Chapter 388: Divine Dragon Breed

Chapter 388: Divine Dragon Breed

"Dragon Vein!"

Ji Xinghuo's expression stirred slightly, but he wasn't entirely surprised.

This was an exotic species beyond limits, and it wasn't uncommon.

A minuscule number of True Dragonfolk are even born with a "Dragon Vein," a racial gift.

True Dragonfolk are inherently robust, possessing strength, physical prowess, and neural responses far surpassing other races, along with flawless physical features, all thanks to the "Dragon Vein," giving them a head start from the very beginning.

However, the most formidable aspect of the Dragon Vein is its ability to forge a symbiotic bond with true dragons, granting them access to the dragon's power and extraordinary abilities.

Even a newly hatched dragonling is of the Flood Dragon grade!

A True Dragonfolk who is still a minor, perhaps only a few years old, would attain legendary-level might if they possessed the strength and abilities of a dragonling.

This isn't just a head start; it's the finish line for most!

Almost every True Dragonfolk can awaken their "Dragon Vein," but some do so at a very young age, while others may require multiple evolutions before awakening.

Thus, the earlier a True Dragonfolk awakens their vein, the better.

The younger the Dragon Vein awakener, the more exceptional their talent. Age is the most critical factor in the internal competition among True Dragonfolk.

The victors get to choose a young true dragon from their clan's hatchery to share power and abilities with, thus becoming a Dragon Lord.

Ji Xinghuo had read the History of the Imperial Dynasty.

According to the book, those who awaken their Dragon Vein before the age of sixteen (sixteen hot and cold seasons) are considered gifted and are usually given special attention by their clans, earning them the right of first refusal when choosing a dragon companion.

Those who don't awaken during their initial evolution are deemed mediocre, and the vast majority are eliminated.

True dragons are scarce, and there are never enough to go around.

For these failures to become Dragon Lords, they must seek out wild true dragons, but such dragons are even rarer and mostly fully grown, making them wild and nearly impossible to tame. The odds are minuscule.

Those who possess the power to tame true dragons typically no longer need them and instead embark on a different evolutionary path.

Evidently, Cang Huigui was one such failure.

Ji Xinghuo didn't know at which stage Cang Huigui's "Dragon Vein" had awakened, but it must have been after her initial evolution, leaving her with no choice but to become a Dragon Warrior.

The interface of the Myriad Manifestations Star Pupil displayed the location of the "Dragon Vein" exotic species.

It was located in Cang Huigui's spine.

Ji Xinghuo flipped the corpse over and, with his right hand, unleashed a blade of light that pierced the back. Soon, he extracted a fragment of bone from the spine—a shuttle-shaped piece about half a finger long, pale and bloodstained, emanating a unique aura.

Within the exotic species lay marrow that contained Cang Huigui's true dragon bloodline.

This bloodline held no distinction between true dragon subspecies. All True Dragonfolk shared the same "dragon vein."

The True Dragonfolk called it the "Primordial Dragon Bloodline."

They firmly believed that their bloodline originated from the star realm's most ancient progenitor dragon and had been passed down through generations within their race, as well as dispersed among the various true dragon lineages. Both humans and dragons were descendants of the progenitor dragon, differing only in their evolutionary paths.

The evolution of the True Dragonfolk was a process of retracing the steps of the progenitor dragon, making their bloodline thicker and purer, until they reached the realm of the progenitor dragon.

The progenitor dragon was not a star god, but something even more magnificent.

The "Endless Dragon" was merely an incarnation of the progenitor dragon, and the True Dragonfolk's worship of the Endless Dragon was, in essence, a devotion to the progenitor dragon.

This was all information Ji Xinghuo had gleaned from the stone tablets, and he didn't know how much of it was true. Nonetheless, the True Dragonfolk held these beliefs with unwavering faith.

He examined the primordial dragon bloodline in his hand.

This object was the very foundation of the True Dragonfolk's rise to power and their rule over the "True Dragon Realm" for over a million years. It was the source of their strength, glory, and pride—everything they were derived from the thin strand of bloodline in his hand.

At the same time, the Dragon Vein exotic species was also a taboo.

Killing a True Dragonfolk and stealing their exotic species was the most significant crime in the True Dragon Empire, bar none!

Because it could be fused with other races, allowing them to become True Dragonfolk, it was seen as a desecration of noble blood. Any outsider who fused with the Dragon Vein was called a "Blood Thief," and once discovered, they would be relentlessly hunted down by the True Dragon Empire. They would stop at nothing short of death!

If a regular Dragon Lord couldn't kill a "Blood Thief," they would dispatch a Dragon Marquis;

If the Marquis failed, the Dragon King would take action.

It might even attract the pursuit of the Dragon Emperor, until the Blood Thief was eradicated from this world, restoring the purity of the primordial dragon bloodline.

However, no matter how severe the punishment, it couldn't curb the allure of the Dragon Vein to other races.

Hunting True Dragonfolk for their exotic species was a frequent occurrence.

Ji Xinghuo hadn't intended to do so, but he had killed a Sixth Stage True Dragonfolk and inadvertently obtained the "Dragon Vein."

An interface popped up in his field of vision.

[Exotic Species: Dragon Vein]



[Grade: Beyond Limits]

"A success rate of 90%!" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed in surprise. Any exotic species with a success rate higher than 90% was extremely compatible with him, and he wouldn't have passed it up if it had been any other species.

But this was a Dragon Vein.

Ji Xinghuo had no desire to become a "Blood Thief" and face certain death for impersonating a True Dragonfolk. While it wasn't a crime that would incur the pursuit of the Dragon King, it was still an extremely serious offense.

He knew that there must be successful Blood Thieves out there who had gone undetected.

However, it was far too risky.

Moreover, those Blood Thieves all aspired to become Dragon Lords, and merely possessing the "Dragon Vein" was not enough. They also needed a true dragon, preferably a hatchling, as they were easier to deceive and convince to acknowledge a master due to their undeveloped minds.

Ji Xinghuo had no intention of becoming a Dragon Lord, nor did he have a true dragon.

While Dragon Lords were powerful, they were not invincible.

The most formidable aspect of this profession was in the early stages, where one could harness the power and abilities of a dragon as soon as they became an exotic, leaping from an ordinary person to a legendary figure. This provided a significant advantage during the initial evolution, crushing competitors of the same stage.

However, beyond the legendary stage or at the Heavenly King level, the advantages of a Dragon Lord weren't as pronounced.

Even a fifth-stage Dragon Lord would need to undergo profession advancement.

Additionally, the young dragon would need to evolve alongside the Dragon Lord, requiring an immense amount of resources, effort, and time.

Even if Ji Xinghuo acquired a juvenile true dragon at this moment, he wouldn't be able to wait for it to mature.

At the very least, it would need to be an adult true dragon.

An adult true dragon of a common breed wasn't worth risking being hunted by the Dragon King, becoming a Blood Thief.

Ji Xinghuo stared at the "Dragon Vein" exotic species in his hand before ultimately shaking his head.

"Unless..."

He suddenly recalled the content of the "True Dragon Breed Compendium," "...unless it's an adult 'Divine Dragon Breed.' The benefits are substantial enough to consider taking the risk."

The Imperial Dynasty had an extremely thorough understanding of true dragons.

They had categorized hundreds of true dragon breeds in great detail, such as the "Flame Dragon Breed," "Golden Dragon Breed," "Sea Dragon Breed," and "Beast Dragon Breed." Within each breed were multiple types of true dragons, typically possessing similar abilities.

The vast majority of true dragons were on equal footing, and none could be considered ordinary.

However, there were a few exceptional cases.

These were the "Divine Dragon Breeds," possessing a purer and more concentrated ancestral dragon bloodline, making them innately stronger, nobler, and more talented than other true dragons. They stood at the pinnacle of all true dragons.

Consequently, the Divine Dragon Breed clans were more powerful and held a higher status.

In the history of the True Dragon Empire, over nine-tenths of the Dragon Emperors had been Dragon Lords of the Divine Dragon Breed or had originated from a Divine Dragon Breed clan.

All five of the current Dragon Emperors possessed a Divine Dragon Breed!

However, the Divine Dragon Breed was extremely rare.

There were only seven types of true dragons listed as Divine Dragon Breeds in the "True Dragon Breed Compendium," each one formidable and uncommon.

The Titanium Cobalt Dragon was one of them.

The other six were the Blazing Flame Dragon, Shadowy Star Dragon, Void Kun Dragon, Arctic Dragon, Annihilator Dragon, and Light Cone Dragon.

While the True Dragonfolk had outstanding racial talents, the proportion of Dragon Lords among them was less than one percent. And out of the millions of Dragon Lords, those possessing a Divine Dragon Breed was below one in ten thousand. In the vast True Dragon Empire, there were only a few hundred Divine Dragon Breeds in total.

This highlighted the rarity and value of the Divine Dragon Breed.

Any master of a Divine Dragon Breed was an unparalleled powerhouse, one in a billion.

As for the Dragon Lords from the Divine Dragon Breed clans, the vast majority had bonded with other true dragons.

"Titanium Cobalt Dragon..."

Ji Xinghuo muttered to himself.

Previously, he hadn't known that the Titanium Cobalt Dragon belonged to the Divine Dragon Breed. On Earth, people only knew that "Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood" was mysterious and expensive, but they didn't understand its significance within the True Dragon Empire.

Both the "Dragon Blood" and "Dragon Body" exotics originated from true dragons.

It wasn't necessary to kill a true dragon to obtain them.

True dragons could produce these exotics from their bodies at regular intervals, but it came at a cost.

That was how most Dragon Warriors acquired their exotics.

And the Asia-Pacific Union consistently obtained several "Titanium Cobalt Dragon Blood" exotics each year, along with a "Titanium Cobalt Dragon Body" once every decade. Their source was a Titanium Cobalt Dragon, a rare Divine Dragon Breed! Even in the True Dragon Empire, not many clans enjoyed such treatment.

What made the Asia-Pacific Union, or more specifically, the Chancellor, so special?

"I'll have to wait until I get to the Yuan Magnet Domain and meet Cheng Sheng to find out," Ji Xinghuo thought to himself as he put away the Dragon Vein exotic and threw Cang Huigui's body into the fire, watching as it slowly turned to ashes.

Cheng Sheng was the third-ranked individual on the Legend Rankings, a Dragon Lord known as the "Hidden Dragon," previously hailed as the most outstanding genius in the world in recent years.

Cheng Sheng is one of "their own," but most of the time, he stays in the Yuan Magnet Domain of the True Dragon Empire. This time, Ji Xinghuo is on his way to meet him, as it concerns whether he can obtain the Titanium Cobalt Dragon Body or not.

The next morning, Ji Xinghuo packed up his camp and set off on his Branch-horned Cloud Elk.

The size of the Tungsten Mountain Domain was smaller than that of the Cang Huo Domain, with fewer cities and a smaller population. Ji Xinghuo intentionally avoided the cities and Star Gate areas, taking a safe yet longer route through this unique land filled with tungsten mines.

By traveling through remote areas and taking detours, his journey took much longer.

He also didn't encounter the Tungsten Mountain Dragon.

Leaving the Tungsten Mountain Domain, the border to the east is the Yuan Magnet Domain.

The surrounding scenery became more diverse, with lush vegetation, towering mountains, lakes, and grasslands, all of which painted a picturesque view. There were also suspended mountains similar to those in the Thousand Peaks and Forest Domain, but these were even larger, both natural and man-made, and on a grand scale.

Each of these floating mountains had a city built upon it, majestic and spectacular, with distinct styles that exuded an ethereal technological feel.

Ji Xinghuo changed his disguise again.

He still appeared as a barbarian, but his features were different. His hair was neatly combed, and his beard was trimmed, no longer hiding his aura as a legendary powerhouse. He looked like a powerful barbarian who had left the primitive tribes behind.

"The Yuan Magnet Domain is indeed different from the other Dragon Domains."

As he entered the Yuan Magnet Domain, Ji Xinghuo sensed the fluctuations in the surrounding magnetic field, which was much stronger than in other places.

It was also much more complex.

Most people would not be able to discern the characteristics of the magnetic field, but to Ji Xinghuo's enhanced senses, the magnetic field here was both powerful and unstable, constantly shifting like a boundless ocean, ultimately flowing in the same direction.

Ji Xinghuo gazed into the distance, toward the center of the Yuan Magnet Domain, which was also his destination.

The Branch-horned Cloud Elk ran for two days.

After covering nearly ten thousand kilometers, Ji Xinghuo finally reached his destination.

Even from over a hundred kilometers away, Ji Xinghuo could make out a massive shadow on the horizon. As he drew closer, the silhouette became clearer—it was a floating metropolis in the sky! Countless metal-forged bases, independent yet interconnected, formed a ring-shaped foundation with a diameter of over thirty kilometers, slowly rotating in the sky like a space city.

Ji Xinghuo was awe-struck by the sight, shimmering in the sunlight.

The entire city was built upon this massive ring, from the ground-level streets to the towering skyscrapers, all meticulously planned and designed, clean and elegant, with lines that exuded beauty and the style of the True Dragon Empire. It didn't feel like a city in the Star Realm at all but rather something from the Milky Way Galaxy.

This sky city was called "Titanium Ring City."

It was the royal city of the Yuan Magnet Domain, the center of the Cobalt Family's rule.

However, like most floating cities in the Star Realm, Titanium Ring City was also divided into two parts: the upper city in the sky and the lower city on the ground. Only True Dragons and a few outsiders with special permission were qualified to reside in the upper city.

Most people lived in the lower city, a sprawling metropolis that stretched for thousands of kilometers, nestled among mountains and lakes.

The people referred to the lower city as "Lower Titanium Ring City."

Ji Xinghuo rode his Branch-horned Cloud Elk at a slower pace as he entered Lower Titanium Ring City. The atmosphere here felt similar to that of Cang City.

The streets were bustling with a diverse array of races.

Humans comprised less than half of the population, and most of the other races were unfamiliar to Ji Xinghuo, although they all spoke the True Dragon language.

Lower Titanium Ring City had a population of several hundred million, and its management was both lax and strict.

It was lax in the sense that anyone could come and go as they pleased, and there were no identity checks. However, it was strict in the sense that detection instruments were everywhere, scanning everyone who passed by and displaying their dragon power value, which was then recorded.

Although he couldn't see any Dragon Guards of the Cobalt Family, Ji Xinghuo sensed countless hidden experts in the shadows.

Leading them were Dragon Masters and Dragon Warriors.

There were also other professionals, all under the command of True Dragons, maintaining order in the city.

Almost every minute, Ji Xinghuo could sense ripples scanning him, emanating from Heavenly King-level powerhouses. Meanwhile, his electromagnetic perception became even sharper and more extensive within this domain, influenced by the floating city above.

"First, I need to find Cheng Sheng."

Ji Xinghuo nonchalantly rode his Branch-horned Cloud Elk through the city.

Soon, he arrived at a villa district located in the lower eastern part of the city, nestled among mountains and waters. It was evident that only the wealthy and powerful lived here, and there were even True Dragons among them.

Ji Xinghuo's electromagnetic perception swept through the villa district.

He detected a True Dragon, and not far from it, a human who gave him a very familiar feeling.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end