Chapter 21: The First Embrace

After injecting the essence into Ding Ren’s body, Xi Yu let out a sigh of relief.

With these essences, he believed Ding Ren would be even more powerful in this life than the last; he had great confidence in Ding Ren’s potential.

As the core of the ghost was destroyed and its energy source vanished, the Star-Dream Jellyfish, which had enveloped the entire surrounding area, began to undergo a violent transformation.

Its colossal body shook with increasing intensity.

Finally, like a bursting bubble, the entire Star-Dream Jellyfish exploded.

Countless points of starlight shot out in all directions, but they quickly turned into tiny meteors, eventually vanishing into the sky.

In that moment, the entire world fell silent.

Before long, the wind brought back the interlacing sounds of nature, and the world returned to normal.

However, the area previously covered by the jellyfish remained in a state of deathly stillness.

All life here had vanished during the Ghost Domain’s consumption; it was unknown how long it would take for the ecosystem to recover.

****

In the distance, Guan Zhang was still rushing over.

His speed was far inferior to Ding Ren’s.

When Ding Ren had brought Xi Yu here, it had only taken three hours, but even pushing himself to the limit, Guan Zhang would need over an hour more to reach the site.

However, Guan Zhang could already faintly see the dreamlike, massive body of the Star-Dream Jellyfish.

He gritted his teeth and continued to sprint forward.

Just then, he suddenly saw the Star-Dream Jellyfish explode.

Guan Zhang’s body stopped involuntarily.

A flower of starlight as large as a mountain bloomed before his eyes; eventually, the starlight turned into streaks of luminescence, blooming like an unprecedented firework between heaven and earth.

Then, it slowly faded into the horizon.

The scene was so spectacular it left Guan Zhang slack-jawed.

This was undoubtedly the most soul-stirring and magnificent sight he had ever seen in his life.

But Guan Zhang didn’t daze for long; he suddenly snapped back to reality—had the Star-Dream Jellyfish been destroyed?

His heart gave a violent throb.

He continued to rush forward desperately.

Guan Zhang was consumed by anxiety.

While the destruction of the jellyfish was a good thing, who on earth could have destroyed such a terrifying ghost?

And what about Ding Ren and his team? Had something happened to them?

He didn’t dare imagine what the Realm Guards would do if something truly happened to Ding Ren here.

He had only one thought now: he had to know what happened ahead, no matter what.

At the same time, he prayed fervently that Ding Ren was safe.

---

Xi Yu directly stored Yao Yanyi’s body along with the Lamp-Skull Tree into his glove space.

The [Devour] Food Sacrifice was an extremely powerful ability, but its effectiveness depended on the user.

Now, he wanted to see if the dragon aura could analyze this ability; besides dissolving mutation traits, the aura could also decode Food Sacrifice abilities, as long as he could separate them before the aura dissolved the ability itself.

However, he didn’t hold much hope, as he wasn’t sure if Yao Yanyi had fully condensed the ability yet. If not, the chances were slim.

Next came the most important task: restoring the white dragon’s injuries.

Due to the influence of the Ghost Domain, the concentration of Mutation Particles here was extremely high. Without him needing to exert control, the particles burrowed into the dragon’s body on their own, slowly repairing the old wounds.

The dragon’s wounds were massive, so the recovery speed was much slower than that of Xi Yu’s human form.

Xi Yu allowed the dragon to heal itself while he used his spiritual power to explore the underground tunnels dug by Yao Yanyi.

Admittedly, without Yao Yanyi, finding the true core of the Ghost Domain would likely have taken him a significant amount of time.

Yao Yanyi truly could be called a genius.

It was a pity that had he walked a righteous path, he would have been an invaluable asset to the Middle Continent. Unfortunately, once such people possessed power, the lack of restraint led them to do as they pleased. Expecting them to protect others was impossible.

To them, the vast majority of ordinary people were likely nothing more than ants.

Such things were inevitable; as the degree of mutation increased, a person’s character was more or less affected.

That was why Xi Yu had been so wary of everyone in his previous life.

It was only later that his admiration for people like Ding Ren and the First Realm Guard grew.

They held immense power yet managed to maintain their sense of self and their original intentions, always protecting the nation and its people.

This was why he could fully identify with them and with the Middle Continent.

****

Xi Yu discovered that Yao Yanyi had more than one storage room.

He found two more in other locations, both filled with large quantities of supplies.

One room was completely sealed, with only a few ventilation pipes left; had Xi Yu not used the dragon’s powerful soul strength, he would never have found it.

Amassing all of this must have cost Yao Yanyi a great deal of effort; heaven only knows where he collected it all.

Seeing this, Xi Yu was completely certain that in his past life, Yao Yanyi’s plan must have been a total success.

The most dangerous place was the safest place.

Likely, after seizing the core, Yao Yanyi had hidden here for the first two years to survive his period of weakness.

If he had joined the nation, his ability would have been a great help to the country under their support, but many things were simply not meant to be.

After checking three times to ensure Yao Yanyi was truly gone, Xi Yu finally relaxed.

In any case, he had even taken the corpse into his space.

The greatest value of a Ghost Domain lay in the various essences condensed in its core.

With the core destroyed, the domain collapsed.

The various ghosts previously controlled by the domain also perished in that instant.

Their souls had long since been devoured by the domain.

Before fully forming, a Ghost Domain was quite dangerous to all life forms, but once established, it became a paradise for countless beings.

Since this area could give birth to a Ghost Domain, it suggested the terrain was naturally suited for it; perhaps a new one would condense here in the future.

Xi Yu thought it over and ultimately decided not to destroy the terrain.

If not for the fact that the nation currently lacked the power to hold it, occupying the domain would have been the most valuable course. If allowed to mature, it could have nurtured S-class combatants for the country.

But now, there was no telling how long it would take for a new domain to form.

By then, either the nation would be destroyed or it would have established a firm foothold in the new world. Perhaps this place truly could become a blessed land for the nation in the future.

****

Once everything was handled, Xi Yu collected the ghosts Ding Ren had slain into his space, leaving them for the dragon aura and blood to process.

Then, he noticed that the energy within Ding Ren was still insufficient, which surprised him.

Upon closer inspection, he realized Ding Ren’s Food Sacrifice ability seemed to be evolving again.

It looked like Ding Ren was truly going to manifest an extraordinary ability this time.

He checked his glove space.

After several days of continuous dissolution, only a small amount of mutation traits remained within a glob of dragon aura the size of a longan.

Xi Yu used the dragon’s power to break the aura into dust-sized particles and injected them into the various ghost corpses to cycle through them.

This caused the remaining mutation traits to dissolve even faster.

After about half an hour, the traits were completely gone, forming a pure Dragon Source.

Xi Yu injected the Dragon Source directly into Ding Ren’s body.

He was now filled with anticipation for Ding Ren’s ability; having absorbed such a massive amount of energy, it would surely reach the level of a Morbid Food Sacrifice, perhaps even a top-tier one.

Unfortunately, with his current power, he couldn’t directly refine dragon aura into pure Dragon Source; he could only use this “shortcut” to speed up the process.

Once this glob was given to Ding Ren, a new batch would have to be condensed slowly.

****

Xi Yu continued to wander near the site of the Ghost Domain.

He found the fountain in the valley, a collection of high-concentration particles. He had intended to give this water to Ding Ren as well, thinking it might be as effective as Mutation Essence.

However, most of the water had already dissipated.

What remained was very thin, so Xi Yu regretfully abandoned the idea and had the dragon swallow the remaining water in one gulp.

The dragon’s recovery speed increased slightly.

Xi Yu wandered the valley for a bit longer but found nothing else of value. Anything useful had already been devoured by the core.

Then he spent some time in the core chamber.

The space was quite large and well-positioned, with crystalline walls that were very beautiful; it might make a great scenic spot in the future.

He decided to cover all the tunnel entrances, hoping the place might be preserved.

---

An hour later, the white dragon’s injuries were mostly healed.

Xi Yu checked the time; he could still maintain the dragon form for over two hours without issue. He planned to let the dragon relax for a while; he had suppressed it for too long, and letting it out would ease the erosion of the draconic instincts for a short time.

The Star-Dream Jellyfish had mostly dissipated by now.

Xi Yu summoned a cloud of mist to shroud the entire mountain range and himself, avoiding any chance of exposure. Then, he waited for Ding Ren to wake up.

He looked toward the east; Guan Zhang was approaching.

Perfect, Xi Yu was waiting for him.

“Almost there. I’ll reach it in another thirty minutes.”

Guan Zhang was pushing his internal power to the limit; his body was scorching hot, and sweat poured off him, but he didn’t care.

Seeing his destination in sight, he gathered his strength for a final sprint.

Suddenly, his world spun.

Guan Zhang panicked as he realized he had lost control of his body.

By the time his head stopped spinning, he found himself standing safely on the ground.

Then, he saw a massive white creature before him. It looked somewhat familiar… like a dragon.

‘A dragon???’

Guan Zhang’s breath hitched, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Thinking he was seeing things, he rubbed his eyes frantically.

His vision wasn’t blurry; it wasn’t just a resemblance—it really was a dragon.

The white dragon was within reach, and every detail of its body matched the legends of the Middle Continent perfectly. Only, it looked more mysterious and radiated a majestic aura that sent a soul-shaking pressure through him.

‘Maybe I’ve fallen into a hallucination,’ Guan Zhang thought, still in disbelief. He never imagined that a myth would one day manifest before him; furthermore, he had been personally “retrieved” by the divine dragon.

Guan Zhang pinched his thigh hard; a sharp pain shot through him.

‘It’s not a dream!’

Even having experienced many major events, Guan Zhang’s mind went blank.

‘How can dragons actually exist in this world?’

“City Seat Guan, have you come back to us yet?”

A flash of white light streaked through the air, and the white dragon vanished.

In its place stood a human figure. Xi Yu was prepared this time; he had several sets of clothes in his space, so he didn’t have to worry about being exposed.

Guan Zhang’s eyes were truly on the verge of rebelling.

He was dumbfounded, his jaw hanging open.

“You… you… you?”

Guan Zhang felt his brain couldn’t process this.

The white dragon had turned into Xi Yu?

No—Xi Yu was actually a dragon!!!

‘He’s a dragon!’

Guan Zhang finally snapped out of it, his scalp tingling with shock. It turned out that Xi Yu—the youth Ding Ren’s team had been protecting, the youth Guan Zhang had interacted with—was actually a dragon.

The world was truly going mad.

“Yes, it’s just as you think. I am a dragon,” Xi Yu admitted honestly.

“You… you couldn’t be a ghost in disguise, could you?” Guan Zhang swallowed hard.

“That’s right, I’m a ghost. Maybe I’ll eat you now,” Xi Yu bared his teeth.

“No, I… I?”

Guan Zhang was tongue-tied, waving his hands frantically in an instinctive reflex.

Actually, he was already certain that Xi Yu wasn’t a demon; just based on the method the youth had used to teleport him here, he was sure not even a B-class expert could achieve such a feat.

How powerful must that white dragon be? It could probably eliminate a B-class with ease. With such power, what kind of ghost would be bored enough to go to such lengths to disguise itself?

Would they really do all that just to trick a minor C-class expert like him?

He was just too shocked, too surprised, and found it too inconceivable.

Most importantly, he had no idea how to face Xi Yu now.

He didn’t know the proper way to address him, let alone how to speak to him.

Guan Zhang felt like he was truly going insane.

“Actually, strictly speaking, a dragon might not not be a type of ghost,” Xi Yu said calmly. “But don’t worry. I originate from the Middle Continent and harbor no ill will toward it. In fact, to me, my fortune is tied to the nation; our fates are linked. Only when the nation is well and strong will my life be comfortable.”

Guan Zhang had no idea what to say and could only nod emphatically.

“Like, if I were in danger, you’d protect me, right?”

“Of course!” Guan Zhang blurted out.

In that moment, Guan Zhang finally understood why Ding Ren and the others placed such importance on Xi Yu. This was a dragon; he didn’t even need to do anything—merely being willing to stay in the Middle Continent as a totem was enough for them to risk their lives for him.

“City Seat Guan, you can just call me by my name. That’s what Captain Ding and the others call me. I’m just an ordinary dragon, nothing special.”

‘You’re already a dragon, and you’re not special?’

Of course, Guan Zhang didn’t dare say it out loud.

“So… you were the one who destroyed the Star-Dream Jellyfish?” Guan Zhang couldn’t help but ask.

“I suppose so, though I have to thank Yao Yanyi for leading the way,” Xi Yu explained.

“Where is he?” Guan Zhang asked cautiously.

In truth, his heart was full of rage; he wanted to tear Yao Yanyi to shreds. What angered him wasn’t being played for a fool, but the fact that the man had nearly caused the destruction of Xincheng City.

“Dead.”

Guan Zhang’s rage halted abruptly; for a moment, he couldn’t find the words to describe his complex emotions.

But since Yao Yanyi was dead and the jellyfish was destroyed, Xincheng’s crisis was naturally resolved.

Yet, thinking of their sleepless nights and their panic and anxiety, the fact that everything was resolved so easily left him in a state of disbelief.

He still felt like he was dreaming; it all felt too surreal.

“Thank you.” In the end, Guan Zhang’s thousand words condensed into those two.

“You’re welcome,” Xi Yu replied with a smile.

“And… the Lamp-Skull Tree?”

“Dead as well,” Xi Yu said, holding nothing back.

Guan Zhang truly wanted to know every detail of what had happened, but he ultimately held back his curiosity.

“City Seat Guan, can I enter Xincheng City now?”

“Of course!” Guan Zhang replied awkwardly.

“That’s good then,” Xi Yu nodded. “You should head back first. Something’s going on with Ding Ren; I’ll head back with him in a bit.”

“I’ll wait for you both,” Guan Zhang blurted out.

He looked around but found no trace of Ding Ren.

“You should go back first. Please handle our identity issues for us,” Xi Yu said.

He didn’t have the heart to say that Guan Zhang was too slow and that Ding Ren’s personality wouldn’t allow him to bring him along anyway. Moreover, it was best to keep Ding Ren’s B-class breakthrough a secret for now.

“Mhm, mhm, alright.”

Guan Zhang quickly took the opening Xi Yu gave him; he had considered that issue as well.

“Then I’ll leave it to you, City Seat Guan.” Xi Yu held out his hand.

Guan Zhang gripped it with both hands and gave it a firm shake, feeling more than ever like he was in a dream.

‘How can a divine dragon be so approachable and kind?’

“One more thing, City Seat Guan,” Xi Yu said seriously. “My identity carries significant implications. Regarding my existence, please do not reveal it to anyone, or it could cause great trouble for the Middle Continent.”

“Rest assured. If I reveal a single word, let heaven strike me down and grant me an unholy death.”

Guan Zhang was about to swear an oath.

Xi Yu quickly stopped him. “There’s no need for that. Just keep it quiet for now; eventually, my identity will be exposed anyway.”

“Alright, I understand.” Guan Zhang was filled with gratitude toward Xi Yu.

If that day truly came and he were bound by an oath not to speak, he might actually explode from holding it in.

In that moment, Guan Zhang was completely won over; his gaze toward Xi Yu was filled with intense emotion.

‘How can there be such a considerate dragon?’

“Be careful on the way back,” Xi Yu waved.

“Alright, and you be careful here too.” Guan Zhang looked back several times, reluctant to leave, before finally gritting his teeth and sprinting back toward the city.

Once Xi Yu was completely out of sight, Guan Zhang stopped.

He stared blankly at his hands; in an instant, his scalp felt numb, and his entire body shivered.

‘I met a dragon?’

‘I actually spoke to a dragon?’

‘I even shook a dragon’s claw—hand?’

It wasn’t a dream; it was all real.

After a moment, Guan Zhang gasped for air; he had forgotten to breathe.

But his eyes grew brighter than ever before.

There really are dragons in this world!

Truly.

And one is right here in our Middle Continent, in our Xincheng City!

Guan Zhang was filled with invigoration and confidence in the future of the nation.

With a dragon’s protection, the future would surely get better.

Guan Zhang completely regained his composure and sprinted back toward Xincheng at full speed.

---

After Guan Zhang left, Xi Yu had nothing left to do, so he returned to Ding Ren’s side.

The dragon’s body was fully restored, so he didn’t need to worry about the draconic instincts for a while.

To guard Ding Ren, he decided not to train for now.

Ding Ren was less than ten meters away; no matter what happened, he could react instantly at this distance.

After some thought, he pulled out the remaining Divine Transformation Essence and swallowed it.

This extra essence could only enhance a Food Sacrifice ability; giving Ding Ren a large piece was enough.

Technically, giving the essence to [I Can See the Quality of Ingredients] was a bit of a waste, but he had no other Food Sacrifice abilities right now.

Rather than waiting for a new ability to manifest during a B-class breakthrough in the future, he might as well use it now.

Every bit of strength he gained now mattered.

Perhaps the upgraded ability would bring him a surprise.

Although this glob of essence was smaller than the one he gave Ding Ren, it was still worth two units—a staggering value.

As the ability upgraded, Xi Yu himself didn’t feel much.

He could only see his ability icon flashing incessantly, clearly undergoing a qualitative change he couldn’t perceive physically.

After about fifteen minutes, [I Can See the Quality of Ingredients] finally stabilized.

Xi Yu sensed the change and found that while the ability still belonged to the Extraordinary Sequence, it had gained two new functions.

[He who possesses me can see his own Fate.]

[I know of your existence, and I know your weaknesses. Fine, I admit I only know some of your weaknesses.]

This came as a significant surprise to Xi Yu; both functions were remarkably useful.

Especially the “Fate” function, which allowed him to intuitively see his current strength and potential limits.

[Fate]
Name: Xi Yu
Comprehensive Grade: Substandard
Mutation (Substandard): 75 (81)
Soul Transformation (Substandard): 82 (100)

Extraordinary Food Sacrifice:
I Can See the Quality of Ingredients (Extraordinary): 4 (5)

The first number represented his current strength, while the number in parentheses represented his potential limit. He was only six units of mutation value away from breaking through to F-class—only a matter of a few days.

Xi Yu’s soul potential was quite good, but his physical potential was only slightly above passing. The simplest and most direct way to increase potential was to consume Food Sequence Essence. However, such essence was far too rare; he hadn’t obtained much even in his previous life.

Nevertheless, he didn’t regret giving the essence to Ding Ren; another B-class expert for the nation was far more useful than a minor increase in his own strength right now. Moreover, with more strength, Ding Ren could better protect him when he was in human form.

Divine Transformation Essence was truly effective; with enough of it, he might even be able to push his ability to the Morbid tier.

Unfortunately, the item was too rare; it was more valuable than Mutation or Soul essence, second only to Food Sequence Essence.

To upgrade to the Morbid tier, he would need at least four or five times the amount he just used.

****

Once the ability upgrade was successful, Xi Yu was truly left with nothing to do.

He couldn’t stay idle; unable to train, he kept an eye on Ding Ren while pondering his future tasks.

His mind whirled with thoughts, jumping from one idea to another.

He thought about how now that Ding Ren was B-class, he could hand over the anti-gravity technology directly to him.

He thought about how to handle the chaos caused by the Ogaso people.

He considered how to discuss the [Divine Arena] with the First Realm Guard.

Then there was the [Underworld].

That organization wasn’t on the same level as [Taotie]; a single move would affect the entire board. The trouble was that while they committed many major crimes, he actually didn’t know much about them.

Finally, he thought about his own problems.

While the draconic instincts didn’t affect him much for now, he couldn’t slack on his training. Otherwise, any accident could lead to a loss of control. Now that he was in the Middle Continent, he had to control that possibility at all costs; he couldn’t imagine what would happen if he lost control here.

Of course, the most important thing to focus on was still the dragon lust.

Dragon lust couldn’t be bypassed in advance like the instincts could.

While he was used to the pain of the eruption and could endure it by force, he couldn’t control when it would happen—any place, any time.

In the wilderness, it was fine; he could endure it alone. But in a populated area, it would be a major problem; if he couldn’t stop himself from transforming, he would surely be discovered.

Furthermore, the lust might only flare up once every six months or even a year; looking for someone was unrealistic. The lust wouldn’t give him time to leisurely pick someone out.

Previously, he had been focused only on returning to the Middle Continent and hadn’t considered these scenarios. Now that he thought about it seriously, he realized how troublesome this issue was; the consequences could be severe if handled poorly.

Perhaps he had been oversimplifying things before.

Thinking of this, the headache he had ignored began to flare up again.

He felt it was all too troublesome.

Rather than that, it would be easiest to just endure it. Ideally, he could dig a massive underground space capable of holding the white dragon; that way, when it flared up, he could just hide underground and wait it out without fear of exposure.

The more he thought about it, the more reliable this method seemed.

But he likely couldn’t stay in one place forever, right? What a headache—surely he wouldn’t have to dig a hole every time he went somewhere new.

As he sat thinking, dawn broke; why hadn’t Ding Ren’s breakthrough ended yet?

‘It shouldn’t take this long, right?’

‘With so many energy sources consumed, nothing should have gone wrong.’

‘Should I turn back into the dragon and check?’

Ding Ren was too important to both him and the nation; he couldn’t let anything happen to him.

Xi Yu observed Ding Ren carefully, and seeing nothing obviously wrong, he held himself back.

He decided to wait a bit longer; after all, Ding Ren had manifested two powerful abilities at once, so taking extra time was normal.

However, looking at Ding Ren, Xi Yu suddenly felt a bit guilty.

He realized something.

A Morbid Food Sacrifice was one thing, but the birth of a Soul Skeletal Gear was no small matter. It likely required an extremely intense emotional state to manifest. So, what could have happened to cause such an intense emotion in Ding Ren?

Thinking about it, wasn’t it… himself?

Right—he had only told Ding Ren a portion of the truth about Yao Yanyi, but hadn’t mentioned a word about using himself as bait, keeping him completely in the dark. Though he did it fearing Ding Ren would object, he hadn’t expected it to trigger a B-class breakthrough and two powerful abilities.

While the result was good, the trigger was himself.

So, Ding Ren had been worried about him?

The thought filled Xi Yu with a sudden surge of emotion.

But because of that, Ding Ren was bound to be very angry, right?

While he didn’t think Ding Ren would scold him—he might even just keep it bottled up—now that Xi Yu knew, he couldn’t act as if nothing had happened. Thus, he had to be extra well-behaved over the next few days.

He had to try and soothe Ding Ren’s anger.

Though, if something similar happened again, he would definitely still do the same thing.

---

Just then, Ding Ren let out a long breath and opened his eyes.

A flash of gold streaked through his eyes; his blood-red eyes gradually began to turn gold before eventually returning to their original black.

As for the soul blade above his head, it finally solidified into a physical form.

Ding Ren didn’t immediately pick up the weapon to examine it, instead drawing it back into himself.

He briefly sensed the sharp blade within his soul and found that it not only didn’t harm him, but actually enhanced his soul’s ability to absorb Mutation Particles. Relieved, he set it aside for now; he was in no mood to focus on it.

“Captain Ding, you’re finally awake! How is it? Does being B-class feel powerful?”

Xi Yu, suspecting nothing, hurried over happily when he saw Ding Ren wake up.

“Mhm, it is indeed powerful,” Ding Ren nodded.

However, his reaction was too calm; not only was there no hint of joy, but he appeared incredibly solemn.

This left Xi Yu bewildered.

‘He couldn’t still be angry with me, could he? No way—he’s already broken through, yet he’s still dwelling on it? What should I do? Maybe I should just apologize directly?’

Ding Ren indeed could not feel happy.

While he was truly angry with Xi Yu, his current low mood had nothing to do with that.

The power of [Heart Eye] was too great—he could actually hear the voices of others’ hearts.

Since the ability had only just manifested, he temporarily couldn’t control it. He tried for a while but couldn’t turn it off, so he was forced to use it passively.

Ding Ren had intended to ask Xi Yu if he knew about this ability and if he could help him master it. While it was powerful—especially against enemies, serving as their future nightmare—he didn’t want to hear people talking all the time; the noise alone could drive him mad. More importantly, he didn’t want to hear the hearts of those close to him, let alone their secrets.

But when he heard the things Xi Yu was saying in his heart, he was shaken and instinctively kept listening. Especially when he heard that many of these things concerned the future of the Middle Continent, his focus was entirely captured, and he forgot what he had intended to do.

Then, he learned many things that shook his soul—things so astounding that he couldn’t quite process them.

He felt his mind had undergone an unprecedented assault today.

By the time he finally controlled himself and tried to stop, he heard news that shook him even more.

Xi Yu had been reborn? This was his second life?

Yet, even that wasn’t the most moving part.

He had desperately wanted to know why Xi Yu would hurt himself, and what exactly was wrong with his body.

He finally had the answer.

He learned of the impact of the draconic instincts on Xi Yu, and the torment brought by the dragon lust.

He understood why Xi Yu had deliberately kept his distance, and why he had been training so desperately.

At this moment, he had completely forgotten about Heart Eye. Now that he knew the pain and torment Xi Yu’s body endured, he just wanted to do something for him. Anything to ease his suffering, to let him relax, to let him get a good night’s sleep.

He never knew that this person—who was always optimistic and wore a smile—couldn’t even get a proper night’s rest.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; he simply couldn’t.

And he had endured this pain not for a day or two, but for two entire lifetimes.

Previously, just seeing Xi Yu’s occasional discomfort had been hard enough; now he knew Xi Yu was enduring this pain at every single moment. He had just become numb to the pain, which was why it wasn’t normally apparent. So, how much must it hurt when it reached the point where he couldn’t control it?

Looking at Xi Yu, Ding Ren couldn’t calm himself.

He had forgotten how many times he had been moved since meeting Xi Yu, but this time, he was shaken as never before.

Perhaps he still couldn’t fully comprehend Xi Yu’s feelings, but he knew just how powerful Xi Yu’s heart was.

In this moment, his heart ached specifically for him; it felt as if something had cracked within his soul.

It was the first time he had ever felt so much heartache for another person.

It was the first time he had ever wanted to hold someone so badly.

And so, Ding Ren stepped forward and gathered Xi Yu into his arms.

He held him very hard, very tightly.

Ding Ren’s sudden move gave Xi Yu a massive fright.

‘Why did Ding Ren suddenly hug me? This kind of behavior—even if the sky fell, it shouldn’t happen with him, right? Could it be that he’s not angry, but expressing his thanks? But this is so unlike him… or has he been possessed?’

Ding Ren didn’t care about the shock and confusion in Xi Yu’s heart.

He just stroked his head and whispered softly, “It’s okay now. It’s okay. I’ll be by your side from now on. I’ll always guard you, and I’ll always help you.”

‘What the hell? Has Ding Ren really lost his mind? Why would he suddenly say something like that? This is way too abnormal!’

Xi Yu didn’t dare move; he was truly startled.

But Ding Ren just kept stroking his head, repeating, “It’s okay now. It’s okay.”

Xi Yu gradually fell into a daze.

After a moment, he suddenly noticed something was wrong with his eyes.

He reached up and touched them—they were wet.

The moisture grew, staining his hand, and he couldn’t stop it.

‘What’s happening to me?’

Xi Yu was confused.

The sensation was too unfamiliar; he had completely forgotten what this reaction was.

But Ding Ren didn’t answer him, still holding him tightly.

After an unknown amount of time, Xi Yu pushed Ding Ren away with force.

He stood to the side rubbing his eyes, his heart in a whirl. He didn’t know what madness had taken Ding Ren, but it had suddenly made him very sentimental.

Sigh.

He couldn’t help but let out a long breath, unsure of what was wrong with himself.

In this moment, he felt he had become fragile. He touched his head, feeling the pain return.

Yet, deep down, he felt a bit happy, even as he was at a loss.

Fortunately, the draconic instincts weren’t affecting him much right now, otherwise he suspected he would have lost control immediately.

After a while, Xi Yu regained his composure.

Regardless of whatever madness had taken Ding Ren, he couldn’t let himself be affected.

In this life, he believed the nation would protect him, but in the end, he was the only one who could truly help himself. No one else could ease the impact of the instincts, nor could they feel just how much the lust affected him.

Xi Yu felt lethargic, suddenly lacking motivation.

‘I don’t feel like working hard today. I just want to go back and get a good night’s sleep. It’s been so long since I had a really satisfying sleep. I should reward myself with a proper rest.’

Hearing this, Ding Ren felt an indescribable heartache.

He desperately wanted to help Xi Yu so he could truly take a breath. But what could he actually do to ease the boy’s torment?

He could help him increase his strength to deal with the instincts, but how could he solve the dragon lust?

‘Unless?’ Suddenly, a powerful killing intent erupted uncontrollably from Ding Ren.

“Captain Ding, what is it?!”

Xi Yu was startled by the change in Ding Ren and quickly looked around, thinking another horrific ghost had arrived, but found nothing.

“It’s nothing.”

Ding Ren was startled himself; he hadn’t expected such a powerful emotion to surge through him.

Ultimately, he couldn’t stand the thought of Xi Yu continuing to suffer the torment of the dragon lust.

At this moment, he was filled with an indescribable annoyance.

‘Ding Ren’s personality was already abnormal. Could he have overused his brain during the breakthrough? Or maybe he injured his soul while condensing the blade, and now he’s even more mentally unstable?’

Xi Yu couldn’t help but wonder.

Ding Ren paused; hearing Xi Yu disparaging him in his head didn’t make him angry—it actually made him a bit happy. He realized Xi Yu liked to let his mind wander, always filled with countless thoughts. Perhaps he had developed this habit because he had been so alone in his past life, using it as a way to ease the pain in his mind.

And since he was the subject of those thoughts, it meant Xi Yu cared about him.

‘As I thought, his condition has worsened.’

‘Well, as humans become B-class, they shift more toward being non-human. Ding Ren has even condensed a Soul Skeletal Gear, so calling him non-human is probably accurate. Thinking of it that way, his fickle personality isn’t that strange.’

Xi Yu felt he completely couldn’t understand Ding Ren today.

The man’s emotions changed by the second, and occasionally his expressions were exceptionally obvious.

Now, he was apparently happy about something for some unknown reason.

‘But in the end, the reason he’s like this is because of me.’

Xi Yu’s heart suddenly felt heavy.

‘If he hadn’t been worried about me, he wouldn’t have forced himself to ascend. If he hadn’t ascended, his mind wouldn’t have had problems.’

‘Even if it was a blessing in disguise—making him much stronger than the B-class Ding Ren from my past life—his personality has been affected. I don’t know how this will affect his future.’

‘In any case, I have to take some responsibility for him becoming like this.’

‘I’ll have to be extra good to him in the future. I can’t distance myself just because he has character flaws, and I certainly can’t discriminate against him.’

Thinking of this, Xi Yu flashed a smile at Ding Ren.

Ding Ren almost wanted to laugh. Although the little white dragon liked to bad-mouth him in his head, his heart was purely kind. To be cared for like this by someone of his status truly moved him.

If not for the heart-reading, he might have forgotten that Xi Yu had used himself as bait earlier.

That thought made him both angry and sad. Xi Yu was covered in troubles of his own, yet he never hesitated to act whenever he could do something; he truly never knew how to care for himself.

Ding Ren’s heart softened.

He felt he could probably never truly be angry with Xi Yu again.

He eventually reached out and ruffled Xi Yu’s hair.

He truly hoped that, as a dragon, Xi Yu could be a bit more selfish and try to be better to himself, rather than always charging to the front. The kindness the people of the nation showed him was only right; he hoped Xi Yu wouldn’t always focus on repaying them.

Ding Ren thought this, but he didn’t say it.

Moreover, he knew that in the future, not only would he not stop him, but he would do his best to help Xi Yu. What he needed to do was work even harder at his cultivation so he could help him at critical moments.

But distracted by Xi Yu’s thoughts, Ding Ren nearly forgot about the dragon lust.

He already knew Xi Yu intended to resolve the lust on his own, but he truly didn’t want to see Xi Yu hurt himself again. Recalling the sight of Xi Yu carving gash after gash into his own body made him feel incredibly oppressed.

No matter what, he could not allow Xi Yu to continue treating himself like that.

He looked at Xi Yu.

He really wanted to do something, but what exactly could he do?

‘Wait, what is wrong with Ding Ren today? He’s getting weirder and weirder. Could he really have broken his head during the breakthrough? I was just talking to myself… surely I didn’t actually hit the mark?’

Ding Ren’s gaze was making Xi Yu a bit uneasy.

Xi Yu hadn’t actually believed Ding Ren’s breakthrough had gone wrong; he was just letting his mind wander to distract himself. While breakthroughs did affect personality, a change as massive as Ding Ren’s was rare. Now, though, he was starting to seriously wonder.

And that look in his eyes was very strange—why did it look like Ding Ren had designs on him?

Xi Yu suddenly found himself a bit expectant.

Ding Ren was outstanding—cold on the outside but warm on the inside, exceptionally gentle, and very handsome. He had indeed thought that if his dragon lust were directed at him, it would be quite nice. Of course, he only thought about it; he couldn’t actually bring himself to do it.

Moreover, across two lifetimes, he had never heard of Ding Ren liking men, so there was no way he could have any feelings for him. It had to be an illusion.

But the next second, Ding Ren suddenly wrapped his arm around Xi Yu’s waist, pulling them tightly together.

Xi Yu could even hear Ding Ren’s heartbeat, thump-thump, touching his soul and making his heart skip a beat like never before. Then, Ding Ren’s head began to lean closer to his.

Xi Yu’s eyes snapped wide.

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