Chapter Fifty-Five: The Emergence of the Nine Dragons

Li Hao suddenly noticed something unusual within himself. After carefully sensing it, he exclaimed, “Huh! I think I’ve made a breakthrough. Wonderful, I’ve finally broken through.”

Lin Xueyou heard his words and probed his cultivation realm. In an instant, her pupils widened with shock. She thought to herself, “This rascal just leapt over a major realm and then broke through a minor one as well. How did he even do it?”

Although puzzled, Lin Xueyou couldn’t help but be drawn to the innocent look on Li Hao’s face. Unconsciously, she found herself paying more attention to this youth before her. She checked her own cultivation and, to her surprise, discovered she too had advanced. Now at the peak of the Sojourner Realm, she felt quietly delighted.

Lin Xueyou said, “All right, let’s think of a way to find the others.”

Li Hao replied, “Who knows how vast this Inner World is? Where would we even start looking?”

Confronted by his question, Lin Xueyou was at a loss as well. “I don’t know where to look, either.”

She no longer spoke to Li Hao as she used to. In the past, she would always meet his gaze while talking; now she kept her head lowered. Whenever she caught sight of him, her heart would beat uncontrollably, and memories of all that had happened between them would rise unbidden—most vividly, the moment when Li Hao had mistaken her for a bed and slept on her.

Suddenly, Li Hao seemed to recall something and grew expectant. He bit the middle finger of his left hand, letting a drop of blood fall on his brow. Lin Xueyou noticed his odd behavior but, uncertain what mischief he was up to now, only glanced at him in confusion before quickly looking away.

As Li Hao’s blood touched the war halberd mark on his brow, a formation burst forth, instantly expanding. In the span of a single breath, it grew to cover a hundred miles. From the formation, a massive creature with nine heads soared into the sky. Once it was fully released, its enormous body stretched five to six thousand feet—this was Xiao Jiu’s true form.

Both Li Hao and Lin Xueyou were stunned to the core by the sight.

A monstrous dragon with nine heads was unheard of—let alone one whose heads shimmered with various, chaotic laws of power. Truly, the vastness of the starry heavens holds infinite wonders and bizarre creatures beyond imagination.

Xiao Jiu circled once in the sky, then began to shrink, plunging from the heights straight to the ground. Upon landing, he transformed in an instant into a handsome youth of sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a long robe patterned with nine-colored dragons. Stepping before Li Hao, Xiao Jiu knelt on one knee and said respectfully, “Xiao Jiu greets his master!”

Li Hao, coming back to his senses from the shock, looked at the flashy, handsome young man and asked, “You’re Xiao Jiu?”

In his heart, Li Hao had always thought Xiao Jiu was either an oddball or a manifestation of his grandfather’s laws. He had never imagined Xiao Jiu would be a monstrous dragon, hence the childish, redundant question.

“Yes, Master, I am Xiao Jiu.”

“Get up. Don’t call me ‘master’ anymore—just call me Li Hao.”

It was only then that Li Hao realized Xiao Jiu was still kneeling. He hurried to help him up.

“I dare not address Master by his given name. If Master dislikes being called ‘master,’ may I call you ‘Young Lord’ instead?”

“That’s fine too.”

Lin Xueyou, who had seen all manner of divine beasts, was nonetheless astounded by Xiao Jiu. Not only was his power formidable, but he was also a mutated dragon of nine attributes—a phenomenon she had never even heard of, let alone witnessed. Even more astonishing was how this extraordinary being knelt so respectfully before the youth. Observing Li Hao’s calm demeanor, without a hint of arrogance at possessing such a treasure, she found herself unable to see through him.

Lin Xueyou approached the two. Xiao Jiu greeted her, “Xiao Jiu greets Miss Xueyou.”

She studied the youth in human form and returned the courtesy, “Xueyou greets Young Lord.”

If this dragon had been sealed in Li Hao’s sea of consciousness, then wouldn’t he know everything that had happened between her and Li Hao? The thought made Lin Xueyou uneasy. She stole a glance at the dragon in human guise, but he seemed oblivious, and she quietly reassured herself.

Xiao Jiu spoke, “Young Lord, your path has been too arduous. Before the old master departed, he bound me with a law contract. I may not use power beyond your own strength, and until you reach the Selfless Realm, I cannot unleash my full abilities. I ask Young Lord’s forgiveness.”

In truth, Xiao Jiu had only made a verbal promise to Li Yang, and while he had indeed signed a soul contract with Li Hao, there was no law contract. He said this not out of reluctance to serve, but to honor Li Yang’s wish: he must not interfere with Li Hao’s growth. So he told a white lie, hoping to curb Li Hao’s reliance. Over the years, whenever Li Hao faced mortal peril, Xiao Jiu had always intervened quietly to help.

Li Hao was puzzled by the explanation. “What is a contract?”

The question left Lin Xueyou both amused and exasperated. This little rascal didn’t even know what a contract was.

Ever since Li Hao had mistaken her for a bed, Lin Xueyou had been muttering curses at him in her heart. Yet whenever she saw him confused, she couldn’t help but patiently explain his doubts.

Seeing his perplexity, she couldn’t resist: “A law contract is much like a soul contract. There are two kinds of soul contracts: master-servant and equal. In a master-servant contract, one surrenders all control of their soul to the master, losing freedom for life and obeying unconditionally unless released. An equal contract is an agreement between two parties, judged by the laws of heaven and earth. If either side breaks it, their power is stripped away for life. The law contract is the most lenient—if you break your oath under special circumstances, you’ll be punished according to the severity of your betrayal.”

Li Hao learned something new that day, and hearing Lin Xueyou explain so fluently, he couldn’t help but admire her.

“Thank you, Sister Xueyou, for clearing that up.”

Her free-spirited nature surfaced again. “And how do you plan to thank me, Brother Li Hao?”

Li Hao scratched his head awkwardly, at a loss for words.

Xiao Jiu, ever eager to serve, chimed in mischievously, “Well, since things are already like this, why not pledge yourself to her, Young Lord?”

Li Hao thought to himself, “What does he mean, ‘since things are already like this’? Could it be—does he know everything that happened today?”

The thought made his face flush hot. He asked, “Do you know everything?”

Xiao Jiu feigned ignorance. “Know what? I know nothing at all.”

Of course, Li Hao didn’t believe him, but pressed no further.

Lin Xueyou was shaken by Xiao Jiu’s words. Moments ago, she had hoped the dragon knew nothing of their secret, but now she realized he must know everything. She muttered inwardly, “There’s nothing ordinary about this rascal’s companions.”

Her heart pounding, she looked into Li Hao’s clear eyes and thought, “I can’t just let him take advantage of me for nothing.”

With a sly smile, she gazed at Li Hao, making him uneasy, and said, “Brother Li Hao, since things have already come to this, why don’t you pledge yourself to me? I promise to take responsibility for you.”

Li Hao pointed at his own nose in disbelief. “Me, pledge myself to you?”

Her willow-leaf brows arched as her almond eyes narrowed with laughter. The charm in that moment left Li Hao entranced. She asked, “Well, Brother Li Hao, have you made up your mind?”

He waved his hands vigorously. “No way! Absolutely not!”

Lin Xueyou broke into peals of laughter, delighted by his reaction. But then Li Hao’s next words caught her off guard and stopped her laughter cold.

“I haven’t decided yet. Maybe I’ll marry you when I’m grown up!”

The words struck Lin Xueyou as incredibly off-putting. Not decided yet? Did this rascal think she wasn’t good enough? Though he was joking, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

She thought, “Just you wait, you little rascal—I won’t let you off so easily.”

Xiao Jiu, seeing the atmosphere grow awkward, decided to make his exit. In a flash, he transformed into a magnificent war halberd. Both Li Hao and Lin Xueyou turned their attention to this new marvel.

The halberd’s tail was shaped like a red diamond, its shaft entwined with golden dragons. The fore-edges of the twin blades flared outward, rear-edges inward, curving beautifully. Each razor-sharp blade was gripped in the mouths of four dragons. The halberd’s tip resembled a spearhead, with six small, sharp barbs on either side, and the base of the tip was also held by a dragon’s mouth. At the center where the tip and blades met was a multicolored orb.

“So its original form was a war halberd?” Lin Xueyou’s tone was filled with disbelief.

Li Hao said, “I didn’t know either.”

Xiao Jiu’s voice echoed in Li Hao’s consciousness: “Young Lord, the halberd is not my true form—the first form you saw is. Centuries ago, I ambushed Old Man Lu Yishan, and just as I was about to devour the Divine Doctor of Herbs, your grandfather Li Yang intervened. We fought, and I lost, so I merged myself into his war halberd. Only then did the halberd take this form. Without me, it was just a common divine weapon; only after I became its spirit did it become a true artifact.”

Hearing that Xiao Jiu had nearly slain the Divine Doctor of Herbs and fought his grandfather, Li Hao was stunned, his mouth agape.

He noticed Lin Xueyou eyeing him in confusion and realized that when Xiao Jiu communicated privately, no one else could hear. He casually remarked, “How astonishing!”

Lin Xueyou thought he was referring to the halberd and simply nodded in agreement.

At this moment, she realized she still didn’t know where this singularly innocent rascal came from.

“Brother Li Hao, I’ve never heard—where are you from? Where is your home?”