Red Dragon

"Why go anywhere else? Hurry back to the hotel and hatch the baby dragon," Jiang Xinran said. "You spent ten thousand gold coins on a dragon egg. Instead of finding somewhere to hide, you're still wandering around out here? Aren't you afraid someone will steal it?"

Jiang Xinran pulled Jiang Feng along and hurried back to the hotel.

Once they returned to Jiang Feng's room, Jiang Xinran shut the door and carefully checked the doors and windows. Only after confirming they were safe did she signal for Jiang Feng to take out the dragon egg.

Jiang Xinran lay on the bed, gazing at the head-sized Dragon Core before her, shimmering with blue-green patterns of light. She asked, "How do we hatch this?"

Jiang Feng scratched his head. "How about you take it back and sleep with it in your arms tonight?"

Jiang Xinran flushed slightly and shot Jiang Feng a fierce glare. "Do you think we're hatching a chick? Be serious."

"Then why don't you head back to your room? It's getting late, after all. I'll sleep with it in my arms tonight, and maybe it'll hatch tomorrow," Jiang Feng suggested. With Jiang Xinran here, it was hard for him to do what he needed to.

"I see." Jiang Xinran considered the time. It really was late, so she could only say with a hint of regret, "Then I'll come see it tomorrow."

"Didn't you just say the Star Unicorn looked cooler?" Jiang Feng couldn't help asking when he saw how reluctant she was to leave.

"No matter how cool it is, it belongs to someone else. This baby dragon is ours," Jiang Xinran huffed.

"What do you mean, ours? It's mine alone." Jiang Feng scooped the dragon egg into his arms and eyed Jiang Xinran warily.

"You jerk! You're going to drive me mad!" Jiang Xinran snapped, then stormed out and slammed the door.

Jiang Feng smiled, placed the dragon egg on the bed, and opened the System Shop.

Demon Dragon Soul: The divine soul of a Primordial Demon Dragon. Price: 10,000 system coins.

"System, purchase the Demon Dragon Soul," Jiang Feng commanded.

Ding! 10,000 system coins deducted. Host's remaining balance: 800 system coins.

Ding! Congratulations to the host on obtaining the Demon Dragon Soul.

Jiang Feng looked at the bottle of magma-like red liquid that had appeared out of thin air in his hand and sighed at being back to square one.

More than two years of savings had vanished almost entirely in one go.

Still, ten thousand system coins were well worth spending on a powerful mount.

Jiang Feng uncorked the bottle, then slowly poured the red liquid onto the stone sphere. It seeped through the stone shell and into the dragon egg within.

As the red liquid dripped onto it, cracks began appearing across the stone sphere. They gradually widened, finally revealing the blue-green sphere inside. Its surface was covered in scales, and it radiated an invisible pressure.

Anyone who had faced a mighty dragon would surely have recognized that invisible pressure as the purest form of draconic might.

If Lin Xin had seen this scene, he would surely have been sick with regret.

As all the liquid sank into the blue-green dragon egg, its invisible draconic pressure gradually intensified, though the process was extremely slow.

Jiang Feng stared fixedly at the egg, so nervous that he barely dared to breathe.

After an unknown amount of time, the blue-green scales on the egg's surface gradually turned dark red, as though lava were flowing across them.

Suddenly, Jiang Feng sensed an extremely faint heartbeat, though he wasn't sure whether he was imagining it.

"Thump... thump... thump."

Jiang Feng quickly leaned closer and pressed his ear to it. The heartbeat was extremely slow and faint, but as time passed, it grew stronger, and a vigorous aura of newborn life began spreading outward.

The draconic pressure radiating from the egg grew increasingly oppressive.

At some point, the spiritual power between heaven and earth began gathering madly, surging rapidly into the dragon egg.

Seeing this, Jiang Feng quickly cast several Spirit-Gathering Halos to help the egg gather more spiritual power.

After absorbing an enormous amount of spiritual power, a tiny crack appeared on the dragon egg's surface, blazing with dazzling firelight.

Jiang Feng held his breath and waited. Dawn was already breaking; the process had lasted an entire night.

Knock, knock, knock.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Jiang Feng ignored it.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Jiang Feng, hurry up and get out of bed. We need to leave soon," Jiang Xinran called from outside.

Jiang Feng rose and opened the door, pulled Jiang Xinran into the room, and locked it securely behind her.

"What are you d-doing?" Startled, Jiang Xinran quickly covered her chest with both hands and looked at Jiang Feng warily.

Jiang Feng couldn't resist rapping her on the forehead, then pulled her over to the bed.

"Is it... about to hatch?" Jiang Xinran noticed the lava-like dragon egg on the bed, and the embarrassed blush immediately faded from her pretty face.

Jiang Feng nodded without speaking and waited anxiously.

Jiang Xinran also knew this was a critical moment. She didn't dare make a sound and stared intently at the dragon egg alongside him.

Just then, an idea suddenly struck Jiang Feng. He held two fingers together and slashed a cut across his right hand, dripping his blood onto the hatching dragon egg.

Sure enough, after absorbing Jiang Feng's blood, the dragon egg began hatching noticeably faster, radiating a powerful force.

The dragon egg began shaking violently, its thump, thump, thump growing increasingly strong and forceful.

Even more alarming, the temperature in the room suddenly rose, gradually becoming scorching hot.

Jiang Feng quickly raised a Holy Light Barrier, enclosing himself and the dragon egg.

The temperature continued to rise, hot enough to melt even Jiang Feng's Holy Light Barrier. Despite his nearly three thousand points of external spiritual power, he felt a scorching heat.

But just as Jiang Feng was about to reach his limit, the cracks in the dragon egg suddenly multiplied and widened sharply.

At last, the dragon egg shattered, revealing a dark red figure.

It was clad in red scales, with a pair of ancient, majestic Golden Eyes, and spread its broad, membranous wings.

The moment it saw Jiang Feng, it pounced without hesitation. Its body, only two palms in size, braced against his chest before it lifted its head and pressed its forehead to his.

Suddenly, a flame-like pact took shape, formed from the blood of the human and the dragon.

As the pact was sealed, golden flames suddenly ignited in Jiang Feng's formerly black eyes, making them identical to the little Red Dragon's Golden Eyes.

Soon, however, the Golden Eyes faded, and Jiang Feng's eyes turned black once more.

Jiang Feng looked at the little Red Dragon, delight naturally spreading across his face.

Now I'm a knight with a mount companion too-a Dragon Knight.

Jiang Feng dismissed the Holy Light Barrier. Jiang Xinran, who had been kept outside it all this time, immediately leaned closer and curiously examined the little Red Dragon clinging to him.

Its magnificent red scales and draconic body, brimming with boundless might, made it look like a perfect work of art.

Jiang Xinran discovered that although the little Red Dragon was tiny, it already possessed a faint draconic pressure.

Suddenly, she felt that there was no need for a Star Unicorn. Wouldn't raising a little dragon herself be even better?

"Wow, it's already a Level Five Magical Beast when it's this small?" Jiang Xinran sensed the little Red Dragon's aura and gauged its strength.

As for why it was only level five, weren't ordinary dragons supposed to hatch at level eight?

Jiang Feng could only answer that Haoyue had started out as a mere level two Earth Fire Lizard.

Through the blood pact, Jiang Feng could sense that this little fellow had limitless potential and could someday grow beyond a Level Ten Magical Beast.