The Demon-Quelling Assembly of the East Sea Dragon Palace had not started well. The Du Xian Sect had been played for fools right at the entrance, though the experience had made the entire delegation more cautious. Li Changshou felt a flicker of satisfaction at this; he certainly hadn’t relaxed his own vigilance.
As the crowd of cultivators grew denser, Li Changshou found the environment increasingly stifling. Having strangers on all sides meant he couldn't afford to let his guard down for a second.
He cast the Wind-Message Incantation.
The slightest breeze now carried strands of information directly to his consciousness. While using spiritual sense to probe someone was akin to staring at them—a direct action that could be felt—this incantation allowed him to passively gather intelligence without the mental exhaustion of active probing. The downside was the sheer volume of data flooding his mind, requiring constant processing.
Li Changshou had trained his observation, willpower, and concentration since he was young. Most cultivators at the Return-to-Void stage would lose focus after a few hours of this constant monitoring. Li Changshou could maintain it for hundreds of hours without a break.
It was a tragic way to live—turning the pursuit of immortality into a career as a "human surveillance drone"—but it brought him peace of mind.
Through the wind, he caught snippets of conversation. The True Immortals discussed the upcoming negotiations regarding the East Sea boundaries and whether human cultivators would face obstruction in the future. The younger disciples, however, were obsessed with one topic: Heaven's Tribulation.
Most cultivators feared the tribulation. It was dangerous, unavoidable, and a prerequisite for advancement. The Du Xian Sect was a prestigious lineage in the Eastern Continent with excellent resources and complete techniques, meaning most of its disciples were destined to face the tribulation. In the wider Primordial, however, ninety percent of humans lacked the aptitude for cultivation, and of those who did cultivate, ninety percent failed to reach the stage of the tribulation. Of the few who did face it, only a fraction survived.
Yet, humans were thriving. Their population growth was explosive, far exceeding the total number of immortals from the era of the Witches and Demons. Li Changshou had analyzed ancient texts and concluded that human dominance stemmed from the Primordial Body granted by the Goddess Nuwa, their adaptability, and their innate cohesion.
He found the notion of "Heaven favoring humanity" amusing. The impartial Way of Heaven only predicted outcomes; it didn't dictate destiny. And the claim that humans relied on the Three Teachings for prosperity was even more ridiculous. Li Changshou believed the sages of the Three Teachings had merely leveraged human fortune to achieve their own Dao, offering little in return.
The Human Teaching, named after humanity, had only taken one disciple—the Primordial Human. The Chan Teaching had done more by taking human disciples who spread cultivation. The Jie Teaching, however, had used human fortune to subsidize other races, which Li Changshou found unfair.
The fact that he was criticizing the sages while being a disciple of the Human Teaching was a thought he kept strictly to himself. When teaching his junior sister, Blue Ling'e, he focused only on avoiding karma and ensuring she could escape danger alone without dragging him down.
Just as he was lost in thought, Jiu Jiu, the Martial Aunt from Potian Peak, summoned him via sound transmission. She was bored and wanted to see if he had brought any of his "toys"—those wonderful modern gadgets he usually kept hidden on Xiaoqiong Peak.
"Did you bring any of your fun things?" she asked.
"Those are Xiaoqiong Peak exclusives," Li Changshou replied flatly. "They don't leave the mountain."
Jiu Jiu pouted but maintained her posture. She complained about the boredom of waiting for the assembly to officially begin, especially with her master present, preventing her from sneaking away.
To distract her, Li Changshou produced a six-sided wooden puzzle cube from his sleeve. He manipulated it skillfully, his fingers a blur as he scrambled and then solved the pattern in two breaths.
Jiu Jiu's eyes lit up. Li Changshou handed it to her. "Don't give it to anyone else."
"Your rules, I know them," she promised, taking the cube and wandering back to her seat, immediately absorbed in the challenge.
Peace restored, Li Changshou returned to his surveillance.
Hours later, the hall was full. The assembly was interrupted by the arrival of a sea orchestra—clam maidens playing zithers, dolphins singing, and celestial dragons playing flutes. Beneath them, sea dancers performed graceful routines.
Li Changshou ignored the spectacle. He was analyzing potential threats. He was ostensibly only a second-rank Return-to-Void cultivator, too weak to participate in the sparring matches. The only potential disruption came when Youqin Xuanya, the "Poisonous Fairy" of the sect, stood up and moved toward him.
*Why is she coming here? We have no grudge,* Li Changshou thought, exasperated.
As she approached, he sent a sound transmission. "Apologies, Junior Sister Youqin, I wish to rest alone."
Youqin Xuanya froze, looked at him with concern, but respected his wish. She sat next to a female True Immortal nearby instead.
Li Changshou sighed in relief. Her presence attracted too much attention; her beauty was a magnet for trouble. He returned to his meditative state, watching the assembly through the winds.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp, hostile gaze pierce through the noise.
He looked up to see a young boy standing at the edge of the assembly area, a hundred yards away. The boy had small antler-like horns on his forehead—a young dragon.
The dragon's eyes locked onto Li Changshou. There was a faint blue light in them, a sign of innate dragon magic. Was Li Changshou's disguise compromised?
He leaned back slightly. The boy's gaze followed. Li Changshou realized the dragon was sizing him up. Perhaps the dragon saw Li Changshou as the weakest link in the Du Xian Sect delegation and intended to challenge him to boost his own confidence.
Li Changshou met the boy's gaze calmly. The blue light faded, leaving only the sharp stare of a gemstone-blue eye.
Just then, a figure obscured the view. A turtle immortal in red robes approached the dragon boy.
"Your Highness, it is almost time for your entrance," the turtle said.
*Your Highness? The Dragon Prince?* Li Changshou mused. Being targeted by a prince was never good. Why would a prince single him out in such a crowd?
He analyzed the situation. The Dragon Clan was in a difficult position—technically powerful but suppressed by the Sages and the Heaven's Way. They yearned for their former glory but were forced to be cautious. The assembly was a show of force to define borders, yet they feared provoking the Three Teachings.
Li Changshou decided to stay put. Leaving the safety of the sect's area was more dangerous. If the prince challenged him, he would simply forfeit due to his "low cultivation."
The dragon boy, Ao Yi, Second Prince of the East Sea Dragon Palace, stood among the celestial flood dragon soldiers. To the world, this was his tenth birthday—the day he officially emerged from his egg. In reality, he had been conscious for over two hundred years, enduring the "egg movement" phase where he was taught etiquette, poetry, and magic daily.
For the first few decades, he believed the Dragon Clan was the supreme race. But one morning, a drunken music teacher had told him the truth: the Dragon Clan was not the strongest. They were criminals of the Primordial, their fortune sealed by Heaven. Their ancestors filled the Sea Eyes—abyssal voids—with their bodies to atone for their sins.
Ao Yi had spent over a century in turmoil. The clan remained delusional, acting out their roles as ancient overlords while living in fear of the Sages. They bullied humans yet dared not fight. His own brother had used petty tricks against the Du Xian Sect instead of issuing a real challenge.
Ao Yi felt disgust. He was a prince, an inheritor of the Ancestral Dragon's bloodline. What could he do?
His mother had ordered him to challenge a Du Xian Sect disciple and win beautifully to please his father. The turtle prime minister warned him not to hurt anyone.
They didn't understand his plan.
Ao Yi stepped onto the stage. He looked at the Du Xian Sect delegation. He had already identified the weakest member—the one who looked like he couldn't handle a single blow.
The turtle prime minister announced the birthday prince.
Ao Yi walked to the center of the arena. The crowd fell silent.
He raised his right hand, pointing a finger at Li Changshou.
"You," Ao Yi said, his voice young but clear. "Engage this prince in a spar."