Dragon Tamer

Chapter 368: Chapter 370 Duel
…

On the grand coral bridge, Zhu Minglang walked a loop around the White Heavenly Street before returning to the Dragon Taming High Court.

It was mainly because the Heavenly Slaughter Dragon was too eye-catching. Moving in such a perilous world, it was always good to have an ace up one’s sleeve that others didn’t know about.

Having returned to his residence, Zhu Minglang had nothing else to do, so he strolled along the shallow beaches and took in the scenery of Man City Academy.

The Dragon Taming High Court was vast, essentially an island soaked in shallow water. The landscape and climate were said to be perfect, with a plethora of small hills and exquisite buildings blending together, creating a scene of breathtaking beauty, filled with artistic charm.

From dusk to night, stars had adorned the dark cyan sky and sunk beneath the calm sea surface. Meanwhile, the most enchanting lights of Man City refused to be outshone by those starry depths, showcasing their most splendid glow along the coastlines of the land.

Zhu Minglang stepped into a Water-wood Forest, pruned especially neat, not a twig out of place.

It seemed that Duan Changqing’s house wasn’t far away, facing a small bay and the resplendent and luxurious scenery of Man City.

After a few more steps, Zhu Minglang saw a figure with graceful curves sitting quietly under a tree, seemingly lost in thought as she gazed at Man City. Zhu Minglang’s footsteps were not particularly light, yet she remained unaware of his presence.

As he drew closer, seeing her side profile illuminated attractively by the various night lights, Zhu Minglang hesitated for a moment. He decided it best not to disturb the tranquil woman’s reverie. Everyone has their own personal space for solitude, and intruding uninvited might seem abrupt.

Just as Zhu Minglang was about to take another path to leave, the woman called out.

“Zhu Minglang?”

“Teacher Duan Lan,” Zhu Minglang turned, ever polite as he was back in the days at Li Chuan Academy.

Duan Lan seemed to want to speak but stopped, struggling to find where to begin.

“It’s all too abrupt, all of this,” Zhu Minglang understood the sorrow condensed in Duan Lan’s heart and said gently.

“Yes,” Duan Lan nodded.

Suddenly a vast new world had invaded, shattering the original tranquility of Li Chuan and even crushing the seemingly imperturbable Li Chuan Dragon Taming Academy.

She was used to the quiet life, also accustomed to doing whatever she could in that serenity for those suffering, never expecting to be dragged into the hardships and tribulations herself.

Being run ragged, faced with cold stares—although it was often her father, Duan Changqing, who dealt with these things—seeing her beloved father have to bow and scrape to the people of the High Court was difficult to accept at first.

“The Academy is my father’s beloved cause; he has worked tirelessly for it, and yet, I don’t know what I can do for him…” Duan Lan spoke softly.

“Teacher Duan Lan, you needn’t worry so much,” Zhu Minglang said.

“Zhu Minglang, I’ve heard you’re quite close to the Female Monarch?” Duan Lan asked.

“That…” Zhu Minglang found the question a bit odd.

Why would she want to know about his relationship with Li Yunzi?

Could it be that she harbored that kind of feeling for him??

When one is fraught with worry, one often speaks what’s in their heart.

Thinking it through, he and Teacher Duan Lan had shared adversities and could trust each other—their relationship, although they’d rarely seen each other since that injury, had established a subtle connection then??

What to do about this.

Teacher Duan Lan was indeed very nice, with a good figure, a calm and dignified aura, gentle and patient speech, and she provided him a lot of help. The thought of having to sternly reject her confessions later caused him some heartache.

“Can you tell me about her?” Teacher Duan Lan asked softly.

“Ah?” Zhu Minglang was a bit caught off guard.

“In such a small academy, I already feel helpless and powerless, unsure of how to hold fast, yet she is able to protect so many city-states and so much land all by herself. By comparison, I feel truly useless. I want to hear her story, how she can face down the army of an entire nation without batting an eye,” Teacher Duan Lan said earnestly.

Teacher Duan Lan was innately delicate and gentle, refined and courteous, kind-hearted to all, but these traits seemed to offer no help in her current predicament.

She wanted to become strong, to become powerful, to at least bravely face all these trials, instead of just worrying on the sidelines and always having her father bear everything.

“So that’s how it is,” Zhu Minglang breathed a sigh of relief gently.

He thought…

Alas, he had been racking his brains, thinking of how to kindly decline, in a way that wouldn’t hurt her sensitive soul while also not leading her to pin any hopes on him.

Thankfully, it wasn’t what he had imagined.

But why did he feel a slight sense of loss?

People really are despicable.

Zhu Minglang, having no other pressing matters, could see that Teacher Duan Lan held the Li Chuan Dragon Taming Academy close to her heart; it was something she was willing to completely change herself to protect.

He slowly shared some of his minor experiences, and then Teacher Duan Lan also asked about Zhu Minglang’s trip to the Imperial City to acquire the right to preside.

Zhu Minglang kept his own descriptions rather simple, giving all the credit to Nan Lingsha.

He had to keep a way out for himself, after all. If he bragged to Teacher Duan Lan about how he had made his mark in the Imperial City, only to struggle with the challenges of a small academy in a few days, that would be too embarrassing.

…

…

Seven days had passed.

Duan Changqing, Bai Yishu, and Teacher Duan Lan had also already conducted some intensive training for the students who had arrived.

Their Main Dragons had at least risen by one rank, which gave them a bit more confidence.

Zhu Minglang walked into the grand arena along with everyone else, a very spacious and bright venue for combat that the Dragon Taming High Court has but Li Chuan Academy does not: seasonal battles.

The academy would grant extra rewards to students who won multiple times in this grand arena every season.

They encouraged students to duel each other in formal and fair settings, and the higher the ranking, the more rewards one would receive, with the tally being settled at the end of each season.

At this time, the competition between the students of Li Chuan Academy and Man City Academy was arranged to take place in this seasonal battle arena. The stone platforms around could accommodate tens of thousands of spectators, while the central combat arena itself was transformed into a mountainous environment, with rocks, sandy soil, trees, small peaks, and fissures…

The battle environment must be of the highest quality.

This is also the case in the Imperial City.

People admire the strong, and the strong are revered.

It seemed that the majority of the Dragon Taming High Court felt a natural sense of superiority. Upon hearing that a “backwater” academy sought recognition from the Supreme Court, many flocked to see, sitting on the stone platforms around, waiting to watch these students from the “backwater” academy make fools of themselves.

“Isn’t it just a test? Why… why are there so many people?” Li Shaoying panicked as soon as she saw the crowd.