Long Yi walked over to Arin, effortlessly threw him over his shoulder, and immediately started running.
All those present were shocked by the events. They were astonished by the instructor's power and authority, and even the instructor himself was taken aback. He had assumed that Long Yi was just a naive youngster who liked to act tough. He had intended to punish Long Yi as an example to the others. Yet, he hadn't expected that Long Yi would accept his command without a second thought.
"Listen up, everyone!"
With a loud roar, the instructor immediately drew everyone's attention to him.
"I am your instructor, you will address me as 'instructor'. You don't need to know my name, because as long as you are under my command, there is only one way to address me, and that is 'instructor'! Here, my orders are the only ones that matter. You can only obey my orders. If I tell you to go east, you absolutely cannot go west. If anyone thinks they are exceptional, I welcome your challenge at any time. If you can defeat me, I pledge you a spot in the Imperial Dragon Knight Order!"
As he finished, the Dragon Fighting Aura on the instructor's body exploded again, this time without any restraint. The unprecedented pressure of the Dragon Fighting Aura caused all the students to lose their balance. Those of lower strength quickly fell to the ground, unable to stand up again. Those slightly stronger tightened up their bodies, investing all their strength in standing upright.
Six people.
The instructor glanced at the six people still standing. He nodded to himself, thinking that a decent batch of newcomers had arrived this year.
By this time, Long Yi had already completed a lap. He walked past the instructor with heavy steps. The instructor glanced sideways but saw Long Yi smiling sincerely at him.
This kid was not affected by the pressure of the Dragon Fighting Aura?
The instructor was surprised. At this moment, his Dragon Fighting Aura was fully activated, and anyone within ten meters of him would feel its oppressive force. There were only two possible types of people who could be unaffected; those whose Dragon Fighting Aura level was almost on par with his, or those who had experienced too many life and death situations on the battlefield, making them insensitive to the pressure of the Dragon Fighting Aura.
Impossible!
Although the instructor didn't know how strong Long Yi's Dragon Fighting Aura was, it was definitely not stronger than his own. As for the battlefield experience, this kid was only eighteen years old. He had just entered the academy this year. How many life and death situations could he possibly have experienced?
Yet, the trials Long Yi had experienced might genuinely exceed that of the instructor. The air force he'd been a part of was the renowned Blade Squadron, and as a battle fanatic, Long Yi had participated in nearly all large-scale conflicts.
However, that world didn't have Dragon Fighting Aura. The reason Long Yi was not sensitive to Dragon Fighting Aura was because he was fundamentally a Giant.
Giants inherently have Dragon Fighting Aura. Some Giants even have the Bloodline of the Dragon Clan, which is in complete contrast to the low-end Dragon Soul Bloodline. Being a person who was born with Dragon Fighting Aura, how could Long Yi be affected by it?
The instructor looked at Long Yi, his eyes flashing with uncertainty.
This guy called Long Yi, is quite interesting!
"Everyone, listen to my order. Leave your dragons here, follow Long Yi. No one is allowed to stop before he does! Otherwise, lunch is cancelled!"
What?
As soon as the instructor's command was given, a noise of dissatisfaction arose from the crowd. Immediately after, one person was kicked out from the crowd. He flew several meters into the air, landing on the grass, and rolled a few times before stopping.
Then, the instructor slowly emerged from the crowd.
"Is there any doubt?"
Looking at the instructor's eyes, everyone was scared. The man who was kicked lay there unconscious. No one had seen how the instructor had attacked so suddenly. Was this the difference in strength?
Before coming here, everyone in the room was considered exceptional. In a year's time, only forty Dragon Rider air force reserves were selected from the entire White Dragon Empire. Mostly from prestigious families, these people were the recipients of the best resources and lived a life of luxury.
But now, with just one kick, the instructor told them:
You are all worthless.
Running, a basic instinct of any animal. No one ever felt it was challenging to run. But, when you have a powerful Dragon Knight instructor by your side, things become entirely different.
Long Yi, still carrying Arin, ran at the very front. Behind him, thirty-seven people showed no shortage of pain on their faces. On the side of the procession, the instructor ran with them. The Dragon Fighting Aura would occasionally burst forth, causing any unprepared person to trip and tumble to the ground.
"Listen up, rookies! You are currently on solid ground! If you fall here, you can get back up! But in the sky, if you fall off a Flying Dragon, your chances of survival will drop to 20%! So, while you have the opportunity to tumble, tumble to your heart's content!"
The instructor's words hammered into the hearts of each person. No one complained; no one dared complain. The Dragon Fighting Aura repeatedly hammered into their bodies. Under the tremendous pressure, everyone had to persevere.
At this moment, the Arin on Long Yi's shoulder woke up slowly to find himself sprawled on Long Yi's shoulder. He struggled slightly, and Long Yi felt the movement on his shoulder. As he ran, he grabbed Arin's shoulder and propped him up to face him.
From the side, it looked as though Long Yi was holding up a giant puppet.
"What...what happened?"
Arin was still a little dazed.
Long Yi succinctly relayed all that had happened. The instructor, noticing Long Yi's exchange, saw something unsettling. Behind Long Yi, the new recruits were panting heavily, gasping more than they breathed, their eyes rolling back, and many looked ready to collapse. Only a handful could still withstand the torture of the Dragon Fighting Aura, but their faces were distorted with pain.
However, Long Yi was carrying a person in his arms, non-stop narrating what had happened earlier, all the while under the intentional dragon fighting aura exerted by the instructor.
Even so, Long Yi's breathing remained steady, as if any heavy pressure simply did not exist at all!
Since that was the case, the instructor just continued to run ahead with the group in silence. As the pressure of the dragon's fighting aura grew stronger, more and more people in the group began to fall behind. Ultimately, only six people were left who could barely keep up with Long Yi.
"Um... Long Yi, you can put me down now."
Arin finally spoke in a somewhat helpless manner, a blush spread across her face. Long Yi was taken aback at first, but then he laughed.
"I apologize, you are simply too light."
With that, Long Yi set Arin aside. Arin reverted back to her native Mercury Dragon form, her silver armor instantly retracting.
"Dragon Clan, assemble over there!"
The instructor roared. The Mercury Dragon glanced longingly at Arin then flew towards the Dragon Clan's assembly point. Over there, the chubbiest one, Bajie, was the most eye-catching target. Besides him, the largest dragon was just over a meter long.
It wasn't until then that the instructor discovered that this little one named Arin, despite her delicate appearance, was impervious to his dragonic fighting aura, just like Long Yi!
A born warrior?
How come the newcomers' standards have improved so much this year?
The group was running circles around the field, with fewer and fewer people. Many of those still in training had no idea what was happening and why running seemed so painful. It wasn't until the instructor passed by them, his terrifying dragonic aura pushing them to the ground, that they understood how formidable those who were running alongside the instructor were.
"Stop!"
The instructor roared. Long Yi stopped as ordered, but the six people behind him were already weak in the knees and couldn't control themselves. They ran straight into Long Yi's back. Long Yi turned and stretched out his hand to hold off the six people, preventing them from rubbing their sweat on him.
At this point, in Long Yi's hands were the chubby guy and the thin guy with whom they had mingled a few times before. The chubby guy looked somewhat stronger than the thin guy, but he was already panting heavily. If not for Long Yi supporting them, they would probably collapse the next moment.
"The morning training ends here, gather promptly at one o'clock in the afternoon!"
The instructor was pleased. Among the new arrivals, there were six good ones, and two particularly good ones. He decided to revise his training plan.
"It's over already?"
Long Yi asked a question.
"What, you want to continue?" The instructor asked in response. He glanced around, and saw that aside from Long Yi and Arin, almost everyone else in the new squad was barely able to stand. He was quite satisfied with the result.
Long Yi immediately shook his head. Although he didn't find the training very challenging, he wasn't idle enough to waste his time here. Since they said the training was over, it was over.
However, at this moment, three dragons, each about five meters long and carrying a Dragon Knight, flew in from the distance.
The trio landed at a distance, dismounted with a smile, and came up to the instructor.
"Yo, instructor, are these this year's newcomers?"
The instructor frowned, apparently not a fan of these three.
"Get lost!"
The instructor told them off with a single statement, but they just smirked.
"Come on, instructor, we have a year's worth of camaraderie. Besides, we're just here to find a friend."
Despite their unchanging smiles, they didn't retreat and kept their eyes fixed on Long Yi.
Upon seeing it, the instructor knew better. It was no friendly visit; these three were looking for trouble. And their target was none other than Long Yi.
Realizing this, the instructor moved aside. This was the Dragon Knight Academy, a place to teach combat. Private quarrels were prohibited here, but open duels were highly encouraged. The instructor wanted to see just how capable Long Yi was.
"Hey, kid, I heard you were quite the big shot this morning."
The trio approached Long Yi, trying to stand straight and tall. However, compared to Long Yi's large build, these three were nothing. They were far below in height and body size.
"A big shot this morning?" Long Yi was first taken aback, then he had a genuine smile on his face and said to the three of them, "No, no, no, I think you've misunderstood. I was not just a big shot this morning. I am a big shot every day."