Chapter 1032: The Status of the Scourge Dragon

Lü Fuyao said, "As far as I know, there should still be over a hundred puppet dragons, maybe up to 120. The vast majority of puppet dragons are very strong but mentally... unstable at best. The pain they endured during mutation and experimentation is so great that they end up not just with their brain and sea of divine consciousness damaged, but also with trauma-induced reactions. And I say 'divine consciousness' because I'm talking about those at the tenth order and above. I haven't even counted those below the Demon King level. Many puppet dragons level die while trying to break through to the tenth order, and many of those that survive cannot recover spiritually and end up like my elder brother. Others survive and heal, and those ones regain their freedom, but they are very few."

Tang San was truly shocked. Although he had long known that the dragon race was powerful, it was only after hearing Lü Fuyao's account that he truly understood just how powerful they were.

Just the puppet dragons alone numbered over a hundred at the Demon King level or higher! How terrifying was that? And that didn't even include the normal dragons! In other words, the dragon race's long-standing reputation as the number one race on the continent was well-deserved. Even without the Crystal Demon Emperor presiding over Crystal City, it would be a cold day in hell before anyone took it away from them.

"Problems pertaining to divine consciousness are the hardest to solve. The dragon race even attempted a kind of brainwashing process in order to straighten out and stabilize the puppet dragons' divine consciousness, but that backfired spectacularly. The subjects all died, so those in charge did not dare to repeat that experiment. All they could do was use collars to control them. The puppet dragons with less severe conditions could be sent directly into battle.

"Anyway, this is why my elder brother is respected by all the puppet dragons. He took care of us as much as he could, and without him, at least another third of us would have died. There are six or seven like me who were able to become normal dragons thanks to his help. I'll contact them afterward and bring them to pay respects to my elder brother. I wonder if that would be alright with you, Clan Leader Jin?"

Tang San nodded. "That's not a problem. Anytime is fine."

"That's great! Thank you so much!" Lü Fuyao was overjoyed and bowed to Tang San again.

Tang San said, "Brother Lü, there's no need to be so polite. In fact, it's me who should be thanking you for choosing to concede today."

"No, no, no. I wasn't going to make it to the finals anyway. Being able to see my elder brother regain his sanity makes me happier than anything else. But in the next matches, I must ask you to watch over my elder brother and make sure that he..." At this point, he paused, but his meaning was clear to Tang San.

"Don't worry, Brother Lü. Nihil and I are partners, not just for the Battle for the Throne, but in the future as well. I will take good care of him." Tang San promised.

"That's good, that's good."

After seeing Lü Fuyao off, Tang San's residence finally quieted down. From Lü Fuyao's repeated gratitude, it was clear that the Scourge Dragon indeed held a high status among the puppet dragons. More than a hundred puppet dragons... This was an unexpected bonus.

Meanwhile, the first round of the round-robin had come to an end. And among all the matches, what the spectators discussed the most was the Amethystine Warrior. In the other matches, much unlike in the elimination rounds, everyone held back in their fights; no one went all out. After all, the round-robin would go on for a while, with daily matches and many opponents. No one wanted to compromise their condition at the start and affect future matches.

But Jin Miaolin was different. In the eyes of the spectators, he was absolutely the weakest participant in the round-robin, including the female contestants. Yet he kept creating miracles, and all these miracles were tied to the items he had won at the auction.

Who dared say now that he was just a fool with too much money? His auction purchases had proven their worth. The Sword Saint Statue had brought him two victories. Then he had used the Dark Turtle Shield to defeat the World-Sundering Sword, another surprising match.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

And most recently, he had summoned the powerful Scourge Dragon and managed to keep it under control. That was the most astonishing of all. With the Scourge Dragon appearing, the Metal Dragon King Lü Fuyao immediately conceded, giving him another round-robin win. And in future matches, the Scourge Dragon would undoubtedly become his main combat force. Moreover, no matter how weak Jin Miaolin himself seemed, he was still a Great Nymph King, and his life energy would definitely give the dragon a tremendous boost.

This supposed weakest competitor had suddenly become a fan favorite.

Was the true power of amethystine?

This truly overturned many spectators' expectations. They'd all flapped their lips about Jin Miaolin being nothing but a wastrel, and he hadn't bothered to argue with them. But facts spoke louder than words. He had gone from obvious loser to dark horse to hot contender. Not a seeded player, but in a way, better than one.

And this was exactly what Tang San wanted the spectators, especially the Emperors, to feel. Step by step, through his auction items, he would progress naturally in the competition. What seemed impossible at first would, once it happened enough times, appear natural. This was his aim. Even though he didn't know who his next opponents would be, he had plenty of means to position himself advantageously.

But his next opponent would be a tough one.

Compared to Xu An'yu, who had just casually flirted with Mei Gongzi, this next opponent was on another level—he had actually gone to Kali City to formally propose marriage. This was Tang San's

actual

rival in love: the Lord of Sky-Splitting City and Behemoth King, Jin Anguo.

In his first match, Jin Anguo conceded to Xu An'yu after a tentative clash, without showing his full strength. But losing another match would be a different matter. That could well mean giving up on the Battle for the Throne. So even though Tang San had revealed the Scourge Dragon, his match with Jin Anguo would be a genuine clash.

Scourge Dragon Knight, Amethystine Warrior Jin Miaolin, against Sky-Splitting City Lord Jin Anguo. This was bound to be a match for the ages. In fact, while the arena betting pool was strictly for the final winners, there were private betting pools for this match among the common folk.

The odds, as reported to Tang San by the Blue Gold Tree clan elders, still favored Jin Anguo winning.

After all, he was the Behemoth King, the undisputed leader of a clan that could give dragons and phoenixes a run for their money. He was also the only male Behemoth to have made it this far; he represented his whole clan, and clearly aimed to win this Battle for the Throne. There was no way he would give up easily.

No one knew the full depth of his strength, but it was undoubtedly immense.

Meanwhile, Tang San's trump cards seemed almost played out. His useful auction winnings were nearly all revealed, only the Radiant Dragon Spear had yet to be used. And although the Radiant Dragon Spear was among the finest divine items, its effectiveness depended on the wielder. Xu An'yu wielding it would unquestionably be a calamity, but in the hands of a Blue Gold Tree who wasn't adept at fighting, what difference would it make?

It would all come down to the Scourge Dragon's true strength, and whether Jin Miaolin could coordinate with it.

Amid great anticipation, the next match day arrived.

Today's first match featured yesterday's first winner, Xu An'yu. His opponent was yesterday's second loser, Lü Fuyao. The winner of one fight versus the loser of the other—the same would be true for Tang San against Jin Anguo later. The competitors ranked five through eight would also follow this pairing. Thus, in the next round, Tang San would face Xu An'yu, and after that, the other four would follow.

Today's referee was the Endless Nymph Emperor, but as it turned out, the referee's job for this match was rather easy.

Xu An'yu and Lü Fuyao appeared on the stage. After they saluted each other, Lü Fuyao immediately chose to concede.