Wu Jiutian wore a coarse cloth robe, his gray hair simply tied back, looking unassuming and like an old man from the countryside.
However, in the "Ten Thousand Miles of Yellow Sand Map," Chen Ke had personally witnessed this old man's volatile side.
In the academy's council hall, Chen Ke had also seen firsthand how powerful this old man's aura was, directly suppressing the King of Shu.
More often, however, Chen Ke saw this old man's childlike side, his actions always possessing an inexplicable carefree spirit.
Chen Ke thought this was probably what true understanding and vision meant.
In the room in the courtyard, Chen Ke was about to brew tea when he heard Wu Jiutian say loudly, "Why drink tea so late at night? Quickly bring some wine!"
Chen Ke, of course, had no shortage of wine.
He dug out a jar of wine from under the magnolia tree in the courtyard, carried it back to his room, and laughed, "Headmaster, although this jar of wine hasn't been buried for long, it's one of the earliest batches of high-proof liquor that I improved. It's much better than the wine supplied to the palace."
Chen Ke, naturally, wasn't short of food either. With a magical flourish, he took out some duck necks and braised dishes from his ring space, packed them in a small wooden box, and placed them on the small table.
Wu Jiutian couldn't wait any longer. He broke the mud seal on the wine jar, poured a large bowl, and drank it all in one gulp.
Whoosh!
A flame entered his stomach, making him feel warm all over.
Good wine!
After savoring it for a moment, the flush on Wu Jiutian's face faded, and he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
He picked up a duck neck and ate it while curiously looking at the wooden food box.
"This is what you gave that girl?"
Chen Ke nodded and said with a wry smile, "It was too unexpected. Besides, I don't have anything good to offer."
"It's good," Wu Jiutian said vaguely, chewing on a duck neck, "When you reach a certain level, you'll find that black and white, justice and evil, friends and enemies are actually very difficult to define. It's always a good thing to be able to form good relationships."
Wu Jiutian then recounted to Chen Ke the entire story of how the Eight-Winged Goddess infiltrated the Haotian Academy and the Great Xia Academy.
Chen Ke was astonished, yet suddenly understood.
This explained why the Eight-Winged Goddess was so persistent, why she went to such lengths to obtain the scroll, and why she was so eager to decipher its secrets.
"But she's still using Shui Changqing's identity. Isn't that a problem?" Chen Ke asked, puzzled.
Wu Jiutian shook his head: "For now, it's best to wait and see."
He drank another bowl of wine and continued, "Many powerful cultivators mingle in the mortal world because they seek a certain person, a certain thing, or some kind of premonition or sign. Their true intention isn't to cause trouble in the human world."
"A child might urinate and destroy an anthill, or whip ants with a twig, but as the child grows up, they naturally won't be so bored."
"Adults have their own world, their own goals. They won't pay attention to ants on the ground, much less covet the meager food stored in an anthill. As long as the ants don't crawl on them, they won't even bother with them."
Chen Ke nodded. He'd played the children's game of "flooding seven armies," and now he certainly wasn't so bored.
The pursuits of so-called masters are naturally different from those of the mortal world.
In the eyes of masters, the masses are ants, and those cities are anthills. Who would be so bored as to argue with a group of ants?
Chen Ke couldn't yet comprehend what kind of realm this was.
However, he understood the headmaster's meaning: people should have higher pursuits, not be petty and mired in worldly affairs.
"Boy, take out the gift the girl gave you and let me see it," Wu Jiutian said, wiping his hands.
Chen Ke took out the jade box and handed it to Wu Jiutian.
A crack opened, and golden light instantly poured out, filling the entire room with powerful and sacred dragon breath.
Wu Jiutian was deeply moved. He closed the jade box and exclaimed, "Kid, this Primordial Dragon Pearl is a rare treasure even in the cultivation world. That girl was really willing to part with it."
Chen Ke didn't know how to respond to this, so he humbly asked, "Master, when I cultivate, is it enough to just activate the protective dragon and let the dragon shadow absorb the essence of the dragon pearl?"
Wu Jiutian nodded, then suddenly realized something and looked at Chen Ke in surprise: "Your 'Dragon Scale Whirlwind Armor' has cultivated a protective dragon?!"
Chen Ke nodded shyly: "Just a coincidence."
Wu Jiutian looked at Chen Ke as if he were a monster, and shook his head helplessly: "What you call a coincidence is something some people can't achieve in ten or even several decades!"
Wu Jiutian hesitated. Chen Ke's cultivation speed exceeded his expectations.
Since he had already cultivated a protective dragon, greatly improving his self-protection ability, could he take him along for some training?
After thinking about it, Wu Jiutian decided against it.
Chen Ke was entangled in worldly affairs, and this was precisely the time for him to temper his mind. If he were to see the outside world and witness some incredible beings, it might not be beneficial for him.
After all, he wasn't the Eight-Winged Goddess, who had transcended the mortal realm from the very beginning.
Besides, there was still the scroll left behind by Master Mo Lin, waiting for him to decipher it.
After a hearty meal, Wu Jiutian drifted away, leaving behind a mess on the table. The area under the magnolia tree was also a mess; Wu Jiutian had dug up three jars of wine.
"Boy, that girl was willing to trade a Dragon Pearl for a box of duck necks, so why wouldn't I be willing to trade a scroll for some food?
An opportunity awaits you on the second floor of the Divine Dragon Pavilion."
Chen Ke respectfully saw the headmaster off and quickly tidied up the courtyard and rooms.
With everything clean and tidy, he entered the meditation room, sat cross-legged, and eagerly took out the Dragon Pearl.
Brilliant golden light illuminated the entire room, and the dragon breath surging in the air rose and fell like turbulent waves.
So-called dragon breath is actually a type of energy, unique to the dragon race.
It is through dragon breath that the dragon race possesses powerful physical defense and attack capabilities, and generates various powerful abilities.
The moment Chen Ke summoned the dragon shadow, the surging dragon breath, like a tidal wave, engulfed him with a whoosh.
The incomparably powerful dragon breath was absorbed by the dragon shadow and also by Chen Ke's body.
His blood and qi burned wildly, the powerful dragon breath rampaging through his body, bringing waves of swelling and stinging pain.
Just as Chen Ke could no longer bear it and was about to exit his cultivation state, suddenly, a dialog box popped up.
*Thump!*
"Dragon veins can be opened. Continue?"
Dragon veins, opened?
Chen Ke was surprised, feeling a sense of awe and wonder, but still clicked "Continue."
*Buzz!*
His meridians, like a crisscrossing net, suddenly trembled violently.
Golden dragon breath transformed into countless golden needles, piercing into his meridians.
More and more dragon breath pierced his meridians, and the stinging pain became increasingly intense.
Soon, the dragon's breath coalesced into a thin golden thread, spreading from his shoulder up his arm, and quickly reaching his palm.
*Poof!*
Five golden beams shot out from the five fingertips of Chen Ke's right hand, simultaneously spurting out five streams of blood.
*Ding!*
"Congratulations! You have successfully activated a Dragon Vein. Your Soul Value cap has increased by 50 points!"