Inside a rather large cave.
A blazing campfire burned brightly within, illuminating most of the cavern.
Inside that cave, four people were sitting leisurely with a plate of roasted meat in their hands.
They were Zhao Long and three mysterious figures.
Zhao Long stared blankly at the roasted meat in his hand.
"Eat," said the gray-haired man.
However, Zhao Long didn't react at all, causing the man to sigh. "Relax, the meat doesn't contain any deadly poison. It's safe. You can see for yourself—we're all fine." he added while chewing another bite of the roasted meat.
Zhao Long glanced briefly at the man, then began eating the meat greedily, though still a bit hesitant.
After a while, the meat was gone. Then he looked at the three figures sitting with him one by one.
"So, what's the reason you brought me along?" asked Zhao Long.
The black-haired man smiled widely. "We're going to help you restore your cultivation base."
Zhao Long's eyes narrowed. He stared at the black-haired man with doubt. "Are you serious?"
The black-haired man nodded firmly and confidently. "Of course."
"Humph!" Zhao Long suddenly snorted. "You offer me something like that, and I'm supposed to believe there's nothing you want in return? This is the cultivation world—nothing comes for free!" he said, emphasizing each word.
The black-haired man's smile grew wider. "You're right. In this world, nothing is free!"
He then stood up from his seat and slowly walked toward the blazing campfire.
"I want you to become my disciple!"
"What?"
The two others—one gray-haired man and one white-haired woman—were utterly shocked.
They stared at the black-haired man in disbelief. "Are you serious?"
"Heh!" the black-haired man smirked slightly. "Of course I need a disciple. Better that than watching the two of you all day," he said with annoyance.
The gray-haired man and the white-haired woman chuckled softly at his irritated remark.
Meanwhile, Zhao Long simply stared at the black-haired man with a sharp gaze. "Is that all?"
If it were just saving someone, that would still be understandable and considered an ordinary act. But taking in a disciple?
Don't joke around!
That wasn't just adding responsibility—it was taking on a heavy burden.
It was like adopting a child.
The black-haired man smiled wryly. "Not exactly. But you'll find out soon enough," he said meaningfully.
"Oh right. Since you'll be my disciple, you should pay your respects! My name is Zhu Long!" he continued.
Zhao Long narrowed his eyes, then nodded. He knelt and lowered his head respectfully.
"Zhao Long pays respect to Master Zhu!" he said firmly and without expression.
Right now, Zhao Long didn't know where his life was headed. So, there was no harm in becoming the disciple of someone whose strength he couldn't even gauge.
Zhu Long nodded with satisfaction. "Stand up."
Zhao Long nodded, stood, and looked at Zhu Long blankly.
"Ekhm!" Zhu Long cleared his throat loudly, causing the two behind him to look at him in annoyance.
"What? You two aren't going to introduce yourselves?" Zhu Long said lazily.
The gray-haired man snorted, then stood up to introduce himself. "My name is Li Fan. And this is Xiao Yu, my lover." He pointed at the woman beside him.
Xiao Yu, a beautiful woman with a youthful, petite appearance, waved her hand with a smile.
Zhao Long looked at Li Fan and Xiao Yu blankly, then said, "Greetings to Martial Uncle and Martial Aunt."
Li Fan and Xiao Yu nodded slightly, then sat back down.
Zhu Long exhaled harshly. "Come, follow me. We'll go deeper into the cave and find a place suitable to begin the restoration of your cultivation." he said, then walked ahead.
Zhao Long said nothing. He simply followed Zhu Long's footsteps.
A few minutes later.
After walking for several minutes, Zhu Long finally stopped at the end of the cave.
Now, they were at the farthest end.
On the walls of the cave grew faintly glowing wild grass. There were also stones emitting a soft greenish light like the grass.
The aura there felt damp and cold, all coming from the cave walls dripping with moisture, forming a small pond.
In the middle of the pond was a large flat rock, green in color—not from natural hue, but from moss.
"Go to that rock," ordered Zhu Long.
Zhao Long nodded. Without hesitation, he walked over and sat cross-legged in the center of the stone.
"Prepare yourself. I will transfer my power to you. Since you no longer possess any cultivation, you'll receive my essence blood, which will also enhance your talent," said Zhu Long seriously.
He then sat cross-legged in midair, as though something invisible was holding him up, preventing him from falling.
Seeing this, Zhao Long's expression changed. "Could Master Zhu already be in the Saint Realm?" he muttered seriously.
As far as he knew, only cultivators in the Saint Realm and above could float in the air.
What he didn't know was that Zhu Long was actually a 9th-level Spiritual King cultivator. He could float because of a secret ability related to wind energy.
Swoosh!
In Zhu Long's right hand, a drop of golden blood appeared. The blood radiated with diverse energy and light, leaving Zhao Long speechless with amazement.
Once the blood appeared, Zhu Long immediately began forming rune patterns with his left hand.
The rune glowed white, with countless, unshakable patterns.
With force, Zhu Long brought his hands together, merging the rune pattern and the blood.
At first, there was resistance.
But through Zhu Long's sheer will, the runes and blood fused together.
Boom!
The moment they merged, a tremendous explosion occurred.
The wind blew violently, scattering every small object that could be lifted.
Moments later, the golden blood and rune had fully combined, forming a shimmering drop of golden blood.
It looked like ordinary blood—but upon closer inspection, within it were thousands, even tens of thousands, of rune patterns.
Zhao Long's face turned serious as he stared at it.
"Ah, that... Does that blood contain some kind of seal?" Zhao Long asked solemnly.
If the blood contained a seal, then he would surely become Zhu Long's slave—his life and death entirely in Zhu Long's hands.
Even though he was now a mortal, powerless to resist, his instincts were still sharp.
Hearing Zhao Long's question, Zhu Long smiled broadly.
"That's a rune pattern. These runes will adapt my pure essence blood to your mortal body. Without these runes, your body wouldn't withstand it—it could even explode!" Zhu Long explained seriously.
Hearing that, Zhao Long was stunned.
Essence blood!
Essence blood, to cultivators, was something incredibly precious.
It couldn't be given away lightly.
By offering his essence blood, Zhu Long was prepared to share a portion of his power—granting it to the one receiving it.