Chapter 66: Borrowing a Wisp of Fire Demon Chi

 

Zoran floated through the portal and landed before Shendu.

Shendu hurriedly rose to his feet, dismissing his servants with a sharp gesture. Zoran had only just departed, yet he had returned so soon; he undoubtedly had something important to say.

"Brother?" he asked.

Zoran reached out, his gravity manipulation supporting the skeletal remains of the Bronze and Fire King, slowly guiding it toward Shendu.

He curled his lips into a smirk. "Taste this."

A flash of realization crossed Shendu's mind. His intuition had been correct; the persistent feeling of being watched over the past few days had indeed originated from his elder brother. He simply hadn't expected that while his brother was exploring another world, he would still be looking out for him, even opening a portal mid-journey just to deliver some "local specialties."

Shendu gave a solemn nod. A wisp of Fire Demon Chi instantly enveloped the dry bones, reducing them to fine powder in the blink of an eye.

"Well?" Zoran asked, watching him.

"Very weak," Shendu critiqued. "It shares some similarities with my own Demon Chi, but its intensity is quite low. It is of little use to me in my current state."

"How low?" Zoran frowned slightly. He needed to judge whether this authority met the minimum standard for his requirements.

"Had it been alive, it might have counted as a slight supplement, but not much more."

Zoran closed his eyes in thought. Shendu’s underlying meaning was clear: the power and authority contained within these dry bones were somewhat low-end. However, if it were a living Dragon King, it should suffice, especially since it would undergo further enhancement.

Since the authority of the Bronze and Fire King could serve as a supplement, then the King of Earth and Mountain surely could as well. With this thought, Zoran’s heart was at ease.

His brow relaxed, and he looked at his brother with a faint, genuine smile. If Angers were here to witness this, he would have to overturn his initial impression of Zoran. It wasn't that Zoran was incapable of smiling, nor was he perpetually cold; rather, it depended entirely on who was standing before the elder.

Looking at Shendu, Zoran suddenly had an incredibly interesting and pleasant idea.

"My brother," Zoran began, "I need you to do me a favor."

As his words fell softly, Shendu became instantly excited. In an instant, his aura surged, his powerful presence sweeping across the landscape with such intensity that the very sky began to change color.

"Shendu is always at your disposal!" he declared in a deep voice.

Zoran smiled and pressed his palm down, signaling him to calm down. With the way Shendu was acting, he looked ready to charge out and lay waste to anyone in their path at a single word.

Zoran said, "I need to borrow some of your Demon Chi."

"I see." Shendu’s aura retracted in a heartbeat. The world turned clear again, as if nothing had ever happened.

Then, he reached out his hand. Powerful Fire Demon Chi surged into a sphere, instantly filling the entire courtyard. As if fearing it wasn't enough, he split off another large cluster and asked tentatively, "Is this... enough?"

Gazing at the mountain-like mass of Demon Chi before him, a trace of helplessness flickered across Zoran’s face. He waved it away. "Too much."

"Too much?" Shendu blinked, pulling half of it back.

Zoran said, "Cut that in half again."

Shendu hurriedly followed his instructions and retracted another half.

Zoran thought of a certain figure, performed an internal assessment, and said, "Still too much. Cut it again."

A moment later, Shendu stared blankly at the tiny wisp of Demon Chi, no larger than a fingernail, resting between his dragon claws. Seeing that Zoran was about to speak again, he quickly interjected, "Brother, it cannot be any less than this."

He could replenish a wisp this small in the time it took to blink; any less and there would truly be nothing left.

"Fine then." Zoran chuckled, taking the wisp of Shendu’s Fire Demon Chi into his palm.

A golden portal opened behind him. Facing Shendu, he slowly backed into the portal. The golden light bathed his body, making him look incomparably regal. Until the portal closed, Shendu could only blink in a daze.

Zoran came and went in a hurry, traversing the myriad worlds with but a single purpose.

…

Cassell College.

The news of last night's earthquake had spread like wildfire through the college. The entire forum was as rowdy as a boiling pot of oil. Whether they were hybrids or ordinary humans, the world was never short on gossips.

The main discussion on the forum was: Who exactly had blasted a massive hole into the college's surface? This was a question destined to remain unanswered.

Dormitory.

Lu Mingfei was chewing on potato chips with a look of profound melancholy. His roommate, Finger, was hanging half-way off his bed, reaching down to scavenge from Lu Mingfei’s chip bag.

There were two knocks at the door, followed by a pause.

"Who is it?" Lu Mingfei opened the door, his face twisting into surprise when he saw the visitor. "Professor Tso Lan?"

Using the ambient light, Finger caught a glimpse of the man outside. The sight startled him so much he nearly tumbled off the bed.

"Ahem…" Finger coughed loudly. "So sleepy. Time for bed!" Without another word, he stuffed himself under the covers.

He had already dug up some information on Zoran. Apparently, the man was staying at the college under some kind of partnership with Principal Angers. To think, Angers had actually given him the dragon bones.

Finger’s mind was in a whirlwind. This man was strong, extraordinarily strong. That was an indisputable fact. Last night in the ice cellar, the pressure he exerted was like the arrival of a god. Every movement he made was irresistible.

Was he here for Lu Mingfei?

"Do you need me for something?" Lu Mingfei asked, puzzled.

Zoran gave a slight nod. He glanced around the somewhat cluttered dormitory and said, "Let's talk in here."

As soon as he spoke, Finger hit the floor with a thud. Dressed in nothing but pajama shorts, he scrambled toward the door, shouting over his shoulder, "You guys talk! I just remembered a junior girl invited me on a date!"

He bolted out of the room like a lightning bolt.

Lu Mingfei was utterly confused. As if a girl would actually ask Finger out on a date! Was he... afraid of Zoran?

As Finger’s silhouette disappeared, Zoran smiled. He didn't dislike people who knew how to be tactful. He stepped into the room, and the door closed behind him as if moved by an unseen wind.

"Is there something you need to talk to me about?" Lu Mingfei sat quietly on the edge of his bed, grabbing one of Finger’s discarded shirts to wipe the chip grease from his fingers.

This professor had saved his life. Although he was mysterious, he didn't seem to harbor any ill intent. Lu Mingfei looked toward Zoran’s feet; he could now confirm that the man indeed never touched the ground. His unbranded leather shoes appeared to be on the floor, but they maintained a microscopic distance from the surface. He appeared to be walking, but his steps were trodding upon the air itself.

This is a master from beyond the mundane world, Lu Mingfei was certain.

The entire college was under the suppression of the Night Watchman's Yanling. Normal people couldn't use Yanlings, superpowers, within the college. Yet Zoran seemed to be using his abilities at all times. There was only one answer: he was far stronger than the Night Watchman, enough so to completely ignore the restrictions of the Night Watchman's Yanling.

Furthermore, Zoran had been able to kick the Little Devil, Lu Mingze, out of his own dream world. This was an existence so powerful it defied comprehension.

And this existence, it seemed, wanted to have a chat.

 

 

Chapter 67: Call Out His Name

 

"The little devil you've been trading with should be too busy to bother you for a while," Zoran spoke first.

"Lu Mingze..." Lu Mingfei murmured as realization dawned on him. No wonder that kid hadn't shown up lately.

"How does it feel to make a deal with a devil?" Zoran watched him.

"Not great." Lu Mingfei shuddered. He had already made one deal with Lu Mingze, and it had cost him a quarter of his life. Dealing with a devil always required a price, and Lu Mingze’s prices were high.

He didn't bother asking how Zoran knew all this; after all, this was the being who could forcibly put Lu Mingze into solitary confinement.

"You've seemed very melancholy lately."

"Huh? Was I that obvious?" Lu Mingfei scratched his head, his eyes downcast, looking utterly listless.

"More than obvious. If sadness were a Yanling, your domain would have been active non-stop," Zoran chuckled. "Is it because of the engagement between Caesar Gattuso and Chen Motong?"

"Man, so everyone knows." Lu Mingfei spread his hands helplessly, slumped against the side of the bed like a pile of wet mud.

It felt as though everyone in the world knew his mind – what he was thinking, who his crush was. Everything about him seemed written across his face like a blank sheet of paper that anyone could read with a single glance.

Caesar Gattuso, the elite A-grade hybrid, heir to the Gattuso family, a natural-born leader, handsome and wealthy. And, of course, the official boyfriend of the girl Lu Mingfei secretly loved.

And Chen Motong, NoNo, was the beautiful senior sister who had rescued Lu Mingfei from his gloom, and the current object of his unrequited affection.

"You can't win against Caesar, especially as a romantic rival," Zoran said mercilessly.

"Are you here just to tell me to face reality?" Lu Mingfei pouted.

"Do you think there is anything about you that is superior to him?" Zoran asked.

"Superior..." Lu Mingfei fell into deep thought. After a long silence, he shook his head.

He never felt like he was someone who could even be associated with the word 'superior.' Even killing the King of Bronze and Fire had been Lu Mingze’s doing. That power didn't belong to him. At the end of the day, he was just a loser.

A loser should stay quietly in the corner, waiting for the fire to burn out and curl into a charred little stick, eventually being stepped on and crushed into dust by the great and noble figures of the world.

"I know you're trying to give me a pep talk, but I already know the truth. I'm just a piece of trash, and you can't polish a turd," Lu Mingfei muttered, resorting to his usual self-deprecating banter.

Hearing this, Zoran shook his head.

"Even mud can be used to build a wall. Not all mud is destined to lie in the muck. It only needs a fire to scorch it into something hard."

"Easier said than done. Where is there a fire that can turn mud like me into a brick?" Lu Mingfei sighed. "Turning me into ash is more like it."

Lu Mingze was gone; he didn't even have the chance to make a deal with a devil anymore.

Zoran stood before Lu Mingfei and slowly reached out his hand.

"The devil was chased away by a demon, so a new opportunity for a deal sits before you, Lu Mingfei," he said calmly.

"A demon who values promises and credit doesn't look for loopholes, nor does he require a contract. And the price is extremely low."

In Zoran’s extended hand, a wisp of flame burned brightly, illuminating Lu Mingfei’s face.

Lu Mingfei’s shock was visible to the naked eye. He had seen Chu Zihang use a Yanling, the high-risk Yanling known as King’s Blaze, which signified temperatures hot enough to melt steel.

But the flame dancing in Zoran’s palm had no temperature. It simply floated there, quiet and exquisite. Yet, from that flame, Lu Mingfei sensed a terrifying presence.

His focus sharpened, and a pair of vertical pupils flickered before his eyes like an illusion. This flame almost scorched his very gaze.

"Why help me? What do I have that's worth it?" Lu Mingfei curled into a ball, hugging his knees.

"I told you, this is a trade, a deal with a demon," Zoran said unhurriedly. "Besides, you're quite the sweet-talker, aren't you?"

"This power..." Zoran paused, a memory of Shendu cutting the Demon Chi down smaller and smaller flashing through his mind. "It is strong."

"Compared to this, the Yanling King’s Blaze is like a firefly next to the sun and moon. And the cost is but one thing."

"What cost?" Lu Mingfei looked up.

He wasn't a fool; he had seen enough anime and read enough novels to know that greater power usually demanded a greater price. If Zoran’s description was accurate and this power far exceeded King’s Blaze, then the cost might be even more terrifying than a quarter of his life.

"Is it one of those ultimate moves you can only use once in a lifetime? The kind where you drop dead immediately after using it?"

"No," Zoran said firmly. "It requires no life force, nor is it a one-time use. This is a bestowed, constant power. The only price is your faith."

"Faith..." Lu Mingfei weighed the word.

He felt like he was in an anime, or like he was walking down the street and was suddenly chosen by a legendary master who pulled out a stack of secret manuals and asked which one he wanted to learn. And here he was, sniffing his nose and clutching a lollipop, picking the Buddha's Palm.

"Is it some Outer God from another dimension?!" Lu Mingfei jolted.

"You could interpret it that way, but it is no 'Evil God'," Zoran nodded slowly.

"I was joking. How could there really be things from outside the world? That only happens in anime." Lu Mingfei slowly reached out to touch the wisp of flame.

The little devil he traded with had vanished, only for a demon to jump out and offer a deal. Was he just born with a physique that made him easy to sell?

His gaze sank into the fire. Could a pile of mud, scorched by fire, truly become a hard brick? He was curious about the answer himself.

"It seems you have made your choice," Zoran’s lips curled upward.

"Sure, why not. It’s not like I lose anything by trying. Just faith? I had 'faith' in Rei Ayanami back in high school, but Evangelion never fell from the sky for me to pilot." Lu Mingfei’s mouth ran wild with nonsense.

Regardless, Lu Mingze was gone. Perhaps before long, the entire world of superpowers would drift away from him. And he could never truly go back to the way things were in that small southern city.

If at a time like this, a guy claiming to be a demon jumped out and asked, 'Boy, do you crave power? Power even stronger than your invincible Senior Chu’s King’s Blaze?', and the price was merely some ethereal 'faith'... well, he'd be doing a disservice to his years of watching anime if he didn't give it a shot.

He reached out and grabbed the flame.

The moment his fingers touched it, he suddenly, passively understood what it was.

Fire Demon Chi.

That was the true name of the fire's essence.

This wisp of Fire Demon Chi instantly hacked into his entire system. A surge of flames swept through him and then vanished from sight.

He patted himself down. Nothing seemed to have happened.

"That's... it?" he asked, puzzled.

He thought there’d be some kind of "marrow-cleansing" transformation like in martial arts novels, opening his meridians and making him invincible across the lands.

"What Yanling is this?" Lu Mingfei asked. If it was a Yanling, he'd usually have to chant Dragon Script.

"This 'Yanling' has no name," Zoran said in a mysterious tone. "When you use it, you only need to call out the name of the power's master."

"I get it!" Lu Mingfei opened his hands, his flair for the dramatic surfacing. "Pray to the heavens—no, to the 'god,' and get a response, right?"

"So, what name should I call? 'Mr. Demon'?" Lu Mingfei gestured wildly.

"Shendu," Zoran said simply.

"Shendu?" Lu Mingfei repeated the name in a soft whisper.

The moment the name left his lips, a powerful torrent of fire swept through his entire body.

His expression turned to one of absolute shock. He looked mechanically toward Zoran and said in disbelief:

"Professor... you were serious?"

"What else would I be?" Zoran laughed.

"I thought you were kidding with me!"

 

 

Chapter 68: Mingfei Has Drifted Half His Life, Never Finding a Worthy Lord

 

Lu Mingfei felt like he was on fire.

He looked down at his hands and his body, suddenly realizing his sensation was correct. He really was on fire!

Wisps of flame clung to him from head to toe, as if radiating from his very bone marrow. Yet, the fire wasn't particularly hot; instead, it felt like a magnificent garment draped over him.

He gradually recovered from his initial panic. Zoran hadn't lied to him. If this was a deal with a demon, then as the party representing the demons, Zoran was indeed a man of his word.

To be honest, Lu Mingfei found it hard not to believe him. Zoran simply had a face that looked incapable of deception. A man like that would simply crush any obstacle in his path to achieve his goals; lies were likely something from an entirely different universe to him. The aura Zoran carried made that crystal clear.

As the flames dissipated, Lu Mingfei examined himself again. On his outstretched wrists and fingertips, fine, grey-green scales began to swarm out in dense clusters. He hurriedly reached up to touch his face; from his jawline, scales were growing upward toward his cheeks.

"Is this... Dragonization?" Lu Mingfei muttered.

When a hybrid’s lineage breaks past the fifty-percent "Critical Limit," the body naturally manifests dragon-like characteristics. The further one pushes past that limit, the more pronounced the draconic features become. The price, however, is uncontrollable power and a side effect akin to a berserker rage. Fundamentally, the dragon lineage is bloodthirsty.

But now, he had entered a state of Dragonization as naturally as breathing. Uncontrollable power surging in his body? None. A clear head? Still there! It was as effortless as downing half a bottle of cola.

Moreover, this was happening right under the Night Watchman’s school-wide Yanling. He had transformed into a "Dragon Boy" just like that? He didn't feel even a shred of suppression.

Lu Mingfei stole an incredulous glance at Zoran. This man might truly be a demon, a philanthropist powerful enough to act on every whim, handing out power today and tossing out blessings tomorrow. Could it be that a piece of trash like him really could be polished into something great?

He grabbed his phone from the bed, checking his reflection in the black glass of the locked screen. He froze for a moment, waving a hand around his eyes.

"No golden pupils... not even those..."

Dragonization is a state reached after breaking the Critical Limit; the more the dragon lineage dominates, the more vivid the golden pupils should be. High-lineage hybrids can even use their golden pupils to exert pressure on those with lower lineages. But here he was, clearly dragonized, yet his eyes remained the same, carrying that familiar hint of "clear-eyed stupidity."

Lu Mingfei looked at Zoran with a questioning gaze.

"Lu Mingfei," Zoran said calmly, his hands folded in front of him with effortless composure. "You need to understand one thing."

"What thing? I'm listening!" Lu Mingfei blinked.

Zoran replied, "Only hybrids need golden pupils. A King only needs to sit upon his throne."

Zoran pressed his palm downward, and a sudden gravitational force pushed Lu Mingfei back onto the edge of the bed. In an instant, Zoran’s words pulled him into another world. The soft sheets beneath his rear seemed to transform into a hard, cold throne. As he gazed out at the cosmos, a phantom silhouette of a green monarch loomed, dominating the world. A magnificent aura originating from another world’s primordial era shook his soul.

That monarch, whose head brushed the heavens and whose feet trampled all living things, cast His gaze upon him. Lu Mingfei was stunned. He suddenly realized that the name he had just called out belonged to this very monarch. This wisp of Fire Demon Chi was His blessing.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen dragons before; he had just come face-to-face with the legendary King of Bronze and Fire. But the magnificent aura of this obscured monarch before him made even a Dragon King seem like something that would tuck its tail and flee in shame.

If you trace the dragon lineage back to its source, it all ends with the Black Dragon, Nidhogg. He created everything; He is the source of all dragons. In mythology, Nidhogg has coiled around the roots of the World Tree since its birth, gnawing at them until the final destruction of Ragnarok.

Lu Mingfei shivered. He instinctively swapped the legendary progenitor Nidhogg with this green monarch in his mind. If myths were true, and it were this being, He could probably pull the World Tree out of the ground and spin it like a pinwheel.

Lu Mingfei suddenly realized a terrifying problem. The demon hadn't lied. He really seemed to have placed his faith in an outer deity. He watched Evangelion and had faith in Rei Ayanami, but Unit-01 never actually fell from the sky for him to pilot. He had accepted the Fire Demon Chi and traded the corresponding price; this monarch was actually watching him!

No joke, Lu Mingfei felt as if he had been truly looked upon, across infinite time and space. Had he become the other's... thrall?

His head felt a bit swollen. Coming back to his senses, he saw Zoran staring at him with a faint, knowing smile.

"After learning to fly, the first time you land to walk, your steps always feel a bit hollow. The same is true after contacting a higher level of power," Zoran explained indifferently.

Lu Mingfei gulped, frantically chanting "Retract!" in his mind. The scales vanished from his skin like a receding tide.

"Is it too late for me to regret this?" he asked with a miserable face, feeling like he had unknowingly put himself on clearance and sold himself cheap.

"Of course. But the Demon Chi in your body isn't under my control. Even if it were to be taken back, He would have to come and get it Himself," Zoran laughed.

"Never mind, never mind!" Lu Mingfei waved his hands frantically. That being coming to get it Himself sounded like Ragnarok was about to arrive. If that guy accidentally crushed some unlucky folks on His way over, wouldn't Lu Mingfei become a villain for the ages? He’d probably end up like a medieval witch tied to a stake, with hybrids whipping him with saltwater-soaked lashes while screaming:

"Lu Mingfei! You’re the one who brought the outer evil god to this world?! Now the whole world is ruined!"

At the thought, Lu Mingfei shook his head violently. The little devil was gone, and a demon had usurped his place, but the demon before him was quite elegant, one couldn't find the heart to hate him. At least he had actually given him a spark.

"That outer evil... gah, I mean!" Lu Mingfei shut his mouth quickly. He rapidly adapted to his new role, pressing his palms together in a prayer-like gesture. "Who is... my Lord?"

Zoran smiled and shook his head.

"Then, Professor, how do you have his... uh, that inheritance? No, the Demon Chi?" Lu Mingfei looked at Zoran with burning eyes. He had a feeling this man wasn't ordinary either. His life philosophy was simple: when you find a sturdy thigh, you must cling to it for dear life. He had already grabbed one, but as the saying goes, one thigh can be snapped, but two cannot. A man has two hands; he can hold two thighs. More thighs meant more paths in life.

"You are quite interesting," Zoran remarked, giving his assessment. Despite being a loser, this kid's self-awareness was truly peerless.

"It’s very simple," Zoran said softly. "Because I asked him for it, so he gave it."

"You... asked him for it???" Lu Mingfei didn't react for a second. "You asked, he gave, and then you gave it to me. It sounds so natural."

A second later, Lu Mingfei blurted out: "Natural my foot! That guy is strong as a god! Don't tell me you two are like best buds and he just gives you whatever you want."

"Naturally." Zoran squinted slightly, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes. He said calmly, "Because he is my brother."

Lu Mingfei froze.

In the very next heartbeat, his reflexes acted faster than his brain. With a thud, he dropped to one knee and delivered a passionate declamation:

"Father! I, Mingfei, have drifted for half my life, only regretting that I never encountered a worthy lord until now!"

 

 

Chapter 69: Monsters Have the Minds of Monsters

 

Zoran had to admit it.

Aside from Shendu, this boy, Lu Mingfei, was truly the first person capable of slightly amusing him.

The Fire Demon Chi borrowed from Shendu had already fused with Lu Mingfei. This power was far beyond what the so-called dragon lineage of this world could compare to. Of course, there was only one price.

By using this power, a unique anchor point for Shendu was left within this world. As for the consequences of that, it was not Zoran’s concern.

He was merely a traveler.

Perhaps in the future, if Shendu or any of the other siblings wished to escape the cycle of their original world, this anchor point would serve its purpose. Just as he had said before, the myriad worlds were so vast and magnificent that one shouldn't remain confined to a single place.

In the dormitory, Lu Mingfei had put on quite a performance. Though it appeared flamboyant, he was, in truth, a person of delicate sensibilities.

All lonely children are like that.

The existence known as the "Sorrow of the Blood" brought by dragon lineage inevitably plunged all hybrids into a destiny of solitude. However, all emotions have their ebbs and flows; even loneliness has its scales of magnitude.

Loneliness itself depends on the point of comparison. Compared to the millions of years spent wasting away in the Netherworld, the Sorrow of the Blood trapping these hybrids was practically nothing.

"Professor Tso Lan?" Lu Mingfei called out to him. "If 'foster son' won't work, how about we add each other as friends?"

He shamelessly asked Zoran for his contact information. It was like playing StarCraft and having a legendary pro suddenly pop up in the server; naturally, you’d try to add them. Whether for a friendly match or to ride their coattails, you needed a foot in the door.

Lu Mingfei was the type where everyone thought he was a ditz, but he was actually as sharp as a tack. At least, that was how he saw himself sometimes.

Zoran nodded slightly and recited a string of numbers.

Lu Mingfei quickly opened app and typed in the digits to add the contact. Looking at the account on his phone screen, which featured a profile picture of a dark purple crescent moon, he couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

Style! Pure style!

In this "non-mainstream" era where most people were still using the default avatars, this man’s picture was a dark moon. That was what you called class!

Of course, he didn't say it out loud to avoid overdoing it. He decisively sent the friend request, his gaze falling on the nickname.

Zoran’s nickname was simple, consisting of a single character:

「Moon」.

Lu Mingfei froze for a moment, looking at the elder before him. This man seemed to have a singular perspective regarding the moon.

Lu Mingfei recalled his high school days. He was a lonely guy, though he didn't quite think of himself that way. In that home filled with his aunt’s bossing around and constant complaints, he had his own little world.

A rooftop where the air conditioning units hummed incessantly, that was where he could overlook the night view of the entire city, and it was where he spent most of his time alone. Many nights, he sat on that roof looking down at the small southern city, inevitably casting his gaze toward the moon hanging in the sky.

Sometimes it was a crescent, sometimes a waning moon, sometimes full. The phases waxed and waned, but it was always a solitary moon reflecting the night sky.

Lu Mingfei always felt that the moon was lonely. All the lights in the city gathered together couldn't match its brilliance, yet they huddled in their own groups, their light unable to reach the firmament.

That was why the words he had spoken at Six Flags came from the heart. Be it humans or birds, no matter how high you fly, the moon is always above your head. Consequently, those who love the moon must be lonely people.

And for Zoran, this elder, the moon perhaps held a unique significance.

"I’ve sent it. Remember to accept," Lu Mingfei said, waving his phone.

Zoran nodded slightly.

"Lu Mingfei," he began. "This power has its purpose, but not in this moment."

Lu Mingfei dazed for a second, then pouted. "I know. I don't have the guts to go hijack the Boss's wedding car anyway. He's actually been pretty good to me..."

He assumed Zoran thought he would use this power to do something reckless.

Zoran shook his head. "The King of Earth and Mountain is about to awaken."

Lu Mingfei jolted. Another Dragon King?

He quickly turned on the charm. "Well, with you here, Professor, we wouldn't have anything to worry about even if the Black King woke up, right?"

He wasn't joking; he truly felt that way now.

Hearing this, Zoran smiled. "When the time comes, I will have other matters to attend to. Besides, clinging to my leg isn't easy; you must prove your value."

"Understood!" Lu Mingfei immediately snapped to attention. "The mud has been scorched into a hard brick, and the destiny of a brick is to be smashed against someone’s skull."

Lu Mingfei roughly understood what Zoran wanted him to do with this power. It made sense; masters like the "Sweeping Monk" didn't show their faces easily. They just gave their disciples a few pointers, and that was enough to dominate the martial world.

"So, when the time comes, I, Lu Mingfei, will transform into a 'Dragon-Boy Brand' brick and whack the Dragon King on the back of the head!" he declared righteously. "Of course, to others, I might look like a monster, so I'll be a 'Monster Brand' brick!"

However, Zoran still shook his head. His gaze seemed to reach further, further than the current Lu Mingfei could perceive. He spoke calmly:

"You have great self-awareness. But a 'Monster Brand' brick should, of course, be smashed against the back of Ultraman's head."

Lu Mingfei scratched his head, unable to grasp Zoran’s meaning. Was this some kind of villainous theater where monsters save each other and have to defeat the righteous Ultraman?

His voice softened as he said slowly, "Actually, sometimes I fantasize about what I'd do if I turned into a monster one day and Ultraman pointed at me and said he had to destroy me or something."

"Is that so?" Zoran glanced sideways. "So, what would you do?"

"I’d fight back, obviously!" Lu Mingfei puffed out his chest. "There's only one Ultraman, but there's a whole pack of monsters! If I fall, what happens to the other little monsters? It would be so sad."

"Once you've become a monster, you stop thinking about how you used to be human or being Lu Mingfei." He spread his hands. "It's like you, Professor. If you turned into a monster, would you still spend time thinking about when you were a human?"

"No," Zoran said.

"Right! A monster obviously has the mind of a monster, protecting other monster brothers and sisters and fighting the 'righteous' Ultraman to the end," Lu Mingfei muttered.

"Is there really any point in obsessing over whether you're a human or a monster, or a monster turned from a human, or a human turned from a monster?"

"Whatever thoughts you have in your head, that's what you do."

Lu Mingfei was rambling, and though he often couldn't even figure out his own life, what he said at this moment was unexpectedly logical.

Silence.

After a moment, Zoran finally spoke softly. "You truly are an interesting fellow."

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze piercing through all obstacles to stare at the invisible moon infinitely far away.

"You are right," he said.

 

 

Chapter 70: The Seven Deadly Sins

 

Far across the ocean, at the center of another nation, an imperceptible shift was quietly taking place.

It began as nothing more than a tremor. Everything seemed fine; people lived and worked in peace, unaware that a change was brewing, one powerful enough to swallow the heavens and blot out the sun.

Late at night, in the Principal’s office.

Hilbert Jean Angers sat in his comfortable office chair, looking at the man half-hidden in the interplay of moonlight and shadow. After meeting with the other professors and his hand-picked Dragon King suppression squad, he had words for this singular entity.

"A Dragon King has awakened," he began.

"I know," Zoran replied, his expression indifferent, as if the matter were of no consequence.

"For an existence like you, is facing a Dragon King head-on considered a vacation?" Angers spoke slowly, his gaze like a torch.

If this world had a leaderboard for the greatest enemies of the Dragon Race, Hilbert Jean Angers would undoubtedly be at the top, his position unshakable. To him, a Dragon King was the ultimate mortal enemy.

He toyed with the folding knife in his hand. It was a weapon reforged from the fragments of a late friend's blade, a friend who had perished in the war against the dragons. The edge was unnaturally sharp, yet not long ago, the man before him had effortlessly checked its momentum. With a single finger, he had flicked the blade aside.

"The location of the awakening has been confirmed. It’s at the heart of another country," Angers provided his intel.

"Someone will go. Someone I have chosen," Zoran said.

"Lu Mingfei?" Angers already knew Zoran had visited Lu Mingfei’s dorm earlier that day for a lengthy chat. "It seems we have chosen the same person. He is my designated S-grade; his lineage surpasses the norm, and he possesses extraordinary potential."

"It is not about lineage," Zoran countered. "The boy has a silver tongue. As a reward for his words, I gave him... a few other gifts."

"Gifts?" Angers frowned. The nature of a "gift" from Zoran was something he found difficult to fathom.

"Do not place too much weight on lineage, Angers. Perhaps in the eyes of mortals, it is paramount, but in one aspect, he surpasses everyone."

"Lu Mingfei actually has such a talent?" Angers chuckled.

"At the very least, he knows how to please his elders," Zoran remarked softly, his tone quite subtle.

The folding knife in Angers’ hand suddenly froze in mid-air. For a moment, he felt he truly might be getting too old to keep up with the times. He didn't quite grasp the implication of Zoran's words. If that counted as a talent exceeding the norm, then Angers was quite talented at pleasing women, yet no one came to "reward" him for it.

"So, an elder’s reward has granted him the power to face a Dragon King?"

"I think you have it backward, Angers," Zoran’s voice drifted over. "It is the Dragon King who must face him."

"I look forward to that moment, when an ignorant youth raises his blade and forces the so-called Dragon Race to stare into the abyss of despair. It brings me a certain... amusement."

"And you, Angers, in that moment, you will finally understand the meaning of my words."

Angers’ thoughts drifted back to the lakeside when Zoran had arrived uninvited. Zoran had told him: You will see a real dragon.

So, was the man before him actually a master of genetic engineering? Had he transformed that withered eggplant of a boy, Lu Mingfei, into what Zoran called a "Real Dragon," a True Dragon capable of making all false dragons submit?

Angers shifted his gaze to the table, specifically to the set of alchemical swords he had recently purchased at a hybrid auction for a hundred million dollars.

The Seven Deadly Sins.

Incomparable alchemical weapons forged by Norton, the King of Bronze and Fire. Their power was sufficient to slaughter true First-Generation progeny. Norton’s original intent in creating this set was to achieve the absolute death of other dragons.

Earlier, while meeting the academy squad preparing for the hunt, Angers had tested three of them to see if they could unsheath the blades.

Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Pride, Envy, Wrath.

Seven alchemical swords of varying shapes and sizes. Their power was so immense that they had birthed true "Living Souls." Only those acknowledged by these souls, or hybrids whose lineage was powerful enough to ignore such conditions, could forcibly break the intense magnetic seal of the scabbards to draw these dragon-slaying artifacts.

Of his hand-picked trio, Lu Mingfei had been excluded after lacking the physical strength to even budge the heavier blades. The other two, Finger and Chu Zihang, a former A-grade and a current A-grade, could not unsheathe them all. These were weapons reserved for true Dragon Slayers.

Angers reached out, pushing the Seven Deadly Sins slightly toward Zoran. "Want to try?"

"Is it that I want to try, or that you want me to?" Zoran asked tonelessly.

"That’s the thing about dealing with smart people, nothing gets past you," Angers admitted helplessly. Zoran was too mysterious. As a partner, Angers desperately craved to know more about him by any means possible.

"Consider it the request of an old man," Angers said, his eyes burning. "I, too, wish to see these seven peerless weapons drawn from their sheaths."

A man who could easily block Angers’ own strike would not be stopped by the Seven Deadly Sins. The Living Souls of the weapons would surely acknowledge him.

Angers flipped his folding knife, cutting a thin slit across his palm. Blood dripped onto the Seven Deadly Sins.

Having tasted blood, the alchemical weapons let out a sound like a low growl. The seven blades became instantly agitated, as if seven distinct hearts were thrumming within them. Every divine artifact has its peculiarities, and the Seven Deadly Sins were dragon-slaying tools that required blood to truly awaken.

They were treasures forged by Norton, the King of Bronze and Fire, the "King of Alchemy." Their specialized lethality against the Dragon Race was indisputable.

The Living Souls stirred as if roaring, emitting an invisible, daunting pressure.

Angers extended his hand politely. "After you."

He watched Zoran without blinking, terrified of missing a single detail. Even Angers himself couldn't guarantee he could draw the seventh blade, "Wrath."

"Do you know?" Zoran’s unwavering gaze met Angers’. The pressure of the alchemical weapons couldn't even get close to him. His tone was as flat as still water. "You are destined for disappointment. The Living Souls of these weapons will not acknowledge me."

Angers froze, confused. "Why not?"

"Because... they fear me."

As the words fell, Zoran’s silhouette vanished from the Principal’s office.

Angers’ eyes dropped to the Seven Deadly Sins. Before his very eyes, these seven artifacts, existences comparable to divine relics, suddenly went silent. Like eggplants shriveled by frost, they sat obediently in their scabbards, as quiet as if they had never awakened at all.

With a heavy expression, Angers reached out and dripped more blood onto them. Blood-hungry weapons usually reveal their edge once fed.

But the moonlight continued to descend, and Angers waited a long time. The office remained deathly still.

He could feel it. The Seven Deadly Sins were awake, just as they had been when the students earlier had roared, seeking their acknowledgement.

But now, those Living Souls were cowering.

They did not dare show the slightest insolence.

In a moment Angers had failed to perceive, they seemed to have endured an experience of absolute terror.