Dragon Scale

With a loud boom, the moment the voice fell, a strong gust of wind surged from the depths of the cave. The force was not particularly powerful, merely pushing Zhu Jin back a few steps; it served more as a warning, telling him that the area ahead was a forbidden zone and he was not to proceed any further.

After steadying himself, Zhu Jin lowered his head and said softly, "Your child, Zhu Jin, has reached the fourth stage."

Zhu Jin naturally knew who the voice belonged to, so he did not dare to peer further inside. He had come here because of a custom of the Void Dragon Clan: all young dragons who reached the Dou Ling stage or turned sixteen years old were required to accept a clan mission to contribute to the development of the tribe.

Zhu Jin did not find this custom strange, for the books had clearly stated that the Xiao Clan held coming-of-age ceremonies at sixteen. If one failed to reach the seventh stage of Dou Qi during the ceremony, it meant they lacked cultivation potential and would be disqualified from entering the Dou Qi Pavilion to seek cultivation techniques, instead being assigned to manage mundane affairs in the clan's various businesses.

The Xiao Clan itself originated from the Xiao Clan of the Dou Di families; although they no longer possessed the Dou Di bloodline, it was reasonable for the customs of a top-tier family to have been passed down.

The Void Dragon Clan had similar customs, with the difference being that if one reached the Dou Ling stage before the age of sixteen, they could choose their own path and simultaneously receive a reward from their biological father.

With a hum, a surge of soul power instantly swept over Zhu Jin's body. This soul force made no attempt to hide, scanning him thoroughly from the inside out.

Zhu Tian's voice drifted from the depths: "What position do you want?"

Zhu Jin replied, "Which position is the most dangerous?"

"Dragon Warrior."

"Then, Dragon Warrior."

As Zhu Jin's words faded, a low, mocking laugh echoed from within the cave: "Hahahaha, a little dragon with only three segments of dragon blood, you certainly have some guts."

It was no wonder Zhu Tian laughed; while the title of Dragon Warrior sounded impressive, in reality, they were nothing more than cannon fodder—pioneers sent to open up new territories.

Because the Dragon Emperor Zhu Kun had gone missing, Dragon Island had fractured into four separate islands. None would submit to the others, and internal strife had erupted. The Beast Domain, once controlled by the Void Dragon Clan, had consequently lost its stability and been occupied by the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan and the Nine Nether Deep Earth Python Clan. All the Void Dragons were now hidden within the void, engaged in a long, drawn-out civil war.

The so-called Dragon Warriors were those who left the islands to venture into the void and other regions to conquer territory and seize resources. Clearly, it was a position with an extremely high mortality rate, the kind from which one rarely returned.

Zhu Tian's laughter slowly ceased as he asked, "What is it that you crave? Medicinal pills? Dou techniques? Weapons? A mate?"

Just like the Xiao Clan's coming-of-age ceremony, as long as one reached a certain level of cultivation, they could receive rewards to incentivize young dragons to grow and serve the clan. Moreover, the more dangerous the position, the more generous the reward. Otherwise, no dragon would ever be willing to take on a high-risk job like that of a Dragon Warrior.

Zhu Jin said, "This child desires a piece of Father's old scale to use as protection."

"Oh?"

Although the rewards Zhu Tian mentioned were very tempting, Zhu Jin knew full well that a little dragon with only three segments of dragon blood could not possibly receive high-level rewards. At best, he might get a high-tier grade four pill; there was no way he would be given a high-tier grade seven Transformation Pill.

An old scale might sound like a poor choice, but one had to remember that Zhu Tian was a genuine high-level eighth-rank Void Dragon with the cultivation of a Dou Zun. Even if the scales on his body possessed no special power, a shed old dragon scale would not be inferior in hardness to some grade five shield-type magical equipment. If one could find suitable magical cores and materials, it could even be forged into equipment above grade six.

Even if it were just a useless old scale from an eighth-rank magical beast—something akin to human dandruff—it was still a very precious material at the Dou Ling level. Furthermore, although the Void Dragon Clan's soul power was not particularly outstanding, the dragon race was naturally strong and could breathe fire; they were master blacksmiths in their own right.

Of course, the hardness of the scale was not Zhu Jin's primary objective; he had other ideas.

"Hmph, a clever little dragon, though you do have some ideas and courage." Zhu Tian's golden pupils narrowed slightly. Then, in the darkness, he slowly raised a dragon claw and with a click, pried a dragon scale from his own body. With a flick of his claw, a dark purple dragon scale, half the size of Zhu Jin's body, flew before him.

"You certainly have some brains and guts. This is a new scale; it contains a trace of soul power and can protect you once."

Hearing his biological father's words, Zhu Jin could not help but be overjoyed. This was an unexpected windfall. Zhu Tian did not say how strong an enemy it could withstand, but the very fact that he did not specify was enough to show his confidence; it was likely enough to save his life against anyone below the Dou Zun level.

Zhu Jin thought to himself, This is a world where the strong are respected. A single handout from a powerhouse can grant such immense power. The soul power contained within this is likely enough to wipe out the Misty Cloud Sect.

Zhu Jin could not help but fantasize: if Xiao Yan had carried this dragon scale to the Misty Cloud Sect back then, even Protector Wu would have likely fled in terror.

Zhu Jin remained composed, holding the massive dragon scale with both hands, and said respectfully, "Thank you for your grace, Father."

After granting the reward, the depths of the cave fell into a deathly silence. Zhu Jin did not say another word and left the cave. In a world where the strong were respected, a powerhouse might grant you a favor when in a good mood, but could just as easily wipe you out when in a bad one.

With a thought, the dragon scale in his hand vanished. After all, being of the Void Dragon Clan, his innate passive Dou technique was a built-in storage space, saving him the cost of buying a storage ring.

Zhu Jin stood on a cliff in Dragon Valley, looking up at the endless void world above Dragon Island, and muttered to himself, "Getting a new dragon scale is an unexpected joy, but at least I can finally leave Dragon Island. Calculating the time, if my transmigration timeline matches Xiao Yan's, he should be about to have his Dou Qi drained by Yao Chen, turning from a genius into a waste."

Zhu Jin had been reborn as a dragon for over ten years, nearly eleven. In the book's timeline, Xiao Yan became a Dou Zhe at eleven, shook Wutan City with his fame, and was then drained of his Dou Qi by Yao Chen inside his storage ring, becoming a waste and beginning his three years of disgrace.

Although Zhu Jin had no system cheat or old grandfather, he possessed the ability to "foresee the future." He knew the trajectory of this world's destiny!

All his peers thought that Zhu Jin's rapid cultivation was merely forcing growth, but only he knew that the sooner he left Dragon Island, the more likely he was to have the last laugh, because the Dou Qi continent held one "greatest opportunity."

In the ten years since his rebirth, Zhu Jin had pondered much. He finally realized that the greatest opportunity on the Dou Qi continent was not meeting Xiao Yan, not cultivating the Fen Jue, not absorbing Heavenly Flames, not Yao Chen's storage ring, and not the Dou Di inheritance in the Tuoshe Ancient God's mansion—it was Zi Yan.