"Eunuch Qi, do you know why His Majesty is seeking an audience with me?"
Xiao Yi looked at Eunuch Qi with puzzlement.
He had not left the imperial palace for long; why was Emperor Qian summoning him again?
Eunuch Qi wore a kind smile and said, "Rest assured, this is good news!"
"Good news?"
Xiao Yi was stunned, a glint of sharpness crossing his eyes, "Could it be related to the Dharma Likeness Meditation?"
Eunuch Qi nodded with a smile.
Xiao Yi’s face lit up with joy, and beside him, Yang Ling also offered his congratulations, "Xiao Yi, this truly is a joyous occasion, congratulations!"
Eunuch Qi urged, "Xiao Yi, you should follow me to the palace without delay, lest the Emperor be kept waiting!"
"Alright!"
Xiao Yi nodded and then followed Eunuch Qi to the imperial palace.
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A short time later.
Guided by Eunuch Qi, Xiao Yi arrived at Emperor Qian’s royal study for the first time, having traversed much of the imperial palace. He gained a newfound appreciation for the opulence and vastness of the palace.
Seeing that Emperor Qian was reviewing memorials.
Xiao Yi did not speak out to interrupt.
He waited for what felt like half an incense stick’s burning time before Emperor Qian finally set aside the memorial in his hand. He had been aware of Xiao Yi’s arrival all along but the memorial was rather important, so he had waited until now. "Have you been waiting anxiously?"
Xiao Yi shook his head to indicate he hadn’t.
Emperor Qian massaged his brows and said in a deep voice, "Lately, the Northern Ice Plains have been far from peaceful, with frequent reports of mysterious disappearances among the populace. It truly is vexing."
"Mysterious disappearances?" Xiao Yi was taken aback.
Since it troubled Emperor Qian so, it was clear that the matter was no small issue.
However.
Emperor Qian did not dwell on this topic, chuckling as he said, "I promised you the chance to observe the Dragon and Tiger Seal and visualize the state’s guardian Iron Winged Chi Dragon. Divine Beast Mountain has sent their assent, agreeing to your visit to observe the Iron Winged Chi Dragon. Eunuch Qi will accompany you there."
A thrill of anticipation shone in Xiao Yi’s eyes.
He was already at the Peak of the Tao Tribulation Realm, a single step away from the Dharma Manifestation Realm.
The most crucial part was to manifest the Martial Tao Skill.
But as of now, he had not yet found a suitable entity for Dharma Likeness Meditation.
Within the Great Qian Dynasty, the strongest spiritual weapons and mystical beasts available were precisely the Dragon and Tiger Seal and Iron Winged Chi Dragon that Emperor Qian just mentioned.
Xiao Yi bowed to Emperor Qian and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Go,"
Emperor Qian said with a smile, waving his hand, "I hope you will break through to the Dharma Manifestation Realm soon and ascend to your position as a pillar of the state!"
Xiao Yi nodded and then took his leave with Eunuch Qi.
Once Xiao Yi had left.
Emperor Qian lowered his head to look at a confidential letter on the desk, and with a snap of his fingers, a burst of flame incinerated it.
The faint outline of the words "Xiao Tianjiao seeks to go to the Nantian Holy Institute" could be seen being devoured slowly by the flame. Emperor Qian squinted his eyes, "No matter how outstanding Xiao Tianjiao is, he is not destined to serve me. Xiao Yi, I hope you won’t disappoint me. I can give you wealth, honor, and even help you overturn the Xiao Family, but you must obediently heed my words..."
...
The Dragon and Tiger Seal was housed in the Heavenly Dragon Hall.
Upon arriving at the Heavenly Dragon Hall, Xiao Yi instantly felt that he was being watched by no fewer than ten presences at the level of the Dharma Manifestation Realm, and among them, there were a few breaths above that realm that were faintly discernable. Clearly, these were the guardians of the Heavenly Dragon Hall.
Only after noticing the token in Eunuch Qi’s hand did these presences vanish.
Eunuch Qi said, "The Dragon and Tiger Seal is inside. You have three hours to contemplate it. I’ll wait for you here. Once you’re done here, I will take you to Divine Beast Mountain."
"Thank you, Eunuch Qi!"
Xiao Yi bowed to Eunuch Qi and then entered the Heavenly Dragon Hall.
The hall was vast and empty.
There were eight towering dragon pillars supporting the hall, and the floor was covered with Formation runes glowing and flowing. If anyone attempted to break in forcibly, these Formations would activate. Xiao Yi noticed many killing Arrays and Illusion Arrays among them.
The royal family of the Great Qian Dynasty had indeed made extensive preparations to protect the Dragon and Tiger Seal.
After all...
This was a seventh-order premium spiritual weapon, unique in the entire Great Qian Dynasty!
```
In the center of the Formation, there was a black metal platform, and within the transparent energy dome, the Dragon and Tiger Seal floated quietly.
As the name suggests.
It was pitch-black, adorned with a dragon and a tiger, spiraling and clashing against each other as if they were alive, as if they truly existed. Xiao Yi sat cross-legged in front of the Dragon and Tiger Seal, carefully examining it.
The first step in Manifesting Dharma was to create the fledgling form of the Dharma Likeness.
Then, to truly enter the Dharma Manifestation Realm, one must endure the Trial by Heavenly Thunder to awaken the spirit with heavenly lightning within the Dharma Likeness.
The strength of the Dharma Likeness is related to the target of Contemplation, and also, the affinity between the self-manifested Dharma Likeness and the object of contemplation. For example, if both visualize the Iron Winged Chi Dragon for their Manifestation of Dharma, one merely visualizing its form while the other can even simulate the dragon’s majesty, then the latter, with the dragon’s majesty, would naturally be stronger.
Xiao Yi didn’t overlook any detail, and after two hours, he began to attempt to deduce the Dharma Likeness’s fledgling form in his mind.
A real dragon soars across the sky, an angry tiger roars fiercely.
As lifelike as it could be.
However...
Xiao Yi was extremely unsatisfied with this fledgling form of the Dharma Likeness, overturning it time after time, attempting to manifest it again and again, never content with the result.
Three hours later.
The Dragon and Tiger Seal in front of him slowly retracted into the ground, the light of the Formation covering it, and Xiao Yi shook his head, knowing that time was up. But he still could not deduce a satisfactory fledgling form of the Dharma Likeness, proving that this Dragon and Tiger Seal was not suitable for him.
"How is it?"
Qi looked at Xiao Yi and asked.
Xiao Yi shrugged his shoulders, saying helplessly, "Not quite right!"
"No matter, each person’s core Dharma Likeness is different, and you’re young enough to take your time finding it!"
Qi smiled, offering a few words of comfort, then said, "Let’s go, we shall head to Divine Beast Mountain now; we mustn’t keep the Divine Beast of the state waiting any longer!"
Divine Beast Mountain wasn’t just home to the Iron Winged Chi Dragon; there were also other state-guarding mystical creatures. These were the creatures that won first place in the ancestral worship ceremonies each year.
Yet...
Within the vast expanse of Divine Beast Mountain, only the Iron Winged Chi Dragon could be called the Divine Beast of the state.
Divine Beast Mountain was located within the Imperial Palace.
It was protected by an Array on all sides, and it also severed any communication between Divine Beast Mountain and the Imperial Palace; without a Token, entry and exit were impossible.
With a Token in hand, Xiao Yi entered Divine Beast Mountain.
Looking around, one could see countless birds and beasts, each one radiating immense power; even the weakest were of the sixth order. There were plenty of seventh order Beasts, but there was only one at the pinnacle of the seventh order— the Iron Winged Chi Dragon.
These mystical creatures glanced indifferently at the arrival of Xiao Yi and another, some even too lazy to spare more than a fleeting look.
The two made their way unobstructed to the summit of the mountain.
There was a huge man-made lake, and from within the emerald-blue water, ripples spread.
Qi holding the Token, spoke, "O Divine Beast, I have been commanded to bring Xiao Yi before you!"
Pop, pop, pop!
Giant bubbles rose from the bottom of the lake, bursting at the surface and sending ripples outward.
Suddenly...
A column of water shot up into the sky, hundreds of meters high, falling back down while a massive creature slowly appeared before Xiao Yi. It was an enormous mystical creature, its body covered in black scale armor, each scale the size of a shield.
In the shape of a dragon, yet with a pair of black wings on its back as if forged from fine iron, a single spiral horn atop its head, its eyes flashing like lightning.
This was the state-guarding Divine Beast of the Great Qian Dynasty, the peak seventh-order Beast King— the Iron Winged Chi Dragon!
Majestic dragon might covered the whole Divine Beast Mountain.
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Woo woo...
Within the vast Divine Beast Mountain, countless mystical creatures submitted, kneeling on the ground in fear and trepidation.
Facing the immense pressure from the Iron Winged Chi Dragon, Qi’s face turned slightly pale, and Xiao Yi too furrowed his brows tightly, with a few beads of cold sweat on his forehead. But his eyes, locked on the Iron Winged Chi Dragon, were incredibly resolute, with a hint of eagerness, "Worthy of being the state-guarding Divine Beast. The dragon might alone is enough to cause the minds of ordinary Dharma Manifestation Realm experts to shatter..."
The Iron Winged Chi Dragon glanced at Xiao Yi, whose gaze was fervent upon it. A touch of surprise and curiosity flickered through its giant, bell-like eyes.
Most people, seeing it for the first time, would be frightened to the point of turning pale.
Hasn’t Qi, who has seen it several times, still looked like that?
Yet, Xiao Yi showed no fear, and the Iron Winged Chi Dragon blinked its large eyes, saying, "Xiao Yi, right? Since Emperor Qian has spoken, I naturally will not refuse. However, I will only give you five hours. Whether you can use this to manifest your Dharma or not is up to you!"
"Thank you, Divine Beast!" Xiao Yi bowed to the Iron Winged Chi Dragon.
Just as he was about to start his meditation with the Iron Winged Chi Dragon as his object of contemplation, a teasing voice came from the foot of the mountain, "Hold on..."
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