“The Sky Shard… this story goes all the way back to ancient times.”
Oduin recalled the past when he heard the question and slowly began to tell Lu Qiuchen.
“In the clan’s ancient records, when other dragons were still ignorant and thought that Dragon Island was the entire world, there was a pioneer who was filled with curiosity about the world beyond.
“This pioneer felt Dragon Island was too small and decided to explore the outside world. Even in his youth, he made multiple attempts, but compared to the vast ocean, a young dragon was too weak, and all those expeditions ended in failure.
“But he did not give up. Once he reached adulthood and felt he had gained enough strength, he set off from Dragon Island again. After many failures, he finally succeeded in discovering the current Northern Continent and the elves and dwarves who lived there.
“This discovery thrilled him, and he pressed onward, soon finding the Southern Continent as well.
“He returned to Dragon Island and shared this news with the other dragons. The clan was astonished by his discoveries. After witnessing them firsthand, they honored him as their leader; the pioneer became the first Dragon King.
“But the pioneer cared little for this title. His ambition was to explore the unknown world, and after a brief rest, he set out again.
“This time, he decided to go even further. Over the boundless ocean, he discovered a massive island floating in the sky. Curious, he climbed aboard this enormous island and found exquisite buildings inhabited by strange beings with rings on their heads, wings on their backs, and bodies enveloped in light.
“When he interacted with these strange beings, communication was limited due to language barriers, so the pioneer gained little information and had to leave with regrets.
“After he returned to Dragon Island and recounted this event, the dragons named the island ‘Sky Island’ because it hovered so high, seemingly floating in the firmament above. The clan was more intrigued by this floating island than by the continents and eagerly accompanied the pioneer to observe it.
“But when they approached that land, the strange beings grew wary upon seeing so many dragons. Fearing territorial encroachment, they launched a preemptive attack, sparking a confused war between the two sides.
“These strange beings were no match for the dragons in combat and were pushed back relentlessly. Their leader, seeing the battle going poorly, flew back to the altar at the center of the island and activated a crystal there using a special energy.
“A beam of white light shot out from the island’s center, causing the entire island to tremble. The dragons panicked and took to the skies, while the pioneer sensed a massive, unfamiliar energy forming at the source of the white light. Driven by curiosity, he flew toward it.
“That beam of white light eventually expanded into a spatial rift, engulfing the entire island and its inhabitants. The pioneer was sucked into the rift and disappeared without a trace. Only the other dragons in the sky and a few strange beings remained, with the leader clutching the crystal staying behind.”
Oduin saw Lu Qiuchen listening intently and slowly revealed the story’s conclusion: “The dragons killed the leader, and the crystal fell into their hands. They witnessed the entire process of the leader activating it and became curious, naming it the Sky Crystal.
“The dragons didn’t know how to activate or use this crystal, and after prolonged study, they accidentally discovered that merely staying near the Sky Crystal enhanced their mental power.
“At that time, the dragons were leaderless, and this discovery caused fierce contention over the Sky Crystal. During the conflict, the crystal shattered, releasing the strange energy within. Only a small portion of that energy remained in the shards, greatly weakening the mental power enhancement and causing a negative side effect—contact would trigger mental power surges. The dragons lost interest and treated the shards as mere collectibles.
“Later, as dragons ruled the Eternal World, these shards became symbols of dragon affiliation, gifted to vassal races loyal to the dragons. The strange species that vanished from the Eternal World are now known as the Divine Race.”
Hearing this, Lu Qiuchen recalled the “gem” once guarded by Laity, which had caused intense mental fluctuations. So that was a shard of the Sky Crystal!
Please forgive her for not distinguishing between gems and crystals; she never paid attention to such details on Earth. After arriving in this world, whenever she saw these objects, she swallowed them whole. Her only impression was their crunchy texture.
“The mental power boost from the Sky Shards is ineffective for pureborn dragons, but since your soul is half-dragon, the shards’ effect on you will be significant. Now that you’ve encountered them, you must seize the opportunity.”
Oduin kindly reminded Lu Qiuchen.
Then, glancing at the chick trapped between his claws, he said, “It’s thanks to you this time that we caught this remnant of the Golden Dragon.”
“Oduin, you traitor who colluded with the demon race! I should have…!” When Oduin mentioned Kaonte transformed into the chick, he loosened his grip a bit, giving Kaonte a chance to speak, and the latter cursed angrily.
“Colluding with demons? Isn’t it to clean up the mess you made!” Oduin slammed Kaonte onto the ground, pressing his front paw tightly down, and shouted at him.
It was the first time Lu Qiuchen had seen Oduin so angry.
“Your autocracy caused the dragons to lose control of the Eternal World for thousands of years. If you had heeded advice, the Golden and White Dragons wouldn’t have perished!
“In that situation, if I hadn’t brought in the demon race to restrain the Divine Race, there wouldn’t be just one Church Nation in the Eternal World now! You, a foolish coward, fled and hid underground for ten thousand years and now dare to blame me!”
Kaonte’s soul began to dissipate under Oduin’s paw but struggled to turn his head toward Lu Qiuchen and shout, “If you’re so noble and selfless, why did you limit the Silver Dragon clan’s magic talents? Answer me!”
Oduin sneered and glanced at Kaonte without responding, then turned to Lu Qiuchen and explained, “Such petty provocations. The Silver Dragons’ magic was limited because their memory inheritance was once broken. Don’t pay attention to him.”
“Broken inheritance? Ridiculous! That little fellow’s memory inheritance was sealed by you yourself!”
Oduin’s eyes flashed with murderous intent as he crushed the noisy Kaonte under his claw.
With Kaonte’s soul dissipated, the mental space around them shattered.
After Oduin’s piercing gaze, Lu Qiuchen shivered in fright and suddenly found herself back in the mining cave. But her heart dared not relax. Who knew how Oduin had managed to get so close before? Was he still nearby?
Moreover, the demon invasion from ten thousand years ago, the extinction of the Golden and White Dragons, the feud between the last two dragon rulers, the origins of the Sky Shards and the Divine Race, and Oduin’s mysterious hidden plans—all these individually would astonish Lu Qiuchen, but all at once left her dizzy and overwhelmed.
Her heart was tense. Thinking of Oduin’s last look, she wondered if knowing so many secrets would put her in danger.
Suddenly, she realized she was still within the range of the Mythril Mine, but the dizziness had vanished, and the system interface had reappeared in her vision.
Had the area’s suppression of the system lifted?
“Little one, can you hear me?” A weak voice suddenly echoed from her heart, interrupting her thoughts.
Hearing this, Lu Qiuchen panicked. ‘It’s Kaonte! He’s not dead? How did he get inside me?’
“Don’t be nervous. That traitor is gone. Ten thousand years have passed. How could I not have a few tricks up my sleeve? I’m in your heart now—no, this is my heart! If that traitor could find me through it, then I can certainly hide here.”
Kaonte’s voice sounded weak but carried a hint of pride.
“Hey? Little one, are you still there? Not scared silly, right?” Kaonte mumbled.
Lu Qiuchen realized Kaonte probably couldn’t hear her thoughts. Compared to Beta, this guy was really weak.
“What nonsense are you thinking? I reached the Star Rank ten thousand years ago. The spirit realm energy on you before was suppressed by me. How could I be weaker than that spirit realm corpse?” Kaonte suddenly spoke, teasing her.
Lu Qiuchen was startled—caught badmouthing a dragon live—and felt embarrassed. But she quickly caught the key point in Kaonte’s words.
Star Rank? Is that a level above Legendary? Beta was suppressed by him before? Was that the Mythril Mine’s effect? And the ‘spirit realm corpse’ referred to Beta?
She realized this must be her old grandfather and excitedly asked in her heart.
If this ancient powerhouse was willing to answer, even a hint of information would greatly benefit her, a clueless newbie.
“You sure ask a lot of questions. What’s beyond Legendary? Gelf gave you that? Who is he? I don’t know. It must be that traitor telling you. What? That’s a ranking system invented by lowly humans? That traitor even uses human terms? He’s forgotten the pride of dragons!”
Though Kaonte had just been crushed by Oduin, his tone was filled with disdain for him and he took the opportunity to badmouth Oduin further.
“Forget it. I suppose you were also deceived by that traitor into becoming his accomplice. Fine, I’ll explain it to you carefully. What you call Legendary is known among dragons as the Adult Stage.
“No matter the race or profession, once a dragon’s power reaches the Adult Stage, their mental power greatly strengthens, and they gain the ability to fly with their physical body. Their bodies also become reinforced; even short-lived dragons can live nearly a thousand years.
“Reaching Star Rank—or even beyond the stars—means you can roam freely! At this level, you become nearly immortal. As long as your soul persists, you will continue to live.
“Short-lived dragons don’t have this ranking because none have ever reached Star Rank. Their history shows very few have even reached the Legendary peak.
“But it’s not impossible for them to break through to Star Rank. Using the Sky Crystal can greatly enhance mental power, increasing the speed of advancement and the chances of success. Unfortunately, the Sky Crystal is shattered, and the Sky Shards’ effects are poor, but there is still some hope.
“That traitor told you not to miss the Sky Shards, which is true, but if he warns you so deliberately, be wary of the hidden schemes within.”
Kaonte’s final words were a solemn reminder.