Ye Linâs face twitched, and it finally dawned on his foggy mind. He had been strung along until he was lost, veering off his path.
With a deep breath, Ye Lin regained his calm and closed his eyesâŚ
âMaster, my sect is going through the outer sect competition tomorrow. There can only be ten new inner disciples, but Iâm just an outer disciple in the 21st place. What do I do?â A young Ye Lin asked the dragon ancestor.
The huge dragon eye stared coldly as his voice rumbled, âGet rid of all those twenty people in front of you.â
âBut I canât beat them!â
âBeat them all, or donât bother seeing me again!â The dragon ancestor said coldly, then turned his back.
Face sinking, the young Ye Lin felt put on the spot. âTheyâre better than me in martial arts and cultivation methods. How can I beat them? And the first ten get to be inner disciples. I only need to beat ten.â
âWorthless! Get lost!â
âMaster, why are you cussing at me? Did I say something wrong?â
âHumans are devious and seize any chance to win, while also being weak. But if you think of yourself like that, youâre not worthy of calling me master.â The huge dragon spoke, âAmong spiritual beasts, every creature knows its position. Its place is clear to all. Do you know why?â
Ye Lin shook his head.
[Why would I know that crap?]
The dragon ancestor mocked, âThatâs because since ancient times, since the primal chaos, once a spiritual beast lost, its rank is set. Every generation knows this. Once you lose, you will always lag behind. We, the five great sacred beasts, are at the peak of all spiritual beasts. We had fought among ourselves, but we could never win against each other, so we stood together. But in their hearts, they all wish to stand above everyone, to be the one true king! â
âThatâs why, our path, that of spiritual beasts, is to win! Winning means life, glory, and respect. It doesnât matter who is in front of you, how weak or strong, or how many. You are to remember my words, boy. If you are to be my disciple, you just have to win! Even if there were a hundred people in front of you in the sect, you still have to go through all of them. You have to risk your life and fight them to win! There are still three months as well. I will see your progress afterwardâŚâ
The dragon ancestor closed his eyes and curled up to sleep. The young Ye Lin bowed and withdrew.
Three months later, a flash of fire revealed Ye Lin once more. His meridians were crushed and hanging by a thread.
âM-master⌠I wonâŚâ Ye Lin wheezed out.
The dragon ancestor cast a cold gaze, âAll of them?â
âI beat all of them. I staked my life, and they thought I was crazy. None wanted to meet me head-on. Finally, I came out first.â
With a faint smile, Ye Lin continued, âMaster, you were right. Humans are opportunistic and weak. None dared to face me. But now my body is ruined, and the inner sect doesnât want me anymore. Someone even laughed at me for being a fool. But I didnât care. I won, and I felt great! It was all worth itâŚâ
The dragon ancestor nodded, âThe average man is blinded by fame and canât see the value of winning. You, however, now know the value in being first and have earned your right to be Decimating Dragon Ancestorâs disciple.â
Hum~
The dragon ancestorâs brow creased as a burning drop of blood flew out from between. It glittered like a ruby as it settled on Ye Linâs forehead.
The dragon ancestor then clawed the back of his neck and came out with a sharp scale, the hardest reverse scale. Like a huge quilt, he settled it over Ye Lin.
The dragon ancestor then breathed out golden flames onto the kid. After a full 49 days passed, the true dragon ancestor inheritor, the one we saw today, was born!
He also inherited his masterâs path, to win!
Losing once meant losing everythingâŚ
Opening his eyes, Ye Lin had no hesitation left in them. He knew his path, his beliefs.
Bouncing around from one trick to another was not a sacred beastâs style. For a sacred beast disciple, all that mattered was to win.
Even if he was facing a fierce pair, he just had to stake it all and win!
Ye Linâs spirit was lifted and caused even Zhuo Fan to shudder.
âQiaoâer, be careful. This punk has made up his mind. He wonât fall for it again. This time, weâre fighting to the end!â Zhuo Fan warned.
He had seen his fair share of resolute people like Ye Lin, and all of them were a big thorn to deal with.
He had to keep his guard up no matter what came!
Pa!
Ye Lin put his hands together as he went through a series of signs. When he finished, his entire body exploded with power.
The powerful Decimating Golden Flame surged higher and higher like an endless sea. Zhuo Fan was in shock.
[Just what is he trying to do?]
The Exalted Double Dragons were stunned as well. They could see that Ye Lin held in his eyes the desire to win, one that drove him mad!
Hu~
Ye Lin made the final sign, and the torrent of golden flames rolled around him, and the image of a huge dragon appeared behind him, bearing its fangs and savagery.
The flaming inferno gathered around the dragon head and was ready to strike at any second.
âT-thisâŚâ
Wu Qingqiu gasped, âIs this Soul Scorching? Junior brother is going to burn his soul just to win?â
âWhat?!â
Ultimate Clarity Sectâs disciples were in disbelief, âThatâs only used when one fights to the very end. If not careful, he could burn his entire soul away! The enemy only got him twice with his tricks, so why must he use such a definite strike? This is too extreme!â
âYou donât understand. This is the real junior brother!â
Wu Qingqiu shook his head and sighed, âDid you all forget that outer sect competition? How did junior brother become the first to enter the inner sect?â
The others recalled those brutal fights and nodded, âIâve never seen a crazier lunatic in my life. Just to win, he staked his life. To the point, he got everyone so scared they soiled their pants. He even managed to beat the first outer disciples, but he broke his body to do it. The inner sect elder saw him ruined and didnât want him. He then asked senior brother to take him to the secret realm. Then, after 49 days, he returned as a true genius. This made people talk about the secret realm as being not just a heaven to refine the soul but the body as well. A shame that it never worked for anyone else!â
âWhat you donât know is that after I saw his desperate struggle since he yearned to go to the secret realm, I chose to honor his last wish. But when I left his body, I soon found it gone. I used to think someone took it, only to find out 49 days later that he entered the inner sect. I believe thereâs a real secret in there, but he didnât want to tell anyone. â
Sighing, Wu Qingqiu said, âNow I understand that that was where he found his path. Now, his mind is back to that time, and he sees Zhuo Fan as his bitter enemy.â
Everyone turned to Ye Lin and nodded.
Ever since Ye Lin was reborn, no one could force him to show all he had; until Zhuo Fan came along.
That was why the kid was back to that time when he staked his lifeâŚ
Biting winds and searing hot air washed over Zhuo Fan, who was creasing his brows hard at the problem he faced.
Such power was clearly meant for him and Qiaoâer together.
[He has stopped trying to deal with us one by one and wants to end us together. This is a madman no matter how one sees him!]
The best way to deal with a team was to pick them out individually. Taking them all out at the same time was too dangerous and pricey.
Ye Lin, however, was a sacred beast inheritor. In his eyes, winning was everything; and worth everything.
âQiaoâer, no matter what happens, you must stay behind me. I can take it!â Zhuo Fan warned carefully.
Qiaoâer nodded, despite the odd glimmer in her eyesâŚ