Chapter 63: The Dragon's Judgment

“You rascal! You even dare to deceive your own mother?! Hurry up and confess—what level are you at now? How could Van Tong, who’s reached the sixth stage of Qi Cyclone, not be a match for you?!” Madame Du, Zhou Ruoxue, shouted angrily at her precious son.

It was finally the first holiday since entering the Royal Academy. As soon as Du Long returned to the Du residence, he was seized by his family for questioning.

In the east wing’s hall, Old Master Du sat in the main seat with a cheerful smile. Du Zhentian, who had stayed home instead of going to the Ministry of War, watched his wife interrogate their son, smiling all the while.

Xia Qinglian sat quietly to one side, smiling as she watched the mother and son in the hall. The warmth of this long-lost family feeling flowed quietly through her heart. How wonderful it was to have a home.

“Ow, ow, it hurts! Mother, you’re going to pull my ear off! Stop, please—it hurts so much!”

With Du Long’s physique, Zhou Ruoxue was only putting on a show and never really used force. He didn’t feel any pain at all and was only pretending.

Even knowing he was acting, Zhou Ruoxue instinctively let go, then affectionately tapped his shoulder and laughed, “Go on, keep pretending! If you try to fool your mother again today, I really will pull your ear off!”

“Hehe, Mother! I’ve never lied to you, have I? I only withheld a little information, that’s all. Is that really worth getting so upset over?” Du Long scratched his head and gave a dry laugh.

“You rascal! Don’t be glib! Withholding is no better than lying! If you don’t come clean, see how I deal with you!” Zhou Ruoxue tried to look stern, but the smile in her eyes betrayed her.

“Alright, alright! I won’t hide anything this time!” Du Long resigned himself and confessed, “Actually, your son has only reached the second stage of Qi Cyclone!”

“You rascal! Still not telling the truth?! You expect me to believe you defeated someone at the sixth stage with just Qi Cyclone stage two? Do you think your mother is a fool?!” Zhou Ruoxue, usually gentle and graceful, burst out again, clearly exasperated by her son.

“Mother! I truly haven’t lied this time! If you don’t believe me, ask Qinglian—she can vouch for me! The reason I barely managed to beat that Van fellow was because he’d just fought a grueling battle with Brother Yang Yunfeng and was exhausted. I just took advantage of the opportunity.”

With his explanation, Zhou Ruoxue could only turn suspiciously to Xia Qinglian, clearly seeking confirmation.

“Master truly only has Qi Cyclone stage two strength—I can guarantee that! Before challenging him, Van Tong had battled Yang Yunfeng for a long time, and most of his Haotian energy was depleted—it’s absolutely true!” Seeing Zhou Ruoxue’s gaze, Xia Qinglian hurriedly stood up and answered.

Everyone in the Du family knew her character: she either kept silent or never lied. Zhou Ruoxue nodded and turned back to Du Long, “Alright, your mother will trust you this time.”

“Tsk!” Du Long pouted disdainfully, pretending to be aggrieved. “You only believe Qinglian, don’t you?! Poor me—nobody loves me! Even my own mother doesn’t believe me, sigh…”

Pfft!

Everyone present burst into laughter at his antics, even the usually stern Du Zhentian couldn’t help but shake his head while chuckling.

Once the laughter subsided, Old Master Du beckoned his precious grandson, “Rascal, come here and talk to your grandfather!”

Seeing his grandfather call him, Du Long walked over with a grin. He watched as the old man pulled out a stack of banknotes from his pocket, each worth a thousand gold coins.

While Du Long was still puzzled, Old Master Du smiled and said, “Child, now that you’ve joined the Haotian Royal Academy and reached the Qi Cyclone stage, our Du clan has a tradition: when a clan member reaches Qi Cyclone, the family grants a portion of second-grade spirit liquid. I’ve added another portion myself. Here’s the money for two portions—take it.”

Looking at the stack of banknotes in his grandfather’s aged hands, Du Long felt a heavy weight in his heart. Ever since he was young, his grandfather had poured effort and resources into him, despite his weak constitution.

“Grandfather, I’ve already caused you so much trouble because of my health. I can’t possibly accept this money anymore!” Du Long refused, his eyes reddening.

“Silly child! What use does your grandfather have for this money? If you buy second-grade spirit liquid, your strength will quickly improve, and you won’t be bullied by others. Only then will you not bring shame to our Du clan!” Without further argument, Old Master Du forced the money into Du Long’s hands.

Though the banknotes were light, holding them felt as heavy as a mountain.

After thinking it over, Du Long took out five notes and said, “Grandfather, in that case, I’ll accept the five thousand gold coins from the family. Actually, when I entered the Royal Academy, I won five thousand gold coins in a challenge and used them to buy a second-grade spirit liquid. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have reached Qi Cyclone stage two so quickly.”

Old Master Du was reluctant to take back the five thousand gold coins he’d personally provided, but seeing Du Long’s determination—threatening to refuse even the family’s portion if he insisted—he finally accepted his own five thousand gold coins.

“Hehe, my Long’er has finally grown up!” Old Master Du gazed at the tall, handsome young man before him, full of emotion.

“Hehe, Grandfather, I’ve been an adult for a while now. The New Year is almost here; if I don’t mature, how can I call myself a Du clan member?” Du Long laughed sheepishly.

“That’s right! Du men should be like this! Hahaha…”

“Hahaha…”

The family was filled with joy, delighted that Du Long had grown sensible. At that moment, a clear voice sounded in Du Long’s mind: “Du Long, the Van family is powerful because they have a Spirit-level member. Your Du clan’s influence in this country isn’t weak, but you’re not considered first-tier simply because you lack a Spirit-level master.”

“I know that,” Du Long replied, a bit bewildered.

“I’ve observed your father and grandfather’s abilities: one is at the early stage of Gangdan, the other at Gangdan peak. The reason it’s so hard to break through to Spirit-level in your world is that your cultivation methods are flawed. I can help your grandfather reach Spirit-level within a year!” the ring spirit, Ling’er, said with certainty.

“What?!” Du Long was so shocked he jumped from his chair, exclaiming aloud.

“Long’er! What’s wrong?!” Everyone in the hall was startled, and Zhou Ruoxue asked in alarm.

Du Long glanced awkwardly around the hall, then forced a smile and said, “It’s nothing! I just got caught up thinking about something… Right, I’ll head to my room. Just send someone to call me when it’s time for dinner.”

He didn’t want to explain, so he made up an excuse and slipped away with Xia Qinglian.

“This child! Always so mysterious…” Zhou Ruoxue commented, smiling as she watched him hurry out of the hall.

In his room, Du Long lay alone on the bed, excitedly discussing things with the ring spirit, Ling’er.

“Ling’er, you said you can help my grandfather break through to Spirit-level? Is that true? You’re not lying?” Du Long was still incredulous and asked urgently.

“Of course! Spirit-level is just the fifth stage of the foundational nine, as you call it in your world.” Ling’er replied disdainfully.

“But as far as I know, many people remain stuck at Gangdan peak their whole lives and never break through. Why is that?” Du Long wondered.

“It’s simple. Your world’s cultivation methods are flawed. I guess those who break through to Spirit-level do it through solitary hard work and personal talent. Afterward, they keep their breakthrough methods secret, but even their methods are problematic. Even if you break through, progressing further becomes extremely difficult.”

“To put it plainly, if your grandfather has the right method for breaking through to Spirit-level, with his talent, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Ling’er, do you have a method that can help my grandfather break through?” Du Long asked anxiously.

“Of course! The follow-up to the Xuantian Formula you practice would work, but that can’t be passed on lightly. I have other methods that will help him break through. Though they’re not as advanced as Xuantian Formula, they’re still far superior to your world’s techniques.”

“That’s fantastic! Give it to me now, so I can pass it to Grandfather when there’s a chance. If the Du clan has a Spirit-level master, dealing with those people in the future will be much easier!” Du Long thought excitedly.

“Hmm, your Du lineage leans toward yang attributes. Here’s a method called ‘Dragon Star Formula.’ Pass it to your grandfather when you can. This method is suitable for your family’s inheritance.” As Ling’er finished speaking, a cultivation manual titled Dragon Star Formula appeared in the Pan Snake Ring’s space. As its master, Du Long immediately sensed it.

He flipped his hand and took out the manual. “Dragon Star Formula? Ling’er, you mean I can teach it to any Du clan member?”

“That’s right! It’s not as powerful as the Xuantian Formula, and even if outsiders learn about it, it won’t attract powerful enemies. You can rest assured and cultivate it.”

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Yesterday, I couldn’t log into the author’s backend due to problems with my home computer—sorry, everyone… I’ll make up for it right away with two chapters…