LEGEND OF THE CLRAR SKY DRAGON

Bai Tian Long stood beneath the morning mist, eyes reflecting the pale gold of dawn, his hands clenched slightly at his sides. The promise in his voice echoed low and steady.

"Yes."

The simple word, carried with the weight of determination, brought a small glint of warmth to Bai Wu's eyes. Without another word, the elder turned, his robes trailing gently across the mossy path as he led his grandson deeper into the inner territory of the Bai Clan's sanctuary.

The path twisted through thickets of jade-colored bamboo and whispering grass. The air grew heavier as they approached the lion den—more saturated with beastly qi, more primal. When they reached the stone arch marking the entrance, Bai Tian Long paused, tilting his head up.

The lion den's entrance, framed by blackstone rocks and spiritual glyphs, looked unimpressive from the outside—barely the size of a large storage hall. But as soon as they crossed the threshold, Bai Tian Long felt his senses stretch. The interior was vast, the stone walls subtly enchanted with spatial expansion talismans. The space was easily the size of several courtyards joined together.

A natural dome rose above them, where light filtered in through carved holes that mimicked the patterns of the sun and stars. Pillars of smooth, aged bone marked the boundary of various zones—sleeping hollows, feeding groves, hot spring basins. The faint scent of ash, grass, and beast fur hung in the air.

Bai Wu glanced sideways. "Don't let the outside fool you. We carved this place into an old cave node, then expanded it. That's only possible because of the island's structure."

Bai Tian Long nodded, eyes widening slightly.

"This island is more than it appears," Bai Wu continued. "It's almost 500 kilometers across, ringed by mist, shielded by nature itself. It has one Fourth-Order Spiritual Vein, six Third-Order Veins, and dozens of Second and First-Order Veins crisscrossing underneath. Some of those date back to the Pre-Divine Age."

Tian Long exhaled slowly. "Then it's a paradise… and a fortress."

Bai Wu gave a quiet chuckle. "Exactly."

They moved further in, and the space widened again, this time revealing the true heart of the lion den.

There were at least a dozen male lions, each radiating a fierce aura, their manes ranging in color from dark bronze to a brilliant ember-red. Surrounding them, over twenty lionesses prowled silently or watched with half-closed, golden eyes. Scattered among them were juvenile lions, ranging from playful cubs to near-adult adolescents still honing their roars.

But what caught Bai Tian Long's eye most were the eight tiny cubs huddled together near a hot spring pool, not yet strong enough to walk, their eyes still sealed by the mists of birth.

A strange emotion swelled in his chest.

Suddenly, Bai Tian Long remembered something—the system-gifted S-Rank talent he hadn't yet tested fully.

> Eye of Knowledge.

With a thought, the screen bloomed behind his vision.

> [Eye of Knowledge Activated]

Scanning...

In his vision, each lion shimmered with a faint blue outline. Small runic tags appeared above their heads—names, stages of cultivation, beast types, bloodline purities. He stared in quiet awe.

"Late Foundation Establishment," he murmured, looking at the red-maned male who had roared at them earlier. "That's why he felt so dominant. He's the young leader."

> Why young leader?

The system's knowledge flowed into him.

To be considered a true adult lion of this beast clan, a lion had to reach the rank of Third Order Demon Commander.

Demon Beast Hierarchy:

1. Demon Servant (1st Order)

2. Demon Soldier (2nd Order)

3. Demon Commander (3rd Order)

4. Demon Lord (4th Order)

5. Demon King (5th Order)

6. Demon Emperor (6th Order)

7. Demon Sorvirgen (7 order)

8.Demon Saint

9. Mortal dao ( carries three different titles depending on level of the understood mortal dao,from weakest in the mortal dao realm to strongest, mortal demon immortal, mortal demon god, and demon ancestor strongest under the immortal )

{Author here-Mortal dao is the last stage of mortal dao bridge with the name coming from and the lesser stages are the representation of it's connection with other dao bridges bringing a karmic and fundamental change in a being,

In other words giving them a bit of understanding for future daos .

Ancestor stage and dao realm exist in all dimensions as there final step of all the dao bredges ie in mortal dao bridge highest realm is mortal ancestor aka mortal dao ancestor,

Dao ancestor etc. in immortal dao bridge the highest realm is immortal dao ancestor}

That explained much. The red-maned lion was powerful, but still a cub in the eyes of ancient bloodlines.

He turned his attention to Bai Wu.

But instead of clear stats, all he saw was a message:

> [Target exceeds allowed insight range. The Eye of Knowledge currently supports detection up to two major realms higher than the user.]

Tian Long nodded silently. That made sense. He was still at the mortal level, unawakened in cultivation.

He refocused on the group of eight cubs.

Their bodies were soft and small, their auras undeveloped. But the moment his talent touched them, faint glows appeared—shades of light gold, pale violet, and even rare hints of green lightning.

> [Unnamed Cub]

Gender: Male

Cultivation: None (Pre-Qi Condensation)

Bloodline Purity: Medium

Potential: High Foundation Establishment

> [Unnamed Cub]

Gender: Female

Cultivation: None

Bloodline Purity: Rare Flame Variant

Potential: Peak Foundation Establishment - Core Formation (if nurtured)

One by one, he inspected them. Of the eight, three stood out. One male with dense fire qi, one female with a green thunder mutation, and one small runt whose bloodline purity shimmered with the strange glimmer of ancient regression—not powerful now, but carrying a legacy that could awaken under proper guidance.

He looked back to Bai Wu. "Grandfather, I think I've found them."

Bai Wu smiled knowingly. "You saw more than just their fur and size, didn't you?"

Tian Long nodded.

The old man crossed his arms and surveyed the cubs. "Then choose carefully. Once the bond is made, your fate and theirs will never be the same."

Tian Long walked slowly to the three cubs.

The green thunder cub shivered slightly as he approached, instinctively sensing something. The fire-furred male gave a soft growl, not out of fear but from pride. The runt, however, tilted its small head, sniffed, and crept toward him on unsteady paws.

The Eye of Knowledge pinged again.

> [This cub carries a sleeping bloodline inheritance. Chance of awakening: 17% in mortal realm. 62% if raised under host's care.]

He knelt, extending both hands.

All three cubs crawled to him.

Bai Wu exhaled, whispering, "He's chosen."

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