Chapter 23: Dueling Arena and Metal Manipulation

Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Dueling Arena and Metal Manipulation

The Golden Dragon landed on a platform at the highest point of the city. It was a flattened mountain peak, its edges lined with thick stone pillars topped with unquenchable flames.

The platform was massive enough to accommodate over a dozen Giant Dragons playing around. Its floor was paved with a single, colossal stone slab, its crevices inlaid with gold threads that gleamed under the firelight.

Chen Shang slid down from the dragon’s back and stood at the edge of the platform, looking down.

Dragon City spread out beneath his feet. Its streets cascaded from the foot of the mountain all the way to the sea, resembling a colossal web.

There were quite a few humans in the city, alongside the Giants, Nagas, and Kobolds he had seen a few days ago. Of course, the vast majority were creatures Chen Shang couldn’t even name.

Different districts boasted wildly varied architectural styles, all crammed together in a jagged, interlocking mosaic that pulsed with vibrant life. The streets were lined with numerous markets where creatures of all races swaggered about, hawking their wares.

The Golden Dragon transformed back into human form and stood beside him. "Come on, let me take you to eat something good!"

Chen Shang followed the Golden Dragon down from the platform. They descended the stone steps, threaded their way through several streets, and turned into a narrow alley before stopping in front of an inconspicuous wooden door.

"Can a place like this really have good food? You didn’t bring me here just to save money, did you?" Chen Shang couldn’t help but grumble as he eyed the shabby wooden door.

However, his attitude completely flipped the moment the Golden Dragon pushed the door open. The courtyard inside was modest in size, furnished with a few stone tables and stools. A large cauldron was set up in the corner, the soup inside simmering—BUBBLE BUBBLE—and emitting an incredibly rich, intoxicating aroma.

"What kind of meat is this? Smells amazing!" Chen Shang’s stomach growled—GRUMBLE GRUMBLE. Every cell in his body screamed in craving. Since he had just finished his Body Refinement, he urgently needed to replenish his Energy; the sheer intensity of this hunger was pure torture.

"Over here," the Golden Dragon said, taking a seat at one of the stone tables.

Chen Shang and Number Three sat opposite him. Soon, a Kobold scurried out of the kitchen carrying a massive tray piled high with food.

The Golden Dragon pushed the food toward Chen Shang. "Rock Lizard. It is one of the Third Level Creatures. The meat is packed with Life Energy and is great for recovering stamina. Eat up."

"Don’t mind if I do!" Chen Shang began to wolf down the food. The moment he took a bite, a faint wave of heat radiated from his stomach and coursed through his limbs and bones.

He felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring. The Body Refining Runes within him slowly rotated, swallowing the Energy from the meat like a whale taking in water, funneling it into his repeatedly tempered physique.

Chen Shang paused for a second before frantically stuffing more food into his mouth without a word. His body was like parched earth greeting the spring rain, slowly drinking in the much-needed nourishment.

He didn’t slow down his eating until there were seven or eight empty trays stacked up on the table.

"Thanks a lot for the meal. I don’t think I’ve caught your name yet?"

"Mhm, it’s a good thing it’s just you. If a whole group of Wizard Apprentices came, I wouldn’t be able to afford treating you all!" The Golden Dragon slowly chewed and swallowed a chunk of meat. "My true name is too long. Just call me Sorin."

"Thanks for treating me, Sorin," Chen Shang mumbled around a mouthful of meat. "What’s your Bloodline? What Tier are you? I just feel like you don’t act like a Giant Dragon at all."

The Golden Dragon glanced at him. "If you weren’t a Wizard Apprentice, asking a Giant Dragon something like that would be incredibly presumptuous.

"But... fine, I’m already used to your boundless curiosity. I am a Tier Six Golden Dragon, though, of course, I have some other Bloodlines mixed in.

"As for Giant Dragons... what do you think we’re supposed to be like?"

Chen Shang shook his head. "I don’t know. Maybe... sprawling on top of a mountain, hoarding treasure, and waiting for brave heroes to come challenge you?"

The Golden Dragon chuckled. "That’s ancient history. When the Wizards arrived, they established new rules, and our Dragon God agreed to them."

He then pointed to the city in the distance. "These are all things brought by the Wizards. Markets, restaurants, inns, dueling arenas... None of this existed in the past."

"Do you think that’s a good thing or a bad thing?" Chen Shang asked curiously, eager to understand the Dragon Race’s perspective.

"It’s not bad. Life is more convenient than before, there’s a wider variety of food and drink, and our Cultivation speed has increased significantly. The only problem is that we have to spend money..." It was obvious that Sorin absolutely detested the concept of spending money; in the past, they had simply taken whatever they wanted by force.

After the hearty meal, Chen Shang leaned back in his chair, patting his bulging stomach.

A sudden clamor erupted in the distance. The crowds surged in the same direction, moving like a tidal wave.

"Hm? Is there a duel today?" The Golden Dragon looked up, glancing in the direction of the noise.

"What duel?"

Sorin stood up. "It’s probably two dragons fighting over territory. In the past, this kind of situation would have both sides bringing a massive horde of Favored Ones to fight to the death. After the Wizards came, they banned large-scale conflicts and made us settle our differences in the dueling arena instead. Come on, let’s go take a look."

Chen Shang followed him toward the arena.

The dueling arena was located at the edge of the city, right by the sea. Chen Shang could tell at a glance exactly how it had been built.

It was, plain and simple, a massive meteorite crater. The edges had been casually smoothed out, and a ring of stone steps had been added to serve as bleachers.

Some dragon had probably summoned a Meteorite to smash this arena into existence. Perfect. That was very ’Giant Dragon’ of them.

At this moment, the bleachers were already packed. All sorts of unnamable creatures were crammed together, their voices a cacophony of CHITTER CHATTER.

The Golden Dragon flew him over to an out-of-the-way spot, but the vantage point was excellent. They had a clear view of the two dragons facing off at the bottom of the crater.

One was silver-white, its scales like polished metal reflecting blindingly harsh light under the sun. The other was dark red, its scales resembling solidified magma.

As Chen Shang looked down, the system in his mind suddenly chimed.

[Extractable traits detected.]

[Target: Metal Dragon — Extractable Traits: Metal Sensing (Green), Dragon’s Might·Fragment (Blue), Scale Armor Hardening (Green)...]

[Target: Red Dragon — Extractable Traits: Flame Breath (Green), Dragon’s Might·Fragment (Blue), High Temperature Adaptation (Green)...]

Chen Shang willed in his mind, "Extract!"

Extraction failed... Failed... Extraction successful! Gained Trait: Metal Sensing (Green).

[Metal Sensing (Green): Can perceive the presence, type, and form of surrounding metals.]

He thought, "Huh? A green trait?" Raising an eyebrow in pleasant surprise, he realized he had fully prepared himself for failure. It seemed that extracting traits from High Level creatures didn’t have a one hundred percent failure rate after all.

But the next moment, the panel jumped again.

[Fusionable Traits detected.]

[Metal Sensing (Green) + Gem Perception (White) = Metal Manipulation (Green)]

[Proceed with fusion?]

Chen Shang’s breath hitched for a second. Metal Manipulation?

He had extracted Gem Perception from a Kobold and originally assumed the thing was practically useless. Who would have thought it was actually a prerequisite trait for Metal Manipulation?

Without hesitation, he recited in his mind, "Fuse."

Two streams of light converged on the panel, followed a moment later by a flash of green.

[Fusion successful. Gained Trait: Metal Manipulation (Green)]

[Metal Manipulation: Can manipulate surrounding metals, altering their form, density, and hardness depending on the strength of your Spiritual Power.]