These fulfilling, exhausting, yet leisurely years of cultivation…
If life could always be like this, that wouldn’t be so bad.
…
“Hmph. These human cultivators, blessed by the fate of heaven, spending their days leisurely cultivating and discussing Dao…”
On Golden Ao Island, in a pool of treasure.
A long, slender azure dragon swam slowly through the waters, a trace of helplessness in its deep dragon eyes.
It was no longer the young dragon it had once been.
But some shadows never truly fade from one’s heart.
Gradually, Ao Yi developed a condition where his mind became unsettled whenever he saw a human Daoist in their usual robes.
He knew that he had formed a heart demon, but he couldn’t overcome it.
His body also started showing signs of strain, yet he refused to face the issue.
Not far away, several Golden Immortals of the Jie Sect were lecturing on the Dao of Longevity to a gathering of still-maturing immortals.
Ao Yi wanted to go and listen, but over there…
There were just too many Daoists.
Especially those with perpetually cold expressions—seeing them always dredged up painful memories.
After years of observing the human Qi Refiners on the island, Ao Yi had discovered many contradictions and gained even more doubts.
Sometimes, he couldn’t help but wonder… Had he misunderstood the human race?
Were the cold-faced Daoists he had encountered before just outliers among them?
No, impossible!
They might appear harmonious, always cheerful, blending with demons, spirits, and all manner of beings while chanting Jie Sect’s creed of “education without discrimination.”
But deep down, they were surely…
Heartless!
On the surface, most human Qi Refiners addressed him as “Junior Brother” or “Daoist Friend.”
But in truth, they all saw him—Ao Yi, the Second Prince of the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace—as nothing more than an ornamental dragon!
Did being the so-called “protagonists of this era” really make them so special…?
Over the years, a few flood dragons on Golden Ao Island occasionally chatted with Ao Yi, offering some small comfort.
As for his cultivation, the Grandmaster Wu Yun had visited his dreams, imparted some immortal techniques, and casually tossed him two spirit treasures—then completely ignored him.
That master of his wasn’t particularly invested in him, but Ao Yi harbored no resentment.
After all, he had run away once before—this was simply the price he had to pay.
By continuously awakening his Dragon King bloodline, Ao Yi had now solidified his cultivation at the Primordial Immortal Realm, gaining even more dragon-specific divine abilities.
For dragons, crossing the Immortal Tribulation was relatively easy—they simply assumed their true form and charged straight into the tribulation clouds, using the lightning to shed their old scales and regenerate.
“When will I finally get to hear a Saint preach?”
Ao Yi sighed internally.
The Jie Sect was divided into an inner and outer sect. The inner sect had relatively few disciples, all dedicated to the teachings of the Grandmaster of Heaven.
Among them, the four great inner sect disciples—Duobao Daoist, Jinling Holy Mother, Wudang Holy Mother, and Guiling Holy Mother—stood above all others, along with a few of their direct disciples.
The outer sect disciples, however, were too numerous to count—truly a massive following.
The four great outer sect disciples—Zhao Gongming, Yunxiao, Bixiao, and Qiongxiao—had already developed their own Dao before joining the Grandmaster of Heaven, which was why they were classified as outer sect disciples.
The vast Dao lineage that had spread across the Three Thousand Worlds all stemmed from the outer sect disciples.
As for the Grandmaster of Heaven himself and his four main inner disciples, they resided year-round in Biyou Palace.
Biyou Palace, the sacred ground of the Saint’s teachings, was said to be hidden in an ethereal plane, reachable only by Golden Immortals and above.
On Golden Ao Island, there was supposedly a path leading to Biyou Palace—but no one knew exactly where.
After searching the entire island in secret, Ao Yi still couldn’t find the entrance to that sacred path.
That was simply… fate.
Currently, among the Three Daoist Sects, the Jie Sect had become the largest, thanks to its creed of “education without discrimination.” With so many disciples joining, the phrase “Ten Thousand Immortals Gathering” was no mere boast.
As for the Ren Sect, Ao Yi now fully understood it.
That sect had only one Saint and a single direct disciple, yet neither the Chan nor Jie Sects dared provoke them. The few Ren Sect branches in Central Continent lived in absolute peace—no one would even think of disturbing them.
The Supreme Elder, Laozi, was the foremost among the Six Saints, hailed as the most powerful being beneath the Dao Ancestor.
“If I had been more determined back then—risked my life to enter a Ren Sect lineage—perhaps I could have helped restore the Dragon Clan’s fortunes.”
As for the Du Xian Sect…
Ao Yi had little regard for it at this point.
Though technically a Ren Sect lineage with a Saint’s backing, it was weak overall, lacking any renowned figures in the Great Desolation.
Listening to the Golden Immortals’ lecture for a while, Ao Yi sighed once more, then slowly sank to the bottom of the pool.
Curling his dragon body in a quiet corner, he resumed his cultivation.
He dared not sleep—every time he did, he would have nightmares of being butchered like livestock.
The more he learned, the clearer it became how deep and terrifying the waters of the Great Desolation truly were.
The Dragon-Phoenix Calamity had not only stripped the Dragon Clan of its fortune but also cost them their true powerhouses.
Now, with the Saints ruling the heavens, the Dragons had no choice but to retreat to the seas, while the Humans and Daoist Sects had become the world’s main characters.
Looking back, some of his past ideas seemed almost laughable.
Counter-humiliation was meaningless.
A thousand slaps wouldn’t wake a dragon pretending to be drunk.
If the Dragon Clan wished to rise again, there was only one path—integrating into the Saint’s sects.
“What should I do?”
In truth, Ao Yi had already thought of a strategy years ago.
He had to make a name for himself.
If he could establish a reputation as both the Dragon Palace’s prince and a disciple of the Jie Sect, he could gradually shift the Dragon Clan’s mindset, teaching them humility…
That was the only opportunity to change the clan’s fate.
While he was deep in cultivation, Ao Yi suddenly overheard two passing Daoists talking by the poolside.
“This time, we’re heading to a few sects in the Eastern Continent for Dao discussions. Given their outdated customs, they’ll probably insist on a competition among young disciples. But I don’t even have any young disciples…”
At the bottom of the pool, Ao Yi’s eyes lit up. His tail flicked, his body shrank rapidly, and in the next instant, he shot out of the water.
A pale blue dragon burst forth, shimmering scales glistening in the light.
The two Heaven Immortal Qi Refiners turned in surprise, only to see the dragon morph into a refined young man. Landing gently, he cupped his hands in greeting.
“Daoist friends,” Ao Yi said, “I would like to observe this gathering.
Though my cultivation is still shallow, I believe I qualify as one of Jie Sect’s young disciples.”
There was no other choice—he was Wu Yun’s disciple, and with so many Qi Refiners on Golden Ao Island, he had long lost track of the sect’s ranking system.
As for his current appearance—
This thirteen or fourteen-year-old youthful form…
He had no idea why, but ever since that group of old Daoists schemed against him, his human form had simply…
Stopped growing.
The two Heaven Immortals exchanged glances, then nodded approvingly.
wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 50.1