The Secret of the Jade Pendant

The night breeze brushed past, carrying a hint of chill.

Lin Chen draped a coat over his shoulders, leaning heavily on his crutches as he slowly made his way to the balcony, gazing at the silent nightscape.

What had happened tonight was too sudden, leaving him unable to snap out of it for a long time.

"Hey, kid!"

Hongtian sat perched on the balcony railing, a cigarette clamped between his front paws, exhaling smoke.

Lin Chen replied flatly, "Still awake?"

"Oh, I usually sleep late."

Hongtian extended a paw, offering a cigarette. "Want a Huazi?"

Lin Chen declined Hongtian's offer, his eyes fixed on the night view, deep in thought.

"How did this jade pendant end up with you?"

Hongtian blew a smoke ring and asked casually.

"A woman gave it to me," Lin Chen replied, glancing at the pendant.

The exquisitely carved coiled dragon jade, translucent and emerald-green, looked extraordinary at a glance.

"That’s interesting."

Hongtian remarked offhandedly but didn’t press further.

Lin Chen frowned slightly as he held the pendant. "Hongtian, do you know what this is?"

Hongtian froze, the cigarette dangling from his paw as he turned his dog head in disbelief. "Who told you my name was Hongtian?"

"An Yi."

Lin Chen betrayed him without hesitation.

"That little bastard!"

Hongtian angrily stubbed out his cigarette.

The name "Hongtian" had spread like wildfire across the martial world of Daxia—few warriors hadn’t heard of it.

Now that Lin Chen called him by that name, it was clear he knew Hongtian was the legendary beast sealed away in the Hongtian Secret Realm.

"An Yi said you know the origin of this pendant?" Lin Chen asked curiously, holding it up.

He knew this dog was the creature suppressed in the Hongtian Secret Realm—An Yi had mentioned it had been sealed for five thousand years.

Hongtian’s paw trembled slightly as he lit another cigarette.

"That damn poop-scooper! Does he have a horn stuffed in his mouth? Can’t keep anything to himself!"

After exhaling smoke, Hongtian said calmly, "I know a bit. This pendant contains the spiritual energy of a dragon vein, but it’s sealed. To break the seal, it needs to absorb the spiritual energy of countless people—a process called 'nurturing the jade.' You’ve got insane luck, kid. This pendant’s been nurtured for nearly a thousand years, and it just so happens to unlock in your generation."

"Absorbing spiritual energy?"

Lin Chen was startled by this revelation.

He had never been able to cultivate internal energy until half a year ago when he finally broke through to Ming Jin.

Could it be because of the pendant?

He suddenly recalled that the woman who gave it to him didn’t seem to possess internal energy either.

Lin Chen mused, "In that case, why not just break the seal? An Yi once said there’s no seal in the world he can’t undo."

Hongtian scoffed. "I’d advise against acting recklessly. The spiritual energy of a dragon vein is vast and boundless—not just any vessel can contain it.

Think of it like a jar filled with water. If you smash it outright, the energy will scatter, useless to you.

But after absorbing internal energy for a thousand years, it’s like opening the lid of that jar. Now, it’s up to you to figure out how to draw and utilize that energy."

Lin Chen listened, only half-understanding. Leaning on his crutches, he said flatly, "Thanks. I’m heading back."

Hongtian nodded and resumed smoking.

His single eye reflected a poetic melancholy.

"Life is so lonely!"

"The hotel owner’s dog is good-looking… too bad it’s male.

In this entire imperial capital, there isn’t a single decent female dog around."

Just then, a faint red light in the distance caught his attention.

"Well, well. Interesting."

Hongtian crushed his cigarette, baring his fangs in a sinister grin.

Back in his room, Lin Chen stared at the pendant, lost in thought.

Now that he had reached the Void Realm, his spiritual senses were vastly different from before.

He closed his eyes, channeling his consciousness into the pendant.

Almost immediately, a sharp, needle-like pain shot through his mind.

Lin Chen’s forehead beaded with sweat, his face pale, but he persisted, forging a connection with the pendant through sheer will.

Hum—

The pendant glowed, enveloping him in a radiant light.

Azure wind energy coiled around his body like serpents!

But at that very moment—

Crash!

The window shattered!

A burly figure rolled in with agile precision, landing silently inside.

The intruder was a bald, bearded man wearing night-vision goggles, a kunai gripped tightly in his hand as he scanned the room cautiously.

"Intel was wrong—he’s not here!" the man muttered.

"Hey, no response? What’s wrong with this earpiece?"

Furious, he reached up—only for the device to split cleanly in two, the edges unnaturally smooth.

"Looking for me?"

A cold voice spoke from behind him.

Bandages unraveled like falling snow, revealing Lin Chen’s sculpted physique—eight defined abs gleaming under the moonlight like carved marble.

The bearded man’s eyes bulged.

"Weren’t you supposed to be covered in injuries?!

What kind of garbage intel is this?

Wait—he faked his injuries to lure us out?

How petty!"

Knowing he couldn’t stay, the man slashed forward with his kunai, aiming for Lin Chen’s face!

Clang!

Lin Chen blocked the strike effortlessly with his crutch.

"Kid, I underestimated you. But the Sacred Knights won’t let you off!"

The man grinned savagely before charging like a raging bull—straight through the wall.

Boom!

The hotel wall exploded outward, the impact so loud it startled An Yi, who was watching "educational videos" next door.

The bearded man leapt from the 23rd floor without hesitation.

Whoosh!

A grappling hook shot from his sleeve, anchoring into the opposite building.

Swinging down like a primate, he began his descent—

Only to freeze when he noticed a shadow looming above.

Lin Chen hovered in midair, calmly sawing through the rope with a fruit knife from the hotel.

The bearded man: "..."

Snap!

The rope gave way.

With a scream, the man plummeted toward the ground, the wind howling in his ears.

Below him—a vintage Rolls-Royce.

Crash!

The luxury car crumpled under his weight.

"Ow!"

Groaning, the man rubbed his bleeding scalp and shook off the dizziness.

Even as a Void Realm expert, a 23-story fall left him disoriented.

Then he realized—he was surrounded by gawking pedestrians.

"Damn it! Since when can people fly?!"

Cursing, he staggered to his feet and bolted into the night.

On the rooftop, Lin Chen draped his coat over his shoulders, watching the fleeing figure with a cold smirk.

"Sacred Knights?

Couldn’t even frame them properly.

That thick Outland accent? Pathetic."

Flames flickered in the air as a figure materialized beside him.

"Hey, your injuries healed?"

An Yi landed lightly on the rooftop, sitting next to Lin Chen as they watched the bearded man sprint away. "Assassin?"

"Yeah."

Lin Chen nodded. "From Outland."