"Oh? You have more questions?" The Sect Master Ziyang stopped what he was doing and asked Zhou Yan with great interest.
"You just said that as long as I can solve your problem, you will agree to help me cultivate. Is that true?" Zhou Yan asked excitedly.
"This..."
Sect Master Ziyang pondered for a moment, then replied, "Of course! As long as you help me solve my problem and reach the level I require, I will naturally fulfill my promise."
"Fantastic!" Zhou Yan jumped up in excitement.
"Don't get too excited yet. Let me tell you, it's not easy to solve my problem. And I'm a person who always seeks revenge for grievances. If I can't solve it, I will personally kill you."
Sect Master Ziyang suddenly sneered and said coldly, "Furthermore, even though you possess this Azure Dragon Divine Stone, you'd better not try to use it. After all, it poses no threat to powerful martial masters. If I discover you dare to use it, I guarantee you'll die more miserably than anyone else!"
Hearing Sect Master Ziyang's words, Zhou Yan's face fell. He had been too excited and forgotten this crucial detail. Now he was in trouble.
"Hahaha..."
Seeing Zhou Yan's expression, Sect Master Ziyang couldn't help but laugh heartily. "Alright, I was just kidding. This Azure Dragon Divine Stone might be useful to you, but it's worthless to me. I will now teach you a sword technique. Take this, and once you learn it, you can use it to defend yourself."
As he spoke, he extended his right index finger and made a few strokes in the air. A mysterious trajectory formed in the sky, which then transformed into starlight and flew into Zhou Yan's mind.
"Starfall Sword Technique? Is this a sword technique?"
Zhou Yan was stunned for a moment, then realized. This Starfall Sword Technique was likely one of the sect's most treasured techniques, and a rather high-grade martial skill at that.
Zhou Yan quickly sat down on the ground and, following the information that appeared in his mind, tried to circulate the vital energy within his body.
He then felt a powerful force flowing from his dan tian, coursing through his meridians to his limbs and bones.
This force was immense, instantly filling every part of Zhou Yan's body, even his bones felt infused with this tremendous power.
Zhou Yan immediately mobilized this force, letting it circulate through his body, and finally gathering in the meridians of his arms. At the same time, Zhou Yan felt his entire body becoming light and ethereal, as if he were floating in the air.
"Such immense power! This force is probably comparable to that of an ordinary martial master!"
Zhou Yan felt the surging power within his body, his eyes shining with shock.
He knew that his original cultivation was merely that of an ordinary martial artist. Even with the system's help, he was currently only a martial artist at the fifth level of Body Tempering, far from reaching the Martial Master realm.
"Hmm? What's happening?"
At this moment, Zhou Yan suddenly felt something was wrong, as if something had entered his body.
"Oh no, could it be that jade pendant!"
Zhou Yan cursed inwardly. He had already sensed that the strange power that had just surged into his body was emanating from the jade pendant on his wrist. And after entering his body, this power began to violently damage his meridians and flesh.
Zhou Yan quickly mobilized the vital energy in his body, rushing towards the jade pendant on his wrist, trying to block the power. However, this power was too ferocious. His vital energy clashed against it and was immediately repelled, unable to resist.
Zhou Yan frowned, then gritted his teeth and cursed, "Damn it, I don't believe I can't handle you!"
Saying this, he raised his right hand and removed the Azure Dragon Divine Stone from his wrist, holding it in his palm.
"Boom!"
As soon as the Azure Dragon Divine Stone left his wrist, Zhou Yan felt a violent energy explode madly within his body. Wave after wave of searing pain struck from his wrist, causing him to open his mouth and spit out a mouthful of blood. His body swayed several times, and he nearly fell to the ground.
However, Zhou Yan persevered and did not fall.
"Hmph, brat, I advise you to give up. With your current strength, you can't even break the sword move I just used, yet you dream of subduing the Azure Dragon Divine Stone?"
Seeing Zhou Yan continue to persist, Sect Master Ziyang couldn't help but sneer.
Zhou Yan ignored Sect Master Ziyang's mockery, took a deep breath, and slowly closed his eyes.
The next second, a scene appeared in Zhou Yan's mind: in a vast, boundless desert, a colossal mountain stood tall. A young man stood quietly at the foot of the mountain, gazing up at its peak. This was the statue of the Azure Dragon Divine Stone.
At this moment, a streak of azure light shot down from the mountain peak and enveloped Zhou Yan.
Under the shroud of this azure light, Zhou Yan felt as if he were in a cloud of mist. He could clearly sense the immense power contained within the Azure Dragon Divine Stone rapidly integrating into his body and beginning to transform his physique.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a clear dragon roar echoed. Immediately after, Zhou Yan felt the azure light abruptly vanish. He opened his eyes and saw, to his astonishment, a small azure dragon covered in scales, emitting a radiant golden light, floating within his body and constantly moving.
This little azure dragon was lifelike and vivid, with a pair of bright, piercing dragon eyes. Its body was astonishingly large, coiled within his dan tian, making him appear incredibly imposing.
"Azure Dragon, it actually exists?"
Zhou Yan's eyes widened, and his heart was stirred with immense astonishment.
Although he had long suspected that the Azure Dragon Divine Stone was a treasure, he had never imagined it would actually be an Azure Dragon, and one that had condensed the spiritual consciousness of an Azure Dragon. This was simply heaven-defying.
"This Azure Dragon spiritual consciousness actually carries a will?"
Zhou Yan stared at the azure dragon, his eyes revealing a deep sense of curiosity.
At this moment, the azure dragon was also observing Zhou Yan, its eyes conveying a hint of human-like surprise.
'Hmm? This young man is not afraid of my spiritual consciousness attack? Interesting, interesting, truly interesting. I never expected that besides the Holy Martial Dynasty, someone else could withstand my spiritual consciousness. It seems this kid is not an ordinary person, perhaps even a prodigy. Heh heh... In that case, I will spare you for now and train you into my host.'
The spiritual consciousness of the Azure Dragon Divine Stone murmured in its mind, and then slowly fell silent.