gradually dispelling the darkness, and the nocturnal creatures had already started to flee one after another.

“It’s fine,” Zhu Heavenly Officer answered.

“There are fewer guards in the inner court than I expected. Where are those elders, servants, seniors, and defenders?” Zhu Minglang felt puzzled and perplexed.

From the outside to the inner court, Zhu Minglang didn’t feel the Zhu Clan Inner Court had the impression of being heavily guarded.

From the Lakeside Study to the Sword Casting Hall, Zhu Minglang did not see many strongmen, apart from the three guardians by Zhu Heavenly Officer’s side.

The Zhu Clan seems quite empty.

Isn’t it the leader of the Six Great Clans?

Even the Royal Family would suffer greatly if they tried to annihilate the Zhu Clan, so why does it seem, from what I’ve seen on this journey, that the Zhu Clan doesn’t have the foundation that befits the leader of the clans?

“Let’s first focus on the matter of the sword, and call out your Sword Spirit Dragon,” Zhu Heavenly Officer said.

Zhu Minglang opened the Spirit Realm and the Sword Spirit Dragon flew out, quietly floating behind Zhu Minglang, as if it were carried on his back. No matter where Zhu Minglang went, it maintained a distance where he could easily draw the sword with his hand.

“Mo Ye relies on devouring other swords to improve its cultivation base,” Zhu Minglang said.

“Hmm. Because of the things I have experienced myself, I always felt that a truly good sword needs tempering. I have the same attitude towards you. With the wealth of our clan, we could indeed turn you into a Peak King-level strongman, but I would rather you master the ability of how to become stronger. Even if one day you far surpass the realms we cannot touch, without our support, you will not get lost. You will be able to find your own path,” Zhu Heavenly Officer said.

While saying these words, Zhu Heavenly Officer led Zhu Minglang towards the underground of the Sword Casting Hall!

Zhu Minglang had grown so much and only now did he learn that there were several layers beneath the Sword Casting Hall!

Each layer below the Sword Casting Hall was lined with numerous Holy Goods for casting, not just swords. The armor there was unlike anything Zhu Minglang had ever seen, capable of rivaling the Gold Scales on a dragon’s body!

Layer by layer, each one overturned Zhu Minglang’s perception of the Zhu Clan and his understanding of Zhu Heavenly Officer!

It felt like the most luxurious, most powerful, and most expensive castings of the entire Supreme Court were all here; this place was a veritable casting treasury of the Supreme Court, any layer’s collection could sustain a major force that dominated the Supreme Court!

“A very long time ago, our ancestors discovered some extraordinary divine items on the continent, but they didn’t know how to unleash the powerful forces within these divine items. It wasn’t until your grandfather discovered the existence of Inscriptions that our casting art took a qualitative leap. However, because of this discovery, our clan met with some disasters and declined before we could fully develop the Inscriptions,” Zhu Heavenly Officer spoke.

“The Inscriptions I mentioned to you before are a kind of Divine Power release,” he continued.

“During the years I was exiled, I kept researching how to release the Divine Power from divine items and finally mastered Inscription engraving… endowing those cold irons with unparalleled power.”

“We had this Neon Sea Blood Jade in our stores for a long time, and for generations, no one knew what to do with it; we couldn’t even smelt it. It was I who summoned heavenly fire, forged it into a sword, and unleashed the powerful Divine Blood Inscription contained within the blood jade.”

“At that time, I was still very young and feared that going public with it would cause a great sensation in the Supreme Court, so I have always said that it was your grandfather who cast it. Because of this sword, your grandfather perished in the ensuing disputes.”

“To possess a jade but invite trouble—our Zhu Clan itself has not many cultivators, and before we were strong enough, we were easily subjugated by others. Therefore, I have always acted low-key for many years.”

Hearing the words “act low-key,” Zhu Minglang always felt there was something odd about them.

You see, when I was wandering in Wutu, the Zhu Clan was the last of the Six Great Clans. On returning, the Zhu Clan became the leader of the Six Great Clans—is that called acting low-key?

The rise was simply too rapid, and I even publicly killed a member of the Royal Family without any repercussions.

“You can go down to the last layer by yourself, there will be what you want,” Zhu Heavenly Officer didn’t accompany Zhu Minglang down, but pointed to the long underground stone stairs.

“It should be light by now,” Zhu Minglang said.

“Your temperament has become as firm as mine, and it’s not a bad thing to help it grow appropriately. The reserves inside should be enough for your Sword Spirit Dragon to reach the Peak. Go ahead,” Zhu Heavenly Officer patted Zhu Minglang, signaling that he didn’t need to worry about the arrival of dawn, he only needed to wholeheartedly accept the “Precious Teachings” of the Zhu Clan.

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