Long Huang couldn't believe what he had just heard. "You.u.u... what? How is that even possible?" he stammered, struggling to find the right words due to his shock.
"How come I'm finding this out only now? How long did it take you to awaken your bloodline? What bloodline is it?" Long Huang quickly fired off a series of questions at Huang Min.
Huang Min took a moment before responding. "First off, it was a secret known only to my parents. Second, I awakened it about four months ago. It's called the Heavenly Moon Spirit Bloodline."
"No wonder you looked down on Chi Wei," Long Huang remarked.
Huang Min responded sharply, "Of course, I'm telling you it couldn't have been him who caused last night's incident." Before Long Huang could interject, she continued speaking.
"Hmm, not only did I awaken a Heaven-grade bloodline, but I also awakened a Heaven-grade special body. So, I'm sure a puny Earth-grade bloodline could create such a phenomenon," Huang Min said, a hint of arrogance creeping into her voice as a slight smirk tugged at her lips.
"The heavens are truly unfair..." he whispered sarcastically, his face displaying his frustration. Hearing this, Huang Min pouted and replied, "What's so unfair? No one can compare to your senior here, and in turn, you won't be bullied in the future."
"Oh, great empress, protect me from the strong winds and thunder of life for eternity," Long Huang said sheepishly. Not wanting to hear any more sarcastic remarks from him, Huang Min changed the topic.
"Alright, let's go put on some clothes, will you? Are you not going to invite me in?" she asked. Upon hearing this, Long Huang walked from the side of the house and opened the door. "Sure, come in, make yourself at home."
"Oh, I almost forgot! Dad told me to give you this," Huang Min said as she pulled a neatly folded robe from her storage pouch and handed it to Long Huang.
"Alright, give me a moment to slip into this," Long Huang replied. He quickly walked to his room while Huang Min sat on the handmade sofa in the living room, which was a little crude. As she sat there, she couldn't help but enjoy the softness of the sofa and the comfort it provided while the sunlight kissed her face through the window.
After a few minutes, Long Huang returned, wearing a luxurious black martial arts-style robe with azure accents and an azure lotus design on the back—the official disciple robes of the Azure Lotus Sect. He was momentarily frozen as he saw Huang Min's cute face enhanced by the rays of sunlight. Huang Min chuckled at his reaction.
"Finally seeing my beauty, huh?" she teased, to which Long Huang quickly replied, "More like cuteness."
"Yeah, yeah. So, when are you going to build my house for me? I'm tired of living with my parents," Huang Min said lazily.
"Maybe after the upcoming martial arts competition," Long Huang suggested.
"Alright, it's a promise then!" Huang Min said with a big smile. After chatting a bit more, she got up to leave and said to Long Huang, "You look handsome, and the robes suit you. Just be careful not to get snatched up." With that, she hurriedly left.
Once she was gone, Long Huang thought about the upcoming martial arts competition and realized he needed to start practicing a combat art. He remembered the legacy he had received, but the combat arts required at least the Profound Xiantian Energy Realm to begin the first layer. "I should be able to get some assistance from the martial pavilion," he thought, and with that in mind, Long Huang headed down the mountain to the sect.
As he arrived at the entrance of the sect, he saw Chi Wei surrounded by several female and some male disciples who were flattering him, saying, "Big brother Chi Wei, you're so powerful for causing such a big commotion when breaking through to the Skin Tempering Realm." Long Huang was initially shocked, but then he remembered that Chi Qide was an alchemist of the Dan Disciple grade and had probably refined a perfect-grade Skin Tempering Pill for his son.
It must be known Dan Discipes can refine pills from ordinary to mortal grade with relative ease. So a Skin Tempering pill which was a pill of common grade which was the grade of pill right after ordinary grade was easy for Chi Qide to refine. This realization made him feel sad, as he too wished he had a father to spoil him, but his thoughts were interrupted by Chi Wei.
"Who are you and why do you have on our sects official disciple robe" said Chi Wei curiously, after saying this the others also looked towards Long Huang and his handsome appearance made some of the boys envious and the older female discples to have indecent thoughts. Long Huang who initial was going to avoid Chi and his fans had no other choice than to respond " It's me Long Huang "
Chi Wei surprised by his couldn't help but feel like the heavens were out to get him. So he decided to take a jab at Long Huang.
"Well, well, well look who we have here! If it isn't the prodigy Long Huang," Chi Wei said, grinning. A female disciple nearby chimed in, "Oh please, big brother, don't make such jokes. Everyone knows he's just mediocre." Some of the others joined in, down-talking Long Huang to please Chi Wei and get in his good books.
Not caring about their comments, Long Huang replied to Chi Wei, "Still bitter about losing to me, I see. So bitter over something that happened long ago. I said I was sorry." Hearing this, Chi Wei's face twitched with anger as memories of the past resurfaced. It was ten years ago when he and some other children had come to the Fifth Elder's courtyard to get Long Huang to play with them, as instructed by his father. However, Long Huang had just found out about his illness and wanted to be left alone. Knowing part of the story, Huang Min tried to get Chi Wei and his crew to leave, but Chi Wei childishly said something that made her burst into tears.
"Go away! Brother Long doesn't want to play with you guys!" a five-year-old Huang Min had exclaimed. Hearing this, Chi Wei, sent by his father, insisted, "He has no one to play with but us! Since he was abandoned by his parents, I, Chi Wei, don't want to play with him." This made Huang Min drop to the floor, throwing a tantrum. Seeing this, Chi Wei tried to pick her up, but at the same time,
Long Huang arrived at the scene drawn by the sound of crying and saw Huang Min crying while being held by Chi Wei, seeing this he lost it, then proceeded to beat Chi Wei and his crew even went as far as to kick Chi Wei in the balls and bite off some flesh off his knuckle leaving a scar. After the fight, Long Huang learned what had really happened and came to apologize to Chi Wei, but Chi Wei was not satisfied.
From that moment on, a grudge developed between the two. As Long Huang built his house and excelled in his classes, becoming the top of his class, Chi Wei's resentment only deepened. Long Huang was praised as a prodigy, and Chi Wei felt burdened by living in his shadow. This perception became a mental shackle that Chi Wei felt determined to break.
"Still basking in your one-time victory, I see," Chi Wei said with a scornful tone.
"No, I'm not. But since someone seems to have a problem with me for no reason, I just had to see if it's because of that," Long Huang replied, and with that, Chi Wei changed the topic.
"Hmph... what are you doing here at the martial pavilion? You do know you have to break through the Skin Tempering Realm to enter, right?" Chi Wei said arrogantly.
"I know, oh powerful Master Chi," Long Huang replied, laden with sarcasm. He then entered the pavilion, not bothering to look back at Chi Wei. Frustrated, Chi Wei shouted, "We should change your name from Long Huang to Grass Snake to better fit your bloodline." The disciples around Chi Wei laughed. Long Huang, unfazed, remained silent and continued until he reached a desk where an elderly man was sitting.
"Name and cultivation stage," said the elderly man.
"Long Huang, 2nd stage Skin Tempering Realm," Long Huang responded. Hearing this, the old man was shocked as he knew who Long Huang and amazed by Long Huang transformation , and his cultivation level also surprised him since he only awakened an Ordinary grade bloodline.
"Kid, there's no need to lie about your cultivation level," the elder said.
"I'm not," replied Long Huang. He then threw out a weak punch, and a gust of wind rose, indicating he was indeed at least a Skin Tempering Realm cultivator.
"Okay, I believe you. Combat arts for your stage are on the first floor," the elder said.
"Thank you," Long Huang responded, proceeding to the first floor. The pavilion had three floors. The first floor housed countless common and mortal-grade combat arts and cultivation techniques; the second floor featured yellow and black-grade combat arts; and the third floor contained some low and mid level spirit grade combat arts and sect's signature set of Earth-grade techniques, the Azure Lotus Scripture, which included a cultivation technique, a fist and sword combat art, and a movement combat art.
Long Huang, contemplating the Earth-grade Scripture, couldn't help but lament that although he possessed an Ancient-grade Scripture legacy, he couldn't use it for a while. "I guess everyone starts from the bottom," he thought as he browsed the combat arts on the first floor.