Chapter 9: with translation of chapter title

Under an inconspicuous small swamp in the Dark Mire Forest.

Dragon's nest.

A black dragon hatchling, its body length from head to tail nearing three meters, slowly awakened.

With a thought, it looked at the information changes on the idle slot panel.

【Black Water Fighting Qi】（First Rank）【Level: 8 (16/20)】

Lai Ang felt the surging pure fighting qi energy within his body; compared to over a hundred days ago, there was no change in quality.

However, in quantity and fine control, it had increased greatly.

In terms of quantity, Lai Ang went from being able to cover and empower only one dragon claw with fighting qi to now being able to empower his entire body.

In terms of fine operation, Lai Ang could easily empower any part of his dragon body with a fighting qi boost.

Swift, agile.

The Black Water Fighting Qi within his body obeyed his commands like an extension of his arms.

But this was merely a change in the Black Water Fighting Qi itself.

The side effect brought by the Black Water Fighting Qi—nourishing and strengthening the flesh—after over a hundred days, had begun to show results.

Lai Ang's now nearly three-meter agile dragon body is the most obvious result.

Although his size had only just caught up to Sai Jia's from over a hundred days ago, it surpassed that of his second brother Ai Di, who was originally at the same size level.

In straightforward numbers, it's roughly: Lai Ang 2.9 meters, Ai Di 2.8 meters, Sai Jia 3.2 meters.

"I've been in this world for a year." Lai Ang stopped looking at the panel changes and instead went into a daze.

It was also one year old.

The hatchling stage is from zero to three years old; reaching three years marks the entry into the juvenile dragon stage.

To be honest, Lai Ang somewhat yearned to go outside—not the kind of going out for hunting, but truly soaring through the skies to see the customs and landscapes of this vast, boundless fantastical world in dragon lineage.

But Lai Ang also clearly knew that this world is very dangerous.

Especially for a hatchling—and more precisely, a five-colored dragon hatchling.

For a metallic dragon hatchling, that's not so bad; the world's hostility toward it isn't that great, and few dare to act against a metallic dragon hatchling, because once discovered, it would provoke a siege by many adult metallic dragons.

But a five-colored dragon hatchling is different.

Once its tracks are discovered, whether by humans or other monsters, demons, and all manner of evil spirits, they will all come swarming.

A captured hatchling, whether enslaved or eaten outright, basically no dragon cares about it.

After all, the vast majority of five-colored dragon mothers pay little attention to their own offspring, their emotions being extremely indifferent, let alone other five-colored dragons.

Revenge?

That is absolutely impossible.

"Even if grown, as an infamous five-colored dragon, it is despised by most beings and forces in this world."

"Moreover, there are powerful dragon-slaying organizations that specialize in hunting down solitary evil dragons."

Lai Ang's thoughts were somewhat confused.

Whenever he thought of these things, he felt vexed.

Despite having done nothing, the world has already stamped him with the mark of 'evil'.

All it can currently do is continually grow stronger, ensuring that when dragon slayers or others hostile to five-colored dragons find it, it won't be killed by them and will have the capacity to resist.

"If a single dragon cannot withstand the world's malice alone, perhaps it should seek refuge with a faction friendly to evil dragons." This thought flashed unbidden through Lai Ang's mind.

The dragon mother surely cannot protect it for a lifetime; it will eventually have to step out from under the broad wings of the adult black dragon and face the bloody world.

As Lai Ang was thinking, an earth-shaking dragon roar echoed from the distant swamp above the dragon's nest.

The earth-shaking dragon roar spread over several dozen kilometers and penetrated the hundred-meter-deep swamp mire, entering the dragon's nest. Lai Ang, lost in thought, was instantly startled awake and reacted.

It was the dragon mother's voice!

Moreover, this voice also brought a message: 'Hide, hide in the dragon's nest! Don't come out!!!'

This was the dragon mother's warning to her three children.

"The enemy—is it the bastard who seriously wounded Mother a year ago?!" Lai Ang was somewhat panicked, but he forced himself to stay calm.

Now it's clearly not the time to panic.

The mother who usually goes out to hunt and eat has obviously run into trouble this time—perhaps an old enemy, perhaps a new one, after all, enemies of evil dragons are everywhere.

Ai Di and Sai Jia, the two young dragons, came running from afar in panic.

"Big brother Lai Ang, what's wrong with Mother? Who is she fighting?" Ai Di's dragon eyes could not hide their tension.

Sai Jia beside him was no longer acting brainless; he paced back and forth, somewhat anxious and restless.

Especially hearing the faint dragon roars and intense battle sounds coming from outside.

However, Lai Ang noticed that the battle sounds and dragon roars were moving away from the dragon's nest.

Obviously, after the dragon mother warned her three children via encrypted dragon language, she deliberately lured the enemy away.

The direction should be north.

Lai Ang's thoughts raced, but facing his two uneasy brothers, he forced out a reassurance: 'It's fine; you know Mother's strength—we just need to follow her arrangements and wait quietly in the nest for her victorious return.'

Though he said that, Lai Ang truly had no confidence in his heart.

He again recalled the terrifying injuries the dragon mother Xi Er Wa Na Si suffered a year ago.

"I should believe; I can only believe." Lai Ang felt extremely heavy-hearted.

Even with the idle slot, it was still merely a hatchling that had just turned one year old.

Even if defying heaven, being able to spar with opponents Second Rank and Third Rank above, could it possibly also contend with Fourth- and Fifth-Rank foes?

You know, newborn adult dragons are at least seventh rank or higher! The dragon mother's massive size alone shows she isn't comparable to those newly adult black dragons; she's likely eighth rank, or possibly even stronger.

And whatever could fight the dragon mother so fiercely must be a powerhouse of the same tier.

Once discovered by such a powerful being, even if separated by a hundred meters of deep swamp, Lai Ang could feel no sense of safety at all.

In the anxious wait, in the blink of an eye, three days passed.

The Dragon Mother still had not returned to the nest.

This made the three young dragons staying in the Dragon Nest even more anxious.

"What should we do? What should we do?" Ai Di, who usually spoke little, kept muttering to himself, the cunning in his dragon eyes gone.

Lai Ang, who had been watching his second brother pacing, took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "I'll sneak out of the Dragon Nest to scout; you stay inside and wait for my news."

Lai Ang finally made a decision.

Simply waiting wasn't an option, after all, the food stored in the Dragon Nest was limited and would eventually run out.

Under the watchful eyes of Ai Di and Sai Jia, Lai Ang walked out of the Dragon Nest and entered the thick mud.

He continually rose, breaking through the mud, reaching the murky upper waters.

It cautiously poked half its head out of the swamp surface, surveying the surroundings.

It detected no movement.

It turned its gaze northward, the direction from which the battle sounds between the Dragon Mother and the unknown enemy came.

The forest was corroded by dragon breath, the earth sliced by sword Qi into deep wounds.

(End of chapter)