Girl, Do You Want to Become Stronger

Primordial Heavenly Lord!

Jiang Chulong had never heard of this name before.

But in her understanding, the supreme beings of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths would add the character ‘Heaven’ to their titles.

For example, the Martial Emperor, the founding ancestor of the Great Yu Dynasty, was known as ‘Hongtian.’

Heavenly Lord?

Did that mean he was revered by all Nine Heavens, standing above them?

Just this title alone was enough to prove the man’s unfathomable power.

After all,

if an ordinary person dared to call themselves a Heavenly Lord, they’d better only go out at noon—because sooner or later, disaster would find them.

Moreover,

just the mention of his name could mysteriously stir the heavens and earth.

Could it be that he was even mightier than the Nine Heavens?

If true, that would be utterly terrifying!

"Have some tea."

An ethereal voice drifted over, and the celestial phenomena abruptly vanished, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.

Jiang Chulong’s mind went blank, and she nodded dumbly.

As soon as the tea touched her lips,

a surge of pure vitality spread through her body.

She recognized this—it was a tribute offered by a major sect to the Central Plains, a treasure her father, Emperor Jingtai, had bestowed upon her siblings but never her.

Her eldest brother, the Crown Prince, had taken pity on her and shared a small portion.

Out of the corner of her eye, Jiang Chulong noticed a spring nearby. The mysterious man had used its waters to brew this tea...

"You are here because, many years ago, I once dropped an ancient ring."

"Only those blessed with great fortune and extraordinary talent can resonate with it."

The Primordial Heavenly Lord across from her raised his teacup.

He paused, not drinking, but simply turning it in his palm.

"So... it was because of the ring..."

Jiang Chulong murmured in realization.

Great fortune?

Extraordinary talent?

"Um... Heavenly... Heavenly Lord, Senior."

"I... might not be... the person you’re looking for."

Her head drooped, nearly burying itself in her chest.

Her birth had cost her mother’s life, earning her Emperor Jingtai’s lifelong disdain—almost to the point of loathing.

As a child, she hadn’t understood, thinking all imperial children lived in the cold palace without new clothes.

Even on her father’s birthday, a day of celebration across the realm,

her mere presence, sneaking in just to catch a glimpse of him, could turn the banquet into an execution ground.

The palace maid who had inadvertently revealed the news to her had been sliced to death, her bloody gaze fixed on Jiang Chulong.

As for talent...

Talent?

She had never practiced martial arts—no one dared to teach her.

But she knew well that without the bone in her chest, she was no genius.

Her elder brother, the Crown Prince, who possessed the True Dragon Body and had taken her bone, must be the real prodigy...

"Heh... Little girl, do you doubt this lord’s judgment?"

"N-no... I wouldn’t dare..."

"Jiang Chulong, youngest daughter of Emperor Jingtai."

The unhurried, soothing voice continued.

Jiang Chulong froze.

She had never introduced herself—how did the Heavenly Lord know?

"Born with a Sword Embryo, bearing the Heavenly Lord’s Imperial Sword Bone—yet it was stolen by kin."

"Now, you are hunted by the Sky Patrol Guards."

Jiang Chulong: "!"

Her lips parted slightly.

How did the Heavenly Lord know everything?

In truth, she hadn’t even known the name of that extra bone in her chest.

"To obtain the ancient ring and stand before me—how is that not great fortune?"

"But... but that bone... I don’t have it anymore."

She bit her lip until it turned pale.

The Heavenly Lord’s Imperial Sword Bone.

This senior called himself the Primordial Heavenly Lord.

Surely, he had summoned her because of it.

"This is a good thing."

The Primordial Heavenly Lord said calmly.

"Huh?"

Her eyes widened, filled with confusion.

"A Sword Bone can elevate one, but it can also shackle them."

"Losing it allows you to forge your own path—how is that not a blessing?"

"In the Barren Realm, a child once had his Supreme Bone stolen, yet later grew a second, then a third."

"One day, when you stand high enough and look back, all this will be but a fleeting shadow."

His tone was so matter-of-fact, as if the Sword Bone were nothing extraordinary.

"Stand high enough?"

Jiang Chulong was still bewildered.

The Barren Realm?

Supreme Bone?

She didn’t fully grasp it, but it sounded incredible.

But she had once stood high too—if the Sword Bone meant so little, why had her brother taken it?

"Young and ignorant—that’s to be expected."

The Primordial Heavenly Lord chuckled, as if amused by her naivety.

"The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths have witnessed eons. The Great Yu Dynasty is but a ripple in the river of time."

"In the Primordial Era, the Heavenly Court ruled over the Thirty-Three Heavens, commanding the stars and shaping all creation."

"Back then, its sovereign was Lord Haotian, who endured 103,000 tribulations—each lasting 129,600 years—before mastering the Great Dao."

He didn’t just speak.

He painted pictures in the sky.

The clouds above swirled and shifted, forming vast, breathtaking scenes.

Golden light spilled endlessly, auspicious colors streaked the heavens.

Through the colossal Southern Heavenly Gate, thirty-three divine palaces stood in splendor, seventy-two celestial halls shimmered like the Milky Way, while true dragons and phoenixes soared freely.

Jade plates held elixirs forged in violet crucibles; the Moon Palace’s endless jade trees stretched beyond sight.

It was all so vivid, so real.

Jiang Chulong’s eyes reflected the heavenly spectacle, entranced.

And this was just a glimpse—what must the true Heavenly Court have been like?

From this fragment, she could almost touch the glory of the Primordial Era.

The Heavenly Lord wasn’t exaggerating.

Compared to this, the Great Yu Dynasty was indeed insignificant.

And...

103,000 tribulations? Each lasting 129,600 years?

This time, she didn’t even try counting on her fingers.

They wouldn’t be enough.

Whoosh—

A sudden breeze scattered the clouds and mist.

The Primordial Heavenly Lord’s voice turned wistful:

"All things must end. Without achieving immortality, even the mightiest fade into oblivion."

"Now, I am but a remnant of a soul."

"A remnant?!"

Her heart clenched.

If just a fragment of his soul held such power, what had he been like at his peak?

"Heh... The tides of time are unpredictable."

"I never imagined that a ring casually discarded in the distant past would one day bear fruit."

"Indeed!"

"I wish to take you as my disciple, to impart all I know."

"My request is simple: when you grow strong enough, help me return to life."

"Girl, do you wish to become stronger?"

His words carried an unshakable certainty, an infinite confidence.

Do you wish to become stronger?

Do you wish to become stronger?

Jiang Chulong clutched her chest, as if her heart might leap out at any moment.

Her?

To help the Heavenly Lord—surely, it would be an impossible task...

Yet in that instant, images flashed before her: her mother’s gravestone, Emperor Jingtai’s cold gaze, her brother’s bloodstained dagger, Aunt Mei’s desperate sacrifice to divert the Sky Patrol Guards...

She did.

Moreover, she didn’t know how to refuse.

"Um... I... I’m willing."

"Louder. I can’t hear you."

"I’m willing!"

"Good! That’s the spirit!"