Chapter 24: The Genius of the Nine Schools

Lost in thought, Qin Feng had no idea how he managed to walk out of the Dragon Martial Pavilion. Instead of returning to his small courtyard, he left the Qin estate altogether, heading toward Mirrorwater Lake. The first thing he needed to do now was to confirm whether or not he was a Manifested Soul.

Mirrorwater Lake was not particularly close to the Qin estate. Even walking briskly, it took him the time of a stick of incense to arrive. The lake was called Mirrorwater because of its tranquility; no wild weeds grew within, only a surface smooth as glass, perfectly reflecting one's image.

At the lakeshore, Qin Feng stripped off all his clothes. The books had mentioned that the Bloodline Soul, when manifesting, could appear on any part of the body—it might be on the chest, the back, the limbs, or even the buttocks...

He had never paid much attention while bathing before, but now, by the lake and using its reflection, he could thoroughly inspect his body for anything unusual.

There was no other way; he had to undress.

In a matter of moments, he was completely naked.

Thus, a bare-skinned youth stood by the lake, his backside exposed, twisting this way and that, peering left and right, touching and inspecting himself. He looked utterly bizarre and awkward.

Fortunately, few people came here; otherwise, Qin Feng would surely have lost all dignity.

Yet, this inspection yielded a discovery. On his back, there was indeed a faint pattern, like a tattoo; its color was so light that it would be difficult to notice without careful scrutiny.

Qin Feng examined it for a long time before discerning that the image was a mighty and imposing azure dragon.

“As I thought…”

He was uncertain whether to feel joy or sorrow. On the whole, Heaven had not treated him unkindly. Despite his congenital illness, the dragon bloodline within him was unexpectedly strong—so strong, in fact, that it had reached the rare degree of being a Manifested Soul, one in ten thousand. Yet genius, too, was graded, and perhaps he was only the lowest, ninth-tier kind.

If he ignored his current bottleneck, he believed that on the day of Soul Awakening, after entering the Ancestral Dragon Blood Pool, he would be able to awaken a dragon soul of decent quality—conservatively, at least a Profound Soul, perhaps even an Earth Soul or a Heaven Soul. He knew that his father’s bloodline soul had not reached the level of manifestation, yet he had awakened a Profound-grade dragon soul.

Once the bloodline soul was awakened, the bottleneck would naturally dissolve, and his cultivation would progress smoothly thereafter.

But to simply give up like this—would it not leave him with regrets?

The answer was obvious!

If he was to do it, he must do it perfectly, with the most flawless posture, to awaken the bloodline soul within him. This had always been Qin Feng’s creed.

But how could he resolve the bottleneck and reach the tenth tier before Soul Awakening Day?

Though the books did not mention it, Qin Feng knew there were only two possible paths: one was to increase the concentration of his bloodline, so the dragon soul would fully manifest and the bottleneck would disappear; the other was to seize some unknown opportunity and forcibly break through to the tenth tier, whereupon the dragon soul would further manifest.

Both options were nearly impossible for him.

So Qin Feng was deeply troubled, to the point that he forgot to put his clothes back on.

Just then, a sharp whistling sound echoed from afar.

Immediately, a tremendous pressure swept down from the sky toward Qin Feng’s location.

It happened so suddenly, without warning.

Startled, Qin Feng felt a danger unlike any he had ever known rise from the depths of his heart. Sensing the threat, he ignored his nakedness and dove straight into the lake.

No sooner had he submerged than the oppressive force swept across the lake, whipping up a raging wind and raising a towering wave over the once-peaceful surface. Above the lake, a colossal creature blotted out the sun.

Beneath the water, Qin Feng was somewhat safer, though strong undercurrents churned below as well. Fortunately, he was not an ordinary person; with great effort, he managed to steady himself.

But the respite did not last. Qin Feng, whose spirit was powerful, sensed immediately that someone had locked onto him with spiritual perception.

Such force! The pressure alone pinned him so completely that he could not move at all. By this, he judged that the intruder was at least a master of the Earth Astral Realm, for even his grandfather, who was tenth-tier in the Human Astral Realm, had never exerted such overwhelming power.

Qin Feng knew that resistance was useless before such strength.

“Come out!”

A voice, brooking no refusal, rang in his ears. Qin Feng’s expression grew grave, but he had no choice. He kicked off from the lakebed and surfaced like a fish.

Rising above the water, Qin Feng looked up.

What he saw stunned him.

A monstrous creature, dozens of yards long, floated above Mirrorwater Lake. Qin Feng stared at it: three heads, two wings, covered in azure feathers as hard as steel; three heads like dragons, but lacking their regal bearing, instead radiating a savage ferocity. Two claws, their hooked talons gleaming coldly.

Qin Feng recognized it as a beast, though its name eluded him.

His greatest annoyance, however, was not the beast itself, but the three figures standing atop its heads, gazing down at him like gods surveying mortals...

The sensation was deeply unpleasant—especially since he was still stark naked!

Squinting against the glare, Qin Feng scrutinized the trio atop the beast’s heads.

The one standing on the central head was a middle-aged man in azure robes, with a square face and a long beard. At first glance, he resembled a scholar, but Qin Feng surmised that this must be the Earth Astral master who had locked onto him.

On the left head stood a youth about Qin Feng’s age, tall and robust, and so handsome it was almost absurd. His striking looks made Qin Feng feel a pang of jealousy, but most infuriating was the boy’s expression—a face begging to be punched, filled with disdain as he looked at Qin Feng like he was an insect. Qin Feng almost wanted to leap up and teach him a lesson.

On the right head stood a tall woman, her beauty dazzling and seductive. She wore bright, provocative red attire, her voluptuous, sinuous figure barely concealed by scant clothing, highlighting her exquisite curves and lending an air of mystery. Every gesture, every smile released a fragrant allure, exuding irresistible charm—a beauty capable of ruining kingdoms.

Such a woman, so stunning and voluptuous, was rare in this world; wherever she appeared, men would salivate, their most primal desires instantly awakened, longing to press her beneath them and ravage her between her towering breasts.

She was the very image of a bewitching fox spirit, a little temptress whose beauty could kill.

Even Qin Feng could not help but steal a few extra glances.

But those furtive glances brought disaster upon him. The handsome youth atop the left head snorted coldly, and without a word, he punched toward Qin Feng’s position. Instantly, a transparent wave of force, solid as a hammer, came crashing down...