Hearing about Victor Stone's story, Evan Yang said, "So that's what happened to you, Senior." "Let them do whatever they want, I don't care. I'll just annoy them so much that Earth‑Rock Aegis never returns to the Earth Temple. By the way, which palace are you from? Don't tell me you're from the Earth Temple?" Victor Stone asked, surprised and suspicious.
Evan Yang smiled, "Senior, you misunderstood. I'm from the Water Temple, I have nothing to do with the Earth Temple."
"That's good, that's good. There's nothing I can do—even though I cultivate earth attributes, I just can't stand the people from the Earth Temple," Victor Stone said.
"Then, Senior, what's your cultivation level?" Evan Yang asked curiously.
"My cultivation? I'm breaking through to Immortal Sovereign, but I'm still a bit short. I came here hoping to find something to boost my realm," Victor Stone replied.
"So Senior is already that powerful?" Evan Yang exclaimed.
"I may be strong, but you're not bad either. You're so young, and nothing seems to faze you," Victor Stone laughed.
"Senior, you're joking. It's just luck for me," Evan Yang said.
"Alright, enough talk. Let's hurry up. You, kid, aren't bothered by this environment, but I'm really suffering. Just talking to you puts me at a disadvantage," Victor Stone said.
Evan Yang chuckled, "Alright, let's pick up the pace." With that, the two of them quickly moved upward.
This was the highest level they had ever reached. It had taken them half a month to get to the top. The room was small—at most it could fit a few dozen people—but right in the center stood an earthen dragon, sculpted from condensed earth. In the dragon's mouth was a bead, radiating light that shone out through the surrounding windows. They had truly arrived at the summit.
"There are actually windows here?" Evan Yang asked in surprise.
"I didn't expect it either, but I've finally found what I was looking for," Victor Stone said with delight.
"What is it?" Evan Yang asked curiously.
"The legendary dragon's essence! If I can gain this power, I can break through to Immortal Sovereign," Victor Stone said excitedly.
"Dragon's essence?" Evan Yang asked, surprised. Wasn't that supposed to belong to mythical beasts?
"That's right, but it's only part of a dragon. They say these Seven-Earth Peaks are actually the claw of a mutated dragon. The energy condensed here formed this dragon pearl, and the tower itself is a treasure left behind by that dragon, eventually becoming what you see now," Victor Stone explained.
Evan Yang was dumbfounded. He'd seen dragons before, but only as stone blocks that seemed petrified by some spell, unable to move. But now, hearing that this was once a living dragon's claw, and that the pearl was formed from just that claw, shocked him. The energy inside was immense—enough for a peak ninth-tier expert to break through to Immortal Sovereign.
Seeing Evan Yang stunned, Victor Stone laughed, "Watch me." With that, he reached out to touch the pearl. Instantly, his arm turned to earth, as if frozen solid.
"What the...?" Victor Stone exclaimed. Evan Yang also asked suspiciously, "What's going on?"
"I didn't expect the pearl to have a protective layer on the outside, keeping people from touching it. Damn." Victor Stone was shocked and quickly pulled his hand back. Fortunately, the effect hadn't spread to his whole body, and after withdrawing, his arm returned to normal.
"Let me try." Evan Yang reached out curiously. When his hand touched the pearl, his arm did turn to earth for a moment, but the earth quickly faded and his arm returned to normal. Not only that, Evan felt a force being absorbed into his arm.
"What?" Victor Stone was stunned.
Evan Yang didn't understand what was happening until the force dissipated. He lowered his hand, and the pearl dropped to the floor with a thud.
Victor Stone picked it up and found the energy inside was still intact, but the outer layer was gone. He looked at Evan Yang curiously and asked, "What just happened?"
"If I tell you, Senior, please keep it a secret for me," Evan Yang said.
"Go ahead," Victor Stone replied.
Evan Yang extended his hand, revealing a rolling, sand-like mass of earth on his palm. Victor Stone immediately saw it wasn't ordinary and asked curiously, "What is that?"
"Earth-Spirit," Evan Yang said.
"Earth-Spirit?" Victor Stone exclaimed in shock.