Chapter 81: Dragon‑Born and Arcane

Sitting behind the stall table were a man and a woman, both about twenty‑five years old; the man was a ranger, the woman a herbalist, exactly the two Lei En had met on the magic airship last time.

At that time, Lei En thought the two were very strong, far above other Transcendents of the same rank.

Now it indeed seems so.

They are both third‑tier professions, and among the onlookers there were a few Transcendents of the same tier, but their Soul Power differed by a notch, forming a stark contrast.

Lei En's Soul Eye glanced, and instantly everything became clear.

He didn't step forward to greet them, focusing his attention on the soul stone; after only two or three seconds he froze there, surprised.

He couldn't immediately identify what species the soul had been in life; he'd never seen one before and it felt very unfamiliar.

It was clearly a very rare initial‑stage magic soul, presumably of the magical beast type, yet something seemed off.

The most surprising thing for Lei En was that this magic soul contained four Elements!

Two of them were physique‑type skills, namely "Strength" and "Charge"; Strength is Tier‑1, needn't be explained, and Charge is also a fairly common ordinary Element.

Many magical beasts can Charge, and it is also the favorite skill of berserkers.

Regardless of the setting, a berserker's opening move in combat is Charge!

In an instant the muscular power erupts, lunging forward at tremendous speed—almost as fast as Shadow Step, even surpassing it at times, only slightly slower than a caster's "Flash", making it the most suitable and exhilarating skill for melee classes.

However, Charge isn't without drawbacks; because it moves so fast in a straight line, it's hard to change direction and cannot be halted midway.

If the enemy is too strong and one rushes in hot‑blooded, it's tantamount to suicide.

Who knows how many reckless berserkers have perished on the path of Charge…

The other two Elements in this magic soul are both arcane‑type: one is the already known "Dragon Power Technique", a rare‑grade support spell; the other is "Rainbow Beam", an offensive spell.

The Dragon Power Technique was already unusual enough; he didn't expect there to also be a Rainbow Beam.

This surprised Lei En greatly.

The Rainbow Beam is very similar to the Scorching Beam he had seen before; both are ray‑type spells that concentrate lethal force into a single point, manifesting as a straight beam.

The difference is that Scorching Beam is a fire spell with high temperature, whereas Rainbow Beam activates mysterious energy; it is an Arcane.

Moreover, Rainbow Beam is a rare‑grade spell.

The emitted ray carries no heat, only pure destructive and penetrating power, like the sharpest blade, displaying seven colors like a rainbow; if an enemy inadvertently looks directly at it, a blinding‑like negative effect occurs.

At present the spell has only one tier, with a casting time of less than a second.

Its drawback is that the ray's attack range is short—under five meters—shorter than most offensive spells, making it almost a melee spell.

However, as the tier increases, the range extends and more negative effects are added, up to seven, triggered randomly when the target is hit.

In sum, it is an extremely powerful spell with limitless potential.

Lei En's heart leapt immediately; there is no perfect spell in the world, only the one that suits you best, and the Rainbow Beam was almost perfect for him.

After his last battle with that Elementalist, he felt he might have a chance to master a ray‑type spell, and unexpectedly he actually encountered one.

With Dragon Power Technique, Charge, and Tier‑1 Strength added, Lei En was determined to obtain this magic soul at any cost.

He didn't hesitate, stepping forward to ask, "How much does this magic soul cost?"

The ranger looked up, saw Lei En, his expression shifting slightly as he recalled Lei En's identity; he nodded, then said, "Two thousand gold."

"That's pricey?"

Even though Lei En currently possessed a fortune, he still thought the price was absurdly high.

An initial‑stage magic soul, unless like the gold‑eating ant with superlative Elements, isn't worth that much no matter how strong.

This magic soul only had one rare Element more than the Thunder Lizard he held, yet the price was four times higher—hardly reasonable.

The Transcendents gathered around the stall all looked like they were here for the spectacle.

Among them, some had already inquired about the price; learning it was two thousand gold made many balk, and some even sneered.

"Two thousand gold, I could buy two or three Mid-stage magic souls with that."

"Outsider, you think folks from Longshande have never seen the world? So easy to swindle?"

"Exactly, they're crazy about money…"

These people are all Transcendents; none of them shy away, and none lower their voices.

They had coveted this magic soul for a long time, but couldn't muster the money; after haggling with the ranger for ages, not a single copper was lowered, so they were all a bit disgruntled, venting their frustration.

The ranger frowned, seeing Lei En also hesitating, and explained, "This is a crystal giant lizard magic soul, extremely rare, bearing a trace of crystal dragon bloodline, cross‑bred with a petrified lizard; it belongs to a dragon‑born creature, its power far exceeds that of ordinary initial‑stage magical beasts. We personally hunted it on the New Continent, and a teammate was sacrificed in the process."

"Your Honor."

The herbalist beside the ranger identified Lei En's identity, whispering, "Our teammate is a native of Longshande; we returned this time to bring news to his family and settle them."

Lei En glanced at the herbalist; her mood was somewhat downcast, suggesting she wasn't lying.

He gave no reply, his gaze returning to the soul stone, thinking, "A crystal giant lizard, so it's a dragon‑born; no wonder it felt odd earlier."

Giant dragons are innately lustful, especially male dragons; during mating season, they seize whatever they can, whether human or beast, fish or bird, as long as…

Sometimes, even gender isn't an issue.

Breeding among giant dragons is difficult, yet hybridization is potent; their bloodlines are domineering and robust, tirelessly spreading worldwide, creating countless mixed‑blood offspring, the varieties unknown, so all beings with dragon blood are collectively termed Dragon‑born.

Dragon‑born constitute one of the sixteen categories of magic souls, numerous in number, with strengths ranging from weak to strong.

The purer the dragon‑born bloodline, the closer its power approaches that of a true dragon.

The crystal dragon is a rare true dragon, naturally capable of wielding Arcane magic; its bloodline descendants produce Dragon Power Technique and Rainbow Beam, which makes sense.

Lei En recalled that petrified lizards naturally emit a petrification ray; after mixing with dragon blood and mutating, the petrification ray likely transformed into the Rainbow Beam.

As expected, if the Rainbow Beam's tier is later increased, it will surely gain a petrification effect.

Nevertheless, a Dragon‑born magic soul isn't worth two thousand gold.

Lei En didn't bargain; noticing the ranger's earlier remark, he asked curiously, "Did you return from the New Continent?"

"Yes." The ranger's eyes held a hint of pride.

Lei En nodded; no wonder these two Transcendents were so strong—they were soul hunters daring to venture onto the New Continent.

The name New Continent is actually not "new" at all; it comes from an old term of the previous era and has a history of over six thousand years.

At that time, the elves and dwarves were the overlords of the Yao Lei Se continent, the very land now occupied by the Oruient Empire and many human kingdoms; the two races vied for supremacy, using the Shi Jie Shan Mai that runs through the middle of Yao Lei Se as the boundary—east versus west—and fought a war for six centuries over territory and survival.

The prolonged war forged a deep, blood‑soaked hatred between the two races, and their vital energy was severely depleted to the point of near collapse, yet they could not simply lay down arms.

Then a elven explorer set out from the western edge of Yao Lei Se, sailed across the Storm Ocean, and discovered a vast, boundless New Continent.

The continent is divided into northern and southern halves, its total area only slightly smaller than Yao Lei Se; the northern land is a wilderness with few sentient races, only scattered troll tribes.

The southern continent is fraught with danger and hard to penetrate.

The elves named this land "Ruen Si", which means "New Continent" in the elven tongue.

Soon the news leaked, and the dwarves followed the eastern coast of Yao Lei Se northward, then eastward, skirting the northern part of Wu Jin Zhi Hai, reaching North Ruen Si and landing on the western coast of the New Continent.

Both races independently shifted their focus from war to colonizing the New Continent, and the situation eased.

Again east versus west, the elves on the eastern shore and the dwarves on the western shore coexisted peacefully for over two centuries, gradually establishing trade, building towering fortresses and hundreds of splendid cities across the New Continent.

During this era, the orcs rose in the north of Yao Lei Se, posing a joint threat to both races.

The three races clashed in major battles many times.

Then, at the end of the previous era, the Abyss launched a massive invasion, first opening a huge Abyssal Gate on the New Continent; countless Demons poured out under the four Great Evil Gods, destroying everything on the New Continent.

Helpless, the gods triggered a terrible earthquake that sank the New Continent's cities and fortresses underground, eradicating most of the Demons.

The elves and dwarves withdrew from the New Continent thereafter.

Yet a few Demons still appeared on the Old Continent, annihilating countless lives; the three great races were severely battered, and the world fell into a millennium of darkness until humanity rose and ushered in a new era.

To this day, more than 2,500 years have passed since the new era began, and the New Continent remains a wilderness of ruins.

The surviving Demons, on land tainted by corrupt energy, have spawned countless terrifying monsters over millennia; beasts run rampant, horror breeds, making it one of Ai Lun E Si's most dangerous regions.

At the same time, the New Continent is a paradise for explorers and adventurers.

Beneath that perilous land lie massive treasures of both elves and dwarves; even powerful monsters have Demon Souls that are targets for soul hunters.

Every year, every month, every day, news of people striking wealth on the New Continent spreads.

One batch after another of transcendants rush to the New Continent; few find treasure, many lose their lives, and only the strongest transcendants can truly stand their ground there.

Today, humans have established multiple settlements on the New Continent, even small cities.

Transcendants form parties, roam the wilderness and ruins, seeking relics and hunting Demon Souls.

In the Empire's Demon Soul Market, about one‑third of the Demon Souls come from the New Continent.

However, the Demon Souls that enter the market are generally ordinary; the finest ones have already been bought on the New Continent.

Transcendants who return alive from the New Continent are clearly stronger.

Lei En has long heard the stories of the New Continent; he once wondered whether to go there to hunt Demon Souls and boost his strength, but feared his power was insufficient, with no guide, and that going would be a death sentence.

Now, seeing two people return from the New Continent, he can't help but be curious.

The ranger, noticing Lei En's long silence and assuming he didn't want to buy, couldn't help saying, "I know this price is much higher, but I urgently need a large sum of money; otherwise I don't want to sell this Demon Soul."

The nearby herder muttered, "If it were on the New Continent, it wouldn't be expensive; someone would have bought it long ago."

Lei En is still pondering; he sees that the two aren't telling the whole truth.

There must be another reason.

Although he really wants the crystal giant lizard's Demon Soul, he doesn't want to be a sucker and waste a huge sum.

Know that a regular worker's monthly wage is less than one Gold Shield.

Before he crossed over, the academy's tuition of twenty Gold Shields already stumped Lei En.

Now he has money, but he can't waste it casually.

Lei En thought for a moment, then said calmly, "To be honest, I really want this Demon Soul, but two thousand gold is too pricey—not because I can't afford it, but because it's not worth that much. If you can lower it by a few hundred gold, I'll buy it immediately."

"I also want it cheaper, but I urgently need two thousand gold right now," the ranger said helplessly.

Lei En shifted his foot, as if about to leave.

"Wait a moment."

The ranger quickly called Lei En back; he'd been setting up his stall here for half a day, and only Lei En had shown a genuine intent to purchase and had sufficient funds, unlike the others who were merely spectating and had no money.

Lei En turned back and asked, "What do you mean?"

The ranger hesitated, and his female companion whispered a few words into his ear.

Her voice was soft, as fine as a mosquito's buzz, thinking no one else could hear, but Lei En heard it clearly; she said, "Why not lower the price and sell it to him, and for the missing part, borrow from Ji Erman's family to make up the two thousand gold."

"No way! How can you borrow back money that was just given away?"

The ranger shook his head and refused, firmly saying, "Besides, that money was earned by Ji Erman with his life."

The herder, anxious, asked, "Then what should we do? It's hard to come across a Mid-stage Feather Snake with wind element affinity that can promote you to an Elemental Archer; you've waited two years—miss this chance and who knows when the next will come."

The ranger sighed, a look of helpless worry crossing his brows.

Hearing their words, Lei En roughly understood.

This ranger needs to advance to Elemental Archer, which requires buying a Mid-stage Feather Snake; Lei En recalled seeing that Feather Snake at the Demon Soul Market last time, its wind element affinity, but didn't know who bought it.

Now that buyer is offering it for two thousand gold, a very reasonable price.

From their words, one can hear they traveled thousands of miles back from the New Continent, delivered messages for a fallen teammate, and settled his family; people with such loyalty are rare.

Lei En didn't delay further and offered, "How about this: you sell me the Demon Soul for fifteen hundred gold, and I'll lend you five hundred gold; how does that sound?"

"Agreed." The ranger's eyes lit up, and he immediately accepted.

Lei En produced two gold notes each worth one thousand gold and handed them over; the ranger gave a Soul Stone in return, then quickly wrote an IOU, gratefully saying, "My name is Jie Weiske; this is my teammate Ni Laman. Within a year, I will definitely repay the five hundred gold."

"Hmm, I'll be waiting for your repayment."

Lei En wrote his name on the lender side of the IOU and said, "You know where to find me."

"So it's Mr. Lei En," Ni Laman replied with a smile, "Aren't you afraid we'll run off? The world is so vast; finding a person is too hard."

"Not afraid." Lei En smiled; he trusted the character of these two.

In the Soul's Eye, whether a person lies or shows genuine emotions, nothing can hide.

These two aren't liars; the demon souls are real, too.

"If in the future you go to the New Continent, you can find me at the Golden Gate Inn in Albert Bay," Jie Weiske collected the gold ticket, hurried to buy a Feathered Snake's demon soul, and after saying a few hurried words, left with his teammates.

Lei En's gaze swept the surrounding crowd, and he briskly walked out of the demon soul market.

(End of chapter)