"The little dragon was truly lucky, turning defeat into victory at the last moment."
"Can't believe it won, ah, there goes my money."
"Hahaha, made a tidy profit. I knew that a six-year-old entering the competition wasn't that simple. Maybe its talent is luck itself. I'll bet on it again next time."
"If it weren't for having seen this brat hunt high-ranking beings, I might not have been able to tell."
The giant dragons watching Saga's competition had different thoughts.
Since the competition took place in multiple different spaces, even the powerful giant dragons couldn't probe the strength of the young dragons through the spatial magic. Otherwise, there would be no need for betting, as some old creatures with strong perception could tell the strong from the weak at a glance.
After the first preliminary round ended, Saga left the arena.
He had temporarily concealed his edge, so the battle didn't end very quickly. By the time he left the arena, many young dragons had already finished their matches.
Four young dragons, who were quite familiar with each other, regrouped.
Like Saga, they didn't encounter any strong opponents in the first match and all achieved victory in their respective competitions.
Moreover, the young dragons' matches were recorded and saved by magic crystals, which could be viewed in the preparation hall.
In the area crisscrossed with clusters of memory magic crystals, Saga prepared to observe the battles of other dragons.
The little Silver Dragon and the Golden Behemoth had the same idea.
Many young dragons, like them, gathered here.
Yekaterina, on the other hand, hummed indifferently.
Saga stepped forward, picked up a magic crystal, pressed it against his forehead, and closed his eyes slightly.
The view went dark and then bright again, and a screen formed in Saga's eyes, where he could search for the match he wanted to watch by sequence number or the young dragon's name or nickname.
Saga thought for a moment and willed:
"Golden Dragon Hyperion."
The screen shattered, and the world around him changed.
"Hyperion! Hyperion!"
Many supporters called out loudly, the noise was deafening, and the light projected by the magic jellyfish was dazzling and bright, creating an atmosphere as lively and intense as if he were back in the arena.
Saga focused his mind, observing the match footage from a god-like perspective.
He had seen the Golden Dragon Hyperion on Dragon Island before.
It was calm, its face still had the innocence of a young dragon, but it already possessed a special majestic and composed demeanor, exuding a serene quality that ordinary young dragons lacked.
Its scales were golden.
Unlike ordinary Golden Dragons, its scales shone exceptionally bright, a resplendent gold like the blazing sun at high noon, blinding and dazzling to the point where ordinary beings probably couldn't look directly at the Golden Dragon's scales.
It was fourteen years old and eleven meters long.
In terms of physical development, the Golden Dragon was no different from ordinary Golden Dragons.
However, its limbs, wings, and tail were proportioned as perfectly as Saga's, all conforming to the True Dragon's golden ratio, as if sculpted by the most aesthetically demanding True Dragon, the only imperfection compared to Saga being that it had only one pair of dragon horns, whereas Saga had an unusual three pairs.
"Its appearance is almost comparable to mine."
Saga mused, watching quietly.
Across from the Golden Dragon was a Silver Dragon, thirteen meters long, also an older young dragon nearing adolescence, and slightly larger than its peers.
The Silver Dragon's face was etched with tension.
Facing the top contender for the championship, the first young dragon to step into the higher ranks, it was impossible not to be nervous about competing on the same stage.
However, the Silver Dragon did not resign itself to fate.
The pride of a True Dragon wouldn't allow it to admit defeat.
Even if the outcome was certain to be a loss, it would still give its all, exerting its full strength.
"Hyperion, come on."
With a low growl, the Silver Dragon crouched, adopting a defensive stance, not intending to attack first.
Crack, crack, centered around the Silver Dragon's body, a burst of cold air erupted, freezing the surrounding seawater and causing layers of solid ice to extend outward.
Splash!
The seawater churned, and the icy dragon wings soared.
In an instant, a twenty-meter-long Crystal Ice Dragon appeared in the arena.
"This Silver Dragon isn't weak either, an excellent individual among its peers, and definitely has the strength of the sixth rank."
Saga commented.
"Now the question is, how many moves can it last against this Golden Dragon?"
On the other side, the Golden Dragon Hyperion's eyes were as clear as amber after the rain, not a ripple in sight.
With a flap of its wings, it disappeared from its spot.
Then, the high temperature caused countless seawater to evaporate, forming murky bubbles, as the Golden Dragon charged at its opponent in a simple and brutal manner, its brilliance becoming even more blinding.
In Saga's eyes, it was like a small sun colliding with the Crystal Ice Dragon.
The Crystal Ice Dragon tensed its limbs, its claws tearing through the ground, and with a roar, it aimed at the oncoming Golden Dragon, spewing out a frosty breath.
Crack, crack, the seawater froze with the breath.
Clusters of extreme cold ice crystals swept towards the Golden Dragon.
However, facing the opponent's breath, the Golden Dragon did not dodge, continuing on its unchanging trajectory.
Time seemed to slow down, no, it really did slow down.
Because—Saga slowed down the playback speed of the memory crystal.
In slow motion, accompanied by the constantly evaporating seawater, the brilliance on the Golden Dragon's scales solidified into substance, then collided with the Silver Dragon's frosty breath.
The finely scaled faceplate first made contact with the ice crystals.
Crash, crash, crash. The breath met the more fragile faceplate, but the hard-as-iron extreme cold ice shattered inch by inch, rapidly dissolving.
The strongest breath was useless, pierced through by the Golden Dragon's head.
The Silver Dragon stopped its breath, its wings flapping to dodge the Golden Dragon's charge, but the opponent's speed surged, like a streak of light flashing by, colliding with the huge Crystal Ice Dragon transformed by the Silver Dragon.
Boom!
A loud noise came from the chest of the Crystal Ice Dragon.
The currents surged violently, and the enormous Crystal Ice Dragon paused for a moment, then suddenly shattered into pieces.
Countless ice shards, harder than steel, scattered, their edges full of melting traces, and within the broken body of the Crystal Ice Dragon, the Silver Dragon was flung out, crashing heavily to the ground, its breath already weak and feeble.
The fallen Silver Dragon had not yet managed to get up.
Bang!
The ground shook, and the Golden Dragon stood in front of it, quietly looking down at it.
The Silver Dragon was taken aback, then subconsciously turned its head away from the blinding brilliance, avoiding direct eye contact.
This action, in dragon culture, was already a sign of submission.
The brilliance receded, disappearing, revealing the unusual radiant golden scales.
The Golden Dragon extended its claw, not showing the pride of a victor, and spoke in a calm and gentle voice:
"Get up, Vinicius."
Hearing its own name from the Golden Dragon, the Silver Dragon named Vinicius was momentarily stunned.
"I lost."
It said softly.
"It's just a temporary victory or defeat, it doesn't represent much."
The Golden Dragon smiled slightly, its radiant golden figure deeply imprinted in the Silver Dragon's eyes, compelling it to submit, bowing its head.
"Golden Dragon Hyperion unsurprisingly achieved victory, and with such grace. On such a small young dragon, I actually saw the dignified air of the ancient Golden Dragons. I believe it will bring us even more surprises! For instance, a series of victories, becoming the champion of the young dragons as everyone expects."
Among the many matches, the legendary Brass Dragon specifically commented on this match, shouting loudly.
At the same time.
The Silver Dragon took the Golden Dragon's extended claw and steadied its body, and the memory crystal's recorded image also froze, capturing the moment the Golden Dragon with a smile helped the Silver Dragon to its feet.
"This guy,"
Saga narrowed his eyes, pondering.
"He has enough strength, considers his opponent's feelings, and gives them a way out, far surpassing the ordinary young dragon in mind and scope."
Whether intentional or not, this Silver Dragon that lost to the Golden Dragon had already been subdued in its heart and was very likely to become a follower of the Golden Dragon in the future.
"The most likely to become the Seven Crown King, the star of tomorrow of the Deep Sea Dragon City. Indeed, not simple."
Facing such an opponent, and having to fight above his class, Saga had no certainty of victory; he could only do his best, after all, the age difference was there.
"My overall strength is not as good as the Golden Dragon's right now, but I have my own confidence—the Annihilation Breath that can even break through the defenses of legendary dragons."
"If I want to win, I have to rely on the Annihilation Breath to decide the outcome in an instant."
Saga's Annihilation Breath was his greatest confidence in fighting above his class.
"Whether I can defeat this guy, the key lies here."
"If Yekaterina encounters it, whether she can win in the end probably depends on the performance of her Nuclear Breath."
Both Saga and Yekaterina's ultimate moves were their dragon breaths; if other dragons' breaths could be described as powerful, then these siblings could only be described as monstrous.
Immediately, Saga's spirits lifted, his thoughts whirled, and one battle plan after another emerged in his mind.
Moments later.
"Sigh, I'll watch a few more matches of the Golden Dragon, learn more about its abilities and fighting style, then think carefully."
"I'm analyzing it specifically, and it knows nothing about me. If we encounter each other, this is my potential advantage."
Saga stopped pondering.
Without ending his observation, Saga continued to watch the performances of other contenders for the championship.
The more he understood about these young dragons as contenders, the greater the chance of becoming the champion of the young dragons by defeating them with fewer trump cards.
At the same time, the performances of the powerful young dragons, each showing their edge, made Saga sigh.
"No wonder the dragon race has become one of the most powerful species in the endless world, competing with countless species, causing fear and awe in many beings."
It was just a duel among young dragons.
But the performances of those with exceptional talent had already reached heights that many sapient beings could not achieve in a lifetime.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas