Chapter 24: Princess Di Long

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Princess Di Long

Equipping this new trait, Chen Shang closed his eyes to carefully experience it. In an instant, the world around him changed. He could perceive everything—the metal railings below the stands, the pickaxes at the Kobolds’ waists, and the harpoons in the Nagas’ hands. He could feel their shape, size, and density, and even sense the stress distribution within them.

Chen Shang’s mind raced. This trait was incredibly useful! First, it was a direct boost to his combat prowess; a green-tier Metal Manipulation wouldn’t be weak. Second, it encompassed a broad range of applications and might be able to fuse with other traits. If it could advance into Electromagnetic Force in the future, its potential would be massive. Third, Number Three had just completed the Ben Bo’Erba Mechanical Armor. Now, new traits could be added to it for further expansion.

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. Number Three seemed to sense something and turned to look at him, its Gold Rune engravings glinting faintly in the sunlight. Chen Shang reached out his hand, curled his fingers into a loose grip, and gently pulled back. With a sharp CRACK, an iron railing snapped at its base, and a two-foot-long iron rod flew into his grasp. Several Kobolds in the stands startled, shrinking back to the side.

Chen Shang ignored them. Gripping the iron rod, he sensed its internal structure, located the alignment of its crystal lattices, and guided them to rearrange. The iron rod softened like dough, changing shape within his palm. First, it stretched and thinned, twisting into a braid. Then it flattened into a thin sheet of iron, and finally rolled up, collapsing into a sphere that spun smoothly in his palm. He could manipulate it as he pleased!

Beside him, the Golden Dragon Sorin turned his head, his Gold slit pupils shrinking.

"Hm? Metal control? When did you learn that?"

Chen Shang spun the iron ball between his fingers and pointed at the two Giant Dragons currently facing off at the bottom of the pit. "Watching them fight gave me some sudden inspiration."

Sorin fell silent for a long time.

Metal Manipulation was an innate talent for certain Metal Dragon species—a Giant Dragon ability they were born with, as natural as breathing. Yet this Wizard Apprentice he was hosting... had learned it just by watching for a few moments. Metal Dragons gained such talents but were also bound by the shackles of their Bloodline. What price did Wizards have to pay?

Sorin withdrew his gaze, his voice dropping low. "You Wizards truly are a terrifying bunch."

Chen Shang didn’t reply. In truth, it wasn’t as terrifying as Sorin imagined. He had only gained this ability by relying on his Golden Finger. If he had to dissect its underlying principles, it would cost him a vast amount of time and energy. He casually toyed with the iron ball in his hand and continued watching the duel.

Nobody noticed that at the highest point of the stands, a gaze had fallen upon Chen Shang. From the moment he snapped the iron railing, it had never once shifted away. At the very top of the dueling arena sat a row of seats reserved exclusively for the Dragon Race. The wide Stone Slabs were covered in thick animal skins, though most of them were empty, as the Dragon Race had little interest in a territorial dispute between two juniors. Only one seat was occupied.

It was a very small dragon, roughly seven or eight meters long, lying there lazily. Her scales were a moonlight-like silver-white, and her Tail was curled up over the armrest of the stone seat. The moment Chen Shang tore the iron railing apart, her eyes suddenly widened, and she looked in his direction. As Chen Shang freely manipulated the metal to change shapes, the young dragon poked the guard standing beside her with her Tail.

"Who is that? He doesn’t have the aura of the Dragon Race on him, so how does he possess our innate talent?"

The guard, a tall woman, followed the young dragon’s gaze and answered in a low voice, "Princess, that person seems to be a Wizard Apprentice. He should be here for Body Refinement."

The young dragon’s eyes instantly lit up. She scrambled up from the stone seat, her wings half-spread, and her Tail raised high.

"A Wizard Apprentice? The Wizards Imperial Father told me about are super strong! It’s a pity I was asleep the last time Wizard Apprentices came! By the time I woke up, they were all gone; I didn’t even catch a glimpse of them!"

She stood up, fully spreading her wings. Her silver-white wing membranes shimmered with fragmented light in the sun. Pushing off the stone seat, she was about to fly down when the guard, reacting with quick reflexes, grabbed her Tail and yanked her back. The young dragon stumbled from the pull, nearly tumbling off the stone seat.

"Princess! We snuck out! His Majesty doesn’t know you came to the dueling arena. If you fly over with such a huge commotion, the entire arena will see you..."

The young dragon retracted her wings, her Tail drooping.

She then hopped off the stone seat. The moment she landed, her silver-white scales began retracting into her skin, and her body rapidly shrank. In a matter of seconds, the silver-white young dragon transformed into a little girl. She looked to be about seven or eight years old. Her silver-white hair cascaded down to her waist, curling slightly at the ends. Her eyes retained their Gold slit pupils, and she wore a silver-white dress with fine scale patterns embroidered along the hem. The guard led the little girl, and the two walked from the highest point down to the side of Chen Shang’s stand, completely ignored by the surrounding crowd.

"Hello, are you a Wizard Apprentice?"

Chen Shang jumped in surprise. He had been engrossed in watching the duel, pinching the iron ball in his hand, his mind still pondering how to combine his metal control with the Ben Bo’Erba Mechanical Armor. However, before he could react, Sorin stood up beside him, bowed his head slightly, and placed his right hand over his Heart in a formal salute.

"Your Highness the Princess."

The female guard reached out and pressed a hand on Sorin’s shoulder. "Don’t be nervous. We aren’t here on an inspection. The Princess merely wishes to meet this... um, Wizard Apprentice."

Chen Shang froze. A Princess? The little girl standing barefoot on the Stone Slab in front of him tilted her head as she looked at him. He hastily pulled the Identity Card from his chest pocket and handed it over.

"Starfall Laboratory, Probationary Apprentice, Chen Shang. I’m here at the Dragon Blood Hall for Body Refinement."

She took the card, turned it over repeatedly to examine it, and traced the raised Runes with her finger.

"What does ’Probationary Apprentice’ mean?"

Chen Shang felt a bit embarrassed. "Uh... it means I haven’t passed the assessment yet, so I’m not considered official."

The little girl returned the card to him, then pointed at the iron ball in his hand. "What did you just use? Metal Manipulation? But you don’t have a Dragon Race Bloodline on you."

Chen Shang put the iron ball away and carefully considered his words. "It’s metal control. This isn’t an innate talent exclusive to the Dragon Race. I saw the Metal Dragon down there and summarized it from its abilities."

The little girl’s eyes brightened even more. "Summarized it? You summarized it just by watching it once?"

"Not just once. I’ve encountered similar abilities before, so I had some foundation."

The little girl stared at him for several seconds. "You’re so amazing! Why haven’t you passed the Apprentice assessment yet?"

Chen Shang scratched his head, wishing she wouldn’t ask such a hurtful question. He sighed and said, "Because my Cultivation time has been relatively short, and I still have a massive amount of things to learn."

The little girl looked at Chen Shang enviously. "That’s so nice. I do nothing but eat and sleep; I’ve never learned anything."

Chen Shang sensed her aura, which was vastly more powerful than his own, and fell silent for a long time. Finally, not giving up, he asked, "How old are you?"

"Seven!"