Chapter 24: Curtain Falls

Heavy breathing sounds rose on the arena.

Lai Ang didn't even glance at the red dragon juvenile lying on the ground, walking straight toward the side — that is, beside the black dragon Hol.

The black dragon watched Lai Ang return victorious, its mood unable to calm for a long time.

Even it could only rely on attribute advantage to fight to a draw with the red dragon Mandi.

Yet Lai Ang defeated it.

Doesn't that mean Lai Ang's current strength is enough to defeat it?

Thinking this, the black dragon Hol's scales felt a little numb; at this moment it felt neither standing nor lying comfortable, as if the alchemy bricks beneath its feet were scorching its claws.

Lai Ang paid no heed to Hol's tumultuous mood, it slightly closed its dragon eyes and began to rest.

This battle left it extremely fatigued.

If another dragon came to challenge it now, it would have to admit defeat — though it would surely note this in its little notebook, waiting for a later chance to regain face.

But unexpectedly, until the sky turned dusky and the dragon fort ranking battle neared its end, no dragon came to challenge Lai Ang.

"Hiss~" Lai Ang rose from the ground, stretched a little, having rested most of the day, yet still felt stinging sensations all over its dragon body.

Especially the pair of foreclaws used most in the fight against the red dragon Mandi, their sensation seemed gone.

"No matter what, today's battle should have been impressive enough, right?" Lai Ang thought secretly, looking forward to the incoming resources.

Feeling pleased, Lai Ang then remembered its three "little brothers."

It scanned the arena plain, finally finding Ai Di and the others in a corner.

Second brother Ai Di and the white dragon Pana surrounded third brother Sai Jia, their expressions somewhat anxious.

"What happened?"

At some point, Lai Ang stepped lightly down from the arena and came beside the three young dragons.

Getting closer, Lai Ang saw that third brother Sai Jia's pair of dragon wings were almost torn apart, and its dragon brows furrowed.

"Who did this to you?" Lai Ang asked calmly.

Second brother Ai Di glanced at Sai Jia, who gritted his dragon teeth enduring pain in silence, and whispered to Lai Ang,

"It's a blue dragon juvenile named Tairaji. Sai Jia defeated its three underlings, then personally fought and ended up like this."

From Ai Di's description, Lai Ang quickly understood what had happened during its rest period.

After the initial leader challenge segment ended, the second segment — the dragon melee — began.

As long as both sides are willing, they can fight on the arena.

In this segment, the fiercely combat‑loving Sai Jia ruthlessly defeated three blue dragon hatchlings in succession.

Finally, it provoked a blue dragon juvenile to lash out angrily, nearly tearing Sai Jia's dragon wings off at the roots.

Fortunately, the wings weren't actually ripped off; otherwise such an injury would be a serious wound for a dragon, especially slowing the growth of young dragons still in their rapid development stage.

"Lai Ang, you don't need to act; I will personally defeat that Tairaji fellow myself."

Sai Jia, lying on the ground groaning incessantly, spoke stubbornly, its dragon eyes full of ruthlessness and stubbornness.

Lai Ang looked speechlessly at its third brother, rolled its eyes, "I never planned to avenge you. This is your affair; I can't be bothered to intervene."

"." Sai Jia opened its mouth, finally burying its dragon head.

Actually, avenging it isn't impossible. Who let that blue dragon juvenile Tairaji be so arrogant and overbearing, making Sai Jia furious.

Moreover, Sai Jia itself knows that relying solely on itself, it probably won't be a match for that blue dragon juvenile for a long time; it is only first rank.

Whereas that blue dragon juvenile Tairaji has already reached third rank and has even cultivated a lightning fighting qi to first rank.

The strength gap between Sai Jia and it is likely not much less than that between Sai Jia and its elder brother.

Lai Ang glanced at Sai Jia's current size.

It is nearly 3.5 meters.

For most dragons, body size correlates with dragon species rank and strength.

Reaching a body length over 3.5 meters is the standard for second rank.

Reaching five meters or more basically means third rank.

"This kid's growth speed is getting faster and faster." Lai Ang marveled inwardly.

It possesses second‑rank black water dou qi that passively nourishes its dragon body, accelerating growth; it can only barely avoid being left behind by Sai Jia.

Haven't you seen Ai Di over there, barely three meters long? That is the standard growth speed for a black dragon juvenile.

Whether Lai Ang's 3.2 meters or Sai Jia's nearly 3.5 meters, both exceed the ordinary black dragon juvenile's growth speed.

"If Sai Jia learned dou qi cultivation, its growth speed could increase further." Lai Ang thought.

This is talent.

Just like its own AFK slot talent, it cannot be envied.

When dusk fully fell and the evening clouds filled the horizon, the biannual dragon fort ranking battle finally came to a close.

On the ranking list announced by the green dragon teacher Rad — a black monolith ten meters high — 104 young dragons were lined up in order of their battle records.

Lai Ang first looked at the top few.

First place was undoubtedly the hybrid juvenile dragon Kremuer — no dragon dared challenge it, so it naturally took first.

Second and third places were a pureblood red dragon and a pureblood blue dragon, the only two juveniles over six meters long; they are also the leaders of the red dragon fort and the blue dragon fort.

The blue dragon juvenile Tairaji that wounded Sai Jia is one of the two strongest juveniles under the blue dragon fort leader.

Black dragon fort's strength ranks at the bottom among the twelve dragon forts.

This is unavoidable — after all, the emerald academy has only one white dragon; even if a dragon fort dedicated to white dragons existed among the twelve, Pana lacks the strength to seize it.

Without a white dragon as the bottom tier, black dragon and some weak mixed‑breed giant dragons naturally become the bottom.

It's not that the emerald dream rejects white dragons' allegiance; rather, the emerald dream's location is far from where white dragons live.

To cross such a long distance, an ordinary white dragon simply lacks the strength to do so.

And a powerful white dragon strong enough to traverse the vast land—why would it give up its fine position as glacier overlord to specifically go rely on a green dragon in a distant place?

Even if that green dragon is indeed very powerful.

In the Emerald Dream Territory, the numbers of green dragons, black dragons, and their hybrid dragons are the highest. The boundless Dark Swamp Forest is truly too suitable for the growth and development of green and black dragons.

Next are red dragons, blue dragons, and their hybrids.

In the Dark Swamp Forest there are also volcanoes, and also sandy-rock areas like deserts, which can meet part of the living environment needs of red and blue dragons.

Moreover, powerful dragons themselves act like a 'radiation source', passively transforming the environment they inhabit.

Mountains turn into volcanoes, forests turn into deserts, deserts turn into forests, land turns into swamp, water turns into glacier. (End of chapter)