Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The luminous moon hung in the sky while the stars twinkled brightly.
The canyon bathed in moonlight in the night looked as if a black veil was draped over it. The cries of Magical Beasts occasionally rang out, making the canyon seem even quieter and tranquil.
Water vapor rose into the air, and campfires blazed!
Beside the pool, golden, glistening Magical Beast meat gave off an aroma that assailed the senses. Big, fat drops of grease dripped into the campfire and produced loud sizzling sounds, whetting Meng Lei’s appetite and making him swallow his saliva.
“Setting up a fire by the lake and eating in the wilderness!” Ol’ Amos floated in mid-air and gazed at the scene before him. He couldn’t help but sigh emotionally. “Campfire, roasted meat, and ale... Tsk, tsk. What a nostalgic scene!”
“Haha!”
Meng Lei let out a laugh. He could understand how Ol’ Amos felt. After being trapped in the same place for over 20,000 years, anyone would find every little thing in the outside world novel upon their release.
“Hehe, the meat’s done!” Meng Lei’s knife rose and fell. He cut off a piece of shank meat and passed it to Ol’ Amos before saying, “Ol’ President, you haven’t had meat for a very long time, right? Here, try my cooking!”
“Brat, are you out to aggravate me?” Ol’ Amos glared at him. “Can’t you see that this old man is in soul-state now?”
“Uh...”
A sweat droplet formed on Meng Lei’s forehead as he replied in embarrassment, “Sorry, I forgot about that! Hehe, I won’t hold back anymore, then!”
After he spoke, he picked up the fragrant roasted meat and tucked in happily. The saying that anything would taste wonderful when one was hungry made a lot of sense. At the very least, Meng Lei was certainly eating very happily!
In addition, the Seventh-Grade Crocodile-Backed Ox Python meat itself contained an abundant amount of magic elements. And since it lived in a hot spring like this, the meat texture naturally tasted even more delicious.
“This feels great! Absolutely great!”
Meng Lei gorged himself on the food, salivating as he did.
“Hmph!”
As Ol’ Amos stared at Meng Lei, whose mouth was covered in grease, he couldn’t help but lick his own lips. How he wished he could throw himself forward and take a few big bites himself!
Unfortunately, he was in soul-state, so there was no way he could keep the food in him at all.
Sob, what a hard life I lead...
Oh well, I can only distract myself now!
“Brat, you have both earth-elemental and fire-elemental magic talent?”
“Three elements!”
“Three elements?”
“Yes, I have magic talent for three elements—earth, fire, and thunder!”
“You also have thunder-elemental magic talent? Not bad! That’s pretty adequate!”
“Adequate? I guess so!”
“What about your elemental affinities? Any that are high-grade? A high-grade elemental affinity is the minimum requirement for breaking through to Saint Domain. If you don’t have even that, your future achievements will be limited.”
“It’s so-so! Only my thunder and fire elemental affinities are of superior-grade, while my earth-elemental affinity is only high-grade. I can’t compare to you at all, Ol’ President!”
(⊙_⊙) “What?” (⊙_⊙)
Ol’ Amos gasped in surprise. Although he suspected that Meng Lei was posturing, he was still astonished by his exaggerated posturing, nonetheless. “Superior-grade for both thunder and fire elemental affinities? High-grade earth-elemental affinity? Kid, are you pulling my ear?”
“Why would I pull your ear?”
Meng Lei’s mouth was covered in grease from eating. “I have the best magic talent among all the freshmen that enrolled in Fire Dragon Magic Academy this year, you know! And I even get a scholarship grant of 5,000 gold coins per year!”
“...”
Ol’ Amos didn’t know what he should say anymore. It was only after a long while that he said sulkily, “Superior-grade elemental affinity in itself is already extremely rare, not to mention having superior-grade elemental affinities for two elements. It’s practically sheer dumb luck that a kid like you can actually have magic talent like that!”
Sheer dumb luck?
What’s with that choice of words?
I’d picked those up with my own strength!
If you’re that capable, then go pick up one yourself and show me!
Meng Lei curled his lip indignantly. He didn’t want to pay any more attention to that old man who didn’t know how to properly choose his words.
“By the way, I’ve noticed that your spiritual power is pretty strong, kid. Your speed of cultivation must be very fast, right? Which stage of cultivation have you reached?” asked Ol’ Amos.
“It’s so-so, I guess. I’m only at the Seventh-Grade Great Magician realm.”
“You’re only at the Great Magician realm when you have such wonderful magic talent?” Ol’ Amos snorted and asked in dissatisfaction, “Brat, have you been slacking instead of properly cultivating?”
“O-only Seventh-Grade?”
Meng Lei became displeased at once. “Ol’ President, you’re right. I’m already 15 years old, after all, and it has already been more than half a year since I’ve been introduced to magic, yet I’m only a Seventh-Grade Magician. My progress is indeed too slow!”
“What? 15 years old? More than half a year since you’ve been introduced to magic!?”
Ol’ Amos was so shocked that his jaw nearly dropped onto the floor. He couldn’t help suspecting whether or not he’d misheard. “It’s only been half a year since you’ve been introduced to magic? Oh my Dragon God! How can that be? I had taken a whole four and a half years to reach the Seventh-Grade Magician stage back then!”
It’s impossible for others, but I’ve got a frickin’ cheating device, after all. Can others compare themselves with me?
Meng Lei kept quiet and ate instead. He continued digging into the delicious Crocodile-Backed Ox Python meat, the very picture of someone low-profile that kept his strength and achievements deeply hidden.
Ol’ Amos didn’t believe Meng Lei’s claims, however. He stared at Meng Lei and barked, “Brat, are you bluffing this old man here? If you’re 15 years old this year, how can you possibly have only been introduced to magic less than a year ago?”
“Uh...”
Meng Lei was mildly taken aback.
“As a member of the Kroc clan, one is initiated into magic at 5, officially studies magic at 10, enrolls in a magic academy at 14, and is required to graduate at 20!”
Ol’ Amos had a ferocious look in his eyes as he roared furiously, “Yet you’re telling me that you’ve only been introduced to magic less than a year ago?! What’s that, if not a bluff? You unfilial descendant, how dare you deceive me? How infuriating!”
“Wait, wait! The Kroc clan?” Meng Lei hastily interrupted Ol’ Amos’ shouts. “Ol’ President, you must be mistaken. I’m not a member of the Kroc clan! Which clan is that, by the way? It doesn’t seem like there’s a clan like that in Fire Dragon Kingdom?!”
Meng Lei wasn’t very sure because he wasn’t very familiar with the clans in Fire Dragon Kingdom.
“Still trying to bluff me?!” Ol’ Amos sneered. “The Krocs is a clan that I’ve single-handedly built. There are a great number of talents and countless geniuses in the clan, and it’s ranked top among the three great clans of Fire Dragon Kingdom... Yet you’re saying that this clan doesn’t exist? Are you asking for a beating?”
“Alright, I get it now!”
Meng Lei figured out what was going on now. He didn’t bother speaking anymore—instead, he took out his magic communication device and dialed Fatty Hart’s magic code.
“What are you doing?” asked Ol’ Amos with a glare.
“Keep calm and wait for a while, Ol’ President!”
After a short while, Fatty Hart’s round face appeared in the magic communication device. He was repeatedly yawning and looked sleepy-eyed and groggy. Evidently, he’d been woken up from his beauty sleep.
“Old bro, what’s the big idea at a late hour like this?” A yawning Fatty Hart grumbled. “Don’t you know that disturbing someone’s rest is very impolite?”
“Sorry about that! I’ll treat you to a good meal when we’re back in the academy!”
After Meng Lei apologized, he went straight to the point and asked, “Fatty, let me ask you something. Have you heard of a clan called Kroc?”
“The Kroc clan?” Fatty Hart shook his head. “Nope!”
Meng Lei glanced at Ol’ Amos and tried to jog Hart’s memory. He said, “Think about it carefully again. I heard that this clan is ranked top among Fire Dragon Kingdom’s three great clans and is founded by Amos Kroc, the second president of Fire Dragon Magic Academy...”
“The clan founded by the second academy president?” Fatty Hart rubbed his eyes and said dryly, “Old bro, are you joking with me? That’s old history from tens of thousands of years ago. How can it possibly exist all the way till now? It’s long been eliminated!”
“Eliminated?”
“Eliminated for sure. In any case, that clan doesn’t exist in the Fire Dragon Kingdom, much less ranked top among the three great clans!”