Chapter 15: Advancing to the Finals (Part 3)_1

"Yin Zhu, let's have a race," Sura said excitedly.

"A race? What kind?", Ye Yinzhu asked curiously.

"Let's see who can get to Milan City first. From here to Milan City is about two li," Sura suggested. "Whoever reaches the city gates first wins. I was worried that going into the city every day for work would be too much for your body, but since you are also cultivating martial skills, it shouldn't be a problem. Consider it a form of physical training." As he spoke, he bounced eagerly on the spot.

Ye Yinzhu glanced at the distant Milan City walls and smiled, "Alright."

"Go!" With a wily smile, Sura didn't wait for Ye Yinzhu to react and his body had already darted out. Without any noticeable preparation, he moved swiftly, leaving a shadow behind, covering dozens of meters in the blink of an eye.

Zhu Douqi surged through Ye Yinzhu, who hurriedly gathered his energy to chase after him. As a Second-Rank Yellow Bamboo, equivalent to the mid-tier Green rank in Douqi, his power was substantial and pure, allowing him to maintain a high speed throughout his rushed journey. However, he soon realized with surprise that even at full speed, he could only watch as Sura's form gradually distanced from him. Sura's speed was indeed like an illusion, with just a few breaths' time, only a faint shadow remained in the distance.

So fast. Just what level of strength does Sura possess? At this moment, Ye Yinzhu was filled with doubt.

The distance of two li was very short for a warrior, which was why the walls of Milan City could be seen from the Milan Magic Martial Academy. When Ye Yinzhu arrived at the west gate of Milan City, Sura was already there waiting for him with a grin, not showing any signs of exertion.

"Sura, you're really fast," Ye Yinzhu said sincerely. Even though Sura had been cunning at the start, Ye Yinzhu knew he could not have caught up even if they had started at the same time.

Sura smiled, "It's not that I'm fast; you're just too slow. Let's go; we're heading into the city."

The sun had just risen in the distance, and Milan City was waking up from its slumber, the bustling atmosphere Ye Yinzhu last experienced hadn't fully unfolded yet, and there were few people on the streets.

Sura seemed to know the city well. As he walked, he pointed to the buildings around them and introduced them to Ye Yinzhu, "Look, that's a magic shop over there. It's not a place for ordinary people to enter. While the items aren't all that impressive, the prices are ludicrously high. Only nobles frequent it. That over there is the Warrior's Guild. Depending on what color your Douqi is, as long as you are a registered warrior of the Milan Empire, you can receive the corresponding level badge there... That restaurant over there is quite famous in Milan City; many nobles like to dine there. Wow, look, that's where the Dragon Cavalry is stationed. One of the reasons Milan City is the largest city on the continent is because of the three Dragon Knight Brigades stationed here. Aside from Milan, no other country would station so many Dragon Knights in their capital."

Ye Yinzhu followed the direction Sura was pointing and saw a wall as tall as the city walls isolating an area from the outside. It was hard to tell the extent of its area from the outside. In the center of the wall was a giant gate, over ten meters tall, and the broad door was nearly as large as the city gate. Most eye-catching, however, were the Dragon Knights sitting atop their trained dragons at the gate.

The grim and solid black Armor enveloped the Dragon Knights' bodies completely. The more than five-meter-long Dragon Spears were pointed ahead, their sharp ends gleaming faintly under the rising sun's rays. They rode on similarly gray-colored land dragons, whose nearly three-meter-tall and five-meter-long massive bodies seemed to radiate an invisible ferocity. The black Dragon Scales covering their bodies were so thick at the edges they were visibly impressive. Although there were only two Dragon Knights there, they were like two killing machines.

"Sura, what kind of dragon is this? I've never seen it before," Ye Yinzhu asked in a low voice.

Sura replied, "This is a type of Earth Dragon called the Machino the Iron Dragon. In the ancient language, 'Machino' means indestructible. Although these Earth Dragons are only Fourth Rank, their defensive power is famously robust amongst their kind. With solid scales as armor, common attacks can't harm them at all. In the Dragon Cavalry, they are also considered a main force, specifically used for frontal assaults and defense. They and Eric Minlongs are regarded as the lowest rank in the Dragon Cavalry Corps, but they are the most numerous. Of course, compared to the Green Dragon you defeated yesterday, the Machino the Iron Dragon is just trash."

"Oh? Are Green Dragons really that strong? They seemed quite ordinary to me," Ye Yinzhu said noncommittally.

Irritated, Sura said: "Idiot, the Green Dragon you fought yesterday is a growing Magical Beast and it has not yet reached adulthood. It is not much stronger than the Machino the Iron Dragon. But once it matures, it'll have the power of a Seventh or Eighth Rank. Let alone you, even Director Nina of the Divine Music Department would find it difficult to deal with. Don't forget, that's a true giant dragon, not a tamed one."

"If true giant dragons are so great, then why does the Dragon Cavalry Corps still use tamed ones?" Ye Yinzhu once again displayed his naivety, or one might say, his foolish innocence.

Sura rolled her eyes, "What do you think giant dragons are? If they were so easy to tame, they wouldn't be giant dragons. On the Ryuzakinus Continent, the number of giant dragons has never exceeded four digits, and most of them are extremely proud. Unless there is a special reason, they will never submit to humans. Humans who have mature giant dragons can become Dragon Knights or Dragon Magic Masters, and they are the top existence and symbols of power in their respective countries. In the Dragon Cavalry Corps, only Venus Dragon Knights and Purple Star Dragon Knights may have true giant dragons. Actually, among the tamed dragons, there are also many strong ones, but their numbers are too few. In the arrangement of cavalry troops, if each tamed dragon's abilities are different, they simply can't be commanded, which is why, when choosing tamed dragons, the selections are based on a larger quantity and relatively useful abilities. Eric Minlongs and Machino the Iron Dragons are typical examples."

While the two were speaking, the gate of the Dragon Cavalry barracks suddenly opened. Accompanied by the painful groaning of the ground, a massive body stepped out. A meter-long horn, shimmering with the luster of golden crystals, emerged first followed by its colossal body that was four meters tall and ten meters long. Its imposing and fierce presence suffocated those around it. The dazzling Silver Armor, the Heavy Dragon Spear which was two meters longer and much thicker than that of a regular Dragon Cavalry, all highlighted his noble identity and formidable power.

"Ah! It's him." Ye Yinzhu recognized this person; it was the Silver Star Dragon Rider Viscount Austin whom he had encountered on the road to Milan City.

While Ye Yinzhu saw Austin, Austin didn't see him; the Golden Crystal Tyrant Dragon occupied more than a third of the street's width as it took heavy steps towards the direction of the West Gate. Austin's expression was somewhat unsightly, as if he was thinking about something.

"You know him?" Sura's voice was filled with a strange doubt.

Ye Yinzhu nodded and said, "I met him once on the way to the academy. He's very domineering. He even wanted to eat our Unicorn from the Mercenary Group." Ye Yinzhu had already mentioned to Sura about traveling with the Iron Thorn Mercenary Group to Milan.

Sura said with a serious face, "Yin Zhu, you may have trouble. It looks like Austin is heading to our academy."

"Trouble? What trouble? What does his visit to our academy have to do with me?" Ye Yinzhu asked, puzzled.

Sura glanced at him and said, "You really don't know anything! The reason I say you're in trouble is that Austin is that little witch Roland's older brother. Yesterday, you injured Roland and her Magical Beast, the Green Dragon."