Invincible!

Chapter 44 Hidden Dragon
The final Hidden Dragon List, which foreshadows the list of those who will leap over the dragon gate, has attracted everyone's attention.

Even some promising talents who don't need to leap over the dragon gate have set their sights on this list.

This gust of wind also reached these magnificent gates adorned with carved dragons and phoenixes.

There are three Xianmiao this year.

The one with the most noble status was undoubtedly Yan Shui Rou, a top-grade immortal seedling who was bestowed the Dragon Gate Token as a reward.

At this moment, she arrived at the side courtyard with a copy of the Hidden Dragon List.

Here, a petite woman who looks to be in her early twenties, with a cold and aloof expression, is using the art of blood refining to try to forcefully control her qi and blood, aiming to achieve a state of complete physical perfection.

"Light rain."

Upon seeing the woman, Yan Shuirou exclaimed, "Are there enough Blood Nourishing Pills? If not, I'll ask Emperor Ming for some more."

"That's enough."

The woman responded.

At the same time, she gently advised, "Sister Rou, once you owe a debt of gratitude, it takes a lot of time and effort to repay it. You don't need to get too involved with the Yan family."

"In theory, that's true. But when you have corresponding value, favors are not a burden, but a bridge connecting you. They can bring you closer together. When enough sunk costs have accumulated, the cooperation and win-win situation can even lead to a shift in power dynamics without you even realizing it."

The misty waters flowed gently and calmly.

"I understood a principle three years ago: God helps those who help themselves. The only person we can truly rely on is ourselves."

The woman said.

"three years ago?"

When Yan Shui Rou heard her mention three years ago, she understood what was going on.

“Speaking of three years ago, I happened to receive some news.”

She frowned slightly and handed her the Hidden Dragon List directly: "Look at the ninth person on the list."

The woman took the list and was not moved by the name "Li Xian".

But when he saw the words "original name Li Xian, from Qinghe County" and "one of the Four Great Talents of Lijiang", he was slightly taken aback.

Then, she turned her attention to this list.

"Ninth on the Hidden Dragon List? Li Xian?"

"Yan Kaigui and Liu Yanran are utterly useless!"

Yan Shuirou said coldly, "Liu Wufeng and Yan Zhenjiang are also disappointing. The dignified Marquis of Dingfeng and the Prince of Yueyang have been turned upside down by a mere brat!"

The woman looked at the detailed information about "Li Xian" on the screen.

He seemed dazed...

But she regained her composure in just a moment.

They simply put the list down.

"Sister Rou, it doesn't matter anymore."

She said calmly, "Since that rainy night three years ago, nothing about him, nothing about him, has had anything to do with me anymore. Whether he is sad or happy, good or evil, sweet or bitter, I don't want to care anymore. This person is dead in my heart."

"Dead? He treated you like that back then, and you just casually say 'I'm dead' and that's it? It's not that easy."

Yan Shui Rou snorted coldly: "Xiao Yu, you are just too kind, which is why you let him take advantage of you time and time again, and in the end you ended up with nothing and being abandoned."

"With Sister Rou's help, he paid the price for his actions and was disgraced. That's enough."

The woman didn't look at the Hidden Dragon List: "His ability is that he was able to climb out of the abyss on his own."

"Climbed out? Who said he climbed out?"

Yan Shui Rou's lips curled into a smile: "I didn't say anything, so who allowed him to climb out?"

"Sister Rou, it doesn't matter anymore."

The woman said, "After half a year of seclusion, I feel more and more that the love and affection in the world are like fleeting clouds. What we rely on and hold onto is borrowed from others, and what we think and desire is demanded from others."

She calmly said, "The sun rises and the moon sets, the tides rise and fall, and all things are impermanent. Only by cultivating oneself, seeking the Way externally and the truth internally, understanding one's mind and nature, can one prove one's true self, ride the righteousness of heaven and earth, control the changes of the six qi, roam endlessly, and finally attain freedom and liberation."

Yan Shui Rou looked at her like this and pouted: "That's why I don't like him!"

A deep, hidden pity flickered in her eyes: "How lively you used to be, Xiaoyu! So well-mannered, charming, and adorable. But now... where is even a trace of that youthful vigor and vitality?"

“Before, my world consisted only of books, Qinghe Courtyard, and him…” The woman’s calm face carried a faint composure: “He helped me break free from the shackles of books and recognize my true self. I should thank him.”

She reached out her hand: "When that happened, I locked myself in the yard for three months. When I came out again, the sunlight shone on me. In my seventeen years of life, I had never felt the world was so real."

Yan Shui Rou glanced at her, and finally, annoyed, turned her head away: "Whatever. If you want to suffer and practice martial arts, then practice. That Dragon Gate Token will only belong to you. Six years ago, if it weren't for your kindness in providing me with steamed buns for three consecutive months, I would have starved to death in that alley. I hope you remember that no matter what, I will always stand behind you and support you."

After saying that, she turned around and left the courtyard.

The woman looked away after she left.

Cast aside all distractions, let your mind be as clear and pure as ice and a mirror, and continue to immerse yourself in spiritual practice.

……

On the other side, as soon as Yan Shui Rou left the courtyard, a maid came to report.

"Fairy Yan, Prince Yan is outside requesting an audience."

"Yan Kaigui?"

Yan Shui Rou said indifferently, "He still has the nerve to come here? If he wasn't waiting to see a show, with all the tricks he thought he could use to fool me, would he still be alive today?"

She simply waved her hand and said, "Get out of here."

"Yes."

The maidservant responded and was about to comply.

But then Yan Shui Rou remembered something: "Wait a minute."

This chess piece might still have some use.

She wasn't as generous as Xiaoyu.

After a moment's thought, she said, "Just say that I am at a crucial moment in my cultivation and it is inconvenient to disturb him. Please ask him to go back first."

"Yes."

……

Ask the Mountain.

A group of six riders, travel-worn and weary, appeared outside the town built at the foot of Wendao Mountain.

"finally reached."

The cloth covering the dust was lifted, revealing Hongyu's somewhat tired face.

The journey took half a month, covering more than two thousand li on horseback.

Even for martial arts practitioners with good physical fitness, this is definitely not a pleasant experience.

"There's still some time before dark, so let's head straight up to Wendao Mountain, register at the Shenglong Pavilion, and participate in this grand event of leaping over the dragon gate."

Zhou Juechen said.

"Master, are you... really going to leap over the dragon gate?"

Hongyu looked at him.

"Wasn't this a decision made long ago?"

Zhou Juechen smiled slightly: "I made the decision to take a gamble even when the probability of my blood transfusion and marrow cleansing was less than one in ten. Now that my body is flawless and I have at least a ten or twenty percent chance of success, why would I hesitate even a little?"

Seeing this, Hongyu decided not to try to persuade her any further.

But the worry in his eyes lingered.

In each generation of dragon-jumping contests, the successful ones emerge by stepping over the corpses of the losers, transforming from snakes into dragons.

Aside from the top ten geniuses on the Hidden Dragon List, who can guarantee they'll have the last laugh?
They couldn't even guarantee that they would survive the Dragon Gate Tournament.

Just as the group set off again to climb the mountain, a group of several people quickly approached from the direction of the town.

"But the ninth on the Hidden Dragon List, the Gentleman Sword Li Xian, is here? Tianbao Pavilion's Dragon Jade greets you."

"Hahaha, Li Qianlong, you've finally arrived! Li Qiong of Taixu Sword Palace greets Li Qianlong!"

"Li Qianlong, Master Zhou, do you still remember me? Young Master Yuan from Canglang Mountain and I are here to welcome you, Li Qianlong."

(End of this chapter)