Ten Thousand Dragons Technique-Chapter 237: Celestial King’s Collapse

Inside the lava, the Celestial King’s body radiated a brilliant light as he charged in like a War God. At last, he found the Clear Lotus Earth Core Fire and reached out to grab it. But just then, the entire Flame Mountain trembled violently. The flames within the mountain coalesced, transforming into a Fire Dragon that coiled around the Clear Lotus Earth Core Fire. The Fire Dragon roared, blasting the Celestial King back.

The Celestial King’s pupils constricted. What’s going on? How is there a Fire Dragon here?

Unwilling to give up, he attacked with wild abandon. However, this Fire Dragon had been created by the big black dog using an Array that absorbed the power of the entire Flame Mountain. This was the force of heaven and earth itself; no matter how powerful the Celestial King was, he was no match for it. Before long, he was sent flying.

BOOM!

The Celestial King shot out of the lava and landed back on the shore.

"Father, how did it go?" the Little Celestial King asked excitedly.

"Damn it!" the Celestial King growled. "There’s a Guardian Beast down there, a powerful Fire Dragon! I couldn’t defeat it."

What? Upon hearing this, the Little Celestial King was completely dumbfounded. How could this be? The surrounding elders were also stupefied, as they hadn’t sensed any Guardian Beast before.

A Fire Dragon? Could it be a real Divine Beast? The elders were terrified at the thought.

The Celestial King’s brow was furrowed tightly. "It shouldn’t be a real dragon. It feels like an Array, a condensed Fire Dragon Illusion." Damn it, how is there an Array here?

The Celestial King was on the verge of madness. He had never expected this! With the Fire Dragon Illusion in the way, it was impossible for him to obtain the Clear Lotus Earth Core Fire.

How could things have turned out this way? The Little Celestial King was even more devastated. The Anomalous Fire he had longed for was now completely unattainable. Does this mean he cannot enhance his strength?

"Father, why don’t you try one more time?"

"It’s useless." The Celestial King shook his head. "I can’t defeat the Fire Dragon Illusion in a short amount of time. Forget about the Anomalous Fire."

THUD.

The Little Celestial King collapsed to the ground in despair, his eyes hollow. He was utterly devastated. He had been so certain he would obtain the Anomalous Fire, but now he couldn’t get it at all. He hadn’t even managed to get the accompanying Clear Lotus Fire. He had become the biggest loser.

Damn it all! He had been looking forward to making a grand showing on the Hidden Dragon Chart and even fantasized about defeating Lin Xuan in public. Now, all of that was impossible.

Suddenly, a thought struck him. He sat up and asked, "Could it have been that Lin Xuan? Did he set up the Array?"

"Impossible." The Celestial King shook his head. "He’s just a wet-behind-the-ears kid. So what if he recognized the companion Clear Lotus? He doesn’t have the power to set up such an Array. For now, the only thing we can do is find someone and trade for one of the companion lotuses."

Following that, the Celestial King personally set out to find the geniuses nearby. Eventually, he managed to trade with Chu Yue for her Clear Lotus Fire. In exchange, Chu Yue received a Five-Grade Elixir: the Void Spirit Pill. This was an exceptionally rare soul elixir that, once consumed, would grant a massive, short-term boost to one’s Soul Power, enabling faster comprehension of Martial Arts. It was an extremely precious elixir.

After some thought, Chu Yue agreed to the exchange. The Clear Lotus Fire was merely a supreme-grade Spiritual Fire, and she was somewhat unimpressed by it. Besides, she still had the Dragon Claw Stele. If she could comprehend the power within it, the rewards would be far greater. So, she made the deal with the Celestial King. Immediately after, Chu Yue consumed the Void Spirit Pill and began to focus all her efforts on comprehending the Dragon Claw Stele.

On the other side, the Celestial King returned with a globe of Clear Lotus Fire. "Son," he said, "absorb this Clear Lotus Fire and go participate in the Hidden Dragon Battle."

「...」

Everyone was training furiously, making their final preparations for the battle. At the same time, news from the Flame Mountain spread throughout the Great Xia Country.

When the news reached the Heavenly Dao Academy, everyone was deeply shocked. The Star Pavilion Master nearly went mad. How could Lin Xuan possibly possess such power? Even the Grand Elder and the Third Elder were astonished. Did we misjudge him? This Lin Xuan is far stronger than we imagined!

Only the Ninth Elder remained calm-faced. He had long believed Lin Xuan was a dragon in a shallow pond, destined to soar into the heavens sooner or later. The Wangyue Pavilion Master was ecstatic. Lin Xuan actually entered the first echelon! It’s incredible! That meant he could surely challenge the top ten! Lin Xuan was only sixteen; if he could make it into the top ten of the Hidden Dragon Chart, his future would be limitless.

However, it wasn’t long before another piece of news circulated. It turned out the fire Lin Xuan had vanquished wasn’t a true Anomalous Fire, but merely a companion fire—a supreme-grade Spiritual Fire. Furthermore, Lin Xuan had simply been lucky enough to encounter the weakest of its kind, which was the only reason he had been able to extinguish it.

So that was how it was. The Star Pavilion Master breathed a sigh of relief, then sneered, "I told you so. How could that brat possibly enter the first echelon?"

The Grand Elder and Third Elder also felt a sense of relief. It was good that the boy wasn’t as heaven-defying as they had feared. The Ninth Elder, however, remained completely unperturbed, as he had always been optimistic about Lin Xuan.

When the Wangyue Pavilion Master received the latest news, he was bewildered. How could this be? Has Lin Xuan really fallen out of the first echelon?

They found Ye Qingwu to ask about what had happened. Ultimately, they confirmed that Lin Xuan’s strength was likely only at the level of the second echelon. Even so, that was already heaven-defying. While there was no hope for the top ten, breaking into the top thirty shouldn’t be a problem. That was still an excellent result. After all, he was only sixteen; his future remained incredibly bright. They were very much looking forward to Lin Xuan’s performance on the Hidden Dragon Chart.

The Wangyue Pavilion Master and the others were filled with anticipation. Soon after, they also began their journey to the Imperial City. The entire Great Xia Country was boiling over as figures soared into the sky, all heading for the Imperial City to witness the peerless Hidden Dragon Battle. The Imperial City became unprecedentedly lively.

「On this day.」

Chu Yue returned. The aura she exuded was much sharper than before, as if with a simple wave of her hand, she could shred anything in existence. Three days of training had given her gains equivalent to three years of cultivation. The Void Spirit Pill was truly incredible. After taking it, she had spent three days finally comprehending the Dragon Claw on the stone slab. She could now unleash one of its moves.

This move was a Palm Technique she called the Dragon Palm. Its style was completely different from her previous Martial Arts, yet its power was terrifying, as if it could tear anything to shreds. Once she unleashed it, she could definitely threaten even a half-step Grandmaster. With this Palm Technique, she would finally be able to defeat Li Qiushui.

"Humph! Lin Xuan, without Li Qiushui’s protection, you’re just an ant I can crush with a flick of my hand!"

Chu Yue returned to the Heavenly Dao Loft and demonstrated the move for the Grand Elder. After seeing it, the Grand Elder was stunned.

"What kind of Palm Technique is this? I’ve never seen it before," he remarked. "It isn’t from our Heavenly Dao Academy, is it?"

"No!" Chu Yue shook her head. "This is a Palm Technique I created myself. It’s called the Dragon Palm."

"You created it?" The Grand Elder was somewhat puzzled. Could Chu Yue really create such a heaven-defying Palm Technique?

Chu Yue lied smoothly, "I don’t know how it happened. I just felt an inspiration in my heart and created it." She didn’t mention the Dragon Claw Stone Slab, as it was far too precious.

The Grand Elder nodded. The world was vast and full of wonders. Although he had his suspicions, he didn’t voice them. "With your current strength, you already belong to the first echelon. With this palm strike added to your arsenal, if you go all out, you should be able to break into the top five. Perhaps even the top three."

Really? Chu Yue clenched her fists, her heart pounding with excitement.

At present, there were quite a few peerless talents in the first echelon, so breaking into the top five would not be easy, let alone the top three. As for the championship, Chu Yue had little confidence. Still, if she could make it into the top three, it would be an incredibly dazzling achievement, especially given the sheer number of geniuses participating this time.

Next, Chu Yue departed for the Imperial City.

Gazing at her retreating figure, the Grand Elder frowned slightly. He kept feeling that Chu Yue was lying. This Palm Technique didn’t match her style at all; it couldn’t have been her own creation. It seemed more like she had secretly practiced someone else’s Martial Arts—and in a half-baked, imitative fashion at that, without ever grasping its true essence. But whose Martial Arts could they be? Their level must be incredibly heaven-defying. Could it be that Chu Yue found a Martial Arts Secret Manual left behind by an ancient predecessor? The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.