My Biological Dragon Dad

"Ah, in the blink of an eye, I'd been a dragon for nearly eleven years."

As he flew, Zhu Jin muttered to himself to ease his boredom. The Dragon Blood Stele tested one's bloodline once at birth, then once every ten years. After all, a magical beast's bloodline power could be improved, so testing was needed every decade.

The Ancient Void Dragon Clan was slightly different from human society. During their first ten years after birth, the clan provided young dragons with the magical beast flesh and herbs they needed, raising them until adulthood. But after those ten years, they had to hunt and fend for themselves.

Unlike the human cultivation system, the lower an Ancient Void Dragon's talent was, the faster it grew in its early years. It was as though the Ancient Void Dragon Clan's genes had already assigned different duties to dragons of different ranks. Those with lower-grade dragon blood were "dragon material," pushed to reach their cultivation bottlenecks early so they could serve the clan.

An ordinary lower-ranked warrior with three segments of dragon blood would begin to suffer a weakening of bloodline power upon reaching the Dou Ling realm. After that, their cultivation speed would crawl like a turtle, and they would soon be surpassed by dragons with superior bloodlines. That was why Zhu Zong looked down on Zhu Jin despite knowing that Zhu Jin's cultivation was currently higher. Within two or three years, Zhu Zong's cultivation would surpass his, and Zhu Zong's upper limit would be higher as well.

Moreover, magical beasts had no such thing as cultivation techniques, because their bloodlines were their cultivation techniques.

Take the Ancient Void Dragon Clan, for example. They were born with a special Dragon Dou Qi. As long as they ate and slept, their bloodline power would convert energy into Dragon Dou Qi and raise their cultivation. Thus, the limit of their bloodline was also the limit of their cultivation, and the limit of their cultivation technique.

Using cultivation technique grades as a comparison, one segment of dragon blood was equivalent to a Yellow Tier technique. Two, three, and four segments corresponded to low, mid, and high Mystic Tier techniques. Five, six, and seven segments corresponded to the Earth Tier, while eight, nine, and ten segments corresponded to the Heaven Tier. Zhu Jin reckoned that only Zi Yan and Zhu Kun might possess ten segments of dragon blood. Even the three Dragon Kings could not possibly have reached ten segments.

That was why magical beasts pursued stronger bloodlines throughout their lives. Bloodline was equivalent to a cultivation technique. Someone cultivating a mid Mystic Tier technique would naturally be several times stronger than someone of the same level cultivating a Yellow Tier technique.

Magical beasts did not possess advantages alone; they also had an obvious weakness—the strength of their souls. Their bodies were powerful, but their souls were correspondingly much weaker. Of course, the Ancient Void Dragon Clan's weak soul strength depended on what it was compared against. They were naturally weaker than alchemists, but far stronger than ordinary cultivators.

"Ah, reincarnating as an Ancient Void Dragon gave me such a high starting point, so why didn't I get an old grandpa?" Zhu Jin lowered his head and glanced at his empty claws. He had waited for ten years, yet neither a grandfatherly soul hidden in his mother's relics nor a system had appeared.

As Zhu Jin grumbled about this and that, he finally arrived at his destination—a Dragon Valley.

From above, the valley's ridges were so steep they were nearly vertical. Wind blew up from the valley floor, carrying the mingled scent of sulfur and aged pine resin. Towering ancient trees grew all around, while scorching spring water flowed across the valley floor, forming a vast lake.

Most spectacular of all were the dragon bones piled across the valley floor. Every one of them belonged to an Ancient Void Dragon. There were dragons from East Dragon Island, South Dragon Island, and West Dragon Island, but even more were the remains of ancient dragons from North Dragon Island. Nothing remained of those dragons but their skeletons, yet a faint red glow still shone within them, like embers that had not gone out.

Dragon Saliva Grass grew around the bones, its leaves thick and dark purple. It was one of the herbs young dragons consumed most often and could slowly, if only slightly, increase the concentration of dragon blood.

"Ten years now, and I'm still shocked every time I come back." Zhu Jin walked deeper into Dragon Valley, passing young dragons even smaller than himself as they ate or slept.

That was right. This was his home—or rather, his clan.

Like the Xiao Clan, the Ancient Void Dragon Clan was divided into different branches. Xiao Yan and his two brothers belonged to the clan leader's branch, while Xiao Ning belonged to the First Elder's branch. The difference was that the Ancient Void Dragon Clan had one shared biological father. In essence, it was more like a feudal system where kings, nobles, and generals were granted territories. This entire expanse of land belonged to Zhu Jin's biological father—Zhu Tian.

Every Ancient Void Dragon living in this Dragon Valley was one of Zhu Tian's offspring.

Zhu Jin passed through the young dragon area and entered an enormous cave at the deepest part of Dragon Valley. His gaze fell upon the two massive doors before the cave. They had been forged from some special metal and gave off an ancient sheen. Zhu Jin had no idea what metal they were made from, but if these doors were used as weapons, their grade would surely not be low.

Zhu Jin slowly lowered his head and said respectfully to the doors, "Your son, Zhu Jin, requests an audience."

Although Zhu Jin had been reborn for ten years, he had only seen his biological father a few times and had little impression of him. But no matter how foolish he was, he knew that anyone who could possess such a vast territory on North Dragon Island had to be at least a Dou Venerate.

After all, Zhu Jin remembered the brief descriptions in the book. The three Dragon Islands did not have many Dou Saints, and the name Zhu Tian had never appeared in the battle for Dragon Island. Therefore, his biological father was at most an early Half-Saint, and most likely a high-level Dou Venerate.

In the current Ancient Void Dragon Clan, a high-level Dou Venerate already stood near the top of the pyramid. The Ancient Void Dragon Clan's overall strength was still inferior to the Soul Clan and the Gu Clan.

Not long after his words fell, a "Creak—" sounded as the two hundred-meter-tall doors slowly opened. As those heavy doors gradually parted, Zhu Jin felt no sense of returning home. Instead, it was as though the gates of hell had opened before him.

Zhu Jin did not hesitate in the slightest. The moment the doors opened, he immediately walked inside. Once he entered, the doors shut tightly behind him.

There was not a trace of firelight within the cave, but darkness was no obstacle to the Ancient Void Dragon Clan. This was not Zhu Jin's first time entering, nor was it his first time hearing of this place. It was not only his biological father's cave and palace, but also his "harem."

"Even though this isn't my first time coming in, I still can't get used to it." Zhu Jin looked down near his feet, where a naked female body lay sprawled on the ground. She was gasping heavily with her mouth wide open. If one listened carefully, one could hear waves of sounds rising and falling from the depths of the cave.

At first, Zhu Jin had not understood why his biological father was so obsessed with making children. But ten years of reincarnated life had taught him many things.

Once a magical beast's cultivation reached the limit of its bloodline, and it knew it could no longer break through, it would naturally begin indulging itself and producing descendants to pass down its bloodline. After all, Ancient Void Dragons lived far too long. With such long lives, they had to find something to do.

There were not only human women here. Magical beasts renowned throughout the Beast Domain, such as those from the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan, Green Phoenix Clan, and Nine Nether Deep Earth Python Clan, were here as well. Some had taken human form, while others retained their magical beast forms. Zhu Jin guessed that these female magical beasts did not truly count as Zhu Tian's harem. More likely, they were treated as objects, wombs, or even toys.

Zhu Jin had heard that some of his elder brothers were rewarded by Zhu Tian with these wombs and territories after making breakthroughs in cultivation or performing military merits, allowing them to leave the clan and reproduce.

Zhu Jin guessed that his own mother was likely one of them. Yet he had never seen her, and he would not even be told what the other half of his bloodline was. Everything prioritized the Ancient Void Dragon Clan bloodline.

As for whether they had been forced or willing, Zhu Jin guessed that the vast majority had probably been willing. In a world like the Dou Qi Continent, where strength reigned supreme, a high-level Dou Venerate was the cream of the crop among the rich, powerful, and handsome. To magical beasts below the Dou Venerate realm, a high-level Dou Venerate Ancient Void Dragon was practically a god.

"What brings you here?"