Xiao Chen soon caught up with the grievously injured Little Stubborn Dragon. The little fella gave him the usual cool nod and resumed his trek without any unnecessary gestures.
Back in the grotto, the Little Stubborn Dragon silently washed his blood-stained injuries in the hot spring, bearing the excruciating pain, as if his body were about to split apart. He then began to consume large amounts of the Fire Elemental Fruit to restore his energy.
Although the caves were filled with clusters of the luminous fruits, which resembled Red Agate, the Little Stubborn Dragon and the Snow-White Little Beast had only consumed a small portion of them each day. However, after a few months, the Fire Elemental Fruits were almost depleted leaving only bare vines on the walls.
Perhaps the rapid progress of the Little Stubborn Dragon was related to this. Each time he was severely injured, he had these Spirit Fruits to quickly replenish his body, helping to unleash his latent physical potential.
