After flying down the cliff, the massive Silver Dragon King stared at the small figure in front of her, who wasn't even the size of one of her fingernails. A strange look flickered in her eyes.
Only now that they were closer did she suddenly realize that the young man in front of her gave off a faint sense of familiarity. He didn't provoke the same loathing she usually felt toward ordinary humans.
However, upon hearing Su Cheng's words, her expression turned slightly displeased.
"Human, don't push your luck. Can't you just stand a little higher yourself?"
Su Cheng chuckled and nimbly leaped onto the skull of a giant dragon skeleton nearby. However, even then, he was still much shorter than the Silver Dragon King.
His fluid movements caused the Silver Dragon King to pause momentarily.
Su Cheng didn't care about her thoughts and said again, "Now, it's your turn to show some sincerity. If I'm not mistaken, you possess the power of space, right? Could you please shrink yourself a bit? I don't have the ability to make myself as big as you."
The Silver Dragon King opened her mouth but did not argue further and took a step back silently.
Accompanied by a flash of silvery mist surrounding her, her body quickly shrank dozens of times.
Although the human before her stood on the dragon bones, which was somewhat disrespectful, the size difference between him and the bones was so vast that it wasn't as hard to accept visually.
Su Cheng looked at the transformed Silver Dragon King, and surprise and amazement flashed in his eyes.
The silver dragon was still enormous, but much smaller than before, making her seem less imposing and more delicate and adorable.
However, it wasn't her size that surprised him the most, but rather the method she had just used.
His earlier words had been mostly a test; he hadn't expected her to actually be able to do it.
It was an extraordinary use of energy.
Her essence hadn't changed, and her power level remained the same, but it wasn't merely an illusion; she had genuinely shrunk in size.
"Human, are you satisfied now? Will you teach me that technique you used earlier?"
"Since we agreed to mutual respect, stop calling me 'human.' I have a name — Su Cheng."
"...Alright, I understand, Su Cheng."
Though she felt a bit irritated, the Silver Dragon King's voice remained cold and calm.
None of her inner turmoil or emotions showed on her face.
"And what is your name?" Su Cheng asked.
"Silver Dragon King," she replied casually, flicking her long, slender tail.
"Silver Dragon King… That sounds more like a title for a leader of a race, not an individual's name. Are you brushing me off?"
"Su Cheng, it's just a name. I have no reason to hide it."
"Fair enough," Su Cheng nodded. "Now, there's just one last step."
He gazed into the Silver Dragon King's purple eyes. "Apologize to me for your earlier rash actions."
"Why should I?"
The Silver Dragon King growled, her eyes flaring with anger as her long tail whipped around, leaving afterimages in the air. She seemed furious.
As the new ruler of the soul beasts and the successor to the Dragon God, she had never bowed her noble head to anyone, and she never would!
Words like "apology" were simply absurd!
Yet, Su Cheng wasn't intimidated by her reaction.
He calmly said, "Before you arrived, I didn't damage any of the bones here. But the moment you showed up, you tried to kill me without any justification. If I didn't have some ability to protect myself, I'd probably already be a corpse."
Su Cheng maintained his ground, locking eyes with her. "Equality and respect are the foundations of any conversation and exchange. If you can't do that, there's nothing more to discuss between us."
"..."
The Silver Dragon King thought it over. It did seem to be the case.
If all it took was an apology, it wasn't unacceptable.
"Fine. It was indeed my mistake earlier. If I apologize for that, will it be enough?"
This was the third time she asked something along these lines.
Su Cheng shook his head. "You aren't genuinely respecting me, nor are you treating me equally."
"?"
The Silver Dragon King was confused.
That wasn't what she meant at all.
"If you truly respected me, you would have offered an apology of your own accord. It shouldn't be a bargaining chip but rather the proper compensation for your actions."
Su Cheng looked directly into her eyes. "Whether or not I forgive you is up to me. But whether you choose to apologize is up to you."
After a moment of hesitation, the Silver Dragon King sighed quietly and said in a soft voice, "I apologize for attacking you earlier."
After saying that, she fell silent, waiting for his next demand.
Even now, she didn't believe that Su Cheng would keep his promise and reveal such a mystical technique so easily.
Humans were known to be fickle and insatiably greedy creatures.
Given such an opportunity, how could he simply let it go?
However, if his subsequent demands were too excessive, she wouldn't compromise lightly. She would rather break all ties than lose the dignity of her dragon kind.
"Alright, since you've shown sincerity, I'll keep my word and explain what happened earlier."
"…"
The Silver Dragon King's swaying tail abruptly stopped.
She hadn't expected Su Cheng to be serious about his previous promise.
"Firstly, the technique I used earlier wasn't as easy as it seemed. It took me a long time to achieve it, and the bones I activated were the result of much trial and error."
Su Cheng seemed unaware of her doubts or unconcerned about revealing all the flaws in his approach, calmly explaining.
"As for activating all the dragon bones in the valley, that was just to scare you. In truth, I can only activate a few bones at most with my current ability."
"...Are you telling the truth?"
The Silver Dragon King stared at him and asked in a deep voice. Her purple eyes were calm, revealing no displeasure.
She had lived for a very long time and retained some of her memories from when she was a Dragon God, so she wasn't a naive child.
If Su Cheng hadn't admitted the limitations of his method himself, they wouldn't be flaws; they'd be a real sword hanging over the heads of all dragon kin.
"Of course it's true. What would I gain by deceiving you about this?"
Su Cheng chuckled lightly. "I only managed this by harnessing the power of that strong energy source deep within the valley. However, I can't fully control that power, and I can only use a tiny portion of it."
He tilted his head slightly, meeting her gaze. "Your abilities seem to have some similarities with that great power; they almost seem to originate from the same source. If it were you, you might actually be able to achieve that scenario."
With that, Su Cheng began to teach her how to use the Dragon God's power to activate the bones, sharing the method with her in its entirety.
He wasn't trying to deceive the Silver Dragon King.
After learning the technique, the Silver Dragon King indeed could use the same method to achieve the same result.
It was like applying a formula to solve a problem or cultivating a technique to enhance one's level. Even if she didn't understand the principles behind it, grasping the method was enough to replicate it.
Moreover, as one of the avatars of the Dragon God, she was even more suited to the method that intensified the radiation of the dragon bones than Su Cheng himself.
Of course, she would probably never use it in her lifetime.
"…"
After listening, the Silver Dragon King nodded silently, her eyes flashing with a strange light.
Even with her identity and temperament, she couldn't help but feel a bit curious about Su Cheng at this moment.
Whether it was the countless dragon bones scattered throughout the valley, her own immense strength and extraordinary bloodline, or even the core of the Dragon God in the depths of the valley that was constantly pulling her to seek it out...
Could it be that none of these things were the least bit tempting to this human before her?
There was something else that caught her attention.
"Can you harness the power of the Dragon God?"
Although he said he could only use a very small portion of it.
But how could a human do such a thing?
Was it possible that he really wasn't from this world, as he claimed?
If so, were there beings similar to herself in the world he originally came from?
And in that place, what kind of relationship existed between humans and other races?
"The power of the Dragon God?" Su Cheng softly repeated, "Are you referring to that energy body deep in the valley? Is that called the Dragon God?"
"That is not the Dragon God," the Silver Dragon King's voice grew low, carrying an inexplicable sadness, "The Dragon God has long passed away; that is merely the core of the Dragon God's will that remains."
"...I am sorry."
"What?"
The Silver Dragon King was momentarily stunned.
"That Dragon God was an important predecessor to you, wasn't it? I did not mean to disrespect them. I only saw that special energy body, and its form of existence was different from the corpses in the valley, so I was unsure of the Dragon God you spoke of. To my knowledge, certain special energies can also form similar phenomena."
"There's no need to apologize," the Silver Dragon King lowered her gaze and said lightly, "I do not care about such things."
"Respect is mutual. You may not care, but I cannot ignore it," Su Cheng explained earnestly. "We have met not as friends, but we could at least be acquaintances. More friends, more paths; after all, you are the first person I've met in this world."
"Friends…?"
Hearing this term, the Silver Dragon King seemed taken aback.
She had never had friends and had never needed them.
All she needed were her kin and subordinates.
Especially with a human?
The Silver Dragon King's eyes grew cold, and she said indifferently, "You're overthinking it; we are not friends."
Su Cheng didn't seem to mind her words and smiled, "Is that so? I thought we had already turned swords into plowshares."
"I am willing to respect you. Not only because of the conditions I promised before but also because of your strength and integrity. But as for being friends, let's not mention it again. Besides, being friends with me may not be a good thing for you."
"Whether it's good or bad, I know it in my heart." Su Cheng shrugged, not confirming or denying.
"You don't understand anything at all," the Silver Dragon King raised her gaze, her eyes growing cold and indifferent again.
"Since you claim to be from another world, I'll choose to believe you. I also know the universe is vast, and it's not surprising for things beyond my understanding to occasionally occur. I am not that curious.
"As for where you come from, what secrets you hold, and why you appear in my clan's burial ground, none of that matters anymore.
"Because once I take that portion of the Dragon God's energy, this small world, having lost its core, will soon be swept away by spatial forces, drifting who knows where in the future.
"So, you should leave here as soon as possible.
"After we leave, it's best for us to part ways."
This human was very special, very unusual.
Whether it was his thoughts or his way of doing things, they were all different and had earned her approval.
The faint sense of familiarity, and the subtle, almost imperceptible force of fate, had also caught her attention.
But the path of the dragon race was not one that just anyone could partake in.
Bringing an outsider into this situation without thought — if it were just an insignificant weakling, it wouldn't matter, but Su Cheng clearly wasn't weak.
If she let him get involved, it might not be a good thing for her, the dragon race, or even for him.
The Silver Dragon King had a vague intuition.
If she got entangled with this human, things would become very troublesome in the future.
She couldn't take that risk.
Nor could she gamble with the future of her race.
She had waited so long, and worked so hard; she couldn't let all that effort go to waste.
The gains this time were already beyond her expectations.
As long as she obtained the Dragon God's core deep in the valley, this trip would be well worth it, especially since she had also acquired a mysterious secret technique.
Although this technique was destined to remain unused, it might still provide her with some insight into the Dragon God's power.
As for Su Cheng...
The Silver Dragon King gazed silently at the young human before her.
She did not think that after leaving this small world, Su Cheng, a mere human, would be of any help to the dragon race once he reached Douluo Star or even ascended to the Divine Realm in the future.
Perhaps...
"After today, it is quite possible that we will become enemies. When that time comes, I hope you won't regret what you've done today."
"Is that so? It seems like the situation in this world is much more complicated than I thought. Should I have just left this place immediately instead of helping my enemy?" Su Cheng joked.
However, the Silver Dragon King did not smile at all. Her tone was solemn as she said, "We dragons are not like humans; we have our principles. If we truly become enemies in the future, I promise to spare you once. Of course, if I am defeated by you, you need not show me any mercy. After all, you owe me nothing."