Chapter 155: The Candle Dragon's Pupil

Watching Dou Ming depart, Lin Qiu was left alone in the very center of the Labyrinth of Gray Mist. Not far ahead of him, the fountain continued to surge with spiritual energy.

"Will I really be alright if I go in?"

Before stepping into the fountain, Lin Qiu asked the system once more, a trace of worry lingering on his face.

[Entering in your current Zhulong form will present no danger whatsoever.]

Assuring himself with the system's confirmation, Lin Qiu hesitated no longer. Channeling the power of the Torch Dragon to shroud his entire body, he stepped right into the fountain.

The moment he entered, the fountain's eruptions accelerated, and countless streams of water relentlessly washed over his physical form.

A pain akin to a thousand cuts being inflicted upon his flesh surged directly into Lin Qiu's mind, draining the color from his face instantly. Yet, he gritted his teeth and remained standing firm within the surging waters.

This agony was helping purify his bodily limits, purging layer after layer of black, impure substances from within him.

The system's notifications chimed repeatedly as Lin Qiu's bloodline slowly underwent a profound refinement, gradually transforming into the pure blood of the Zhulong.

After an indeterminate passage of time, the fountain finally subsided, leaving behind a pool brimming with rare heavenly treasures.

Lin Qiu had undergone a remarkable evolution. His gaze was now penetrating and divine, with twin pupils that seemed to cradle flickering candle-flames.

Reflecting patterns akin to turning constellations, a single glance of his eyes felt as vast as a world. The spring water had primarily forged and strengthened his eyes, while his physical body had received only minor enhancements—merely shedding impurities and further purifying his bloodline.

"With this pair of eyes, I should be able to instantly obliterate a Third-Tier cultivator, right?"

Adapting to the changes within his body, Lin Qiu murmured to himself, keenly sensing the drastic shift in his vision.

"System, why did I feel such a natural sense of affinity with this secret realm while in the Zhulong form? Could this realm be connected to the Torch Dragon in some way?"

Having acclimated to his new state, Lin Qiu pressed the system for answers. Though he had reverted from his Zhulong form, the profound sense of connection he had felt earlier during that state was undeniable.

It stood to reason that this hidden realm was inextricably linked to the Torch Dragon. The system's response came swiftly: "This secret realm was forged from the remains of an infant Torch Dragon."

"..."

Hearing this, Lin Qiu froze in stunned silence. An infant Torch Dragon was enough to create a nine-layered secret realm—just how unimaginably powerful would a fully matured Torch Dragon be?

"Forget it. These are not matters for me to dwell on right now. The second layer should be opening soon."

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Lin Qiu strode toward the center of the first layer.

If his guess was correct, the second layer likely held more items capable of further refining Zhulong blood. For him, any treasure that could enhance his ancestral bloodline was an absolute must-acquire.

Back at the central city of the first layer:

"Dou Ming, to think that someone of your stature as a prodigy of the Netherfish clan would stoop to becoming someone else's lackey. You truly bring shame to the races of the Eastern Sea."

After emerging from the Labyrinth of Gray Mist, Dou Ming had managed to unearth quite a few treasures in the first layer. Now, with the passage to the second layer about to open, he had made his way back to the city in a timely manner.

However, the moment he arrived, War Tiger and Gu Li had already led a group to surround him completely. While they claimed to be upholding the honor of the Eastern Sea clans, their true intentions were transparently clear: they meant to rob Dou Ming of the treasures he had acquired.

"Do the two of you really think you are enough to handle me?"

Dou Ming's expression turned grave. The Netherfish clan was considered a top-tier faction in the Eastern Sea; if Dou Ming decided to fight to the death, neither War Tiger nor Gu Li would walk away unscathed, even by joining forces.

"Hand over half of your treasures, or we will not allow you to set foot into the second layer. We may not kill you, but stalling you is well within our power."

Facing Dou Ming's threat, War Tiger and Gu Li merely chuckled. From the very beginning, they had never intended to kill him—their sole aim was plunder.

The goal of Dou Ming's clan in this trial was ancestral bloodline reversion, and treasures of that caliber typically only began to appear sparingly in the second and third layers.

Confident that Dou Ming was cornered by this crucial necessity, the two had chosen this exact leverage.

Dou Ming's face darkened considerably as internal conflict warred within him. Should he yield to their extortion, or maintain his pride and fight to the bitter end?

As a prodigy of the Netherfish clan, he rarely encountered such humiliation, and for a moment, he found it immensely difficult to swallow his anger.

"Dou Ming, there is only an hour left until the passage opens, and each opening lasts a mere five minutes. You are running out of time."

War Tiger smiled triumphantly, acting as though he had victory secured.

"Is that so? Did you ask my permission before trying to bully Dou Ming?"

Just as Dou Ming was on the verge of compromising, Lin Qiu's voice echoed from nearby. Having wasted no time after leaving the labyrinth, Lin Qiu had hurried straight to the central city, never expecting to stumble upon this confrontation right at the gates.

Despite past grievances between him and Dou Ming, under the current circumstances, Lin Qiu did not mind lending a hand.

At the very least, Dou Ming had acted as his guide for a stretch of the journey—even if it had been under coercion.

"It's you again!"

Upon hearing Lin Qiu's voice, War Tiger and Gu Li whipped their heads around, their expressions twisting in displeasure as memories of the labyrinth resurfaced.

"You can't use those black flames anymore. Let's see what tricks you have left. If you want to enter the city, you'll hand over your treasures just as obediently."

The pair had quickly scanned the area around Lin Qiu, confirming the absence of the terrifying black flames from earlier, which instantly restored their bravado.

"Really?"

How could Lin Qiu fail to see through their thoughts? The corners of his mouth curled upward in a mocking smirk laden with derision.

With a flick of his wrist, he conjured a blade formed of compressed water, speaking with absolute disdain: "Come at me together. Taking you on one by one is far too troublesome."

He clearly did not regard War Tiger and Gu Li as any real threat. Stung by his arrogance, the fury of the two prodigies flared up; after all, they were celebrated geniuses of their respective clans—when had they ever been looked down upon so blatantly?

"Dealing with you is something I can do alone!"

War Tiger shifted into his true form, revealing a grotesque hybrid creature part-tiger and part-fish that lunged toward Lin Qiu. At that exact moment, the system's prompt rang sharply in Lin Qiu's ears.

[Devour all prodigies present, excluding Dou Ming!]

"..."

Hearing the system's sudden directive, Lin Qiu was momentarily stunned. He hadn't anticipated such a mandate; completing this task meant making enemies of everyone present, essentially pushing him straight into the furnace.