Chapter 32: Test of the Cold Flame: The Dragon’s Pride Against Human Power

  At that moment, I decided to test the Cold Flame.

  Icy winds began to gather around me, frost forming beneath my claws. No one moved. Even that arrogant one inside the carriage, despite his pride, froze for a brief moment.

  “I thought you possessed courage… but it seems all you’ve brought with you is fear.”

  I spread my wings wide and raised my head toward the silver moon suspended in the sky.

  I felt the ancient power of ice surge through me, flowing across my wings and filling the air with a deadly chill. Beneath the moonlight, my shimmering crimson scales reflected a brilliance akin to burning stars.

  A brief silence fell over the land…

  Then I unleashed a glacial roar, blanketing the surroundings in a killing frost that extinguished the blazing fires.

  This was the Primordial Cold Flame.

  The soldiers standing before me had no hope of resisting such power.

  They were all merely in the Energy Awakening stage.

  As for me… I was in the Young Dragon stage, which corresponded to the Foundation Establishment realm in the human cultivation system.

  However, I knew that my physical strength had already surpassed the early stage of the Spirit Birth realm, thanks to the reinforcement granted by the Cold Flame and the evolution of my bloodline.

  The human cultivation system in this world consists of the following stages:

  1. The Human Stage

  2. The Energy Awakening Stage.

  3. The Foundation Establishment Stage.

  4. The Spirit Formation Stage.

  5. The Spirit Birth Stage.

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  After that comes the Spirit Palace Stage.

  Each realm is divided into five sub-stages.

  All the soldiers here were merely in the Energy Awakening Stage…

  which meant they were courting death by facing me.

  I was in the Young Dragon stage, equivalent to the Foundation Establishment realm—

  and after consuming the Marrow Cleansing Pill and the Body Strengthening Pill, my strength had reached the early stage of the Spirit Birth realm within the human system.

  That meant unless one among them had reached the late or even middle stage of Spirit Birth… their only fate was annihilation.

  At that moment, a young man stepped out of the carriage and approached the dragon slowly.

  He looked at it as if it were nothing more than a pet, and this enraged the dragon immensely. Animals die for food, but dragons die for their pride.

  Through the memories inherited from his bloodline, the dragon recalled countless instances where dragons had sacrificed their lives merely to preserve their dignity. In that moment, he felt an overwhelming urge to engage in a life-or-death battle with this person.

  Suddenly, he heard the sound of clapping.

  The young man clapped his hands, smiling confidently. Prince Jing said, “Well done, dragon. Your massive size shows you are in perfect health, hahaha. I see exceptional talent in you, dragon. I will give you a chance—become my familiar, and I will let you live.”

  He meant that he wanted the proud, newly reborn red dragon to become his companion. He sought its life as though it were easily taken! This young man seemed utterly na?ve, unaware of the grave insult such a request imposed upon any dragon.

  Requesting the dragon to become his familiar was both a challenge and a tremendous humiliation.

  It was clear that this person was stronger than the previous soldiers. In fact, he was at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, yet he dared to demand that the dragon serve him.

  Prince Jing continued, “You may speak. It seems the ancient records were not lying. They mention that the dragon bloodline is unique. The intelligence of a mature dragon equals that of a human, but what sets dragons apart is their mastery of magic and all forms of energy at a profound level. Moreover, dragons do not need to learn; their inherited memories provide everything they require. And because of their pride, they choose to speak only in their own mysterious language. You will become my familiar, and you have no choice but to accept.”

  The dragon stood, eyes blazing with anger and pride, challenging every word spoken by the prince, ready to confront a trial that surpassed ordinary soldiers.

  Clare could no longer tolerate that boy’s nonsense. With a single swipe of her tail she sent him flying backward; he slammed into the trees and lost consciousness. Clare was ready to sever his neck, but she halted — an old man had stepped forward, and his aura made Clare’s scales tremble.

  He was no ordinary man; he was stronger than Clare — at least at the Spirit Birth stage. Yet he did not use spirit energy; he was a mana-user — a mage.

  The old man advanced and said, “This youth is a prince of the Green Empire. I cannot allow him to be killed. Surrender and be my companion, and I will let you keep your life.”

  Clare stared into his eyes and snapped, “A dragon is not a pet. Animals die for food; dragons die for their pride. Do you understand that?”

  The old man smiled coldly. “What a pity, but your body is a treasure. You may die, little dragon. Do you realize how lucky you are that I care?”

  Clare retorted in surprise, “You know I’m a young dragon?”

  The old man answered, “Yes. It’s written in the ancient records. A mature dragon’s strength equals Spirit Birth. Your aura is weaker than mine, so you are a young dragon, aren’t you?”

  Clare admitted tersely, “Fine. You’re right. And though I’m not alone, I want to see what you’ll do when faced with two dragons.”

  Clare turned into the cave and called, “Mia, come out. Help me kill this foolish old man.”

  A deadly hush fell over the battlefield before the cave, broken only by two footsteps in the gloom. It wasn’t long before Mia stood beside Clare, looking at the old man with a cold smile. She whispered in Draconic, “Brother, can we defeat him? He is strong.”

  Clare reassured her, “Don’t worry. We can beat him.”

  The old man bristled and said brusquely, “You filthy dragon, I’ll make you regret your foolish choice. I’ll kill one of you and use the other for experiments. Enough chatter; let the fight begin.”

  As he spoke, intricate patterns began to glow in the air — a magic circle coalescing around him. He was using fifth-level magic, equivalent to the intermediate tier of Spirit Birth.

  Clare and Mia paused, realizing this confrontation was no longer against weak soldiers but against a mage of formidable caliber. The air crackled, charged for a battle that would reveal new fates.

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