Xingyan's Mining and the Secretly Watching Cats

The two dragons complained back and forth, Xingyan more like talking to himself, venting his inner frustration, while the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers echoed him, their own offspring growing so large and powerful, and yet so severely injured... no matter what they said, it was right!

Upon arriving in this familiar yet strange world and witnessing the first Elder Dragon with his own eyes, Xingyan simply found these Elder Dragons... quite annoying.

They all acted as if they didn't eat beef, completely disregarding the impact their unrestrained power had on the surrounding environment and life.

In the real world, it was naturally impossible for monsters to appear in order of difficulty, catering to the player experience like in a game. Here, Elder Dragons and tempered monsters would appear anywhere they pleased, anytime, without reason.

It was like playing with some random mod, punishing you with a low-rank two-star quest to fight a Zorah Magdaros (Shamos).

Xingyan had always understood the logic, but whether he could accept it was another matter.

Every corner of the New World was filled with Ley Line Energy. Even in places like the Great Sand Sea, where Ley Line Energy was blocked, its concentration was far deeper than in the Old World.

This was thanks to the countless Elder Dragons that had chosen to die naturally here over the years, including top-tier Elder Dragons like the Serpent King Dragon. It was their remains that nurtured the New World's terrifying Life Energy.

Of course, thanks were also due to the Light Dragon lurking in the deepest parts of the Ley Lines; its persistent calls over countless years had attracted so many Elder Dragons to die here.

This directly led to an overabundance of Elder Dragons in the New World. Not only would elderly Elder Dragons nearing the end of their lifespan choose to come here to die naturally, but many younger Elder Dragons, greedy for food or Life Energy, would also settle here.

It was just that Elder Dragons generally did not easily initiate wars among themselves.

Setting aside the Light Dragon's original intentions, the ultimate result was that Xingyan now had to face a world where tempered monsters were everywhere due to an overabundance of Life Energy, and Elder Dragons occasionally roamed freely.

The Great Sand Sea was already like this, and Xingyan dared not imagine what the Ancient Forest region, with its richer biodiversity, more abundant food, and fiercer competition, would be like.

It wouldn't be like Gold Fire Dragons everywhere, Silver Fire Dragons flying through the sky, Spike Dragons patrolling the sea of trees, Purple Poison Princesses lurking in the shadows, and also Moon Swift Dragons and Azure Electric Masters... thinking about it was enough to scare a dragon.

Cough! Can't scare myself!

I'll have to be extra careful when I go there in the future.

While conversing in Draconic with the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers, Xingyan's mind raced with thoughts... Today, for the first time, he truly understood what the theory of natural selection meant.

This was a cruel world, a cruel natural world, that he, as a former human, had never experienced. There was no care or warmth; if you could live, you lived; if you couldn't, you died.

Many lives killed by the aftershocks of the two Steel Dragons' battle didn't even know how they died.

This was what filled Xingyan with fear. His anger stemmed from why he wasn't an Elder Dragon, but rather an ordinary life that could be so easily affected by an Elder Dragon's power.

This lack of security, the anxiety of not having his life under his own control, was deeply buried in Xingyan's heart, making him increasingly eager to become stronger.

This year's rainy season in the Great Sand Sea became a disaster, and many creatures living there died in this natural calamity. However, many creatures rejoiced in this selfless gift from nature, as they had acquired a large amount of food without any danger. It was the most bountiful rainy season in years.

Everyone had their own way of life, and Xingyan didn't have the energy to care about so much, nor could he. His mindset was always good; after quickly emerging from his melancholy, he and the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers began preparing to move.

He had been hesitating whether to expand their current nest, but now there was no need to hesitate.

From an instinctual standpoint, Xingyan actually wanted to find a way to move to the Dragoncrystal Land or the Leyline Corridor. There were volcanoes, lava, and abundant minerals there, making it very suitable for a Dragon Slayer to survive and grow.

But a place a hundred times more perilous than the Great Sand Sea was not suitable for the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers to live in, and it was also too hot for the birds. Xingyan had no intention of abandoning the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers and leaving alone.

Coupled with other considerations, after discussing it with the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers, they decided to move underground to the area where the sandy soil met the desert.

As mentioned earlier, the rock cliffs in the Great Sand Sea had strange formations, pushing up from underground layer by layer, like a forest made of stone. The parts protruding above ground were very regular and neat... um, like a pack of french fries, distinct and separate.

The stone pillars protruding from the surface, after years of weathering and destruction from dragon activity, gradually turned into Gobi deserts or canyons. The underground parts, however, formed a unique underground kingdom.

The terrain and environment here were far more complex than what was shown in the game, with numerous large and small underground caves and winding rock crevices and tunnels that were all interconnected.

Apart from the large caves, the inhabitants here were mostly small creatures. The Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers' size made them safer here, and they could also use the underground passages to reach the Flower Field Marshland Area to complete their daily egg-stealing activities.

The only problem was that with Xingyan's massive body, finding a cave where he could stretch freely and move around safely was quite difficult.

But fortunately, he could eat dirt, so he could choose a location first and then expand his own nest, saving a lot of trouble.

Xingyan was not in a hurry to fulfill his death pact with the old Rusty Steel Dragon. Although it claimed it was dying, it was an Elder Dragon, and an Elder Dragon's "almost" did not mean one or two days, but at least one or two years, or even more.

That Rusty Steel Dragon had deliberately bitten off Xingyan's sword tail before leaving, telling Xingyan to find him again after he had reforged his sword tail.

Xingyan chose this underground area for his new nest for two reasons: firstly, to avoid potential future dangers, such as another Elder Dragon conflict in the Great Sand Sea causing a natural disaster.

Secondly, it was for his convenience in mining... this area was closer to the depths of the Ley Lines, and ores squeezed out by Ley Line movements were hidden within layers of rock. The only thing Xingyan needed to be careful about was not to dig too deep and bury himself.

Clink, clank, crunch, crunch.

Xingyan had no pickaxe; he could only eat rocks with his mouth or dig along the discovered ore veins.

Fortunately, a Dragon Slayer's teeth could grow back after falling out, otherwise Xingyan wouldn't dare to dull his teeth like this.

For the creatures living in the underground cave clusters, any sound here would become hollow and travel far through the stone, with echoes lingering endlessly.

And now, besides the clinking sounds made by Hunters swinging their pickaxes, another crunching sound had appeared in the caves at some point, like some terrifying monster feeding.

It was enough to scare small creatures into hiding.

However, Xingyan was oblivious to this. As long as he didn't accidentally dig into a Rich Woman Dragon's lair, he wasn't worried at all.

Hmm, but if he could eat some of the Rich Woman Dragon's Golden Carapace... that might be quite nice?

A Golden Dragon Slayer, perhaps.

Life suddenly became peaceful again. Each dragon had its own tasks. In order to forge his most important weapon as quickly as possible and make it even harder, Xingyan had not hunted large monsters to accumulate Life Energy for many days.

Half a year ago, he had specifically returned to the battlefield where the two Steel Dragons had fought, hoping to find some Steel Dragon Scales to eat. He had indeed found a few, but not many.

Most of it was rust residue that had fallen from the Rusty Steel Dragon's body, and rust residue was worthless and could not be used as ore.

Regarding this, Xingyan did indeed consume the Rusty Steel Dragon's important organ for controlling external storms that day—the Steel Dragon's horn. But to be honest, he didn't sprout any Dragon Slayer's horn that could also control storms.

Xingyan had two guesses about this. One was that he hadn't eaten the Steel Dragon's Jewel or its special organ for generating wind. That special organ and the horn worked in tandem.

The other guess was that after eating the Steel Dragon's horn, he had indeed gained the potential to evolve the corresponding ability. However, he hadn't consumed a large amount of Steel Dragon flesh and blood to gain the Elder Dragon bloodline, nor did he have the Life Energy consumed during extensive evolution. Therefore, the latent potential had not yet transformed into an overt characteristic.

But it didn't matter. Once he truly defeated that Rusty Steel Dragon and consumed everything it had, all his questions would be answered.

What better opportunity could there be than an aging Steel Dragon, nearing the end of its lifespan and already seeking death?

To cross the almost insurmountable chasm between ordinary dragons and Elder Dragons, achieving an evolution in the essence of life.

Young dragons have dreams, and life has hope. Therefore, Xingyan had no complaints or annoyances about this life of burying his head in the ground, constantly searching for and consuming ore, hidden from the daylight. Instead, he was filled with motivation.

However, what Xingyan didn't know was that as his time and range of activity underground increased, his existence gradually became less unfamiliar to the creatures that originally lived in the caves.

Xingyan was currently engrossed in a Lapis Lazuli ore vein, diligently consuming it. He had rarely found a rich vein, not just of Lapis Lazuli, but also occasionally dazzling crystals and Sharp Armor Jade... Of course, Xingyan naturally couldn't recognize these high-level ores in the real world. He only knew that these shiny things were more beneficial when eaten.

They could make his carapace harder and his sword tail heavier and sharper.

Above Xingyan's head, in the gap between two protruding stone pillars, several pairs of eyes were watching him. The owners of these eyes had been tailing Xingyan for a long time, so they were very familiar with his daily activity schedule.

As expected, around dusk in the Great Sand Sea's surface, Xingyan, tired from a day's work, felt fatigue. He stopped consuming the ore vein and instead followed the path he had carved out towards his nest.

Compared to other ordinary Dragon Slayers, Xingyan, as one dragon, needed to consume as much ore as at least four or five other Dragon Slayers.

Ordinary Dragon Slayers consumed ore simply to forge and maintain their sword tails, and at most to fill their flame sacs. But Xingyan was different. In addition to forging his exceptionally heavy and sharp sword tail, he also had to cover his body with mineral secretions—even two layers!

One layer covered the underlying carapace, which was tightly adhered to his muscles, to enhance defense. The other layer covered the surface of the Air Sac Carapace above the underlying carapace, adding to its defense while also increasing its lethality when the Air Sac Carapace exploded.

Well, one could only say that the more satisfying the battle was, the more troublesome it was to replenish afterward. The most difficult part was that this replenishment wasn't a one-time, permanent completion. After every battle, Xingyan had to consume ore to reshape his Air Sac Carapace.

It was comparable to Dio freezing time to move Polnareff down the stairs, showcasing a divine display in front of people and toiling in secret afterward.

Most importantly, raw ore was not equivalent to mineral secretions. The ratio was roughly three to one; three parts of raw ore could refine only one part of mineral secretion, let alone those high-level ores.

Xingyan had no good solution. If he wanted to possess stronger combat power than ordinary Dragon Slayers, he had to lose something. Time or energy, no matter what he lost, he would lose it first.

There was no such thing as a peaceful time; only those who bear the burden move forward.

The Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers had already returned to the nest. He didn't know how many eggs they had eaten outside, and they even brought one back for Xingyan as a gift.

Given Xingyan's current size, an herbivore dragon's egg wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between his teeth. However, he still praised his Kulu-Ya-Ku brother, who was looking up at him, making the bird chirp happily.

Those eyes hidden at the cave ceiling watched Xingyan all the way back to his nest. The three-dimensional structure of the underground world perfectly concealed their forms. After confirming Xingyan had returned to the nest, the owners of some of those eyes quickly departed.

Rustling all the way, passing through wide caves and narrow rock crevices, it didn't take long for the owners of these eyes to reach a cave closer to the surface. It was adjacent to a cliff face, and sunlight could shine directly through a few window-like openings. However, more of the overhead area was covered by thick rock walls, sufficient for shelter from wind and rain.

A safe and cozy haven. A bonfire had already been lit on the ground in the middle of the cave. Beside the bonfire, several wooden sticks with chunks of meat or fish impaled on them were inserted, currently sizzling and emitting oil, with a faint aroma wafting through their noses.

Full of life.