Reincarnation to the Past

Chapter 28

Li Yǔ's POV

"So, tell me more about this place... Was it really once Poseidon's domain?", I asked as I sat in meditation, stabilizing the qi, regulating through my dantian, and feeling the energy coursing through my meridians. Right after forming the contract with the water dragon, his powers rushed through my body in the form of external qi. And since I hadn't absorbed any external qi till now, the powers had gone haywire and needed to be redirected down the right paths, and in the process, I managed to breakthrough multiple levels in one go...

Apparently, according to the dragon, had it been anyone else, their bloodstreams would have burst from the highly excess qi that had forced its way into the body, but since it was me, it wasn't that dangerous and rather easy to stabilize. So while I had spent the past hour subconsciously directing and fusing the qi together, I decided to make some inquiries about all the stuff that I was still unsure of.

"Yes, master, this had previously been the dwelling place of Lord Poseidon, but once the gods decided to abandon their domains eons ago and take refuge in the real world, the domains became forgotten. All the gods have completely forgotten or neglected these places, but the enormous aura that they left behind when they lived here gave way to the creation of us beasts.", informed the dragon telepathically. "I was one of the creations formed from Lord Poseidon's aura and my main purpose was to guard that door."

"That door??? What's so important about it?"

"The door leads to what you could call the power room of the domain... Each domain, no matter which god it belongs to, has such a room, although the location could vary. The room only contains one thing and that is the throne of the said god, which is heavily protected. It used to be from where Lord Poseidon would rule. From the throne, Lord Poseidon had control over the whole domain; he could see every part of the domain from there, give access to or kick out anyone from any part of the domain, and he could destroy or create anything wherever he wished. Anything he wanted could be accomplished."

"So what's become of the room after it was abandoned?"

"Nothing... It's been neglected and the whole room is overgrown with all kinds of algae and other plant life. Because the domain doesn't have an owner anymore, the domain itself has weakened to the point where it is easy for outsiders to access it every now and then, they come and steal everything, make a mess, and leave, only to return years later when the portal opens again. You know, master, since you are a child of Lord Poseidon, you can gain control over this domain."

That took me by surprise. I mean, sure, I'd sat on Poseidon's throne tons of times in the future, and sure, after seeing me endure the tremendous pressure and pain, Father couldn't bear it anymore so he made me immune to the negative or dangerous effects of the throne but would that help if I were to take over an entire domain?

"So what, I just go in there and sit on the throne?", I asked in curiosity. Not that I planned on doing it, since what use would I have for a domain? But at the same time, who knows, it could turn out useful in the future...

"Not exactly, master... The throne is tightly protected and you would have to pass a test, which could prove difficult since once you enter the room, all or most of your powers will be sealed. Even I wouldn't be able to provide help. But if you can overcome the test and the throne accepts you, then you can have command over the whole domain."

"Even if I were interested, what benefit would I have from gaining control over the domain? From what you just said, it sounds more dangerous than useful."

"You can enter and leave the domain as you wish... It could be useful if you ever want to escape from the real world and once you gain command over the domain, you can choose who can access it. You can even forbid others from entering the domain or keep people imprisoned without their powers. You can use it to store items, even living beings, and you can summon anything from within the domain just by thinking... You can control the domain to change to any appearance you deem appropriate.

Just as the dragon finished speaking, I felt the qi surging throughout my body, rushing through my bloodstream. I could feel a strange, unfamiliar energy coursing through my body as I broke through all the way to the heavenly realm. I had completely skipped the foundational and earth realms and directly ascended to the lower heaven realm, the first level, in just one go.

"Congratulations on your breakthrough, master.", I could feel genuine happiness in the dragon's voice as he commended me on my breakthrough. I grinned while standing up. "Did it help you, dragon?", I asked, remembering what Lì had said about how my progress could affect that of my beast too.

"No, master, since the contract led to the surge of power, it didn't affect me in any way... But how do you feel, master?"

"Nothing different, really...", I said with a shrug as I closed my eyes and sensed for any changes, and except for a small, almost insignificant rise in my powers, there wasn't anything, which made sense since the powers I already held far exceeded any that I could gain through the cultivation so I highly doubt that any more qi I absorb will even cause a dent in my existing power limit. I guess the only benefit from cultivating would be being able to show others my progress and use my powers more freely.

"Shall we get going now?", I asked the dragon, wanting to meet up with Lì and the rest and make sure they were alright. I wasn't sure how I'd bring this huge dragon with me without causing a big commotion, though.

"But master, will you not be attempting to gain control over the domain?", inquired the dragon in a slightly disappointing tone. "Well, I'd love to, but I came with some companions and had to separate from them. I want to find them,", I responded as I started to head to the door. "What about you, dragon? I can't exactly take you with me looking like that."

The dragon, after hearing what I said, took straight into the air and circled around before shrinking into a smaller and cuter version of a baby water dragon. "Kyaa!", I let out a shrill exclamation as I engulfed the small dragon into a crushing embrace, rubbing my cheek against his. "Aren't you the cutest little thing?"

"MASTER!!!", I could hear the embarrassment in the dragon's tone as I continued to squeeze him gently in my arms and rubbed my cheek against his.

I giggled and responded, "Now that I think about it, I can't just go around calling you 'dragon' right? So what name do you have?"

"We beasts don't have a name... I would be honored if Master gave me a name!"

"Ohh.... Never been good at naming others, but fine... Umm (thinking for a few minutes... How about 'Mael' from Maelstrom?"

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Thank you to those who offered suggestions for the dragon's name; it was very helpful. What did you think of the one I chose? If you feel that it should be changed or have other dragon names in mind, you are welcome to share.

Don't forget to vote, comment, and follow. :):):)

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