Chapter 1121: Chapter 1121

Feeling the excitement in the Treasure Seeking Beast’s voice, Lan Xuanyu instead felt his heart settle down.

That’s right—Celestial Dragon Planet really was extremely suitable for his cultivation. But it was also unimaginably dangerous.

With even the slightest mistake, everything he had could collapse in an instant.

The Rising Dragon Competition itself was already a tremendous challenge. One could easily imagine that if he ultimately achieved outstanding results, he would inevitably attract the attention of Celestial Dragon Planet’s upper echelons.

Being noticed meant more resources—but it also meant being placed under the spotlight. The risk of exposure would increase accordingly.

He would have to rack his brains to deal with such a situation, and at the same time, he couldn’t afford to take too many actions. Otherwise, one wrong move could expose him completely. Even dragon hunting would need to be reduced. For now, all he could do was take things one step at a time—cautious and restrained, seeking not merit, but safety.

The longer he stayed here, the lower the chances of being discovered. His identity would grow safer, and his status more stable.

That outcome was inevitable. What mattered now was what kind of conclusion the Huang’s side would give. This was where the advantage of having previously met the Dark Ink Dragon Knight, Luo Lan, became apparent. With a Dragon Knight acting as guarantor, the danger would be greatly reduced.

Earlier, the Darkfiend Dragon Knight Luo Yayuan’s shock had most likely come from sensing the aura of the Dragon God emanating from him. Luo Yayuan must have experienced the Dragon God’s aura within the Dragon Realm—or perhaps even witnessed visions similar to what Lan Xuanyu had seen himself. This meant that there were definitely clues related to the Dragon God within the Dragon Realm.

The Dragon Realm—no matter what, he would go there sooner or later. Even if he couldn’t make it this time, he would find a chance in the future.

He was still far too weak. If he were already a super-god-level powerhouse, would he really need to worry about all this? Feeling the surging dragon energy beneath him on the Rising Dragon Platform, he let out a silent sigh.

This had once been the Dragon God’s Super God artifact. In the future, he would definitely make it his own Super God artifact as well. The dragon energy on the Rising Dragon Platform was absorbed by the gathered dragons and gradually weakened. From time to time, excited dragon roars rang out—cries from Dragon Clan beings who had broken through or evolved.

Very few Lower Dragons were able to fly onto the Rising Dragon Platform. Those who did had accumulated strength over a long time and possessed a certain amount of luck. But once they arrived here, it meant that destiny had come knocking.

Lower Dragons actually had a greater chance of advancing to Intermediate Dragons. For Intermediate Dragons to advance to Higher Dragons was far more difficult—just as it was even harder for Higher Dragons to transform into humanoid form.

Bloodlines stacked layer upon layer; the higher one went, the harder it became.

An hour later, the dragon energy was completely depleted. All the magical patterns on the Rising Dragon Platform disappeared, leaving it looking like an ordinary stone platform. Lan Xuanyu opened his eyes, his bones cracking and popping throughout his body as the dragon core in his chest once again became full.

What surprised him most wasn’t the enlarged dragon core in his chest, but the one within his Sea of Spirit—the spiritual dragon core.

This spiritual dragon core had completely transformed into seven colors, and faint golden mist swirled around it.

It seemed to have gained a hint of sentience.

Although he didn’t know how much his spiritual power had improved this time, Lan Xuanyu was certain that the moment the Dragon God’s array had activated had dealt a tremendous impact to his spirit—and also brought him many fragmented memories.

Those memories soon vanished, but his own aura—both spiritual and physical—had undergone a complete transformation. It felt as though he had endured the Dragon God’s divine might once, then absorbed that might into his own body. Among all the changes, the transformation of his spiritual power was the most obvious.

Lan Xuanyu stood up and walked toward Bai Xiuxiu, who had also finished her cultivation.

When their eyes met, even though it was only for an instant—and even though they had been able to see each other the entire time—it still felt as though lifetimes had passed between them.

Lan Xuanyu took the initiative to hold Bai Xiuxiu’s hand. She looked at him, her gaze shifting slightly, but in the end she said nothing.

Hand in hand, they walked toward the edge.

“Lan, are you alright?” Huang Yuanlang had already rushed over, asking with concern.

Lan Xuanyu shook his head. “I’m a bit tired. Let’s head back.”

“Alright, alright, let’s go back.” Huang Yuanlang had been quite shaken today as well, and his attitude had become almost respectful. Even he himself didn’t know why—he simply found that he could no longer face Lan Xuanyu as an equal.

Under the gazes of the other Higher Dragons, Lan Xuanyu, Bai Xiuxiu, and Huang Yuanlang stretched their bodies, transforming into dragon form and flying off the Rising Dragon Platform, diving downward.

All the way back to their residence, Bai Xiuxiu didn’t say a single word. Huang Yuanlang tactfully took his leave.

The competition would begin the next day. Professionals would handle the subsequent draws; all they needed to do was show up with their number tokens.

After closing the door, Bai Xiuxiu’s eyes instantly turned red. She had been forcibly suppressing her emotions all this time.

“What’s wrong?” Lan Xuanyu hurriedly pulled her into his arms.

“How about… how about we go back? Back to our home planet.” Bai Xiuxiu said, choking back sobs.

Lan Xuanyu immediately understood. He gently stroked her long hair. “I’m sorry. I made you worry.”

In a low voice, Bai Xiuxiu said, “When you collapsed on the Rising Dragon Platform earlier, I really thought we’d been discovered. I thought I was going to lose you forever. Do you know how terrified I was at that moment?”

“And on Celestial Dragon Planet, that definitely won’t be the last time something happens. Xuanyu, I’m not afraid of death—but I really hate living in constant fear. Do you understand?”

Lan Xuanyu nodded. “I understand. I understand everything. I’m sorry, Xiuxiu. I shouldn’t have done that today.”

“If we weren’t so high-profile, or if—”

“No, that’s not it.” Bai Xiuxiu interrupted him. “You didn’t do anything wrong. What you did will bring us even greater gains. I can clearly feel how much my bloodline tempering improved. That’s the benefit of being the first to reach the Ascending Dragon stage.”

“But the price of rapid growth is danger—danger that can arrive at any moment. I heard everything that Darkfiend Dragon Knight said earlier. If you end up winning the championship, it means you’ll have to go to the Dragon Realm.”

“When that happens, I might not even be able to stay by your side. I’m really afraid that once you go… you’ll never come back.”

Bai Xiuxiu clung tightly to him, finally releasing all the emotions she had been holding in.

Lan Xuanyu frowned slightly. He didn’t know what to say. Give up going to the Dragon Realm?

After a long while, he let out a deep breath. “Alright. Xiuxiu, I promise you—this time, I won’t aim for the championship. As long as I make it into the finals and gain the qualifications to compete for a Dragon Knight position, I’ll stop.”

“And this time, I won’t go to the Dragon Realm. Okay?”

“But Xiuxiu, you also need to understand—we can’t just think about ourselves anymore. Our companions are all on Celestial Dragon Planet. The senior plant-type soul beasts are here. Elder Shu is here.”

“The benefits this place brings to everyone—even to the Eternal Tree—aren’t something we can just abandon on a whim.”

“This is the result of everyone’s efforts. I can only promise you that I’ll do my best to keep us safer. But to take no risks at all… I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Do you remember? Back on Proto Celestial Dragon Planet, when we learned the secret of the Proto Dragon Crystals, who could have imagined we’d encounter the Celestial Dragon Planet’s leader’s interception?”

“In this world, danger is everywhere. If you truly want to avoid risk, there’s only one way—becoming strong. Truly strong.”

“I never want to face another situation like when Teacher Nana fell into a star to save me. I want to become stronger—stronger than everyone else. I want to have enough power to protect you all.”

“Celestial Dragon Planet might be my only chance. Only here can I truly become that kind of powerhouse. So… I really can’t completely give it up.”