Dragon Domination: The Ultimate Legacy.

Morning came softly to Qinghe.

Wooden shutters creaked open, and birdsong echoed from the forest edge. Smoke curled from earthen chimneys. Beneath it all, the village stirred to life — unaware that one small ripple had begun to disturb the still waters of their peaceful days.

The traveling merchant, as promised, unveiled his wares before the village square.

Children clustered around the cart like flies on honey, eyes sparkling with wonder at the foreign trinkets. Wooden carvings, candy sticks, feathered amulets, and little pouches of dried herbs dangled beneath a red canopy. Adults lingered behind the crowd, murmuring and trading coin for salves and powders.

Yun Long stood to the side, quiet and alone, watching everything.

Toward the back of the cart, wrapped half in faded silk, sat a rough, fist-sized stone. Dull gray, slightly cracked — it looked like nothing special. Yet the moment Yun Long's eyes landed on it, something tugged at him. Not with force. Not even with sound.

Just a quiet hum.

Like a memory buried in the bones.

"Ah, good eyes, boy," the merchant said, grinning behind his thin beard.

Yun Long blinked. "Huh?"

"That one?" The merchant nudged the stone gently with a finger. "Used to be a spirit-testing stone, from some ruined sect down in the lowlands. Doesn't work anymore."

"Then why bring it?"

The man shrugged. "Even broken things carry stories."

Before Yun Long could ask more, a wrinkled hand landed on his shoulder.

"Enough gawking," Old Yun said, his voice dry but not unkind. "You still owe me a bucket of water and a cleaned mortar."

"Yes, Father." Yun Long bowed his head and followed.

---

Back at the little clinic, the sun hung higher and Old Yun sat cross-legged beneath a crooked plum tree, grinding herbs with practiced rhythm. Yun Long sat nearby, imitating his stance.

Old Yun didn't look up. "You're fidgeting."

"Sorry."

A pause. Then: "Did something catch your attention at the merchant's cart?"

Yun Long hesitated. "There was a stone… I felt like it was calling to me."

Old Yun stopped grinding. The pestle clicked once, softly.

"Sometimes the body notices things the eyes do not," he muttered, then resumed his work.

"Father… can you tell me again about cultivation?"

Old Yun glanced at him sidelong. "What, tired of sweeping already?"

"I want to grow strong," Yun Long said, voice firm. "Like the heroes in the stories."

Old Yun chuckled, but not mockingly. "Alright then."

He brushed dirt with a stick, drawing a simple diagram. "Everyone begins with the Body Tempering Stage — we call it the Refining Layer. Strengthening the bones, organs, and blood. You're just touching that layer now."

Yun Long's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Hmph. Barely. We are yet to know what stage you are now, and you'll go nowhere if you keep skipping breakfast."

He tapped Yun Long's forehead with the stick. "And don't think effort is enough. True cultivation requires resources — special herbs, stones, things that can stir your blood or guide your breath."

"Can… can I get those?"

Old Yun didn't answer directly. Instead, he stood and returned inside.

A while later, Madam Su appeared with a small clay bowl.

"Drink it all," she said, her smile gentle. "Your father made this last night. Bone-cleansing tonic. Not pleasant, I'm afraid."

Yun Long pinched his nose and took the bowl. The smell made his stomach twist with ugly squinted expression.

He drank anyway.

---

That evening, while the merchant lit lanterns and the townsfolk shared stories by the fire, Yun Long sat cross legged his small wooden bed, expecting reaction from the so called bitter bone cleansing tonic.

He just felt… warmer.

Probably from the bone cleansing tonic— faint, like a spark just beginning to burn.

Not aware, the stone from the merchant's cart gave a single silent hum.

---