Chapter 1023: Chapter 1023: Checking Talent Chapter 1023: Chapter 1023: Checking Talent “`
Huang Xiaolong finally returned to Wulong Manor with his wife, Ying Aoshan, as well as the Ying Family members, and three little demon creatures.

What greeted them was the sound of drums and music, reeds, and strings, a bustling scene! It was like a moment of peace and prosperity!

His other wives, such as his first wife, Song Yuru, Su Xiaoman, who had already moved to Wulong Manor, and Sister Bai Hu, Sun Wei… and so on, all flocked around Huang Xiaolong like stars around the moon, chirping away happily and incessantly.

Huang Xiaolong too felt the warm family atmosphere quite distinctly.

As soon as the Ying Family members arrived at Wulong Manor, they felt their True Qi flowing more lively throughout their bodies, automatically circulating the major and minor celestial circuits.

“My heavens~~ as soon as I arrived here, I condensed a new stream of True Qi! What a blessed land, a treasure land indeed!” Ying Xiao, the Ying Family Clan Leader, expressed his disbelief with an incredible exclamation.

“Hehe~~ Wulong Manor has really changed, having been organized by our teacher into something akin to an Immortal Realm!” Lin Zicong, once one of the owners of Wulong Manor, couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.

“Hmm~ from now on, you can cultivate in seclusion here in the manor,” Huang Xiaolong said with a smile. And it wasn’t just the ancient martial arts Grandmasters; even Huang Xiaolong himself found that his True Qi, Mana, and path force were continuously improving and refining within Wulong Manor.

That evening, naturally, a grand banquet was held.

The whole Wulong Manor turned into a sea of joy.

This revelry lasted well into the late hours of the night.

Next on the agenda for Huang Xiaolong were tender moments of affection with his lovely wives, so engrossing that nothing else seemed to matter.

Such carefree days, as if walking on clouds, continued for half a month.

After that, Huang Xiaolong began his closed-door cultivation.

This so-called closed-door cultivation was to assimilate the opportunity he had gained within the shadow of the Xuanhuang Tower.

At that time, on the tenth floor of the Xuanhuang Tower, Huang Xiaolong encountered a Qingcheng Sect expert, “Solitary Hong,” at the realm of Laws of Heaven and Earth, or rather a strand of his divine will.

Solitary Hong was devious and cunning, scheming against Huang Xiaolong, intending to use this strand of divine will to take possession of Huang Xiaolong’s body and be reborn.

Contrary to his expectations, the clever ploy backfired. Solitary Hong’s strand of divine will was instead refined by Huang Xiaolong.

As a result, Huang Xiaolong obtained the top-tier Qingcheng Sect techniques contained within Solitary Hong’s memories!

Various Alchemy Techniques, Artifact Refining Techniques, Sword techniques…

Huang Xiaolong had not yet had time to absorb and practice them; now was the perfect opportunity to digest them while regaining his energy and reserves at Wulong Manor.

In his mind, mysterious and profound characters surged forward like a relentless tide.

“Eh~~ These overseas sect’s Cultivation Techniques are indeed very powerful. In the overseas regions, the Qingcheng Sect is a distinguished great sect, and its techniques are extraordinary. Absorbing and practicing them will probably require a considerable amount of time~~”
Indeed, practicing such overseas sect techniques is hundreds, if not thousands, of times harder than practicing ancient martial arts!

If Huang Xiaolong obtained an ancient martial arts manual and intended to practice it, he probably could reach perfection just by reading it once. But to practice the techniques of overseas sects was relatively more difficult and slower.

Right then, in order to save time, Huang Xiaolong went to the netherworld.

To cultivate in the netherworld!

As the ruler of the netherworld, the Yin Emperor, Huang Xiaolong could modify the rules of time within the netherworld.

While comprehending various techniques from the Qingcheng Sect, Huang Xiaolong adjusted the time scale in the netherworld to 365 to 1, meaning a year in the netherworld was equivalent to a day in the real world.

A day in heaven, a year on earth! A day on earth, a year in the netherworld!

Huang Xiaolong was truly dedicated to his training, and he was certainly able to endure the solitude!

After a full half-year in the netherworld, with his talent, he was able to practice the various techniques contained in the strand of Solitary Hong’s divine will to the point where they were like an extension of his body, doing as he willed!

It turned out that what Solitary Hong was most accomplished in wasn’t any Sword technique or Cultivation Technique, but–Alchemy!

His Alchemy Technique, not only unparalleled within the Qingcheng Sect but also among the vast world of overseas cultivators, was as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Huang Xiaolong had already cultivated numerous lost ancient Alchemy Techniques in the netherworld, but he had never encountered the Alchemy Technique contained in Solitary Hong’s strand of divine will before.

This time, he had learned something new! For the Yin Emperor, this was an extremely rare event! Comparing the newly acquired techniques with his previously mastered alchemy and even artifact refining skills proved to be enormously beneficial for Huang Xiaolong.

Moreover, Huang Xiaolong had also learned some of Qingcheng Sect’s secret Sword techniques. Now, with a mere movement of his body, a supremely sharp Sword Qi would emanate from every pore, slicing through the air with piercing sounds, as if a thousand troops were thundering across the battlefield, slaughtering demons and cutting down ghosts in a flash.

Now, Huang Xiaolong was essentially a top-tier Qingcheng Sect expert!

“Hahaha~~ Not bad, this time, I’ve improved a lot~~!”

Huang Xiaolong left the netherworld feeling wholly satisfied.

By this time, only half a day had passed in the real world.

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The next day, Huang Xiaolong summoned his wives, the people of the Ying Family, the senior members of the four major families of Binhai, as well as the leaders of the many forces that were aligned with him.

In the solemn council hall!

Everyone was grave, looking towards Huang Xiaolong, who sat at the head of the room, exuding an invisible aura of leadership.

“Today, I’ve gathered you all to announce something,” Huang Xiaolong said seriously.

Everyone held their breath and listened intently to every word Huang Xiaolong spoke.

“There’s nothing much interesting left in the Central Plain. I’m preparing to go overseas. Perhaps you don’t know, but over there is a vast and turbulent world, a grand stage for extraordinary talents, hiding countless secrets unknown to the world. Haha, not to mention you folks, even I am quite unfamiliar with the overseas regions.”

Yes, as the Yin Emperor, Huang Xiaolong had always believed that he knew everything under the heavens and across 5,000 years of history!

However, after encountering overseas cultivators, he realized that he knew absolutely nothing about the overseas world, that he was completely clueless.

Even now, what Huang Xiaolong knew was merely the tip of the iceberg, a fragment of the whole picture.

Seeing the many puzzled faces below him, Huang Xiaolong smiled and said, “Actually, you don’t need to know the details. In short, the overseas world is similar to the immortal and cultivation worlds described in novels or movies. Cultivators from the overseas can ride on mist and clouds, soar with cranes, and enjoy carefree travels! They can refine elixirs to live for hundreds of years! They can also create magical artifacts beyond your wildest dreams!”

At this point, many people below had gotten infatuated, their mouths gaping open in amazement, unable to close!

“Good heavens! Who would have thought such things were hidden in this world!” Some people gasped in shock.

“Right, master, the two powerful beings you killed earlier, their abilities were almost demonic, and to them, even Great Grandmasters like us appeared merely as slightly stronger ants, to be easily exterminated. They were the overseas cultivators Master spoke of! Indeed, they belong to another level of existence!”

Lin Zicong’s description was very fitting!

Another level of existence!

“Hmm, right now, I’m about to set off for the overseas world,” Huang Xiaolong said with a smile.

“Little Long, why are you going to the overseas world?” asked Song Yuru, his main wife, with an innocent and pure expression.

“Hahaha, main wife, of course, I’m going to take more wives,” Huang Xiaolong couldn’t resist teasing her.

“Cut it out, stop joking around~~ With so many wives already, you still want to marry more~~~” Song Yuru said with a flush of embarrassment.

“Alright, to tell you the truth, I have many, many things to do overseas,” Huang Xiaolong enumerated. “First, I want to have fun and explore this world I have never ventured into. Moreover, I want to witness the truly top-tier powerhouses among the overseas cultivators, who are said to hold the power to control the weather; I’d like to compete with them. Also, I need to find the whereabouts of the remaining black daggers and uncover the shocking secrets they hold.”

Huang Xiaolong spoke rapidly. “There’s an evil Demon King planning to invade the mortal realm and take over again. But for now, it hasn’t arrived and is probably still lying dormant in the overseas world, so instead of waiting for it to come, I’d rather take the initiative to go overseas, find it, and annihilate it.”

“The Crown Prince of the Yin Tribe still hasn’t been found; I wonder if he’s also overseas.”

“There’s also Master Zhang, whose clone I’ve killed. I still need to chase down his main body and eradicate it.”

…

Huang Xiaolong rattled off a long list, getting more excited as he spoke.

“I’m speechless~~ Little Long, it looks like you must go overseas,” Sun Wei laughed lightly.

“Then… Master Long, you could take us with you,” one of Huang Xiaolong’s wives, the beautiful anchor Zhou Mi, looked at Huang Xiaolong with hopeful eyes.

The other wives also quickly echoed her sentiment.

“Master, please take us with you,” pleaded Lin Zicong, with longing in his heart.

Ying Aotian, Ying Xiao, and others all expressed their desire to accompany Huang Xiaolong overseas, for the chance to broaden their horizons.

“Alright, the world of overseas cultivators is very dangerous. There are no laws to follow there; powerful people can kill at will. So, for now, you all don’t need to go. Once I have spent some time mixing in the overseas realm, grasped the various rules, and even established a foundation, I will move the entire Dragon Manor overseas. For now, everyone should stay obediently at the Dragon Manor and cultivate properly,” Huang Xiaolong’s tone was not one of jest.

Everyone knew Huang Xiaolong’s temperament, so they said no more.

Still, the wives couldn’t help but feel a deep reluctance to part.

“I’ve written down some basic cultivation techniques from the Qingcheng Sect overseas, which you can practice. Cultivating these at the Dragon Manor will allow for quick mastery,” Huang Xiaolong said as he took some papers and laid them on the table. “Everyone can practice them.”

“Master, if we practice these techniques, can we, as you said, ride on mist and clouds and travel freely on cranes?” Lin Zicong asked with a trembling voice.

“Err, roughly speaking, yes,” Huang Xiaolong nodded.

There was great joy among the people of Dragon Manor; they knew Huang Xiaolong had granted them a great fortune!

“However, before I leave, I want to check which of you have the talent for spell-casting,” Huang Xiaolong said with a smile. “Those with talent can come with me overseas. When the time comes, if you have the opportunity to join a sect, it means you have set foot on another path. Wives like Pianpian, Hanyan, Xiaoman, and Ice Swallow, they all have the talent and are already cultivating in the Emei Sect.”

When Huang Xiaolong said this, everyone’s eyes lit up, and their hearts started pounding with excitement!

“Alright, I’ll now check your talent,” Huang Xiaolong said with a light smile.

…

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