X-Dragon Era

Star position is a very abstract concept, difficult for most people to comprehend; it refers to the quality of energy. The higher the star position, the higher the quality of energy. A difference of one or half a star may not seem significant, but once the gap reaches three or four stars, the power disparity becomes substantial.

Basically, when gaseous energy is compressed tenfold, it turns into a semi-liquid mist. Compressing the mist another tenfold produces a liquid. The power unleashed in different states is absolutely distinct.

If the energy of a Ten Stars bronze Black Whirlwind is considered equivalent to black gunpowder, then the energy of a Ten Stars silver Sandfire Dragon leader is like dynamite, with an absolutely different, and substantially larger, level of power.

Of course, technique is useful, but in the face of absolute power, there isn't much room for skill. Just like when Xin Yun was reborn, the shockwaves from his blasts alone were enough to injure him severely, even though he was tens of thousands of meters away. In such a situation, what good is technique? How does one evade a full-range, all-encompassing attack?

If it really came down to a fight, one-on-one, then the Death Sand Dragon might eventually grind down the Death Sand Fire Dragon. But now it wasn't a fair contest; with hundreds of silver Sandfire Dragons against a single bronze Ten Stars Death Sand Dragon, there was no way to fight.

With no other choice, even though he knew that a silver-grade dragon crystal from a second-order Sandfire Dragon leader was ten times more expensive than a bronze-grade one, the truth was that their efficiency was the same. The price for ten silver-grade dragon crystals was equivalent to that of a hundred bronze-grade ones.

The most important thing was that after these ten days of hard work, Xin Yun discovered a very strange phenomenon: it seemed that every time the energy was completely depleted, when it was restored, both its quantity and quality would noticeably improve. Combined with Xin Yun's uniquely created Concentrating Spirit and Returning to the Origin technique, his training speed once again doubled!

One hundred days! In the next hundred days, Xin Yun went out early and came back late, slaughtering Sandfire Dragon leaders in Sand Valley by day, and focusing on cultivation at the inn by night. Under Xin Yun's lead, Yi Luo Xiang too buckled down. She diligently processed the dragon crystals every day, then began training alongside Xin Yun.

After one hundred days of intense cultivation, finally... Xin Yun and Yi Luo Xiang first broke through the One Star level, reaching Two Stars in the bronze category. Then they smoothly advanced past Two Stars and reached Three Stars.

When Ah Da finally arrived with his seven brothers, the hundred days were up, and both Xin Yun and Yi Luo Xiang had simultaneously reached the strength of Four Stars in the bronze category.

Xin Yun felt both happy and immensely helpless about this fact. While Yi Luo Xiang trained hard as well, that was pretty much it for her. The only hardship for Yi Luo Xiang was likely having to sit in meditation to practice. As for the combat during the day, she only needed to exert minimal control to succeed.

Xin Yun, on the other hand, was not the same. During the day, he would exhaust himself to the point of using up every last bit of energy, and at night, he still had to continue training with his weary body. Even so, despite all his punishing efforts, their training speeds were surprisingly the same. Yi Luo Xiang could negate Xin Yun's painstaking hard work simply with her innate talent and aptitude.

Experience new stories on empire

It was really quite frustrating...

However, Xin Yun still felt happy about this situation. As long as he could keep up with Yi Luo Xiang's pace and not get left behind, when she became one of the Nine Great Experts, Xin Yun would inevitably become one of the Nine Great Experts as well.

In fact, Xin Yun's aspirations weren't very high—or perhaps, they were quite lofty—he just wanted to become one of the Nine Great Experts. Although being in the top three wasn't entirely out of the question, the chances were too slim. Perhaps one day, he would become the top expert of them all, but for now, he could only focus on training steadfastly.

At present, the situation between Xin Yun and Yi Luo Xiang was quite peculiar. Yi Luo Xiang was desperately trying to improve herself, fearful of being surpassed by Xin Yun and becoming a burden and drag on him.

And Xin Yun did the same, desperately clinging to Yi Luo Xiang's coattails, afraid of being left so far behind that not even a shadow remained. Yet, their rate of improvement was so rapid that neither dared to relax, for if one fell behind, they might never be able to catch up for a lifetime.

However, this positive atmosphere was shattered the moment Ah Da and his six brothers arrived. In fact, the reason the two of them had stayed was to wait for Ah Da and his company.

It had been a whole year since Xin Yun and Yi Luo Xiang first met A-da and his comrades. In that time, they had transformed from feeble children into the experts they were now, at least in the eyes of A-da and his crew.

But A-da and his brothers hadn't done badly either. Thanks to their diligent cultivation during this period, A-da finally reached the Bronze Two Star level, while his six brothers, through dedicated practice, had all stepped into the realm of Bronze One Star, each now possessing their very own dragons.

Just like in their previous life, all seven dragons belonging to these guys were Pig Dragons, but the types were different – there were sand-skin Pig Dragons, flower-skin Pig Dragons, spotted Pig Dragons, and so on... Seven men had seven different kinds of dragons.

Watching the six fat Pig Dragons proudly hovering in the air, Yi Luo Xiang wanted to laugh, but she couldn't, the effort required to restrain herself was almost too much to bear. Yet, aside from A-da, those six fellows radiated sheer pride and displayed their dragons with a showy spirit.

Looking at his six brothers making a spectacle of themselves, A-da's face flushed with embarrassment. A-da was generally a fine fellow except for two vices – his love for women and his love for boasting.

This time around, naturally, A-da would brag to his six brothers, boasting about his accomplishments, his grandeur, how he braved the Desert of Death, and so on...

He, of course, mentioned Yi Luo Xiang and Xin Yun too, but in his tales, these two were painted as fragile lambs, completely under his protection throughout their journey, and hence, all the credit went to A-da.

What A-da had not anticipated was that Xin Yun and Yi Luo Xiang would not leave but were waiting right there all this time. As such, it was precisely why his brothers who just acquired their Pig Dragons started showing off in front of Xin Yun and Yi Luo Xiang.

Looking at the row of seven Pig Dragons lined up on the Dragon Landing Terrace, Yi Luo Xiang and Xin Yun were truly amused. The thing that they found most unbearable was the way those six brothers exuded cockiness while pretending not to care.

"Huff... huff..." Eventually, the Pig Dragons landed one after another from mid-air, and the six showy fellows leaped down, their bodies performing dizzying flips before they stylishly touched down.

"Pop pop..." They dusted off their clothes, apparently not noticing A-da's reddening face, as they strutted over to Xin Yun and Yi Luo Xiang, chests puffed out and an imposing demeanor that screamed heroism.

Finally, the six guys approached them. One of them spoke up, "How about it? Want a ride in the sky with me? I'm telling you... my dragon is super fast, especially when it spirals in the air; it's just exhilarating!"

As soon as he spoke, the other guys couldn't help but join in the boasting, their faces filled with pride, yet feigning nonchalance as they offered Xin Yun and Yi Luo Xiang a chance to experience it for themselves.

Confronted with the spectacle of these six, Xin Yun and Yi Luo Xiang could no longer contain their laughter, which burst forth. Seeing this, the six slow-witted fellows thought the two were overwhelmed by excitement, completely oblivious to the ridiculousness of the situation.

Looking at these simple, foolish fellows in front of her, Yi Luo Xiang clasped her stomach laughing. Although she didn't care about external looks, that didn't mean she lacked an aesthetic sense. She really didn't want to ride on these six Pig Dragons.

If they were just any Pig Dragons, it might have been tolerable, since some Pig Dragons could be pretty or cute. However, these fellows' Pig Dragons were a different story, some spotted or sand-skinned, or even patterned in such a way that a glance made them look like they had just rolled in mud. Dragons like these just didn't pique her interest for a ride.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om