86: Chapter 90

4

The system's notification sound swept through his mind, and Jiang Haojie's eyebrows twitched.

A dragon? And a Five-Clawed Fire Dragon at that?

Crunch, crunch.

The sound of fine chewing could be heard.

Jiang Haojie turned his head and saw the little thing swallowing the eggshell bite by bite.

With every piece it swallowed, a very faint layer of pressure rippled around its body; it was elusive, yet it faintly exuded an ancient aura.

In just fifteen minutes, the large eggshell had been eaten clean.

The little fellow's body grew accordingly, from its original thumb-size to roughly the length of an adult's forearm; its aura also quietly climbed from its initial weakness to the First-Order.

"Master, hungry."

A soft, tender, and childish voice suddenly echoed in Jiang Haojie's mind.

He looked down in astonishment, meeting those clear eyes.

"Is that you speaking?"

The little fellow nodded its head clumsily.

"What do you want to eat?"

Jiang Haojie squatted down, his fingertips lightly touching its cold scales.

"I don't know... but Master has things I can eat on him."

Its words were still somewhat intermittent, but the meaning came through clearly.

Jiang Haojie was startled and took out a short blade from his system space: "This?"

A shake of the head.

He pulled out a talent crystal: "How about this?"

Still a shake of the head.

"Then there's nothing left."

Jiang Haojie frowned in thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and took out a Storage Pouch from his robes.

But thinking of the size of the object inside, he hesitated—just as he was about to put it away, the soft voice spoke again:

"I want this... but not all of it yet."

Before the words finished, the little fellow suddenly opened its mouth and inhaled.

Inside the Storage Pouch, a dragon pearl actually floated out on its own, flying toward it uncontrollably.

Jiang Haojie's expression changed slightly: that dragon pearl was originally the size of a carriage canopy; if it manifested here, the house would likely collapse.

However, his concerns did not come true.

In mid-air, the dragon pearl turned into a pool of flowing gold, rapidly shrinking and refining until it condensed into a mass the size of a pigeon egg, which the little fellow swallowed in one gulp.

"..."

Jiang Haojie watched silently as it smacked its lips, those golden eyes blinking as if to say: Is there more?

"You couldn't be talking about... this, could you?"

He murmured to himself, while the little fellow just tilted its head, looking at him with clear eyes.

Jiang Haojie's gaze once again fell upon that void that only he could perceive, where items he had obtained from various dangerous environments were stored.

He had shown almost everything that could be taken out to this little thing.

Only that "beast source" remained.

It had been kept deep inside and never moved.

His heart stirred as he suddenly recalled the records of the beast source: this item was the source power for nourishing ancient spiritual beasts.

Could this little fellow be after it? Among the things around him, besides the dragon pearl it had already taken, only this beast source was left.

Jiang Haojie took it out. Just as his palm supported the shimmering crystal, the little thing on the bed's eyes suddenly lit up. It pounced over and hugged it, then settled down quietly and began to nibble on it bit by bit.

Looking at its focused appearance, Jiang Haojie felt a sense of hidden worry.

The supply of beast sources wasn't large to begin with. If it only recognized this, he would likely have to constantly enter those crisis-ridden secret realms in the future.

Just recalling the various terrifying sights in the secret realms sent a chill crawling up his spine.

One F-grade beast source was quickly finished.

The little fellow looked up, its watery eyes staring straight at him, full of expectation.

Jiang Haojie sighed and had no choice but to take out another one.

He originally thought this would be an endless beginning, but unexpectedly, after the second one went down, the little fellow smacked its lips contentedly and stopped asking for more.

His hanging heart finally settled.

He was truly afraid this was a bottomless abyss that could never be filled.

Hmm?

Jiang Haojie suddenly noticed something strange. Concentrating his perception, he couldn't help but be startled—this little thing's aura had unknowingly broken through the Second-Order threshold.

Was the energy contained in the beast source that massive, or had the previous dragon pearl triggered some kind of transformation?

While he was pondering, the little fellow's body twisted, suddenly shrinking to the size of a thumb. Then, with a flap of its wings, it flew up gracefully and landed steadily in his open palm.

It rubbed its warm little head against his thumb web, and a tender, soft voice rippled directly in his mind:

"Master, you haven't given me a name yet."

Jiang Haojie chuckled: "You need a name too?"

"I do, I do,"

It nodded vigorously, its expression exceptionally serious. "Only with a name can I awaken my talent and comprehend my own abilities. Moreover... if Master bestows a name, I might even be able to share Master's talents."

Jiang Haojie was stunned upon hearing this.

Although he didn't know how it knew these rules that seemed like ancient contracts, since it had said so, naming it became a matter of urgency.

He pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the red glow flowing around its body and the faintly visible five-clawed dragon shape.

"Your whole body is crimson, and you are of the five-clawed dragon lineage, destined to soar above the nine heavens in the future,"

Jiang Haojie said softly, "Let's call you 'Chixiao'."

"Mm!"

It—now to be called Chixiao—responded cheerfully, appearing very satisfied with the name.

Seeing it in such a state, Jiang Haojie couldn't help but stroke its back with his finger.

Chixiao narrowed its eyes, showing an expression of enjoyment.

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of knocking on the door suddenly rang out; it wasn't heavy or light, but it carried a certain sense of urgency.

Jiang Haojie frowned slightly and looked at Chixiao in his palm, for a moment not knowing where to place it.

Chixiao seemed to sense his dilemma. Its tiny body twisted gently and wound its way up his index finger.

Even more surprisingly, its body surface emitted a layer of faint light, and within a few breaths, it actually transformed into an exquisite red dragon ring, firmly encircling the base of his finger like a natural ornament.

Jiang Haojie was secretly amazed, but before he could think further, three more knocks came from outside the door.

He steadied himself and cast his gaze toward the closed door.

When the door was knocked, Jiang Haojie reined in his thoughts.

He pulled open the door. Su Qingxue was standing in the corridor, softly reminding him: "The banquet is about to start."

"Let's go."

Jiang Haojie nodded and walked side by side with her.

As they walked, his consciousness sank into his depths, and an invisible bond quietly connected. "Chixiao,"

he asked in his mind, "what talents have you awakened now?"

As his Life Source Spirit connected to his soul, Chixiao's response was directly reflected in his mind, hidden from the outside world. "I possess the 'Blood Devour' ability, which allows me to absorb the essence of various dragon bloodlines to temper myself."

The voice carried a childish excitement, "In addition, I have inherited three of your talents, Master—Comprehension, Critical Hit, and Nirvana. Master is truly amazing; the dragon race has at most twin talents for generations, yet you possess three."

It added bashfully: "You can also call upon my talents. For now, I have only comprehended one move, 'Dragon Flame Breath,' but I can perform any skill you have mastered; conversely, you can also use my skills."

A glint of light passed through Jiang Haojie's eyes.

That the Life Source Spirit had such benefits of mutual exchange was an unexpected surprise.

"You seem a bit distracted."

Su Qingxue looked over from the side.

"It's nothing."

Jiang Haojie shook his head.

Even though he was already accompanied by Su Qingxue, he still chose to remain silent about Chixiao's existence.

It wasn't a lack of trust, but the origin of this Five-Clawed Fire Dragon was too shocking—although there were dragon-transformation mutants in the world, a true Oriental Divine Dragon had never appeared.

Explaining it would inevitably lead to complications.

A moment later, the two arrived at the main hall of Zhanwu Academy.

The originally spacious hall was already filled with people, making it slightly crowded.

"Sister Qinglan."

Su Qingxue waved forward.

Qin Qinglan was walking through the crowd toward them, her expression lacking its usual composure.

Surrounding gazes converged, falling on Jiang Haojie and the two exceptionally beautiful women, a mix of envy and jealousy.

In the crowd, Xu Qing's eyes were as cold as poisoned needles; not far away, Dan Bei's face was equally dark.

Qin Qinglan lowered her voice and spoke rapidly: "Jiang Haojie, I just got word that Lu Baichuan's family has sent people here, intending to take you away by force. Leave now, quickly."

Jiang Haojie, however, smiled: "Since they've already arrived, how could they possibly let me escape?"

"What's going on?"

Su Qingxue grabbed his sleeve, her fingertips slightly cold. "Wasn't that matter already settled?"

"Lu Baichuan came from the Lu family in the capital; his background is very deep."

Qin Qinglan gave a bitter smile. "A direct descendant of the family has died; they will never let it go."

Su Qingxue's face gradually turned pale.

Jiang Haojie reached out and lightly scraped the bridge of her nose, his tone still relaxed: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Since the banquet has been set, we should enjoy ourselves."

Su Qingxue glared at him, the worry in her eyes not fading—at such a critical moment, this man actually still had the heart to tease her.

Jiang Haojie led the two girls to an empty spot in a corner and sat down.

Before long, people began to approach with wine glasses to exchange pleasantries.

A young man calling himself Yin Zhongquan from Nanyu Academy was the first to raise his glass: "Brother Jiang Haojie, I've heard much about you. I wonder if you'd do me the honor of having a drink?"

Jiang Haojie nodded slightly and picked up the wine glass beside him to clink with him.

Immediately after, someone else stepped forward: "I am Wei Chusheng from Wannan University. Could we exchange contact information?"

...

"Junior Jiang Haojie,"

a Qinghai University student calling himself Zhen Sanmiao lowered his voice, "could we step aside to discuss the invitation letter?"

...

The continuous stream of greetings almost drowned Jiang Haojie.

He finally managed to escape from the crowd, thin sweat appearing on his forehead.

Qin Qinglan and Su Qingxue beside him couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh lightly at the sight.

Jiang Haojie glanced at them helplessly and was about to find a quiet place to rest when a rumbling roar suddenly came from the sky.

Everyone looked up to see several helicopters breaking through the clouds, slowly approaching.

---

Under everyone's gaze, the helicopter fleet landed steadily on the helipad of Zhanwu Academy.

Sun Wanyu was the first to stand up: "The Lu family people have arrived. Let's go see."

The principals of the various schools followed him, walking toward the helipad together.

The cabin doors opened one after another, and more than ten figures in military uniforms jumped down nimbly. The last to step out was a middle-aged man in a white suit.

This man's hairline was already receding, and his aquiline nose made his eye sockets look deep-set; his high cheekbones added a few degrees of cold severity to his look.

"Mr. Lu, it's been a long journey."

Sun Wanyu stepped forward with a smile to greet him, but the other party ignored him.

"Where is Jiang Haojie?"

The middle-aged man's gaze swept through the crowd. "I want to take him away."

Wang Changming stepped forward two paces, trying to ease the atmosphere: "Mr. Lu must be tired from the journey. Why not sit in the office for a while? This matter can be discussed at length."

He reached out to lead the way but was blocked by two soldiers stepping in front of him.

Lu Jizhou's gaze fell on the face of Zhanwu Academy's principal, Wang Changxiao, his tone icy: "My nephew died on your academy's grounds. Shouldn't Principal Wang give the Lu family an explanation?"

Wang Changxiao's face darkened slightly.

As the head of one of the Five Great Academies, when had he ever been questioned so directly to his face? If not for considering the Lu family's background, how would the person before him dare to take such a stance.

"What kind of explanation does Mr. Lu want?"

Wang Changxiao withdrew his smile.

Academy trials inherently came with risks. Lu Baichuan's death had initially caused him regret, but now, facing Lu Jizhou's aggressiveness, that bit of guilt had vanished.

"The accounts can be settled slowly,"

Lu Jizhou turned to look toward the square, "but now, I want to take Jiang Haojie away first."

"This is not a convenient place for deep discussion, Mr. Lu—"

Before Sun Wanyu could finish, he was interrupted by the other party.

"No need."

Lu Jizhou waved his hand and led the group of soldiers straight toward the trial grounds.

The several principals exchanged glances and had no choice but to follow closely behind.

In the distance, Su Qingxue lightly pulled Jiang Haojie's sleeve, her voice tight: "They are coming for you..."

"Don't panic."

Jiang Haojie patted the back of her hand.

He looked up at the approaching figures, a nearly imperceptible silver glow flashing in the depths of his pupils—in an instant, information about Lu Jizhou and his group surfaced in his vision like flowing water.

The auras of seven Fifth-Order and three Sixth-Order Awakened intertwined into a net, silently enveloping the area.

The leader only had a Fourth-Order cultivation, so he was not worth fearing.

"Don't worry, Master, the dragon pearl is almost refined by me."

In the depths of his consciousness, Chixiao's soft and tender voice rang out gently.

"Once I break through to the Third-Order, these people will be no match—I can make Master's combat power jump a whole order."

"You actually have such an ability?"

Jiang Haojie's heart shook slightly.

He was always good at fighting across orders, but he hadn't expected Chixiao to be even more surprising.

Chixiao's tone showed a little bit of pride:

"I am Master's Life Source Spirit, so naturally I share everything with Master."