Detel Tribe's Changes and Xingyan Reaching the Limit

Eat! Devour!

Xingyan felt no shame whatsoever. When it came to eating, he had always been thick-skinned. The dignity of the Dragon Slayer was completely unimportant. After finishing the stir-fried dishes and grilled meat, he even licked the stone slab with his tongue.

He didn't even spare the wooden skewers holding the grilled meat. Anything that had sauce on it had to be swallowed whole.

As Xingyan's most important partner, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother was also invited to be a judge. The Detter seemed to understand the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother's preferences, so they prepared several egg dishes for him: steamed eggs, fried eggs, and so on.

However, the Kulu-Ya-Ku brother couldn't give precise evaluations like Xingyan. Therefore, as long as it ate happily, the Detter would consider it a pass.

Unprecedented deliciousness—to be honest, ever since arriving in this world and fully embodying the perspective of the Dragon Slayer, Xingyan could barely remember what the delicacies he ate in his previous life tasted like.

After all, the Dragon Slayer's taste preferences and Xingyan's own digestive capabilities were vastly different from a human's. Thus, those things quickly became mere pleasant memories.

But now, those memories felt like reality.

So wonderful.

The only problem seemed to be not eating enough. So, after licking the stone slab clean, Xingyan turned his gaze to the only group of contestants who hadn't served their dishes yet.

Then, he and the crowd of Detter saw the chef from the stew group frantically adding ingredients to the large pot.

Xingyan: "..."

Wait, are they really going to add that much?

Hey, hey, hey, there's no water left in the pot?? The seasoning powder is already piled up to the brim?!

Is this still a stew, uh, a meat stew??

It was clear that what Congcong had said earlier had not only served as a finishing blow to the chefs of the stir-fry group but had also greatly influenced the chefs of the stew group.

After realizing that what Congcong said was indeed correct, and while Xingyan was enthusiastically devouring the food from the first two groups, and the other Detter were not paying attention to them, the chefs of the stew group began to add ingredients frantically.

If it doesn't kill them, add it until it does!

"Okay, we're ready too, meow!!"

Finally, several Detter carried the large pot with wooden poles to Xingyan. And Xingyan...

His expression was somewhat peculiar.

Everyone, here's a pot of stew, plus at least two or three pounds of seasoning powder, all poured in at once... It's thicker than sesame paste, who would drink something like this?

A classic is a classic. I didn't expect it to still be chasing me in another world.

But it's okay. If the Qi family won't drink it, I, the Dragon Slayer, will!

After roaring a few times to let the old Detter patriarch understand his intention, Xingyan lowered his head and opened his mouth wide. The old patriarch then directed the Detter to work together to pour everything from the large pot into Xingyan's mouth... Xingyan had gone to great lengths to avoid damaging the pot while eating.

This is the difference between eating until full and eating until you can eat anytime.

Well, to be honest, many Detter couldn't help but narrow their cat eyes in shock when they saw the thick, chaotic, mushy... meat in the pot. They all looked at the chefs of the stew group with strange eyes.

There's no need to say more, those who understand, understand.

"A, a complete failure, meow..."

Softly collapsing onto the ground, the chefs of the stew group let out a cry of failure.

Close mouth, chew, chew, chew, the great dragon chews.

To be honest, for Xingyan's taste, this stewed meat paste coated with a huge amount of spice powder actually tasted quite good.

So flavorful!!

Therefore—"Roar!!"

"The Dragon Slayer boss says, eight points, meow!!!"

"What?!"

The chefs of the stir-fry group were instantly revived from the brink of death, exclaiming in disbelief.

"Why, meow?! How can something that looks so unappetizing get a higher score than the dishes we carefully stir-fried, meow?!"

"I can't accept this, meow!!"

"What is delicious and what is trash, I can't tell the difference, meow! I can't tell the difference, meow!!!"

"..."

"Quiet! Everyone be quiet, meow!!" Seeing that the situation was becoming a bit chaotic, the old patriarch knocked his cane a few times. After a while, he finally managed to calm the Detter down a bit. "In short, the winner of this Dragon Slayer boss trial is the grilled meat group led by Congcong, meow!!"

"Meow yeah!!"

"Grilled meat is a great victory, meow!!"

"Grilled meat is invincible, meow!!!"

The chefs of the grilled meat group immediately cheered, and the Detter who were watching also cheered, congratulating Congcong and the others... meows, who had won the trial.

This time, he didn't rush to control the scene. Instead, the old patriarch happily watched the Detter celebrate. After the cheers gradually subsided, he continued:

"As for those who failed the trial, meow, don't be sad, meow. Just think about why you failed, meow."

"Let me say it, Chief," Congcong confidently stepped forward and said to the defeated chefs who were slumped on the ground looking dejected. "Remember, meow! When cooking, you must cook food that the eaters like, meow!!"

Xingyan almost burst out laughing.

"Rice must have rice!" - It was pretty much that feeling.

However, this was probably just a joke born from the Detels' limited expressive abilities; Congcong's intended meaning was still clearly conveyed.

Cook according to the customer's preferences and the specific situation.

Unlike Xingyan, who almost burst out laughing upon hearing this, the Detels were all very serious, looking like they had learned something valuable.

Smacking his lips, Xingyan felt that things had somehow taken a very strange turn – uh, what was this "Dragon Slayer's Trial" all about? Why did he suddenly feel like he'd become a judge for a competition between three groups of Detels?

"Um, uh, isn't something a little bit off, meow?" the young new tribal chief, Shanshan, timidly raised a paw and asked, "Weren't we trying to make good food to get the Dragon Slayer's approval, meow?"

Silence.

All the Detels froze as if petrified, their bodies stiffening.

Silence.

Despite the many breaths audible in the cave, it was eerily quiet... only Shanshan's meowing voice could be heard.

"Why did it suddenly feel like a festival, meow... this isn't a tribal celebration, is it, meow..."

Astonishing silence!

Scanning his gaze over the suddenly tense little creatures, Xingyan chuckled inwardly, and finally, he broke the silence.

"HROAR!!"

Upon hearing Xingyan's roar, the old tribal chief visibly relaxed.

"The Dragon Slayer says! The trial is passed, meow!! From now on, the Dragon Slayer will protect us, meow!!"

"Meow yeah!!"

"Great, meow!!!"

"Let's celebrate, meow! We must celebrate, meow!!!"

Suddenly leaping three feet high, even the Detels from the stir-fry and stew teams, who had looked dejected just moments ago, became joyous. They too, belatedly, realized what this all meant.

Safety.

For weak creatures living in a dangerous environment, nothing was more important than safety.

What could be better than a giant, powerful dragon promising to protect them?

It was like Godzilla telling someone, "I'll protect you," – the sense of security was unparalleled.

Everything they had done today, the precious spices painstakingly gathered by the tribe, had not been wasted. They had successfully earned the Dragon Slayer's approval – meaning, their cooking skills were recognized, meow!!

From now on, as long as the Dragon Slayer chose to bring back their prey for them to cook, they would no longer have to risk their lives hunting, meow!

Even just processing the Dragon Slayer's kills, cooking the best meat from the carcasses and presenting it, the scraps left over were enough to feed the entire tribe, meow.

No more Detels joining hunting parties and never returning, no more worrying about loved ones bravely leaving them due to accidents – it was simply wonderful, meow!!

The Detels cheered incessantly, seemingly eager to host a banquet. They didn't mind the leftover food from Xingyan and the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers at all, instead roasting and boiling it.

Some Detels were even celebrating the appearance of their new tribal chief. Shanshan's inauguration ceremony was a bit late, but now that the tribe's great crisis had passed, every Detel was happy about the emergence of a new leader.

Now that they were full and satisfied, Xingyan watched the Detels hopping around with great interest. In these large felines, Xingyan felt a long-lost sense of communal warmth.

For such a long time, his and the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers' nest had been very quiet, so the sudden liveliness made the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers a little unaccustomed to it.

Curled up in a corner of the cave, Xingyan watched the hopping Detels. He inexplicably thought of the dragons in the DND world, specifically the chromatic dragons.

Kobolds, lizardfolk – these races instinctively gravitated towards chromatic dragons, becoming their vassal armies.

And from this perspective, weren't these Detels already his vassal army?

Thinking this, Xingyan found it rather amusing.

Vassal army? These simple Detels?

He felt... they might not even be able to defeat a Fanged Wyvern.

This Detel tribe, which had pledged allegiance to Xingyan, entered a new phase of transformation.

The most significant change was the disbandment of the Detel hunting parties. There was no other reason than that they were no longer needed.

Xingyan's desire for evolution was extremely strong; he craved to become more powerful. This desire also drove him to constantly attack other large dragons. In this regard, his combat drive far surpassed that of other Dragon Slayers, resembling more the Brute Dragons, which attacked everything living within their territory.

However, unlike the Brute Dragons, Xingyan did not kill purely for the sake of killing. That is, he did not waste the carcasses of those he killed but consumed them entirely – after all, it was Life Energy.

And with the Detel tribe now under his wing, Xingyan abandoned his habit of eating raw food. Instead, he brought back the carcasses he hunted for the Detels to process.

The Detel tribe's hunting parties had largely transformed into Detel chef teams. They no longer had to risk their lives hunting; simply by processing the carcasses Xingyan brought back and preserving the scraps, they had more than enough food.

Their daily task was to prepare grand meals for Xingyan.

It was a happy life, and no Detel would refuse it.

In addition to the chef teams, the Detel tribe also gained a gathering team, responsible for collecting spices from all over the Great Sand Sea. These seasonings were currently in high demand.

The existing ranching team within the tribe also received reinforcements. These Detels were responsible for finding caves with suitable temperature and humidity for specifically growing mushrooms and other crops, as well as cultivating useful green plants... for seasoning.

Time quietly slipped by amidst the trivialities of life. Xingyan truly enjoyed this life, which could be described as nothing short of blissful. It wasn't an exaggeration to say this was the happiest period he had experienced since transmigrating to this world.

But this did not mean Xingyan had forgotten his foundation – his mighty power as a dragon.

It was this power that allowed him to enjoy the benefits of having a Detel tribe serving him, and it was also this power that allowed him to survive in the Great Sand Sea.

He had personally witnessed how strong Elder Dragons were and where their strength lay, so Xingyan had never given up the idea of becoming stronger.

The shoulder height of an ordinary adult male Dragon Slayer was approximately three to four meters. When its head was raised normally, its head would reach five to six meters. Its overall body length was about twenty-two meters. If its sword tail was raised to its highest point, it could strike at a height of nearly ten meters.

But Xingyan's size had completely surpassed these figures. His shoulder height reached five meters, and his full body length, even before his sword tail was reforged, was already about twenty-six meters, astonishing for a dragon.

If an ordinary Dragon Slayer included the greatsword made of ore on its sword tail, its entire body weight would be around sixty tons. However, Xingyan's current weight, even excluding the mineral sword tail part that could not be reforged, still exceeded this number.

This was thanks to the double-layered mineral carapace covering his body, which had exhausted him.

Between forging swords and forging armor, Xingyan chose to prioritize forging armor. He still felt safer with armor, so for the past six months, all the ore he had consumed was used to prioritize reshaping his carapace.

As it stood, Xingyan had clearly determined that his Dragon Slayer body had likely reached its limit – this was, of course, not to say he was looking for a new body.

For an ordinary Dragon Slayer, what Xingyan now possessed was the ultimate goal of their lifelong growth.

Upon reaching this level, they would find the best territory to settle down, hunt, mate, reproduce, fight other large dragons, and so on, until they died.

That was all there was to it; their entire life would merely be that of an ordinary dragon.

They were a link in the food chain, a predator necessary for maintaining the food chain.