Chapter 2006: Testing Bones

Lie Qianhong's intention became immediately clear. In the God Realm, one could roughly estimate a living being's age by the life aura it emitted. However, the Abyss was entirely different. Abyss dust greatly impeded and even distorted perception. More importantly, it corroded life and muddied life auras. Individuals growing up in different Abyss dust environments, even if they were the exact same age, would exhibit vastly different life auras. For instance, a person from a God Realm who had lived for one hundred sixty-year cycles might have a less potent life aura than someone from a godless land who had lived for ten sixty-year cycles. Therefore, in the Abyss, attempting to determine age solely by emitted aura yielded results that were too vague to be even remotely useful.

Although Lie Qianhong's move seemed a desperate gambit, it was by no means unreasonable or unfounded. On the contrary, it instantly reminded many present of a crucial point. In previous Lin Shen Assemblies, participating disciples were never subjected to age verification. Firstly, residing within the Lin Yuan Realm, everyone generally knew the talented disciples of each faction in their era. Secondly, and most importantly, the Lin Shen Realm was a sacred gift from the Abyss Emperor. Who would dare to commit fraud when it concerned such a divine bestowal? Moreover, Abyss Knights were always present to supervise and bear witness at every assembly. If anyone dared to lie about their age to enter the Lin Shen Realm, it would unequivocally be an act of contempt against the Abyss Emperor's sacred might. The repercussions would be severe, extending far beyond mere disqualification or bringing disaster upon their entire sect.

The disparity between risk and reward was immense, so much so that even if the Three Sects and One Dynasty were granted ten times their courage, they would never dare to attempt such a deception. Consequently, age verification had never been required before the Lin Shen Assembly—this had been the sole tacit understanding among the Three Sects and One Dynasty throughout the years. Now, this very 'understanding' had become Lie Sha Sect's last desperate chance.

If either Yun Che or Long Jiang were found to be older than ten sixty-year cycles, the Helian Imperial Family or the Bai Lin Alliance would undoubtedly lose their eligibility to enter the Lin Shen Realm this time. No, for such a grave offense, permanent disqualification was not out of the question. In that scenario, Lie Sha Sect would ascend, regaining their qualification to enter the Lin Shen Realm.

As everyone's gazes turned towards the Helian Imperial Family's position, they noticed Helian Lingzhu's distinctly uneasy expression. Instantly, a murmur of whispers spread through the crowd.

The longer a profound practitioner remained at a certain cultivation level, the more profound and formidable their profound energy became. Yun Che, with his Divine Sovereign cultivation, utterly dominated a group of Lower Divine Masters, a feat that completely transcended the cognitive limits of profound practitioners in the Lin Yuan Realm. Given their understanding, confined as it was to the Lin Yuan Realm, such an achievement could only be accomplished by an old monster who had lingered in the Divine Sovereign Realm for too many years. To be under ten sixty-year cycles... whether at first thought or upon deeper consideration, it seemed utterly impossible. And Long Jiang... the cultivation speed of dragons was at least twice as slow as that of humans with equivalent profound cultivation talent. An eighth-level Divine Master Chilong who was less than ten sixty-year cycles old, even if from a dragon race whose plane, resources, and heritage were second only to the Pure Land and the Six God Kingdoms, still remained far too incredible to believe.

Mo Cangying slightly furrowed his brow. However, he wasn't particularly flustered. When he first encountered Yun Che, Yun Che was severely wounded and unconscious, in a completely defenseless state. The life aura he emitted could be described as 'exceedingly young.' It was precisely this remarkably youthful Divine Sovereign aura that had prompted Helian Lingzhu to insist on saving him. Mo Cangying himself was now eight and a half sixty-year cycles old, and Yun Che had always addressed him as 'Big Brother Mo'... surely that meant Yun Che must be younger than him?

Ximen Boyun, however, remained calm. "What does Sect Master Lie propose?" he asked.

"I, Lie, request that their bone ages be tested!" Lie Qianhong declared. "While auras might be difficult to discern, bone age cannot be faked!" His voice, imbued with profound might, resonated, causing everyone's eardrums to thrum.

Ximen Borong's expression remained unchanged; in fact, he chuckled indifferently. While he genuinely did not know Long Jiang's true age, he was confident that she absolutely would not exceed ten sixty-year cycles. As for Yun Che... that was another matter entirely. Thus, far from being annoyed by Lie Qianhong's actions, he could hardly resist applauding them.

Should Yun Che's age truly exceed ten sixty-year cycles, Ximen Boyun would be able to punish him on the spot, regardless of his status. In the Abyss, no one's status could ever supersede the Abyss Emperor's. The Helian Imperial Family could also be kicked into the abyss of transgression, after which the Bai Lin Alliance could establish their own nation and usher in a new era, saving considerable effort.

Helian Lingzhu's state of mind was, after all, relatively fragile; she could not entirely suppress the panic in her heart. She hastily stood up, but Mo Cangying immediately pulled her back, whispering, "We have no right to refuse. On the contrary, forcefully speaking out will only make us appear guilty. Furthermore..." Mo Cangying glanced at Yun Che, who was completely unperturbed and even seemed on the verge of a smile. "Brother Yun values loyalty immensely and is eager to repay his debt to you. How could he possibly harm you in a matter like this?" These words greatly alleviated Helian Lingzhu's apprehension. She stealthily glanced at Yun Che and nodded.

Ximen Boyun stated, "Who would dare to conceal falsehoods regarding the Abyss Emperor's gift! However, the ten sixty-year cycle age limit was personally decreed by the Abyss Emperor, and the absence of prior testing before the Lin Shen Assembly was solely due to mutual trust. Should any party harbor doubts, such a test ought to be conducted." Soon, a towering profound stele, designed for bone age determination, was erected at the center of the battlefield.

Ximen Borong spoke first: "Though my Bai Lin Alliance's foundation is still shallow, and we greatly yearn for the sacred gift of the Lin Shen Realm, even if we had a hundred thousand times more courage, we would not dare to show the slightest disrespect towards the Abyss Emperor's sacred bestowal." He turned his gaze to Long Jiang, saying, "I ask Little Venerable Long to please step forward and prove the innocence of my Bai Lin Alliance." The situation had reached this point; with the words 'Abyss Emperor' weighing heavily, refusal was out of the question for anyone.

Without making Ximen Borong wait too long, Long Jiang appeared, her aura still as somber as ever. Evidently, she was highly reluctant. Yet, she had to enter the Lin Shen Realm. She stood before the profound stele, her hand, enveloped by her wide sleeve, touching its surface. A profound formation emerged on the stele, and a line of faint light began to ascend. However, just after surpassing the one sixty-year cycle mark, its speed abruptly plummeted, then gradually came to a halt. The profound light indicated an age of less than... one and a half sixty-year cycles! Long Jiang withdrew her arm, turned away coldly, and vanished from sight moments later. Only a cacophony of overlapping gasps remained.

"One and a half... sixty-year cycles??"

"This... is this even possible?"

"Surely this profound stele is malfunctioning? An Eighth-level Divine Master... only a cycle and a half old!? It is rumored that the God Realm possesses a unique 'inheritance' that allows direct advancement into the Divine Master Realm. But there's no mention of the dragon race having such an 'inheritance.' This is just..." Every fiber of the Qilin Divine Realm's atmosphere was saturated with shock.

This was a star realm where becoming a Divine Master within ten sixty-year cycles was considered the pinnacle of genius. Now, they had personally witnessed an Eighth-level Divine Master testing at an age of only one and a half sixty-year cycles. The impact on their minds and understanding was immense.

Lie Qianhong, whose face had been full of anticipation, was utterly dumbfounded. Not far away, Ximen Borong's eyes widened in disbelief, and he stood frozen on the spot. Ximen Boyun slowly rose to his feet, his constantly contracting pupils betraying the profound shock within him. Long Jiang had actively sought out the Bai Lin Alliance, offering to help them enter the Lin Shen Realm. Her conditions were only two: first, to accompany the Bai Lin Alliance into the Lin Shen Realm; second, that no one inquire about her personal information.

For the Bai Lin Alliance, this was tantamount to gaining the highest qualification to enter the Lin Shen Realm without any cost, allowing them to firmly suppress the One Dynasty and Three Sects. There was no reason for them to refuse such unexpected divine assistance.

She had guaranteed, with the dignity of her dragon race, that her age was absolutely under ten sixty-year cycles. However, neither Ximen Borong nor Ximen Boyun had ever in their wildest dreams imagined that her 'under ten sixty-year cycles' would mean a mere one and a half sixty-year cycles. After stepping into the Pure Land and becoming an Abyss Knight, Ximen Boyun's understanding was no longer confined to the small Lin Yuan Realm. He began to learn about the God Realm and became acquainted with the highest planes of the Abyss, and his understanding of dragons far surpassed his previous knowledge.

A High Divine Master under a hundred years of age could be achieved in the God Realm through special 'inheritances'. Dragons, however, had no such 'inheritances' and could only rely on cultivation. Furthermore, it was widely known that dragons grew extremely slowly. The bone age detected for Long Jiang... his first reaction was disbelief, his second was that the profound stele must be erroneous. Or perhaps... dragons and humans are different races, and dragon bones cannot be measured the same way as human bones. The Lin Yuan Realm's bone age steles were designed to test human bones and had never been used on dragon bones, so a significant error should be considered reasonable, right? This was the most logical... and indeed, the most probable explanation he could conceive.

On the other side, Yun Che's heart was also severely shaken. He knew the dragon race well. After all, he had virtually annihilated the strongest dragon races in the God Realm—the Dragon God Race, the Chilong Race, and the Huilong Race—leaving only the Azure Dragon Race as the new venerable dragons. Dragons grew slowly, and their power, to put it simply, was accumulated through their formidable physiques and exceedingly long lifespans. Even a Divine Emperor in the God Realm would at most live for fifty thousand years. Yet Long Bai, at three hundred and fifty thousand years old, was still in his prime. The Azure Dragon Emperor, at one hundred thousand years old, would likely still seem like a young female dragon in Long Bai's eyes. An Eighth-level Divine Master Chilong who was only one and a half sixty-year cycles old... never mind the Chilong Emperor of the Western Divine Region, even Long Bai himself would probably be scared speechless and drop to his knees upon seeing this. 'Is this... a dragon of the Abyss?' Yun Che wondered. 'No... judging by Ximen Boyun's expression, as if he'd seen a ghost, this was definitely not normal, even in the Abyss.'

This only made Yun Che more curious: what could be the true purpose of such an individual in wanting to enter the Lin Shen Realm? "Indeed, there's always someone better, and a higher realm beyond," Mo Cangying murmured. He, who had always been a peerless genius admired by all his contemporaries, now felt himself to be incredibly small for the first time.

Ximen Boyun's voice rang out: "This profound stele was fashioned based on human bones; there will certainly be deviations when measuring dragon bones, but I don't believe it would be off by as much as ten sixty-year cycles." These words from the Abyss Knight instantly diluted the shock in everyone's hearts, bringing them to a sudden realization: 'Oh, right! Long Jiang is a Chilong, with dragon bones! How could they be measured the same way as human bones?' No wonder. When living beings confront something that transcends their understanding and is seemingly unacceptable, a sufficiently 'reasonable' explanation is accepted with remarkable ease—even by Ximen Boyun himself, who proposed the explanation. After all, who would easily question something that falls within their established understanding?

High in the sky, Hua Caili asked curiously, "Will there truly be a significant deviation when measuring the age of human bones versus dragon bones?"

"...It's her, indeed," Hua Qingying replied, seemingly answering a different question.

"Her?"

"Regardless of the race, bone age determination is no different. They are merely a group of ignorant people comforting themselves," Hua Qingying finally responded to Hua Caili's query.

Hua Caili did not press for the identity of the dragon girl. Instead, she suddenly lowered her voice and asked, "Then... how old would my bone age be?"

"Nineteen," Hua Qingying replied without hesitation.

"That's good, hee hee hee." The young girl giggled happily, revealing a beautiful smile. It seemed that, indeed, women from any plane cared about their age to some extent.