I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

No matter how much time passed... those holy blue eyes remained unchanged, still shining brightly.

"Your Highness..."

This was the last time she would call him that.

"Please return these Arcane Powers to you."

She took a dark gold Rubik's Cube from the small bag at her waist and placed it on the ground. The uncontrolled arcane energy surged towards its source.

Kal'tsit?

Something felt off during the day.

“As a doctor, I failed in my duty to not protect my patients… As a friend, I could only watch him kill innocent people indiscriminately and could do nothing, which is also immoral… I am not worthy of your friendship.”

Kal'tsit!

He eagerly reached out to touch her during the day.

"Please distance yourself from this useless person..."

"From that moment on, we went our separate ways..."

“Kal'tsit…”

Looking into those emerald eyes, Zhenlong's smile froze, and he asked her in a trembling voice:

"You're joking, right... You're angry because of what happened before... I..."

I will apologize...

“You know, I never joke around.”

She took two deep breaths, pursed her lips, and stepped aside.

"Ah...ah."

The dragon remained silent for a few moments, then spoke again, calling out to her:

"Kal'tsit, I do not agree to this request."

"No matter what you think, I will never give up on this friendship... This should stay with you."

Zhenlong wanted to hand her the dark gold Rubik's Cube, but the small step she took back made his heart tremble.

“…M3, protect Kal'tsit.”

Since she refused to accept it, the dragon had to find another way and poured its arcane energy into the little monster's body.

“If needed, Kal'tsit… just call me, and I will answer you from wherever you are.”

"Take care... Kal'tsit, M3."

(*A reluctant cry*)

The pitch-black monster stretched out its bladed feet, trying to stop him, but was stopped by its master.

"Our connection with him... has come to an end..."

I watched the true dragon depart alone, and watched it ascend into the clouds.

From a young emperor who once defied the heavens and sacrificed himself to save his people, to a true dragon who is now willing to kill for his people...

The path he pursued has never changed.

However... we have different paths.

Returning to the Forty Divine Dragon Venerable

"Hmm...you're drinking tea again."

The intruder's offbeat voice woke the elder brother from his reverie. He looked up and saw his younger sister sitting opposite him, gulping down his precious tea leaves like a cow chewing on a peony, and then spitting out two "pui pui" sounds to complain that the tea was too bitter.

"Are you awake?"

The extremely rare tea was wasted so carelessly, but the elder brother wasn't angry. Instead, he pushed the plate of plums next to him to his younger sister.

"Ha... I slept so well that my whole body is numb."

She picked up a plum, put it in her mouth, and chewed it. The moment the juice burst out, the fairy's pretty face suddenly scrunched up.

"Wow...it's so sour!"

"Green plum, green plum, if it's not sour, is it still called a green plum?"

The elder brother chuckled lightly, ate a plum without changing his expression, and then drank the tea in his cup.

"So, why doesn't the little guy live in the city anymore?"

She went to the palace today to surprise him, but got lost after wandering around for a while. Later, she ran into the twelfth prince in the city and found out that the little guy hadn't lived in the city for more than ten years.

"Since Zhenlong Yin passed away, his juniors have taken over the position, and he has not been in this city. He only comes back to visit during the Spring Festival or Qingming and Double Ninth Festival each year."

The elder brother seemed quite satisfied with this.

"And you? How come you're dressed as a commoner again?"

The fairy actually knew the reason for her brother's change in position, but she wanted to hear him say it himself, as it would make her happy all day.

"...I am not a commoner."

The elder brother raised his head slightly and pointed outside.

"I am now the abbot of the Shenjun Temple, in charge of the affairs of the Shenjun. I am second only to the emperor, and even the supreme dragon would have to speak to me respectfully and bow my head in greeting."

"The Divine Lord?"

The immortal clapped his hands in confusion and asked:

"Speaking of which, the short guy also asked me to come here, saying that I could see the little guy here."

"What's going on with this Shenjun Temple? Why are there so many people coming and going to offer incense and fulfill their vows? Even the largest temple in the Great Yan Dynasty isn't this bustling with worshippers, is it?"

"That's natural."

The elder brother smiled slightly and began to tell his younger sister, who had overslept and was out of touch with the times, about the origins of the Divine Lord Temple.

"So it is... like this..."

"You mean... this temple enshrines a little guy!"

The immortal stood up in surprise, ran to the door, and peeked out.

"Wow, it's true."

Inside the main hall of the temple, a statue of a divine dragon is enshrined on the altar. The dragon's appearance is so lifelike that it is the very image of a real dragon.

"But with so many people... can he manage all of that by himself?"

The immortal returned to his seat, his excitement and doubt growing stronger.

“Of course, he won’t handle everything personally.”

The elder brother took a sip of tea and looked with satisfaction at his younger sister's surprised and delighted expression.

"In the beginning, the tasks of clearing roads, building bridges, and escorting people were all done by the golden-armored warriors he made."

"Later, as more troublesome matters arose, such as controlling clouds and rain, predicting disasters, and surveying mountains and soil, he was too busy to handle them all by himself. Moreover, the golden-armored warriors were mostly skilled in brute force but lacked wisdom. Therefore, he established the Five Virtues Test. Anyone who passed the test of the five virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness would be blessed by the God and become a Divine Dragon Venerable, responsible for taking over such trivial matters."

"So he's got a lot of free time now?"

"How could that be? The God will still respond to the people's prayers every day."

The elder brother glanced at his younger sister, and although he didn't say much, the immortal had already seen through the disdain in his eyes.

"Do you think the God-King is you?"

"I did have a good job before, you know."

The immortal took a bite of the plum, finding it unbearably sour, and then asked:

"How many of those so-called 'Dragon Venerables' are there? What kind of treatment do they receive?"

"Yan Kingdom has a large population base, and its social atmosphere has always been very good. Even if only one in a hundred people in the country possesses one of the five virtues and can pass the test of the five virtues, there are still more than 100,000 people."

"so much?"

"That's just an example. Being the Dragon God Venerable is no easy task."

The elder brother picked up the cup to take a sip of tea, but found it was empty, so he put it down again.

Upon seeing this, the immortal quickly poured him a cup.

"Um……"

The elder brother nodded slightly, took a satisfied sip, and then continued:

"The foundation required for the Five Virtues Test is that one must possess one of the five virtues and have no other misdeeds. For example, if one is righteous but lacks benevolence, or knows only minor etiquette but lacks greater righteousness, one will be eliminated. In addition, the tests for the Five Virtues are different for each one. If one possesses many virtues, the difficulty of the test will increase. Some people have taken more than ten years to complete one test."

"Why? What takes more than ten years to complete?"

"..."

The elder brother sighed softly and said again:

"Have you ever heard of the Orphan of Zhao...?"

"I've heard enough, I've tasted enough, stop talking."

"Just hear about it. That exam was similar to this story. The butcher gave up fame and fortune to protect the descendants of his benefactor. His family was also killed by his enemies for supporting him. He went into hiding, raised the descendants of his benefactor, and helped them take revenge."

"However, it was only after he successfully avenged himself that he learned he had already been chosen to become the Dragon God."

"This butcher possesses the three virtues of benevolence, righteousness, and trustworthiness, making him a top-tier figure even among the Dragon Venerables. His benefactor's descendant also benefited from his good fortune, not only avenging his father but also becoming a Dragon Venerable due to this man's influence. However, that kid only possesses righteousness and propriety, so he didn't receive many blessings."

"...That's so easy to say."

The immortal asked again:

"Where did his blessings come from? And what are their effects?"

"The way he bestowed the blessing... you should know. Based on the cauldron you forged, he used those strange arcane energies to create various tokens, and then he materialized the power of heaven and earth... I don't know how he did it, but he succeeded anyway."

"The blessing of the dragon may be the power to control the wind and thunder, or the ability to summon clouds and rain, move rocks and fill lakes, or simply physical strength... there are many kinds. Just think of it as harmless Originium Arts."

"The Divine Dragon Venerable is certified by the imperial court. After becoming a Divine Dragon Venerable, one can work at the Divine Lord Temple to earn a salary, or one can act independently. But in any case, one must fulfill the duties of the Divine Dragon Venerable and use one's abilities to help the people solve various difficulties."