Chapter Forty-Nine: An Unexpected Discovery! The Official Dragon Line, Azure Dragon Within the Sleeve

Beneath the water, Wang Cheng closely followed behind the damselfish, swimming as he observed this diligent “trail guide.” Compared to when he first arrived, the fish had grown noticeably larger, and its gaze was almost indistinguishable from that of a human child.

It had quietly awakened its spiritual intelligence, becoming a spirit creature.

Wang Cheng wasn’t surprised; during this time, the damselfish had eaten plenty of monkey-brain sea urchins, which aided its spiritual growth. It would have been strange if it hadn’t changed. After all, in this world, even old objects could transform into “Possessed Spirits,” let alone ordinary animals.

Though fish are notoriously forgetful, with memory measured in seconds, making them less likely to transform compared to mammals like monkeys, the sheer number meant that spirit creatures born from the ocean far outnumbered all other groups.

Except for a few with extraordinary talents, inherently tied to certain myths and favored by people’s prayers—such as dragons and fox spirits—very few could take human form. Most spirit creatures cultivated much like humans.

There were three main paths: first, to seek incense offerings and become a godly being; second, after reaching a certain level, to send a fragment of their spirit out of their bodies to reincarnate, break the confusion of the womb, and walk the path of officialdom; third, a combination of both.

Overall, humans are born of humans, and monsters of monsters, but sometimes monsters may also originate from humans. Thus, often humans and monsters share the same destination, and their conflicts aren’t sharp—not nearly as deadly as with malicious spirits.

Many spirit creatures, in pursuit of proper cultivation, would willingly join human officials, serving as attendants or guardians. They usually retained their previous animal forms, and most of the time, their combat power far exceeded ordinary human officials.

“This all feels strangely familiar, as if I’ve seen it somewhere before, but I can’t recall where just yet,” Wang Cheng frowned, temporarily setting aside the sudden sense of familiarity and refocusing on the damselfish.

Once they became acquainted, Wang Cheng intentionally sought to recruit this trail guide, setting it back to its old task: breeding monkey-brain sea urchins for him. He would come periodically to harvest, achieving a win-win-win scenario.

“It’s quite a coincidence: the sea urchins treat the damselfish as a free farming laborer; the damselfish sees me as a beneficial creature protecting its garden; and I view the sea urchins as rare delicacies. All three needs form a perfect loop. Everyone has a bright future ahead!”

Perhaps Wang Cheng had accumulated too much good karma lately, and the damselfish’s intelligence had blossomed. Today, instead of leading him to gather sea urchins, it swiftly swam to the other side of the deserted island.

Soon, Wang Cheng discovered, wedged in a crevice near the shore, a skeleton stuck among the rocks. Who knows how many years it had been trapped there, now fused with the stone.

Around it, the seabed was strewn with the corpses of many marine creatures, all centered on the skeleton. Massive shells, turtle carapaces, decayed fish bones, shrimp shells, crab shells—everything imaginable. The common trait was that all had been split in two by some sharp weapon and drained of their vital essence.

The freshest corpse belonged to a damselfish, cleaved from head to tail.

Wang Cheng immediately understood: this must be one of the trail guide’s extended relatives who had met with misfortune here. The trail guide had brought him over to help deal with a “pest” far scarier than sea urchins.

Wang Cheng carefully examined the “culprit” behind the damselfish murder.

It was a bizarre, sinister spirit, its lower half like a snake connected to the skeleton’s spine and neck, its upper body writhing. Though its appearance was decayed, swollen, and covered in dragon-serpent-like scales, one could still faintly recognize the person it once was.

Dressed in finery, adorned with emeralds, amber, gold, and silver jewelry, there was still a small braid unique to the aristocracy of the Yunmeng Empire atop its head.

In its hand was a dragon-headed treasure blade, still sharp after soaking in seawater for years—the weapon responsible for the carnage was obvious.

Its mutated mouth endlessly repeated two words:

“Go home! Go home!...”

Wang Cheng recalled the corpses he had seen in the sunken ship and began to speculate:

“Judging by the attire, this person was likely a crew member of that merchant vessel, perhaps even the captain, and also a divine official. Not everyone was trapped in the ship’s hold when the vessel sank; this one tried to escape to the island alone, only to die here. Like the other crew, he transformed into a sinister spirit.”

He cautiously crept closer, hiding behind the shell of a distant sea turtle to observe.

The evil spirit sensed movement, writhing its snake-like body and slashing out with its blade. The sharp flashes cut through the water, leaving deep scars in the seabed.

The information revealed by his unique skill confirmed Wang Cheng’s suspicion:

[Sinister Spirit: Dragon Scion
In life, was Borjigin Daijin, a distant royal scion of the Yunmeng Empire, divine official “Dragon Scion.” Set out from his hometown, Citong Port, to trade in the South Seas, but soon after encountered the Sea Monster Lord, and his ship sank. Died unexpectedly while fleeing alone.
External Martial Art: Azure Dragon in the Sleeve (Mastery Level)...
Obsession: Buried in one’s homeland...]

After reading this, Wang Cheng was surprised. The head of that merchant ship was actually a member of the Yunmeng Empire’s golden family, bearing the Borjigin name.

To personally lead a risky voyage was indeed the mark of an ambitious royal.

Having been unable to feed on humans, surviving only on fish and shrimp essence, and weathering over two hundred years of wind and rain, even a spirit as powerful as a natural phenomenon had long since weakened. All his former skills and arts had collapsed; he couldn’t even sustain a seventh-rank official’s foundational talisman, leaving only a sword art ingrained in muscle memory.

“But what is the ‘Dragon Scion’ official position? I’ve never heard of it.”

Behind him, the damselfish spirit circled, bubbling impatiently, urging Wang Cheng, as the “beneficial creature,” to deal with this farming pest.

Wang Cheng didn’t refuse. Not because he couldn’t tell who ruled this stretch of sea, but because he had a way to resolve this vicious spirit without risking his life.

And he had a strange premonition: he might gain something unexpected from this encounter.

Whoosh—

Above his head and on both shoulders, the flames of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity blazed bright, his vital fire pure yang, scorching evil spirits, causing the sinister entity to coil defensively.

Wang Cheng fixed his gaze on Borjigin Daijin, and in his mind, the “Universal Sea Treasure” quietly glowed. Following the spirit’s obsession, he silently intoned:

“I accept your relic, and I will send you home.
The bargain is struck, and cannot be undone!”

On the way back, he could easily stop by Citong Port—a simple errand, perfect for a transaction, conquering without combat.

Whoosh!

A broken foundational talisman dropped into the treasure’s coin slot, while the sinister spirit itself slowly faded away, leaving only a skeleton that rapidly turned to dust.

Wang Cheng didn’t pause to examine the “Dragon Scion” official’s details; he hurried forward to collect Daijin’s remains, storing them in his Universal Sea Treasure. At the same time, he caught the glinting dragon-headed blade.

At that moment, the royal family’s masterful external sword art, Azure Dragon in the Sleeve, at mastery level, also merged into Wang Cheng’s consciousness.

Countless experiences with the blade, profound techniques, and combat wisdom poured into Wang Cheng, who quickly absorbed them and integrated them with his own sword expertise.

It was as if he had personally trained in swordsmanship for decades, his muscles swelling and contracting to form body memory, perfectly inheriting the legacy.

With internal and external harmony, pure yang vital fire, and spirit in perfect control of the body, he was already extraordinary. Even after long periods without practice, he wouldn’t face the embarrassment of “one day without training, hands and feet slow; two days, half lost,” always maintaining peak combat ability.

Mind, eyes, hands—all aligned; every official was a prodigy at mastering techniques.

Slash—

Suddenly, with a swing of the blade, the surface of the sea above was sliced open, a long rift letting sunlight pour down onto Wang Cheng’s face before it closed with a roar.

Wang Cheng closed his eyes to savor the moment, his face glowing with joy:

“One of the Yunmeng Imperial family’s secret sword arts, Azure Dragon in the Sleeve, also called the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon, with seven secret killing moves. Its sophistication far surpasses common styles like the Eight Waves Blade.

I take back what I said yesterday about Whitewater Men not caring for close combat.

It’s irresistible!”

With a flick of his wrist, the three-foot blade vanished, truly hidden within his sleeve by the Azure Dragon technique.