Though Li Changshou wasn’t one to seek luxury, when crafting something, he always prioritized practicality.
The small raft was merely a simple assembly of wooden planks with no enchantments. In terms of construction difficulty, it was indeed just a minor contraption.
The place for seclusion required basic alert formations, soundproofing formations, and anti-detection formations. To place and conceal the foundation of these formations, some space was inevitably needed.
Aside from that, he had added a few special designs.
The two-story houseboat had seven identically sized rooms, all interconnected, each furnished with a single cushion.
Once he began his seclusion and activated the surrounding formations, he would also place several paper effigies in each room.
If anyone triggered the formations, the restrictions on these paper effigies would instantly activate, transforming them into his likeness—good enough to pass as the real thing!
An absolute necessity for preventing sneak attacks!
Unfortunately, the design was still imperfect—there was still a one-in-seven chance of being assassinated…
“Ling’e, I’m starting my seclusion now.”
Hearing Li Changshou’s voice transmission, Ling’e hurried to the door and waved her small hand toward him, who was standing on the “houseboat.”
Li Changshou formed hand seals with both hands. Layers of formations activated on the raft, covering a large area of the lake’s surface. The raft itself became increasingly obscured within layers of glowing barriers…
A short while later, a faint mist rose over the water, and Ling’e could no longer see where her senior brother was.
Li Changshou placed the paper effigies in each room before quietly making his way to a secluded chamber. He felt around in the corner, opened a hidden compartment, and revealed the clear lake water beneath.
With a hand seal, he cast a transformation spell and turned into a spirit fish, silently slipping into the water and diving toward the depths—now shrouded in layers of formations—leaving behind seven lifeless paper effigies scattered throughout the cabins.
The main reason for making the raft so large was to ensure the formations could extend below the water’s surface.
And down there was Li Changshou’s true place of seclusion.
Back when his master brought Ling’e up the mountain, he had secluded himself in this very spot, refining the Nether Cold Flame to its initial stage…
Since the Water element subdues Fire in the Five Elements cycle, cultivating fire-based techniques underwater was an excellent way to prevent an excess of fire energy from causing an explosion.
The only downside…
A once lush section of Little Qiong Peak had suddenly become barren.
Eastern Sea, Crystal Palace
“How dare you, Ao Yi!
You dare to speak such reckless words, showing no respect for your elders, disgracing the might of our clan, and tarnishing our honor!
Do you realize—do you have any idea what a grave offense this is?!”
In the empty hall of the Second Prince’s Palace, the young dragon Ao Yi was bound to an iron pillar by numerous chains, his eyes tightly shut. The echoes of furious rebukes from that day still rang in his ears.
He curled his lips into a cold smile, enduring the pain from the wounds on his back, but his gaze remained as resolute as ever.
To Ao Yi, the Crystal Palace now seemed utterly absurd—no, downright laughable.
That day, at the grand banquet celebrating their victory, he had stood before his father, who had been pretending to nap with his eyes half-closed and declared:
“Father, I wish to become a disciple of the Du’xian Sect and cultivate under the teachings of the Three Pure Ones!”
The stunned, disbelieving, and quickly contorted expressions on the dragons’ faces…
The furious shouts of “Rebellious disgrace!” “Shame on the dragon race!” “Preposterous nonsense!”…
The surging auras of the dragon elders nearly crushed his ten-year-old form on the spot!
The ones cursing him that day were all his father’s brothers or even older dragons—elders who had the authority to reprimand him as their nephew.
As for the sea clan officials and the dragon generals not of royal blood, they had remained silent, yet their eyes were filled with nothing but disdain.
Seeking discipleship under a Saint’s sect was considered treason.
Leaving the clan to study the Dao was deemed a betrayal.
Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.
“Ridiculous!”
Ao Yi couldn’t help but roar in fury, his delicate face twisted in pain.
From the iron pillar behind him, an eerie cold energy surged forth, sending ice spikes piercing into his smooth, pale back. Ao Yi shuddered violently from the pain.
But his gaze remained unwavering, his determination unshaken!
Just moments ago, the Dragon Queen had left after painstakingly trying to persuade him to admit his mistake…
“My son, is our clan’s knowledge not sufficient for you?
Are our clan’s treasures not enough for you to wield?
Why must you insist on such an absurd path—and in front of all your uncles and elders, no less, speaking such outrageous and heretical words?
Do you not realize that except for the Sect of the Truncated Teachings, no Saint’s sect will accept dragon disciples?
Back then, that old Daoist from the Exalted Sect took in a wild, illegitimate dragon as his disciple, stripping us of our final remnants of fortune with a sacred artifact, placing all our clan’s destiny onto that bastard dragon.
How could the clan ever forget such humiliation?
My son, who has poisoned your mind?”
How could Ao Yi not know these things? How could he not discern the truth within her words?
The so-called “illegitimate dragon” of the Exalted Sect’s Twelve Golden Immortals—Immortal Huang Long—was of the Ancestral Dragon’s bloodline.
He had once been gravely wounded and accidentally fallen into Kunlun Mountain, where he was taken in and cared for by the Three Pure Ones before they attained sainthood. He had simply been a pet dragon in their courtyard.
Before the Saints emerged in the ancient era, the dragon clan considered this a disgrace and severed all ties with him, erasing his name from the dragon records.
Later, when the Three Pure Ones ascended to sainthood, the dragon clan, too proud to seek reconciliation, instead spread rumors, slandering him as a bastard.
As for the claim that Saints refused to accept dragon disciples…
After the Three Pure Ones attained sainthood, the dragon elders personally led young dragons to the Golden Ao Island, humbly seeking discipleship.
But upon hearing that the Sect of the Truncated Teachings—despite having the lowest admission standards—would only allow them to become disciples under Saint’s disciples rather than direct apprentices of the Saint, they stormed off, claiming it was an insult.
What is absurd?
This is absurd!
Ao Yi trembled, his chains rattling as the cold light from the iron pillar behind him gradually dimmed.
I, Ao Yi, must endure.
Only by lowering myself as the Second Prince of the Dragon King, humbling myself to become a disciple of a mid-tier sect like the Du’xian Sect…
Even if I must kneel outside its gates for days, only to be accepted as a mere nominal disciple…
Only then can I shatter the dragon clan’s baseless pride, and tear apart their warped sense of honor!
If this humiliation still fails to wake the slumbering dragon clan, then I—
I will use the Saints’ teachings to ascend to the peak of all living beings!
And when that day comes, I will ask these so-called ancient elders…
What truly is the path forward for the dragon race?!
Drawing a deep breath, Ao Yi threw his head back and bellowed:
“Release me—!”
“I must see Father!”
“I will go to the Du’xian Sect to seek the Dao!”
Beyond the palace gates, a group of teary-eyed servant girls stood, their lovely faces filled with distress, yet they were blocked by celestial serpent guards, unable to approach the Second Prince.
This version keeps the dramatic intensity while ensuring smooth readability in natural English. Let me know if you’d like any refinements!
wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 50.1