Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Zijin pointed to the frozen river below the canyon, "This is the Kra River, the largest tributary of the Sang River. The White Bone Fortress escaped from here in the form of a boat. We sailed with the wind, close to the coastline, and were finally intercepted and stopped at the Cui'an Sea Cliff."

Su Ming looked down and said, "This river looks very narrow."

"Of course, it's the dry season now," Zijin explained. "Back then it was the rainy season, and the river was much fuller."

Zijin unleashed her magic, beginning to establish a connection with what lay buried at the bottom of the river. "Not only a few ribs from the Bone Dragon, but also a large amount of bone from the White Bone Fortress, all of which sank to the bottom of the river—"

She suddenly stopped what she was doing and shook her head. "No, the ice is too thick!"

The accident didn't cause too much trouble. Hansite and Newman took the explosives to the ice below the canyon, where they skillfully drilled holes in the ice and filled them with explosives.

After retreating to a safe distance, Hansite snapped his fingers. A series of explosions echoed through the canyon, and large sections of ice shattered in response.

"You're good!" Newman praised.

"You flatter me. I only worked in a coal mine for a few years."

"No, no, this is beauty and art!" Newman insisted.

The two chatted happily and returned to the train along the slope of the canyon.

****

On the edge of the canyon, Su Ming and Zijin, sitting side by side, exchanged a glance.

"Hansite really knows how to get along with everyone," Su Ming said. "Yesterday I saw him exchanging culinary tips with Ge'enda'er."

"The talent of a bard?" Zijin said, "I hope the songs he and the Gospel produce aren't too awful."

"It shouldn't be that bad; I specifically chose a gentle melody."

Su Ming wondered what the "dearth medal" the music store owner had given him meant—a rare medal? He found the two English words odd.

Zijin moved closer to Su Ming. Soon, the bone dragon took off from the carriage and landed steadily behind the two of them.

The bone dragon spread its enormous bone wings, and Magic Power rippled through the air. A dozen or so rib fragments broke through the ice at the bottom of the glacier, flying towards the bone dragon with glittering ice shards. The three ribs on the left side, which were noticeably darker, scattered and were replaced by their original bones one by one.

After the assembly was completed, Su Ming was dumbfounded. Zijin had completely misplaced the pieces, and various mismatched broken bones had been forcibly joined together. To describe it as "makeshift" would be an exaggeration.

Su Ming sighed helplessly. He piled up a snowdrift for Zijin to lean against, then got up and unfolded the White Bone Mark.

[Just so you know, don't beat me up like you did last time.]

Okay, sure!

Su Ming's hand, which was about to press down, immediately stopped. [You're using Mind Synchronization, aren't you going to pretend for once?]

Zijin immediately switched to Wind Message Spell. But then she thought better of it and switched back. [Without Mind Synchronization, how am I supposed to know what you're thinking!]

[So you promise you won't find a reason to retaliate?]

[Alright!] Zijin bent down on the massive body of the bone dragon and casually sharpened her bone claws.

[There's absolutely no sincerity involved!]

****

Su Ming placed his hands on the broken ribs, cleared his mind of distractions, and released his magic power. The three misaligned bones were broken apart and reassembled in the correct order, finally restoring the bone dragon to its complete form.

However, there were still many small gaps on the ribs, and Su Ming continued working. More fragments flew out from the riverbed and combined with it, eliminating the cracks one by one.

[As expected, your Space Element are inherently more adept at connection issues!] said Zijin.

"Is it possible that my three-dimensional perception is better than yours?" Su Ming asked, exposing the truth.

The first stage of assembly was completed, and the surface of the thick ribs was now smooth. Su Ming continued to delve deeper, repairing the internal cracks. But the resonance occurred again, and Su Ming couldn't help but move closer to Zijin's spiritual sea of consciousness.

He now understands that the overwhelming power he felt when he last encountered the bone dragon was actually the more profound Zijin in his spiritual sea. Although the gap still exists, as their levels approach each other, he is now able to perceive the other's full extent.

Faced with this similar yet even more expansive ocean, Su Ming couldn't help but want to immerse himself in it.

Zijin suddenly severed the Mind Synchronization and even relinquished control of the bone dragon. The girl, who had been leaning against the snowdrift, stood up, clutching her chest and breathing rapidly.

Su Ming was forcibly kicked out of the mental world, his vision blurring for a moment. Seeing Zijin approaching, he quickly said, "Hey, you promised."

Zijin came to Su Ming and said seriously, "Don't do that anymore, it will hurt you!"

"Uh, can't we make this kind of connection?" Su Ming asked, puzzled. "Didn't we share the Silent Vision this way last time?"

"No, completely different. You could even say the opposite," Zijin explained. "Last time, I broke into your sea of consciousness and forced down your backlash by leveraging the difference in power, which is why I succeeded."

Su Ming tried to understand, "And just now, it was me who entered your mental sea?"

"Hmm." Zijin nodded, her face apologetic. "You can't control me, and I..." She paused, "... can't help but resist right now. It's too difficult, completely against my instincts."

So it's to avoid hurting me.

"When you're stronger, and when I've improved my control," Zijin said, "There are some things I also want to show you; it's part of the learning process."

****

Su Ming composed himself and focused on assembling the ribs. Soon, the ribs became smooth as jade, their surface gleaming with a faint light.

"That's fine," said Zijin.

Su Ming nodded and turned to walk towards the canyon. However, before he had taken more than a few steps, a tremendous force struck him from behind, knocking him to the ground in the snow.

"[Zijin!] "Su Ming gritted his teeth.

Zijin gently placed her front paws on his back, her telepathic connection brimming with undisguised pleasure. "[You should probably train to fight larger targets.]"

This reason is so plausible that it hardly seems like an excuse for revenge!

You just promised that!

"[It was that girl over there who agreed, I didn't agree!]" Zijin said slyly.

"I must write a fable called 'Dongguo and the Dragon' someday!" Su Ming said indignantly.

Zijin spread her enormous bone wings and leaped from the snow. With her ribs fully repaired, the flow of Magic Power became smoother, and she climbed vertically, gazing up at the azure winter sky. Then, with an elegant backward lean, she completed a 180-degree flip and began to swoop down.

On the ground, Su Ming looked up at the pure white bone dragon approaching him amidst a blue sky, his face filled with helplessness.

"[Kind-hearted Mr. Dongguo, may we begin training now?]" Zijin asked cheerfully.

The bone dragon swooped down, and just before it touched the ground, it suddenly spread its wings and began to fly horizontally. It rushed towards Su Ming, but as it got close, it opened its huge mouth, gently grabbed his collar, and flung him backward.

With a "thud," Su Ming landed on the bone dragon's back, quickly grabbing the protruding vertebrae to steady himself.

The wind howled as Su Ming found himself rising higher and higher. Looking down through the massive skeleton of the bone dragon, the snowfield resembled a giant white carpet spread out before him, and the Hard Rock Canyon stretched into the distance like torn wounds.

This was Su Ming's first time riding a bone dragon. Although he was already used to flying, the feeling was completely different.

Suddenly, the Zijin arched its back, climbing upwards at an almost vertical angle. Sunlight poured down without obstruction, and Su Ming squinted to adjust to the dazzling brightness of the sky.

"I really should have gotten a pair of sunglasses," he muttered to himself.

When they reached an altitude where even the Youth Civilization began to appear small, the Zijin suddenly folded their wings. After a brief period of hovering, they began to fall in freefall.

The sudden feeling of weightlessness made Su Ming cry out in surprise, and he clung tightly to the bone dragon's spine with both hands, his knuckles turning white from the force.

[Don't scratch so hard, it tickles!] Zijin's laughter rang out, [Loosen your grip a little!]

"What kind of itch is this in my bones and body! "Su Ming thought to himself, "[No way!]"

Zijin continued her descent, the wind whistling and roaring in Su Ming's ears. [Don't activate your shield yet, get used to it! There will be situations requiring teamwork in actual combat.]

[You're just making excuses to torment me!] Su Ming's hat had already been blown away by the strong wind, and his hair, which hadn't been cut in a long time, was dancing wildly in the wind. The violent airflow made it almost impossible for him to open his eyes.

[How about I beat you up instead?]

[... This is fine too...]

Zijin plunged into the canyon at an astonishing speed, taking Su Ming with her as they disappeared below the ground before adjusting her posture. She fully spread her bone wings, the hard wingtips scraping against the rock walls on both sides, tearing off large pieces of rubble, and her descent speed suddenly slowed down.

Just as it was about to touch the bottom of the canyon, the Zijin suddenly flapped its wings and glided close to the ice. The falling rocks behind it crashed into the ice with dull "thumps".

Su Ming finally caught his breath, panting heavily, his fingers still gripping the bone dragon's skeleton tightly.

"[Hi, can we start?]" Zijin asked.

[Wait for me.] Su Ming caught his breath and stretched his fingers, which were stiff from exertion. He pressed the call button on his headset. [Hansite, Younier, Gospel, Youth Civilization, all systems shut down! Pause for maintenance, everyone leave the carriage.]

[Receive!]

Soon, people disembarked from the vehicles one after another, and the personnel who were preparing dispersed. Three green signal flares rose into the sky, indicating that preparations were complete.

[I almost forgot, the communication base station was also shut down.] Su Ming took off his headphones, which had lost signal.

[Hold on tight!] Zijin lowered its altitude again, flying almost close to the glacier at the bottom of the canyon.

A vast amount of Magic Power surged from the bone dragon's body, unfolding behind it into massive arrays of runes, their eerie light shimmering in the canyon.

Su Ming fully unfolded the White Bone Mark, and a scene of shooting stars immediately appeared. The silt at the bottom of the river began to churn, and countless bone fragments broke through the ice layer's restraints, following the bone dragon as if attracted by a magnet.

These bone fragments accumulated, forming a long "comet tail" that shimmered with a pale light in the sunlight.

The Zijin craned its neck and climbed upwards, carrying a long, skeletal dragon as it burst out of the canyon, creating a magnificent sight.