Transformation into a Divine Dragon - Part 3

In the council chamber, Chief Karle and the elders, along with the curious Anna, watched as I opened my eyes but remained seated. Their patience was wearing thin, and Karle, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, asked:

"Kid, what's going on? Did you succeed or fail?"

I tried to gather my qi and circulate the dragon crystal's energy. To my amazement, I could effortlessly guide the dragon power from the crystal throughout my meridians. After completing one cycle, a sudden pain wracked my body. My muscles started to spasm, causing me to straighten up and howl in agony. Yet, to my surprise, my scream turned into a dragon's roar.

My bones and muscles began to morph. Blue-green scales slowly covered my skin. When the pain finally subsided, I realized I had transformed into a slender, five-clawed Azure Dragon.

Chief Karle observed me and cast a water mirror spell. With a puzzled expression, he remarked:

"Why do you look so different? You don't resemble us at all."

Curious, I craned my neck to see my reflection. The moment I caught a glimpse, I felt an overwhelming joy that almost made me faint.

Antlers, fish-like scales, a serpent's body, and eagle's claws—this was the legendary form of a Shenlong, the Divine Dragon!

I couldn't contain my excitement and exclaimed, "This is how dragons look on my planet! I can't thank you enough, Chief!"

The thought of being able to transform into a Shenlong at will filled me with elation.

Anna, equally curious, ran over. She playfully tugged at my antlers with her claws and exclaimed with delight, "Edmund, you look so much better this way! But now that you're so small, you'll have to be my little brother!"

I almost fainted again. Given my current size, there was no way I could argue. Even in dragon form, I was only about two meters long, shorter than Anna's three-meter height. While she was a bulky draconid, even the slenderer female dragons were more robust than the slim form of a Shenlong.

Among dragons, size usually correlates with power, so my relatively small form made me appear like a newly hatched dragon.

The elders were fascinated by my appearance, circling around me and marveling at my transformation. However, Chief Karle was already contemplating how to make use of me.

"Kid, don't get too carried away with excitement. First, take a look at this mess you've made."

He pointed to the floor, where countless deep scratches and gouges, nearly a foot deep, radiated out from where I had been sitting.

I realized that these marks were caused by the outburst of my qi. Despite the玄晶石 (Xuanjing Stone)'s high physical resistance, my unleashed qi had left it deeply scarred.

There was no denying it; the evidence was clear. I had no choice but to accept responsibility and replied helplessly, "Whatever you decide, Chief."

Chief Karle seemed pleased with my response and nodded at Elder Ailena.

With a mischievous smile, Ailena said, "You know how valuable Xuanjing Stone is. The area you've damaged spans several dozen feet, and the total amount of Xuanjing Stone you've ruined weighs over a thousand pounds. This would be worth a considerable sum of gold. But given that you're still young, we won't press charges for the cost."

"However, according to our clan's rules, anyone who damages the council chamber must provide two pieces of artifact-level equipment within three years as punishment. This rule applies to all dragons, even the chief is no exception. If you cannot provide the artifacts, you'll have to serve a thousand years of labor instead."

I was stunned and looked pleadingly at the other elders, but they all nodded in agreement, their expressions filled with sympathy.

I learned that ever since the council chamber was built thousands of years ago, dragon elders had occasionally damaged it. Given their immense power, no building material was truly safe from them. Thus, Chief Karle had introduced this rule to prevent further destruction.

According to the rule, "artifact-level" equipment was judged by the standards of the human continent. For the long-lived dragon elders, acquiring such items wasn't too difficult. A thousand years of labor, though long, was also manageable for them.

However, for me, who had nothing and no artifacts to offer, this was a daunting prospect. And they wanted two artifacts!

Desperately, I turned to Anna for help, but she didn't react to my silent plea.

Cautiously, I asked, "What if I can't provide either? What then?"

Chief Karle's face grew stern. "If you can't fulfill either option, you'll be hunted by all dragons. I suggest you go to the human continent and find those artifacts as soon as possible. Otherwise, you'll have to guard the Dragon's Graveyard for a thousand years."

He continued, "Do you know why you haven't seen Dark Elder Dak yet? Black Dragon Dak once damaged the council chamber in a fit of rage and was only able to provide one artifact. So, he's been guarding the Dragon's Graveyard for five hundred years and hasn't left since."

I almost fainted again. For these dragons, five hundred years might not seem long, but for me, being confined for that length of time would be a fate worse than death.

Thankfully, I had three years to find a solution. I figured that when I reached the human continent, I could raid the treasuries of some kingdom. There, I might find the artifacts I needed. Since dragons are restricted from freely entering human cities, my ability to transform into a human would be invaluable.

Chief Karle had already told me that as long as I didn't transform into a dragon, no one except those familiar with the dragon clan's secrets could detect my dragon aura.

Deciding I needed to leave Dragon Island soon, I asked, "Chief, when can I leave Dragon Island to retrieve the lost dragon crystal?"

Chief Karle asked back, "How strong are you now? Dark Elder Dak is returning shortly. We'll see if you can withstand at least one round of his attacks. If you can, you'll be deemed ready for your mission."

I nodded eagerly. I had long wanted to test myself against the dragons. Previously, my lack of power had held me back, and more recently, I'd been focused on mastering the dragon aura. This was a perfect opportunity to see how I measured up.

Given my current unfamiliarity with the combat techniques of my dragon form, I decided to face the challenge in human form.

The dragon clan's actions were swift. No sooner had we spoken than the imposing figure of Dark Elder Dak appeared outside the council chamber.

"Karle, after five hundred years, it's finally time to enjoy some freedom," he roared even before he entered. I scrutinized this imposing black dragon elder. His nearly fifty-meter-long body was every bit as impressive as Chief Karle's. His jet-black scales shimmered with a strange light that rippled like water, and his lantern-like eyes glowed with a penetrating brilliance. Compared to the other elders, Dak exuded an aura of untamed ferocity and defiance.

Seeing me in my current form, he asked curiously, "Whose offspring is this? Why does he look so different? But I must say, he's quite beautiful."

Being described as "beautiful" by Dak made me want to laugh and cry simultaneously. Though I did agree that the Shenlong form was aesthetically superior to the bulkier draconids.

To prevent any misconceptions about my gender, I quickly clarified, "I'm Edmund from Earth. Pleased to meet you, Elder Dak."

Chief Karle, still smiling, explained, "Dak, this youngster is quite remarkable. He's the first to cause such damage to the council chamber since you did. We've called you back to test his strength and see if he's ready to retrieve the lost dragon crystal from the human continent."

"Ha! This little guy? Even if I stand still, he probably couldn't scratch one of my scales. Are you losing your touch, Karle?" Dak sneered.

I gathered my qi and forced the dragon crystal to deactivate, enduring a wave of pain that was milder than the first transformation. When the pain subsided, I was back in my human form. Fortunately, my clothes reappeared, thanks to the dragon's personal dimension, saving me from potential embarrassment.

Being underestimated like this, even by a formidable black dragon, was something I couldn't tolerate. I retorted calmly, "We won't know unless we try. Are you up for the challenge?"

Dak's expression turned furious, and he shouted, "You dare speak to me like that? Meet me in the arena. I'll show you what real power is!"

With a whirlwind of dust, Dak stormed out of the council chamber, heading south.

The Fire Dragon Elder chuckled and gave me a thumbs-up, saying, "Kid, you've got guts. It's been ages since anyone dared speak to that hothead like that. It's refreshing!"

Chief Karle and the other elders shared amused smiles, clearly pleased with how I had provoked Dak.

Karle grabbed me in his massive claw, and Elder Ailena picked up Anna. Together, we flew south to the arena.