Myriad Dragon Divine Sovereign

Wen Qingye took out a Black Pearl. Gathering Primordial Qi in his fingertips, he slowly crushed the pearl into a fine powder that collected in the palm of his hand.

Once crushed, the powder immediately turned a deep purple.

Wen Qingye gently applied the powder to Zhang Xiaoyun’s face. The moment it touched her skin, a searing pain shot through her, as if she were being burned by fire. But Zhang Xiaoyun clenched her jaw, refusing to make a sound. A moment later, a trickle of blood seeped from between her teeth.

Wen Qingye was well aware of the Black Pearl’s properties. Once it touched human skin, it would burn relentlessly like a scorching fire. Few could endure such agony.

”Xiaoyun, bite my arm,” Wen Qingye said, holding it out to her.

Zhang Xiaoyun glanced at Wen Qingye, wrapped both hands around his arm, and then gently set her teeth on his skin.

Wen Qingye smiled. ”It’s fine. I’m tough. It won’t hurt even if you bite down with all your might.”

Even so, Zhang Xiaoyun still didn’t bite down with any real force. After a moment, perhaps because the pain became too intense, tears began to stream from the corners of her eyes. She still refused to bite him.

Wen Qingye quickly finished applying the powder, spreading it evenly across her face. Zhang Xiaoyun’s cheeks slowly began to turn red.

Her expression grew more and more pained, and Wen Qingye could feel her grip on his arm tightening.

”So hot!” Zhang Xiaoyun forced two words through her gritted teeth.

”It’ll be over soon. Don’t worry,” Wen Qingye said, his brow furrowed as he watched her face.

Zhang Xiaoyun just hummed in response. ”Mm.”

Suddenly, a ball of red light erupted from Zhang Xiaoyun’s cheeks, and an intensely scorching heat radiated outward.

Wen Qingye’s whole body jolted. He quickly circulated his Primordial Qi to resist the intense heat.

At the same time, everyone in Phoenix City felt as if the temperature beneath the ground was steadily rising, with waves of heat surging through the earth.

The people of Phoenix City could all feel it, but none of them knew what was happening or why the temperature was climbing.

Wen Qingye watched the red light flickering beside Zhang Xiaoyun’s cheek. It seemed to take the shape of a bird, and he thought in shock, ’A Phoenix!’

An Ancient Divine Bird, a Phoenix!

After the long age of Chaos, at the dawn of the new epoch, during the desolate ancient era, the Demon Emperor ruled the heavens and the earth. Appearing during the same period, one of the first Divine Beasts was the Feathered Phoenix. Its entire body blazes with the Nine Flavors of Solar Fire, and because of its ability to be reborn from flames, it is also known as the Fire Phoenix. The Phoenix is a magnificent bird, hailed as the king of all avian life for its song and grace. It brings auspicious fortune to the mortal realm and possesses a unique spiritual nature: it will perch only on the parasol tree, eat only the seeds of bamboo, and drink only from the sweetest springs.

Of the Phoenixes, the male is the *Feng* and the female is the *Huang*.

Seeing this pattern, Wen Qingye was stunned. This kind of Divine Bird no longer existed, not even in the Immortal Realm. He had only seen its descendant, the Vermilion Bird, a long, long time ago. To think that an Ancient Divine Bird would appear here... Looking at Zhang Xiaoyun’s face, he finally understood.

A wisp of a Desolate Ancient Divine Phoenix’s Primordial Spirit had invaded Zhang Xiaoyun’s body. But she was merely a mortal. How could she possibly withstand a trace of a Divine Bird’s Divine Soul? That was why the scar had appeared on her face.

Just then, the red light slowly dissipated. The scar on Zhang Xiaoyun’s cheek remained, but it had faded considerably, now looking more like a series of light scratches.

At that moment, Zhang Xiaoyun’s features became clearer. With the scar diminished, her appearance had changed dramatically. From her facial contours alone, Wen Qingye could sense a beauty that could stun the world. Though some blemishes remained, her appearance still left him slightly astonished.

Wen Qingye knew that the wisp of Primordial Spirit still resided within Zhang Xiaoyun’s body. With his current level of cultivation, he was unable to perform certain Secret Techniques. He also lacked a stalk of Innate Grass, the only thing that could completely remove the scar from her face.

Zhang Xiaoyun’s eyelashes fluttered. After a moment, realizing the pain in her cheek had subsided, she slowly opened her eyes. When she saw the row of bloody teeth marks she’d left on Wen Qingye’s arm, her heart clenched. ”Does it hurt badly?” she asked, her voice filled with remorse. ”I’ll go get some medicinal herbs.”

Zhang Xiaoyun started to get up, intending to fetch the herbs from her room.

”There’s no need. It’ll be fine in a moment,” Wen Qingye said, taking her soft hand.

Wen Qingye picked up the nearby Copper Mirror. ”Take a look in this.”

Zhang Xiaoyun looked at him, then took the Copper Mirror. As she gazed at her reflection, her voice caught in her throat. ”It’s... it’s really so much better.”

”Yes. It will get better. Everything will be all right,” Wen Qingye said with a smile.

Zhang Xiaoyun suddenly threw her arms around Wen Qingye, sobbing. ”Mm, I know. With you here, everything will be all right. It will be.”

Wen Qingye gently wiped the tears from her face. He didn’t say a word, simply holding her close.

.....

「Two days later.」

Wen Qingye was traveling to Qig Mountain Academy alone, having left Yunshan in Xiaoyun’s care.

In the end, Wen Qingye hadn’t been able to completely remove Zhang Xiaoyun’s scar. However, now that he understood the cause, his mind was somewhat at ease.

A wisp of the Ancient Divine Bird’s Primordial Spirit had invaded her body. Wen Qingye knew that if it could be properly harnessed, the benefits to Zhang Xiaoyun would be immeasurable.

Wen Qingye knew of Secret Techniques that could guide the spirit to merge with one’s own Divine Soul. However, he felt he currently lacked the power to perform them; after all, his cultivation was too low. He decided that the next time he returned, he would merge the Phoenix’s Divine Soul with Zhang Xiaoyun’s.

Wen Qingye walked slowly out of the courtyard gate. His steps faltered for a moment, and his heart skipped a beat. After a brief pause, he continued on his way.

At that exact moment, a figure appeared in the doorway. It was Zhang Xiaoyun, leaning against the doorframe, her gaze fixed on Wen Qingye’s back as he walked away. She watched him, unblinking, as if afraid he would notice her. She just didn’t want to give him too many attachments to worry about.

How could Wen Qingye not have sensed her presence?

It was as if he could see those beautiful eyes, eyes filled with an endless, longing gaze.

’When I return, I will definitely cure you completely,’ Wen Qingye thought to himself. At once, his pace quickened, and he strode forward.

An unknown amount of time passed. Wen Qingye’s figure had long since vanished from sight, but Zhang Xiaoyun still didn’t go back inside, standing there transfixed.

.......

Three more days passed. Wen Qingye had arrived at the foot of North Mountain. The thatched cottage was still there. He looked up at the peak of North Mountain, a question forming in his mind, ’Why is North Mountain occupied by Demon Beasts, yet Qig Mountain Academy does nothing?’

”What are you thinking about?”

A voice suddenly spoke from behind him. Wen Qingye couldn’t help but turn to see who it was. It was Lil Ya.

Lil Ya chuckled. ”Curious about what’s going on with North Mountain, are you?”

Wen Qingye nodded. ”I am.”

Lil Ya burst into a hearty laugh. ”Hahaha! I knew you would be. Three days. I’ll give you the answer in three days.”

Lil Ya continued, ”Tomorrow is the Inner Courtyard assessment. The term of study is three years, just like the Outer Courtyard. The assessment shouldn’t be difficult for you, but you can’t let your guard down. Also...”

Lil Ya hesitated for a moment before continuing. ”You need to be careful of the conflict in the Inner Courtyard. The competition for resources among students is far more intense. It’s not uncommon for students to come to blows over them. New students are usually bullied to some extent. The Inner Courtyard isn’t like the Outer Courtyard. Some of the students there are incredibly strong, and their family backing is formidable. Even some of the instructors have to give them face.”

Wen Qingye nodded but said nothing.

Seeing the silent Wen Qingye, Lil Ya grew even more concerned. The quieter he was, the more worried Lil Ya became. ’With his fiery personality, he definitely won’t take humiliation lying down,’ he thought. ’Ah, well. Maybe a little pressure will be a good thing for him.’

Lil Ya asked, ”Do you know why Qig Mountain Academy operates on an eight-year cycle? In fact, all academies in the Celestial Martial Country do.”