SSS-Rank 10x Reward System: Accepting Disciples to Live Forever-Chapter 197: Perspectives

Azure Dragon Continent, Phoenix and Dragon Dojo.

Li Mie slowly drew in a deep breath. The air around the dojo was thick with spiritual qi, cool and clean, carrying the faint fragrance of blooming spirit flowers. As she exhaled, the ripples of qi around her body subtly stabilized, like a lake returning to calm after a stone was dropped.

Beside her stood three graceful figures, each possessing a beauty and presence that could not be easily replicated.

Ming Yao’s gaze lingered on Li Mie, her eyes carrying a strange, almost reverent glint. There was admiration there, but also curiosity, and a hint of disbelief that refused to fade.

"As expected of the disciple of the man whom I admire..." she murmured softly.

Unbidden, the scene of Li Mie’s breakthrough replayed in her mind again and again. The memory was vivid. The overwhelming momentum. The suffocating pressure. The way the world itself had seemed to pause for a brief instant, as if unsure how to react.

She might have formed a top-tier Golden Core... Ming Yao mused inwardly.

Yet no matter how many times she replayed it, one detail refused to make sense.

There had been no Heavenly Tribulation.

No thunder.

No punishment.

No judgment from the heavens.

It was as if the heavens had deliberately chosen to look away.

That absence unsettled her more than any tribulation ever could.

Nearby, Fang Biyu watched Li Mie quietly, a trace of admiration lingering in her eyes. She had seen many talented cultivators, and even geniuses, but Li Mie was different. It wasn’t just her strength or talent.

It was her gaze.

That unwavering look of resolve.

That flame of determination that showed no signs of flickering, no matter how intense the pressure became.

And beneath it all, Fang Biyu sensed something deeper.

Ambition.

Not the shallow kind driven by vanity or recognition, but a vast, unfathomable ambition that felt heavy and distant, like staring into a star-filled abyss. Fang Biyu had the faint, unsettling feeling that Senior Sister Li Mie’s aspirations were something she could not even begin to comprehend.

Meanwhile, Fang Zhi had absolutely nothing to do with any of this.

She darted through the garden with unrestrained enthusiasm, chasing after a strange butterfly whose wings shimmered with faint spiritual light. Her laughter rang out, light and carefree, cutting through the solemn atmosphere like sunlight breaking through clouds.

From time to time, Demon Queen Zi Han would step forward, her crimson eyes sharp as she corrected Li Mie’s stance or pointed out a flaw in her circulation of qi.

"Your control is precise," Zi Han said calmly, "but you are suppressing too much. Let the qi breathe."

Li Mie nodded seriously, adjusting without hesitation. On her face appeared a faint, almost imperceptible look of satisfaction.

After all, she had once intended to accept Demon Queen Zi Han as her master. Fate, however, had other plans, and Wang Chen had appeared instead.

Now that the opportunity presented itself, she did not mind receiving guidance from another legendary existence. There was value in every perspective, especially one forged through blood and survival.

Outwardly, Li Mie appeared attentive and respectful, absorbing every word Zi Han spoke.

Inwardly, she was carefully restraining herself.

Suppressing.

Holding back far more than anyone here could imagine.

As a former Eternal Emperor, her foundation, experience, and understanding had long surpassed what these mortals could fathom. The techniques being corrected were things she had refined countless times in a past life. Still, she listened. Still, she adjusted.

Because this was not the time to reveal too much.

Her thoughts drifted elsewhere.

Back to that moment.

Back to the terrifying fluctuation she had sensed at the edge of the world.

That pressure.

That presence.

Even now, recalling it made her Golden Core tremble faintly.

Whatever had stirred that day... it was not something that belonged to this realm.

A faint breeze passed through the garden, lifting a few loose strands of Li Mie’s hair.

Her expression did not change, but her thoughts had already drifted far beyond the Phoenix and Dragon Dojo.

It appears the Upper Realm is finally starting to take action... Dragon Race Inheritance, huh.

A subtle, almost feral glint flickered across her eyes.

Dragons.

Even now, the word carried weight.

As expected of the Dragon Race... she thought silently. They even managed to fool Supreme-level existences...

Deep within her consciousness, memories long buried began to stir. They rose slowly, like ancient relics surfacing from beneath layers of dust and blood.

She had never witnessed the dragons at the peak of their power. That era was too ancient even for her past self. But she knew enough.

She knew their nature.

Greedy.

Selfish.

Proud to the marrow of their bones.

They hoarded everything—treasures, techniques, territories, secrets. If a dragon fell, it would rather burn its inheritance to ashes than let another race enjoy its legacy without cost.

There was no way such beings would casually leave behind a simple inheritance ground for others to plunder.

Thinking of this, Li Mie’s gaze sharpened slightly.

A memory surfaced more clearly now.

The greatest secret of the Dragon Race.

Revealed only a few years before her death in her previous life.

Seven Dragons.

Seven Continents.

Seven Inheritance Grounds.

The number had never been random.

Indeed, there were seven so-called Dragon Race Inheritance Grounds scattered across realms. Each one had triggered countless expeditions, wars, alliances, betrayals. Powerful artifacts had been excavated. Ancient weapons had changed the balance of power in the Upper Realm itself.

Entire factions rose overnight because of treasures pulled from those grounds.

And then—

The truth exploded.

All seven were fake.

Not illusions.

Not empty tombs.

Real sites. Real treasures. Real power.

But none of them were the true Dragon Race Legacy.

They were bait.

Seven fronts carefully constructed to attract attention, to divert greed, to create endless conflict among outsiders.

While the world fought over scraps, the original inheritance remained hidden.

When that revelation surfaced, the Upper Realm descended into chaos.

Factions accused one another of deception. Ancient houses that had boasted of possessing genuine dragon relics were mocked and challenged. Some refused to believe it outright.

After all, how could artifacts capable of altering the Upper Realm’s balance be considered "fake"?

The uproar escalated until even reclusive beings were forced to respond.

Profound Truth Supremacy.

A Supreme existence known for impartiality and an almost obsessive devotion to uncovering truth.

He personally spoke.

His verdict was calm.

Clear.

All seven Inheritance Grounds were indeed not the original source.

They were decoys.

His words did not settle matters.

They ignited them further.

If seven were fake, then where was the real one?

Countless expeditions followed. Entire Supreme-level confrontations erupted. Real big shots, who rarely stepped into mundane disputes, began moving pieces on a much larger board.

And yet—

The true Dragon Race Inheritance remained undiscovered.

Even until Li Mie’s death in her previous life.

Now, standing quietly within the Phoenix and Dragon Dojo, she slowly shook her head.

She knew the seven were false.

But the real ground...

Where was it?

If the Upper Realm was moving now, if Immortals were descending into lower realms in increasing numbers, then the timing was too coincidental.

Something was about to surface.

Or someone had found a clue.

Her fingers tightened slightly at her side.

Dragons would never allow outsiders to truly inherit their legacy without layers upon layers of traps.

If the Upper Realm was mobilizing, then either they believed they had found the genuine site—

Or they were walking into another meticulously designed misdirection.

Li Mie lowered her gaze.

In her previous life, she had not reached high enough to touch that secret.

This time...

Her Golden Core pulsed faintly.

She would not remain a spectator.

If the Dragon Race had hidden something capable of fooling Supremes, then whatever lay at the center was something even she could not underestimate.

And somewhere, beyond continents and conspiracies, threads were quietly tightening.

Just as Li Mie’s thoughts were circling deeper into the maze of dragon conspiracies, they shifted—naturally, almost instinctively—toward one person.

Teacher...

Perhaps he would know something.

After all, in her understanding, Wang Chen was no ordinary cultivator. The more she observed him, the more convinced she became that he was an ancient existence, someone who had walked paths she had only glimpsed in her previous life. His insights were unfathomable. His composure unshakable. Even Demon Queen Zi Han, who had once stood at the apex of this realm, treated him with subtle restraint.

By now, Li Mie was certain.

Wang Chen was the real deal.

And yet—

There was something that refused to sit right with her.

With power like his, with the depth he displayed, his name should have echoed across the Upper Realm. It should have been whispered among Supremes, recorded in ancient chronicles, etched into the annals of time.

But she had never heard of him.

Not once.

It was as if he had never existed.

As if history had quietly omitted him.

That thought unsettled her more than the Dragon Race deception.

How could someone so profound leave no trace?

Her brows knitted slightly, golden light flickering faintly within her pupils.

Is he from an era beyond even my understanding...? Or...

Before her thoughts could go any further—

The space within the training ground rippled.

It was subtle at first, like heat distortion above a flame. The air twisted slightly, spiritual qi momentarily displacing itself as if something had stepped between layers of reality.

Ming Yao’s expression stiffened.

Zi Han’s crimson eyes narrowed instantly.

Even Fang Biyu paused mid-breath.

Then—

Without warning, without any spatial explosion or grand display—

Wang Chen appeared.

He stood there as if he had always been present. Robes untouched by wind, expression calm, gaze steady.

The distortion vanished as quickly as it had formed.

No aura leaked.

No pressure descended.

And yet, the moment he arrived, the entire atmosphere shifted.

Fang Zhirou, who had been chasing her butterfly moments ago, froze and turned around with wide eyes. The butterfly fluttered away unnoticed.

Li Mie’s heart skipped.

She had sensed nothing before his appearance.

Nothing at all.

Not even the faintest fluctuation of space.

Her eyes sharpened imperceptibly.

So it’s like that...

He had not traveled through space in the conventional sense.

He had simply... arrived.

A faint smile tugged at Wang Chen’s lips as his gaze swept over the group. His eyes paused on Li Mie for a brief second longer than the others.

Calm.

Measured.

As if he had already known what she had been thinking.