Chapter 87 – Trying to Steal a Chicken but Losing the Rice

An adult Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon typically has a power level around Tier 6, Stage 5.

After evolution, the Spirit of the Earth was also at Tier 6, Stage 5.

Moreover, its combat prowess ranked among the best of Pet Beasts at the same Stage.

It was in no way inferior to Dragon-type Pet Beasts.

In reality, the gap in strength between the two sides was minimal.

Despite being highly vigilant, the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon still underestimated the Spirit of the Earth’s power.

Caught off guard, it suffered a minor setback.

Once it recovered from the pain, the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon flew into a rage, roaring as it charged once more at the Spirit of the Earth.

The battle erupted anew in an instant, quickly escalating to a fever pitch.

Both combatants were Pet Beasts of immense strength, and every move they made was accompanied by fierce, howling gales.

Even from dozens of meters away, the shockwaves of the battle made it hard for Liu Man and the others to breathe, nearly suffocating them.

They had no choice but to retreat another ten-plus meters before catching their breath.

Watching the Spirit of the Earth fight the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon to a standstill, the girls widened their eyes in unison, a mix of shock and delight washing over them.

They had thought this was a hopeless dead end, never expecting such a dramatic turn of events.

With Lin Ze’s Pet Beast around, even if they couldn’t defeat the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon, they could certainly protect themselves.

The dire situation had suddenly turned safe—how could they not be overjoyed?

Yet after the elation came a shock so profound it defied words.

That was a Pet Beast capable of standing toe-to-toe with the mighty Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon!

And its owner was a First Year student.

This undoubtedly struck them with tremendous impact.

“Junior Lin Ze… he’s way too strong!”

Liu Man couldn’t help but murmur to herself.

Song Ting and Gu Lengyan were equally dazed.

A First Year student possessing a Tier 6 Pet Beast was simply unprecedented.

Under normal circumstances, if someone told them a First Year could raise a Tier 6 Pet Beast, they would have scoffed in disbelief.

Yet this absurd, surreal reality was unfolding right before their eyes.

All three of them felt a dreamlike haze wash over them.

Guo Xinyi, in particular, wore a face full of surprise and admiration, staring at Lin Ze’s back with eyes that had nearly turned into starry sparkles.

Lin Ze, completely oblivious to the four girls’ changing expressions, kept his full attention on the battle before him.

The Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon and the Spirit of the Earth were evenly matched, neither able to gain the upper hand.

Even Xiao Xue and the other surviving Pet Beasts on their side were useless in a fight of this caliber, able only to watch from the sidelines.

Lin Ze did have the intention to help.

Unfortunately, a Tier 6 Soul Arrow was effective against Tier 5 Pet Beasts but had minimal effect on the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon.

It probably couldn’t even break through the hard dragon scales covering its body.

And so, the battle fell into a stalemate.

After watching for a while, the girls finally snapped back to reality.

Gu Lengyan and Song Ting exchanged a glance, and the latter approached Lin Ze, speaking in a low voice:

“Junior, this isn’t a good place for a prolonged fight. We should retreat first.”

Lin Ze thought it over and nodded in agreement.

Though he had other trump cards and could take down the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon if he wanted, doing so would bring him no benefit.

The total value of all the materials from a Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon’s body was far less than the trump cards he held.

Lin Ze had no intention of making such a losing deal.

Once they reached a consensus, the group wasted no time. Taking advantage of the Spirit of the Earth holding back the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon, they turned to leave.

But just then—

From afar, a dull, thunderous roar suddenly echoed.

The sound was strangely familiar.

Lin Ze and the others were momentarily stunned before snapping back to reality.

Wasn’t that the cry of a Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon?

But when they turned to look, the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon was locked in a fierce battle with the Spirit of the Earth.

Then where had that sound come from?

Confusion filled everyone’s minds.

But they didn’t have to wonder for long.

In the high sky a thousand meters away, a massive dark silhouette suddenly shot upward, spreading its wings and soaring through the air.

Lin Ze and the others squinted to get a better look, and their eyes went wide in shock.

That dark silhouette—what else could it be but a Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon?

“Wh-What’s going on? Why is there a second Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon?”

Guo Xinyi looked at the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon locked in combat with the Spirit of the Earth, then at the one circling in the distance, her pretty face filled with bewilderment.

It was already bizarre enough for a Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon to appear in the second ring.

And now there was a second one?

The others were equally perplexed.

Lin Ze gazed into the distance. The Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon circled in the air while continuously spewing Dragon Breath and Stone-Condensing Blood Mist, seemingly locked in battle with something.

Before long.

It suddenly flapped its wings and flew at breakneck speed toward them, spitting Dragon Breath or diving to attack along the way, as if it were chasing something down.

As it drew closer.

Lin Ze noticed that this Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon was slightly smaller in build than the one before them.

Moreover, its body’s curves carried a hint more softness.

“That’s a female dragon!”

Gu Lengyan suddenly spoke, a glimmer of contemplation flashing in her eyes.

“A female dragon?”

The others were taken aback.

Dragon-type creatures mostly lived solitary lives, and pure-blooded dragons like the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon were especially so.

It was extremely rare to see two dragons coexisting in the same area.

Seeing everyone’s confusion, Gu Lengyan explained softly:

“Dragon-kind are accustomed to living alone, but there’s one exception—when they intend to hatch their next generation.”

“In that case, a male and female dragon will live together until the dragon egg successfully hatches, and only then do they part ways.”

Hearing this, everyone suddenly understood.

“No wonder the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon suddenly appeared in the second ring—it chose this place to hatch its egg.”

Liu Man murmured in realization.

As they conversed, the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon had already crossed the thousand-meter distance and entered the Grey-Blood Valley.

Only then did Lin Ze and the others see what the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon was hunting down.

It was none other than the Gaoshan Club members they had encountered not long ago.

The group of over a dozen had been whittled down to just four or five, all in disheveled, panicked states.

At the lead, Xu Bing and Luo Han had faces pale as sheets, their earlier smugness and composure completely gone.

The Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon seemed to harbor a deep grudge against the Gaoshan Club members, relentlessly hounding their every step.

With each diving attack, a Pet Beast was torn to shreds.

Tier 4 and Tier 5 Pet Beasts were as fragile as paper in the claws of the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon.

“Why is it them?”

Guo Xinyi was stunned.

Her mind was simple, and she couldn’t figure out why the Gaoshan Club members were here, being hunted by the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon.

But Lin Ze, Liu Man, and the other Second Year students immediately pieced together the truth behind it all, their faces darkening on the spot.

It was obvious.

The ones who had lured the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon over, nearly trapping them in a deadly situation, were Xu Bing and his group.

Their goal was nothing more than using them as bait to hold off the Stone-Condensing Magic Dragon while they snuck away with the dragon egg.

However, the people of Gaoshan Club clearly had no idea that when a dragon egg hatches, two Stone-Condensing Magic Dragons would be guarding nearby at the same time.

As a result, they walked straight into the mother dragon’s claws and suffered heavy losses.

It was a classic case of trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice!