Ao Xianlan moved Yasenia a bit, making her comfortable in her arms, and she began looking around. "Do you see the humans with white robes over there?"
Yasenia looked over and saw a group of people who looked cold and aloof, as if they had never been touched by mortal dust. "Mhm, I see them."
"Those are from the Moon-Piercing Glaze Sect. They are one of the strongest sects in the Blue Pearl World. Their original ancestor is someone who managed to ascend to higher Heavenly Layers. This is true for almost all of the sects and powers that I am about to point out, though."
"Ascend…" Yasenia muttered, her golden eyes flashing with understanding. "They went beyond the Sixth Level of the Seventh Realm?"
"Yes." Ao Xianlan smiled. "Their legacies are naturally powerful, and they've created endless powerhouses across the years. Their ancestry is also older than the Heavenly Cataclysm. Honestly, from now on, almost all prominent sects you will encounter should be from that far back."
Yasenia tilted her head, not understanding something. "But… From what I know, the Heavenly Cataclysm was a disaster that swept all existence, right? Isn't it normal for the weak sects to be destroyed? Moreover, if they have that ancestry, wouldn't they also have Body Cultivation methods, which are considered extinct?"
Ao Xianlan's eyebrow raised. "Oho, you know much more than I expected."
Yasenia smiled, and the dragon ancestor explained. "You are mostly right. Still, Body Cultivation was declining even before the Heavenly Cataclysm. You must not know, but to practice it, one must basically torture oneself. The process is endlessly painful, while the strength you gain is similar to any of the other paths."
Yasenia knew that well. Each time her bones, skin, or any other part strengthened, a pain as if a knife were carving her insides would spread all around. With her resilience to pain and willpower, Yasenia had no problem going through such torture. Not to mention, the baths she took monthly to refine herself were as painful, if not more so.
Ao Xianlan noticed that her face didn't change much, so she assumed that Yasenia couldn't really understand the extent of the pain. Still, she didn't insist. "Before the cataclysm, there were some maniacs who pushed through everything and became Eighth Realm cultivators. Those people kept Body Cultivation alive. Sadly, the Heavenly Cataclysm basically killed all of them, together with countless other inheritances. Even Soul Cultivation is now rare enough to call it extinct."
Yasenia hummed. "Soul Cultivation… Is the reason for its scarcity due to the complexity of the path?"
"Indeed." Ao Xianlan praised. "Unlike the Body Cultivation, which is torture, Soul Cultivation needs a monstrous natural understanding of the soul to work. The realms are also complicated to perfect, and resisting the Soul Tribulation is one of the most painful things in existence. After all, that Heavenly Tribulation targets the soul, not the body."
Yasenia thought of her dears. 'Were they able to comprehend it thanks to my Dual Cultivation technique? That technique is really powerful, so helping with the understanding doesn't sound far-fetched.'
"Anyway, where were we?"
Yasenia smiled. "The Moon-Piercing Glaze Sect."
"Right. Besides that one, you must be careful of those from the [Jade Storm Heavenly Sabre Sect], [Violet Miasma Gu-Soothing Sect], [Boundless Skyfrost Sanctum], and [Black-Rooted Corpse Refining Sect]." She added. "Of course, Demons and Divines are dangerous opponents as well, but you knew that already, right?"
A thoughtful look appeared on her face after she nodded to her last question. "Why those five, specifically?"
"They are tricky." Ao Xianlan chuckled. "There are quite a few more sects of similar strengths. However, those five have unusual cultivation techniques. The Moon Sect is good with illusions, the Sabre Sect has a large amount of Sword and Sabre Intent users, the Miasma Sect uses poisons and even the taboo parasites, the Skyfrost Sect has complex concepts related to stillness and Yin Qi, and the Corpse Sect is self-explanatory."
"Oh… They sound interesting."
Yasenia's eyes glowed with battle intent. She really wanted to know the format and how everything would proceed. Ao Xianlan smirked when she saw her face. 'Hehe, a dragon indeed.'
Yan Huang looked at the sky and spoke to Yasenia. "There are still around 10 hours before we close the test. The current number of registered people is around 28,000."
"Huh? That many?" Yasenia was confused. "Weren't geniuses rare?"
Ao Xianlan flicked her forehead. "Silly girl. Most of these are here to try their luck. Among those, you probably have to worry about fifty or something. The rest are either first-level transcendents with overconfidence issues or mortals who entered to try their luck."
Yan Huang agreed. "I have not seen Little Yasenia's strength yet. But I guess that only those in a small realm above her can threaten her. As a dragon, she has an advantage when fighting those in the same realm."
Ao Xianlan blinked at Yan Huang's gentle smile and squinted. "Hey, if you want to court my adorable Yasenia, you'd better wait a few centuries. Otherwise, I'll bathe your imperial palace with my dragon breath."
A trace of pressure escaped Ao Xianlan, making the surroundings feel as if the sky were collapsing. Yasenia's heart jumped. 'So strong!'
Even Tatyana's eyebrow raised faintly. 'She is really not weak. Have I underestimated the Blue Pearl World?'
In the sky, Tian Long looked down with interest. 'Her strength is probably similar to mine.'
Tatyana didn't deny it.
Yan Huang's lips twitched. "Lady Xianlan, while I would love to heed your words, Little Yasenia is already taken. So, I can't do anything even if I want to."
"Huh?" A dangerous glint flashed in Xianlan's wine-red eyes. She looked at Yasenia and asked. "You are so young, and you dare to get into a relationship? Who is this person… Ah. Now that I look closer, you have an [Interlocked Mate] connection!"
Yasenia gulped, feeling like a little girl about to be spanked for doing something wrong. "That… um… one of my wives is here, so you might want to take it out on her."
"Wives?" Ao Xianlan was momentarily confused, but a quick spiritual sense scan on Yasenia's body cleared all doubts. "Oh, you have both… Wait."
Her face froze for a second, and she placed a hand on Yasenia's flat stomach. Yasenia became still, even her tail tensing. 'Oh… she noticed.'
Once she confirmed her doubts, Ao Xianlan's eyes widened for a second. "You…"
So much new information struck her that she didn't know how to react. Yasenia's tail coiled around Ao Xianlan's waist, as if telling her not to be angry. If she had animal ears, they would have been pressing flatly on the top of her head.
After a few seconds of silence, she exhaled and hugged Yasenia even more preciously. "You silly girl… Did you get duped by someone? Tell me, who is this wife you speak about?"
Yasenia, eager to stop being this woman's target, sold her dear mother out without a single instance of hesitation. "She is."
Tatyana's jaw dropped when Yasenia blatantly used her finger and arm to point at her face. 'Daughter! You dare sell out your own mother!?'
'Sorry, Mother. Aunt Xianlan is scary.'
After a single exchange of looks full of meaning, Ao Xianlan looked at Tatyana with a squint. "Tell me when your relationship started. And don't bother lying. Remember that I am a dragon."
Tatyana's face tensed. She coughed and smiled. "W-We started when she was old enough."
"Number. Say the number."
Tatyana looked sideways and muttered. "Eighteen."
Everyone present looked at Tatyana with a deadpan expression. Ao Xianlan was smiling, but her eyes were far from reflecting that expression. "Oh. I see."
Tatyana coughed. "T-There is a good reason for it."
"I am listening."
"You don't look like you are listening!" Tatyana complained. Still, after clearing her throat, she explained. "Yasenia was born without being able to tap into her dragon bloodline. So, she matured like a normal human. By 18, she was completely mature. Only later did things change, but by then, the rice was already cooked."
Ao Xianlan had not expected to hear a half-understandable excuse. Her eyebrows furrowed right after. "I won't say anything about taboo relationships, since I've seen much worse. We are also cultivators, so there are no real downsides as well. Still, how did you even manage to…"
Tatyana understood and shook her head. "It wasn't me. It's one of Yasenia's wives who did it. That wife is like Yasenia."
"Oh?" Ao Xianlan muttered something and then nodded. "Alright. I understand." She looked at the other dragons and warned. "Nothing you've heard, thought about, or any conclusion you've reached will leave this very spot. If I ever hear even one rumor, I will place all of you inside the [Endless Torment Cliff] for a century."
Every single dragon paled and nodded rapidly. That location was terrifying, and no one wanted to experience it.
After sighing, the dragon woman looked down at Yasenia and smiled softly. "Be careful, alright?"
Yasenia smiled. "I will."
"Still, you can go wild. I will be looking closely. If I sense anything too dangerous, I will intervene."
Yasenia didn't deny her. This tournament was not that important for her. Moreover, she was not bound by any promise, so even if she lost for whatever reason, she could just be stubborn about it and never give up her treasure. Now that she had backing, what could they do? Threaten her?
It was her time to be the unreasonable Young Miss!
***
Time quickly passed, and the registration period came to an end. By the end, almost 40,000 people decided to register. Yasenia didn't know how many between those were threats, but she didn't mind much. Even when she was the [Treasure Holder], it didn't mean she had to face everyone at once.
Otherwise, that would be unfair even in cultivation standards.
Yan Huang hosted the first few moments, but he, as an Emperor, would not act as a mere announcer. Taking that role was the Dragon clan, who decided to participate as a referee during this tournament.
The person announced was someone Yasenia knew as well. The dragon woman had wine-red eyes and long red hair. She was Ao Jiuyao's aunt and Ao Xianlan's descendant: Ao Yuelan.
"Everyone is now registered! The tournament you will be participating in is to earn the precious [Star Breaker Realm Bead]. During this competition, there will be challenges to overcome and eventually earn you the right to fight for it."
Ao Yuelan smirked and raised her hand; her energy as a Seventh Realm dragon shot to the sky and bloomed into a massive scroll. This scroll was something Yasenia had often seen used in large tournaments.
"All participants are registered here. If you focus, the name they used to register with will appear, along with their age, cultivation realm, and even affiliation. It all depends on how much data they gave us when registering."
Yasenia looked at the list and noticed her name at the very top. She focused, and an illusory set of words appeared in her eyes.
***
Name: Yasenia Darvory.
Cultivation Realm: Second Level Sixth Realm.
Affiliation: Astral Death Sect
Bone Age: 128
Race: Empyrean Cosmos Dragon Progenitor Queen.
***
Everyone who read that, even after knowing for a while already, couldn't help but gasp. They knew that she was incredible, but to think that she was a Progenitor Queen. Many couldn't help but reevaluate once more Yasenia's value.