"Go in." As he entered the Seven Treasures Hall, Luo Kang stopped before a formation gate and looked at Li Xuan.
Li Xuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly and strode in.
"I hope my feeling is not wrong." As Li Xuan entered the formation gate, Luo Kang whispered to himself for a moment before waiting on the spot.
Li Xuan, who had entered the formation gate, frowned as he looked at the chaotic scene around him. This vast expanse held no trace of life.
The next moment, Li Xuan, as Luo Kang had instructed, spread his divine sense in all directions.
Time quietly slipped away. After a few minutes, Li Xuan's eyes suddenly snapped open. In his recent perception, Li Xuan had indeed sensed that trace of a waking sign. However, just as Li Xuan was about to establish contact, he was instantly repelled by an invisible force.
"Young master, relying solely on divine sense to communicate with this unparalleled treasure won't work," the Heavenly Dao Brush's voice suddenly sounded in Li Xuan's mind.
Li Xuan's heart stirred and he immediately asked, "What else is needed?"
The Heavenly Dao Brush replied, "Young master, although this artifact spirit is still in a dormant state, it is still an unparalleled treasure. If it were in its peak condition, your divine sense would never be able to penetrate. It is evident that this artifact spirit is injured. Once you heal it, it will wake up."
"Heal it... Little Brush, you mean relying on Xiaobai?" Li Xuan pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up.
If there was any spiritual entity in this world that it cared about, it would likely be the Spirit Ancestor Xiaobai. After all, obtaining Xiaobai's good fortune could break through one's own limitations and reach a higher level.
"Do you think you can heal the injuries of this unparalleled treasure's artifact spirit by yourself?" the Heavenly Dao Brush retorted.
Li Xuan: "..."
Having found a method, Li Xuan directly summoned Xiaobai. The moment Xiaobai appeared, Li Xuan instantly felt the waking life force tremble in response.
"Big Brother, are we saving it?" Xiaobai tilted its head and asked Li Xuan.
Li Xuan stroked Xiaobai's head and nodded, "Xiaobai, Big Brother needs it right now."
Xiaobai nodded understandingly, then raised its small hand, and a strand of Primordial Violet Qi floated out.
"Big Brother, I'll go chat with it," Xiaobai said, and its figure instantly disappeared from its spot. Li Xuan was startled but could only wait where he was.
A few minutes later, two figures quickly arrived before Li Xuan. The former was naturally Xiaobai, while a man who looked about twenty years old stood respectfully behind Xiaobai.
"Big Brother, it's done," Xiaobai said to Li Xuan with a smile.
Li Xuan nodded happily and then looked at the man.
"Xiaobao, this is my Big Brother. From now on, you will follow my Big Brother," Seeing the man remain silent for a long time, Xiaobai frowned and spoke.
"Xiaobao greets the master." As if sensing Xiaobai's displeasure, Xiaobao quickly bowed to Li Xuan and called out.
Li Xuan smiled and waved his hand, naturally understanding that Xiaobai, as an unparalleled treasure, had its own pride. If it weren't for Xiaobai, it wouldn't have appeared before him.
After all, Li Xuan's current strength was truly insignificant in front of Xiaobai.
"You don't have to be like this. Helping you awaken was also for the sake of the Seventh Peak. The Seventh Peak is now in decline and needs you. Currently, Luo Kang, my master, is in charge of the Seventh Peak, so you should follow my master's arrangements." Li Xuan spoke.
"Yes." Xiaobao looked at Xiaobai, and seeing that the latter had no intention of acknowledging him, he immediately agreed.
"Alright, I will let Master come in later." Li Xuan nodded, then looked at Xiaobai and said, "Xiaobai, let's go."
As Li Xuan spoke, he moved his thoughts, and Xiaobai instantly entered the Zhenyu.
"So fast? Li Xuan, did you fail?" As Li Xuan came out, Luo Kang's expression tensed, and he quickly asked.
Li Xuan smiled and said, "Master, the artifact spirit has awakened. However, it did not recognize me as its master, but wants to follow you. Therefore, Master, this Seven Treasures Hall must still be handed over to you."
"Wants to follow me?" Luo Kang frowned upon hearing this.
Li Xuan nodded and smiled, "Master, you'll know when you go in. Alright Master, now that the Seven Treasures Hall has completely awakened, our Seventh Peak can be considered to have a backbone. I will go find Senior Brothers to learn about the Spirit Dragon Empowerment, to avoid any problems later."
"This... alright, you go find Song Wuwen and the others to learn about it." Luo Kang hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Disciple takes his leave." Li Xuan bowed and then turned to leave.
As Li Xuan left, Luo Kang looked at the formation gate for a few moments before taking a deep breath and walking in.
"Fifth Junior Brother, let's drink and chat," in the Peach Blossom Garden, Song Wuwen clapped open a jar of mud, and a rich peach fragrance wafted out.
Li Xuan sniffed it, and his stomach rumbled with desire. He nodded and sat down cross-legged.
Song Wuwen took out two stone bowls, filled them with wine, and handed them to Li Xuan. "Here, Fifth Junior Brother, this cup of wine is for me to thank you for reaching the top ten in the disciple sparring match and safeguarding our Seventh Peak. Here's to us!"
"Good!" Li Xuan nodded and then picked up the stone bowl and drank it down in one gulp.
"Haha, refreshing! Now that we've had our drink, Senior Brother will tell you about the Spirit Dragon Pool," Seeing Li Xuan finish the wine in one gulp, Song Wuwen laughed heartily and nodded.
Li Xuan immediately sat up straight, looking as if he was listening attentively.
Song Wuwen didn't seem to mind and continued, "In the Spirit Dragon Pool, there are Spirit Dragons of various sizes, ranging from a hundred zhang to three hundred zhang, five hundred zhang, and even a thousand zhang. As for the thousand-zhang Spirit Dragons, they have rarely appeared."
"The size of the Spirit Dragon determines the amount of reward. And each person can only choose one Spirit Dragon for empowerment. Of course, to receive a greater reward, one must rely on their own strength. Therefore, the Spirit Dragon Pool is also another competition."
Li Xuan nodded, understanding the competition in the Spirit Dragon Pool.
"Fourth Senior Brother, I'm a bit curious, what level of Spirit Dragon did you and Senior Brother choose back then?" Li Xuan thought for a moment and then asked Song Wuwen.
"Back then, my strength and that of Senior Brother and the others were only at the intermediate level of the Free and Unfettered Realm. As you know, we don't like to compete, so the Spirit Dragons we chose were only four hundred zhang in size."
"However, if Senior Brother had fully competed back then, he could have contended for a five-hundred-zhang Spirit Dragon."
Song Wuwen naturally knew Li Xuan's intentions and replied.
"I understand," Li Xuan's eyes flashed with thought, and he nodded.
"Yes, Fifth Junior Brother, as your Senior Brother, I must remind you of one more thing. You have some grievances with Qiu Shaolong of the Third Peak, and we are all aware of it. In normal circumstances, we could protect you without worry. But in the Spirit Dragon Pool, competing for a Spirit Dragon is within the rules."
"And with your current strength, you are definitely no match for Qiu Shaolong. Therefore, Senior Brother hopes that you will know how to endure within the Spirit Dragon Pool." Song Wuwen nodded and continued.
"Senior Brother, don't worry, I have my own plans. However, Elder Liu Taiyuan also said that one can enter the Spirit Dragon Pool for Spirit Dragon Empowerment within a month. Why do I have to start entering tomorrow?"
Li Xuan felt warmth in his heart, knowing what Song Wuwen was worried about. He thought for a moment, then looked at Song Wuwen again and asked.
Song Wuwen chuckled, "Fifth Junior Brother, you wouldn't know this. Although the Spirit Dragon Pool will be open for a month, if you go late, those larger Spirit Dragons will naturally be taken by others."
"By then, you might not even be able to find a Spirit Dragon of three hundred zhang, or even two hundred zhang. Although we are all worried that you might be squeezed out by the disciples of the Third Peak and Qiu Shaolong, we also hope that you will do your best to contend for your own opportunities."
Li Xuan's eyes flashed with realization, and he nodded. He then picked up the stone bowl and said, "Fourth Senior Brother, thank you. Here, this bowl of wine is from your Junior Brother."
"Good! Fifth Junior Brother, don't worry. Although there can be competition in the Spirit Dragon Pool, you cannot kill anyone. You can rest assured about this. Even if Qiu Shaolong wants to make things difficult for you, he wouldn't dare to kill you. Otherwise, he will be expelled from the sect."
"Also, Senior Brother will accompany you tomorrow. After you absorb the Spirit Dragon, you can come out." Song Wuwen saw this, also picked up the stone bowl, and after speaking, he drank it down.
The next day, when Song Wuwen brought Li Xuan to the main peak of the Azure Hall, Li Xuan was astonished.
The main peak of the Azure Hall was hidden in mid-air, several times larger than the seven peaks of the Azure Hall. Moreover, Li Xuan discovered that what he was seeing was not the entirety of the Azure Hall's main peak.
"Don't be surprised. When we first came to the Azure Hall's main peak, we were pretty much like you. However, only the peak masters of the six peaks and the sect leader reside on the main peak. The disciples of the seven peaks cannot enter the main peak unless they are summoned.
"If it weren't for bringing you to the Spirit Dragon Pool, I probably wouldn't have had a second chance to come to the main peak in my life. Alright, let's go."
Seeing Li Xuan's expression, Song Wuwen smiled and then pulled Li Xuan's figure, flying rapidly towards the Azure Hall's main peak.
"From the looks of it, it's not just us who have come. It seems all the disciples who entered the top ten have arrived, right?"
As they landed on the mountainside of the Azure Hall's main peak, Li Xuan saw many disciples.
A rough estimate showed no less than several dozen people. Clearly, every disciple who entered the top ten had received some news about the Spirit Dragon Pool and wanted to enter it as soon as possible to contend for opportunities.
"Fifth Junior Brother, don't worry. The Spirit Dragon Pool is vast. It's very difficult to encounter someone. So, you just need to do your best to choose a suitable Spirit Dragon to suppress and then accept the empowerment."
"Once you begin the Spirit Dragon Empowerment, you will also receive the protection of the Spirit Dragon Pool, and others will not be able to sense your presence," Song Wuwen said with a smile.
Li Xuan nodded, and then his gaze moved to a huge monument.
On it were inscribed the words "Spirit Dragon Pool." Beside this monument, as a golden light flashed, an old man slowly appeared before everyone.
"This person is the guardian elder of the Spirit Dragon Pool, named Elder Yulong. Elder Yulong is not good with words, but he is extremely fair. Having Elder Yulong preside over this competition for you is actually giving you a fair chance. Fifth Junior Brother, from now on, it will depend on yourself."
As Elder Yulong appeared, Song Wuwen whispered his introduction.
"Since you are all here, enter with your tokens. Opportunities depend on your own means, but whoever maliciously kills another will be expelled from our Azure Hall."
Elder Yulong glanced at everyone, then waved his hand. The Spirit Dragon Pool monument lit up with a golden light, and a formation gate made of spiritual energy appeared.
As this formation gate appeared, many of the top ten disciples immediately took out their tokens and flashed inside, disappearing instantly.
Li Xuan saw this, took out his token, and then said to Song Wuwen, "Fourth Senior Brother, I'm going."
Song Wuwen nodded and said, "Go with peace of mind, Senior Brother will wait for you here."
Li Xuan nodded, then moved his figure, shooting into the formation gate and disappearing.