A Dragon King Walking Among Men!

And there was another crucial point.

Cao Ya's defense was off the charts. In the world of Dragon Raja, it truly soared beyond the heavens. Even if he did absolutely nothing and let a whole crowd of Mixed-Bloods attack him, they probably would not break so much as the surface of his skin.

That meant Angers's Word Spirit actually posed less of a threat to him than those immensely powerful, hard-to-control Word Spirits.

Chu Zihang's Royal Flame fell a little short, but its upgraded versions, Black Sun and Torch Dragon, would demand Cao Ya's serious attention.

Professor Goodman called Angers.

"Hello, Goodman." The deep, cultured voice sounded like that of a true European gentleman, yet spoke flawless Chinese.

Professor Goodman gave Principal Angers a brief, rapid account of everything.

"So that's what happened. And here I was wondering. Cao Ya, would you be interested in coming to Cassell College? With your strength, I'm certain you could become a first-rate dragon slayer!" Angers asked with a hearty laugh.

Cao Ya took a disposable cup, filled it with water, and took a drink before saying in a seemingly casual tone:

"Forget it. I'm not interested in Cassell College anymore. By the way, Lu Mingfei is your S-rank incoming student, right? There's something special about his identity. He's with us now."

Angers seemed to fall silent. The others in the hotel also stared at Cao Ya in disbelief.

Poaching a student from Cassell College?

Had a wire come loose in his head?

Cao Ya had not made this decision on a whim. Lu Mingfei's identity was highly unusual. He might be the Black King, the White King, or some other formidable figure. Any of those was possible.

Lu Mingfei might look like a dispirited wreck now, but if he really cut loose, even Cao Ya would find him difficult to handle.

The abilities of Lu Mingfei's younger brother, Lu Mingze, were simply too bizarre.

That meant the younger brother who appeared in Lu Mingfei's spiritual visions, not the cousin back home who stood a hundred and sixty centimeters tall and weighed a hundred and sixty jin.

Professor Goodman, Nono, Ye Sheng, and Sake Tokiko had come here specifically for Lu Mingfei.

Angers had personally designated him S-rank.

Angers probably knew something about Lu Mingfei's abilities, too.

Nono arched an eyebrow and said:

"You enrolled at Shilan High School just to keep an eye on that loser, Lu Mingfei?"

Cao Ya was nonplussed.

"A loser? Give me a break. Lu Mingfei only looks a little pathetic at Shilan High School. Put him in an ordinary high school and he'd find his confidence in no time."

Nono fell briefly silent. It was true: Lu Mingfei was so dispirited only because Shilan High School had far too many academic gods and star students.

His grades really were not bad. He was above average.

Angers remained silent for over ten seconds before asking in a seemingly calm voice:

"And if I refuse, what will you do?"

In a pleasant mood, Cao Ya replied:

"I wasn't asking for your opinion. I was just letting you know. Whether you agree doesn't concern me, and it doesn't matter."

Angers laughed as well.

"You're very confident."

Cao Ya said:

"In this place, I certainly am."

Everyone thought he meant this country. In fact, Cao Ya meant this world.

In the world of Dragon Raja, his strength essentially stood at the pinnacle. Why wouldn't he be confident?

In worlds like The Masters of This World, Global Martial Arts, or Mysterious Revival, where all sorts of monstrously powerful beings kept emerging, he would naturally have to keep his tail tucked firmly between his legs.

"We can discuss this later. I'll come over tomorrow. I hope to meet you in person, Mr. Cao Ya." Angers regained his hearty manner, his voice ringing with energy. He sounded nothing like a man over a hundred years old, but rather a vigorous young man in his twenties or thirties.

Cao Ya spread his hands and smiled.

"Then we'll look forward to your distinguished visit, Principal Angers."

Then the call ended.

Inside the hotel, the four from Cassell College exchanged silent glances. Their assignment now required the principal to come in person. It was rather embarrassing.

But according to Norma, Cao Ya's strength-

-really was something only the principal might be able to overcome. How had a teenager become so powerful without any experience, even if his bloodline was exceptionally pure?

Could he possess some special Word Spirit?

They were utterly baffled. Never in their wildest dreams would they have guessed that Cao Ya relied entirely on himself.

At that, the nine Cao Yas from The Masters of This World, Global Martial Arts, Naruto, The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, Detective Conan... all gave a thumbs-up.

Exactly! All my life, I, Cao Ya, have relied neither on heaven nor earth, but only on myself!

Cao Ya understood perfectly what lay behind Angers's personal visit.

Since both sides were interested in Lu Mingfei, they would fight. Whoever won would hold the initiative.

It might be the twenty-first century, but in the dragon-slaying business, strength still reigned supreme.

As it happened, both sides had absolute confidence in themselves.

Cassell College, the principal's office.

Angers set down his white bone china cup, filled with tea that shimmered with a golden glow. On the small bone china plate beside it sat a muffin sprinkled with a little rosewater.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly spoke:

"Norma."

A calm, gentle female voice suddenly sounded in the office:

"Norma, at your service."

Angers asked Norma to pull up all the information on Cao Ya. True to her capabilities as a supercomputer, she had everything ready in mere seconds.

"Cao Ya, male, eighteen years old. A senior at Shilan High School and a classmate of Lu Mingfei. Average grades. No dragon bloodline..."

Angers frowned and interrupted:

"Change that entry. Someone as powerful as Cao Ya cannot possibly lack a dragon bloodline. We simply don't yet know which Dragon King's blood he inherited."

"Understood." Norma's voice was clear and pleasant. She continued her account, turning every discoverable detail of Cao Ya's life, from childhood onward, inside out.

Even the recent incident in which Cao Ya had openly displayed his strength and joined the authorities was in Norma's records.

It was only then that Cassell College had made the startling discovery that Shilan High School had not only the A-rank Chu Zihang, who had already enrolled at the college, and the S-rank Lu Mingfei, who would soon join them, but also Cao Ya, whose bloodline rank could not be determined and who already possessed extraordinary strength.

"Can you infer Cao Ya's Word Spirit?" Angers asked.

He could hardly be blamed for taking Cao Ya so seriously. The power Cao Ya had revealed that day was simply too terrifying.

When Angers first learned of it, he had even thought a Dragon King had awakened and assumed human form!

And Lu Mingfei was far too important.

In Angers's eyes, Lu Mingfei was a tool that could bring the history of dragons to an end.

He could allow that tool to grow freely, but he would never allow it to slip from his grasp.

Norma replied:

"It is estimated to be a Word Spirit from the Bronze and Fire King's lineage, though it may also originate directly from the Black King. Possible candidates are Word Spirit No. 87, Bronze Throne, or Word Spirit No. 82, Sword Control."

Angers sighed.

"Possible? So you can't be certain."

Norma was silent for several seconds before answering:

"Correct."

For her, that was exceedingly rare.

There was very little Norma did not know.

And what Cao Ya represented was such terrifying power!

He was like a Dragon King walking among men!

"Book me a flight. Tomorrow, I'll go meet this classmate of Lu Mingfei's. If we can't figure it out, we'll just fight. Then everything will be clear, won't it?"

"Yes."