10 Chapter 10 The Choice of Juvenile Spirit
Translator: Exodus Tales
Editor: Exodus Tales
“Let’s make a bet. I’ll walk in there right now, and the people at the bronze and wood gate won’t stop me. If I manage to get in, you’ll give me this basket of peaches,” Zhu Minglang said, feeling provoked, to the peach-selling girl.
“Alright, but what if I win?” the peach-selling girl said with a smile, her dark rye complexion and bright eyes creating a striking contrast.
“If you win, I’ll buy all your peaches.”
“Judging by your clothes, it doesn’t look like you can afford it,” the peach-selling girl said.
“Mind your own business!”
When others enroll in school, not to say they must dress dazzlingly, but at least they should fit the descriptions of dignified and neat. Zhu Minglang, having escorted flowers along the way to the Ancestral Dragon City-State, and then having trekked to the Dragon Taming Academy, didn’t even get a chance to bathe, making his coarse clothes make him look somewhat unkempt.
Zhu Minglang didn’t want it to be like this either. Before, despite being poor, there were no major issues with his appearance, and he would only be mistaken for a beggar if he encountered bandits or fell into misfortune…
Stepping onto the White Rock Bridge, the street vendors gradually decreased, and as he approached the bronze and wood gate, the surroundings showed the serene and tidy air of an elegant place.
“I’m here to enroll; this is my letter of admission,” Zhu Minglang said as he handed over his admission notice, still quite polite.
“How did you end up like this?” the gatekeeping uncle asked.
“I went out to practice, and on the way, I encountered bandits; I fought to the death to protect this letter,” Zhu Minglang explained casually.
“Mm, go ahead and get your school emblem, and then wait a moment to the side,” the gatekeeping uncle nodded and signaled for someone behind to take Zhu Minglang inside.
Zhu Minglang pocketed the admission notice and deliberately looked back in the direction of the bridgehead where the dark rye-skinned girl was selling peaches, ready to flash her an evil grin.
However, the peach-selling girl seemed to be discussing prices with a plump woman, gesticulating passionately in the heat of haggling.
She had completely forgotten about the bet they had just made!
The cold wind over the lake made a certain figure seem all the more lonely.
In the end, Zhu Minglang could only sigh and walk toward the main gate.
Psst, it feels even worse than losing!
Once he passed the gate, the bridge was nowhere to be seen. It turned out that the White Rock Bridge was just a broken bridge; beyond the gate was a crescent-shaped platform that gently stretched beneath the clear lake water.
And in the lake water, a wide-backed long-necked dragon was waiting at the edge of the platform. It was as big as a solo room, and its neck was long enough to stretch from underwater to the bridge’s entrance.
The long-necked dragon’s skin was tight and smooth. Despite its size, it gave off a docile and tranquil feeling, and being close to it didn’t feel pressuring. It certainly didn’t seem to be the same species compared to Luo Xiao’s Gold-plated Fire Dragon.
“Once we have enough people, we can set off,” the gatekeeping uncle soon led four more people over.
Five people were already on the back of the long-necked dragon. With Zhu Minglang and the four newcomers, that made ten.
Ten people on one dragon-boat crossing the lake.
“Li Shaoying, you are the hope of our entire village; you must become a Dragon Shepherd at all costs,” a middle-aged man shouted from the platform, seeing off the students.
Li Shaoying’s face flushed with embarrassment, especially since there were so many students around.
“It’s fine if you don’t make it too. Just come back to the village early, someone has to take the cows and sheep to the pasture. If they don’t eat well, they won’t grow fat; if they’re not fat, they won’t produce milk. Without milk, those little lambs and calves won’t survive the winter,” the herding uncle continued to shout loudly.
Laughter echoed around, especially from a few female students who were about to ride the long-necked dragon across the lake, their hands covering their mouths, unable to contain their giggles.
The young man called Li Shaoying now just wanted to dive into the lake. He impatiently dismissed his herding uncle, “I know, I know, Uncle Hua, please go back now.”
“Remember to share the bag of smoked venison with your classmates. You’re in a strange place; you have to know how to foster good relationships with those around you, classmates and teachers alike, so that you’re less likely to get bullied.”
“Uncle, please go back, I’m begging you.”
“Ah, I forgot to give you the medicinal wine, here take this, just rub it on your wounds, and they will heal fast.”
Finally, the warm and caring herding uncle was persuaded to leave.
If he hadn’t left, the new student called Li Shaoying might have really considered suicide by lake.
“You three are quite late for enrollment. By the time you get to the Reserve Dragons Storage Hall, you will probably only be able to pick from the young dragons left over by others. Even if the journey is long, you should have set out earlier,” the gatekeeping uncle said to Li Shaoying, Zhu Minglang, and another aloof young master.
“Are you also just enrolling?” Li Shaoying asked in surprise, sizing up Zhu Minglang and the aloof young master.
The aloof young master didn’t even bother to respond, clearly showing no interest in making conversation with a Dragon Taming student like Li Shaoying, who came from some unknown backwater village.
Li Shaoying tried to initiate a conversation, but the other man ignored him, leaving Li Shaoying feeling rather awkward.
The lake breeze was refreshing, and the long-necked dragon slowly carried ten people, inching closer to the central isle in the lake, heading towards the hall that countless people dreamed of — the Dragon Taming Academy.
…
At the head of the bridge, after having sold several kilograms of ripe peaches, a girl suddenly remembered something and turned to look at the firmly closed paulownia wood gates.
Her cheeks quickly filled with a look of surprise.
“Thrown into the lake?”
“Such a pity.” the girl muttered to herself.
…
Reserve Dragons Storage Hall
Every student who enters the academy, regardless of whether they already own a Juvenile Spirit, gets an opportunity to choose a dragon.
Despite people’s reverence for the art of dragon recognizing techniques, selecting a dragon from among the tens of thousands of unremarkable Juvenile Spirits is like finding a needle in a haystack, and often akin to placing a bet!
Zhu Minglang, Li Shaoying, and the aloof young master were taken to the Reserve Dragons Storage Hall, where the Juvenile Spirits and Spirit eggs were as plentiful as pebbles in a river, overwhelming the onlookers.
“Choose, and once you have made your choice, go register with the old master inside the hall, make the mark, and the Juvenile Spirit will be yours,” said the dutiful gatekeeper uncle, who had escorted them all the way and left only after giving clear instructions.
Li Shaoying, somewhat excited, quickly walked into the Young Spirit Nest, eyeing a group of blue Bird Spirits still in their swaddling clothes, as if recognizing their species.
Zhu Minglang also followed the laid out path, observing leisurely.
There were so many types, Bird Spirits, River Spirits, Beast Spirits, Ancient Spirits, Poison Demons, Stone Demons, as well as a sizeable number of Sub-Dragons, Fake Dragons, and Hybrid Dragon Cubs that evidently carried the blood of the Dragon Clan. Without having truly transformed into dragons, they already displayed the impressive stature and extraordinary traits of dragons!
“Heh, you two are taking this quite seriously. Don’t you know anything about the Dragon Taming Academy before entering? Among these thousands of Juvenile Spirits, there might not even be one True Dragon. Giving you the chance to choose here is merely providing a sliver of hope to you as trainees of the academy,” said the aloof young master at that moment.
Zhu Minglang and Li Shaoying both looked at him simultaneously.
So, he isn’t mute after all.
Zhu Minglang nodded inwardly and asked, “We really don’t know much, could you tell us?”
“Just grab one at random and stop dawdling. Instead of wasting time choosing trash here, it’d better to spend more effort taming your own Juvenile Spirit,” the aloof young man said.
Li Shaoying gave a sheepish smile.
Indeed, the Juvenile Spirits given for free by the academy couldn’t be too great; otherwise, everyone who entered the Dragon Taming Academy would be a Dragon Trainer, and there wouldn’t be so many people lingering at the Dragon Gate.
In the end, Li Shaoying chose the most seemingly aggressive and fierce among those few Bird Spirits, not treating it with much importance as he picked it up.
Zhu Minglang scratched his head.
His situation was slightly awkward.
Those who made it into the Dragon Taming Academy mostly already had a Juvenile Spirit with decent potential, and some were just a leap away from transformation.
Li Shaoying obviously had his own Juvenile Spirit, and even the aloof young master looked as if he already possessed a Young Dragon.
Bai Qi was still asleep in the Ice Pupa, so Zhu Minglang had nothing at this moment, merely squeezed in as a last-minute addition.
It seemed that his entry-level Juvenile Spirit would have to rely on the academy’s charity after all.
Nevertheless, this was Zhu Minglang’s start. Zhu Minglang didn’t bother listening to the aloof young master’s arrogant elaboration; he continued to select earnestly.
Distinguishing dragons is like appraising treasures…
It requires extreme discernment, and a bit of luck as well.
Unfortunately, Zhu Minglang possessed neither.
Blind and unlucky.
But a sense of ritual was still necessary, and his attitude had to be serious.
“Can you hurry up!” the aloof young master said more forcefully.
Zhu Minglang pretended not to hear, meticulously observing the little spirits around him. Some were still in Spirit eggs, some had just hatched, and others had already grown feathers and teeth, beginning to show a hint of destructive power towards the handcrafted nests…
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