Volume One: The Dragon Soul Awakens Chapter 65 Departure! Dragonfang Island!

"Long time no see," Li Qingchi replied, still keeping his eyes closed.

"So? You're here to rescue me?" Li Qingchi chuckled. "The prison system of the Crystal Prison is so well-designed, I doubt you can get out with just a bunch of keys."

"That's true," the other responded coolly. "But if I wanted to, I could still help you escape—though now is not the best time."

"Oh?" Li Qingchi inquired. "Then why are you dangling that key ring around?"

"The keys of the Seven Sins ought to be replaced," the other said meaningfully.

"What’s that got to do with me?" Li Qingchi gave a bitter smile. "I don’t think I’m qualified, am I?"

"You may not be qualified yet, but this matter is closely tied to you." The other suddenly stopped.

"What do you mean by that?" Li Qingchi asked.

"Your sister has already made it onto the candidate list."

As soon as the words left the other’s mouth, Li Qingchi leapt from the wooden bunk, rushed to the front of the crystal cell, and gripped the iron bars tightly, anger blazing in his eyes.

"What do you mean? I made it clear before joining the sect that my sister was not to be involved in this plan!"

"The sect leader’s orders," the other replied.

"To hell with the sect leader! What a two-faced bastard!" Li Qingchi cursed.

Seeing the veins bulging on the young man’s forehead, the other shook his head and said, "She’s only on the candidate list. No need to be so upset."

"No need to be upset? My sister is my only family left, and the sect is about to lay hands on her—how could I not be upset? Do you even know what it feels like to lose family? You know nothing!"

"You and I have both been through it—why wouldn't I know?" The other gave a wry smile. "My scars run no less deep than yours."

Li Qingchi opened his mouth to say something, then swallowed his words.

The two stood in silence for a while.

"How has Vanilla been lately?" Li Qingchi broke the silence.

"She’s doing alright for now," the other answered. "After the school exposed your case, your sister cried for a long time. But these past few days, she’s been pulling herself together—her spirits have lifted."

"I see..." Li Qingchi let go of the bars. "That’s all, then?"

"The Han River Academy, together with other academies, is preparing to purge the outsiders," the other said. "The school will be sending an expedition to Dragonfang Isle at dawn tomorrow."

"Heh, only now do they realize the danger outsiders pose? Isn’t that a bit late?" Li Qingchi sneered.

"It’s not too late. And besides, the sect will be joining in this time," the other replied.

"Oh? Why?" Li Qingchi asked.

"The power of the Wind Dragon God has awakened," the other paused. "Coincidentally, it’s on Dragonfang Isle."

"Is that so?" Li Qingchi smiled. "Let’s hope we don’t get a repeat of last time, when the power of the Water Dragon God fell into a traitor's hands."

"Samael... that expelled fellow. He’ll probably sneak in this time too," the other said. "After all, he possesses the most powerful disguise techniques and a knack for stealing others’ skills."

"Interesting..." Li Qingchi shook his head. "So many factions vying for dominance."

"I know you want to prove yourself," the other offered a faint smile. "Don’t worry. You'll get your chance."

"Time’s running out. I must go," the other said, waving a hand and preparing to leave.

"You snuck into the Crystal Prison—won’t the school notice?" Li Qingchi asked.

"Don’t worry," the other said with a sidelong grin. "I have my ways."

"True. Your current status is quite high," Li Qingchi nodded.

"Anything else?" the other asked.

Li Qingchi furrowed his brows and said, "Remember to protect my sister."

The next day.

5:50 a.m.

The world was shrouded in gray; only the distant, rising sun cast a gentle light, lending the sky a hint of color.

At this hour, in the Hades Training Grounds, Mo Xing, Zhang Zhihao, and Cai Hong were saying their final farewells.

"This is as far as I go with you," Cai Hong said.

"Alright, thank you, Senior Cai—" Mo Xing hadn’t finished before he yawned involuntarily.

He was just too sleepy! It had been ages since he’d gotten up this early, and he felt groggy, while Zhang Zhihao beside him was full of energy, discussing last-minute details with Senior Cai.

"Don’t worry, leave it all to me!" Cai Hong patted his chest, signaling that everything was in good hands—in a word: reliable!

"Mm." Zhang Zhihao nodded.

"Well, I’ll be off then," Cai Hong waved.

"Take care, Senior," Mo Xing nodded.

The previous night, after dinner, Mo Xing and Zhang Zhihao returned to the dorm and began packing...

Wait, it was just him packing. Zhang Zhihao had long since stowed his things in his storage wristband.

Thank goodness for storage rings and wristbands in this world; just pack everything inside and you’re good to go. Otherwise, lugging bags around would be a nightmare.

Cai Hong and Senior Mianhua had promised to see them off early in the morning. But Senior Mianhua slept like a log, and no matter how much Cai Hong tried to wake him, he wouldn’t budge. And so, it was just Cai Hong who came to send them off.

"Good morning, everyone!"

Mo Xing snapped back to his senses and saw Wu Dancai waving from not far off, so he waved in return.

"Morning," Zhang Zhihao said.

"Phew—thought I was running late," Wu Dancai jogged over, wiping sweat from his brow.

"No, no, we just got here," Mo Xing laughed.

"Huh? Where are Shiyan and Xia Ningxin?" Wu Dancai looked around.

"I haven’t seen them either; maybe they're on their way," Mo Xing scratched his head.

"Here I am!"

A familiar voice rang out from not far away, and Mo Xing turned to see Shiyan appear before him, leaving behind a fleeting black-and-white afterimage.

Shadow Step! Mo Xing was amazed. He hadn’t expected Shiyan’s Shadow Step to be so swift—even faster than Lin Ke’s!

"Good morning!"

Shiyan’s lips curved in a slight smile. Today, she wore a short, gray-and-white cape over a pale blue round-neck top, which highlighted her slender neck, paired with a wine-red knee-length skirt and black knee-high boots. Her jet-black hair, naturally wavy, rested elegantly on her shoulders, making her look stylish and graceful.

"G-Good morning!" Mo Xing stammered, stunned once again by Shiyan’s beauty.

She truly was stunning!

"Good morning, Vice President!" Wu Dancai greeted warmly.

"Good morning," Zhang Zhihao nodded slightly.

"Mo Xing, aren’t you cold in short sleeves?" Shiyan suddenly pointed at his white T-shirt.

"Ah? It’s... it’s fine, not too cold—" Mo Xing didn’t finish before sneezing loudly.

"Oh dear, put on something warmer," Shiyan quickly pulled a white fur-lined coat from her storage wristband and handed it to Mo Xing.

"Uh... thanks, but I brought a jacket myself," Mo Xing waved and took out his black coat from the Titan’s Ring, putting it on.

After all, wearing girls’ clothes would be a bit awkward.

"Alright then..." Shiyan put the fur coat back into her wristband.

"By the way, where’s Xia Ningxin?" Wu Dancai, sensing the atmosphere was getting awkward, quickly changed the subject.

"Here she comes," Zhang Zhihao said calmly.

Suddenly, a gale swept through, and a rainbow beam shot across the sky.

Everyone looked up: a massive golden airship appeared overhead, so immense it blotted out half the sky!

Shaped like a colossal ship, its hull radiated dazzling colors, and countless hexagram arrays spun beneath it, keeping the vessel afloat.

Mo Xing was dumbfounded. He had never seen a ship so large—let alone one floating in midair!

Words failed him. If he had to describe it, he’d borrow a phrase from the classics: "The back of the roc, who knows how many thousand li it spans? When it soars in anger, its wings blot out the sky."

"Students, please board!"

A clear, melodious voice sounded in their ears—it was Instructor Su Yunzhou’s Domain of Sound!

"Board? How do we board?" Mo Xing looked all around. The ship hadn’t landed, nor had it dropped any gangplank. Were they supposed to sprout dragon wings and fly up there themselves?

No way—he hadn’t mastered that yet!

"Look ahead!" Shiyan said.

Mo Xing looked, and suddenly, the gray air split open as if torn apart. A golden beam burst forth, forming a vast doorway.

"A... teleportation gate?" Mo Xing gaped at the three-meter-tall golden portal.

"Yeah! Only those who've reached the Amethyst Cauldron rank can learn teleportation skills!" Wu Dancai nodded.

"Then why aren’t we teleporting straight to Dragonfang Isle? Why take the airship?" Mo Xing scratched his head.

"The journey to Dragonfang Isle is long, and there are many of us. Direct teleportation would exhaust the caster’s spirit, and there are other limitations as well. It’s just not feasible," Shiyan shook her head.

"Fair point," Mo Xing thought. No matter how powerful, there had to be limits—otherwise, anyone could become a god!

"Let’s go," Zhang Zhihao, who had been silent, said, and stepped into the golden gate.

"Mm." The others followed.

In the blink of an eye, Mo Xing found himself standing on the deck at the bow of the ship!

How incredible! Mo Xing couldn’t help but marvel.

Just then, a familiar girl appeared before them, cradling a cat.

Xia Ningxin!

And in her arms, Little Moonshadow!

"Everyone’s here," Xia Ningxin smiled faintly.

"Meow~" Little Moonshadow purred in her arms.

Elsewhere on campus...

Fallen leaves were gently swept aside as an old man tidied the ground.

Suddenly, he paused, gazing at the glowing airship in the distance with a knowing smile.

He was Mr. Shen.

A white mist, shaped like a mirror, appeared beside him—a soul formation used for communication.

"Have you calculated everything?" Mr. Shen asked.

"All set," came the reply from the mirror. "You’ll need to bring two more pieces onto the board."

"Oh? Which two?" Mr. Shen asked with interest.

"The first-year student Xiaofeng, and..." the other yawned.

"Li Xiangcao."

——Idle Chat by the Cliff——

The key arc of Volume One, the "Dragonfang Isle Incident," has begun—thank you all for your support!

Busy with studies lately, so I’ll be taking a day off tomorrow (the 31st). Hope for your understanding.

Of course, I’ll still update something—like more "Adventurer’s Lost Notes." Look forward to tomorrow’s additions. ⊙▽⊙