Don't Mess with That Dragon-Chapter 566 - 016 "Protagonist

Time flies by.

The battle on the outskirts of the Luoyan Mountain Range continues to spread within the Cultivation Realm of Sanshui; the repercussions have yet to settle.

The Plum Blossom Sect, silent for years, has suddenly gained immense fame.

It now completely possesses the qualifications to stand alongside the other four major sects.

Moreover, the Plum Blossom Sect Leader Zhuge Minghai’s achievement of slaying Void Realm enemies with his Sea of Qi, along with the glory of the Plum Blossom Sect’s three heroes, is sure to attract many martial artists.

It can be imagined that by next year, many wealthy children will be ready to undergo assessments to join the Plum Blossom Sect.

The sect’s prosperity is close at hand.

However, during these days, Sect Leader Zhuge Minghai has not reappeared, instead, he has been in seclusion for cultivation to stabilize his realm and power.

The experiences of these years have further clarified to Zhuge Minghai that,

only strength is the foundation of everything.

Half a month later, Zhuge Minghai thoroughly stabilizes his realm in the Void Realm and leads the Plum Blossom Sect disciples to continue their sweep on the outskirts of the Luoyan Mountain Range.

This time,

Zhuge Minghai’s power has significantly improved, with Plum Blossom Divination and Celestial Secret Calculation reaching new heights.

Using Celestial Secret to find where opportunities lie and hidden dangers, he effortlessly and accurately identifies one demon beast nest after another, drawing a detailed map and seizing vast resources on the extensive outskirts of the Luoyan Mountain Range.

With the abundant resource supply, the sect disciples’ strength rises rapidly.

The entire Plum Blossom Sect is filled with strong vitality.

Hope for rising is in sight.

However, Zhuge Minghai remains cautious.

He remembers well the thoughts of the Profound Moon Sword Sect before the Plum Blossom Sect’s decline, wanting the five sects to merge and unify the cultivation realm of Sanshui County.

Despite having ascended to the Void Realm himself,

the Profound Moon Sword Sect holds three Void Realm masters within its doors.

Even Zhuge Minghai, when faced with the siege of top sect Void Realm masters of three or more, might not escape with his life.

Therefore,

while venturing out, he remains extremely vigilant.

He does not believe for a moment that the attack by Master Zihuai was merely accidental.

It is very possible that the Profound Moon Sword Sect played a role in it.

Luckily,

in the next few months,

no other incidents occur, allowing Zhuge Minghai to feel slightly reassured.

After a few months, whether Zhuge Minghai’s strength or the disciples’ power under him, both receive significant enhancements.

Facing the alliance leader of the five sects, he now has a certain level of confidence.

...

Just when Plum Blossom Sect Leader Zhuge Minghai leads the elite disciples to guard Luoyan City,

a servant cleaning the Ancestral Hall picks up an ordinary stone ring that had fallen into a corner.

The servant feels puzzled,

but inexplicably decides to pick up the stone ring and put it in his pocket.

Then continues cleaning.

A few days later, the servant heads to a nearby market gathering to buy things. He happens to meet an acquaintance who runs a stall and has an urgent matter to attend to, asking the servant to watch over the stall for a while.

The servant does not refuse.

The stall has an assortment of items.

There are demon beast materials and some odd jars supposedly dug out of a relic.

Falling into thought, the servant suddenly remembers the stone ring he picked up in the Ancestral Hall.

Takes it out to fiddle with.

The market is bustling with people coming and going.

A martial artist who just began body refinement passes by, haggling for a bottle of low-grade demon beast blood to use for body tempering.

During the transaction, the servant inadvertently places the stone ring on the stall.

After a while, the stall owner returns,

shows great gratitude to the servant. They chat for a bit before separating with words about treating to a meal next time.

And as for the stone ring,

the servant forgets about it.

The stall owner, with an extra ordinary stone ring on the stall, also does not mind or perhaps does not notice the extra object.

The market continues bustling.

Many pass by the stall, and the stone ring doesn’t show any signs of movement.

Until several days later when a middle-aged martial artist purchases items at the stall, Austin of the Plum Blossom Sect suddenly feels a stirring within him.

A sense of celestial secret.

Having cultivated Plum Blossom Divination to a profound realm, Austin can now develop a sort of instinct.

Could it be an opportunity has arrived?

Remains calm.

His vision twists and settles on the stone ring.

A faint shimmer appears on the stone ring.

Gazing at the middle-aged martial artist in front of the stall, Austin’s eyes light up.

"A celestial secret sense... perhaps my plan involves this person."

Such feelings in the depths of the mind,

are incredibly mysterious.

Even though Austin has elevated Plum Blossom Divination to this degree, he cannot surely know every detail.

But, following the intuition,

he trusts there won’t be an issue.

Thus, a wave of invisible spiritual power spreads without the stall owner and middle-aged martial artist noticing.

The middle-aged martial artist feels a slight cloudiness,

and his gaze falls upon the stone ring in the corner of the stall.

With a hint of interest.

Hence, the stone ring becomes an add-on to his purchases, ending up in his hands.

The middle-aged martial artist is a junior instructor at a small martial arts hall in the north city.

On the way back to the hall, he idly fiddles with the stone ring but finds it contains nothing remarkable.

Soon losing patience,

he carelessly tosses it to the ground.

At this moment, a simply dressed boy of about fourteen who works as a sweeper is busily tidying up leaves on the martial arts hall’s grounds. The stone ring thrown by the middle-aged instructor bounces several times to the boy’s feet.

"Huh?"

The boy feels puzzled.

Looking around,

the middle-aged martial artist’s figure is now only a silhouette, disappearing inside the hall.

He bends down and picks up the stone ring.

Inspects it carefully.

An ordinary stone ring, nothing magical about it.

Yet, to the penniless martial hall boy, even the most useless item is something of value.

This stone ring may not have any use,

but perhaps can fetch a couple of copper coins.

So, he keeps it.

Continues sweeping.

Cleaning, wiping surfaces, clearing debris left by martial arts apprentices during training.

Throughout, a martial arts apprentice kicks and mocks him, laughing heartily.

Many at the martial hall are wealthy family offspring of ill repute.

These people have flawed characters, delight in bullying the weak.

The boy, accustomed to enduring harassment, curls up protectively on the ground, shielding vital areas.

It’s a survival instinct honed through countless beatings.

After a hard day’s labor, he returns late to a secluded corner of the martial hall, a room resembling a dog kennel.

Too exhausted.

Wants to lie down and sleep.

But the boy doesn’t forget the stone ring he came across today.

Retrieves a worn box from under the straw bed, carefully placing all his treasures together.