Farewell is imminent

Gravel fell away, revealing an object underneath: a small cloth bundle. Long Chen picked up the bundle and discovered a yellow piece of paper attached to it.

The paper was very strange; it looked like paper, yet it was as soft as brocade, while also being as tough as animal hide.

On that yellow paper, a very peculiar pattern was drawn, emitting a faint halo of light.

"That person said this rune could isolate the aura of the object inside and told me never to open it within ten years, or it would invite a fatal disaster. Now that more than ten years have passed, you may open it," Long Tianxiao said.

Long Chen nodded, removed the rune, and opened the bundle. A jade pendant came into his view.

The jade pendant was only the size of an infant's palm, purple in color, and carved into the shape of an ancient coiled Dragon.

On the surface, it did not look like much, but as soon as Long Chen held it in his hand, he immediately felt calm and composed. The confusion, shock, and anger he had felt just moments ago vanished without a trace.

Long Chen was shocked to discover that if he held this jade pendant while he Cultivated, he could immediately enter a state of meditation.

One must understand that meditation is a special state one enters while Cultivating, where one discards all distracting thoughts, achieving a communion between heaven and man, with the mind and spirit becoming one.

In this state, one's speed of Cultivation doubles, and the Foundation becomes incredibly solid; it is a state that every cultivator craves most.

However, most people find it difficult to enter this state due to the various troubles in their lives, whether it be anxiety or fluctuating emotions.

Usually, if a cultivator can enter this state of meditation once a month, they would consider themselves extremely lucky.

Although Long Chen could enter this state every time, it required at least an hour of calming his heart and discarding distractions to barely manage it.

One must know that Long Chen's Soul power was incredibly strong, and even he found it so difficult to enter meditation; it was even harder for others.

Yet, holding this jade pendant, Long Chen could enter this state anytime and anywhere. This was truly astonishing.

Inside the cloth bundle, apart from this jade pendant, there was nothing else. Long Chen held the pendant in his hand and examined it carefully.

Eh! There is writing on the back.

Long Chen suddenly felt a very fine texture on the back of the jade pendant. He hurriedly flipped it over to look and saw four lines of small characters written on the back:

"The Dragon roars through the Nine Heavens, looking down upon the Mortal World with pride. May you have peace and joy, and may we never be separated for eternity."

These four lines were written by two different people. The first two lines were written with vigorous strokes, like long spears and halberds, as if wanting to shatter the firmament, full of a sense of pride that looked down upon the world. This was a man's handwriting.

The other lines were written in a delicate and elegant hand, clearly from a woman, filled with tenderness between the strokes.

Looking at these four lines, Long Chen seemed to see a scene: a man and a woman teasing an infant.

The man hoped his son would be able to look down upon the world, tower above the masses, and become a hero who stands tall.

The woman, however, hoped that her child would grow up healthy and safe, and that the family of three would never be separated.

Without realizing it, Long Chen's eyes grew moist. Those two people were his biological parents; he could feel the genuine emotions flowing between their words.

They loved him just the same, yet he did not know what they looked like, nor did he know if they were still alive.

Long Chen suddenly let out a long howl toward the sky. The sound soared into the clouds, making the valley hum with vibrations.

Fate was like a ruthless hand, wantonly toying with Long Chen. Long Chen wanted to fight back, but he lacked sufficient power. This feeling of helplessness made him want to go mad.

After howling for a full stick of incense's time, the stifled anger in Long Chen's heart eased slightly, and his determination to become stronger grew even firmer. He had to go and find his biological parents.

"The Dragon roars through the Nine Heavens, looking down upon the Mortal World with pride. May you have peace and joy, and may we never be separated for eternity." Long Tianxiao muttered the words and could not help but sigh.

"We father and son are truly fated. Back when your mother was pregnant, I had fantasized about what kind of hero my son would become, and that he would be even stronger than me, his father. Your mother, however, hoped that the child would grow up carefree; she did not want her child to become some sort of hero."

"Father, did that person say anything else?" Long Chen asked, looking at the jade pendant.

"I asked him at the time how you would find your parents when you grew up. That person said that as long as you were strong enough and reached the pinnacle of Cultivation, you would naturally know who your parents were. If you could not reach the pinnacle of Cultivation, everything would be meaningless, and it would be better to just be a carefree Mortal," Long Tianxiao said.

"The pinnacle of Cultivation? What level exactly is considered the pinnacle of Cultivation?" Long Chen could not help but ask.

Long Tianxiao gave a bitter smile: "I do not know either, but at the very least, you must be stronger than this person."

After saying this, Long Tianxiao pointed to the canyon in front of him. The meaning was obvious: someone like him could only be a servant, and as for the rest, it was up to Long Chen to imagine.

Long Chen gently rubbed the jade pendant and nodded: "It will happen, and that day will not be too far away."

"I believe you can. Let's go, we are returning to the Imperial Capital. The Imperial Capital is a bit chaotic right now."

The Imperial Capital was indeed somewhat chaotic. Ever since the Spirit Stone mine was exposed, countless experts had flocked to Fengming like a tide, like vultures smelling the scent of a corpse.

"Heavens, did you see that? The leopard pulling the carriage is a circle larger than a house!"

A Demonic Beast was pulling a luxurious carriage, passing in front of the crowd and causing everyone to gasp in shock.

"Another one is coming! It's a flying Demonic Beast, how terrifying."

The sky darkened as a giant eagle flew over, obscuring half the sky. The terrifying pressure made people's hearts tremble.

"More and more top-tier experts are appearing in Fengming. Heavens, I have never seen so many terrifying powerhouses in my entire life."

People could not help but exclaim. The people arriving over these past few days were becoming stronger, and their mounts were becoming increasingly terrifying.

However, after these groups arrived, they all first looked at that location and did not immediately start mining, but instead seemed to be waiting for something.

People watched curiously until seven days later, when all the outside powerhouses gathered at the Alchemist Guild.

It was said that the most powerful factions were negotiating, likely discussing the ownership rights of the Spirit Stone mine. As for the specific results, outsiders did not know.

After Long Chen returned home, he looked at Madam Long, whose eyes were red from crying, and comforted her: "Mother, regardless of whether I am your biological son or not, you are my mother. Do not be sad."

"Chen-er, do you still acknowledge me as your mother?" Madam Long asked with a face full of joy.

Long Tianxiao shook his head slightly. Sometimes, the strange and peculiar thoughts women had were just not on the same wavelength as normal people.

Long Chen was also left between laughter and tears: "No matter when, you are my mother, and you are my biological mother."

Only then did Madam Long break into a smile through her tears: "Mother was only worried that after you knew the truth, you wouldn't acknowledge me anymore."

"How could that be? You were the one who raised me, changing my diapers and feeding me. Even if I didn't acknowledge my father, I could not not acknowledge my mother," Long Chen laughed.

"You brat, are you looking for a beating?" Long Tianxiao said, deliberately keeping a straight face. He had been caught in the crossfire without doing anything, though most people would not mind.

Madam Long giggled and lightly swatted the straight-faced Long Tianxiao: "Chen-er is joking. Why are you putting on a straight face to scare the child?"

Seeing his mother smile, the stone in Long Chen's heart fell. His mother had sacrificed too much for him; even if her emotions were a bit unstable, it was normal.

Long Tianxiao and Long Chen exchanged a smile. Long Tianxiao secretly gave Long Chen a thumbs up. This tactic was clever; it had immediately diverted his wife's attention.

Looking at Chu Yao, who was giggling on the side, Long Tianxiao secretly praised him in his heart. It seemed this brat understood women's minds quite well; he had managed to trick a princess into his hands so quickly.

"Mother, Brother Long, Father, Princess, I'm back!" At this moment, a loud shout suddenly came. From the incoherent form of address, one knew who had arrived. Sure enough, A Man's tall figure appeared in the courtyard.

"Good brother, you have finally recovered!" Long Chen laughed and gave A Man a warm hug. However, A Man was too tall, so the two of them hugging looked somewhat comical.

"Brother Long, that fairy water you gave me last time was so effective. I feel better than ever, and my whole body is full of strength. If I meet that bastard Ying Hou again, I will definitely twist his neck off!" A Man shouted, waving his arm.

Long Chen checked A Man's body. Sure enough, A Man was much stronger now; nearly thirty percent of the cells in his body had begun to awaken.

The other cells were no longer completely dead and silent; they had begun to stir. Long Chen could not help but feel moved. This time, he had received a great favor from a powerhouse of the Spirit Realm once again.

One must know that A Man's body was too strange; activating so many cells at once was enough to prove the power of that item.

"Alright, it's already noon. Hurry and have Bao'er prepare some food. Chen-er and I haven't eaten anything on the way back," Long Tianxiao said.

Bao'er was now the official housekeeper of the Long family, and this young girl was very capable, managing everything in an orderly fashion.

Long Chen jokingly said that he could not bear to marry Bao'er off, and if there was someone suitable, he would just recruit a son-in-law to live in. This made Bao'er blush furiously and run away, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

Chu Yao now treated the Long family as her own home. Apart from occasionally visiting her younger brother, she spent most of her time at the Long family estate.

During the meal, Chu Yao explained the current situation in the Imperial Capital to Long Chen. Hearing that many terrifying powerhouses had come to the Imperial Capital, Long Chen's heart stirred.

Those people must be from the Sects, likely here to negotiate the distribution of the Spirit Stone mine. If he wanted to enter a Sect, this was a very good opportunity.

Thinking of the people from the Sects, Long Chen naturally thought of the man in white. If a regular Outer Sect Disciple was this terrifying, then an Inner Sect Disciple, or even a Core Disciple, must be incredibly frightening.

If he could infiltrate such a Sect, it would definitely be the most beneficial for his own growth.

Hearing that all the big shots were still at the Alchemist Guild, after finishing the meal, Long Chen took Chu Yao and A Man and headed straight for the Alchemist Guild.

Seeing the gates of the Alchemist Guild in the distance, suddenly, the gates opened with a clang, and an old man walked out from inside in a fit of rage.

With one step, he was almost in front of Long Chen and the others. His speed was as fast as an angry arrow released from a bow, charging straight toward Long Chen and the others.

Long Chen was greatly alarmed and hurriedly dodged to the side. A gust of wind blew past, and the person had already sped away. Chu Yao was actually blown so hard by that gust of wind that she could not even stand steadily, and Long Chen grabbed her to steady her.

"Who was that? Such terrifying speed," Chu Yao said, looking at the disappearing back of the man, her face full of shock.

"He is so old, he is probably in a rush to be reincarnated; otherwise, who would walk so fast? Don't pay him any mind, let's go."

Just as Long Chen was about to take a step, a cold shout suddenly came: "Stop, are you Long Chen?"