Free Web NovelChapter 296: Chapter 223: Dragon Power Awakening (2)
’Egg Pancake keeps having these crazy adventures. He’s got the perfect template for a novel protagonist.’
Han Ning complained inwardly, closed the panel, and looked at Egg Pancake with a chuckle. "How do you feel?"
"CHIRP CHIRP!!"
Egg Pancake lifted its claw and struck an "I’m strong" pose.
’This kid... has he been watching too many random TV shows?’
Seeing its human-like gesture, Han Ning was at a loss for words.
"Thank you, Lord Akatos, for personally presiding over its Awakening ceremony."
He came back to his senses and thanked Akatos again.
"HROOOM. (*You need not thank me. It was nothing.*)"
Akatos flew back to his throne, his eyes fixed on Egg Pancake, and let out a series of deep, ancient draconic cries.
"GRAAA~ (*It is a Rock Dragon of great potential. Beast Master, I hope you will raise it well. I believe we will meet again.*)"
Hearing this, how could Han Ning not understand its meaning? It was a dismissal!
"Thank you for your help. In that case... Lord Akatos, we will take our leave."
Qing Fan, ever so perceptive, bowed and led Han Ning out of the palace.
Once they were back on the broad platform of branches, Qing Fan smiled. "That’s just Lord Akatos’s personality. He’s decisive and efficient. If he has no desire to continue a conversation, he’ll promptly show his guests out."
"Yes, I understand. I’m truly grateful to Lord Akatos for this," Han Ning thanked him again.
In his heart, he knew that for Akatos to agree to help, Qing Fan had likely paid some price. Still, the fact that the dragon was willing to grant the Awakening of Dragon Power to a creature from outside the Jade Forest was surprising.
But a thank you was still in order. He had to show the proper attitude.
As the two were talking, a gentle breeze carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees wafted over.
A delicate Flood Dragon, just over a meter long, had appeared at some point and was now hovering beside them, quietly listening to their conversation.
"Elder Qingyao." Qing Fan quickly greeted the jade-colored Flood Dragon upon seeing it.
’...So that’s Qingyao? The Flood Dragon that helped the first Clan Leader of the Yinsaike Race?’
Han Ning’s gaze was fixed on Qingyao.
"CLANG~"
Qingyao spoke, its voice crisp and clear like the chiming of jade, refreshing the spirits of all who heard it.
"Elder Qingyao is one of the founding elders of our Dragon Blood Race and has lived for over 400 years."
Qing Fan gave a simple introduction of Qingyao’s identity, then nodded to the dragon and said,
"That’s right. This is the Beast Master who holds the token of the Yinsaike Race."
"CLANG~ CLANG~" Qingyao swayed its beautiful, jade-like Body and hovered in front of Han Ning, its pair of jade-green Dragon Eyes looking him up and down.
"Elder Qingyao is asking you about the current situation of the Yinsaike Race. How is that young Insect Master Family doing now?"
Hearing this, Han Ning heaved a long sigh. "Ai... It’s a long story..."
...He gathered his thoughts and recounted everything to Qingyao, from his encounter with the Taman Insect Master to the destruction of the Yinsaike Race.
Qingyao hovered in mid-air, listening intently, a nostalgic look flickering in its beautiful eyes from time to time.
As Han Ning spoke, he was also observing the changes in Qingyao’s expression.
He discovered that, compared to other Dragon Species, this elegant Flood Dragon before him seemed particularly sentimental.
"CLANG~"
After a long while, Qingyao let out a long, chiming cry and stared intently at Han Ning with its pure eyes.
"Mm... Elder Qingyao said that if you are preparing to leave the Jade Forest, please let it know. It wants to go see Nia in person."
"No problem. I will inform you at the earliest opportunity," Han Ning replied with a smile.
"CLANG~" Qingyao gave a little sway, then turned and flew back towards Akatos’s palace.
Only after watching Qingyao depart did Qing Fan speak.
"I remember you said before that you wanted Egg Pancake to learn the Dragon Race’s Transformation Technique?"
"Yes. Now that its Dragon Blood is fully Awakened, it should meet the standard for learning the Transformation Technique, right?"
"It can." Qing Fan nodded, then waved to the Jade Green Dragon that had guided them earlier and called out, "Ah Fei, come over here for a moment."
’Its name is Ah Fei?!’
Hearing this slightly comical name, Han Ning had a strange expression, thinking he must have misheard.
’How could such a majestic Giant Dragon have such a... such a goofy name...’
"Haha, Ah Fei was its childhood name. It was raised by us Dragon Blood People. Twenty years ago, for certain reasons, its Beast Master fell on the Insect Continent. Ah Fei then returned to the Cyan Nest and hasn’t gone out since."
Although Qing Fan spoke in a joking tone, Han Ning could see a faint trace of sadness flash in his eyes.
"Because of its training with a Beast Master, its true size is the largest among this group of Jade Green Dragons. Its understanding of Dragon Type Soul Techniques is also the deepest. You could consider it one of Lord Akatos’s guards."
CHIRP~
Ah Fei, who had been lying on the ground resting with its eyes closed, heard Qing Fan’s call. It opened its eyes, transformed into its smaller dragon form, and obediently flew over to the two of them.
Qing Fan pointed at Egg Pancake and said, "Show it what the Transformation Technique looks like."
CHIRP CHIRP~
Ah Fei glanced at Egg Pancake, snorted two streams of greenish-blue flame from its nostrils, and gave a very human-like smirk before flapping its wings and flying into the air.
Before the eyes of the two humans and their Soul Beasts, its body began to rapidly expand.
From a mini-dragon only a few dozen centimeters tall, it transformed into a terrifying Giant Dragon nearly a hundred meters in size.
ROAR!!
"Egg Pancake, watch carefully," Han Ning reminded it at the right moment.
"CHIRP CHIRP!"
Egg Pancake’s eyes widened. It stared intently at Ah Fei in the distance, not daring to miss a single detail.
A faint, bluish-red mist with a blood-like sheen appeared on Ah Fei’s body.
The blue-green mist enveloped its Body, rapidly weaving in and out of the crucial joints of its limbs.
One could clearly see that as the mist flowed, Ah Fei’s beautifully streamlined muscles began to tremble softly, contracting inch by inch.
A disturbing sound, like sinew and bone snapping, echoed through the air—CRACK, SNAP, POP.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
The first things to change were Ah Fei’s enormous forelimbs.
Gradually, its forelimbs shrank from over ten meters in length to the size of a human torso. Compared to its still-massive, untransformed body, they looked completely out of place, appearing extremely awkward and comical.
’...It kind of looks like a T-Rex now.’
The speed of this transformation was, one might say, extremely slow.
In truth, the slower the process, the more it demonstrated the user’s masterful skill.
It was like weightlifting. You might be able to quickly hoist a barbell weighing hundreds of pounds over your head, but you might not be able to complete the entire motion at a slow speed and hold it in position.
At this speed, from Egg Pancake’s perspective, it was practically a slow-motion demonstration.
Forelimbs, hind limbs, body, tail, head...
Ah Fei controlled its Dragon Power, shrinking its nearly hundred-meter Body inch by inch until it finally became a small dragon, just over a meter long, and flew back in front of Egg Pancake.
"CHIRP CHIRP, CHIRP, CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP!"
Ah Fei chirped away at Egg Pancake, as if it were teaching the latter some tricks about the Transformation Technique.
Meanwhile, Qing Fan explained from the side, "Actually, as long as they can skillfully control their Dragon Power, this Transformation Technique isn’t too difficult for them. The main thing is to master the technique of applying that Dragon Power."
"CHIRP?"
Ah Fei chattered on for about ten minutes, then extended a jade-colored claw and patted Egg Pancake on the head, as if asking the little guy if he had learned anything.
"CHIRP..."
Egg Pancake scratched its head with its claw, an embarrassed expression appearing on its face.
Then, it took a small step back and imitated what Ah Fei had just done. It held out its claw, and a faint, blood-like mist seeped out from between its scales, swirling uncertainly around its Dragon Palm.
"CHIRP!"
With a look of intense concentration, Egg Pancake stared at its own claw, trying hard to control its Dragon Power and feel the flow of Power within its muscles.
Then, with a few CRACK sounds...
Egg Pancake’s claw suddenly went POOF and grew a size larger!
