In this world, humans and the Dragon Clan represent two extremes.
Humans are incredibly frail. In nature, nearly all beasts are capable of causing fatal damage to humans.
The Dragon Clan, on the other hand, sits at the very top of the food chain. Beyond their own kin, there are few that can rival them.
However, when humans and dragons come together, the story changes.
The Dragon Clan possesses a mysterious power known as Dragon Power, commonly used by dragons to produce their breath. But humans have transformed this power into two distinct methods of warfare.
Fighting Aura, and Mana.
Thus were born two different kinds of Dragon Knights.
Dragon Fighters, and Dragon Mages.
These two powers far surpass the inherent power of the Dragon Clan.
Obviously, these are not powers easily learnt by just anyone.
That is why the Dragon Knight Academy exists.
This is not Long Yi's first time visiting the Dragon Knight Academy, but each time he comes, he can't help but be amazed by its grandeur.
The entire Academy is like an enormous city, encompassing several mountain peaks, numerous basins, and vast plains facing the sea.
Only with such vast spaces can the most powerful Dragon Knights be nurtured.
Long Yi and Bajie stand at the main entrance of the Dragon Knight Academy, staring in awe at the enormous statues at the gates. Each statue stands a hundred meters tall, carved from a single massive stone. To the left is a Dragon Knight in heavy armor, holding on to a huge Dragon-slaying Sword, looking into the distance. To the right is a White Dragon, every scale intricately detailed. The eyes of both the dragon and the knight are directed towards the sky, expressing a defiant, dominating spirit.
"So majestic, so spectacular," Long Yi exclaims sincerely.
"Meow," Bajie, the hefty dragon at his side, calls out in agreement.
At this time, the new academic year is beginning. Those who can qualify to come to the Dragon Knight Academy are usually either rich and influential or inherently talented. These types of people naturally have extensive experiences. So when they see Long Yi and his dragon companion gushing, a few sarcastic remarks inevitably start to flow.
"A dumb brute and a stupid fat dragon, are these two just here to tour the Dragon Knight Academy?" A voice rings out, obviously indifferent to whether Long Yi hears him.
"Haha, look at that fat dragon. It's so fat it can hardly stand, and carrying such a massive parcel on its back, are those all snacks?" another voice replies.
At this moment, Long Yi is dressed in a simple grey hemp clothing, and the heavy dragon, Bajie, carries a massive bundle on its back. Rich folk usually have some form of dimensional storage equipment, crafted into rings, bracelets, or pendants. Those who have to carry such huge parcels are naturally penniless.
Long Yi turns around and catches a glimpse of the pair who have been talking, one fat as a pig and the other thin as a rail. It's quite an interesting combination.
Seeing that Long Yi has set his eyes on them, the two of them glare menacingly at him. The bodyguards on their side quickly follow their lead, glaring at Long Yi as a sign of warning.
Upon seeing that, Long Yi simply flashes a kindly smile, and then turns back. Surprisingly, Bajie also chuckles, before turning its head away as well.
"Useless country bumpkin!"
The fatty snorted in disdain. Despite Long Yi appearing taller than the fatty by two heads and possessing muscles as hard as iron, he displayed timidity.
Long Yi, however, didn't mind. From his perspective, even the slightest bit of combat ability seemed absent in this fatty. Instead of bodyguards, the people by his side seemed more like servants. Those low-level guards with a combat power of five could hardly be expected to withstand a punch from Long Yi.
However, that thin guy was interesting. His Fighting Aura was above average. In this world, one would usually have to be eighteen to unlock their Fighting Aura. If anyone is younger than eighteen, then they either possess exceptional talent or come from a nurtured family background.
Long Yi possesses exceptional talent, whilst these two clearly hail from a nurtured background.
Long Yi, deep down, shares the pride characteristic of the Dragon Clan.
Lying on the thin guy's shoulder is a palm-sized, emaciated little dragon. It seems listless, but its small eyes flash with a predatory light, staring fixedly at Bajie beside Long Yi.
It's a Nine Mosquito Dragon. True to its name, this dragon is about the size of nine mosquitoes at birth and only grows to about 2 feet long when fully matured. Though small, it's ferocious. Especially after it's formed a contract with a human, it can boost the human's speed to an astonishing level.
Long Yi pays no mind to the tag team of the thin guy and the fatty as he leisurely enters the Dragon Knight Academy. As they approach the statues at the gate, a dazzling light bursts from the statues' eyes. Moments later, a jade ring emerges on both Long Yi's wrist and Bajie's neck.
This is the proof of admission to the Dragon Knight Academy.
Long Yi is startled momentarily before looking at his wrist then at Bajie's neck. Then, he pats Bajie on the side and says: "Look at us, brother. Our shine is so much more impressive than yours."
Bajie opens its mouth wide and lets out a roar. Its eyes are full of disdain.
The fat guy behind them is completely stunned. He never expected that this naive country bumpkin could actually be a new student at the Dragon Knight Academy this year!
"The Dean of this Dragon Knight Academy is really getting out of hand, accepting all sorts of morons now,"
the chubby fellow said indignantly.
"Haha, elder brother, you don't understand, without these fools, how would our grandeur be highlighted?"
the skinny guy laughed.
Upon hearing this, the chubby guy immediately burst into joy, and the two complimenting each other walked into the Dragon Knight Academy. When they passed the statue, white jade bracelets appeared on their wrists.
The academy square was swarming with people. Although the Dragon Knight Academy only admits a few hundred new students each year, the number of people escorting these freshmen is a dozen or even dozens of times larger. The Dragon Knight Academy is the top academy of the White Dragon Empire, requiring major talent or major wealth to enter. How could there possibly be a shortage of people there?
Long Yi squeezed his way through the crowd. With his size and brute strength, he could move with ease. However, it was much more difficult for Bajie behind him. Bajie was already chubby, and with a big sack emitting the smell of meat on his back, moving naturally became troublesome.
Long Yi, with a face full of smiles, was continuously saying 'sorry,' 'my apologies,' 'excuse me,'. Behind him, Bajie opened his big mouth, trying hard to make a pleasing smile, except for the prominent canine teeth that somewhat spoiled the view.
Most people who could enter the Dragon Knight Academy naturally had a certain level of upbringing. Although a bit annoyed, no one said anything. Long Yi quickly squeezed his way to the front, where there were five large tents set up for re-testing all the new students.
The Dragon Knight Academy is at the heart of the Empire. Once you become a Dragon Knight, your status naturally changes. It's difficult to rule out those who deceive to gain an advantage.
At this time, the one who looked most like a deceiver was standing in line at the back of the queue. All who stood here were potential Dragon Knights with passing grades, each having their own dragon. Big or small, beautiful or ugly, these dragons and their knights will become the sharp edge of the empire.
"Bajie, look, that's a Butterfly Dragon, look at its wings, so beautiful."
"Roar—"
"God, look over there, that's a Cloud Dragon! The mist surrounding them is quite ethereal."
"Roar Roar—"
"Huh? Is that a Mud Dragon? Its mimicry is so lifelike!"
"Roar..."
Long Yi looked around at the dragons like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world, and Bajie, a dragon beside him, mimicked Long Yi's expression, making the same astonished look.
Truth is,
Long Yi really was a country bumpkin, he came from a small town, his understanding of dragons always came from the books. His only friend was Bajie, he had really never seen so many dragons. As for Bajie, it first opened its eyes to see Long Yi after its birth, it also had never seen so many dragons. Although the memory of dragons was inherited, Bajie was still a baby dragon and many of its memories had not yet awakened.
So, the two innocent country bumpkins made a show of their ignorance.
"Hey, big oaf, can you keep it down for a while? If you want to embarrass yourself, don't stand in front of me, okay? People who don't know might think we're together."
A familiar voice came from behind, Long Yi turned around and lowered his head to see the chubby guy from earlier, and the skinny guy was smirking coldly behind him.
"Oh, don't worry big brother, I definitely won't embarrass you!"
Long Yi showed a simple grin, the chubby guy nodded, this dimwit might not seem smart, but he knew how to behave.
Just then, Long Yi suddenly opened his mouth and bellowed, "Attention everyone! I don't know this chubby guy! I really don't know him! Like, we have absolutely no relationship! I really don't know anything about him!"
The chubby guy was completely dumbfounded, he could never have dreamt that Long Yi would do such a thing. After Long Yi finished shouting, he moved his blatantly simple face close to the chubby guy's.
"Big brother, I did the right thing, didn't I?"
This bastard! He's tricking me!
The chubby guy clenched his teeth in anger. When people looked at him now they had a strange feeling as if he had just committed an unspeakable crime. And behind him, the skinny guy's eyes were cold. He stepped towards Long Yi, reached out to grab Long Yi's wrist and whispered, "Hey buddy, don't shout so loudly, it's not nice to disturb others."
As he spoke, a cold dragon fighting aura surged from the palm of his hand, aiming straight for Long Yi's wrist. However, Long Yi was oblivious and still had the simple smile on his face: "Yes, yes, you are so right, big brother, I promise I won't shout."
The skinny guy gave a cold smile and nodded, but soon he grew puzzled. His Nine Mosquito Dragon fighting aura had a special trait. Anyone hurt by it would feel intolerably itchy all over. A high-level Nine Mosquito Dragon aura could even make people tear their own skin apart due to the itch!
But, the honest-looking country bumpkin before him showed no reaction at all.
Dense?
While thinking, the skinny guy stealthily increased the injection of the fighting aura, but Long Yi just lazily yawned.
"Who exactly are you?"
The skinny guy withdrew his hand, asked in a cold, suppressed voice.
"Me?" Long Yi gave a hehe laugh, his face looking even more simple. "I am a blacksmith determined to become a Dragon Knight."