Chapter 299 - 298: Human Emperor, How Many Tons of True Dragon Blood Do You Want?
The petite princess of the South Jiao Dragon Tribe was named Li Jiaojiao, born on the same day of the same month of the same year as Rain Little Meng, their relationship was more like rival sisters than friends.
At the hundred-day feast, Li Jiaojiao and Rain Little Meng spotted the same brush and fought for it—Rain Little Meng grabbed the brush tip while Li Jiaojiao took the brush handle.
On their fifth birthday, Rain Little Meng scooped up two bowls of longevity noodles while Li Jiaojiao grabbed two poached eggs.
Their competitions become increasingly fierce over the years, encompassing a myriad of items—from brushes to Primordial Pills to Dragon Tiger Golden Cores—until they finally grappled for the affections of the same man.
Five days ago, they had a showdown above the sea surface to settle their dispute once and for all. They caused a massive whirlpool, but both ran out of spiritual energy and struggled to escape from it.
The whirlpool was Li Jiaojiao’s ultimate technique, powerful enough to strangle anyone at the Golden Core Stage.
Luckily, the Seven Kills Taoist, not your average Golden Core stage cultivator, sliced open the whirlpool with a single sword stroke and saved both of them—cradling Rain Little Meng and pulling Li Jiaojiao up by the arm.
Non-human, drenched, rival sisters… The thought of writing a book sparked excitement in Ma Zhuo and his wife’s hearts.
They were truly inspired.
“Your attitude towards these two girls is distinctly different,” said Jiang Li with a strange expression on his face as he watched Seven Kills Taoist. “Even if you favor Rain Little Meng, it’s unjustifiable to be so rough on Li Jiaojiao. Have you ever considered her feelings?”
Seven Kills Taoist expressed deep remorse, promising to be cautious next time.
“He’s mine, and my father has already agreed that as long as he comes back with me to the South Jiao Dragon Tribe, we can get married immediately!” Li Jiaojiao declared, hands on hips.
“Truly a joke, Li sister. He was trying to snatch my embroidered ball. It’s clear his heart lies with me, why would he go to the South Jiao Dragon Tribe with you?”
Li Jiaojiao sneered, “We will see about that. He just doesn’t know your true colors yet. When he finds out that you’re actually a crafty and deceitful woman who uses tears to attract male protection, he surely won’t like you!”
Rain Little Meng gently responded, “I think a woman disguising herself as a man to snatch the embroided ball has no grounds to call me cunning.”
“Do you intend to marry into my Mermaid Tribe, sister Li?”
Li Jiaojiao blushed with embarrassment.
“All you can do is take advantage of your rhetorical skills. Let’s compete fairly and see who can win his heart!”
“Compete in what?”
“Battle…”
Rain Little Meng reminded, “We’ve fought to a draw before.”
“Academic prowess…”
“We both rank first.”
“Body shape…”
Rain Little Meng gave her plump chest a prod, unable to see her own feet when she looked down.
Li Jiaojiao glanced at her flat physique, gritted her teeth and admitted, “It’s a tie.”
“Mother said, to captivate a man’s heart, one must first win over his stomach. The South Sea is abundantly endowed with diverse seafood, and we’ve never competed in culinary skills before. Let’s have a cooking showdown!”
Li Jiaojiao was very confident in her culinary skills. Her specialty of honey braised squid whiskers was a huge hit among the street vendors.
Rain Little Meng readily agreed, feigning confidence.
Despite her never having handled cooking utensils or even set foot in a kitchen, she couldn’t let Li Jiaojiao win the psychological battle.
“How do we determine the winner?”
Li Jiaojiao pointed to Seven Kills Taoist: “Of course, we’ll go by his taste. Whichever he finds delicious wins!”
Seven Kills Taoist was thoroughly confused, having been briefed without a chance to ask.
Since both girls were able to compete in cooking, then both dishes must be good. Seven Kills Taoist was excited about being able to taste the unique flavors of the South Sea.
“How about raising the stakes?” Jiang Li suggested.
“And who might you be?”
Jiang Li turned back to his original form with a good-natured chuckle: “You might have heard of me. My name is Jiang Li.”
“The Human Emperor?!” The crowd became excited, couldn’t believe that they were fortunate enough to see the Human Emperor himself.
I’m not blinking anymore!
Li Jiaojiao and Rain Little Meng were shocked and somewhat flustered. They hadn’t expected the Emperor to take notice of this competition.
“Since the Emperor mentioned raising the stakes, the Mermaid Tribe naturally agrees,” a beautiful woman resembling Rain Little Meng stepped forward from the group that had split the South Sea and generously bowed to Jiang Li.
Jiang Li lightly gestured, not allowing the Clan Leader of the Mermaid Tribe to bow to him.
“The clan leader is too formal, I’m just passing by.”
“May I ask what the Emperor has in mind for raising the stakes?” The Leader of the South Jiao Dragon Tribe, who had been secretly watching, finally appeared. He was the same Jiao Dragon who had a standoff with Jiang Li five hundred years ago and claimed to have a backer.
“A jar of Pure Dragon Blood.”
“Alright, my tribe will participate in this competition.” The greed in the eyes of the Leader of the South Jiao Dragon Tribe was clear to see. The Pure Dragon Blood was a treasure; it had the potential to increase his chance of becoming a True Dragon from 50 percent to 30 percent.
The Human Tribe used the Pure Dragon Blood to temper their bodies, which could give a slim chance of a ‘Dragon Transformation’, while for the Jiao Dragon Tribe, the only use was to elevate their chances of evolving into a True Dragon.
Unfortunately, the Pure Dragon Blood was as precious as it was rare. In the South Jiao Dragon Tribe, even though they had saved up two small jars of it, they were still reluctant to use it.
“Wait a moment, I need to go buy a jar first.”
With that, Jiang Li flew away in a beam of light, leaving the others gazing after him in confusion.
When Jiang Li found the South Sea Dragon King, he discovered that the king was panting heavily, practicing a certain Cultivation Technique.
Jiang Li discovered a Cultivation Technique book at the South Sea Dragon King’s feet via his Divine Sense.
“The Jiang Li Emperor’s Strength.”
He silently read the foreword: “This Cultivation Technique is divided into three stages. Upon reaching the Minor Accomplishment stage, your strength can surpass those of the Dragon Clan with no one able to match it; upon reaching the Middle Accomplishment stage, you can defeat the commander Zhang Konghu in terms of strength; upon reaching the Major Accomplishment stage, you can arm wrestle with Emperor Jiang Li.”
…isn’t the gap between the Middle Accomplishment and Major Accomplishment stages a bit large?
“South Sea Dragon King, what Cultivation Technique are you practicing?” Jiang Li asked with a friendly smile.
“N-nothing, just messing around.” The South Sea Dragon King anxiously put away the Cultivation Technique, fearfully worried that Jiang Li would see it.
“What brings the Emperor here?”
“I need Pure Dragon Blood, would you be able to sell some to me?”
The South Sea Dragon King breathed out a sigh of relief, thinking it was going to be something troublesome.
“That can be easily arranged.”
The South Sea Dragon King transformed into a thousand-foot long True Dragon, holding a Dragon Ball in his paw. Shining brilliantly as if it was cast from gold, it emanated an extremely privileged aura. The aquatic soldiers nearby were affected by the oppressive might of the True Dragon and fell prostrate on the ground.
“Emperor, how many tons do you require?”
The South Sea Dragon King’s generosity knew no bounds, he bit open his dragon claw, letting Pure Dragon Blood flow freely. The amount looked sufficient to drown an elephant.
“This amount should suffice.” Jiang Li filled up a jar and used a spell to return the rest to the South Sea Dragon King.
He had no use for so much Pure Dragon Blood.
“How many Spirit Stones would this be?”
“Your highness must be joking. This is my gift to you, there is no need for any Spirit Stones.”
Jiang Li smiled, not surprised by the South Sea Dragon King’s answer and turned to leave.
The South Sea Dragon King heaved another sigh of relief, he had thought the Emperor had come here to chastise him for perhaps one of the reckless South Sea creatures having offended the emperor.
Fortunately, the Emperor just wanted Pure Dragon Blood.
If the Emperor was willing to pay, he wouldn’t dare to accept.
Relieved, the South Sea Dragon King took out “The Jiang Li Emperor’s Strength” to continue his practice. Just as he turned to the second page, he froze.
A lot of notes had mysteriously appeared on the Cultivation Technique. They were comprehensive, insightful, and easily understandable, giving him a new perception of the entire technique.
This was an invaluable treasure; it was much more valuable than Pure Dragon Blood.
The South Sea Dragon King deeply bowed in the direction Jiang Li had taken off.
“Thank you, Emperor Jiang, for your guidance.”