The Waterfall Flood Dragon gently curled its tail around the Little Crocodile Spirit and brought it softly in front of Zhu Minglang.
Its treatment was entirely different from how it dealt with the Violent Catfish; the Waterfall Flood Dragon treated the Little Crocodile Spirit with great tenderness.
"Wuu ohhhh~~~~~" Seeing Zhu Minglang, the Little Crocodile Spirit looked utterly aggrieved.
Zhu Minglang sat in front of its large head, a smile gradually spreading across his face.
"Little Black Tooth, look, even it holds you in high regard; you've done very well," Zhu Minglang said, pointing at the Waterfall Flood Dragon with his finger.
The Little Crocodile Spirit was covered in injuries, and it tried hard to lift its head to see the proud Waterfall Flood Dragon standing beside it, with more than half its body submerged in the deep pool.
Perhaps the thought of striving to become a dragon as powerful as this Zhan River Dragon inspired it; how could it just lay there and groan? The Little Crocodile Spirit then struggled to its feet, displaying a stubborn attitude that it wouldn't easily fall.
The Little Crocodile Spirit probably wanted to say that they had cooperated to kill that Violent Catfish.
"Teacher Duan Lan, that…" Just as Zhu Minglang was about to say goodbye, he saw Duan Lan standing on a large rock, looking toward the direction of the rocky wall where the Violent Catfish had been blasted into pieces.
Mist floated around, hazily enveloping the figure of Duan Lan, the daughter of the dragon, who appeared even more graceful amidst this damp mist. Even the thunderous waterfall couldn't drown out her ethereal and transcendent beauty.
She lifted a palm, as if to grasp some substance from the air.
After silently maintaining this posture for several minutes, she finally grasped something and slowly turned around, walking toward Zhu Minglang and the injured Little Crocodile Spirit.
"It turns out this Violent Catfish had nearly two hundred years of cultivation, a cunning beast that had been hiding here all along. This is its Soul Demon Pearl, consider it a healing medicine for your Little Crocodile Spirit. It should enable your Crocodile Spirit to transform into a dragon more quickly," Duan Lan handed a murky dark-red bead to Zhu Minglang.
The bead was not large, about the size of a thumb, and Duan Lan seemed to be using her spiritual power to stabilize it and prevent it from dissipating.
This is really good stuff!
Zhu Minglang hadn't expected Teacher Duan Lan to be so generous, and to go to the lengths of expending a great deal of spiritual power to brew the Soul Collecting Pearl for him!
Being a student of Teacher Duan Lan was indeed very fortunate.
Taking the Demon Pearl, Zhu Minglang naturally knew it wasn't easy to condense, and so he fed it to the Little Crocodile Spirit immediately.
Apart from raising and training dragons, Dragon Shepherds also possess a particularly strong skill: Soul Collecting Pearl Brewing.
For a deep pool old monster like the Violent Catfish, whose cultivation had surpassed that of Ordinary Spirits, even its dissipating soul after death was extraordinary.
Dragon Shepherds can use their spiritual power to condense these post-mortem spirits in their hands and purify the residual brutal and vengeful thoughts of the Demon Spirit from its life, resulting in a Demon Pearl that is incredibly beneficial to their own Juvenile Spirits and Young Dragons!
Generally speaking, the higher the years of cultivation a Demon Spirit possesses, the better the Spirit Bead it becomes after death.
Although after consuming the Demon Pearl, the Little Crocodile Spirit won't inherit all of the two hundred years of cultivation, it is still a huge step forward in its growth!
Once the Demon Pearl has been digested, the Little Crocodile Spirit will become the Great Alligator Spirit and the Dragon Gate won't be far off!…
Having received a jar of Frost Tree Flower Honey from Teacher Duan Lan, the issue of food for the two Dragon Babies for the near future was completely resolved, and Zhu Minglang would no longer have to toil through the night keeping watch.
To enjoy a stable night's sleep and then slowly wait for Little Bai Qi and Little Black Tooth to grow was the next step.
In their own Spirit Realm, their growth rate was actually very fast. Unlike those wild monsters who must rely on fighting and seizing Spirit Fruit to increase their cultivation, or on accumulating it slowly over time.
The Dragon Trainer's Spirit Realm not only increases the growth rate of dragons but also multiplies their cultivation base.
One year for a dragon in the Spirit Realm is roughly equivalent to ten years of cultivation for beings outside. As the Dragon Trainer's own strength increases, this multiplier can go even higher.
It's a shame Little Black Tooth has not yet transformed into a dragon; otherwise, by merely sleeping in the Spirit Realm, it could easily surpass other students' Young Dragons even if it just slept all day long.
...
The most excellent aspect of the Dragon Taming Academy was their expansive Dragon Studies Library, which housed a vast array of dragon species. In order to better understand Bai Qi's growth, Zhu Minglang specifically went to the Book Pavilion to search for details on the Ice Morning White Dragon.
The Book Pavilion was elegantly clean; both the floor and the wooden bookshelves were spotless, showing not a trace of dust. The rare warm light of a cold autumn afternoon spilled in through the spacious wicker windows like a golden velvet blanket wrapping around Zhu Minglang...
Several books, a cup of clear water—the academy was indeed extraordinary in its generosity; even the public areas were styled with taste, a world away from the war-torn, poverty-stricken Wutu.
"Whether it's the Silver Moon Response Dragon or the Star Wind Ice Dragon, their young period to growth period lasts only about a year and a half. They not only don't belong to the long-developing years of the dragon clan but also grow quite swiftly," Zhu Minglang said as he held two books, making comparisons,
"That being said, the Ice Morning White Dragon, carrying the bloodlines of both, should also reach its growth period in about a year and a half."
There weren't many records on the Ice Morning White Dragon, so naturally, Zhu Minglang could only analyze based on its two major bloodlines.
"A year and a half, with the nourishment from the Spirit Realm, it would only take a little over a month," he deduced.
"Feeding a sufficient amount of flower honey can shorten it to a month."
"Unfortunately, all the honey has to come from Frost Tree Flower Honey; this time might be reduced to twenty-something days, and moreover, Bai Qi's Ice Velvet Feathers and his ice magic will become more powerful," he considered.
Frost Tree Flower Honey, with a market price of five Gold Sand grains per jar, was five times more expensive than ordinary honey and also scarce.
"Come to think of it, Little Black Tooth, after eating a Demon Pearl, has had a huge increase in appetite, and the Large Meat Silkworms I prepared before are no longer sufficient..." he mused.
While reading, Zhu Minglang calculated on his fingers, quickly sinking into life's most profound contemplation—how to make money.
As if possessed by some ghost, Zhu Minglang picked up another book on making money, and upon seeing a stunning proposal in the book that "Giant Dragon nests are generally piled with gold and silver treasures; robbing the dragon's lair is the fastest way to riches," he slammed it shut with a thud.
He should look for records on Little Black Tooth instead; Teacher Duan Lan had repeatedly emphasized that it was a Juvenile Spirit with tremendous potential, and he ought to do more planning for its dragon life!
Walking along the long gallery, the sunlight slanting from the clear sky entered from the west, piercing through one grid after another, one layer upon another of bookshelves, turning into countless golden streams of light...
Amid the streams of light, a graceful woman wandered casually through the gallery, her eyes more dazzling and beautiful than the golden sunlight itself, equally indifferent.
She glided past the bookshelves, her delicate hand pausing briefly on the spines of a few ancient books, but ultimately she chose none and slowly withdrew her hand.
She didn't find the book she wanted, nor did she seem to be in the mood to read them today.
At the intersection of the galleries, Zhu Minglang's gaze was involuntarily drawn, forgetting that staring at a woman in such a way was impolite and even forgetting his search for books.
Why was it her?
Nan Lingsha...
Or was it Li Yunzi?
He had only caught a fleeting glimpse last time, and Zhu Minglang had started to doubt whether he was delusional, mistaking some other woman for Li Yunzi.
But encountering her again this time, Zhu Minglang was still certain, she was Li Yunzi.
Today, she seemed a little less cold and resolute, and a touch more gentle with the aura of scholarly beauty.
"What a coincidence, meeting again," Zhu Minglang greeted as he saw her slowly approaching.
"Do you think it's a coincidence?" The woman seemed to have noticed him long ago, her beautiful eyes fixed on the bookshelves, yet her words responded to Zhu Minglang.
"Yunzi?" A hint of joy appeared in Zhu Minglang's heart.