Radiant Flood Dragon

After saying goodbye to Tang Wutong, Xiao Yi headed toward the Academy Library Pavilion.

This was the compensation Xiao Yi had asked Yan Shaozhe for. He had originally asked for a Soul Ascension Pill, but that thing was practically useless to Xiao Yi. The Mystic Water Pill was much the same. Setting aside its effects of improving one's innate aptitude and removing impurities from the body...

First of all, the process of making it was extremely crude. There was no such thing as an alchemy tradition on Douluo Continent. Ultimately, these pills were made by roughly mixing mild medicinal herbs with the blood essence of water-attributed Soul Beasts.

This method did nothing to refine the medicine's effects. Xiao Yi had Heavenly Flames, so he could try alchemy, though he would probably only be able to refine medicinal ingredients with similar properties into medicinal liquid. It would definitely work better than the Mystic Water Pill, but not by much.

Xiao Yi had applied to visit the Library Pavilion for one reason: to prepare for the Soul Beast he wanted for his fourth Soul Ring.

Xiao Yi's First Soul Ring came from a Red Fire Python. By Martial Soul standards, it was only average. After all these years of growth, its fire attribute had increased substantially, and it was only one step away from transforming into a flood dragon. However, it was still a long way from attaining an Ultimate Attribute.

Xiao Yi had actually tried using Heavenly Flames to help a snake shed its skin and evolve, as described in the original Battle Through the Heavens. It was clear that the method didn't work on Douluo Continent. Just the aura it gave off had nearly killed the Red Fire Python.

The Nether Cold Ice Python was also showing signs of transforming into a flood dragon, and its progress was countless times faster than that of Xiao Yi's other two Soul Beasts.

Only then did Xiao Yi realize he had fallen into a misconception. It was obvious that the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils were balancing the evolution rates of the three Soul Beasts. Otherwise, the Red Fire Python should have been the first to transform into a flood dragon.

But in reality, it was the Purple Lightning Flood Dragon—a Soul Beast that had already been on the verge of transforming before Xiao Yi absorbed it. Its evolution had now stopped, as if it were waiting for the other two.

Xiao Yi had always thought it wouldn't matter if they weren't dragons or serpentine dragon-like beasts, and that was where he had gone wrong. Now it seemed that seeking out dragon-type Soul Beasts was the right path.

Absorbing a dragon-type Soul Beast for his fourth Soul Ring might accelerate the transformation of his other Soul Beasts. This would greatly increase Xiao Yi's strength, changing it beyond recognition.

A snake was still a snake. He couldn't simply sit around and wait for it to evolve on its own; that would be far too slow. He had to keep finding stronger Soul Beasts to speed up the process.

Xiao Yi had come to the Library Pavilion to find a target for his next Soul Beast.

Shrek's ten thousand years of accumulated wealth included more than just resources and powerful experts. It also held some rare records. Although Xiao Yi couldn't enter the most confidential area, he had heard that it contained Self-Created Soul Skills developed by Shrek's powerful experts throughout the ages. They were naturally invaluable.

The lower floors alone were more than enough. After finding the section on Soul Beast classifications, Xiao Yi headed straight for the light-attributed Soul Beasts.

He even found a description of the Bright Sacred Dragon.

Its entire body was covered in dense, heavy, pure-gold scales. Each scale looked as if it had been forged from a thousand feet of pure gold, shimmering with flowing light and radiating sacred brilliance. Under the sun, it shone so brightly it was almost blinding.

These Soul Beasts had long, massive bodies. An adult could reach a hundred meters in length, its powerful dragon body imposing and majestic. It possessed three elemental attributes: light, lightning, and fire.

From the description, it seemed like the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils would allow him to absorb one. Further down, he found many lesser dragon-like species and snakes that carried its bloodline.

After searching for a while, Xiao Yi settled on a Soul Beast called the Radiant Flood Dragon. It had a pure light attribute and was a lesser dragon species descended from the Bright Sacred Dragon. It also possessed the bloodline of the Golden Sacred Dragon.

The records even stated that several thousand years ago, a Shrek expert had encountered a Radiant Flood Dragon with an ancestral bloodline in its habitat. It had already developed the traits of a Bright Sacred Dragon and possessed a pure light attribute. The expert's descendant had hunted it for a fifth Soul Ring.

Xiao Yi planned to spend more time searching for one around nine thousand years old, then improve its physical constitution with Whale Rubber after absorbing it, helping it evolve into a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. With the help of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, he might be able to help it cross the hardest stage of its transformation into a dragon.

The reason he wouldn't absorb one that was already ten thousand years old was that the Soul Beasts' evolution under the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils wasn't perfectly synchronized. Otherwise, the Soul Beasts wouldn't be at different stages of evolution. Absorbing Whale Rubber ahead of time could speed up the first three's transformations, allowing them to absorb ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts directly, but it wouldn't let the fourth complete its final transformation.

That way, Xiao Yi could have a Bright Sacred Dragon by the time he reached his fourth Soul Ring.

Xiao Yi also discovered from the Library Pavilion's records that the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils could absorb Soul Beasts that possessed only one attribute.

For example, Ice Dragons, Fire Dragons, Silver Dragons, Bright Sacred Dragons, Dark Sacred Dragons, and Thunder Dragons.

They were all long-bodied dragons with the form of Eastern dragons, their bodies shaped like snakes.

Those with multiple attributes, such as Golden Sacred Dragons, Hell Demon Dragons, and Golden Dragons, were generally shaped like Western dragons, with bodies like lizards.

After confirming the Radiant Flood Dragon's habitat, Xiao Yi left the Library Pavilion.

He still had to figure out how to get his hands on Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber. The era of Douluo II was unlike the one ten thousand years ago: Whale Rubber prices had soared, and it was practically impossible to find any for sale.

The trouble was, he had no money. What a sad state of affairs.

If he became a Core Disciple through the new student assessment three months from now, it'd be like taking candy from a baby. Xiao Yi didn't even want to participate.

But the Core Disciple allowance from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion was still very tempting. As for the claim that he owed Shrek and all that, it was complete bullshit. If he turned Shrek into his own Shrek, then there'd be nothing to owe.

So he'd better find a way to make money.

Meanwhile, Huo Yutong and the others had run into trouble on the other side~

Just after Xiao Yi left the Library Pavilion, a figure came walking toward him, making him pause in surprise. She looked familiar.

A cascade of red hair spilled loosely down her back. Her beautiful, alluring face was captivating, her curvaceous figure striking. What drew the eye most of all was her ample bust.

She was Ma Xiaotao, known throughout the Inner Academy as the Flame Maniac.

She walked straight up to Xiao Yi. She was clearly half a head shorter than him, yet he felt as if her presence were pressing down on him. How was that possible? It really was her presence.

"You're Xiao Yi, right? My name is Ma Xiaotao." Ma Xiaotao looked a little awkward. Approaching an unfamiliar junior with this kind of intention felt strange.

Seeing that she didn't seem to be looking for trouble, Xiao Yi withdrew the Soul Power he'd been preparing to mobilize. Fighting her would be difficult.

"Yes, I'm Xiao Yi. Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao, you're here because of the Evil Fire, right?"

Ma Xiaotao was a little surprised that he knew why she had come. She figured her teacher, Yan Shaozhe, must have told him about it. She nodded to confirm.

Xiao Yi considered it. His Nether Cold Ice Python's ice attribute hadn't reached the Ultimate Attribute, but it was still of high quality. What was more, the Evil Fire Phoenix's Evil Fire wasn't of ultimate quality either. After a brief moment of thought, he agreed. He had something he needed too, so he could bring it up now.

"Fine, I agree. But I'll need a reward afterward."

"No problem. That's only natural. Just come with me now."

They headed off together. In a nearby room, Yan Shaozhe watched them and nodded with satisfaction. Everyone said he, Yan Shaozhe, was an idiot, but in truth, he was clever as hell.

He was quite confident in his disciple's looks.

Ma Xiaotao glanced at Xiao Yi following behind her. Thinking about what her teacher had said, she felt a little awkward.