Dragon Clan: Starting with the Azure Dragon Fruit

"Does this thing have to be played twice, like an English listening test?" Lin Yuan muttered to himself.

He had already copied the answers, so the rest was just wasted time. He couldn't act like a supervisor, looking around aimlessly, since the surveillance camera in the corner was operating in all directions without any blind spots.

To complete the act, Lin Yuan simply crossed his arms, lowered his head, and struck a profound pose as if he were deeply immersed in a "tranquil illusion."

He discovered that as long as one doesn't deliberately try to discern the grand and solemn dragon-like patterns deep within the audio, jazz tracks actually sound quite hypnotic.

Lin Yuan closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

Gradually, the surrounding noise of crying and colliding, along with the melody of jazz, became increasingly faint in his ears, eventually merging into a regular white noise.

Lin Yuan felt a strange lightness filling his body.

I seemed to gradually lose weight, becoming a bubble unbound by gravity, and all the physical obstacles around me became meaningless.

It kept rising, penetrating the ceiling of the lecture hall, penetrating the dome of Kassel College, penetrating the humid summer clouds, drifting endlessly upwards toward some indescribable dimension.

After an unknown amount of time, the aimless feeling of weightlessness suddenly stopped.

In an instant, it felt as if lightning had struck Lin Yuan's brain. Amidst the grotesque flashes of the image, Lin Yuan found himself standing above a sky filled with lightning and thunder.

What lay before me was no longer the tiered classroom for the 3E exam, but a vast, boundless urban ruin.

Hundreds and thousands of dark, spire-like ruins, like the ribs of a giant beast, pierced the sky in a chaotic manner.

He looked down and saw that he had transformed into a blue dragon whose length was unknown.

A bluish-green light shimmered on the layers of scales, and the massive dragon body coiled in the sea of ​​clouds, countless times larger than when it attempted to transform in the Valley of the Gods.

Raging lightning leaped between the dragon's horns and whiskers; beneath its claws stomped flames powerful enough to incinerate everything in the world; with each breath it took, a world-destroying gale would rise around it.

Surrounding the enormous dragon's body, rings of tangible, purplish-black flame clouds slowly swirled and flowed.

That's a unique sign that a Devil Fruit ability has entered the "awakening" stage.

As the fiery clouds expanded, Lin Yuan felt an unprecedented sense of expansion, the ultimate power of a mythical creature. He even had the illusion that, given enough time, he could destroy the entire planet.

However, at that moment, space trembled violently.

Dark red thunderclouds rolled and roared in the sky, and a black shadow that blotted out the sun slowly emerged from the storm.

The shadowy figure seemed to represent pure darkness and destruction; its wings spread open as if night had fallen.

Dark red lava flows through the gaps in its ancient scales, resembling a totem of hell.

The moment Lin Yuan saw the shadowy figure, he recognized it.

It was in the oil painting "The Death of the Black King" on the train that the tyrant, with wings entwined around the skeleton and perched atop the World Tree, symbolized despair and the end.

The Black King – Nidhogg.

Facing the legendary ancestor of all dragons, the oppressive feeling he exudes is far more suffocating than a fleeting glimpse in an oil painting.

The mere confrontation between the two colossal dragons in the void caused countless spires below to silently turn to dust.

But Nidhogg did not continue to flap its wings and approach. Its massive body hovered in the center of the storm, locking onto the Azure Dragon coiled above the sea of ​​clouds across the endless void.

After a long while, the abyss-like maw slowly opened, letting out a roar that shattered the heavens.

It was clearly speaking in obscure and difficult-to-understand dragon script, but Lin Yuan, in his Azure Dragon form, miraculously comprehended its meaning.

The sound was like the four seas pouring down, or like the sky collapsing:

"Those who steal fire... shall be executed!"

Chapter 65 The Taste of Fear

In the main building's monitoring room, Masashi Tomiyama looked tense, carrying a medical briefcase, ready to rush into the classroom at any moment to administer sedatives.

“Relax, Toyama. These freshmen seem to be of good quality. They may be a bit disheveled, but nothing serious should happen.” Professor Mans exhaled a puff of his cigar, his eyes fixed on the screen.

The monitor screen in front of me was divided into dozens of small squares, each corresponding to a student in the lecture hall.

"His answer was absolutely perfect, no wonder he's a near-S-rank!" Professor Guderian leaned closer to the screen, pointing at Lin Yuan on the screen, his tone filled with undisguised pride.

“I knew my student absolutely deserved an S-level rating because I remained rational throughout.”

"Whether he can be officially promoted to S-rank depends on Norma's rating after the exam. However, Dragon Resonance is something that can't be faked. Since he can answer on paper, he's probably right." Professor Schneider sat in the shadows, his hoarse voice coming through his mask.

He also greatly admired this once-in-a-century S-class talent and still feels that giving this rough gem to Guderian would be a complete waste.

That being said, Schneider's gaze quickly shifted to another split screen.

At this moment, Chu Zihang was forcefully stabbing a broken pencil into the table, his eyes burning with intense golden light.

Schneider's lips twitched slightly beneath his mask; this child, who had found his way into the real world on his own, possessed immeasurable potential.

He tried to find out Chu Zihang's detailed background in Norma's database, but the result surprised him greatly. One of the boy's core records was actually an SSS-level top secret, which even he did not have the right to access.

Schneider even approached the principal of Angers about this, but the old fox only offered him a cup of tea and kept changing the subject, giving him a perfunctory answer.

“Mans, your student Chen Motong is also quite remarkable.” Guderian pointed to the interrupted screen in the classroom to lighten the mood, breaking Schneider’s train of thought.

In the scene, the red-haired girl sits quietly amidst the frenzied crowd, a single tear sliding down her chin.

Professor Mans paused slightly, his fingers holding the cigar, staring at the screen without saying a word.

......

At the same time, on the other side of the world, in Lower Saxony, Germany.

Outside a mine that has been abandoned for nearly a century.

"Ring ring!"

The phone rang abruptly at the entrance of the mine. As if the other end knew he was about to lose signal, it called precisely at the right moment.

"Hello? Yes, it's me, of course I'm here." A man in a windbreaker answered the phone and shouted into the receiver.

"Damn it, this place used to be a mine. So many people went in and out. Are you sure this is really the place?"

An electronic voice, altered by a voice changer, came from the other end of the phone: "The location is absolutely accurate, Mr. Ronald Tang. Please remember, the employer needs a complete 'dragon egg.' Once we receive the goods, the final payment will be deposited into your account immediately."

"Okay, okay, I'll go in and look for it right away."

Old Tang hung up the phone, rubbed his face as if to bolster his courage, and prepared to go inside.

He had a typical Chinese face, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and medium-length black hair; his appearance was passable.

But his eyebrows naturally droop downwards, giving him an air of natural misfortune and a strange sense of humor.

As a college dropout living in a poor neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, Lao Tang is now a bounty hunter who makes a living by taking on jobs on "hunter" websites.

This time, the employer was incredibly generous, but the task requirements were bizarre: he was specifically asked to find a "dragon egg" in this godforsaken place.

Old Tang didn't believe in dragons at all, thinking they were just some kind of precious fossil, and secretly cursed these rich people for being bored and having nothing better to do.

Despite his cursing, for the sake of that huge sum of money, he tightened the shoulder straps of his backpack and plunged into the depths of the mine.

In fact, Lao Tang knew in his heart that there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Being a bounty hunter is a job that puts your life on the line; the more outrageous the reward, the more deadly the task often is.

Over the years, he has managed to survive all sorts of dangerous situations unscathed, all thanks to his naturally strong destiny and his inexplicable intuition that always helps him escape danger.

Although the mine made him very uncomfortable, he gritted his teeth and walked deeper into it for the sake of the US dollars.

The deep tunnel, abandoned for decades, was filled with deep water, which softened the soil, making it difficult to walk through.

Old Tang had been walking in the mine for an unknown amount of time when, just as he stepped onto a protruding rock and prepared to rest, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

A chilling sense of dread washed over him, a feeling that seemed to originate from the depths of his blood, something he had never experienced before. Even the time when gangsters pointed guns at his head on the street was nothing compared to the terror he felt now.

Old Tang's legs went weak, and he tumbled into the pile of rubble in a sorry state.

In his frantic attempt to brace himself, his palm grazed the rock face, leaving a bloody gash.

"hiss."

He gasped, steadied himself, and glanced at his right hand by the light of the swaying searchlight overhead.

The wound wasn't actually deep, but it was covered in blood, which looked rather frightening.

Normally, such minor injuries are commonplace for hunters.

But that feeling just now couldn't be faked. Although he didn't know what was going on, Lao Tang believed that his intuition never lied.

Forget the final payment, forget the dragon egg, they're all worthless compared to this deadly feeling.

"I can't do this job anymore." He spat, scrambled to his feet, and without even bothering to treat his wounds, ran wildly back the way he came without looking back.

With his departure, the depths of the mine fell silent once more.

But the bloodstain smeared on the rock wall did not run down the stone; instead, it was slowly absorbed by the rock wall like water droplets on a sponge until it disappeared completely.

......

BJ, deep underground.

In the abandoned subway platform, a few faulty spare light bulbs emitted a faint buzzing sound.

In this normally quiet underground space, most of the platform, along with the railway tracks below, was now filled with a giant dragon.

Its thick dragon body was squeezed into the narrow track, making it look quite comical.

In front of his enormous dragon head, several old newspapers were spread on the ground.

A young and beautiful girl is sitting cross-legged on a newspaper.

"Snap!" The girl threw out two cards, her long, black ponytail drawing a beautiful rainbow-like arc in the air.

She stared at the dragon opposite her with a mischievous grin. Her fair and gentle cheeks had a touch of playful baby fat, and a small, pointed canine tooth was showing at the corner of her lips.

The girl wore a plain white orchid-patterned camisole on her upper body and faded denim shorts on her lower body, with canvas sneakers on her feet. Her long and shapely legs were naturally crossed.

"Ace, it's your turn!" She turned her last card face down on the newspaper and smugly shook her head.

The dragon stretched out its sharp claws and carefully pulled two cards from the pile of cards on the ground. After hesitating for a moment, it pushed them out.

The two, one dragon and one man, were actually playing a game of comparing sizes.

The scene was quite incongruous, but the way Yi Long and the other person got along was remarkably harmonious.

The girl was just about to flip over the last card to end the game when her finger suddenly stopped in mid-air.

The smile on her face faded like the tide.

The dragon waited for a long time, its enormous golden eyes darting around in confusion, before uttering a deep, muffled voice: "Sister, why aren't you coming out?"

The girl didn't answer; she slowly withdrew her hand and pressed it tightly against her chest.

Beneath that plain white orchid-patterned halter top, her heart was pounding at a terrifying rate.

The girl frowned deeply, her once clear eyes now showing a hint of seriousness.

“You just now…” She raised her head, her gaze passing over the dragon’s massive body and looking up at the dark dome above.

"Do you sense anything is wrong?"

The dragon tilted its head, its eyes filled with confusion, and shook its head honestly.

The girl didn't make a sound. Just a moment ago, she clearly sensed a fear that made her soul tremble.

That was the fear that resided atop the World Tree thousands of years ago, belonging solely to the Black King Nidhogg.

Chapter 66: Only I Saw It? (15,000 words in a big update, please subscribe!)

"Are you OK?"

I suddenly felt a cool touch on my forehead.

Lin Yuan suddenly opened his eyes. The thunder, raging fire, and the black dragon that blotted out the sky receded like a tide, and the ceiling of the lecture hall once again filled his vision.

His gaze quickly focused, and Nono's bright face was right in front of him.

She bent over, placing one hand on his forehead, her dark red hair falling down, the ends almost brushing against Lin Yuan's nose, and a pleasant shampoo scent wafted over.

"You don't have a fever." Nono stared at him, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"You're sweating so much, did you have a nightmare? The exam is over, if you want to sleep, go back to your dorm."

Lin Yuan sat up straight, trying to calm his still rapidly beating heart.

Even after escaping the illusion, the suffocating feeling of being locked onto by those dark golden vertical pupils still lingered in his mind.