Chapter Seven: Five Years

Night finally descended as Wang Luo had long anticipated. When the little white lion was fast asleep, Wang Luo began his first cultivation.

The unnamed cultivation technique prescribed sitting cross-legged as the optimal posture. Yet Wang Luo, unable to sit up, could only lie down. Reclining upon a patch of unknown wild grass, he followed the method’s instructions, striving to relax and calm his mind, seeking to sense the omnipresent spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

After a while, he felt no trace of spiritual energy, but instead became aware of the unusual sensation of the grass beneath him. Unlike other coarse weeds, these were soft and smooth.

Cursing himself inwardly, Wang Luo tried again to sense the world’s spiritual energy. Yet as time slipped by, he still felt nothing.

Suppressing a rising trace of impatience, Wang Luo again stilled his thoughts and sought the spiritual power that filled the universe.

Who knows how long passed. As he drowsed, suddenly a brilliant light flashed before his eyes, and he found himself in a world awash with color. All about, countless motes of light—red, yellow, blue, and more—floated through the air.

Wang Luo was surrounded by innumerable green lights. He knew from the technique’s teachings that these were the motes of wood elemental spiritual energy, showing that he could cultivate the wood attribute.

According to the instructions, Wang Luo willed a cluster of green motes to separate from the rest and draw into his body. Carefully, he guided the spiritual force to strike against the blockages in his meridians.

A deep boom echoed within him as the energy collided with the obstruction. A wave of agony followed, wrenching Wang Luo from his meditative state.

He calmed himself, reflected briefly, and returned to cultivation. Once more, he entered that vibrant realm.

This time, Wang Luo drew in a smaller wisp of wood elemental energy, carefully and slowly pressing it against the blockage in his meridians. With the lesson of pain fresh in his mind, he proceeded with greater caution.

It was still painful—there was even a tingling itch—but he managed to endure. As the spiritual energy continued its assault, the obstruction in his meridians began to loosen.

Wang Luo had no idea that at the very moment he drew spiritual energy into himself, two mighty golden lions opened their eyes in unison, startled and wary as they scanned their surroundings.

At last, both lions fixed their gaze on Wang Luo. Meeting each other’s eyes, they saw identical astonishment reflected in one another.

After a night of cultivation, Wang Luo was once again awakened at dawn by the mother lion’s affectionate washing. He felt wholly refreshed, his body light and brimming with strength, delighting in the sensation that followed his training.

In the days that followed, Wang Luo’s life assumed a gentle rhythm: each morning he was roused by the mother lion’s grooming, then he played with the little white lion, and at night, he immersed himself in cultivation. Thus, five peaceful years slipped quietly by.

On the boundless grasslands, the searing sun poured down without mercy, as if intent on scorching all beneath it. Not far from the border where the endless plains met an equally vast forest, two small figures darted in and out of the tall grass, their childish voices rising into the air.

“Come on, Little White, hurry up! You’re going to lose today!” a young voice called, bright with laughter.

As the words fell, a small figure shot out from the grass, dashed into the forest, and stopped, bent over and panting.

From the back, it was clearly a child of five or six, with tousled black hair cascading over his shoulders and a skirt of animal hide tied at his waist.

Bent as he was, his bare bottom was exposed to the sun. Most striking, however, was the curious sword slung across his back—a sword seemingly fashioned from bone, reminiscent of ancient Chinese blades.

After a brief rest, the child turned around. Though not handsome, he possessed a unique aura. Most remarkable of all were his eyes, clear black and white, sparkling with irrepressible spirit—like a treasured blade drawn from its sheath, sharp and chilling.

“Heh, Little White, you lost this time!” the boy exclaimed with a triumphant grin, plucking stray grass from the mane of the little white lion cub that had leapt into his arms.

The little lion, sprawled comfortably in his embrace, let out a disgruntled whimper, as if protesting.

“Lost is lost, don’t start making excuses. Just wait till your lion father teaches you a lesson…” the boy laughed, giving the cub’s head a friendly pat. Ignoring its plaintive cries, he scooped it up and dashed into the forest, soon vanishing into the endless trees.

The boy, carrying the little lion, had no idea that as soon as he left, two majestic golden lions appeared where he had just been.

One of them watched the boy’s retreating figure with gentle concern, while the other gazed after him with a vexed expression, muttering to itself:

“That little freak just keeps getting stronger! Why is my own son so hopelessly weak? Back in my day, I was a force to be reckoned with! But my son—years have passed and he’s still the same adorable cub, nothing like me at all. Could it be he’s not mine? Could my mate have…”

As these thoughts crossed his mind, the male lion cast a suspicious glance at the female beside him.

Sensing his doubt, the lioness instantly understood what nonsense he was imagining. With a displeased growl, she turned and stormed into the forest. Her swishing tail caught the unprepared lion across the face, knocking him flat and filling his mouth with dirt.

Scrambling to his feet, the male lion looked around in embarrassment. Seeing no witnesses, he quickly trotted after the lioness, whining ingratiatingly.

He knew well enough: if he failed to placate her, his pleasures that night would be forfeited, and he’d be left to his own devices…

“Hello, Lion Dad and Lion Mom!” the boy called cheerfully, arriving at a waterfall about ten meters high. Beneath the falls lay a small pool, in which two majestic golden lions were soaking.

Judging by the scene, one lion was clearly trying to win over the other, though without much success. At the boy’s greeting, both lions responded with a low growl.

The boy tossed the little lion into the water, slipped off his hide skirt, planted his bone sword in the ground, and with a splash, leapt into the pool.

Water sprayed everywhere. One golden lion cast him an annoyed glance, but seeing the other begin to smile, seized the moment to redouble its efforts at reconciliation.

It worked—soon the lioness’s anger was soothed, and the male lion, triumphant, began to paw at her affectionately.

The boy, accustomed to such scenes, lay back on the water, splashing and frolicking with the little white lion, gazing up at the endless blue sky above, lost in his own thoughts.

异界青龙7_Chapter Seven: Five Years Complete!