The Rainbow Cocoon's Metamorphosis

The Sacred Tree and the Little Defiant Dragon pulsed in sync, merged into one, radiating an indescribable wonder. From the gaping wounds, a thick, viscous, seven-colored liquid began to flow. A faint, exquisite fragrance drifted through the air, clearing the mind and refreshing the spirit—as if the legendary fruit of the ten-thousand-year ginseng had ripened. This was a heady, spiritual perfume that intoxicated the senses.

The formation of the rainbow dragon cocoon was accompanied by a faint tremor, as if the very foundations of the pavilion were quaking.

When everything finally settled, the rainbow dragon cocoon shimmered with flowing light, its rich fragrance saturating the entire courtyard. Keke was positively drooling, longing to take a bite. The little snow-white beast circled the cocoon, its bright eyes wide with astonishment, its long lashes blinking rapidly. At last, unable to resist the soul-stirring aroma, it stole a glance at Xiao Chen, then quickly swiped a pawful from the cocoon.

Ink-jade liquid, white-jade liquid, emerald-jade liquid, golden-jade liquid—the seven-colored droplets mingled together, sticky as honey, covering its tiny paw in shimmering, dazzling light.

Keke closed its eyes in bliss, intoxicated by the scent, and as if drunk, brought its paw—laden with the radiant droplets—toward its mouth.

But then a strange thing happened. Amid the flowing light, the brilliant droplets seemed to vaporize, evaporating from its paw into shifting wisps of luminous mist that streamed away and merged back into the glittering dragon cocoon.

Keke was not about to give up; it wanted to grab another handful of the crystal-clear, viscous liquid, but Xiao Chen stopped it. The little white beast seemed to understand that it shouldn't act recklessly and this time did not cause trouble. It settled down to watch quietly.

The rainbow dragon cocoon was formed entirely from those shimmering droplets. Although it rested on the marble floor of the pavilion, it did not deform—it remained a perfect sphere, untouched by any dust, its soft radiance repelling all impurities.

After about two hours, the droplets began to solidify. They hardened into a tough, colorful shell. Keke's expression was priceless; its little mouth formed a perfect 'O.' This was not a true rainbow jade eggshell, but it looked exactly like one—and Keke itself had been born from a genuine rainbow jade egg. Even Xiao Chen was astonished. Clearly, the Little Defiant Dragon was undergoing a metamorphosis, but such a result was wholly unexpected.

"Crack!"

A sound of shattering rang out. Beneath the dragon cocoon—now resembling a rainbow jade egg—the hard marble floor fractured. The pavilion's foundation trembled again.

When all was still once more, a stream of iridescent radiance surged up from the cracked ground, converging on the rainbow dragon cocoon.

"Earth dragon qi!"

Xiao Chen was taken aback. Gazing at this tangible spiritual energy, he recalled certain legends. Deep beneath the earth lay dragon veins—pulse-lines of primal power—and within those veins, shaped dragons of energy were said to form. These were not true dragons but incarnations of pure spiritual force.

No one, no matter how divine their power, could easily capture a dragon vein. It was the purest essence of the earth, and one might not find a single vein in a territory spanning a million square kilometers. Moreover, dragon veins were always on the move; settling in one place for a few centuries was already considered rare.

If a master of geomancy could track the trajectory of a moving dragon vein and inter a corpse at the site where it paused, legend held that the descendants of the deceased would be blessed with great fortune. The fabled 'imperial burial caves' were tied to this tale.

But even if one detected a dragon vein's path, it was impossible to capture. The slightest touch would cause it to dissipate across a million li.

Xiao Chen had to marvel. The Sacred Tree—born from the splintered Cosmic Tree of the dragon race—truly possessed the ability to summon the spiritual energy of the earth's dragon veins.

If a dragon could fuse with formless dragon qi, the benefits would be immense. The Sacred Tree had finally revealed one of its hidden, extraordinary uses.

Without a doubt, a dragon vein must exist beneath Heavenly Emperor City at this moment. Otherwise, even if the Little Sacred Tree could attract dragon qi, it would have nothing to gather in the absence of a vein.

Though the summoned dragon qi was very faint, it was more than enough for the metamorphosing Little Defiant Dragon. It rose like a flame, baking the rainbow dragon cocoon, surging into it in an endless stream.

Xiao Chen dared not leave, afraid of unexpected developments. Keke, after its initial shock, was now simply curious and sat quietly waiting with him.

A day and a night passed. The rainbow dragon cocoon began to make cracking sounds. The transformation was far faster than expected—it would be complete in just twelve hours. Xiao Chen was filled with anticipation, wondering how much the Little Defiant Dragon's power would increase. At the very least, its survival was no longer in question.

In that instant, the seven-colored light blazed fiercely, dazzling to the eyes. The cocoon shattered, and in a flash, all its brilliance vanished, drawn inward. The once-gleaming jade shell dimmed and finally crumbled into ash.

A white-jade dragon, as if carved by a master's hand, broke free from the cocoon.

The Little Defiant Dragon had transformed completely. Gone was its dark, brown hide. Now its body was a luminous, creamy white, like the finest mutton-fat jade. Its scales shimmered with rippling waves of light.

Its head had become even more like that of an Ancestral Dragon. The single horn on its crown had vanished, replaced by a pair of white jade antlers—identical to those of an Ancestral Dragon.

Its body remained that of a tiger or leopard, but the brilliant light flowing over it testified to the immense power within. Every flex of its limbs seemed to overflow with terrifying strength, and its light, deliberate movements carried the majesty of a dragon's stride.

Most astonishing of all, its tail—once a crocodilian appendage covered in white jade scales—had transformed into the tail of an Ancestral Dragon! This was staggering. On Dragon Island, the tails of all eleven young dragon kings had still been crocodilian. Now the Little Defiant Dragon had undergone such a change—it was utterly breathtaking.

In that moment, Xiao Chen reached a conclusion: the Little Defiant Dragon had become a true Dragon King!

Yes, it was no longer ordinary. If the eleven young dragon kings remained unchanged after leaving Dragon Island, then the Little Defiant Dragon might well be stronger than them. For it possessed something they lacked: the tail of an Ancestral Dragon.

An Ancestral Dragon's head, a tiger-leopard's body, an Ancestral Dragon's tail—and every inch covered in white jade scales, as if carved from the finest mutton-fat jade. It was perfect.

Keke's mouth fell open. It rubbed its big eyes furiously, then trotted over and pinched the Little Defiant Dragon's tail, staring suspiciously at the new, one-meter-long radiant jade dragon.

There was no denying it: the Little Defiant Dragon had become beautiful. No longer the ugly, unremarkable creature it had once been, it had truly transformed from an ugly duckling into a white swan.

The only thing that had not changed was its bearing. It was even prouder now, its gaze sharp and invincible. It seemed very satisfied with this transformation; with a slight stretch of its body, it shot forward like a white bolt of lightning, covering more than ten meters in an instant.

Xiao Chen walked over and placed his hand on the Little Defiant Dragon's leopard-like body, sensing the pulse within. The power flowing there was unimaginably vast, surging like angry waves, causing the light on its surface to ripple like water.

Nine Heavenly Tiers!

The Little Defiant Dragon's strength now matched that of a Mortal-Shedding Ninth Heaven expert!

On Dragon Island, the young dragon kings had all been around the Sixth or Seventh Heaven of Mortal-Shedding. More than a year had passed now, and if they had not progressed, the Little Defiant Dragon had certainly surpassed them.

But that was unlikely. The eleven young dragon kings must have advanced as well—their bloodlines were simply too extraordinary to stagnate.

Xiao Chen had a premonition that, although the Little Defiant Dragon had undergone a stunning metamorphosis, it could not have left the eleven dragon kings far behind. The most likely reality was that they, too, had reached the Ninth Heaven, and the Little Defiant Dragon's lead, if any, was marginal.

He had to acknowledge the dragon race's terrifying innate advantages. Their natural gifts were beyond any other species. After all, the Little Defiant Dragon and those eleven were barely a year old!

Clearly, the Little Defiant Dragon had become very powerful. If it also employed the ancient dragon battle techniques it had mastered, it might not lose to a northern prodigy like Wu Xingfeng.

At that moment, a soft, seven-colored radiance flickered, and the Sacred Tree emerged from the Little Defiant Dragon's body. Keke was delighted. With a light wave of its tiny paw, the treasure tree flew over to it. It turned the tree over and over, as if trying to examine it thoroughly.

"You need to work harder," Xiao Chen said. "Don't just sleep all day, or the Sacred Tree will truly be wasted in your hands."

"Ya-ya…" Keke protested indignantly.

In truth, Xiao Chen knew that the little white beast possessed its own unique method of cultivation—sleeping was equivalent to training. It, too, had been improving steadily, just never given a chance to show it.

With a serious air, Keke planted the treasure tree into the cracked ground of the pavilion, trying to summon the earth dragon qi, which had not yet fully dispersed. But in that instant, the little beast cried out in alarm. It quickly activated its Binding Art to hold the Little Sacred Tree steady, as a coiling dragon-shaped stream of radiance had wrapped around the tree and was trying to drag it underground.

Xiao Chen rushed over and struck the cracked earth with a heavy palm, dispersing the dragon qi. It was clear that attracting dragon qi carried risks; one careless move could mean losing the treasure tree.

To his regret, after the chaos of that night, the little white-shelled turtle that had been locked in the house had escaped, leaving no traces behind.

After a day of rest, Xiao Chen prepared to go out with Keke and the Little Defiant Dragon. But he realized there was a problem: the Little Defiant Dragon now looked every inch a true Dragon King. Taking it out would certainly attract covetous eyes. This was no ordinary spirit beast; a Dragon King—what did that mean? The news would have an unparalleled impact.

And then something astonishing happened. The Little Defiant Dragon's body emitted a series of crackling sounds as its joints shifted, and finally, it transformed into a one-meter-long white jade dragon-horse. It had the form of a fine horse, but its entire body was covered in white jade scales, and it bore a pair of Ancestral Dragon horns on its head—a remarkably divine little Celestial Horse.

That the Little Defiant Dragon possessed such an ability was truly unexpected.

But even so, the white jade dragon-horse drew many sidelong glances as it walked down the street.

On bustling Academy Road, the crowds flowed thickly, many of them students from the various academies. Xiao Chen strolled leisurely down the street. The Little Defiant Dragon's fortunate calamity—this magnificent metamorphosis—had already quelled the anger and killing intent that had been surging in his heart. His emotions were calm again. But he would by no means let Zhuge Kun and that degenerate of the Ligen family off the hook.

"First, that scumbag from the Ligen family!" From Hai Yuntian, he had learned that the Ligen family's degenerate was a student of White Deer Academy. He walked along Academy Road through the river of people and soon arrived at the famous and imposing White Deer Academy.

Its ancient walls bore the weathering of centuries. The grand gate tower of White Deer Academy soared over twenty meters high. These old structures had stood for eight hundred years, dating back to the academy's founding.

Although many students from Big Dipper Academy had come to recognize Xiao Chen after his duel with Lu Muda, that did not mean the students of White Deer Academy knew him—only a few from White Deer Academy had bothered to watch that fight.

Seeing Xiao Chen standing at the gate with a strange beast that looked like a dragon-horse, quite a few students stopped to stare.

"Is this guy here to cause trouble? Looks like he's waiting to fight one of our students."

"Yeah, seems like he's here to ambush someone from our academy. Wonder how many gold coins he got paid."

Hearing their chatter, Xiao Chen felt a little speechless. Did people regularly hire experts to deal with White Deer Academy students?

Even more surprising was yet to come. A rather handsome young man walked up and said with a familiar air, "Brother, you look like a top expert—definitely at least the Fifth Heaven of Mortal-Shedding. Who are you going to beat up today? Want me to find you a job? A lot of us here want to take down a guy named Hai Yuntian. That bastard is always coming around harassing pretty girls. If you can clean up that pretty boy, I bet you'll earn at least a hundred gold coins. Oh, and if you clean up that pig-headed Zhuge while you're at it, there'll be even more."

Xiao Chen was caught between laughter and tears. Was blocking enemies and fighting for hire becoming an actual profession around here? Interesting. And those two apparently had terrible reputations.

"Do you know a certain Caos from the Ligen family?"

"Ah, you mean that degenerate from the Ligen family? Beat him, beat him half to death! He's scum—raped several pretty female students and has a few deaths on his hands."

"Can you tell me where he is?"

"He hasn't shown up for days, but I know where he often goes. There's a place in the city called the Hot Spring Paradise—he goes there frequently."

Xiao Chen left immediately. The student behind him clenched his fist in excitement and muttered to himself, "Someone's really going to take a shot at that scumbag Caos? I hope he beats him half to death. Hmm, that guy must be a real killer."

The Hot Spring Paradise was famous in Heavenly Emperor City. Fine trees flourished there, pavilions and towers dotted the landscape, and mist rose from the steaming waters, dreamlike and ethereal. The scenery was like a poem or a painting. Three low hills within the city were all gathered here, none more than a hundred or two hundred meters tall, surrounded by wooden fences. The grounds were extensive. Without a doubt, this was the property of the city lord.

Xiao Chen soon reached the Hot Spring Paradise. Though those who entered were wealthy or noble, pets were strictly forbidden. At the mountain gate, he met an acquaintance: Liu Yu, the third son of the Heavenly Emperor City Lord Liu Daoming, who had once defied Sun Miao alongside Xiao Chen at the Prince Li's residence.

"Haha… Brother Xiao! Your battle against the northern prodigy Wu Xingfeng was exhilarating—I watched the whole thing. Anyone else would be denied entry with a war beast, but they'll definitely make an exception for you. Hmm, is this the legendary dragon-horse? Could it be a sacred beast?" Liu Yu looked doubtfully at the divine Little Defiant Dragon.

"How could it be a sacred beast? It's just a powerful spirit beast."

Just then, a few old men emerged from one of the steaming pools. Liu Yu saw them and said, "Brother Xiao, there are some guests here today that I must attend to. Another day, we'll drink together."

"Go ahead, don't mind me."

"Remember: from now on, this Master Xiao is welcome free of charge and must be escorted to the VIP area." Having instructed the gatekeepers, Liu Yu went to greet the old men with a respectful expression.

The Hot Spring Paradise was a land of clouds and steam, fragrant flowers, and lush groves. Each hot spring zone was separated by fine trees and vines, and pavilions could be seen everywhere.

Xiao Chen walked inside with the Little Defiant Dragon and Keke, turning left and right until they entered the so-called VIP area. Just then, he spotted a familiar face—it was Yan Qingcheng and Hai Yunxue, soaking in the hot spring among the flowering trees ahead. A refreshing fragrance filled the air, along with the murmurs of several women.

"Did I take a wrong turn?" Xiao Chen felt a twinge of alarm. Had he stumbled into a hot spring reserved for the beauties of the Southern Wastes?