"You know about the Shadow Assassins?"
The Dragon Lord raised an eyebrow. "Indeed. This trip of yours back to Shashi must have brought you into contact with them… Are you alright?"
He appraised Lin Xiao, finding no apparent injuries on him.
"I'm fine. They just appeared for a moment, then left without doing anything," Lin Xiao could only assume the Shadow Assassins were wary of Mr. Zhuge's formations.
"They did nothing?"
The Dragon Lord pondered for a moment before continuing, "Lin Xiao, as the Dragon Lord, I carry the destiny of a nation. The True Dragon Qi protects me. Within Dragon Country, I am nearly invincible. I can even contend with those who have surpassed the Divine Realm."
"I know."
"Then do you know why I am only 'nearly' invincible, and not 'invincible'?" the Dragon Lord asked.
"No…"
Lin Xiao, of course, didn't know. He had come here specifically to have the Dragon Lord enlighten him.
"Because, in Dragon Country, the Inner Realm is merely a general term for those hidden sects and families. These are accessible to those with some power. For example, you are now beginning to help the Inner Realm integrate with modern society and make reasonable arrangements," the Dragon Lord said. "However, beyond the Inner Realm, there is another group of people in Dragon Country. Those individuals are the most mysterious and terrifying existences."
"They are called Qi Cultivators."
Qi Cultivators?
Lin Xiao seemed to have heard this name before… He thought for a moment. It sounded like something Qi Tian had mentioned?
"Their inheritance is far older than any sect in the Inner Realm. They have existed since civilization began. They communicate with heaven and earth, and they explore themselves. If there is anyone in this world who has pushed the development of the human body to its absolute limit, it would be these Qi Cultivators. They cultivate Qi within their own bodies and forge a world within themselves," the Dragon Lord said with a frown. "The Shadow Assassins are also a faction among the Qi Cultivators."
"...Dragon Lord, what you're saying is a bit… mystical. Are they what are called cultivators?" Lin Xiao had read his fair share of online novels and watched many TV shows, so he understood the concept.
When he first started practicing martial arts, he had fantasized about stepping onto the path of cultivation and becoming immortal. The Ning family's "unmelting bone" seemed more like a cultivation technique.
"Cultivators? No, no. I understand what you mean. If they were cultivators, the Taoist priests of the Celestial Masters Sect would be closer. But Qi Cultivators, they communicate with heaven and earth not to defy the natural order, nor to attain enlightenment. They mimic the workings of the universe, truly creating a world, a universe, within their own bodies…"
The Dragon Lord's words grew increasingly esoteric.
"Legend has it that Pangu's creation of the world was the work of the very first Qi Cultivator."
Now Lin Xiao understood.
So, Qi Cultivators were even more formidable than cultivators!
This explained why the Shadow Assassins were far more powerful than people from the Inner Realm, and why his adversaries were stronger than those from the Inner Realm.
"Only they can, right under my nose, make a person lose their right to be human, without anyone noticing," the Dragon Lord narrowed his eyes. "Lin Xiao, you must be careful."
"Thank you, Dragon Lord."
Careful?
He certainly knew that, but he couldn't give up.
The Lin family could not have died in vain. No matter who the opponent was, no matter who stood behind them, he would avenge his entire Lin family, his parents!