Chapter 24: Tonight, the Dragon Hunts

Chu Luan was logically supposed to arrive in Xincheng City two days later.

However, a difficult problem he needed to resolve on his way had dissipated on its own, so he arrived ahead of schedule.

He attached immense importance to the matter Ding Ren had spoken of.

Naturally, he wanted to see the legendary divine dragon with his own eyes.

But as soon as he arrived, he was drawn in by the bustling activity in Xincheng City.

He had already known about the resolution of Xincheng’s crisis before his journey, so he was naturally curious about what the city was up to now.

Vaguely, he knew this matter was far from simple.

Chu Luan’s arrival immediately caused a sensation in Xincheng.

Especially for Guan Zhang, who had assumed the Middle Continent’s B-class expert would return once Xincheng’s crisis was resolved. He hadn’t expected that not only did an expert arrive, but it was actually the First Realm Guard himself.

Of course, he quickly understood why Chu Luan had come.

The commotion caused by Chu Luan’s arrival quickly subsided, and everyone returned to focusing on the tasks at hand.

Chu Luan didn’t know what Xincheng was currently doing; since he didn’t understand, he didn’t plan to intervene first, wanting to wait for Ding Ren to return before speaking.

However, although he didn’t ask, he paid close attention to the matter.

He could even be certain that everything Xincheng was doing now was closely related to the divine dragon, Xi Yu.

****

After a short wait, Ding Ren finally returned.

And Chu Luan finally saw the appearance of the divine dragon. He was very young, only eighteen or nineteen. His features were exquisitely beautiful, making it impossible not to stare.

Upon seeing Chu Luan, Xi Yu was instantly eager to hand over everything to him, so he could be free of the burden.

However, he quickly restrained himself from rushing over; after all, Chu Luan’s status was unique, and at a time like this, he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes out of excitement.

Both parties suppressed the urge to speak, instead moving to another location to avoid drawing attention.

After a short while, the three of them appeared in Ding Ren’s room.

Chu Luan had traveled alone this time, so he appeared much more relaxed, without too many formal rules.

He studied Xi Yu seriously, while Xi Yu was already very familiar with him; at this point, the youth finally stopped holding back.

“First Realm Guard, I’ve finally been able to wait for your arrival.”

Chu Luan appeared to be in his early thirties, not looking much older than Ding Ren. He was very tall, and though his features weren’t peerlessly handsome, they were very regular and balanced. His entire being exuded a steady aura that brought a sense of peace to anyone who saw him.

However, at this moment, a sliver of bewilderment appeared on Chu Luan’s face.

His hand had been grabbed directly.

The divine dragon seemed exceptionally enthusiastic.

Even Chu Luan couldn’t help but feel a bit flattered by this sensation.

Chu Luan quickly regained his composure, looking at Xi Yu with an unchanged smile. “Hello.”

Xi Yu gripped Chu Luan’s hand, filled with emotion.

From his past life to the present, they truly hadn’t seen each other for a long time; in his past life, he had been very familiar with Chu Luan. Aside from the secretive twelfth B-class expert of the Middle Continent, Chu Luan was the person he had interacted with the most.

He also understood Chu Luan’s personality very well, knowing he was the type of person who remained steady and composed no matter what happened, and could always be trusted.

“First Realm Guard, take this.”

Xi Yu didn’t plan to stand on ceremony with Chu Luan, directly pulling the entire anti-gravity data cabinet from his space.

“This is…?” Chu Luan looked at Xi Yu in confusion.

Xi Yu’s attitude surprised him, though he remained calm on the surface.

“The documentation for anti-gravity technology; I obtained it from the Drance Federation’s base in Jiao’an,” Xi Yu said. “Of course, I don’t know if there are any missing parts in these documents; that will depend on your own research, First Guard.”

“First Guard” was the respectful title the Realm Guards used for Chu Luan, and in his past life, Xi Yu had also been used to calling him that.

“Anti-gravity technology?” At this moment, Chu Luan paid no attention to how Xi Yu addressed him; he was deeply moved, knowing the significance of those five words.

Once this technology was successfully developed, the help to the Middle Continent would be indescribable. Perhaps it could successfully restore communications across the nation, allowing the Middle Continent to send rescue operations immediately whenever a crisis arose in various locations.

“Are you truly willing to give this to the Middle Continent?” Chu Luan couldn’t help but ask, looking at Xi Yu, who appeared not to know its true value.

He didn’t know the authenticity of the documentation, but he believed Xi Yu would absolutely not use fake data to deceive him.

“Of course, keeping it is of no use to me,” Xi Yu smiled.

Chu Luan took a slow breath before saying solemnly, “Then I shall accept it.”

He was resolute; it was impossible to refuse.

“Mhm,” Xi Yu nodded quickly. He had wanted to give this anti-gravity technology to the Middle Continent long ago.

He had no use for it, yet its value was staggering; only by handing it over to the Middle Continent could he feel at ease.

With this item gone from his space, Xi Yu felt lighter.

For Xi Yu, the next matter was of paramount importance.

This concerned the fate of the Middle Continent; although he knew the details, only Chu Luan had the power to change things, and now he intended to tell Chu Luan everything without reservation.

Initially, he had thought about building their trust step by step before guiding the Middle Continent on what to do. But now, after spending time with Ding Ren and the others, he had confirmed once again that whether in his past life or this life, the Middle Continent was still the same nation in his memories.

At the very least, the vast majority of people trusted him and wanted to protect him.

Since that was the case, he wanted to trust the Middle Continent without reservation this time.

He knew these matters were shocking, but hearing them from the mouth of a divine dragon, Chu Luan would surely attach significance to them.

Straightaway, Xi Yu began to speak to Chu Luan.

The key points he wanted to convey were the future crises and the conspiracies of the Ogaso people within the Middle Continent.

The [Divine Arena] didn’t need much explanation; as long as the citizens didn’t participate, they would be fine, but the Ogaso people were truly detestable.

In his past life, because of the [Divine Arena], the vast majority of C-class and D-class combatants had fallen, allowing a hatchling of an A-class ghost to hide within the Middle Continent, causing ghost tides to rampage everywhere. At that time, the Middle Continent had no A-class experts, resulting in massive devastation.

If asked whom he hated most in his past life, the Ogaso people were undoubtedly the ones.

Aside from those, he named every Middle Continent criminal and [Underworld] thug he knew of, hoping the nation could find them in advance.

As the things coming from Xi Yu’s mouth grew increasingly numerous, Chu Luan’s heart shook more and more.

He controlled his facial expressions as much as possible, but his body couldn’t help but stiffen.

Chu Luan possessed an excellent memory and could remember everything Xi Yu said. The more he remembered, the more shocked he was. If all of this was true and the Middle Continent could master this information, they would absolutely be able to secure another lifeline in the future.

This was far too important for the Middle Continent.

****

Having said everything in one go, Xi Yu let out a long breath.

He finally felt relaxed in every part of his body.

Others might not care, but he was certain Chu Luan would attach immense importance to his words.

Meanwhile, Chu Luan was unable to calm himself for a long time; these matters were simply impossible to digest immediately.

After a moment, once he calmed down, he couldn’t help but wonder how Xi Yu knew all of this.

Could it be that he possessed the ability to foresee the future?

Or had he personally experienced all of this?

At the very least, the rage Xi Yu showed when mentioning the Ogaso people didn’t seem fake.

Chu Luan, of course, wouldn’t ask; instead, he placed more and more weight on Xi Yu’s words.

He even found himself unable to sit still, wanting to return to the capital immediately to begin arranging how to resolve the Middle Continent’s future crises in advance.

“Thank you, Xi Yu. This information is simply too important for us.”

Chu Luan shook hands firmly with Xi Yu.

“I’m part of the Middle Continent to begin with; this is what I should do.”

Xi Yu also nodded seriously, then looked at Chu Luan. “First Guard, I intend to officially join the Middle Continent, and I want to use my abilities to do some things for the nation. If there is anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask; I will do my best to help the nation resolve various problems.”

Chu Luan’s heart leaped, but he quickly dismissed the thoughts that had surfaced in his mind.

With Xi Yu wanting to join the Middle Continent, how could Chu Luan refuse? He didn’t even ask for a reason. The information Xi Yu had provided was already helpful enough; asking for more would be greedy.

Thus, Chu Luan said solemnly, “On behalf of the Middle Continent, I welcome your joining.”

Xi Yu was excited. “Thank you, First Guard. From today on, I can be considered a dragon with a true home.”

Chu Luan couldn’t help but smile. “From today on, we will all be your family.”

Xi Yu nodded firmly. “Mhm.”

Chu Luan was currently very curious about how powerful Xi Yu was, so he asked directly, “Can I ask what your current strength is?”

This would also let him know what level of assistance the Middle Continent needed to provide Xi Yu in the future.

Xi Yu had no intention of hiding it; this would also make Chu Luan believe in his abilities.

“In my dragon form, I am very strong; beating up A-class and S-class experts is no problem,” Xi Yu said seriously.

Of course, this was assuming he had no hidden physical vulnerabilities; currently, his weakness was far too prominent, making him easy to target.

As for the ultimate limit of the dragon’s combat power, he still hadn’t excavated it to this day, and he didn’t know how strong he actually was.

Chu Luan smiled wryly; it seemed Xi Yu didn’t actually need the Middle Continent’s protection?

However, he also noted a detail—Xi Yu said he was strong when in his dragon form. Combined with the details of Xi Yu’s origin from the Jiao’an base that Ding Ren had already shared with him, he felt Xi Yu still needed the nation’s help to some degree, which brought him a sense of peace.

He knew what to do now.

Seeing his silence, Xi Yu spoke directly, “How about this, First Guard? Captain Ding has already ascended to B-class, so I’ll spar with him to give you a rough idea of my strength.”

He looked at Ding Ren. “Captain Ding, sorry for the trouble. Here I come.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Xi Yu transformed into the dragon and lunged toward Ding Ren.

His currently manifested body was only about the size of a human, but even so, it was enough to shake Chu Luan’s heart. Knowing Xi Yu was a dragon was one thing, but seeing him transform was entirely another; this also caused him to temporarily ignore the fact of Ding Ren’s B-class breakthrough.

Seeing Xi Yu attack, alarm bells instantly rang in Ding Ren’s mind. But the small dragon’s tail had already swept toward him. Xi Yu’s speed was far too fast, leaving Ding Ren completely unable to react.

BOOM. He was knocked back several steps.

The next moment, Xi Yu’s claw swiped down at him again; Ding Ren could only raise his arms in defense before being sent flying once more.

After demonstrating his strength, Xi Yu flew back into the room and changed into his clothes.

Emerging from the room, Xi Yu hurried to Ding Ren’s side, looking at him apologetically. “Captain Ding, are you okay? I didn’t control my strength well just now; you aren’t injured, are you?”

Ding Ren let out a long breath, suppressing the soreness in his body. He felt as if Xi Yu had intentionally given him a beating.

However, Xi Yu wasn’t thinking about him at all right now, so he didn’t know if the boy had done it on purpose. Although the strikes weren’t ruthless, they were certainly painful.

“How is it, First Guard? My strength is alright, isn’t it? Don’t worry—I’m confident I can help you complete most missions. If you need anything, just come find me,” Xi Yu said seriously, arriving at Chu Luan’s side.

Chu Luan took a slow breath, having indeed been shocked.

Although he knew Ding Ren hadn’t fully utilized his strength, Xi Yu hadn’t either. With just a brief clash, he could see how terrifying Xi Yu’s power was; such strength was enough to shake his soul.

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Chu Luan asked slowly, “Then is there anything you want to do yourself?”

“I don’t have any grand ambitions; I just want to open a breeding farm to let everyone eat meat as much as possible,” Xi Yu said without hesitation; this was what he truly wanted to do.

“A breeding farm?” Chu Luan was puzzled. “Could it be related to the things Xincheng City is doing today?”

“First Guard, Xi Yu has the ability to remove the mutation traits of beast meat, turning mutated meat into edible, normal, pure meat,” Ding Ren shared this fact with Xi Yu’s consent.

“Is this true?”

Even after hearing so much shocking news, Chu Luan had managed to maintain his calm, but in this moment, he truly couldn’t keep his composure.

To him, the value of this news far surpassed that of the anti-gravity technology.

“I can only convert it myself, and the amount I can supply right now isn’t much,” Xi Yu explained. “Of course, if we can obtain the Divine Arena in the future, we should be able to let the entire Middle Continent eat meat.”

“Then we must obtain it. Xi Yu, when that time comes, we will all follow your command,” Chu Luan said without hesitation, unable to suppress his excitement and desire.

Allowing the entire nation to eat meat was far too important.

Not only would it provide another food source for the citizens, but it would also assist those who needed resources. This would allow the Middle Continent to train more soldiers, which was naturally worth their greatest efforts.

In this moment, Chu Luan’s heart surged; the prospect of the Divine Arena made him deeply enticed, and he wished he could let everyone eat meat right now.

If the Divine Arena had already appeared, he would have gathered all the B-class combatants of the Middle Continent to secure it immediately.

As for the truth of Xi Yu’s words, he had no doubts.

After Xi Yu helped Xincheng resolve the crisis of the Star-Dream Jellyfish, he already knew Xi Yu could be completely trusted. Furthermore, given Xi Yu’s power, he didn’t think the Middle Continent had anything worth his schemes; if the dragon truly wanted something, no one could stop him.

And when the time came, they just had to see if the [Divine Arena] would appear. As long as it appeared, it would naturally prove that everything Xi Yu said was true.

“Rest assured, First Guard. I will definitely do my best to achieve this,” Xi Yu promised seriously; he was determined to secure the Divine Arena.

Chu Luan looked at Xi Yu, feeling incredibly invigorated. If this matter succeeded, the help to the Middle Continent would be beyond imagination. He even hoped the Divine Arena would descend upon Kun Star immediately.

He calmed himself as much as possible. “Xi Yu, I support your opening of the breeding farm. Where do you want to open it?”

“Anywhere is fine,” Xi Yu had no preference.

“Why don’t you stay in Xichuan Province?” Chu Luan pondered, turning to look at Ding Ren. “Since you’ve already ascended to B-class, according to regulations, you’re qualified to leave the Realm Guards and independently manage a province. Why don’t you stay in Xichuan Province in the future? This way, you can also assist Xi Yu.”

He looked back at Xi Yu. “You’re already familiar with Ding Ren, and the two of you can cooperate with more rapport. If you need anything in the future, just tell him; I believe Ding Ren will fully support you. Furthermore, I will share a portion of the Middle Continent’s information channels with you. If you want to do something in the future, just do it; I’ll have the nation fully cooperate with you.”

Xi Yu’s eyes lit up; as expected of Chu Luan, giving him such great support and trust.

With his promise, he could accomplish many things.

****

Chu Luan had planned to return immediately that afternoon, but before leaving, he still wanted to taste the effect of the pure meat Xi Yu possessed.

Fortunately, Xi Yu still had the remaining Tusk Donkey meat, and the effect was essentially the same.

Thus, Chu Luan shared a hotpot meal with them in Ding Ren’s room at noon.

After finishing the hotpot, Chu Luan was even more unable to sit still; he had resisted a massive temptation to not take Xi Yu back to the capital with him. Otherwise, Xi Yu would eventually be drawn into various conflicts, which might end up causing him to reject the Middle Continent.

Rather than that, it was better to let Xi Yu stay here.

Far from the storm, he could also enjoy some peace.

Of course, he was also afraid he wouldn’t be able to control himself and would beg Xi Yu to do various things.

Chu Luan had no intention of restricting Xi Yu; with his power, there was simply no need to limit him. In any case, if he had needs, the nation would certainly stand behind him.

When Chu Luan left, he took Ding Ren with him, along with the anti-gravity documentation.

For Ding Ren to manage Xichuan Province after ascending to B-class, he still needed to complete some paperwork, and he also had to process some identification for Xi Yu.

Furthermore, the news of Ding Ren’s B-class breakthrough had to be announced nationwide to boost the morale of the citizens.

Chu Luan’s arrival had been sudden, and his departure was even more decisive.

However, without Ding Ren around suddenly, Xi Yu felt a bit unaccustomed.

Still, the work that needed to be done had to be done.

The person happiest about Chu Luan’s departure was none other than Guan Zhang; he hadn’t expected Chu Luan to actually let Xi Yu stay in Xichuan Province, which delighted him, as it meant he would have opportunities to ask Xi Yu for guidance in the future.

At dusk, Xi Yu gathered all the processed poultry meat delivered to the wilderness into his space.

These poultry were generally not large; a single night would be enough for their mutation traits to be completely dissolved. By tomorrow, the citizens of the entire city should be able to eat meat.

By the time they drove back to Xincheng City, it was already night.

Guan Zhang didn’t come to disturb him at this hour.

During dinner, seeing that Xi Yu wasn’t in high spirits, Zhang Qingyuan and the others also fell quiet to avoid ruining his mood further.

They looked at each other, not knowing what was wrong with him, even wondering if Xi Yu was reluctant to see Ding Ren leave.

After eating, they left immediately to let Xi Yu rest alone, hoping his mood would quickly improve.

But the moment they left, Xi Yu’s spirit instantly rallied.

He naturally wasn’t sad about Ding Ren’s departure; the man would return in a few days anyway.

To him, the most important thing right now was that no one was watching him.

He had been suppressing his emotions earlier, simply fearing Zhang Qingyuan and the others would spot his abnormality.

At this moment, having calmed his mind, Xi Yu’s expression was exceptionally cold.

Now that he had shared the future crises of the Middle Continent with Chu Luan, he had nothing left to worry about.

Previously, his body had been filled with hidden dangers, forcing him to temporarily endure the discomfort of his rebirth. But now, those hidden physical dangers had temporarily vanished, and the white dragon’s body could now expand and shrink at will, leaving him with no fear of exposure.

It was time to give his enemies a surprise.

Suddenly, Xi Yu leaped gently toward the window, and in the next moment, the small white dragon soared into the sky.