Chapter 36: Molt of a Young Dragon (Please subscribe! Please vote for monthly tickets!)

Seeing that Shao Heng remained silent, Li Chaoge could only continue speaking.

"This First-Class mission is related to a True Dragon cub."

Hearing this, Shao Heng's face filled with shock.

The True Dragon, the uncrowned king among the demon race, was an ancient being that existed even before the rise of the human race; such beings were also known as "Heavenly Demons."

The body of a True Dragon was one of the perfect Dao forms nurtured by the laws of heaven and earth, possessing infinite mysteries. The profound heritage of the Dragon race could be glimpsed through the fact that many members of the demon race spent their entire lives practicing the path of dragon transformation.

Shao Heng said directly, "How is that possible? I just returned from the Law Enforcement Pavilion, and I didn't see any such mission. Besides, a True Dragon cub—do you really think that is something we can reach?"

Heavenly Demons were arrogant and born without submission; their bloodline was an innate talent and power that was in no way inferior to the top geniuses of the human race.

Furthermore, even if there were truly a chance to domesticate a dragon cub, such news would never reach their ears. High-level cultivators would naturally take action, and even those at the Golden Core or Nascent Soul stages would have to fight tooth and nail for it.

Facing the skepticism, Li Chaoge remained unhurried and continued to explain, "This mission was intercepted in advance by a clan brother of my Qinghe Li Clan. It is not about capturing a True Dragon cub."

"Three days ago, it was reported that a True Dragon appeared on Mount Danyang, and a cub hatched, causing the sky to be covered in multicolored clouds. The content of the mission is to obtain the Dragon-Accompanying Grass, a spiritual medicine born from being permeated by the aura of a True Dragon."

"And according to the secret records of my Li Clan, if a young dragon is about to hatch, the adult True Dragon will nourish the dragon egg with its own Dharmic power. This causes the young dragon's discarded remains—the broken eggshell—to leave behind a precious liquid called 'Spirit Dragon Liquid.' If this liquid does not dissipate within seven days and a human cultivator can obtain and consume it, it can enhance their bone structure and foundation. This is a secret known to very few in the world."

Shao Heng remained silent, carefully observing the changes in Li Chaoge's expression, but she could not discern anything unusual for the time being.

"Junior Sister Shao Heng, my aptitude is 'Fire Sparrow Flying Feather,' which is already the peak of low-grade aptitude. Therefore, if I can obtain this treasure to assist me in increasing my bone structure and potential, I would have a ten percent chance of advancing to the mid-grade aptitude of 'Red Phoenix Rising Clouds.'"

"And only those with superior aptitude like you and I will have the opportunity for such a metamorphosis. For others, obtaining it would merely increase their blood and qi; it would not have the great effect of transforming quantity into quality like it would for us."

"If we can possess mid-grade aptitude, even if we do not participate in the Disciple Grand Competition later, we can smoothly ascend to the Inner Sect. Moreover, the benefits of improving one's aptitude for the Dao path are immense and can benefit one for a lifetime. I hope you will consider it carefully."

Li Chaoge's expression was sincere, and her eyes held an undisguised ambition and longing.

"A ten percent chance? It truly is a great opportunity, but what is it that you want me to do?"

Shao Heng sat on her large, soft prayer mat, leaning sideways in an unrefined manner.

The young girl before her appeared too nonchalant. Li Chaoge felt a sense of foreboding; her mind raced through a thousand thoughts before she finally felt a bit deflated.

She also sat down on a wooden chair as if they were old friends and rubbed her temples.

"When the newly recruited disciples finished their lessons at the Myriad Magic Pavilion, you fought one against six and even caught the eye of Elder Zhao; most people in this batch already know. Especially those of us from cultivation families who delayed entering the sect just to strive for the Inner Sect... In short, my Li family wants to win you over and establish a bond of friendship."

If Shao Heng achieved nothing in the future, the Qinghe Li Clan would lose nothing; after all, that Spirit Dragon Liquid only had great effects on specific people, and its effective period was only seven days.

"Additionally, regarding my own interests, I want you not to actively attack me during the Grand Competition, thereby reducing one potential adversary for yourself."

At this point, Li Chaoge felt a bit guilty.

After all, regarding using the Spirit Dragon Liquid to promote her aptitude, she had actually slightly exaggerated her chances just now. She was determined to secure an Inner Sect spot, so she had to make thorough preparations.

Being at the same early stage of the first realm, if this batch of new disciples used all the hundred-plus spirit stones provided by the sect to increase their cultivation, it would be difficult to create an absolute advantage during the Grand Competition. Therefore, their mastery of techniques became particularly important, and many had already listed Shao Heng as a formidable rival.

Shao Heng already understood the format of the Disciple Grand Competition; Inner Sect elders would be observing.

If she deliberately helped, the elders would surely notice, which would instead affect her. And since everyone possessed low-grade aptitude, how could they be willing to sacrifice themselves to lift others up? Thus, in past competitions, there was no factionalism; everyone relied solely on their own skills.

However, not actively attacking Li Chaoge did not actually count as helping her, since there were ten Inner Sect spots available after the competition.

Shao Heng thought for a moment and asked, "Is it you who will be executing that First-Class mission?"

"Yes, my clan has already investigated the news. We have an eighty percent certainty of finding the Spirit Dragon Liquid."

Li Chaoge unconsciously straightened her chest, clearly feeling very confident.

"How many contribution points is a First-Class mission worth?"

"Um... this belongs to a collection-type mission, so the rewards are relatively low for a First-Class mission. But since the traces of a young dragon's hatching site are hard to find, it is worth sixty points."

Li Chaoge was quick to understand and said readily, "If Junior Sister Shao Heng agrees, this mission can be transferred to you to complete."

Although the Qinghe Li Clan was not comparable to immortal sects, they had a thousand-year heritage. As one of the few members the clan was focusing on cultivating, Li Chaoge was not stingy with the resources that sixty contribution points could exchange for.

"Sixty contribution points is roughly equivalent to two or three days of missions for me. Overall, it's not a loss," Shao Heng calculated in her mind.

Moreover, coming from the mortal realm, she had only seen True Dragons on embroidery or totems. Such mythical creatures always possessed a captivating, mysterious charm, and matters related to them gave her a desire to explore.

"Fine. Including those sixty contribution points, if you do not attack me during the Grand Competition, I will not take the initiative to attack you," Shao Heng sat up straight and nodded in agreement.

Li Chaoge's eyes lit up, and she took a wooden token from her storage ring.

"Take this mission token and register at the Law Enforcement Pavilion."

She then took out a contract charm and a roll of parchment. Using her Dharmic power as ink, she waited for the contents to be filled in and the name to be signed, then tilted her chin toward Shao Heng, her meaning obvious.

Shao Heng took the contract charm and, after reviewing it, found it to be clearly organized with no traps.

With the contract charm as proof, combined with the sect's rules, even though Li Chaoge and she had never met before, it was unlikely she could devise such a thorough deception.

Shao Heng signed her name on the contract, and immediately, a blood flame burned out, and the contract was established.

Li Chaoge spread the parchment map before her, pointing to three red dots on the map and saying, "Our Li family has investigated and found True Dragon traces at these three locations on Mount Danyang. But at that time, the dragon aura was still strong, and fearing the True Dragon was still present, we did not intrude and instead reported the news back."

"But the phenomenon of the young dragon's descent has already occurred, so the True Dragon must be about to leave with its offspring. We will set out immediately to find it before the Spirit Dragon Liquid dissipates."

Shao Heng replied, "Give me some time; I still need to make another trip to the Law Enforcement Pavilion."

Calculating it out, she needed to cancel one of the four missions she had previously accepted to avoid being overdue, in addition to registering this First-Class mission.

"Then shall we meet at the mountain gate at the hour of the Rooster?"

"Fine."

Li Chaoge beamed, her eyes curving like crescents.

"I truly look forward to cooperating with Junior Sister Shao Heng and witnessing your brilliant techniques."

……………………………

[PS: Nine updates today, twenty thousand words provided]

Additionally, a supplementary explanation

Huang Ya's Dharmic power of one thousand furnaces refers to the fact that cultivation becomes more difficult the further one progresses, which was mentioned before. All outer disciples have low-grade aptitude. With 120 spirit stones, a newly entered disciple in their first year might cultivate from 0 to 60 furnaces of Dharmic power. However, a disciple who has been cultivating since childhood can only go from 80 to 100 furnaces in that same year, gaining an extra 20 furnaces.

Li Chaoge considers Shao Heng to be at the peak of low-grade aptitude, so judging by her speed of Qi Induction, her cultivation speed will also be fast. During the Disciple Grand Competition, she is likely to reach around one hundred furnaces of Dharmic power (though Shao Heng is currently on a whole different level).

After narrowing the gap in Dharmic power, the use of techniques becomes more influential in determining victory or defeat during the Grand Competition. As for Shao Heng using techniques to fight one against six, the current speculation is that because her bone structure and aptitude were measured on the Source Wall (though not officially recorded), her corresponding talent might be an enhancement to the power of techniques, which is why Li Chaoge and others have listed her as a formidable rival. In Li Chaoge's eyes, Shao Heng is easier to "buy off" compared to her other opponents, which is why she came to seek cooperation.

(End of Chapter)