My Arts Evolve When Perfected

Even now, though he could no longer perceive the existence of [Snow], Jiang Qiu could tell his Soul Strength was still impeccable—perhaps even more monstrously powerful than when he was at the Half-Step Unity Realm!

To put it another way, his surging Soul Strength was enough to crush any defiant creature weaker than him. He could likely kill them with a single glare.

As for those with a weak will, driving them insane with a glance would be perfectly normal. This was Jiang Qiu's assessment of his current Soul Strength.

'However, my own power has withered far too much. Reborn in a new form in this mysterious Secret Realm, I need to understand the basics of this world first.'

So, he questioned the Bear Demon. But the creature didn't seem to understand what he was saying; it didn't answer, just remained prone on the ground, utterly terrified.

'It can't understand me?'

Jiang Qiu hesitated for a moment, then it dawned on him. 'It seems I wasn't speaking the local language. I need to switch to whatever they speak here.'

Indeed, he hadn't yet adjusted to this being a Secret Realm, nor had he gotten used to not having Spirit Charm as a safety net. So he had spoken reflexively, blurting out the words without thinking.

In reality, speaking like that was no different from a mute person trying to talk; others couldn't understand a single word.

Back in the Primordial world cluster, the only reason others could understand him—and he them—was because all communication was channeled through Spirit Charm.

It was essentially a form of information exchange. The transmission of Spirit Charm replaced the transmission of mere words; their spoken language was converted into a unique stream of information for the other party to receive.

Yes, back then, they relied on Spirit Charm to convey information. Now that he no longer possessed the ability to control Spirit Charm, he naturally couldn't make others understand him just by speaking.

At this thought, Jiang Qiu couldn't help but sigh internally. 'This Secret Realm trial is truly different. It strips away all your abilities and makes you start over as a dragon—well, not entirely from scratch. It's just that I seem to be in a juvenile form, and the Cultivation System here seems different from the Spirit Charm absorption of the Primordial world cluster.'

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Qiu dredged up a fragment about information exchange from his inherited memories. It seemed he had found a language he could use.

That's right. As a newborn member of the Dragon Race, he possessed a portion of their bloodline inheritance, meaning part of the Dragon Race's legacy could manifest directly from the depths of his memory.

However, this inheritance couldn't be accessed at will; it seemed to require specific conditions to be unlocked. For now, only the most basic information was available to him.

More advanced information—including details on Casting Body, Cultivation, and the Dragon Race's system—would have to be unlocked later. As for what conditions were required, Jiang Qiu had no idea.

But upon further reflection, he grew very excited. 'The cultivation method of the Dragon Race? That's the method of the race that leads the legendary Ten Peak Demon Clans!'

Without a doubt, the first thing he thought of was the Dragon Emperor. This place had such a deep connection to the Dragon Race, and he had entered this Secret Realm specifically for the Dragon Emperor's legacy. Clearly, the inheritance within was likely no small matter.

"Small," of course, was a relative term.

Indeed, even the "smallest" of the Dragon Emperor's legacies would be supreme and unique compared to any other. But among the many legacies scattered by the Dragon Emperor, there was surely a hierarchy. The one he was currently experiencing was a case in point.

If what he was experiencing now was the key to unlocking the Dragon Race's bloodline inheritance, then Jiang Qiu might be able to master the race's most essential Cultivation Technique!

The Dragon Race was as powerful as celestial gods; their invincible bodies had once dominated the Ten Thousand Races. 'Even the Peak Human Race probably... never mind.' He didn't actually know much about the Peak Human Race.

Still, the Dragon Emperor's majesty had inspired people for one era after another, especially in the current one, which followed directly after the Era of Dragon Fall. His influence was palpable.

Everyone knew that the Dragon Emperor was the last Transcender. What's more, the previous era had collapsed because of him!

Such a being was undoubtedly on a world-destroying, era-ending level. After all, who else besides a being like that could destroy an entire era?

Could any Unity Realm expert destroy an era? Even the most powerful master at the Peak of Unity Realm—the absolute peak of the Peak—would struggle to destroy a single top-tier Great Realm, let alone an entire era.

And rumor had it, the Dragon Emperor had shattered more than just the Era of Dragon Fall. It was just an unfortunate coincidence; as his battle reached its conclusion, the Era of Dragon Fall was caught in the crossfire and destroyed.

As for the Exotic Realm, it had disintegrated without a trace. Everything had collapsed into utter ruin. Only the Era of Dragon Fall was merely grazed by the conflict, avoiding the worst of the destruction, which was why it had been able to undergo its great cleansing and begin a new cycle so quickly.

Yes, the Exotic Realm itself was shattered.

What was the Exotic Realm?

The Exotic Realm was the collective term for all Heaven and Earth Pools outside of the one that contained the Era of Dragon Fall at the time. To leave the Primordial world cluster was to enter the Exotic Realm.

But in this age, no one traveled to the Exotic Realm. It wasn't like the previous Era of Dragon Fall, when top-tier experts like Emperor Chen still had the chance to journey there and obtain peerless legacies.

Now, no one had the opportunity to go, because it had been shattered and had not yet recovered...

Of course, Jiang Qiu didn't know any of this. He was simply marveling at the thought that if this was truly the Dragon Emperor's legacy, it must be an incredibly important one—perhaps not even much worse than the first-place prize mentioned by the will of the Dusk Holy Ruins.

'The Secret of Transcendence? The core inheritance of the Dragon Race is far more incredible than that. They say that long, long ago, Transcendence wasn't particularly difficult for a Peak Race. In fact, it was just a small hurdle, not some life-or-death trial.'

This showed just how valuable the core inheritance of the Dragon Race truly was. Its implications were on a level the current Jiang Qiu didn't dare to dwell on.

'Still, I'm not sure if being born as a dragon means I'm on track to inherit the core legacy of the Dragon Race. That seems too far-fetched. I probably won't get something that amazing.'

With this in mind, Jiang Qiu decided to take things one step at a time. He focused his thoughts, began to circulate the Qi Blood throughout his body until his draconic bloodline burned hot, and suddenly spoke to the Bear Demon: "Who are you?"

Three simple words. It was the most basic of questions. But when Jiang Qiu uttered them in the Dragon Language, a violent gale suddenly swept through the forest. The tall, ancient trees instantly shed their leaves, as if an invisible, giant hand had brushed past them.

The Bear Demon, directly in his path, was instantly hit with a crushing pressure, as if it were caught in a flash flood. It felt like nothing more than a tiny boat tossed on torrential waves!

THUMP—

Its heart pounded violently. The Bear Demon's massive body began to tremble like a leaf in the wind; it was scared to death. Its very Soul felt like it had been blasted out of its body, and its mind went blank for a long moment as its consciousness fled to escape the pressure. But the lingering echo of the words wrapped around its ears and dragged its Soul right back!

"I... Who am I?"

The Bear Demon was utterly bewildered. In that moment, facing this little dragon hatchling that was no bigger than its own paw, it felt as insignificant as a tadpole—so very, very small.

Yes, insignificant. When Jiang Qiu had uttered those three words, the demon had vaguely glimpsed some ineffable existence opening its eyes in the endless heavens above. It felt as if it wasn't facing a mere hatchling, but the collective, crushing might of an entire, despairingly powerful race!

'Just what... what kind of creature is this?'

'Did it descend from the lofty Sixth or Seventh Celestial Realm, or from somewhere even higher... from above the Thirty-Three Celestial Realms...?'