The girl noticed that the Little Crocodile Spirit still bore many marks of recent shedding and bone replacement, and as a Dragon Shepherd, she naturally understood that this dark little crocodile spirit must have just completed an evolution, taking a big step closer to becoming a True Dragon!
"I'm ashamed to say it, but I wasn't paying attention and let it get swept into the waterfall current," Zhu Minglang explained.
"Train it well, it will be a fine young dragon, it must have already found the path to the Dragon Gate. If there's nothing else, don't delay my cultivation here," the Jiaolong woman said.
"Thank you, senior sister, for the rescue," Zhu Minglang maintained the proper etiquette, before leading his Little Crocodile Spirit to swim towards the shore.
The pool was vast, and the current strong, but the Little Crocodile Spirit compared to before, was completely different; it could even carry Zhu Minglang to the edge of the pool, which greatly relieved him as he was already somewhat exhausted.
Finally back on shore, Zhu Minglang looked at the Little Crocodile Spirit nestled by his legs.
After the incident, the little black croc seemed to have grown much closer to him; Zhu Minglang couldn't help but smile and said, "If you encounter those Little Wolf Spirits that bully you in the Reserve Dragons Storage Hall again, you should be able to beat them to a pulp."
The Little Crocodile Spirit did not respond, its large eyes fixed on the vast and magnificent great waterfall, which hung like a colossal silver curtain.
A slender blue silhouette was challenging the thousands of tons of heavy waterfall current, climbing against the flow!
And finally, at the top of the waterfall, it leaped up, creating a magnificent splash and soared through the air!
The might of the Jiaolong was showcased to the fullest in this moment!
"Your ambition is not to defeat those little wolf spirits... hmm, hm, someday, you too will be able to stand claw-to-claw with this Jiaolong," Zhu Minglang said.
As he said this, he realized that the path was long; they couldn't even withstand the current of the waterfall.
However, the incident gave Zhu Minglang a good training idea: to have the Little Crocodile Spirit contend more with the raging currents, whirlpools, and waterfalls. On one hand, it could rapidly improve the Little Crocodile Spirit's constitution amidst the river's great resistance, and on the other, it could temper its spirit!
...
Upon returning to the house, a commotion could be heard from the courtyard.
By the time Zhu Minglang entered, he saw a two-meter-long Big Wolf Spirit viciously biting a Bull Spirit's neck, blood seeping from its sharp teeth, creating a somewhat bloody scene.
"I give up, I give up!" Li Shaoying's voice had a hint of sobbing as he hurried over.
The Big Wolf Spirit growled at Li Shaoying, frightening him to fall directly onto the ground, which was followed by boisterous laughter from the surrounding young boys.
"Next time you do chores, stop complaining so much!" the young man controlling the Big Wolf Spirit said.
Zhu Minglang frowned.
But not wanting to stir up trouble, he chose to bypass the scene.
Most of the residents here were youths and teenagers, at the age when they're most competitive. Although they didn't have a single True Dragon among them, duels were still popular.
Juvenile Spirit against Juvenile Spirit...
It seemed like a waste of time to Zhu Minglang.
Back in his little house, Zhu Minglang went to his bedroom to change into a fresh, dry set of clothes.
Little Black Tooth must have been very hungry. On the way back, I could hear its stomach rumbling incessantly. If it still only eats Large Meat Silkworms, Zhu Minglang will have to figure something out.
A small box of Large Meat Silkworms, I could maybe get some from the Reserve Dragons Storage Hall, since no other Juvenile Spirits like them, but now that it has grown several times larger, its appetite is probably even more exaggerated. Where can I find enough Large Meat Silkworms?
Whether it's a Juvenile Spirit or a Young Dragon, neither can be starved. The energy provided by food is not only to maintain physical strength and mental state for the dragons but also affects their growth potential and attribute changes...
Exercise is important, but eating well is even more crucial, and as a qualified Dragon Shepherd, one must feed different dragons different foodstuffs, adapting to their lineage, attributes, and growth conditions.
"It's too late to find a place to farm. I'll take a look in the town later to see if anyone's selling Large Meat Silkworms. If all else fails, I'll have to make rounds in the city-state... Sigh, I also need to figure out a way to make some money," Zhu Minglang began to worry.
In the past few years, Zhu Minglang lived a frugal but carefree life. Who knew that after raising a Juvenile Spirit, he'd have to start worrying about his livelihood again!
"Large Meat Silkworms... ah, I almost forgot. If Little White Bai Qi awakens, I must feed it enough honey!" Zhu Minglang smacked his head.
I haven't raised dragons for too long and forgot that Little White Bai Qi likes to eat honey. It must be ravenous after breaking out of its cocoon. The first meal after transforming into a dragon is extremely important, and it could miss out on some of its innate abilities.
Luckily, Little White Bai Qi is still in its cocoon and needs to sleep for a while. There's time to prepare the expensive honey!
Honey!
I must prepare enough honey!
Just born Dragon Sons need a lot of food, just like a newborn child needing to be breastfed every two hours. Insufficient breast milk can severely affect a baby's intelligence and growth, even leading to premature death.
Not to mention, Bai Qi's transformation from a small Ice Bug to a Young Dragon has seen a huge change in stature, consuming an immense amount of energy every second, which the small amount of mulberry leaves I've stored could never suffice to sustain it!
Alas, had it not been for that robbery, I would still have some silver coins on me. Now I am truly penniless.
"Woo-wooo~~~~~!!"
The Little Crocodile Dragon was probably really starving. Its large head emerged from the pool, gazing hopefully at Zhu Minglang...
For a long time, Zhu Minglang was the only one full, and his family never went hungry, and he saw money as dirt. Now, not only just for the about-to-transform Little White Bai Qi, even the food for the Little Crocodile Spirit has become a problem.
I must never lead such a confused life again!
Zhu Minglang looked at the Little Crocodile Spirit, thought of Bai Qi in the Spirit Realm, and felt a spark of that old youth's fighting spirit!
"Little Black Tooth, just make do with a few Stone-spotted Fish for now. I know they're hard to swallow, but don't worry, by tomorrow morning there'll be a large basket full of Large Meat Silkworms for you to devour," Zhu Minglang told the Little Crocodile Dragon.
The Little Crocodile Dragon was quite obedient. It dragged the bamboo basket of Stone-spotted Fish into its pond and started to nibble, albeit reluctantly.
Now that it's a Young Dragon, possessing the characteristics of a dragon, these ordinary fish could hardly provide it with any substantial energy.
To put it bluntly, they're not very nutritious—similar to humans eating tree bark, which can easily cause stomach problems.
In such a situation, it could only sleep to conserve energy, as the slightest activity would make it ravenously hungry. Not to mention training in the roaring waterfall currents to lay down the physical foundation for transforming into a dragon.
The Little Crocodile Dragon was quite obedient; it lay down in the pond and fell into a deep sleep, though its big belly occasionally made a "gurgling" noise.
Zhu Minglang cast a glance at the Little Crocodile Dragon, a look of helplessness on his face. Suddenly recalling the old man from the Reserve Dragons Storage Hall, he quickly tidied himself up and headed to the Reserve Dragons Storage Hall overnight.