Chapter 332 - There’s a Dragon?

Han Wu wanted to smack Meng Qi but held back, keeping his hands free to continue probing the ant nest. Using Frost Gaze and Fireball, the trio easily slipped past the patrolling soldier ants.

“There’s a cave to the left. Looks like some worker ants are inside,” Leng Ning observed.

Meng Qi’s eyes lit up at her words. He had already learned that caverns often hid treasures. He darted into the cave and relied solely on Iron Shirt to dispatch the ants. He avoided using Golden Bell, worried that its noise might draw more insects.

“Han Wu, help me light this place up,” he called.

Han Wu had become their walking torch, wielding his Fireball to illuminate the dark cavern. The light revealed a thick vine snaking along the walls. Remarkably, it thrived despite the complete darkness of the underground nest.

Leng Ning examined the vine carefully, but even after a full minute, she could not identify it. “I’m not sure... Maybe an Iron Vine?”

Meng Qi tilted his head with innocent curiosity. “What’s an Iron Vine? Can I eat it?”

Leng Ning rolled her eyes. Meng Qi’s ignorance had surpassed all bounds of her patience. “The Iron Vine is listed on page 34 of our textbook. Don’t tell me you never read it?”

Meng Qi scratched his head sheepishly. “I never bring my textbook to class.”

Leng Ning fought the urge to pummel him. Meanwhile, Han Wu tried to recall what he had read in the textbook since Leng Ning had mentioned it.

Iron Vine was a rare plant that absorbed iron from the soil to fuel its growth. Its constant intake of iron strengthened its body into a wall of living armor. To consume it, one had to refine its leaves into a special tea, which gradually enhanced a person’s Power and Defense potential. With more extensive processing, the vine could be turned into medicine that boosted the odds of awakening specific Skills.

Meng Qi’s excitement dimmed after Han Wu explained what the textbook said. The Iron Vine was perfect for him, yet he couldn’t eat it directly. Transporting the massive plant back home was equally impossible; it was too heavy, too cumbersome.

While Meng Qi was frowning, Han Wu suddenly crouched and dug at the roots with his dagger. Confused, Meng Qi asked, “Hey there, bestie, what are you doing?”

Han Wu replied, “The textbook says the Iron Vine sometimes forms a Duraseed where its nutrients are most concentrated.”

Leng Ning shook her head. “That won’t happen here. The conditions are too strict. The vine has to be at least a hundred years old, and it must grow in a place rich in nutrients. Even if this one has reached a century old, I doubt the soil here can support a Duraseed.”

Meng Qi believed she was right, and disappointment weighed on him as he rose to his feet. “Han Wu, I know you’re doing this for me, but we shouldn’t push our luck. Let’s stop digging.”

Han Wu refused to give up. “How can you be so sure? If there’s a Duraseed, it could greatly boost your Defense potential, and you might even gain a new Skill. Isn’t that worth the effort?”

Hope flickered in Meng Qi’s eyes. “How long are you planning to scrape away with that dagger? Let me take over.”

He activated Iron Shirt, covering his hands with an invisible barrier, and clawed into the earth like a mole. Dirt flew as he dug a wide pit beneath the vine, even exposing its thick roots, yet there was still no Duraseed.

Meng Qi turned to Han Wu for guidance. Han Wu brightened the area with a sweep of light and examined the pit with care. No Duraseed lay within, yet something tugged at his senses—a familiar pulse he could not ignore. Following that pull, he dug into the soil and unearthed a bone. It was small, no larger than a finger, but the faint aura that clung to it carried the unmistakable aura of a dragon.

Cold sweat ran down Meng Qi’s face. “Han Wu, why are you holding that bone? It’s unlucky. Throw it away.”

“This is a dragon bone,” Han Wu replied evenly.

“What the heck? A dragon bone? Are you saying there’s an actual Great Dragon sealed here in Dragon Seal?” Meng Qi blurted.

He had heard the legends countless times but never believed they were true, but now Han Wu had supposedly unearthed a dragon bone! At last, they held tangible proof that the Dragon Seal truly had been used to imprison a Great Dragon in ages past.

Leng Ning was just as shaken and leapt into the pit to inspect the bone. She had never seen a dragon bone and could not say what one looked like, yet she felt at once that it was extraordinary.

“What should we do next? Take the bone or keep digging?” she asked.

“Keep digging,” Han Wu answered. He wanted to know how many more lay hidden.

Meng Qi threw himself into the task, summoning Iron Shirt once more. An unseen shield coated his body as he dug with wild determination. Han Wu’s senses stirred again, and together they uncovered another dragon bone near the end of the Iron Vine’s roots along with a Duraseed.

Meng Qi’s eyes lit with excitement as he struggled to lift the Duraseed into his hands. For him, it was no ordinary treasure. The seed promised to strengthen his Defense potential and even held the possibility of granting him a new defense-oriented Skill.

Han Wu examined the Duraseed and quickly realized it differed from the one described in the ancient texts. A faint dragon aura clung to it. The seed had clearly absorbed that aura and transformed into a mutated version.

Leng Ning had noticed the same thing, and together they urged Meng Qi to consume it without delay.

With considerable effort, Meng Qi swallowed the Duraseed. As it dissolved within him, a steady stream of energy spread through his body. Every ten minutes, his Defense potential rose by a single point, and the effect continued for two full hours.

He soon realized the energy wasn’t just strengthening his base potential. It flowed into his existing Skills as well. He waited patiently for a new Skill to emerge, but after three hours nothing appeared. Instead, his Golden Bell and Iron Shirt underwent strange mutations.

The Golden Bell retained its form, but a faint engraving of a Great Dragon now coiled around its surface. The addition lent it an air of majesty and grandeur.

Iron Shirt had transformed completely, evolving into a new Skill called Imperial Yellow Jacket. Normally invisible, it manifested as a shimmering yellow barrier that wrapped around his body when activated.

Han Wu struck him with a heavy punch to test its strength. The blow rebounded with startling force, and he marveled at how much tougher the defense and reflection had become.

Meng Qi couldn’t decide whether to feel happy or disappointed. He had finally obtained the Duraseed, yet it granted him no new Skill. He could only wonder when he would ever gain one.