Chapter 440: The White Dragon Lord Takes a Disciple

The early spring sun rose, casting thousands of golden rays over magnificent Oqi City.

Oqi City was the imperial capital of the Yafeiawei Empire. During the empire's rise, the city had been expanded eight times. With each expansion, a new district and city wall were built outside the original limits, forming a series of interlocking rings.

With eight expansions added to the original old city wall, Oqi City boasted a total of nine walls, earning it the esteemed title of the City of Nine Rings.

At this moment, in an ordinary house in the outermost Ninth Ring of Oqi City, the gnoll Bank Redmane opened his eyes. He looked at the sunlight spilling through the window and stretched.

The early spring air still held a chill, and Bank immediately shrank back under his covers. He knew he should get up, but the warm bed seemed to possess a magical attraction, drawing him in. He closed his eyes again.

'I'll sleep just a little longer.'

'Just a little while...'

"Time to get up, Bank! Breakfast is ready!" his mother called from the living room.

"Coming!" Bank gritted his teeth and, mustering tremendous courage, threw off the covers. The cold morning air rushed over the bed. He shivered, immediately jumped to his feet, snatched his clothes from a nearby rack, and dressed at lightning speed.

He put on his shoes and socks, then stood before the floor-length mirror in his room, examining himself—a young gnoll who had just passed his Childhood Stage. A crimson mane grew along his back, and reddish spots dotted his earthy-yellow fur.

After straightening his clothes, Bank pushed open the door and entered the hall. His keen gnoll nose caught the scent of hot milk and the aroma of honey wafting from cakes.

"Go brush your teeth if you're up. We're eating soon. Don't be late for school."

"I know," Bank said. He went to the kitchen, grabbed his wash cup, and cleaned his teeth. He stood behind his mother to wait for breakfast, a large tail wagging behind him. The wagging revealed his good mood, for he had seen his mother pull three steaks from the Magic Freezing Compartment.

Compared to milk and cake, the young gnoll vastly preferred meat.

Bank watched his mother pour golden oil into the frying pan and ignite the magical flame. Fueled by elements, the fire heated the pan. The oil soon bubbled and emitted white smoke, and the gnoll mother dropped the steaks into the searing oil.

Sizzle!

The aroma of frying meat filled the cozy home. His mother flipped the steaks repeatedly until the pink meat took on an appetizing charred golden-brown crust.

Creak!

The front door pushed open, and Bank's father returned from his morning run. Seeing the little gnoll wagging his tail behind his mother, he smiled.

It did not take long for breakfast to be ready. A cup of hot milk, a steak, and a self-serve plate of pastries for each—this was the gnoll family's breakfast.

The family sat around the dining table, enjoying their warm meal.

As he ate, Bank looked at the wall behind his father. A magical projection hung there, showing a burly gnoll in military uniform. That was his grandfather, Moni Redmane.

Moni Redmane had been a Master Peak gnoll Warrior who earned many great merits for the Yafeiawei Empire. Unfortunately, he failed to break through to the Legendary Rank and eventually passed away in his sickbed.

Looking at his grandfather's image, Bank recalled the words the old man had spoken while holding him just before he died—he hoped Bank would become the first legendary powerhouse of the Redmane Gnoll Clan.

That wish could no longer be fulfilled, but that was not a bad thing.

A few months ago, a gnoll of his grandfather's generation had broken through to the Legendary Rank, becoming the first legendary powerhouse of the Redmane Gnoll Clan.

Therefore, Bank made up his mind: he would become the second legendary powerhouse of the clan.

Bank looked at his father, who was currently fighting with his steak, and figured being the third would be fine too, considering his father was also cultivating hard.

"Focus on your food when you eat. Stop looking around," his mother said, tapping the table, somewhat displeased by his distraction. "Also, you must place in the top one hundred in school for this final exam, or your pocket money gets halved."

Bank's face instantly fell. He was about to argue, but upon seeing his mother's stern expression, he looked to his father for help. His father just gave him a look of helpless sympathy.

'Sigh! My life is too hard!'

Bank bowed to his mother's tyranny. Truthfully, he felt a little wronged. For a transfer student who had just arrived at a school in the imperial capital, aiming for the top one hundred was a bit too difficult. After all, his previous school's teaching quality could not compare to the capital's.

But Bank also understood his mother. The family had sold off half their assets to buy a house in astronomically expensive Oqi City, all so he could attend the Seventh Academy of Oqi City, which boasted superior educational quality.

"I'm heading to school." Bank bid his family farewell, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and walked out onto the street. He looked toward the city center, where a colossal, snow-white magic tower stood like a pillar holding up the sky in the very center of the Nine Rings. That was the residence of the Imperial Emperor.

One early morning, Bank had caught a glimpse of the Imperial Emperor from afar. That massive physique left an indelible impression on the young gnoll. Ever since then, he had made it a daily habit to gaze at the towering White Tower, hoping to behold the Imperial Emperor's magnificent presence once more.

Time did not allow him to linger. He continued down the street toward school.

"Hey! Bank!"

The little gnoll turned around happily and saw his buddy, the kobold Sim. Sim loved gold just as much as his father, who ran a mining company, and he wore a thick gold chain around his neck.

Although his fashion was a bit tacky, Sim had an excellent personality and could make friends with anyone. He had quickly befriended the newly transferred Bank. Since their houses were not far apart, the two often walked to school together.

"Bank, do you remember today's schedule?"

"The first morning period is Continental Common Tongue, the second is one-on-one combat training, and the third is national geography. The first afternoon period is an introduction to the outer planes, and the second is the combat test!"

"Ah! Heavens! Bank! What am I going to do about the combat test? There's still one combat skill I haven't learned yet! If I bomb this exam, my old man will beat me to death!"

The young gnoll could not help but feel concerned for his friend. "How about I practice with you during the combat training class in the second period?"

"Bank! Thank you so much! I'll treat you to..."

Chattering non-stop along the way, the little gnoll and little kobold walked to the academy with their arms around each other's shoulders, merging into a crowd of their peers.

...

White Tower.

The White Dragon Lord was conducting an experiment in the White Tower Laboratory. He fused a strand of resplendent divinity into a demon soul contained in a jar, observing the soul's reaction.

"Hmm... the soul body has solidified quite a bit, but I don't know the exact effects yet."

An esoteric note of Soul Magic resonated. The Low Tier Soul Magic—Soul-Seizing Wave—struck the demon soul infused with divinity. The demon soul rippled, then shrieked in agony.

"Just a single strand of divinity can strengthen a Master-Tier Demon soul to this extent. It seems divinity hides many secrets," the White Dragon Lord sighed in amazement as he recorded the experimental data.

Under the White Dragon Lord's testing, the demon soul collapsed. He extracted the divinity once more and infused it into yet another test subject.

"Master, this is the latest battle report sent back from the Abyss."

The voice of his Moon Elf phantom butler came from behind. The White Dragon Lord did not even turn his head as he observed the test subject. "Leave it there."

All returned to peace.

Two days later, the White Dragon Lord finished this phase of his experiments and remembered the battle report he had tossed to the back of his mind. He grabbed it and examined it closely. The report primarily detailed the war between the Dragon Race and the Titans—who won, who lost, which powerhouses had fallen, and other such information.

Several years had passed since the war began. Every so often, the Abyss would send back a report like this. The White Dragon Lord had transitioned from his initial emotional sighs to his current indifference.

The hatred between the Dragon Race and the Titans was etched into their respective inheritances. This animosity was passed down from generation to generation, like two ropes tying an endless series of dead knots. By now, it was completely impossible to untangle. Perhaps the hatred would only end when one side was entirely wiped out.

What the White Dragon Lord could do, and what he wanted to do, was ensure that the Dragon Race would have the last laugh. He thought of the draconic hopes growing robustly in the Dragon Academy. Once these hopes matured, they would definitely give the Titans a massive shock.

The innate talents of the Dragon Race combined with the professional education system would produce an effect far greater than the sum of their parts.

If multiple dragons with professional levels formed a well-balanced team and cooperated with each other, their individual combat power would be elevated to an entirely new level.

This theory had already been proven by Willy, Elena, and Felicia. The combined strength of the three dragons was enough to combat five high-tier legendary Titans, and that was even before Willy and Felicia had formally stepped into the Ancient Dragon Stage.

If three dragons possessing both professional levels and Creature Levels could unleash such immense power through cooperation, what would dozens, hundreds, or even an entire legion of dragons look like?

The White Dragon Lord could almost picture the Titans' dumbfounded expressions when they were routed. That day would not be too far off...

With nothing else to do, the White Dragon Lord used the White Tower's Teleportation Platform to travel to the Dragon Academy. Through the main tower's planar monitoring function, he observed the Young Dragon zone.

Once the dragons in the Dragon Academy stepped into the Young Dragon Stage, they no longer faced any pressure to survive. This was because a dragon in the Young Dragon Stage possessed a Creature Level rivaling a Master Tier powerhouse. Combined with their professional levels and the combat experience accumulated during their growth, only legendary powerhouses could pose a threat to such young dragons.

And the White Dragon Lord did not have the vast ability to procure thousands of legendary powerhouses to act as sparring partners for the little dragons. Therefore, the curriculum during the Young Dragon Stage primarily consisted of the young dragons fighting among themselves. The most vital focus was team composition and group combat.

Based on the young dragons' professions, species, strengths, and other information, the academy divided them into five-dragon squads. Ten five-dragon squads formed a dragon battalion, and ten battalions formed a legion.

Every day, the young dragons would spar with one another, practicing teamwork. They fought minor skirmishes every three days and major battles every seven, allowing them to constantly accumulate combat experience and forge themselves into battle-hardened warriors.

The training had already begun to show initial results. A five-dragon squad could hold its own against an ordinary legendary powerhouse, and exceptionally outstanding squads could even defeat one.

Through the main tower of the Magic Tower Defense System, the White Dragon Lord observed a sparring match between two five-dragon squads. Both sides fielded a lineup of two Warriors, one monk, one priest, and one Mage.

The two sides clashed in the arena, fighting to a standstill. Claws and dragon tails struck simultaneously; spells and combat skills flew in tandem. This was not merely a clash of strength, but a battle of wits and tactics.

To the White Dragon Lord, the battles between the young dragons were still quite immature, but he saw growth and hope within their fights.

After watching the young dragon battlefield for a while, the White Dragon Lord turned his gaze to his primary target of interest: the anomalous red dragon, Sadassim.

Sadassim was a male red dragon born with double pupils. His mental strength and willpower far exceeded those of ordinary dragons. Though currently only in his Young Dragon cycle, he possessed the strength of peak Young Dragons—power comparable to the White Dragon Lord's own at the same age.

When the White Dragon Lord checked on Sadassim, the dragon was in the middle of a magical experiment.

The White Dragon Lord watched with great interest as the red dragon conducted his test. The red dragon poured a flask of pale yellow powder into a green liquid, and a plume of white smoke instantly puffed out from the container...

Sadassim's level in magical experiments would not even count as child's play to the White Dragon Lord, but it was enough to warrant his attention. Thanks to his Gold Finger, the White Dragon Lord held far more advantages in magical experiments than an ordinary Mage.

For the little red dragon to reach his current level relying solely on his teacher's guidance was already exceptional. Most importantly, he lacked the laziness ubiquitous among red dragons, and his bad temper, such as arrogance, had been smoothed out by the White Dragon Lord's deliberate arrangements.

The White Dragon Lord waited quietly for the little red dragon to finish the experiment before summoning his instructor, Hornbell Scourge of Flames.

"Hornbell, bring him to see me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The red dragon, Hornbell Scourge of Flames, lowered his head humbly and backed away. He knew the Imperial Emperor had long been keeping an eye on Sadassim. Judging by the current situation, the little red dragon was about to experience a major turning point in his life.

Before long, the Scourge of Flames brought an apprehensive little red dragon before the White Dragon Lord.

The White Dragon Lord glanced at the nervous little red dragon, noting that his current biological level was a Level 13 Dragon, and concurrently a Level 13 Mage. He felt satisfied.

"Good day! Great Majesty! Oh, no! Lord Principal!" The little red dragon performed a draconic salute.

"Sadassim, are you willing to become my student?"

"Ah?!" The little red dragon's jaw dropped in sheer shock.

'Am I dreaming?!'

'His Majesty the Imperial Emperor, a super dragon boss at the Abomination Rank, actually said he's taking me as a disciple!'

Seeing the little dragon's amusing look of shock, the White Dragon Lord teased, "What? Unwilling?"

The Scourge of Flames nudged the little red dragon with his tail. The hatchling snapped back to his senses, overjoyed, and nodded repeatedly. "I'm willing! I'm willing!"