Chapter 522 - 522: From Dragon Whispers to Academy Gates

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--- Chapter 522 ---

"The Child of Stars..."

The black-robed woman's golden eyes widened in sheer horror as a deep, cold breath rolled in her dry throat. Although relatively young by dragon standards, she possessed vast and deep knowledge as the sole inheritor of two Dragon Kings.

According to the ancient records preserved by her predecessors, a Child of Stars was a unique entity born from the core and purest starlight of the universe, an existence capable of bearing the weight and fortune of the cosmos itself.

Child of Luck? Child of the Plane? Those titles meant practically nothing in the face of the Child of Stars!

While difficult, the black-robed woman had attempted to slay a Child of Luck in the past. She had ultimately failed, but she had still managed to leave behind lasting scars and heavy injuries upon him.

At the end of the day, a Child of Luck was still heavily constrained by the specific plane that birthed them. Slaying such a figure was difficult, but by no means impossible.

Slaying a Child of Stars, however, wasn't just impossible—it was literally tantamount to committing suicide and dragging the entire universe into ruin along with them.

Because a Child of Stars was blessed and protected by the Myriad Stars, harming such an existence was equivalent to turning every star in the vast cosmos into an immediate enemy.

And some of those stars were sentient planes in their own right!

Just imagining the possibility was utterly terrifying.

"I-If we could earn the favor of the Child of Stars, restoring the glory of the Spirit Beast Race would be as effortless as breathing..." The black-robed woman's breathing grew heavy and ragged. "My Lord... do you think—!"

"Mhm. I will attempt to make direct contact with the Child of Stars," The golden-haired girl replied, her voice eerily calm. "However, do not forget our primary objective for coming here."

"Confirming the Silver Dragon King's exact condition comes first. It won't be too late to meet the Child of Stars after we have clear answers."

The black-robed woman bowed her head in solemn obedience. "I was far too hasty. Please forgive me, My Lord."

The girl shook her head gently, letting out a heavy sigh. "Telling you the truth... complex schemes and deep strategy have never been my strong suits."

"I would much prefer resolving our problems with straightforward, pure, raw, absolute power."

"It's a pity I only recently managed to recover half of my strength... and the divine injury left behind by Asura shows no signs of healing."

A flash of genuine bitterness passed through her eyes. "Damn it. If I had recovered my strength just twenty thousand years, even ten thousand years, earlier, the situation wouldn't have been this bad."

"The spirit beast race would still be in its glory, and Emperor Auspicious Beast would never have been tricked and absorbed by the Sea God's daughter."

"The Tyrannical Aspect of the Dragon God... useless! It would have been so much better if I had inherited the Wisdom Aspect of the Dragon God instead of being reduced to blind, physical brute force."

"How could My Lord say such a thing!" The black-robed woman paused, her expression softening into one of deep understanding. "You are still the steadfast, resolute leader our race desperately needs in this dark hour."

"I certainly hope so..." The girl let out a faint, indifferent chuckle.

Frankly, she was exhausted. The Spirit Beast Race had suffered under the grand schemes of gods and humans for far too long.

Yet, what the girl did not know was that not possessing the Silver Dragon King's astounding wisdom might actually be the greatest blessing—for both her and the entire Spirit Beast Race.

'What's wrong with being muscle-headed? Violence and absolute power are still the basic, yet the truest principle in any world!'

After whispering a thought in her heart, the golden-haired girl moved her gaze from Eastsea City and focused on the Glorybound City again, where the Silver Dragon King should have descended a year ago.

"Let's go!" She said indifferently.

"Yes, My Lord!" The black-robed woman wrapped them both in shadows, vanishing in an instant as if they had never existed at all.

...

Meanwhile, in Eastsea City, Han Yuan felt a subtle, lingering sensation of being watched.

Though it was merely a lingering trace, his sharp perception was never wrong. Fortunately, thanks to the protective aura of the Plane Wanderer status, no outside gaze could pinpoint his true identity or exact location.

"Oh, right, Xiao Yuan," Mu Xi said, swallowing a spoonful of savory crab soup before remembering something.

"Let me take you to Eastsea Academy tomorrow. I want to introduce you to some of my friends—one of them is a real beauty!"

"Hmm? Your friend, beauty... it wouldn't be Ouyang Zixin, would it? The one you mention now and then?" Han Yuan leaned back lazily in his chair.

"That's her!" Mu Xi paused for a second before nodding. "She's my best friend. I haven't seen her in a whole year, even though we chat on our Spirit Guidance Communicators all the time."

"Do you want to come along?"

"Of course!" Han Yuan agreed with a swift nod.

"Eastsea Academy, right? Perfect timing, actually. Grandpa asked me to keep an eye out for exceptional young talents in this region for the Youth Genius Training Camp."

"There's such a thing?" Xing Lan, who had been quietly enjoying her meal, chimed in with interest.

Han Yuan smiled faintly. "Yes, and Grandpa specifically mentioned that one of the candidates here might be extraordinarily suitable to become your direct disciple, Aunt Lan."

"Oho? Then I certainly look forward to it," Xing Lan giggled in satisfaction. "Oh, by the way... your grandfather responded to our message regarding those two 100,000-year Spirit Bones."

"He said he'll personally inspect and purify the residual spiritual energy in them in a week or two, after finishing his current preparations in Heaven Dou City."

"Sounds good." Han Yuan had no objections.

They were merely 100,000-year limb-type Spirit Bones, after all.

If necessary, he could always modify them into external-type Spirit Bones using the Origin Essence Manipulation Technique that Alpha had derived from Ah Yin.

If he were ever to absorb a standard limb-type Spirit Bone, it would have to come from a beast with at least 500,000 years of cultivation, or an entity possessing a divine-grade bloodline.

It was an outrageously high standard, but the World-Devouring Kunpeng really rejected anything lesser. External Spirit Bones were the exception, given their ability to evolve alongside their host.

The next morning, Han Yuan, Mu Xi, and Xing Lan arrived at the gates of Eastsea Academy, one of the foundational locations in the original Legend of the Dragon King, where Tang Wulin and his companions first met and studied before moving on to Shrek Academy.

Of course, since Tang Wulin, or her female counterpart in this world, was the same age as Han Yuan, she was still in Glorybound City, attending Red Mountain Elementary Academy.

"Huh... so this is Eastsea Academy. It's larger than I expected," Han Yuan remarked, taking in the sprawling campus grounds. "Sister Xi, since you took a year off in Heaven Dou City, your best friend should be a 2nd-grade student in the Intermediate Division now, right?"

"Mhm, but that's just a technicality," Mu Xi replied, waving her hand dismissively.

"If I wanted to, I could graduate from Eastsea Academy today as long as I pass the assessment and demonstrate my cultivation."

"Actually... I was wondering if I could get Zixin transferred to Tianxing Academy under a special admission slot."

She turned her eyes toward Xing Lan coaxingly. "Can we do that, Teacher?"

"That depends entirely on your friend's aptitude," Xing Lan answered smoothly. She certainly didn't mind extending a special invitation, provided the candidate possessed genuine potential.

"Hehe, then consider it done!" Mu Xi grinned, brimful of confidence in Ouyang Zixin. While her friend wasn't a monstrous anomaly, her talent was still solidly above average.

'Ouyang Zixin, huh... Tang Wulin's very first crush in the original timeline,' Han Yuan mused with an amused inner smile as they walked through the academy gates. 'I wonder how much she's changed in this timeline.'