As Huáng Zhen sat down in the lotus position, Dominion Energy flowing to him in a gentle breeze, strengthening him an unnoticable amount with every little bit that poured into him.
As he cycled the Dominion Energy within him. His fractured core got slightly closer to formation. And then—
Breakthrough! His Fractured core, instead of being several hundred bits and pieces scattered inside him, was now less broken and fractured! Instead of 4998 pieces, it's now..
4996..
His face morphed into an exaggerated frown as he realized he still had a long until Domain Core Formation.. and a longer way until immortality, the lifespan of a star he wished for was.. as far away as a star. Ironically.
————
He was now in Domain Awakening Stage 2. Thanks to that wooden piece's enlightenment. Still; he had to engage in disciple activities as he was a disciple in the Red Jade Sect.
So you know what?
Cave diving time.
Caves are, unlike in other fantasy, filled to the brim with artifacts and manuals of emperor's and old monsters who once lived there. The problem is..
..
Most of them were looted.. sigh.
First, he had to greet his fellow disciples. Han Bai, Mo Han, Yang Kai.. most didn't greet him back. When he got to Bai Jie's cave abode..
So that's why he was so friendly to him..
Jie was gay. You heard me right, GAY.
How did he come to the conclusion?
Jie was literally trying to corner a fellow disciple. And he was MALE.
What the actual fu–
Anyways..
——19 minutes and 59 seconds later..——
"Finally.. a cave that's not looted already.. why is it filled with malice? Is this a Divine Beast Cave? Hopefully not."
It was a beast cave. The treasures were overflowing, manuals ranging from ordinary to immortal and heaven-grade! Weapons from polearms to even whips. Hundreds of Divine Stone..
Oh no..
"This is a dragon's hoard.. isn't it?"
"Yes, it is." a voice behind Zhen said.
Zhen turned and almost jumped out of his skin. Standing behind him was no mortal being. A massive azure dragon, it's white mane flowing over its incredibly long body and around its head like a vast expanse of cloud. White eyes filled with wisdom no mortal could ever accumulate, filled with both power and intelligence. This was no mortal beast, it was a living legend. His name was Gu Changwu.
Zhen almost jumped out of his skin at the sight of a living breathing dragon. What the actual fu–
..
Silence.. deadlock. No one was moving before the other..
The dragon sighed, and flew past him into its hoard. "Today, I am feeling a bit generous. Choose something from here and I'll give you it."
Oh? Looks like dragon aren't all malicious after all.
He activated his Divine Sense, trying to sense which artifact had the most Dominion Energy overflowing out of it..
His Divine eye was so weak, every manual looked like it gave off the same amount of power..
He contemplated for a moment.
"Careful, what you touch is what you take." the dragon said, still coiled around the hoard, tail flicking playfully.
"I will.. take this." he said, touching a manual that was turned upside down.
"Hmm.. not a bad choice. Not good either." the dragon said.
He took the book and turned it back to what it shouldve been.
Sigh..
Earth-grade.. not the best, but certainly not the worst. Higher than Ordinary, Uncommon, and Rare, lower than Heaven Grade, Immortal, and Emperor.
Hey, better than nothing
The manual taught a plethora of techniques. From energy techniques to mediocre Domains.. it was good. Though, not as good as Jie's Heaven-Made Manual..