The Dragon

Yang Chengzhi figured that if he really wore this cape to the Dragon Ranking Tournament, he would definitely draw everyone's attention—but he would just as definitely be taken for a fool.

Yang Chengzhi didn't even need to figure it out. The siblings standing behind Ma Feifei, Zhou Guanyu and Zhou Zhuling, were already struggling to keep from laughing aloud. That alone showed how ridiculous the idea was.

Having Yang Chengzhi wear the cape to the Dragon Ranking Tournament was Ma Feifei's idea for completing the system's main quest. Ma Feifei figured that if Yang Chengzhi could shine at the tournament, people would surely notice the words on the back of his cape. Then Yang Chengzhi could casually hint that his cultivation had improved because he'd read a book at the Mysterious Bookstore. After that, would anyone still overlook the bookstore?

It was called the power of advertising.

"Is it that funny?" Ma Feifei glanced up at Zhou Zhuling. They'd known each other for so long that she didn't take him seriously anymore.

Under Ma Feifei's gaze, Zhou Zhuling quickly put on a serious expression. But her big eyes were nearly squeezed shut, and her long eyelashes were fluttering. She was clearly having a hard time holding it in.

Ma Feifei sighed, turned around, and said earnestly to Yang Chengzhi, "Brother Yang, I know it's asking a lot to have you wear this cape to the Dragon Ranking Tournament. But do you know? The bookstore is almost out of business. If we don't attract some customers soon, the Mysterious Bookstore will cease to exist before long."

"Besides, you've already reached the Spirit Sect First Stage. Surely the bookstore deserves some credit, right? The bookstore is at a life-or-death crossroads. Asking you to make a small sacrifice so it can survive isn't unreasonable, is it?"

That was right: Yang Chengzhi had broken through again, advancing from Spirit Master Ninth Stage to Spirit Sect First Stage without even encountering a bottleneck. Yang Chengzhi himself didn't believe it could have happened without the Mysterious Bookstore.

"Is it really that bad?" Yang Chengzhi muttered, hearing how grave Ma Feifei made it sound. He had experienced the bookstore's wonders firsthand. A single book had raised his cultivation by several stages. That defied all common sense; across the entire Azure Dragon Continent, it was one of a kind. How could a place like this be on the verge of closing? It sounded like a joke.

Deep down, Yang Chengzhi didn't want more people to learn about the bookstore. He'd even wondered whether he could make it his own.

The latter was obviously a pipe dream, and Yang Chengzhi knew it. Ma Feifei had shown that his strength was far beyond what a small fry like Yang Chengzhi could challenge. But now Ma Feifei wanted him to promote the bookstore at the Dragon Ranking Tournament, and that ran completely counter to what Yang Chengzhi wanted.

Everyone had their own selfish motives.

If everyone learned about the bookstore and came to read there and improve their cultivation, wouldn't Yang Chengzhi lose his advantage all over again? How could he bear that?

"Would I joke about something like this?" Ma Feifei said solemnly. His words weren't entirely accurate, but he truly wasn't lying. If he failed the quest, who knew whether the system would disappear? And if it did, would these books still have their miraculous power? Of course not.

"All right, then." Yang Chengzhi glanced at Ma Feifei and finally agreed. In truth, he didn't have any way to refuse Ma Feifei's requests.

Seeing Yang Chengzhi accept the cape, Ma Feifei smiled. "I'm sure you'll make a name for yourself at the Dragon Ranking Tournament, so please promote the bookstore when the time is right. And don't worry—I won't ask you to do this for nothing. Once the bookstore is running smoothly, I'll give you a surprise."

If you asked someone for help, you had to offer them something in return. Yang Chengzhi didn't owe him anything; Ma Feifei understood that.

Yang Chengzhi nodded. Since he couldn't stop Ma Feifei from publicizing the bookstore, he decided to maintain a good relationship with him. Perhaps he'd receive some preferential treatment later.

As the Dragon Ranking Tournament at Zhenguan Academy approached, everyone in the Chu Kingdom, from the state itself to its common people, began to bustle about.

For the academy, the tournament might have been no more than a test of its students' strength. But for the Chu Kingdom, each tournament helped the state discover many talented people. The more accomplished the current generation of young prodigies was, the farther they would go in the future. The next Spirit Saint might even emerge from their ranks. As for other countries, the Chu Kingdom's Dragon Ranking Tournament was a miniature reflection of its strength. By observing the students' performance, they could predict the course of the Chu Kingdom's fortunes.

The Dragon Ranking Tournament was no longer merely an internal competition at Zhenguan Academy. It had become a test of strength for the entire Chu Kingdom.

Across the Chu Kingdom's vast territory were countless academies, but only one could represent the state: one of the Seven Great Academies of the Azure Dragon Continent, and the only academy in the Chu Kingdom with a Spirit Saint in residence—Zhenguan Academy!

The Chu Kingdom's finest gathered at Zhenguan Academy.

Today was the day Ma Feifei and the others set out. Early in the morning, everyone arrived at the bookstore.

Ma Feifei had gotten up long ago. He'd spent ages splitting the spoils with Yun Qingyang in her room before finally coming out, looking rather unhappy.

How did that girl know exactly how much money I'd taken? I didn't manage to pocket even a single Spirit Crystal. Ma Feifei felt the ninety Spirit Crystals in his pouch and grumbled inwardly.

Behind him, Yun Qingyang wore a rare hint of amusement beneath her usual cool expression. She shot Ma Feifei a haughty glance, as if to say, Nice try. You thought I wouldn't notice a petty trick like that?

It had left Ma Feifei thoroughly annoyed.

"Is everyone ready? Then let's go." Ma Feifei looked at Zhou Zhuling and the others. They had nothing in their hands, but he remembered they each had a spatial pouch of their own and had probably packed everything inside, unlike him, still stuck carrying a bundle.

He sighed, feeling that he was doing terribly for himself.

"Hey, we're starting," Ma Feifei said, glancing at Yun Qingyang.

Yun Qingyang looked at the courtyard and shook her head. "It's too small."

"Too small? This courtyard's over two hundred square meters!" Ma Feifei exclaimed. There was enough room here to park a commercial airliner. Was this dragon really bigger than a plane?

Yun Qingyang nodded.

Ma Feifei shrugged helplessly. "Fine, then. We'll leave town first."

The three of them watched Ma Feifei and Yun Qingyang head outside. They exchanged bewildered looks; they hadn't understood what the two were talking about at all.

Only after following Ma Feifei ten miles outside Dubian Town, to a stretch of open plain, did they see Yun Qingyang suddenly transform into a giant dragon and understand what they'd been discussing.

"Th-this!" Yang Chengzhi's eyes widened. His legs trembled as he stared at the giant dragon in the sky, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"It's actually a dragon." Zhou Zhuling gazed at the dragon overhead, her face pale. The dragon's aura made her whole body feel uncomfortable. With Zhou Guanyu supporting her, she barely managed to stay upright.

Zhou Guanyu, who was holding Zhou Zhuling up, was drenched in sweat. He released his spiritual energy to resist the dragon's aura, and had to use some of it to protect Zhou Zhuling as well. His spiritual energy was draining too quickly, and his lips had begun to pale. Yet the shock on his face was no less than anyone else's.

By contrast, Ma Feifei seemed completely unaffected. He looked up at the dragon overhead, which appeared to be more than thirty meters long, his eyes full of curiosity.

This dragon differed from the dragons of ancient legend in Ma Feifei's world. It looked more like a Western dragon, with blue scales and a chill emanating from its entire body. Its wings stretched more than ten meters across. It had no horns, and its slightly open jaws revealed a glimpse of hard teeth. The Dragon Breath it exhaled was frost that solidified in midair and fell as icicles.

The enormous dragon circled above them, blotting out the sky from their view. The clear sky instantly darkened. Cold radiated from its body, sending the temperature plummeting. Everyone present had cultivated, yet they still felt the chill.

"How magnificent! So this is the splendor of an Ancient Frost Dragon!" Ma Feifei murmured, gazing up at the Frost Giant Dragon.

The other three were just as astonished as Ma Feifei, if not more so.

Not a single dragon had appeared on the Azure Dragon Continent in the thirty thousand years since ancient times.

Like immortals, dragons existed only in legend.

Now they were witnessing a dragon's appearance. The sheer shock of it was unimaginable.

So even though the three of them were trembling beneath the dragon's aura, none chose to leave. They desperately released their spiritual energy to resist the pressure while gazing up at the dragon. They might have been the first humans in thirty thousand years to see a dragon again.

"Come up," Yun Qingyang's voice came from the dragon's slightly parted jaws.

In an instant, they felt the dragon's pressure disappear from their bodies. Only the bone-deep cold remained.

Whoosh! The giant dragon gently flapped its wings and descended, its feet hitting the ground with a boom.

The impact was no less than an explosion.

Then the dragon lowered one wing to the ground, forming a staircase.

But Zhou Zhuling and the others exchanged glances, too afraid to step onto it. In the end, they all looked to Ma Feifei.

"What are you looking at me for? Get on!" Ma Feifei was excited to see a dragon for the first time. He called to them and stepped onto its wing first.

"Hard and cold." The moment he stepped onto the wing, Ma Feifei felt as if he were walking on the hardest, coldest stone in the world. With every step, the sole of his foot was painfully jolted, and the cold made him shiver.

"As expected of a descendant of the Ancient Frost Dragon. Just the pressure it gives off is probably enough to crush a Spirit Sect cultivator," Ma Feifei exclaimed.

Looking down at the exquisite scales, each one seemingly painted by hand, Ma Feifei couldn't resist bending down to touch one.

"Feels amazing!" Ma Feifei couldn't help praising the sensation of the dragon's scales.

Whoosh! The wing suddenly flapped, sending Ma Feifei flying.

Smack! He fell.

"Damn!" Ma Feifei landed headfirst, mouthful of grass and all. He sat up, about to speak, when a gust of wind rushed toward him. In the next instant, Yun Qingyang's dragon head appeared in front of him.

Whoosh! The enormous dragon head stared silently at Ma Feifei. Its jaws parted slightly, and its Dragon Breath washed over him.

Looking at the dragon head, which was larger than his whole body, Ma Feifei awkwardly pulled the grass out of his mouth and tossed it at Yun Qingyang's face. He stammered, "I'm telling you, my hand had a mind of its own. Do you believe me?"