At the hour of Hai, just as the sky was dawning, inside Meng Feng's villa, the lights were on brightly. Mo Yongxing, Qin Yu, and Zhang Hua were sitting at the dining table, enjoying breakfast.
The three of them had slept in the guest rooms last night. The villa had plenty of guest rooms, with one spare room for each of them. After finishing breakfast, Mo Yongxing yawned and asked, "Qin Yu, it's not even daylight yet. Is the Dragon Society really coming?"
Mo Yongxing could have easily slept until morning, but after pestering Qin Yu last night to inquire about the whole incident, he insisted on being woken up by Qin Yu in the morning to see what the Dragon Society looked like.
"If he doesn't come, you can go to the river and bring him up yourself." Qin Yu replied irritably. He couldn't understand what was going on in this guy's head. He had knocked on his door several times throughout the night, and just when he had finally managed to get rid of him and was about to fall asleep, he came knocking again. When Qin Yu checked the time, it was three o'clock in the morning. He felt like strangling Mo Yongxing.
"The first room on the left when you go out is yours. If you dare to come in again, I'll have Zhaoying leave you a memento." Qin Yu's words made Mo Yongxing leave with a sulking expression.
When Qin Yu was soundly asleep, a sleepy Mo Yongxing knocked on the door again. Qin Yu initially wanted to ignore it, but the person outside seemed relentless and kept knocking. The constant knocking irritated Qin Yu, and he felt a surge of anger. He got out of bed, opened the door, and was about to shout at Mo Yongxing, but Mo Yongxing spoke first.
"It's already past five o'clock now. The housekeeper has prepared breakfast. Didn't you say to wake you up around this time?" Mo Yongxing had a pleasing smile on his face. He also knew it was impolite to disturb Qin Yu's sleep all night, but he was so excited. Life was always interesting when he was with Qin Yu. He could even witness the scene of the Dragon Society soaring. The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't fall asleep, so he had to disturb Qin Yu repeatedly.
Qin Yu was speechless. He looked at the time and realized it was indeed past five o'clock. Ignoring Mo Yongxing, he closed the door with a bang, not caring if it hit Mo Yongxing.
"What's wrong with Qin Yu? It's already past five o'clock. Don't tell me you still want to sleep?" Mo Yongxing anxiously called out from outside the door.
"While I brush my teeth and wash up, are you going to watch from the sidelines?"
"In that case, I'll wait for you downstairs." Mo Yongxing laughed mischievously upon hearing Qin Yu's words, then turned and went downstairs first.
Shaking his head helplessly, Qin Yu entered the bathroom and found that the housekeeper had prepared everything thoughtfully. The guest room had already been stocked with toiletries, all brand new and unopened...
"Qin Master, do you still have the habit of eating the traditional breakfast from Guangdong?"
After Qin Yu, Mo Yongxing, and Zhang Hua finished breakfast, Meng Feng also came downstairs. As the Provincial Party Secretary, he had a busy schedule. He had to go to the Provincial Party Committee during the day to handle and review documents. He had gone to bed early last night.
"Mmm, they say that people from Guangdong are the most knowledgeable about nourishment when it comes to food. Just looking at the combination of this breakfast shows it." Qin Yu's words were not just a formality. Guangdong people indeed excelled in their understanding of cuisine. Moreover, they loved making nutritious soups, and they had the habit of enjoying afternoon tea, which consisted of dozens of different types of pastries alone.
Without much idle talk, after everyone finished breakfast, they gathered in the garden. Guard Xiao Zhang was already standing under the platform. It was constructed using two parallel bars and a thick wooden board, secured with some iron nails, appearing quite professional.
A ladder was placed beneath the platform. Qin Yu glanced at the sky, adjusted his sleeves, took a big stride, and ascended the platform. He stood in the center, closed his eyes, and remained motionless.
The people below all had serious expressions. According to what Qin Yu had just told them, he only had a seventy percent chance of deceiving the heavenly mechanism and creating an opportunity for the Dragon Society to soar. Moreover, they only had one chance. If they failed, all their previous efforts would be in vain. Thus, everyone's gaze was fixed on Qin Yu, not daring to shift their focus even slightly.
Qin Yu closed his eyes and quietly sensed the wind around him. Between his index and middle fingers of his right hand, he held a talisman, precisely the Stealing Heaven Talisman. After a while, Qin Yu slowly raised the Stealing Heaven Talisman in his right hand, raising it above his head. The surface of the talisman fluttered in the wind.
In the distance, a glimmer of dawn began to spread over the earth, like the first light in the sky. The hazy gray sky started to turn pale. Qin Yu opened his eyes, looked down at Meng Feng on the platform, and shouted, "Secretary Meng, please position the seven stars."
Hearing Qin Yu's words, Meng Feng placed the seven copper mirrors that had already been prepared in the designated locations, exactly enclosing the platform, as Qin Yu had instructed.
Mo Yongxing and the others stood aside, watching without stepping forward to help. Qin Yu had given them these instructions as well—they could only watch but not move.
"With the seven stars in position, the dragon god of the earth approaches." Qin Yu shouted once again, and Meng Feng proceeded to light the four oil lamps at the corners of the platform.
"The heavenly gates open wide, and the dragon soars. The dragon gods from all directions, please lift the gate." With a leap, Qin Yu folded his legs and sat in the middle of the platform. His left middle finger and index finger brushed against the Stealing Heaven Talisman held between the fingers of his right hand. A golden glow emanated from his fingertips, and the Stealing Heaven Talisman glowed brightly, revealing a large character "Dao" floating in front of Qin Yu once again.
"Through the ages, the hidden dragon submerges into the abyss, enduring immeasurable tribulations and accomplishing immeasurable merits. Now that the merits are complete, I humbly request the Dragon Gods to open the Dragon Gate and unleash the soaring of the hidden dragon."
After uttering these words to the Stealing Heaven Talisman, Qin Yu held the talisman between his fingertips and traced certain inscriptions in mid-air. "Boom!" As the final stroke fell, the character "Dao" in front of him dissipated, and the surface of the talisman spontaneously ignited. Qin Yu released his grip, and the entire talisman burned completely, without leaving a trace of ash, as if it vanished into thin air.
Below the platform, Mo Yongxing maintained a composed expression. He had witnessed Qin Yu's magical abilities before, so he was no longer surprised. However, the other three individuals wore expressions of astonishment. Qin Yu's techniques resembled those performed by Taoist priests in movies, creating a striking visual impact.
"The Stealing Heaven Talisman has been used. Whether we can deceive the heavens and open the Dragon Gate is now in the hands of fate."
Qin Yu raised his head, gazing at the pale sky. The purpose of the Stealing Heaven Talisman was to deceive and trick the heavens. The hidden dragon had already missed its opportunity to soar, so Qin Yu could only use this method to deceive the celestial mechanism and make the heavens believe that today was the time for the hidden dragon to soar, opening the Dragon Gate.
Suddenly, the space above the platform became filled with strange cloud formations. Countless clouds gathered and merged, gradually forming a distorted circular cloud layer. Above this cloud layer, a square-shaped cloud gate emerged, appearing elusive.
Seeing the cloud gate, a smile formed on Qin Yu's face. He recited, "The Dragon Gate is now open, let the hidden dragon soar. Whether it's a dragon or an insect, it all depends on destiny."
"Whoosh!" A fierce wind erupted, causing a thunderous dragon roar that made Mo Yongxing and the others stagger and cover their ears. They stared intently at the cloud layer above. The raging wind spiraled upward, like a tornado, directly rushing toward the cloud gate. It vanished into the cloud gate with a single motion.
"Now, it's up to your own destiny." Qin Yu muttered as he gazed at the cloud gate. He never expected that summoning the Dragon Gate would be so effortless. The rest would depend on the hidden dragon's own efforts.
Just as Qin Yu was about to descend from the platform, Mo Yongxing suddenly exclaimed, "Why is there another tornado rushing toward the cloud gate?"
"Another tornado?" Qin Yu hurriedly looked up, and indeed, another tornado followed closely, charging into the cloud gate.
"This... There's actually another hidden dragon soaring today."
Qin Yu's face revealed an expression of disbelief as he stared fixedly at the Dragon Gate. It turned out that there was another hidden dragon within the Jingxiu District that was soaring on the same day. No wonder it was so easy to summon the Dragon Gate; it was because there was already another hidden dragon destined to soar today.
The opportunity for a hidden dragon to soar only occurred once every ten years, and it was already astonishing enough to have one hidden dragon soaring today. Qin Yu was truly taken aback by this unexpected turn of events and was left speechless.
"Two dragons contending, there will surely be one injured." Qin Yu's brows furrowed tightly. The act of a hidden dragon soaring was already an extremely dangerous affair, and now with two hidden dragons soaring simultaneously, the danger multiplied. Both sides would have to compete for the sole opportunity to transform into a dragon.
"Roar~~~"
A resounding dragon roar echoed through the sky of Guangdong City. Countless citizens looked up, only to see two figures appearing vividly within the clouds, interacting and moving amidst the cloud layer.
"Oh my, what am I seeing? Are those dragons? Two divine dragons?"
Countless citizens witnessed the faintly visible forms of hidden dragons within the cloud layer, occasionally revealing scales and half-formed horns, just like the appearance of legendary divine dragons.
"It's a divine dragon, a true divine dragon!"
"The divine dragon has appeared! Everyone, let us pray!"
Some citizens fell to their knees, offering prayers and seeking the blessings of the divine dragons. However, most of these individuals were elderly. The younger ones took out their phones, capturing photos and videos. This was a true divine dragon, not something created through Photoshop. Capturing it and sharing it on social media platforms could even make headlines.
"The hidden dragon is formless, passing through the Dragon Gate, transforming its body into a dragon after enduring three tribulations. Only after crossing them can it truly become a dragon, roaming the four corners of the world."