Chapter 15: Chapter 15: The Four States of the Dragon
Quietly nestled in Xin Yun's embrace, although it was her first time riding a dragon in her life, oddly enough, Yi Luo Xiang didn't feel scared at all.
Lifting her head, she looked at Xin Yun sweetly. Yi Luo wanted to know if all this was because he was by her side. For some reason, whenever she thought of him, she seemed to fear nothing, even though he was just a child two months older than her. Yet, by his side, she felt an incomparable sense of safety.
Looking at the serene face of Yi Luo Xiang, Xin Yun took a comfortable breath, his nostrils filled with the elegant fragrance emanating from her body. For a moment, Xin Yun was so entranced that he no longer knew what year it was.
"Hehe... How about that, kid? My Pig Dragon is pretty fierce, right!" While the two were sweetly cuddled up, basking in that serene and sweet atmosphere, Da's boisterous voice rang out again.
Hearing Da's voice, Xin Yun's expression became bizarrely weird; he wanted to laugh... but felt too embarrassed to do so, he tried to hold it in... but almost couldn't.
Although among Pig Dragons there were indeed some fierce ones, perhaps others were unaware, but Xin Yun was very clear that Da's Pig Dragon was merely a Spotted Pig Dragon, an omnivorous type with no relation to the word "fierce." In fact, it was somewhat reluctant to even be used for combat. Even if used for transportation, its stamina and weight-bearing capacity weren't so impressive either.
Now, a brief introduction is in order. These so-called dragons were not just some wild beasts, nor summonable creatures from Another World. In fact... dragons and humans were originally one and the same.
Inside every human body rested a dragon. Humans housed the soul of dragons; dragons were essentially just another form that humans could take.
The so-called dragon is a special existence formed by using human Essence Blood as the guide, the soul as the medium, and Crystal Diamonds as the tool to gather the energy of heaven and earth. The human and the dragon are not separate beings, in fact, they are one and the same.
As far as Xin Yun understood, there were four forms of dragons. The first form was dormant within the human body, constrained by the human flesh, only able to exert a thousandth of its innate ability. It was precisely because of this that people like Da could rely on their physical strength to leap onto the more than ten-meter-high Pig Dragon.
The second form was the 'Tamed Dragon,' where the dragon had just left the body and was born. The dragon was not big in size, weak in strength, and unable to bear its master riding it. At this stage, it could only be controlled remotely, hence the name 'Tamed Dragon.' Because it was no longer constrained by the human body, it could exhibit greater power, but due to the lack of the human soul and spirit's enhancement, it could only display one percent of its power.
The third form was the 'Riding Dragon.' Only when one had reached this form could one be considered as having barely set foot on the Martial Path. Da was currently in this form; the person controlled the dragon, and the dragon and human were closely connected, promoting each other. However, since the human and the dragon were still separate entities, this form could unleash ten percent of the dragon's power.
The fourth form was the 'Fused Form,' where the human and dragon merge into one, regardless of the type of dragon. In this form, they would all appear in a humanoid state. In this form, the fusion was truly complete, but differently, the dragon was now the main entity with the human as the supplement, which was the opposite of a normal human. Therefore, it could unleash one hundred percent of its power.
So far, Xin Yun knew of these four forms. Whether there were other forms in the future, no one knew, because... even the Nine Great Experts were only in the ultimate state of this fourth form at that time.
That said, Da did indeed have a reason to be proud. After all... anyone who could reach the third form was considered to have officially embarked on the Martial Path. At present, Da's six brothers were still in the Tamed Dragon stage with remote control. Only Da himself had reached the Bronze One Star, which was indeed worth his pride.
Lost in thought, Xin Yun suppressed a chuckle, nodding as he said, "Yes...Pig Dragons are certainly fierce, very fierce...hahaha..." As he spoke, Xin Yun finally couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing loudly.
The dragon's speed was very fast, and the Pig Dragon was no exception. In less than an hour of flight, the Pig Dragon began to dive, and not far below, a prosperous small town appeared.
According to tradition, it was not allowed for anyone to land a Giant Dragon in any human-congregated area, so each village, town, or city had Dragon Landing Pads. Under Ah Da's control, the Pig Dragon spiraled down and landed steadily on a not particularly large but clean Standing Dragon Pad.
Of course, there weren't too many law enforcement agencies in this world. So-called traditions had no binding strength either—if you were powerful enough and not afraid of the villagers coming out to beat you, you could very well fly your dragon directly down. If you didn't like the sight of it, you could even exterminate the whole village.
Laws? There were indeed laws in this world, but they were limited to individual villages and towns. However, if you were strong and arrogant enough, you could do whatever you wanted. The only thing is, you had to be prepared for the possibility of being besieged.
Moreover, even if you weren't afraid of the village experts and could easily wipe them out, you still had to be careful. Who doesn't have relatives or friends? Even if a mountain village seems unremarkable, you never know if it might be the hometown of some powerful figure, or the place where their relatives live. It's easy to destroy a small mountain village, but when that powerful person comes after you and spares not a single chicken or dog in your family, no one else is to blame.
Karma... Yes, that was the last term Xin Yun came up with. The world was basically lawless, and even if there were laws, they didn't apply to the powerful. As long as you were strong enough and not afraid of karma, you could do whatever you liked.
The so-called karma wasn't just about bullying someone and then having their relatives come for revenge. Oftentimes, it was unfathomable, mystical, yet profound.
For example, one day you're in a bad mood and you curse at a pedestrian who accidentally bumped into you. That person can't beat you, so they can only admit their bad luck. But they can beat someone else, and on their way home, they beat up a child playing by the road. That child got very angry, went home, and threw an ashtray out the window, which just happened to land on your head as you passed by below. That's also called karma.
In fact, even the Nine Great Experts from Xin Yun's past life wouldn't offend people lightly. The arrival of karma was often unpredictable, and nobody knew when or in what form it would strike. Once the weight of karma became too great, even the undying Nine Great Experts couldn't bear it.
So, in a way, karma was the only law in this world!
Upon entering the small town, Ah Da first treated everyone to a hearty meal at the tavern. Looking at the table filled with food and drink, Xin Yun was truly tempted and wanted to indulge, but as a former Earth Person, he knew that it was absolutely not the right thing to do in such a state. So, not only did Xin Yun refrain from eating, but he also prevented Yi Luo Xiang from doing so.
Watching Ah Da and others stuff their faces with a feast, Xin Yun and Yi Luo Xiang drooled with envy but could only hold bowls of thin porridge and sip quietly.
After the meal, the group headed to an inn. At Yi Luo Xiang's request, Xin Yun and Yi Luo Xiang shared a room. Xin Yun knew that although they had escaped immediate danger, Yi Luo Xiang still had not completely calmed down. Perhaps with him by her side, she would feel a bit better; but if left alone in the room, who knew what she might think.
A seven-year-old child suddenly losing all relatives, even familiar people, and appearing in a whole new, unfamiliar environment, that sort of fear and helplessness was indescribable. Therefore... Xin Yun, the only person she was familiar with and could fully trust and rely on, had become Yi Luo Xiang's lifeline. He couldn't let go no matter what. If she woke up to find even Xin Yun gone, then Yi Luo Xiang's world would truly collapse.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone