Dragon Tamer

The demon spirits around them realized that the Chi Dragon was no longer there.

They became somewhat restless, ready to stir.

After all, the one that constituted a threat to them was the very Chi Dragon possessing the Ancestral Dragon Bloodline.

They attempted to approach, coveting a chance to enter into the Cloud Sea Spirit Eye to seize some Spiritual Energy.

The first to fly over was the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle that had been circling for a long time. It had three eyes, the third of which resembled a burning, rotating flame, exuding a sense of imposing fierceness.

“It’s coming over, bite it to death!” the Immortal Rabbit Dragon said in a huff, pointing at the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle.

But the Immortal Rabbit Dragon glanced at the Sword Spirit Dragon summoned by Zhu Minglang’s side and changed its tune, “Pluck all its feathers off!”

The Sword Spirit Dragon hovered beside Zhu Minglang, its slender, deep red blade radiating a sense of the ancient and solemn. It didn’t flit about as usual but appeared like a true Spirit Sword, waiting for Zhu Minglang’s command.

Zhu Minglang focused intensely on the incoming Flame Crowned Golden Eagle, at this moment, his mind in sync with the Sword Spirit Dragon.

There was still much to harmonize between him and the Sword Spirit Dragon.

For example, when the Sword Spirit Dragon acted autonomously, it was ultimately a Sword Spirit formed by the condensation of many sword souls, and there were some differences compared to the Ice Morning White Dragon, the Divine Green Holy Dragon, and Lei Cang Violent Dragon.

It had the ability to fight on its own, but if Zhu Minglang could turn the Sword Spirit Dragon into a Flying Sword, unifying it with his own thoughts, it would greatly enhance his strength. The Sword Spirit Dragon had excellent potential; what it lacked was control.

Zhu Minglang was now attempting this unification of thoughts.

Although he couldn’t wield a sword himself and couldn’t, like Sword Awakening, possess a powerful cultivation base, if he mastered the technique of Flying Sword, he could be unstoppable!

Sword Cultivators have many sects.

He had been practicing styles that fell under the Fighting Sword Sect, mastering various powerful destructive techniques of swordsmanship, in pursuit of higher Sword Realms.

Sword Masters of the Fighting Sword Sect usually carried only one sword, mostly attacking with the sword in hand and also pursuing personal cultivation.

But the Flying Sword Faction was somewhat foreign to Zhu Minglang.

The Flying Sword Faction emphasized refining the Immortal Spiritual Sword, usually with the sword as the core, carrying several swords with them.

Sword Masters don’t seek to be strong in their own swordsmanship and techniques but focus more on controlling the sword and slaying enemies with it.

Li Yunzi seemed to belong to the latter, as she controlled the Flying Sword with her thoughts.

But there were still some confusing points, her Power of God and Mortality did not seem to be purely of the Flying Sword Faction.

When she arrived, Zhu Minglang could ask her in detail; it might help him control the Sword Spirit Dragon.

In the past, Zhu Minglang had traversed the world with a single sect, but he gradually realized that the world was actually very vast, with many places worth learning from.

If he had remained immersed in the Fighting Sword Sect with the same attitude, he would have found it difficult to climb higher.

Now was an excellent opportunity to start from scratch, to integrate everything. He believed it wouldn’t take long before he could stand at a higher Realm.

Thoughts must be unified.

One must be fully focused.

The Sword Spirit Dragon itself had a Soul Contract with Zhu Minglang, which gave him an advantage over those Sword Masters who started training in Flying Swordsmanship from scratch.

Moreover, the Sword Spirit Dragon had a high cultivation base, eliminating the tedious steps of refining the sword. As long as his thoughts could synchronize with the Sword Spirit Dragon…

“Mo Ye, try to get the Flash Dragon Sword close to it,” Zhu Minglang conveyed his thoughts.

The Sword Spirit Dragon suddenly transformed into a dark red light, like a dark star falling into the sky, instantly reaching the front of the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle.

The Flame Crowned Golden Eagle reacted extremely sensitively, and it seemed to anticipate the position where the Sword Spirit Dragon would pause, swiping its golden claws at the Sword Spirit Dragon.

The Sword Spirit Dragon wasn’t afraid at all and planned to clash with the talons of the Flame Golden Eagle head-on, to see whether the claws of the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle could shatter its sword-like body or if its sharp blade could slice through the golden talons!

“Retreat!” Zhu Minglang conveyed another command.

The Sword Spirit Dragon was slightly slow to react, and when it retreated, the sword-back was scratched by the claws of the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle, instantly causing a piercing metallic sound to resonate throughout the Cloud Sea.

A very obvious claw mark appeared on the back of the Sword Spirit Dragon.

The claws of the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle, however, were undamaged.

Unbreakable as a diamond.

The claw of the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle was obviously extraordinary, able to tear through even the metallic body of the Sword Spirit Dragon like that!

“Whoosh!”

The Sword Spirit Dragon had a close call and realized that if it had really clashed head-on, it would have been the one to get hurt, and the repair of its sword body would require devouring a large number of high-grade good swords; the healing abilities of the Immortal Rabbit Dragon wouldn’t be effective for it.

“Sword Spirit Dragon, stay focused, don’t get distracted,” Zhu Minglang said.

Avoid the enemy’s edge, seek out their weaknesses.

When facing an enemy with a lower cultivation base, the Sword Spirit Dragon could naturally sweep away the opponent with a single slash, easily breaking through the enemy’s defenses.

But when the cultivation levels are similar, it’s even more necessary to pay attention to skill, maintaining composure and calmness, and focusing on the game of strategy.

The Flame Crowned Golden Eagle was a demon spirit of over seven thousand years, if it didn’t possess unbreakable talons, how would it dare to grab at an ancient sword with a sharp blade?

“Be wary of its third eye,” Zhu Minglang said.

The third eye!

The figure of the Sword Spirit Dragon flickered, suddenly creating many afterimages of its sword body, flying in different directions.

At that moment, the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle had already opened its third eye, and the fiery eye moved, releasing a Sun Flame Beam. The thick, crimson light was full of destructive power, and when it struck the Sword Spirit Dragon, one could see the vast Cloud Sea being split open, with the clouds being burned into a fiery chasm!

The Sword Spirit Dragon cleverly created afterimages to confuse the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle’s vision, narrowly avoiding the opponent’s powerful sorcery.

“Do you have any long-range attacks? Test out the toughness of its golden feathers,” Zhu Minglang inquired.

“Whoosh!”

The Sword Spirit Dragon suddenly came to a quiet halt over the Cloud Sea, its sword body pointing forward.

“Hum!”

The sword body trembled slightly, and a sword soul could be seen dissipating like smoke shadows but gently fading away as it reached the distant end like ripples.

“Swoosh!”

As the sword body’s smoky shadow appeared again, one could see a sharp sword soul flying at high speed from the Sword Spirit Dragon, streaking across the vast expanse of the Cloud Sea as if a sail tore through the vast waves!

Sword Soul Outburst!

It was an ancient sword of unparalleled caliber, rugged, heavy, and massive—it was a Ten Thousand Catty Heavy Sword!

The Heavy Sword Soul Shadow flew towards the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle, which immediately flapped its wings, trying to soar high to avoid the swiftly approaching heavy sword.

However, as the heavy sword neared the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle, it grew increasingly larger, with the Heavy Sword Phantom turning as vast as a small mountain, carrying with it a dense murderous air that left the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle no space to dodge!

“Boom!!!!”

The Giant Sword Phantom flew out of its sheath and struck the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle, sending it soaring. Countless golden feathers were scattered, and scorching blood splattered through the air.

Seeing the mountain-like Giant Sword Phantom unsheathed, Zhu Minglang was also stunned.

He had only meant for Mo Ye to test the opponent’s defenses, but it had gone straight for a vicious blow!

If the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle had been even a bit slower to react, it might have been blasted into smithereens by the Giant Sword Phantom!

“Whoosh~”

Zhu Minglang’s emotions seemed to be felt.

The Sword Spirit Dragon also seemed a bit aggrieved.

This was the most basic of long-range attack methods.

Even the weakest swordsmanship had little significance against a seven-thousand-year-old Demon Spirit.

“Fine, I don’t blame you. If anything, it’s the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle’s age that’s not quite there. Of course, next time be careful. Even if creatures are weaker than you in cultivation, they may have some deadly weapons. Don’t be headstrong…” Zhu Minglang said helplessly.

He had thought the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle could provide some practice in coordination with the Sword Spirit Dragon.

Unfortunately, the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle’s spiritual journey wasn’t enough.

“Whoosh~”

The Sword Spirit Dragon pressed its advantage, once again employing the Sword Rain Swordsmanship!

The Sword Spirit Dragon’s own blade split, one into two, two into four, four into eight…

In an instant, the space around the Sword Spirit Dragon was filled with millions of fine sword shadows. From afar, they looked like countless bolts of crossbows sweeping across from a vast army, dense like a torrential downpour!

The Sword Rain was fine and dense, yet terrifyingly powerful.

One could see the sword rain shadows slashing over the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle, those tough golden feathers being shredded and plucked away.

For a moment, the Sword Rain Swordsmanship had sheared off countless feathers from the Flame Crowned Golden Eagle, making it look like a bald giant bird. Compared to its previous majestic and awe-inspiring appearance, it was a bird transformed.

“Big bald bird, hahaha, big bald bird!!” The Immortal Rabbit Dragon rolled on the ground, laughing so hard that its chubby paws flailed about.

Zhu Minglang wore a wry smile.

The Sword Spirit Dragon was still a bit too powerful, revealing its true capabilities the seven-thousand-year-old Demon Spirit couldn’t resist at all.

It seemed he needed to wait a bit longer.

He would have to wait for the nine-thousand-year-old Demon Spirit to show up. Facing an equal opponent, Zhu Minglang could then practice the Flying Sword Faction with the Sword Spirit Dragon.

Allowing the Sword Spirit Dragon to act freely, Zhu Minglang sat atop the Divine Green Holy Dragon’s back, scanning his surroundings, looking to find a suitable opponent for it as well, to give it more experience.

“Why is Little White taking another nap?” Zhu Minglang was planning to find suitable opponents for each of his dragons when he noticed Bai Qi sleeping in the Spirit Realm.

Could it be progressing to the next stage?

His own Spirit Realm had just undergone transformation and evolved into the Source Spirit Realm, with growth speed reaching fifty times the normal rate.

Furthermore, he had spent two full days absorbing the spiritual energy from the Cloud Sea Spirit Eye, mainly channeling it into Little White’s body for a surge towards its evolution.

He had also fed it the second Saint Fruit from the Cloud Platform Mother Tree.

Though it felt somewhat wasteful.

However, if he could propel Bai Qi’s evolution in one go, it would be much better than waiting another two or three months!

Typically, when Little White sank into “slumber,” it was a harbinger of evolution!

“Mr. Jinli, Little White seems eager to enter the Complete Period,” Zhu Minglang said.

Behind his clothing, the koi embroidery began to shine brightly. It wasn’t long before the embroidery vanished, and a fish appeared beside Zhu Minglang, capable of floating in the air independently of water and gliding gracefully.

“With the foundation laid before, coupled with the infusion of the Saint Fruit of Cloud Platform Mother Tree and the Spirit Eye, it indeed should evolve,” Mr. Jinli was not surprised.

So all that money spent wasn’t wasted at all!

“Hmm? Your Spirit Realm, it’s different now,” Mr. Jinli said, drifting close to Zhu Minglang, his fish eyes bulging with curiosity.

“I’ve mastered the circulation of Spiritual Yuan. With the massive influx of spiritual energy this time, my Spirit Realm has become the Source Spirit Realm, and my cultivation speed has increased fiftyfold,” Zhu Minglang said.

“Not bad, I told you that you were clever, a fine candidate for a Dragon Shepherd, your ability to discover the circulation of natural spiritual energy on your own…” Mr. Jinli said.

Some rules must be comprehended by the Dragon Shepherds themselves; merely explaining them in words is meaningless. Unless a Dragon Shepherd feels the subtleties of the natural world, no amount of talking can help them reach that understanding.

Zhu Minglang had an excellent aptitude.

Upon seeing the Cloud Platform Spirit Eye, he sought the method from within the Spirit Eye, rather than blindly drawing in one stream of spiritual energy after another like others.

“It seems that your Source Spirit Realm has also significantly accelerated Little White’s growth,” Mr. Jinli said.

“It’s all thanks to you, Mr. Jinli, for providing a great foundation for Little White,” Zhu Minglang replied.

If he were to raise Little White cluelessly, by the time it reached the Complete Period, its cultivation base would likely only be between Quasi-positional Monarch Level and Lower Monarch Level.

By following Mr. Jinli’s approach and establishing a higher foundation in the growth period, the upper limit during evolution would be raised.

Indeed, the difference between Quasi-positional Monarch Level, Lower Monarch Level, and Middle-level Monarch Level is substantial.

“The four growth stages of a dragon are particularly crucial, otherwise, why would you humans always drill children with rigorous study before adulthood, and pay less attention afterward? The foundation laid early on can lift a person’s potential,” Mr. Jinli explained.

The principle was simple and straightforward.

However, the specifics of when to intensify efforts and when to relax are complex matters… Of course, the most important thing is to have money.

“Trouble’s coming!”

“Trouble’s coming!”

The shrill and panicked voice of a young girl rang out, and Little Chang’e perked up its ears. It hopped onto Zhu Minglang’s head, its claws gripping his hair, and said timidly, “Trouble’s coming—the big Heavenly Python is back!”

Zhu Minglang looked toward the horizon and saw a moving rainbow arcing across the sky, its brilliance making it seem as though dyes had been painted onto the heavens.

Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a rainbow-colored python!

The Rainbow Scaled Heavenly Python possessed Demonic Qi surpassing that of most Dragon Kings.

Its slender form and splendid scales shone brightly as it approached the Cloud Sea Spirit Eye, illuminating the sprawling clouds like a beautiful, colorful river.

As the Rainbow Scaled Heavenly Python grew closer, Zhu Minglang involuntarily caught his breath.

Its slender form did not detract from its enormity. Rising from the Cloud Sea were towering cloud formations called cloud ridges, no less imposing than land-based mountains.

Yet, the Heavenly Python could coil around the waist of these ridges, with its tail stretching into another cloud bank.

Its neck flared as its flat, elongated head proudly stood atop the cloud ridge, looking down like a Mountain God upon the Divine Green Holy Dragon, insignificant as sparrows, and Zhu Minglang, minuscule as ants.

For some reason, when Zhu Minglang met its snakelike pupils, he could feel its scornful superiority, as if, to a demon cultivator on the brink of ascension, the flesh-and-blood mortals and the wild, fierce Dragon Beasts were all inferior beings!