This was a world that belonged to battle qi. There was no flashy, dazzling magic; there was only battle qi that had flourished to its peak... and dragons.
"Dragon Blood, Third Stage!"
Looking at the five large, gleaming words on the Dragon Blood Stele, so bright they were almost blinding, the young dragon remained expressionless. Yet a smug smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and his dragon tail lightly slapped the ground in excitement, stirring up clouds of dust.
"Zhu Jin, Dragon Blood, Third Stage! Grade: Low." Beside the massive Dragon Blood Stele, an elderly dragon floated in midair, his whiskers drifting about. He glanced at the information displayed on the stele and read it out in a tone as indifferent as a homeroom teacher calling attendance.
For quite some time after the elderly dragon spoke, the dragons atop Dragon Cliff on North Dragon Island made no sound. It was not that they had failed to hear him, but that they simply did not care. Within the Ancient Void Dragon Clan, dragon blood ranged from the lowest First Stage to the highest Tenth Stage, pureblood.
Third Stage was not the lowest, but it was the most common, ordinary, and unremarkable. As long as one's biological father was an Ancient Void Dragon, one was guaranteed at least Second-Stage dragon blood. Being at the bottom was not the worst thing; being ordinary was.
The elderly dragon cast Zhu Jin an indifferent glance and said flatly, "Why are you still standing here?"
Facing the elder's cold gaze, the young dragon glared back as though he were looking at a dead dragon, without trembling in the slightest just because the other was stronger.
Because Zhu Jin understood that these people—no, these dragons—would all be dead dragons in the near future. Dragon Emperor Zi Yan would return, East Dragon Island would unify all Dragon Islands, and she would ultimately purge every traitor.
All blood of betrayal would be ended by the Dragon Emperor Sword!
And the entire continent would be ruled by a Dou Di named Xiao Yan.
Without a doubt, Zhu Jin was a transmigrator. He had been reborn into the world of Battle Through the Heavens, born on North Dragon Island as an Ancient Void Dragon.
"Thirty years on Dragon Island, thirty years in the phoenix nest—do not mock a poor young dragon. Hmph!" Zhu Jin snorted. After delivering the famous line he had long prepared, he flicked his tail, crooked his lips, clasped his hands behind his back, and turned to leave Dragon Cliff.
If he had transmigrated into Battle Through the Heavens without saying that line, would that not have made the trip pointless?
Watching the little dragon leave with his hands behind his back and his face full of pride, the old dragon stroked his whiskers and sighed inwardly. "That little dragon has some backbone. He is teachable material, too. What a pity his dragon blood concentration is not high."
"Next, Zhu Zong."
At the old dragon's call, a little dragon swooped down from above Dragon Cliff. With a thunderous crash, he landed beside Zhu Jin, who was about to leave, kicking up a cloud of dust. His amber vertical pupils held the disdain of a superior for an inferior. He glanced at Zhu Jin from the corner of his eye, sneered, and headed toward the Dragon Blood Stele.
This little dragon appeared somewhat smaller than Zhu Jin. His whiskers fluttered, and under the sunlight, his dragon scales shimmered with a faint bluish-purple gleam, coldly radiant and dazzling. They were entirely unlike Zhu Jin's somewhat dull scales, making him seem far more imposing.
Zhu Zong sliced open his skin with a claw, and a drop of dragon blood flew toward the Dragon Blood Stele. Before long, golden light appeared upon the blood-red giant stele.
"Zhu Zong, Dragon Blood, Four and a Half Stages! Grade: Medium."
Roar!!! Hearing the old dragon's words, Zhu Zong could not help throwing back his head and roaring. Though he was only a ten-year-old little dragon, his dragon cry already carried considerable might. The sound waves shook the trees around Dragon Cliff and sent sand and rocks tumbling down.
"Mm, not bad." Seeing the words on the Dragon Blood Stele, the old dragon stroked his beard, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Four and a half stages might not have sounded high, but it had already surpassed the passing line. He had risen above the ranks of ordinary dragons and reached the level of an outstanding dragon. Unless something unexpected happened, he would become a high-level Dou Zong in the future. With a few opportunities, even becoming a Low-Level Dou Venerate was not impossible.
In contrast, the limit of Third-Stage dragon blood was Dou Emperor, and only a low-level Dou Emperor at that. If cultivation did not go smoothly, one might not even reach Dou Emperor and remain a Dou King for life.
In the Jia Ma Empire, a Dou King was enough to dominate a region and live comfortably for a lifetime. But this was North Dragon Island, home of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan. A Dou King here was no different from a menial worker.
"Well, well, four-and-a-half-stage bloodline. His bloodline rose by half a stage during childhood. He really is lucky."
"A medium bloodline. He has already surpassed most little dragons. That is indeed impressive."
Listening to the envious discussions coming from the dragons above Dragon Cliff, the little dragon could not help raising the corners of his mouth. His smile carried a hint of vanity. After all, bloodlines formed a pyramid. Those below Third Stage made up seventy to eighty percent of the clan, while reaching Fourth Stage was already rare, placing one in the middle tier of the bloodline pyramid.
Zhu Zong turned around and looked toward Zhu Jin not far away, his eyes full of provocation and even a trace of ferocity. Not every dragon in the Ancient Void Dragon Clan bore the surname Zhu, so it was obvious that the two dragons were half-brothers.
There was no familial affection to speak of on North Dragon Island. In some ways, the living environment on Dragon Island was far crueler than the strong-prey-on-the-weak world described in books. Magical beasts had always valued bloodlines above all else. Bloodlines represented one's future—a foreseeable future—and that alone showed how rigid the class system of this society was.
Discrimination and bullying were mild enough. In a barbaric society, one could be killed by a superior at any time.
However, faced with discrimination and bullying from his fellow clansman and brother, Zhu Jin narrowed his eyes slightly. A cold gleam flashed through his vertical pupils as he stepped forward and blocked Zhu Zong's path.
"Hm?" Zhu Zong frowned. Looking at the brother blocking his way, he said unhappily, "What do you want?"
"Teach you how to be a little brother." When faced with bullying, one had to hit back hard!
"Roar—" A dragon cry startled the surroundings. Zhu Jin let out a long roar, then in the next instant bent his legs and explosively pushed off the ground. His pair of dragon claws came crashing down toward Zhu Zong. The moment those claws struck, they pierced the sound barrier, producing a thunderous sonic boom.
The claws piercing the sound barrier showed just how powerful that strike was. An ordinary magical beast would likely be unable to withstand it, perhaps crushed into a bloody mist by the immense force.
Facing claws powerful enough to crush rock, Zhu Zong's dragon pupils contracted. He roared in fury, "Battle Qi Dragon Armor!"
Following Zhu Zong's roar, dense blood-red battle qi seeped from the gaps between his overlapping dragon scales.
Zhu Jin did not panic at this sight, because this was merely the battle qi armor unique to Da Dou Shi. The other was close to his age, only a little over ten, and his cultivation was merely that of a five-star Da Dou Shi.
However, the Ancient Void Dragon Clan's battle qi armor was stronger than an ordinary Da Dou Shi's battle qi armor. It could combine battle qi with the dragon's own scales to form a set of Battle Qi Dragon Armor, something even ordinary nine-star Da Dou Shi found difficult to break through.
"Hmph, you really are naive, little brother."
With a thunderous boom, the dragon claws arrived as expected. Those claws actually tore through the Battle Qi Dragon Armor. Like a hot knife through butter, the sharp claws pierced the dragon scales and sank into flesh. Zhu Zong bared his teeth in pain, his body sinking downward segment by segment. Even an Ancient Void Dragon's immense strength could not withstand it, especially when his opponent was also an Ancient Void Dragon.
"Your cultivation has reached Dou Ling?!" Zhu Zong's heart jolted. He had never expected this fellow, whose bloodline was even lower than his own, to possess cultivation so much higher than his!
Zhu Jin smiled faintly, using the power of his Dou Ling cultivation to suppress his little brother. "My stats are higher than yours."
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