478 - Made-Up Martial Arts, Have You Really Mastered Them, Disciple?

Chapter 478: Ao Yuxue, My Master's Name and Fate Xu Yan hesitated slightly before waving his hand, retrieving the descending force of Dragon Subduing Palm wrapped around the True Dragon, one after another, until eighteen golden dragons hovered around him. Looking at the jade-white True Dragon again, her crimson eyes had faded, replaced with clarity and reason. At this moment, the jade-white True Dragon appeared somewhat weak, glaring at Xu Yan with a deep mix of shock, anger, and bewilderment. "You..." She wanted to say something but ultimately closed her mouth and turned to leave. A golden dragon coiled around instantly, wrapping itself around her. The jade-white True Dragon struggled, cursing, "You shameless scoundrel! What on earth are you trying to do?" "You're the dragon I’ve subdued. Who said you could leave without my permission?" Xu Yan raised his hand. The golden dragon coiled around the True Dragon, dragging her towards him. "Let go! You shameless...!" The jade-white True Dragon struggled. However, her weakened state left her unable to resist as the golden dragon continuously dragged her towards Xu Yan. The onlookers were all dumbfounded by this scene. Seeing the two dragons entwined, they couldn’t help but twitch their lips. No wonder the jade-white True Dragon was nearly driven to tears; the twist of their embrace indeed lacked decorum! "You caused such havoc in the Divine Domain and expected to leave just like that? You are now the dragon I subdued; surrender without a fight." Xu Yan waved his hand, sending another golden dragon to coil around. "You ambushed me, and I haven’t held you accountable yet. Now you want to blame me for the chaos. Dream on!" The jade-white True Dragon struggled, filled with fury. Then she grew aggrieved, her voice catching with tears, "You people are so despicable, bullying me for being young and naive. You, you scoundrel, how dare you humiliate me so!" By now, the golden dragon had already dragged the jade-white True Dragon before Xu Yan. Seemingly sobbing, she gave up struggling. Witnessing the subdued dragon, many of the strong onlookers grew exhilarated. However, the turmoil of the Divine Domain persisted, and they all realized that a significant change was underway in the Divine Domain, something thoroughly connected to this True Dragon. Swoosh! A figure rapidly approached, saying, "Young friend Xu, this dragon has transgressed gravely, causing chaos. I suggest we peel off its skin, draw out its sinews, and divide it for consumption!" As he spoke, his eyes gleamed with fanaticism. Hearing this, the jade-white True Dragon screamed in terror, "You dare? My grandfather will not spare you if anything happens to me!" But there was no more struggle left in her; desperation filled her eyes. Once the first martial artist spoke, the other onlooking Immortal Heavenly Venerables advanced, fervently demanding, "Indeed, this dragon’s crimes are immense; it must be divided and consumed to quench our resentful hearts!" "Young friend Xu, you must not spare this True Dragon!" "Yes, this dragon's evil cannot be forgiven!" "I implore you, Young Master Xu, to punish this dragon severely, peel its skin, draw its sinews, eat its flesh and drink its blood!" The crowds surged with passion, calling for the True Dragon to be skinned and devoured, cloaked under the guise of Divine Domain righteousness while praising Xu Yan as the savior of the great disaster, promising to place his name in the annals of history. Xiao Head's eyes narrowed slightly, watching silently without a word. Meanwhile, the Tai-Miao Sect Master and other elders seemed contemplative, though their desires were restrained by the Sect Master's gaze. "These people, they want to feast on dragon flesh!" Du Yuying stated coldly. "And they want to coerce Young Master Xu with righteousness, praising him in the hopes he'll succumb to their praise and accept," Yun Miaomiao added, her face equally cold. Xu Yan remained composed, looking at the jade-white True Dragon, saying, "You see, they all want to eat you. Even if I let you go, can you survive in your current state?" "What do you intend to do?" The jade-white True Dragon's voice trembled with despair. To her, with so many strong individuals, using the name of justice for the Divine Domain and the lure of leaving a name for generations, Xu Yan would undoubtedly agree. She was doomed! "If you want to live, open your mind and spirit," Xu Yan said calmly. "As long as I do that, you will protect me?" The jade-white True Dragon questioned skeptically. "Of course, mere chickens and dogs can't threaten me," Xu Yan smiled calmly. "Okay!" The True Dragon hesitated momentarily and nodded. At this point, she had no choice, and opening her mind and spirit, regardless of what Xu Yan used, as long as her grandfather appeared, it could certainly be removed. Xu Yan motioned with his hand, imprinting a mark onto the True Dragon's spirit—a small golden dragon—the mark of his perfected Dragon Subduing Palm. Once the True Dragon had this mark, she was entirely subdued! The True Dragon felt a small golden dragon coiling around her spirit, radiating an awe-inspiring might, making her dare not act impulsively. Her heart sank. "What kind of technique is this? It's terrifying. The golden dragon he summoned is eerily similar to a True Dragon, seemingly designed to counter True Dragons!" She lost confidence in whether she could remove the golden dragon from her spirit. At this moment, the voices of the impassioned crowd grew louder, with more Immortal Heavenly Venerables joining in after learning of it, each looking feverishly at the pristine jade-white True Dragon. After implanting the Dragon Subduing Mark, Xu Yan waved his hand, making the Dragon Subduing Palm vanish, and the True Dragon regained her freedom. "Young Hero Xu..." The Immortal Heavenly Venerables, eyes aflame with fervor, attempted to speak further. "Silence! Quiet your noisy mouths!" A thunderous voice reverberated. Sword light surged from all directions, filling the atmosphere with a sense of annihilation, ready to exterminate the strong ones present in an instant. "How Xu behaves is none of your concern!" Xu Yan declared coldly, his sword intent soaring to the sky. The clamorous voices fell silent instantly. "Young Master Xu, this True Dragon wrought great havoc and slaughter. Are we to let her go? What of our people's pride and dignity? Do you intend to disregard the dignity of our people?" An Immortal Heavenly Venerable spoke righteously and indignantly before being cut off mid-sentence, transformed into dust by a sword light. "Your dignity is irrelevant to Xu Yan! Do you represent the people now? Dismemberment and consumption—do you think Xu Yan is naive enough to not understand your intentions?" "Or do you deem Xu Yan's sword not sharp enough?!" Xu Yan stepped forward, his sword light soaring, the Tenfold Annihilation Sword intent illuminating the surroundings with annihilation, as if any disagreement would reduce them to ashes! At this moment, the clamoring martial artists shivered internally, their faces reflecting horror, realizing Xu Yan, the Sword God, was also a fierce individual! Not to be provoked! Absolutely not to be provoked! "No dare! No dare!" "The True Dragon is yours to subdue, naturally left to Young Master Xu's disposal!" "Agreed, agreed, we have no objections, none at all!" The Immortal Heavenly Venerables, realizing their fear, turned sheepish. From a distance, Yun Miaomiao and Du Yuying gazed dreamily, unconcealed admiration for Xu Yan's perpetual dominance and vigilant prowess! "Hmph!" Xu Yan snorted lightly, the sword light dissipating as he looked up at the sky. The Divine Domain's disruptions persisted, and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy grew more active, albeit agitated. "Unity of Heaven and Earth?" Xu Yan mused inwardly. Turning to the True Dragon, he asked, "What's your name?" "Ao Yuxue!" A clear, youthful voice replied. Ao Yuxue reverted to her human form, a young girl donned in white, with an exquisitely beautiful visage and small horns atop her head. In human form, Ao Yuxue appeared incredibly pale and weakened, suggesting significant depletion. "You…" Her gaze still held a lingering fear as she looked at Xu Yan, unsure of what to say. "You look significantly depleted, almost like you've hurt your very essence?" Xu Yan pondered aloud. "Yes." Ao Yuxue responded softly, lowering her once-proud dragon head. --- Terms and Translation: 1. Ao Yuxue (敖玉雪): The name of the Jade-white True Dragon. "Ao" implies her being part of the dragon clan, and "Yuxue" translates to "Jade Snow," describing her appearance. Alternate translations could retain "Yuxue" as a name rather than a description. This name was introduced as the True Dragon's identity, adding depth to her character. 2. True Dragon (真龍): This term is retained to emphasize authenticity and might within the dragon hierarchy, often alluding to nobility. 3. Dragon Subduing Mark (降龙印记): Annihilation mark used by Xu Yan to subdue dragons. Mark emphasizes imprinting and control, marking it as a vital concept in the narrative. Explanation: - The narrative maintains the original fighting prowess and interactions, playing upon Xu Yan's control and the crowd's intentions. It also highlights the human intricacies with the dragon, blending Chinese mythos context into a linguistic balance that resonates with the original tone. - Alternative phrases or translations such as Dragon Subduing Seal or Token were considered but fell short in connoting the seamless control Xu Yan exercises. - Xu Yan's authoritative use over crowd pressures and directing actions reflect a well-rounded, firm character, consistent with typical young martial protagonist archetype in Chinese martial tales. Xu Yan was truly astonishing. The golden dragons he summoned were akin to real True Dragons, capable of holding her down. "Within the same realm, our True Dragon clan must be restrained by this technique!" Ao Yuxue was internally shocked. Even with her superior realm, she had been subdued. Although not everyone who practices this technique would be as powerful as Xu Yan, it was almost certain that in a contest within the same realm, the True Dragon clan might suffer losses. Ao Yuxue’s heart grew heavy, contemplating if a grand conspiracy aimed at her clan might be happening. If she had been subdued, could the rest of her kind be next? Even her grandfather... The more she considered, the more alarmed Ao Yuxue became. "You can enter here to rest," Xu Yan said, raising his hand to reveal a small piece of tortoiseshell, the Shell of the Primordial Tortoise. Seeing it, Ao Yuxue was once again startled, her eyes widening instinctively. "What is this?" Xiao Head's eyes widened, staring at the Shell of the Primordial Tortoise in Xu Yan’s hand, an expression of shock on his face. Containing a space akin to a small world, this was a treasure of the world, one that only a master of a small world could possess. To be frank, only those who seized the violet light to create a small world would possess such a treasure. "What tortoise is this?" Xiao Head furrowed his brows. The tortoise shell in Xu Yan's hand gave him a sense of familiarity. "Primordial Tortoise?" He suddenly recalled a mighty True Spirit. Startled, enlightenment dawned upon him. "No wonder it contains a small world. It turns out it's the shell of the Primordial Tortoise, suggesting the tortoise has fallen." He was, however, curious as to how the shell of the fallen Primordial Tortoise ended up in Xu Yan's possession. "Could it be that the person behind Xu Yan is connected to the Realm of Unyielding?" Xiao Head's brow furrowed again. By this time, Ao Yuxue had transformed into a beam of white light, entering the shell. Xu Yan stowed away the Primordial Tortoise's shell, casting a calm glance at the diverse expressions on the faces of the Immortal Heavenly Venerables, unperturbed by any intent to seize the treasure. Then his gaze landed on Xiao Head, his expression becoming more serious. "This person is formidable, a dominion-level expert?" Though Xiao Head hid it well, appearing like an ordinary Immortal Heavenly Venerable, Xu Yan's discerning eyes saw through this facade. "Besides my master, this person is the strongest I've encountered." Of course, if he counted that imposing figure, this person would still fall short. Still, among those he personally witnessed, this man was the heftiest, Xu Yan surmised, possibly even more potent than the Degenerate Sorcerer and Blaze Demon. As for the Sorceress's strength, Xu Yan found it difficult to gauge due to the peculiar nature of her powers; should he fall under her spell, immense strength would be worthless. "Accomplished youth indeed, subduing True Dragons at such a tender age, an unprecedented feat throughout history," Xiao Head suddenly chuckled, stepping closer to Xu Yan. "Who are you?" Xu Yan asked warily. "You may call me Xiao Head," Xiao Head replied, stroking his beard, a kindly demeanor on his face. Internally, he was stunned. Xu Yan had perceived his unusualness, something never before encountered. If Xu Yan's strength was comparable to or greater than his own, he would find it ordinary that Xu Yan could see through, yet Xu Yan's abilities werelesser by far. Yet he was still able to discern it at a glance? "Youth, who is your master? Perhaps this old man may be an acquaintance," Xiao Head asked with a smile. He was exceedingly curious to know who had nurtured such a prodigy as Xu Yan. Xu Yan shook his head, "My master couldn’t possibly be acquainted with you." "Oh, why not? This old man has traversed the heavens and recognizes countless supreme beings." Xiao Head's brows lifted. "It's because your strength is too weak. My master never remembers the names of the weak, so I'm sure you're not an acquaintance of my master!" Xu Yan's expression was earnest. The smile on Xiao Head's face froze, and his beard-stroking hand halted, "Am I, this old head, too weak? Young man, do you know what my abilities truly are?" "To be blunt, throughout the heavens and earth, few can compare with me!" At this moment, Xiao Head straightened, speaking proudly. "As you've stated, few in the heavens and earth can match you. Yet in my master’s eyes, the entire realm is but dust; there is no one who can stand alongside him. Thus, I am certain you are not his acquaintance!" Xu Yan stated earnestly. Xiao Head's mouth twitched, his face darkening, "Fine! Fine! Fine! This old man asks, what name might your master go by, viewing the world as mere dust?" Xu Yan sighed, "Senior, please don't inquire about my master. His name carries immense causality; you cannot bear it!" Damn! Xiao Head nearly cursed. In the entirety of Tai-Cang, no name carried such unbearable causality; even within the Realm of Unyielding, there was no existence whose name alone one couldn't bear. "No worries! Speak freely. If this old man can’t bear the causality and perishes, he alone is to blame, not you." Xiao Head took a deep breath, replying with a darkened face. Xu Yan fell silent for a moment, then spoke with resignation, "Senior, your death doesn’t matter, but my master's name, the causal weight is so vast that this world couldn't bear it. We mustn't let you cause a calamity in the world!" Xiao Head was stupefied, Utterly speechless about the enormity of Xu Yan's claim—the idea that a single name could bring doom to the Tai-Cang world, a planetary catastrophe! --- Terms and Translation: 1. Primordial Tortoise (元龜): Identified as a high-level True Spirit and part of the narrative’s mystique. This term preserves the significance of ancient and powerful creatures within the mythos. Here, "Primordial" suggests the original, mythical essence of the tortoise. Alternate translations might stress "Original Tortoise" or "Prime Tortoise," but "Primordial" evokes more gravitas. 2. Shell of the Primordial Tortoise (元龜之甲): A significant artifact containing space akin to a small world. In this context, it's a metafictional object highlighting creational powers limited to realm masters. 3. Xiao Head (逍老頭): Represents an enigmatic elder with unnamed prowess, showing distinction through the diminutive yet respectful "Xiao" coupled with "Head," often an affectionate term for a wise figure. Variably, "Old Xiao" might be applied to keep his representation personable yet authoritative. Xu Yan's verbal spar and caution provide profound hierarchy exposure, meshing personal mythology with overarching narrative arcs. The humor embedded in exaggerating his master's attributes manifests a common trope of mythic storytelling combined with light-hearted constraints, reinforcing character strength.