Daughter of the Frigid Emperor, Plans and Preparations

In the northernmost part of the Yuande Continent, two great regions were divided by the Azure Dragon's Crest.

The northeastern region was the Eastern Reaches, home to two of the most powerful sects in the continent.

The northwestern region was the Beast Province, mainly inhabited by the Beast Race.

The Beast Race had three social hierarchies.

Heavenly, Earthly, and Mortal.

The Heavenly Beast Race dominated the Beast Province and much of the Yuande Continent.

A prominent branch of the Heavenly Beast Race, with the highest power in the Beast Province, was the Azure Dragon Clan.

They were one of the Five Dragon Families of the Profound Sky Domain and one of the Nine Great Families in the Yuande Continent.

Azure Dragon Dynasty.

It was a sovereign nation ruled by two main branch families of the Azure Dragon Clan.

"Wow, who is she...?"

"Oooo, she looks so beautiful..."

"She must be dragon royalty!"

There was a small stir brewing on the streets of its capital city, Dragon God City.

This stir was something that moved and was incredibly stunning.

In fact, it was so beautiful that all the merchants and citizens paused to admire this moving masterpiece.

"Her beauty is unlike any I've ever seen before!"

"Take a look at her long horns, she must be very strong!"

"Look at her waist, so round."

"Look at her skin, so fresh."

"And her eyes, so perfect... they're like gems!"

There was a beautiful lady walking.

She was a dragon girl with distinctive features that set her apart from ordinary members of the Dragon Race.

She looked angelic and beautiful in every sense. Her long, flowing blue hair matched her vibrant, expressive eyes. Her pointed ears and the two long black horns atop her head emphasized her dragon heritage.

She wore a traditional robe with a modern twist, featuring a blue color scheme accented with intricate patterns and designs. The robe was fastened with a belt and had a fur-lined collar, giving her a regal and somewhat warrior-like presence.

"Ah, these thirsty old men~ you see a young lady such as myself and can't help yourselves. What a shame..."

As she walked, many citizens couldn't take their eyes off her.

They knew that all they could do was look at her, nothing more. Even those who stared knew they were risking their lives by gazing at such a heavenly beauty.

She walked with a relaxed yet confident posture, one hand resting on her round, shapely hip and the other hanging at her side. A playful, almost teasing smile graced her face, showing her nonchalance and amusement.

"They're lucky I don't have their time."

A grin appeared on her immaculate, round face.

This lady was...

Daughter of Frigid Emperor Hanlong, Qing Zhilan!

She stood at the grand entrance of a place no ordinary dragon dared to cross──a grand structure of ice that looked like it would never melt.

Besides her, there were only dragon guards and large walls of ice that concealed the grand courtyard from the citizens outside.

The regal structure before her was imposing and unbelievably huge.

It was the Frigid Dragon Palace!

With a calm face, Qing Zhilan walked up the ice steps and into the vast throne room that looked like the work of a divine being.

Qing Zhilan remained silent and unimpressed.

At the other end of the throne room, a man sat on a majestic blue and golden throne. He had an appearance similar to Qing Zhilan, with gleaming blue hair, golden dragon-pupiled eyes, and an aura of nobility radiating from his entire body.

"You have returned..."

Ancient Frigid Emperor, Qing Hanlong, spoke!

Qing Zhilan bowed with clasped hands. "Zhilan pays homage to the Frigid Emperor."

Seeing his daughter again, a wide smile appeared on Qing Hanlong's face. Placing a hand on his thick blue beard, he grinned, "I hope you enjoyed your time in the Ancestral Dragon Continent, my precious daughter."

Wearing a smug face, Qing Zhilan stood casually, placing both hands on her capably round and attractive hips.

"I enjoyed my time quite well there, Father. The higher worlds are a beautiful place, and the cultivation resources they possess were sufficient enough to push me to the Deva Body realm."

The Frigid Emperor's eyes beamed like stars when he heard this.

"Did you truly breakthrough to the Deva Body realm?!"

"Mhm!" Qing Zhilan nodded proudly.

"Haha, marvelous!"

She flexed her slender yet muscular arm. "Perhaps father would like to witness Zhilan's strength?"

Realizing they were getting sidetracked, Qing Hanlong relaxed on his ornate throne and adopted a more serious expression.

"It would be wiser to set that aside for now. Let's focus on our current objectives for this celestial cycle.

"There is an upcoming Disciple Market auction in Immortal Cloud City. Your primary objective is to secure the secret heaven-tier treasure. Failing that, it's crucial to prevent any members of the Flame Dragon family from obtaining it.

"Is that clear?"

Qing Zhilan nodded in understanding.

"Understood. I, Qing Zhilan, will respectfully follow this order and ensure the secret treasure is retrieved for the Frigid Dragon Palace."

There wasn't a hint of doubt on her face; she believed she could accomplish it. After all, she had reached the Deva Body realm in just three years──a feat few in the Yuande Continent could boast.

Despite her confidence, Qing Hanlong remained cautious.

His daughter had been away from the Yuande Continent for some time and might not be up to date with recent developments.

"Zhilan, be wary of the Liu Clan's young master. There are rumors that the Sacred Cloud School, after a long hiatus, is recruiting disciples again. If true, they may attend the Disciple Market auction in Immortal Cloud City."

It was a warning.

But to Qing Zhilan, it sounded like a challenge.

"Oh~? How interesting...

"Is the Liu Clan's young master so powerful that he has captured my father's precious attention?"

Qing Hanlong could tell from her expression that he'd made a huge mistake. Her face said it all.

'Hrmm, I should have kept quiet about it all. My daughter shares my strong sense of pride too. Now that I've mentioned the Liu Clan's young master, she won't stop until she meets him herself. I can't blame her; the Liu family has left a lasting mark on our clan's history.'

Sigh~

With a somewhat tense expression on his face, he began to explain.

"Liu Ming, the grandson of the Heavenly Sword Patriarch. As a scion of the Liu family, I anticipated his name would be widely known across our Yuande Continent, but he seems to have emerged suddenly. Recently, he's rumored to have defeated a Foundation Spirit expert."

Smiling proudly, Qing Zhilan playfully fluffed her blue hair to enhance her beauty.

"Hmph──!"

The topic had become so unimportant to her.

"Father, honestly, I'm disappointed you'd compare my talents to a mere human whose biggest achievement is defeating a Foundation Spirit cultivator. Haha, it's actually laughable. The gap in strength between 1st-order and 2nd-order cultivation is so huge it shouldn't even be compared!"

Frigid Emperor sighed, "Just be careful."

"Naturally, Father..." Qing Zhilan replied with a soft giggle.

"Hrmm..."

Qing Hanlong was clearly not convinced.

There was a mischievous look in her eyes, and more importantly, her second heart was beating fast.

Dragons were born with two hearts, the second one called the Dragon Furnace. Because the Dragon Race had so much bloodlust, many of them developed this second heart to store it. When they found worthy prey, they could release their bloodlust as a loud rumbling from the second heart, powerful enough to shake kingdoms and make seas tremble!

Qing Zhilan gracefully bowed like the elegant young lady she was, then took her leave.

"I shall take my leave now, Father."

As she walked away, there was a playful bounce in her steps, almost as if she were skipping. The rumbling sounds from her dragon furnace grew louder with each step she took. The dragon guards outside stood frozen in fear, sweating as they waited for Qing Zhilan, the storm, to pass.

Mmhmm~

Hehehe~

"Tee-hee! He sounds quite adorable~"

Qing Zhilan sensually licked the tips of her fingers, excitement clear in her expression.

"I'm going to enjoy playing with you, Liu Ming~"

A wide grin spread across the dragon girl's face, and her golden, dragon-like eyes glowed fiercely.

━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━

"AHCHOOOO!"

Su Yan placed a hand on Liu Ming's back and looked at him closely. "Young Master, are you alright?" she asked.

Liu Ming wiped his nose gently and smiled softly.

"It's fine. Someone must be talking behind my back. Inconsequential."

Even though he said that, Su Yan kept looking at his face for some reason. There was nothing unusual about his face, she just couldn't stop staring.

Liu Ming looked directly at her and asked, "Yan Mei, is something wrong?"

After blinking several times, Su Yan snapped out of it and shook her head gently.

"N-, no. Not at all, Young Master."

She stepped back and sat in her chair.

Liu Ming's eyebrows went up a bit. He noticed that Su Yan's initially pale face had become a little warmer, as though small kisses of warmth had touched her cheeks.

Yu Lan sat at the large round table, staring at Su Yan and Liu Ming with a neutral expression. Slowly, her fingers curled into her palm until they formed a tight fist.

With a sigh, the young patriarch shifted his focus back to the others at the table.

"I know you all are wondering what we're going to do about our current situation, but I assure you, a solution has already been provided."

All three of Liu Ming's female disciples stared at him in surprise.

"Hm?"

They didn't understand what he meant.

Liu Ming pointed at Maomao with his thumb.

"The Sect Master told me that likely no one joined our sect because they sensed something like this might happen. It doesn't make sense since no one knows the Council's next move.

"But I've learned that some powerful ancestors from the Five Great Sects are in the Council. They probably planned to support the motion to relegate our sect to a lower-class one.

"There's a lot of unclear information, but for now, we can't focus on that. I've decided to spend the next month raising my cultivation to be ready when we head to Immortal Cloud City."

Yu Lan tilted her head, "Immortal Cloud City? What for?"

A smile popped up on Liu Ming's face. "There's going to be a Disciple Market auction there. Usually, a sect finds out about it seven days before the auction, but esteemed sects and families are informed much earlier. This gives them time to prepare and outperform the lesser sects and families."

"Well... that sounds quite unfair."

"Errr, true enough." Liu Ming shrugged.

Xiu Meixiang, who had been unusually quiet during most of the discussion, raised her hand respectfully.

Liu Ming smiled at her. "Yes, Meixiang?"

Placing a hand on her chin and raising an eyebrow like an investigative officer, Xiu Meixiang mentioned, "While I didn't understand most of what we were talking about, you mentioned the Council has powerful ancestors from the Five Great Sects, including ours."

"Yes?" Liu Ming already knew where she was going with this.

Xiu Meixiang held up an index finger and looked to the side thoughtfully. "Then shouldn't he have done something to help our sect?"

Liu Ming slouched back in his chair, his face growing grim.

"That's a good question..."