Chapter Eight: The Mysterious Battle Dragon
In the blink of an eye, another year had passed. Half a month ago, Gluttonous Dragon had finally mastered the fourth level of the Mad Dragon Art. When a faint, half-meter-long black dragon, as thick as a man’s wrist and formed entirely from true energy, appeared outside his body, everyone was taken aback.
Whenever one attained mastery of the fourth level of the Mad Dragon Art, the true energy would not only take shape outside the body but also reveal other information—the attribute of the Mad Dragon’s true energy. The origin of this martial art was something no one in the known universe could clearly explain.
Other peerless martial arts practiced by humanity across the universe shared a similar mystery: no one could trace their origins or explain the reason true energy could take form outside the body. It was akin to how everyone knew that when a biological spore fused with human genes, it could create all manner of strange and extraordinary beings, but as for the true cause, perhaps only the gods knew. And where the gods were—perhaps only by finding them could one ever know.
For thousands of years, the Kuang family had never produced a black battle dragon. They referred to the true energy dragon formed outside the body as a battle dragon. The very first ancestor of the Kuang family to reach the realm of War God through the Mad Dragon Art had a crimson battle dragon—the rarest among all the battle dragons cultivated by countless family members over millennia. Yet a black battle dragon had never appeared before. This was the first time in thousands of years.
Gluttonous Dragon, however, paid no mind to such things. Whether it was black or white mattered little to him. All that concerned him now was whether he could soon master the fifth level of the Mad Dragon Art, reach the innate realm, and begin studying the martial skills his great-grandfather had arranged for him before his death. Then, he could practice martial arts alongside Zixia.
On this particular day, as Gluttonous Dragon and Zixia left the training room together, they encountered his mother at the door.
Seeing the two of them chatting and laughing as they emerged, his mother could not help but smile. Over the past year, Gluttonous Dragon and Zixia had grown closer with each passing day. Zixia seemed strangely fond of him, though whether it was love, no one could say for certain. According to Zixia, she simply felt especially happy when she was with him.
Gluttonous Dragon, too, enjoyed being with Zixia. At the very least, he was sure it was not love—what exactly it was, he could not say. It was simply a strange feeling.
His mother watched them with a smile for a while, and only after their faces had turned crimson did she finally speak. “Zixia, Gluttonous Dragon’s grandfather is planning to send you both to the Imperial Academy of the Carlo Empire. What do you think? Would you like to go?”
(Perhaps some readers may find entering an academy too cliché, but certain things simply must be written this way—just as in a diary, even if you skip writing about breakfast and lunch, eventually you have to write about dinner, or it wouldn’t be a diary at all. In a novel where the protagonist’s life is chronicled from childhood, unless there is some great upheaval, such events cannot be omitted. If you find it trite, please do not criticize too harshly. Thank you! Of course, even clichés can be written with originality, and as you keep reading, you’ll see for yourself.)
Gluttonous Dragon instinctively looked at Zixia. These days, whenever they were together, he let her make all the decisions—a fact everyone around them had long since noticed.
Zixia pondered the question for a moment. The idea of going to the imperial capital for schooling was hardly about learning knowledge. In the current society, one could acquire any knowledge without attending so-called elite institutions—especially someone like Gluttonous Dragon, heir to the family with dozens of private tutors. The true purpose of attending such an academy was networking, building connections, and meeting people who might benefit one’s future.
After some thought, Zixia replied, “Auntie, Fatty hasn’t even mastered the fifth level of the Mad Dragon Art yet. Wouldn’t going to the capital now interfere with his cultivation?”
His mother, clearly prepared for this question, smiled and explained, “Not at all. The Mad Dragon Art has a unique trait: after mastering each level, there’s a latent period when progress in true energy slows dramatically. This is one of its characteristics. That’s why we’re eager to arrange for him to go to the capital now—once he masters the fifth level, he’ll be busy with both training his true energy and learning martial skills, leaving him no time for the capital. As the heir of the family, it’s essential for him to broaden his contacts there.”
Zixia nodded. Though she didn’t want Gluttonous Dragon’s attention divided at this time, as his fiancée she could hardly oppose his mother’s arrangements. That his mother even consulted her meant she was being treated with true respect. How could Zixia refuse?
After nodding in agreement, Zixia suddenly asked, “Auntie, what about me?”
His mother chuckled warmly. “Of course you’ll go with him.”
But then Zixia abruptly inquired, “Auntie, isn’t someone from the Karachi family currently in the capital?”
His mother smiled awkwardly. “Yes, I’ve heard so. It seems quite possible you’ll be entering the Imperial Academy at the same time.”
At this, Zixia broke into a smile, casting Gluttonous Dragon an especially enigmatic look.
Gluttonous Dragon couldn’t help but ask in confusion, “Why are you both looking at me like that?” For at that moment, his mother was also gazing at him with the same odd expression.
Zixia simply smiled, said nothing more, and asked softly, “Auntie, when will we depart?”
His mother seemed quite pleased and replied cheerfully, “As soon as possible! I only came to ask your opinion—if you’re both willing to go, I’ll have the servants make arrangements right away.”
Zixia smiled and nodded. “Then I’ll trouble you, Auntie.”
His mother laughed. “It’s no trouble at all. But I do wonder when you’ll stop calling me ‘Auntie.’ Every time I hear it, it feels so strange.”
Both Zixia and Gluttonous Dragon blushed and laughed together.