Chapter 348 – First Battle: Dragon Clan

“You want to take the field? I haven’t lost yet!”

Mu Lin’s decision to step into battle was met with the greatest reluctance from Xue Ying.

She didn’t believe she would lose and felt she could still fight several more rounds.

Mu Lin understood her perspective but did not agree with it.

“You can indeed win, but there’s also a thirty percent chance you might die here…”

Shaking her head, Xue Ying replied with a carefree air, “I naturally understand that swords and blades are merciless. But since I’ve chosen the path of cultivation, I fear neither life nor death.”

“But I don’t want you to die here. This would be an unnecessary sacrifice.”

“…”

Mu Lin’s deep concern for her safety warmed Xue Ying’s heart.

However, she couldn’t fully align with his philosophy of combat.

“This battle is necessary. If one dares not face life and death even in a duel, how can one truly confront a life-or-death struggle…”

The Great Path demands struggle—seizing a sliver of life amidst peril. This was Xue Ying’s understanding and her way.

If not for the Attribute Panel, Mu Lin might have thought the same.

But he had the panel, along with a variety of life-preserving skills, which had long since reshaped his philosophy.

“You’ve misunderstood one thing. For me, there is no such thing as a life-or-death struggle. No matter the opponent, I always keep a backup plan and aim to crush them with tenfold, a hundredfold force.”

Build high walls, amass ample provisions, and bide your time before claiming the throne—this was Mu Lin’s philosophy. He intended to focus on steady growth, diligently improving his Cultivation Level, striving to ensure that no matter the enemy, he could overpower them with overwhelming force, sweeping aside all obstacles with tenfold or hundredfold strength.

“Hmm…”

Upon hearing Mu Lin’s philosophy, Xue Ying initially frowned. She felt that waiting until one’s power exceeded the enemy’s by a hundred or tenfold before engaging seemed somewhat cowardly and impractical to maintain consistently.

However, she soon recalled Mu Lin’s astonishingly solid foundation.

Thus, she realized with a sense of helplessness that while others couldn’t possibly achieve such overwhelming force in every battle, Mu Lin was different. Without even trying, as long as he fought opponents of the same tier, he could maintain a hundredfold suppression over them.

More importantly, Mu Lin possessed numerous Substitute Paper Figures, each so lifelike they could easily pass for the real thing.

Therefore, with a bit of caution, Mu Lin could use these Paper Figures to move about, avoiding most dangers and high-level enemies, effortlessly ensuring he only faced opponents of his own tier.

“You are a ruler, and indeed you can act as a nobleman who avoids standing under a crumbling wall. But I…”

“You have the Blade of Slaughter and can assemble an army to command against your enemies. Of course, if you don’t wish to be a marshal or the master of the Blood River and prefer to fight on the front lines, that’s fine too. I don’t oppose you engaging in battle—just not now. Once you’ve mastered Gang Sha and reached the peak of your progress, even if you’re unwilling, I’ll send you to the battlefield.”

“But for now, there are still many areas where you can improve. Whether it’s Gang Qi, Baleful Qi, or your Blood Servants, you can refine them all. So now is not the time for you to fight to the death.”

“…You’re right. Now is indeed not the time for me to fight to the death.”

Under Mu Lin’s persuasion, Xue Ying ultimately yielded.

As for her earlier rebuttal, Mu Lin didn’t dwell on it too much.

Having subordinates willing to fight fearlessly, even at the risk of their lives, was always a good thing.

And though Mu Lin’s ambitions were set on becoming the Lord of Mount Tai and the Great Emperor of Lidu, he had no desire to be a tyrannical ruler.

If someone offered a suggestion, Mu Lin would still accept it if it was good.

…

Their conversation was conducted through divine sense, so it was quite fast.

In just a few breaths, they finished their exchange. Xue Ying stepped down from the arena, while Mu Lin descended slowly from the sky, riding a paper crane.

“Finally, he’s here.”

“Defeat Mu Lin, and everything will be over.”

“You think you can defeat Lord Mu Lin? Don’t dream. If not for Lord Mu Lin’s mercy, you might not even be able to beat Xue Ying…”

“That’s right. Lord Mu Lin will definitely defeat all of you.”

Mu Lin’s arrival on the stage signaled the start of the final battle, and this sparked continuous discussions among the prodigies gathered around the arena.

At the same time, the Foreign Races also looked toward Mu Lin with extreme caution.

After witnessing the appearances of Yan Yunyu and Xue Ying, they had gained some understanding of Mu Lin’s strength.

And considering how he had elevated his subordinates to such power, they hardly dared to imagine just how strong Mu Lin himself was.

Now, even the most arrogant of the Demonic Monsters and Alien Races held a certain respect for Mu Lin and were contemplating how to deal with him. These demons and monsters clearly understood that cooperation with humans could never be a permanent possibility.

Competing for interests through racial conflict was the norm.

After all, those who are not of our kind must have different hearts.

Thus, as a Human Prodigy, Mu Lin was their enemy.

“Is that Mu Lin? He doesn’t look particularly remarkable. Black Tiger, how did he make you so fearful?”

The speaker was White Tiger Li Jingjing. Looking at Mu Lin, who appeared ordinary and almost like a regular person, she had some doubts in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Winged Golden Tiger spoke up in defense of his opponent, Black Fiend Tiger.

“Don’t judge someone by their appearance. If he can make Black Tiger fear… or rather, be wary of him, then that human must be formidable. But there’s no need to worry. No matter what kind of enemy he is, I, who have inherited the legacy of the Sacred Beast, can tear him apart.”

“Hmph, I hope you’ll still have the courage to say that after witnessing Mu Lin’s true strength…”

“Naturally, I will not be defeated by any enemy!”

…

There was some bickering among the Demon Race. At the same time, while most of the Demonic Monsters and Alien Races held Mu Lin in high regard, there were also those who appeared lazy and utterly casual.

The words that came from their mouths showed not the slightest respect for Mu Lin; instead, they carried an air of condescending arrogance.

“Ugh, we’re finally at the end. The earlier parts nearly put me to sleep. I hope this final battle can offer some surprises.”

After these words, another somewhat arrogant voice chimed in from the side.

“Unlike you, I was quite interested in that woman from the previous battle. She seems to have dragon blood, and her combat prowess isn’t bad either. Coincidentally, I’m in need of a guard, and that woman barely qualifies. Turtle Quan, go discuss it with that human later. Tell him I want his maid.”

“…Yes, master.”

Looking down from above and casually demanding Mu Lin’s subordinate—the one who spoke was incredibly arrogant.

Yet, he did possess a sliver of the qualification to be arrogant and look down upon the world.

The reason for this was that he was neither human nor a member of the Demonic Monsters and Alien Races—he was a dragon, a True Dragon.

Unlike other races, the Dragon Clan had never been completely conquered by humans.

Even humanity’s position as the dominant power is limited to the land; the title of ocean overlord has always been held by the Dragon Clan.

Many bodies of water on land also harbor hidden agents of the Dragon Clan.

It can be said that the Dragon Clan is a powerful race truly capable of matching humanity on equal footing.

Moreover, due to their ancient lineage and abundant treasures, the Dragon Clan’s accumulated strength may even surpass that of the Human Race.

What sets them apart further is that while humanity has its imperial family, dynasties have constantly changed hands, meaning the Human Race has never had a true sovereign ruler.

In contrast, the Dragon Palace is different. For them, all races of the waters are either slaves or subordinates, with only the True Dragons reigning as the supreme rulers who control everything.

This deep-rooted hierarchy has kept the Dragon Clan perpetually elevated above all others.

Of course, to prevent being overthrown by the myriad water races, to dissolve their resentment, and to increase their own population, the Dragon Clan has opened a narrow path for those below.

The Leap of the Dragon Gate, or the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, is a transparent scheme promoted by the Dragon Clan.

All beings can transform into dragons, and upon becoming True Dragons, they gain the same rights as other True Dragons. With such a grand promise dangled before them, the myriad water races do not oppose the Dragon Clan outright but instead aspire to transform into dragons and join the ruling class.

Naturally, that is irrelevant to the present, but such a power structure within the Dragon Clan inevitably breeds arrogance.

Those who transformed from humble origins or Dragon Clan elders who have lived countless years are one thing—having seen much of the world, they understand reverence and restraint.

However, dragons hatched from eggs lack such awareness. Flattered by the myriad water races, they grow utterly conceited.

At this moment, the Dragon Clan’s Ninth Princess Ao Xuan and Seventh Prince Ao Yi paid little heed to humans, instinctively viewing them as servants.

This scene made the leading Dragon Lord raise an eyebrow. He knew that while many humans regarded the Dragon Clan as deities, humanity’s true Prodigies did not fear them.

After some hesitation, however, he did not directly reprimand Ao Yi, instead choosing to let them clash with the humans, hoping they would learn a lesson from it.

‘Teaching through words never works as well as teaching through experience. Letting them suffer a setback might do them good.’

“But Mu Lin of the Human Race likely isn’t a match for Ao Yi. This is troublesome…”

This Dragon Lord did not believe his nephew would lose in a conflict with Ao Yi.

This belief wasn’t due to looking down on Mu Lin but rather because the advantages of a True Dragon were simply too great.

True Dragon descendants, hatched from eggs under meticulous care and incubated in supreme Gang Sha locations, typically emerge from their shells already at the Mortal Shedding realm.

This was also the Cultivation Level of Ao Yi and Ao Xuan.

Beyond their Cultivation Level, while still in their eggs, they receive the Dragon Clan’s bloodline inheritance, granting them mastery over countless powerful Spells from birth.

Even more enviable is that at this stage, True Dragons possess a lifespan of three thousand years. Without needing to do anything, merely by sleeping and growing, they can become Earth Immortals by their prime.

Moreover, these are not weak Earth Immortals. With bodies nearly perfected in strength, numerous innate Spells, and countless treasures within the Dragon Palace, True Dragons can typically fight one against ten, or even one against a hundred, when facing humans.

This overwhelming personal strength is the very root of the Dragon Clan’s arrogance.

Their retreat to the ocean was not even due to direct defeat, but because the True Dragons were few in number and could not afford to engage in a war of attrition with humans, which is why they withdrew.

However, while they regarded the Human Race as a whole as their opponent, individual humans were not taken seriously by them.

“Our Dragon Clan is invincible among peers.”

This was their deeply ingrained belief.

Although Mu Lin was strong, even if they were of the same rank, the Dragon Lord did not believe his own Ao Yi would lose, let alone the fact that Mu Lin was currently a rank lower than his nephew.

‘Should I take the initiative to signal to the humans and have them send their Prodigies to gang up on Ao Yi?’

…

The Dragon Lord wanted to use Mu Lin as a whetstone to grind away the arrogance of his own kin, something Mu Lin was still unaware of.

At this moment, he had already stepped onto the arena and stood opposite the blind… swordsman.

Looking at him, Mu Lin calmly said, “I suggest you surrender. You are no match for me—”

“No need. You are indeed strong, but don’t underestimate me!”

The Northern Aristocracy possessed a fierce determination, and most would not surrender outright in the face of battle.

Just like the swordsman before him, even though he felt he was no match for Mu Lin, he dared to fight.

Moreover, with his extensive combat experience, he clearly knew that he likely had only one chance to strike.

Thus, upon facing Mu Lin, he unleashed his ultimate move right from the first attack.

“Hum!”

As his eyes widened, a force of disintegration suddenly acted upon Mu Lin.

Under that terrifying power, Mu Lin’s body… “Rip!”—instantly split into pieces.

“???”

(End of Chapter)