An Uneventful Day

After Dragonbirth Day, the weather gradually warmed.

The noon sun blazed brightly, bathing Ochre Valley in light. Birdsong chirped and trilled through the woods scattered across the rolling hills, rising and falling in waves.

Even hatchlings brimming with energy felt languid beneath such sunlight and noise, too lazy to so much as move.

Xilong lay curled up and sprawled out, letting out a yawn.

Chrome Dragons were originally considered a medium-sized dragon species, but Xilong was exceptionally gifted and grew quickly. Recently, he had become increasingly large, having long surpassed two meters in length and now approaching the size of some Iron Dragons and Cobalt Dragons.

To accommodate his ever-growing body, Xilong could only tear down his old nest and build a new one.

With the help of the Nickel Dragons, his new nest was roomier and brighter. From the outside, it no longer looked like a crude stone hollow, but truly had a little of the appearance of a dragon's nest.

The sun outside was fierce, while the nest lay shrouded in the shadow of the cliff wall. Xilong coiled within it, pressing down on clean, soft fine sand as he gently swayed his long tail, carrying an indescribable air of leisure.

More than a dozen Little Stone Spirits clung to him, hopping around like birds with creaks and squeaks as they rubbed themselves against the hatchling's scales.

The bodies of these little things were made of stone. Their friction happened to finely wear away the burrs on his scales, polishing Xilong without truly harming his body.

Xilong shifted, opening his mouth and adding his fangs, horns, and clawed toes to the polishing lineup as well.

The incident of saving the Creation Rock Orb had left the Little Stone Spirits utterly worshipful of Xilong. Without hesitation, they recognized him as their protector. They stuffed the Creation Rock Orb into the Chrome Dragon's claws, then rolled after him in a tumbling mass, leaving the underground mineral vein with him.

They settled anew among rocks and crevices. Usually, they were nowhere to be seen, only rustling out from all sorts of places whenever Xilong called.

As the Little Stone Spirits continued grinding away, the Chrome Dragon's somewhat dull steel-gray scales gradually revealed a brighter metallic sheen. His claws and fangs also became increasingly sharp after polishing, like gleaming blades.

Occasionally, a Little Stone Spirit would use too much force, making a scale tremble almost imperceptibly. It would immediately stop in fright, staring with tiny obsidian-like eyes as it nervously watched Xilong's reaction.

Only after seeing that the Chrome Dragon still had his eyes closed and did not move would it relax again. It would switch to another scale, begin cautiously, gradually put more effort into it, then lose itself in the work, before finally rubbing back and forth in excitement once more.

These little things seemed to enjoy polishing Xilong's scales. Whenever the grinding ended, their dusty bodies had shrunk by several sizes, yet after absorbing the fallen scale dust, each of them looked completely satisfied, and faint glimmers of light appeared in their eyes.

The nest was quiet, filled only with the fine, dense rustling sound, like spring silkworms chewing mulberry leaves.

Xilong changed posture, sending some Little Stone Spirits tumbling to the ground. They shook their heads for a while before quickly climbing back up.

Some time had passed since the mineral vein expedition. After returning, Xilong used "Consume Gold, Absorb Iron" once again, swallowing the Iron Grease offered by the Mushroom People together with the gold coins given by the feeder.

At first, he had hesitated, because those gold coins had been gifts from Dragonbirth Day and could be considered keepsakes. But for the sake of improving his potential, Xilong ultimately made his choice and digested all the gold and Iron Grease.

Fortunately, after each time he digested metal, the potential-activation effect of "Consume Gold, Absorb Iron" lasted for quite a long time. Otherwise, he would probably have had to run back and forth endlessly for metal.

Though it seemed he was doing that anyway. As the ability took effect, Xilong was already considering what he would eat half a year from now.

The mineral vein expedition had yielded quite a bit: Iron Grease and the loyalty of the Little Stone Spirits. Naturally, he also had to do what he had promised the feeder. Thus, after using his ability, Xilong paid another visit to the Shattered Stone Grounds where the Nickel Dragons lived.

Back then, he had cut off the Nickel Dragons' clawed toes and gouged out a piece of skull as a warning. But when Xilong went to check on them now, he found that they had fully recovered. Every one of them was lively and vigorous, discussing how to ambush a Tungsten Dragon they did not like the look of.

The Nickel Dragons had originally been in high spirits, only to run into Xilong, this demon, again. Naturally, they were thrown into a flurry of panic.

When Xilong came to visit, he had initially intended to carry out the feeder's task: move his nest to the Shattered Stone Grounds, live together with the Nickel Dragons, and keep watch over them.

But after inspecting the place in person, he immediately abandoned the idea.

There was no special reason. It was simply dirty, messy, and foul-smelling.

Chrome Dragons considered themselves noble and had always cherished their scales, claws, and fangs. They could hardly tolerate filth, so Chrome Dragons could often be seen cleaning themselves in Bay Lake and the streams.

Even though Moqi often played until he was filthy from head to toe, he would wash himself clean every time before returning to his nest.

But the Nickel Dragons were an entirely different matter. They had a habit of eating carrion and loved collecting all manner of trash, dragging it back and piling it carelessly around their dwelling place.

As a result, where they lived was always permeated by a sour, stale stench, along with the smell produced by the Nickel Dragons themselves...

Tsk, tsk.

When Xilong had disciplined the Nickel Dragons, he may have seemed cold and brutal. But if any Chrome Dragon had waited in the Shattered Stone Grounds for so long, enduring all kinds of filth and foul odors, their temper probably would not have been much better either.

Having given up on living with the Nickel Dragons, Xilong put on the airs of a Higher Species and ordered the five Nickel Dragons to build him a nest. Then, during breaks from their work, he explained in full why he had punished them back then, which counted as giving an account of what had happened last time.

And then there was no then. The feeder had told Xilong to watch over several Nickel Dragons, but as for exactly how to do it and to what extent, Xilong had no detailed plan. He could only feel his way forward, using his status and strength to keep them suppressed for now.

Xilong's life afterward remained much the same. Every morning and late morning were fixed training periods. In the afternoons, he exchanged Wedge Form techniques with Leijieduolei and taught the Iron Dragons and Thunderclap Dragons the technique of Finger-Bone Rebound.

As dusk approached, he would run off with Moqi to catch fish and eat crabs, peeking at the female dragons playing in the water at Bay Lake.

The days passed quickly, one after another.

Because of the dragon clan rankings, many hatchlings came to challenge him. The more capable ones were the two Iron Dragons surnamed Karajiege, as well as several other Chrome Dragons living on the cliffs.

Xilong was delighted to have sparring partners. He took every match seriously and cut them open to let blood.

The Little Stone Spirits finished their polishing, and noon had already passed. The sunlight was no longer so fierce. Xilong crawled out of his nest, shook himself, and headed for an open space beneath Eaglebeak Cliff.

That was the place he had agreed upon with his companions. They usually exchanged techniques, chatted, and passed the time there.

By the time Xilong arrived, In Tas and Moqi were already there. Across from them stood Leijieduolei, practicing Finger-Bone Rebound methodically.

More accurately, he had been practicing just moments ago.

At that very moment, Leijieduolei and In Tas were already locked in confrontation, their draconic presences pressing against each other as their fangs were bared.

Moqi had long grown accustomed to it. Gloating over their misfortune, he crouched to the side and watched the excitement.

"Can't you be a little more careful?"

In Tas's face darkened. "You deliberately sent shattered stones flying at me, didn't you?"

"Hm?"

Leijieduolei looked around. "Who's talking? I can't see them. Could it be some inferior breed without True Dragon blood?"

In Tas looked at him coldly. He did not want to waste words on Leijieduolei. Little by little, he tensed his body and assumed a combat stance. The instant the Iron Dragon gave him a contemptuous gesture, he pounced.

"Want to hear something fresh?"

Noticing Xilong approaching, Moqi ignored their fight and hurried over. "Something fun has been happening in the valley lately."

"What is it?" Xilong asked.

"Those Cobalt Dragons used to lie in the Sunken Hollow every day without making a sound. But lately, for some reason, they've suddenly become active, appearing all over the valley and challenging other hatchlings everywhere."

Moqi waggled his brows. "That Cobalt-Blue Overlord supposedly even beat Hidorivi yesterday."

"Hidorivi, the Cobalt-Blue Overlord..."

Xilong recalled the huge body he had seen on Dragonbirth Day, a faintly contemplative look appearing on his face.

A burst of crisp cracking sounds rang out. The Thunderclap Dragon was flung away, his four claws scrabbling and scraping across the ground. He rolled twice before steadying himself again, panting heavily.

In Tas was a Lesser Dragon, and his bloodline was far inferior to that of the powerful Iron Dragon. After only a brief clash, Leijieduolei had seized the upper hand.

"I told you."

Leijieduolei held his head high and laughed coldly. He glanced at Moqi, then at In Tas. "You two—one idiot, one inferior breed—even if you came at me together, you still wouldn't be enough."

Moqi ground his teeth. He had not expected to be caught in the blast radius, and anger immediately flared within him.

Hearing that, Xilong also withdrew his gaze. He looked twice at Leijieduolei, then glanced at Moqi. "If it were me, I really couldn't stand that."

"Roar!"

Egged on by his brother, Moqi immediately let out a great roar and charged straight into the battlefield. The three dragons became a tangled mass, biting, roaring, rolling, and smashing into the ground, until all of them ended up bruised and swollen.

Xilong grabbed several snakeberries and tossed them into his mouth one by one, watching the spectacle with calm composure.

Only when a considerable commotion rose from behind and to one side did he turn his head to look.

A large number of Cobalt Dragons had appeared.