Guan Hao whispered, "Brother Chen, what's wrong?"
It took Chen Nan a long time to come to his senses. He wiped away his tears, feigning shock, and said, "That was close! I almost suffered a qi deviation when I was circulating my profound energy just now. It was extremely dangerous!"
Long Wu rolled her eyes at him and said, "You're crazy!"
Of course, no one believed his explanation of "going mad" but they were too embarrassed to ask further.
The little dragon opened its eyes drunkenly, looked at Chen Nan curiously, and then babbled a lot in dragon language. When Chen Nan ignored it, it buried its head and fell asleep again.
After that, Chen Nan kept looking down at the earth, carefully examining the mountains and valleys below, comparing them one by one with the landscape ten thousand years ago. In his heart, he shouted, "Hundred Flowers Valley—the ancient immortal's ruins, I must find you, no matter what, I must go there and see for myself!"
The Immortal Martial Academy is located twenty miles south of the capital of the Jin Kingdom. Not far from the academy lies a beautiful lake with stunning scenery. The lake's surface ripples gently, dotted with small boats, and some young people are rowing along, creating a scene of tranquility and harmony.
The academy and the small lake are surrounded by trees, making it a very quiet place. You can feel the strong spiritual energy here, making it a perfect place for cultivation.
Chen Nan, Kevin, and the others arrived at the Immortal Martial Academy before sunset. The three-headed flying dragon circled down, immediately attracting the attention of everyone in the academy.
Soon, several people came out to greet them. They were also students, both boys and girls. When they saw the little dragon on the flying dragon's back, they were astonished and couldn't understand why everyone would bring a small dragon that couldn't fly with them.
The students from Immortal Martial Academy were very polite. After confirming Chen Nan and his companions' identities, one of them quickly went inside to inform them. The remaining students apologized to Chen Nan and his group, explaining that because Immortal Martial Academy did not have dragon riders, it had no dragon farm and therefore no place for dragons to inhabit within its grounds.
Kevin and the others certainly wouldn't make things difficult for them. Under their master's command, the three-headed dragon flew towards the distant mountains, but the little dragon still clung to Chen Nan's side as before, refusing to leave.
Looking at the adorable, slightly drunken little dragon, several students from the Immortal Martial Academy couldn't help but chuckle. A few girls curiously approached and touched its scales, which annoyed the little dragon, but fortunately it didn't throw a tantrum, merely innocently dodging a few times.
Finally, with the consent of those kind-hearted girls, Xiaolong was taken into the Immortal Martial Academy.
The Immortal Martial Academy is magnificent and has a history of more than 700 years since its establishment. Its reputation is comparable to that of the Divine Wind Academy, which is naturally due to its extraordinary strengths.
The architecture here is simple yet elegant, adhering to traditional Eastern styles, revealing a hidden grandeur within its ordinariness. Walking through courtyard after courtyard, the unsteady little dragon attracts countless onlookers; the little drunkard quickly becomes a minor celebrity.
Soon, everyone noticed an interesting phenomenon: when the boys from the Immortal Martial Academy came to pet the little dragon, it would always grunt in dissatisfaction. When the girls approached, it was initially a little unhappy, but soon accepted their touch and even seemed to enjoy it.
This made everyone burst into laughter. Long Wu patted Xiao Long's head and said, "I've heard that the Holy Dragon has a habit of collecting treasures. Now you've learned to drink, and you've even started to crave beautiful women. You've almost got all the vices of wine, women, wealth, and power. I knew you wouldn't learn anything good from that scoundrel. You've almost picked up all his roguish habits."
Little Dragon blinked its big eyes and made a few "woo-woo" sounds, seemingly in protest.
Everyone looked at it and found it somewhat amusing; the little dragon was so human-like, it was just like an adorable little baby.
When Chen Nan, Long Wu, and the others entered the sixth courtyard, an old man with white hair and beard came out to greet them with a hearty laugh. Kevin, Long Wu, and the others quickly stepped forward to pay their respects.
...
The man was of medium build, dressed in purple, and appeared to be in his sixties. He had a smiling face and looked kind and approachable. He said with a smile, "I arrived here first because of some matters, so I didn't travel with you. I hope you didn't encounter any trouble on the way?"
Kevin said, "No."
Long Wu replied, "How could there not be, Little Dragon..."
"Ah..." the purple-robed old man exclaimed in surprise. Only then did he notice the little dragon surrounded by the students of the Immortal Martial Academy. He exclaimed, "Why is Amy here?"
Everyone couldn't help but smile, and they briefly recounted what happened when they left Shenfeng Academy, as well as Xiaolong's performance on the way.
The old man in purple smiled and nodded; he was well aware of Xiaolong's terrifying strength. He looked at Chen Nan, then at Xiaolong. Chen Nan didn't recognize him, but the old man in purple already knew Chen Nan.
The purple-robed old man is a teacher in the Eastern Martial Arts Department of Shenfeng Academy and has a good relationship with Dongfang Fenghuang's grandfather. He usually wears purple clothes, while the old man in the east usually wears blue clothes, which leads the students of Shenfeng Academy to jokingly call them the "lustful duo".
On the day Chen Nan sneaked into Shenfeng Academy at night and broke into the room of the little princess and Dongfang Fenghuang, the old man in purple and Dongfang Fenghuang's grandfather were outside the window. If he hadn't stopped Dongfang Fenghuang's grandfather, the old man would have rushed up and taught Chen Nan a lesson.
He smiled at Chen Nan and said, "You must be that young man surnamed Chen. I've heard the dean mention you before, hehe..."
Chen Nan understood what he meant; the old man had already learned about his past from the vice president.
Kevin quickly introduced, "This is Senior Yang Lin from the Eastern Martial Arts School."
Chen Nan respectfully said, "Greetings, Senior Yang."
"No need for formalities. The dean said you will be a key player in this warm-up match. Do your best in the major competition in a few days."
As they chatted, they walked towards the Immortal Martial Academy. Little Dragon waddled along behind, his chubby body swaying.
The Immortal Martial Academy occupies a vast area, seemingly even larger than the Divine Wind Academy. The warm-up matches will begin in a few days, and the teams from all four academies are almost all present.
To avoid any unforeseen circumstances before the competition, the participants from Shenfeng, Huanmo, Zhanshen, and Xianwu Academy rarely showed up, instead conserving their energy in their rooms in an effort to compete at their peak.
The residences of the students of Shenfeng Academy are surrounded by pavilions, towers, bridges, and flowing water, creating a pleasant and picturesque landscape reminiscent of traditional garden design.
The day after Long Wu arrived, she asked Yang Lin for leave and left. Several girls joked, "The beautiful Long Wu is in love and going to meet her sweetheart, haha..."
Long Wu laughed and scolded, "You little girls, don't talk nonsense."
"You still won't admit it? Everyone knows now!"
"You can talk nonsense now, but I'll deal with you when your brother gets back."
With Chen Nan absent, Kevin remained calm, while the other boys' expressions changed. Although they knew that Long Wu had no feelings for them and that nothing could happen between them, they were still somewhat disappointed. Perhaps this was a common male ailment.
Ever since discovering that the land of Jin was part of the ancient Chinese land ten thousand years ago, Chen Nan has been unable to find peace of mind. After arriving at the Immortal Martial Academy, he secluded himself, carefully recalling the exact location of the ancient immortal ruins.
Shortly after Long Wu left, Chen Nan also asked Yang Lin for leave, saying he needed to go out for a while. Only after he promised to return before the warm-up matches began did Yang Lin approve his departure.
Chen Nan mounted the little dragon and soared into the sky, flying south towards the Jin Kingdom. Today, for the long journey, he had deliberately limited the little drunkard's alcohol intake, only giving it two or three jars.
As Chen Nan passed through the endless Taihang Mountains, he recalled the unparalleled power of his father, Chen Zhan. Years ago, when Chen Zhan was hosting a grand gathering of the world's most powerful warriors, he was besieged by three individuals of extraordinary skill in the Taihang Mountains. Forced to act, he drew his Houyi Bow three times, killing three peerless masters in a single day, his fame shaking the world and making everyone remember this young, unparalleled powerhouse.
Of course, that battle was just the beginning. In the years that followed, Chen Zhan created one legend after another.
Legend has it that he once ascended Misty Peak to battle immortals, and then calmly departed; legend has it that he once roamed the East Sea and removed the dragon's reverse scale; legend has it that he once broke through the void with his martial arts, but then turned and retreated...