Hatching

As the Golden Dragon King infused his final strand of origin divine power, the subspace instantly erupted with dazzling golden light, as though a blazing sun had been lit within this chaotic void.

The flowing radiance rapidly contracted and condensed, eventually forming a dragon egg about a foot long.

The entire dragon egg was an utterly pure gold. Mysterious Dao patterns flowed across its shell, while countless ancient golden markings writhed like living creatures. They were the supreme bloodline inscriptions of the dragon clan, exuding majestic heavenly might.

"It's done!"

The Golden Dragon King's tightly drawn massive dragon head finally relaxed, and a fatherly satisfaction appeared in his exhausted dragon eyes. This was his son—perfect and flawless. The patterns on this eggshell alone were a hundred times more advanced than those Tang Wulin had been born with!

The next second, clear thump, thump sounds came from within the eggshell.

They were heartbeats, strong and powerful, each one seeming to strike deep within the Golden Dragon King's soul. Even before hatching, that surging vitality was already impossible to conceal.

Inside the eggshell, within a chaotic world of darkness.

Yu Chen's consciousness slowly awakened from a hazy stupor.

"Where... am I?"

He instinctively tried to speak, only to find that he could not make a sound. Everything around him was sticky and warm, yet the extreme crampedness filled him with inexplicable panic.

"Why is it so damn dark? Wait, why is it so cramped? Was I kidnapped? Or locked in solitary confinement?"

As a seasoned corporate drone from the twenty-first century, countless thoughts flashed through Yu Chen's mind. He clearly remembered staying up late to rush a proposal. He had been too tired and fallen asleep at his desk, so how had he ended up in this godforsaken place the moment he opened his eyes?

"Could it be... I transmigrated?"

The moment those words surfaced, Yu Chen's heart abruptly skipped a beat.

According to the usual webnovel tropes, shouldn't transmigration come with a system notification, or some old man nearby saying, "Young man, I see extraordinary potential in you"?

He tried moving his "hand," only to discover that he seemed to be curled into a ball. His limbs were restrained by some invisible force, leaving him completely unable to stretch out.

"I'm screwed, I'm screwed. This is not the right opening!"

Yu Chen ranted wildly in his heart. "Other people transmigrate and rise from being trash, or start out by checking in for some ancient sacred body. What the hell is this for me? Starting out as an egg? Or trapped in a tiny space?"

"Is anyone there? Is this some kind of prank? Let me out! Where am I? Who am I? I have to go to work! I need my perfect attendance bonus!"

He flailed wildly in the darkness, trying to break free from this confinement. Little did he know that, from the Golden Dragon King's perspective outside, the perfect dragon egg was trembling slightly without pause, as if the life within were undergoing some unknown struggle.

Golden light flowed through the subspace.

Watching the dragon egg before him, which radiated a perfect aura as it swayed gently in an extremely rhythmic pattern, the Golden Dragon King's scale-covered face unexpectedly revealed an amused, humanlike smile.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. How strange."

His massive dragon head lowered slightly as he leaned close to the dragon egg, observing the movement inside with great interest.

As a God King-level expert who had lived for countless ages, he had seen many young dragons hatch from their shells. Most of them would bite at the eggshells in confusion, full of savagery and animal instinct. But this little fellow before him gave him an entirely different feeling.

It was not merely the rhythm of life. It was more like... irritability?

Through the thin eggshell, the Golden Dragon King seemed to sense the little fellow inside waving his limbs around. Even through the egg fluid, he could feel that restless, agitated emotion.

"This child... sure has plenty of strength."

The Golden Dragon King marveled. He was quite pleased by this vigor of "causing trouble before even being born." What did that mean? It meant this child possessed extraordinarily vigorous life force and might have even inherited the Golden Dragon King's violent battle instincts!

"Hmph. Looks like his talent is maxed out."

The Golden Dragon King secretly felt smug. His grand gesture of forcibly catalyzing things with divine power had not been wasted after all. This child was clearly far stronger than Tang Wulin, that half-baked fellow who still needed to slowly grow by drinking blood.

"However..." The Golden Dragon King's whiskers twitched, and a crafty gleam flashed through his eyes. "Brute strength alone won't do. If you want to win over Gu Yuena, that lovestruck fool, a face and body alone won't be enough. You have to start young."

He cleared his throat—though a throat was unnecessary in this subspace—then adopted the posture of a stern father and sent a mental transmission to the dragon egg.

"You little brat, stop flailing around in there. That's an eggshell, not your future mother-in-law's house."

The Golden Dragon King's voice carried authority mixed with a strangely expectant undertone as it drilled directly into Yu Chen's muddled consciousness.

"Listen up. Since you've come into this world, you'd better be prepared. You have only one goal—win over the Silver Dragon King! Your rival is Tang San's son. That kid may be a cheat, but we're not afraid. I've prepared all my lifelong power for you!"

"Your task now is to hatch! Come out, call me Dad first, then I'll teach you the ultimate flirting techniques!"

Ten days later.

Within the subspace, the original peace and tranquility were shattered by a crisp crack.

Fine cracks spread across the surface of the golden dragon egg floating in midair. Golden light burst from the fissures, illuminating the dim space until it was bright and clear.

"Crack—crash!"

With the final crisp sound, the eggshell exploded like fireworks, scattering countless specks of golden light. Immediately afterward, a chubby, glittering golden little fellow rolled out, flailed twice in the void, and barely managed to steady himself.

It was a miniature Golden Dragon King, only the size of a puppy. Fine, exquisite dragon scales covered his entire body, and two still-underdeveloped little wings fluttered behind him. Those bright dragon eyes were filled with—confusion.

Yu Chen lowered his head and stared blankly at his "hands."

They were not hands.

They were golden-scaled, sharp-hooked... dragon claws?

He tried moving them. The hooked claws flexed nimbly, slicing faint currents through the void.

"Wait... this isn't how the script was supposed to go, is it?"