A few days before the challenge had even begun, a condition had been made.
The 36th - Xuantian Super Monastery, despite having already awarded the 108th Xuantian Monastery with Quota slots, the 36 – Monasteries had still wanted to test Long Chen and his warriors. They wanted to confirm whether they were truly qualified.
And if they really wanted to do so then Long Chen and the Dragon Blood Legion had been far from passive participants in this gamble.
If the 36 monasteries wanted to check their qualifications, then they too had to wager something. Something that the Dragon Blood Legion desired.
The Stakes of the bet/condition in terms were simple.
If the Dragon Blood Legion won, then they had the right to claim one thing from each of the 36 monasteries' treasuries.
Not just one treasure, but one type of treasure from each monastery.
The sect leaders had agreed, as they had placed their faith in their top disciples, believing that their combined forces could at least put up a strong fight.
The top 36 monasteries had joined forces, each selecting their 10 strongest disciples, creating an elite force of 360 warriors. These were not ordinary cultivators—they were handpicked from thousands of disciples, their strength polished through years of brutal training. Each one was a Grade-1 Celestial, standing at the peak of their generation, wielding their most refined combat techniques and spiritual arts.
The full moon hung high in the sky, casting its ethereal glow over the battlefield. The air was thick with tension, an unspoken challenge weighing down upon the gathered forces of the Xuantian Monasteries. A vast arena had been prepared on a floating battlefield above the Juili Secret Realm, its enchanted platforms reinforced with countless formations to prevent the destruction that was about to unfold.
It was the day of reckoning—the battle that would determine the true strength of the 108th Xuantian Monastery.
At the opposite end of the battlefield stood Long Chen's Dragon Blood Legion—but not his elite forces. No, Long Chen had chosen the weakest 360 warriors from his 30,000-strong army.
These warriors held no formal ranking in the Dragon Blood Legion. They were not captains, not commanders, not strategists—merely normal warriors who stood at the bottom of the legion's hierarchy. But even so, their presence alone shook the battlefield, their crimson armor radiating a silent killing intent that sent chills down the spines of their opponents.
The leaders of the top 36 monasteries frowned.
"Why has Long Chen sent mere foot soldiers? Does he intend to humiliate us?" one sect leader muttered in displeasure as the participating warrior introduced themselves and their Rank in Dragon Blood Legion.
But as the battle would soon prove, the true difference in strength could not be determined by mere rankings.
At the sound of the gong, the first match commenced.
A disciple from the 36th-ranked Xuantian Monastery, an expert in flowing blade techniques, stepped onto the platform. His sword shone with celestial light, his stance firm. Opposing him was a Dragon Blood Legion warrior, expression calm and unbothered.
The crowd held its breath as the battle began.
The monastery disciple moved first, his blade slicing through the air like a torrent of water. His Grade-1 Celestial Energy surged, empowering his attack as he aimed for a swift and decisive strike.
But before his blade could even reach its target—
Bang!
A single punch.
A deafening silence fell over the battlefield as the Xuantian Monastery disciple was sent flying out of the arena in a single strike. He crashed into the barrier, coughing up blood, unable to move.
The Dragon Blood Legion warrior stood still, his fist lowered, his expression unchanged—as if he had merely swatted aside an insect.
The sect leaders from the top 36 monasteries went pale.
"What… just happened?"
Before they could even process it, the second match began. Then the third. Then the fourth.
And the result was the same.
Bang!
Another disciple was sent flying.
Bang!
Another warrior was crushed in an instant.
One after another, the elite disciples of the top 36 monasteries were utterly humiliated.
In the span of mere moments, the Dragon Blood Legion had won 360 consecutive battles.
The Truth Hidden in Plain Sight
A chilling realization began to dawn upon the onlookers.
The warriors of the Dragon Blood Legion hadn't even drawn their weapons.
They hadn't activated their sword intent.
They hadn't unleashed their Celestial Energy.
They had simply relied on raw physical power and combat experience to dismantle their opponents.
It wasn't that they were underestimating their enemies.
No—this was Long Chen's decree.
He had forbidden them from using any kind of weapons and defeat those weaklings with just their bare hands.
These warriors, who were naturally far beyond their opponents, had still annihilated them with ease.
The sect leaders broke out in cold sweats.
Sect Leader Shui Wuhen's Observation from her seat high above the battlefield, Lady Shui Wuhen watched the scene unfold with a knowing smirk. Her emerald-green dress shimmered under the moonlight, her jade-like skin radiating an aura of serene elegance.
"Fascinating," she murmured.
Unlike the others, she saw through the illusion.
The Dragon Blood Legion was not simply strong and capable in terms of cultivation.
They were better trained.
Their combat instincts were razor-sharp.
Their understanding and adaptability to opponent was flawless.
Their movements were precise, unshaken, lethal—as if every member had gone through countless life-and-death battles that tempered them into something far beyond ordinary cultivators.
This was Long Chen's army.
A legion forged not through privilege, but through the baptism of war and painful temperance.
Even their weakest members were monsters beyond comparison.
While so, the sect leaders of the 36 monasteries were in complete disbelief.
They had believed that their disciples—the so-called elites of the Top – 36 – Xuantian monasteries—would at least be able to put up a decent fight. But the reality was far worse.
"This isn't possible! We sent our best warriors!"
"How can normal foot soldiers of the 108th Xuantian Monastery be this strong?!"
"What kind of training did they put them through?!"
Each loss was a crushing blow to their pride. The very foundations of their sects' legacies were shattered in a single night.
And the worst part?
The Dragon Blood Legion warriors weren't even celebrating.
To them, this wasn't a glorious victory—it was merely another mission.
They walked off the battlefield without so much as a smirk, expressionless, their hearts unshaken by the one-sided massacre.
To them, this was not a challenge.
It was merely a chore.
After the final battle, Long Chen himself appeared. His long black hair fluttered in the wind, his presence dominating yet calm. His presence elevated by moonlight, his eyes that of a true expert, an entity powerful and capable of calculating through them.
He swept his gaze over the gathered sect leaders, his golden eyes cold and piercing.
"This is the difference between our paths," he said. "You raise your disciples in sheltered gardens, pampered with resources and titles. You mistake privilege for strength."
His voice was neither mocking nor arrogant—it was simply the truth.
"My Dragon Blood Legion has faced hell itself. We do not rely on status. We do not rely on titles. We rely on our own blood, sweat, and sacrifice. That is why we stand undefeated. While you guys, tch-"
Silence.
No one could argue.
The battle had already spoken the truth.
In the end, the Top - 36 - Xuantian Monasteries had been utterly crushed, their pride trampled beneath the feet of warriors who didn't even bother to unleash their full strength.
The legend of the Dragon Blood Legion had only just begun.
And this was merely a glimpse of what was to come.
As the sect leaders left the battlefield that night, a single thought haunted them all.
If Long Chen's weakest warriors were this strong…
What would happen if his true elites took the stage?
No one dared to answer.
Because the answer was far too terrifying to comprehend.
The Xuantian Monasteries had made a grave mistake.
They had challenged a monster—and he had answered.
And then what made them more worried was the treasures that Long Chen was going to take from their vaults and so as they were going to almost empty their vaults, they receive the notice that all the Vaults' keys have been taken by Lear Shui Wuhen causing them to frustrate over and over again.
They all cursed Long Chen and his Dragon Blood Legion, Ling Yunzi and Lear Shui.
Long Chen and his brothers wasted no time in visiting the treasuries of the monasteries they had bested.
For the 11th to 36th monasteries, they claimed even rarer ores, ones that could be used to forge Half-Step King Grade weapons and armors.
Each monastery had different kinds of ores, but Long Chen was strategic as he allowed Guo Ran, a forging expert, and his team to be the one to carefully chose the ores that were most useful for strengthening his warriors.
And then came the top 10 monasteries.
Long Chen didn't take ores from them.
Instead, he took herbs.
Not just any herbs—but the most precious and potent spiritual plants they had.
Some were meant for enhancing physique, some for strengthening cultivation, others for refining elixirs of immortality.
Each monastery had its own unique collection, and by the time Long Chen was done, the Dragon Blood Legion had acquired nearly 50% of all the rare herbs the top 10 monasteries possessed.
The sect leaders could do nothing but watch as Long Chen and his warriors emptied their storerooms.
It wasn't theft.
It wasn't plundering.
It was their rightful reward.
And they had won it fair and square.
But even so, the hearts and souls of the disciples, elders and leaders bled fiercely, rage and sadness quelling within all of them.
They had wanted to test Long Chen.
Instead, they had lost everything.
And the worst part?
They couldn't even complain.
They had made a bet—and they had lost.
The Elders and Leaders hearts were bleeding so much that they were onto chewing their clothes some even striking their hears on the wall as tears flowed down their eyes.
The Vault of the Xuantian Super Monastery
After collecting the treasures from the 36 monasteries, Long Chen arrived at the Xuantian Super Monastery.
This time, he wasn't just collecting rewards from a wager—he had also been promised a gift from Sect Leader Shui Wuhen herself while he had been disturbing her calling her Elder Sister whole time though she couldn't beat the crap out of a junior.
The vault of the Super Monastery was a sacred place, where only the most valuable and rare treasures were kept.
Many of them were legendary artifacts, each capable of changing the fate of entire sects.
But as Long Chen walked through the vault, his eyes remained indifferent.
None of these treasures called to him.
At least, not until he felt it—
A sudden heartbeat.
Not his own.
But from something inside the vault.
A Mysterious Jade Pendant
Long Chen's gaze locked onto a small, unassuming object placed at the very corner of the vault.
It was a jade pendant, shaped like a dragon coiling upon itself.
It didn't emit any powerful aura.
It didn't have any celestial energy fluctuations.
To the naked eye, it was nothing more than a piece of old jewellery.
But Long Chen could feel it.
His very heartbeat was resonating with the pendant.
He picked it up, the cool jade resting against his palm.
"Elder sister Shui Wuhen," Long Chen turned to the woman in the emerald-green dress, his voice calm but firm.
"I'll take this."
Shui Wuhen raised a delicate eyebrow, sighing, "Haizz…. You won't stop calling me that right?" though in her heart she felt warm seeing Long Chen act so familial and childishly making her remember her past, her childhood when she once had a filial and lovely family free of any intricacies or evils.
"That old thing?" she then mused as walking up to him. Her jade-like fingers brushed over the pendant. "It has no energy fluctuations. It's probably just an ancient trinket."
She smiled. "If you want it, consider it a free gift."
Long Chen's eyes narrowed.
No energy fluctuations… yet his heartbeat had responded to it?
He knew better than to dismiss something that called to his very soul.
There was more to this jade pendant than met the eye.
But he didn't argue. He simply nodded.
"If that's the case," Shui Wuhen continued, "you may take another treasure."
Long Chen thanked her excitedly, "Thanks sis." As his gaze swept across the vault once more.
Once again, something drew his attention.
This time, it wasn't a small, unassuming object.
It was a massive saber, resting in a separate section of the vault.
The blade was immense, its surface engraved with ancient patterns.
It radiated a presence that felt both heavy and ancient, as if it carried the weight of an entire battlefield within its steel and what attracted Shen Long the most was the intensely Pure Saber Essence that could be felt from within.
It was a half-step King Grade Treasure—a weapon which was on the verge of reaching an entirely different tier of power.
Shui Wuhen's expression turned hesitant.
"This saber…" she said slowly.
Unlike the jade pendant, this weapon was undeniably powerful.
It wasn't something that could just be given away lightly.
For a moment, she considered refusing.
But then, she looked at Long Chen.
At his childly gaze.
At his overwhelming gaze and him calling her 'Elder Sister'— emotionally she fell turbulent.
A slow smile spread across her lips.
"Fine," she finally said. "Take it."
Long Chen nodded, gripping the massive saber and slinging it across his back.
"Much appreciated. Thanks a lot, Elder Sister.," he said childishly like a brother to his actual elder sister but even so he didn't just leave like that until he gave her a skill Jade Slip of Starry River of Sky Art astonishing her.
And with that, the transaction was complete.
After the Dragon Blood Legion had returned to the 108th Xuantian Monastery, the mood was charged with a sense of victory. Their reward was greater than anyone could have anticipated, and yet, for Long Chen, it was only the beginning. The true treasure lay within the Half-step King-Grade Giant Saber and the Mysterious Jade Pendant of the Dragon Phoenix—mysterious artifacts that seemed to hold great potential.
As Long Chen sat in his private immortal cave, he couldn't help but stare at the saber he had claimed. The blade felt strangely empty, devoid of any spiritual energy or consciousness. The blade was made of sturdy materials, but it lacked the essence that many weapons possessed i.e. No weapon spirit, no heavenly aura, and yet, it was unmistakably powerful. The Saber's Hidden Power
As he carefully examined the Giant Saber, Long Chen could feel a faint energy coursing through it and such that he was completely shocked…
It wasn't the intensely condensed and compressed Saber Essence that attracted him towards it but actually the very Astral energy—pure, raw, and undiluted which wasn't very strong, though incredibly pure. Even this small amount of energy had the potential to bring him to the peak of the AIlioth Star, the second star of the Nine-Star Heaven Body Art.
Long Chen could feel his power slowly rising. The energy within the saber was sufficient to complete his Two-Star Battle Armor and Two Divine Rings—that had long remained unfinished.
With an intense sense of greed and determination, Long Chen decided to refine the Saber's Astral energy. He focused his will and drew in the astral power of the blade.
The saber, filled with pure and potent Astral Energy, seemed to hum as Long Chen's energy intertwined with it. It was as if the saber itself had been waiting for him, waiting for someone worthy to awaken its latent energy.
His mind began to race with possibilities as this wasn't in the original story—so what? All is well then End is Well.
He could feel its power surging through him, and soon, his vision blurred. The world around him dissolved, replaced by an unfamiliar, yet calming scene—a vast, endless sky above and a boundless ocean below.
It was as if he had stepped into another realm entirely.
To Be Continued...