Chapter 33: The Grand Ceremony of Worshipping the Dragon (Monday's Ranking Rush, Seeking Votes and Bookmarks)

  Lin Heng hummed a little tune, his mood as clear and refreshing as the white clouds in the sky. From now on, who dares to call me useless again at Qili Gou? I'll crush him with just one finger! Ha! Those trashy martial artists, they can't even withstand one punch from me!

  Due to his earlier frenzied and violent outburst, the roasted rabbit meat and clothes behind him were also splashed by the lake water, getting a large area wet.

  Re-drying his clothes, smelling the oily rabbit meat, Lin Yang's fingers moved greatly.

  This guy has been trapped in the snake's belly for several days without any food, and he is already starving with golden stars in his eyes. He doesn't care about burning his hands, tearing down a large piece of rabbit meat from the rack, gobbling it up. In the distance, the lake water slaps against the shore, a few low-flying birds fly by, and ripples spread out on the lake surface.

  Lin Lin stroked his swollen belly, lying on the soft sand, full of satisfaction.

  His gaze fell on the box containing the inner elixir and two scales of a fourth-grade demon beast, excitement mixed with awkwardness.

  Two scales are not worth mentioning, this four-product demon beast inner elixir is absolutely a priceless treasure that can be exchanged for a city. If others knew about it, he would probably die without knowing how to do so. And the medicinal properties of the inner elixir have changed, now he doesn't dare to take it directly.

  He didn't know the exact location in front of him, but judging from the speed at which the demon crown python was crawling, this place was probably deep in the mountains of Manghu, at least a thousand miles away from Qili Gou. The long distance, alone and unaccompanied, this thing was also eye-catching, there were too many uncertain factors.

  This thing can't be brought back to the village, it's better to return nearby and dig a hole to hide it secretly. As for those two pieces of scales, although they are also extremely valuable, they won't make people fight for them like the "Internal Elixir". Lin Heng solved this problem, but another worry came up, how would he explain this to his parents?

  He had been swallowed by the Crowned Scale Serpent for several days, yet he was still alive. If he told this to others, not to mention his parents, even he himself wouldn't believe it. What's more, he had a nagging intuition that the lair of the Crowned Scale Serpent was no ordinary place, especially that ancient gate which seemed to be embedded in the mountain itself.

  The ancient gate had never been opened from the beginning to the end, what kind of shocking secret was hidden behind it? And that unknown thing, without leaving any trace, could kill a super strong man. All these series of deeply hidden huge strange and dangerous things proved that the cave was very important.

  If he were to be honest, then he would have to reveal the location of the cave, which was exactly what his intuition felt uneasy about. Silently, in his conscious mind, he had already listed the cave as the most dangerous place, and the fewer people who knew, the safer it would be.

  He thought for a long time and finally decided that if his parents asked, he would say that he was rescued by a superior man who hunted down the demon crown python on the way, and then he himself had been practicing hard in the mountains to verify his martial arts skills, so he returned late.

  Settling the disturbance in his mind, a thrilling experience like a dream appeared in his brain. Buried in the belly of the snake, he was already doomed to die, but unexpectedly escaped from death and not only obtained a rare four-product inner pill, but also took a big step forward and advanced to the first product. This step means that he has left behind those low-level warriors and become the first person in the history of Qili Gou for hundreds of years to advance to the first rank before the age of 18!

  A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. If he were to show off his incredible skills at the Dragon Worship Ceremony, his parents would rub their eyes dozens of times, afraid they wouldn't believe it. Hmm, not just them, probably the entire Seven Mile Gorge would be shocked and amazed. ——Through the verification of the martial artist, he immediately advanced to first rank, this is absolutely the most sensational thing that has ever happened in Seven Mile Gorge.

  Thinking of "Dragon Festival", he counted down the time with his fingers and suddenly jumped up.

  "It's been over ten days since he was swallowed by the Crowned Scale Python, and the Dragon Sacrifice Ceremony has already begun." He quickly extinguished the bonfire, wrapped up his internal elixir and scale fragments, determined the direction, and took off in a sprint.

  According to his mother, the Dragon Festival will last for eight days. The Warrior's Certification is the most anticipated event, so it will be held on the last day. He became a first-class warrior and rushed along the road with all his might, and those forests retreated swiftly behind him.

  "May it arrive in time, otherwise when can this shameful waste be cleared?"

  He had no idea that this worry was now somewhat superfluous, because everyone in the entire Qili Valley, including his parents, thought he had been swallowed by a snake.

  _____________

  The spring breeze is gentle, the sparse firecrackers and drum sounds ring out from time to time, the children's playful laughter and shouts spread with the spring wind along the edge of the great mountain.

  Qili Gou, once serene, has become extraordinarily lively. Although it was only half a month ago that this place experienced the near-annihilation of the demonic crown and scaled python's massacre, the festive atmosphere of the holiday has completely made people forget the terror and grief of that day.

  Moreover, this disaster is the one with the least damage and death in nearly a hundred years, so that not many or few villagers who survived took advantage of the holiday to celebrate.

  It's rare to coincide with the decade-long Dragon Worship ceremony, and the clan leader Huo Tianzhao decided to issue five taels of gold as a subsidy from the village, so that every family can have a nourishing holiday. However, some families who lost their loved ones in the last disaster still find it hard to let go, trapped in sorrowful melancholy.

  The Dragon Festival is a holiday passed down from generation to generation, said to commemorate the story of an ancient hero who saved humanity by driving away its greatest enemies: the dragon and demon tribes. Every year on this day, every household in Qingniu Town offers their finest game at their doorstep, expressing gratitude to this heroic figure.

  Apart from worship and offerings, different places also hold various activities to add festivity, such as flower lanterns, martial arts arenas, hunting competitions...

  This year's Qili Gou is particularly lively, as the 12 villages nearby jointly organized a martial arts competition, and the venue was right in Qili Gou. Starting every morning, Qili Gou welcomed people from various villages who came to watch the competition.

  In this remote mountain village, second-rate warriors can be counted on one's fingers. As for first-rate warriors, they are absolutely the strong ones. Being able to witness such a strong warrior in battle is truly a rare and grand occasion for ordinary people.

  No matter in the early morning or deep night, no matter in the village lanes or small courtyards, everyone is talking about the grand occasion of the tournament. Talking about which village's player is the most powerful, has the greatest chance to advance to the final, and which game was played with great splendor and intensity...

  The two first-place winners sent by Qili Gou this time were Lin Heng's brother-in-law Zhou Ze and the nephew of the clan leader Huo Tianzhao, Huo Xiang. Huo Xiang was eliminated in the top 16, while Zhou Ze was also kicked out in the quarterfinals. Therefore, before the competition ended, Qili Gou became a spectator.

  This also caused the deep worry of the clan leader, Ho Tianzhao. If things continue like this, within five years, Qili Gou will definitely be surpassed by a large number of villages behind it, and its status will not be preserved. So later on, he almost didn't have any thoughts to look back, with furrowed brows, thinking about how to rescue this desperate situation.

  Another highlight of the competition is Chen Que, a genius from Chenjiacun Village.

  Chen Que's name is on everyone's lips here. This name represents the most talented young people in the town of Qingniu, even at the age of 20, he has entered the second-grade official rank, breaking all the historical records of Qingniu Town. Such performance is bound to attract attention and shine brightly.

  Since he is second-rate, he naturally doesn't have qualification for competition.

  The villagers are talking about: ten days ago, he was favored by a guest elder of the Cangyuemen, the third largest sect in the Han country, and accepted him as his apprentice.

  Zangyu Gate, in the eyes of all villagers, was a powerful and distant imperial pillar. From birth, they heard the three words "Zangyu Gate" and knew it was an ancient sect that was strong and terrifying. This terrible sect had a long history, rooted in tens of thousands of cities in the Han country, with millions of disciples, and its power was boundless.

  Ordinary warriors wanting to enter the sect and become an outer disciple are extremely difficult! Chen Que actually got the highest authority of the guest elder to personally accept him as a disciple, which will inevitably cause a strong shockwave. Without a doubt, Chen Que will leave this group of low-ranking people behind and welcome a life-changing fate that everyone envies. Not to mention other things, with this identity, Chen Que can walk sideways in the entire Qingniu Town, expanding to the entire Jinyuan City, and no one dares to provoke him.

  So when Chen Que appeared, the entire scene was in an uproar. Even tribal leaders like Huo Tianzhao and other village heads couldn't help but bow down and try to curry favor. The name "Cang Yu Men" alone is enough to intimidate people! It's said that a few days ago, the first family of Qingniu Town, the Cao Family, heard this news and immediately sent someone to deliver a set of second-grade martial skills and three second-grade elixirs in an attempt to win over this future star. This grand gesture was merely to gain some goodwill, enough to prove the power of the name "Cang Yu Men"!

  In the distance, cheers and screams of excitement could be heard, but at this moment, the Lin family was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere.

  The decade-long dragon worship ceremony was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but here it's cold and deserted, a stark contrast to the lively atmosphere outside.

  "It must be Chen Que from Chenjia Village who has arrived." Lin Heng's sister, Lin Qingrong, held the medicine with a spoon and blew it cool before feeding it to her mother lying in bed.

  "This Chen family village's hundred-year rare genius looks ordinary, didn't expect to have such good luck, unexpectedly gained the favor of Cang Yu Men, from now on Chen family village will definitely become the first village in Qing Niu Town..."

  "...If Lin Heng was also here, he would definitely be able to enter the Cang Yu Men." Lin Heng's mother mechanically swallowed the medicine in her mouth, her eyes dull and expressionless, suddenly muttering to herself.

  Since the day she learned that Lin Huan was swallowed by the demon crown python and fainted, this woman over fifty years old was so heartbroken that she fell ill. More than half a month has passed, she can't get out of bed, her daily life is taken care of by her daughter, and her whole body is weak and thin.

  Lin Qingrong was taken aback, her original intention was to bring up this topic to pique her mother's interest and take her out for a walk, but unexpectedly it had the opposite effect, evoking emotions and making her think of her brother. She secretly sighed, unaware that more than half a month had passed, thinking about how her brother had suddenly matured on that day, and for a moment she felt a pang of sadness, her eyes welling up with tears.

  I thought this younger brother would become a responsible person, mature and take charge, and our family's situation would gradually improve. But unexpectedly, a disaster struck, and it completely took away this younger brother who had finally grown up with great difficulty.

  "Alas, if my brother were here, he would surely pass the Warrior's Certification tomorrow." Lin Qingrong thought of how her brother had been ridiculed and bullied for repeatedly failing to certify, yet he continued to strive with all his might. Her heart ached as she spoke in a low, sorrowful tone.