Hearing that I might be able to transform into a divine dragon, I could hardly contain my excitement and quickly asked, "When can we start the process?"
Chief Kale laughed heartily and replied, "Impatient, aren't we? You can't rush into these things, kid. You need to be well-prepared. Besides, you've just reached the Sword God level, and you need to stabilize your state first. If you're not stable, something might go wrong during the process. Let's set it for ten days from now."
Feeling a bit deflated, I could only mutter, "Oh, okay."
The surrounding dragons roared with laughter, especially Kale, who seemed particularly amused by my impatience.
Over the next half-month, I initially planned to seclude myself in a hidden cave to refine my inner energy. However, I soon discovered that in the cave, my sensitivity to the world's natural energy was greatly reduced.
So instead, I found a large lake and submerged myself in its depths, slowly guiding the world's natural energy into my body to refine my internal energy and strengthen my physique.
Now that I had reached the innate stage, my body's life force could sustain itself indefinitely, even without breathing.
In this state of deep meditation, I meticulously drew in tiny strands of the world's natural energy into my body. Although each strand was minute, every time it entered, it sent tremors through my body and caused my meridians to throb with pain, as if they were about to burst.
However, after circulating through my body for a complete cycle, each release expelled some impurities, making me feel refreshingly invigorated.
Repeating this process over and over, I lost myself in a state of deep connection with nature. When I finally came back to full consciousness, half a month had passed.
Despite the short period, I could distinctly feel my inner energy had become more refined. Although the quantity hadn't increased much, the quality had taken a significant leap forward.
Additionally, the expulsion of impurities had enhanced my body's flexibility and resilience.
Refining inner energy to such purity is an incredibly challenging task. Each tiny step forward in purity is like climbing a mountain.
If I hadn't been so eager to experience the dragon transformation, I would have gladly continued this refinement process.
The idea of refining my inner energy to the same purity as the world's natural energy was thrilling. If I could achieve that, I might become virtually indestructible.
Eager to start the dragon transformation process, I hurried to Dragon Valley. The allure of transforming into a divine dragon was too great to resist, even if there was only a one percent chance, I would give it my all.
However, as I approached the entrance of Dragon Valley, I saw a familiar figure.
Anna was lying at the entrance, her large, beautiful eyes fixed intently on me as I approached at high speed.
I suddenly realized that in my rush to stabilize my state, I had forgotten to inform the adorable dragon princess of my whereabouts.
Normally, even when I was meditating in seclusion, Princess Anna would know my location.
But this time, I had spontaneously chosen the lake and had told no one.
For Anna, who was used to seeing me every day, not being able to find me for half a month must have been a serious issue. Her current expression made it clear she was very upset, and the consequences were likely to be severe.
Sure enough, before I could even get close, she gave a loud "hmph" and turned away, walking off slowly.
I immediately knew that if I couldn't make her happy again, I was in for a tough time today.
Watching her slow steps, it was obvious she was waiting for me to catch up and explain myself properly.
Not daring to delay, I quickly followed her, ignoring the amused glances of the dragon guards nearby. I said whatever I could to soothe her.
Thankfully, Anna still had a child's temperament, and probably no one in the dragon clan would see a tiny dragon being treated so deferentially by someone like me. So, after nearly an hour of effort and signing a series of unequal treaties, I finally managed to cheer her up.
The first term of the treaty was that I had to roast enough meat to satisfy her for an entire day.
Even though she was a young dragon, she was still a towering three meters tall. It seemed my remaining time today would be spent roasting meat for her.
Having resolved this small, beautiful trouble, I could finally go see the chief and the elders.
But the young holy dragon princess had no intention of letting me leave her side. Using the excuse of preventing me from sneaking away, she stayed close on my heels.
As I walked into the council hall, I saw Chief Kale and several elders already there. It was clear they were discussing something related to me and Anna.
Chief Kale turned to Anna and said, "Daughter, it's impressive that you can make a Sword God be so deferential to you! Haha."
The elders nodded in agreement.
Anna seemed uninterested in the topic, likely thinking only about the delicious roasted meat at that moment.
But my mind was also elsewhere. All I could think about was how to transform into a dragon. The idea of becoming a divine dragon was so exciting that I could barely contain my anticipation.
Even though the chief and elders were teasing me, I didn't mind and didn't respond with my usual retorts.
Seeing my focus entirely on the process of unlocking my dragon abilities, Chief Kale stopped teasing and instead took out a small plant.
At a glance, I knew it was the Dragon Soul Grass. It stood about a foot tall, emitting a soft white glow. The whole plant had no branches, only two long, narrow leaves at the top.
In the main stem, a miniature dragon could be seen moving up and down. According to legend, each Dragon Soul Grass held the soul of a dragon, and this tiny dragon was likely that soul.
The energy emanating from the plant was so intense it felt almost tangible. I couldn't imagine any plant other than Dragon Soul Grass possessing such potent energy.
Chief Kale handed the Dragon Soul Grass to me, and I hesitated, unsure how to respond.
The chief smiled and said, "Take it. Without Dragon Soul Grass, you can't unlock your dragon aura."
I was a bit overwhelmed and hesitant to accept it.
I had contributed nothing to the dragon clan, yet now the chief was giving me such a precious gift. Even if I was considered a part of the dragon clan, I was still an outsider. What right did I have to such an honor?
"I'm sorry, Chief. This Dragon Soul Grass is too valuable. I can't accept it."
I didn't want to incur a debt I could never repay and thus declined Chief Kale's generous offer.
Although it was regrettable to miss out on the opportunity to gain magical abilities and transform into a dragon, it seemed the right thing to do.
"Oh? Truly a spirit worthy of our dragon clan. A proud dragon should never accept overly generous gifts. I understand your feelings," said Chief Kale with a nod.
"But you are already one of us, and as the chief, I say that when a gift is given by an elder, it must not be refused. You have no right to refuse."
"Moreover, to the dragon clan, Dragon Soul Grass is merely a potent restorative herb. Light-element Dragon Soul Grass is the least valuable among them. It's not as precious as you think."
I considered this and realized it might be true. However, I still couldn't believe Dragon Soul Grass would be so insignificant to the dragon clan. I remained hesitant.
Elder Elina's words finally dispelled my doubts.
"You don't need to worry so much. With your current Sword God level, once you unlock your dragon abilities, you will immediately surpass ordinary adult dragons, possibly even surpassing us elders."
"For the dragon clan, possessing enough strength qualifies one to become an elder, and an elder naturally has the right to use Dragon Soul Grass."
"You are simply taking it a bit earlier. If it still makes you uneasy, consider this as an exchange for a promise."
"What promise? If it's something I can do, I won't hesitate."
I quickly asked. Despite everything, I wasn't willing to pass up the chance to transform into a divine dragon.
"You must promise not to casually teach your martial skills to humans, and especially not your unique energy cultivation method."
"From what I gathered from your memories, the internal energy you use is unlike any other. Even for adult dragons, such extraordinary energy poses a significant danger."
"If this energy spreads among humans, it wouldn't be good for our dragon clan, nor for the elves or beast clans."
Chief Kale's tone was unusually serious as he looked at me intently.
"You don't need to worry about that. Since learning about the continent's history, I've decided not to teach my martial arts to the humans here. However, if there are people who are very important to me, I hope to make an exception, but I will always seek your approval first."
Understanding the treacherous nature of humans, I agreed it was better for them to remain less powerful.
Just like on Earth, the rapid development of military technology led to significant environmental destruction.
Although I didn't know how my cultivation method compared to the humans' techniques, I preferred to keep the secrets of Chinese martial arts to myself. I didn't want my skills to potentially harm my dragon friends.
Seeing that I finally agreed to accept the Dragon Soul Grass, Chief Kale said, "Very well. As long as you don't widely share your cultivation method, that's acceptable."
"Once you consume the Dragon Soul Grass, you need to relax and not resist the energy's flow. It will naturally gather in your brain."
"At that point, I will use a secret dragon technique to help unlock your latent dragon power. The dragon power will then absorb the Dragon Soul Grass's energy and form a dragon crystal in your brain."
"The process might be very painful, but you must not resist or lose consciousness. Otherwise, the consequences could be dire."