"So, in the past few decades, there are fewer and fewer young members of the Dragon Race... because everyone is targeting the Dragon Race for the kill."

"Indeed, after killing a dragon you can obtain dragon blood, dragon horns, dragon teeth, dragon bones, dragon scales, all the materials you need. You can construct magical fortifications on-site and cast large-scale destructive spells."

"In the end, it's just a deliberate attack on the Dragon Race. No other species in the top ten is not flourishing in numbers; losing a bit of talent means nothing to them. Only with us, the Dragon Race, it takes hundreds of years to grow..."

"This is outright murder! It's completely unfair!"

"Fairness?"

Naija snorted coldly, opening her mouth, two troll fangs pierced through her temporal sockets, issuing a low, muffled sound:

"There's no such thing as fairness, if you want fairness, go to the Empire, the Corporation, the Temple, any place that advocates law and civilization."

"Here, within the Alliance, only blood and fire are the only truths!"

"To speak of fairness in a place that discusses species? You're the one trampling on the fairness of the Alliance citizens! They acknowledge it, they love it, they believe in it; they developed it into a narrative, and it's the Alliance that led Border Abyss to win eight void invasions! What right do you have to question others?"

"The weak, no matter what they say, are always wrong."

"Patience, Naija, don't frighten the kids."

Sodolegoras held Naija down and turned to look at everyone:

"I know this is very dangerous, but the Dragon Race has reached a time of life and death. This competition is crucial for us. I also know that mere slogans and sentiments can't keep you here, so..."

Taking a deep breath, he resolved himself and said:

"As long as we can maintain our ranking this time, all external allies present will receive one percent of Dragon Island's annual GDP, for a thousand years."

Upon hearing this, the originally concerned external allies immediately fell silent.

"One percent..."

"Not to mention one percent, even zero point something is a huge number. For four contestants, it's four percent, enough to support an army."

The Golden Dragon Monk furrowed his brow:

"Old Chieftain, isn't a thousand years too long? This is not a one-time payment. Paying a four percent dividend annually is too burdensome for all the people of Dragon Island!"

"Yachi, don't worry. The bulk of this money won't fall on the entire Dragon Race."

Sodore Chieftain gestured for patience and explained:

"I will shoulder this dividend benefit. I'll take out all my savings to escort you safely. From the War Beyond the Abyss era, the heirloom treasures, antiques, artworks, fragmented divine artifacts, and exotic plants left from Nether Abyss and Mass Abyss, anything that's needed, I will provide."

Having said that, the old Dragon Chieftain, who witnessed the estrangement of the Divine Clan, rolled up his sleeves and clasped his hands to all the dragons present:

"I implore you all to win! Preserve the current status of the Dragon Race."

Clack.

Li Aozi brushed away the tea foam, looking at the Golden Dragon Monk Yachi in surprise:

"So, Sodore Chieftain is willing to open his own treasure vault just to make you stay here."

"Exactly." Yachi forced a smile: "It seems the situation is quite severe. The High Dragon Race has always considered their treasure vault akin to their life; the Chieftain has no other option."

"Even if you can help Dragon Island maintain its status this year, in another ten years, when there are more competitions, can the Dragon Race cultivate enough talent by then?"

"The Chieftain has his own ideas."

The Golden Dragon Monk pondered and said:

"It's like taking a loan to buy a house, then mortgaging the house to the bank to get more loans and invest to make money... As long as the capital chain doesn't break, the money will only increase, reaching a balanced state of debt, eventually becoming a process of making money with money. The Dragon Race is the first species to master capitalism, with investment and consumption awareness always ahead of other civilizations."

"I don't understand these insubstantial financial tricks. To me, only industry is the only right path."

Li Aozi frowned:

"And I don't understand, why not elevate those middle and lower-level Dragonborn at such a critical juncture of life and death?"

"He can't do that." Yachi sighed: "Although those mid and lower-level Dragonborn are numerous and even have some excellent talents, opening this precedent is tantamount to admitting that the Superior Dragon Clan has already weakened, and it may not keep the lower-level people in check, even threatening the dominion."

"The whole clan is on the brink of collapse, and they're still thinking about dominion?"

Li Aozi shook his head:

"At this time, one should fundamentally admit their mistake, implement species institutional reforms, deliberately elevate those grassroots Dragonborn leaders and elites, allowing them to divide and fight among themselves; taking advantage of national peril, it could further promote national enterprise development, even use the opportunity to collect a tax, increase military expenditure proportion, stabilize public sentiment and drive employment—surely that's not too difficult for Dragon Island?"

"... Brother Li Xian, isn't that a bit too extreme."

Yachi scratched his head:

"Though Dragon Island is facing a crisis, we are too big to disintegrate. Our Dragon Race's extensive and ancient foundation is laid here. Moreover, I've seen the economic data which are healthy. As long as the current ranking is maintained without changes, foreign capital has confidence. Given ten years of capital operations, we will be able to recover sooner or later."

"And then? If money could buy peace, what would gods be needed for?"

Li Aozi took a sip of tea, pursed his lips, and said:

"Ultimately, it's because the Sodore Chieftain is the chieftain of the Superior Dragon Clan, not the leader of the entire Dragon Race. For the traditional dragon populace, the Radiant Dragon is the true ruler. However, the Radiant Dragon Princess Glina lacks both strength and influence, and Redd Gold is indifferent to worldly matters, so there's no way to shake the current status quo."

"There's no choice. For thousands of years, it has always been like this. Since Dragon Island has been doing it this way and successfully maintained it for so long, there must be a reason."

Yachi sighed helplessly:

"It has come to this, so I have no choice but to get involved."

"Let's hope so." Li Aozi took another sip of tea and asked, "Brother Yachi, what were you saying about that Void Training just now?"

"Ah, that. You know the Border Abyss has resisted void invasions not once but eight times. This Void Training was proposed after the fifth war, by the then-leaders of the alliance."

Yachi explained:

"The Void Narrative is different from other Starry Abysses. They form Void Territories through void erosion of various planes, and they've already formed a contract with Zhou Yuan. Abyss is Void, Void is Narrative. All Void Territories fall under the cosmic domain of the third layer of the Starry Abyss—Zhou Yuan."

"Fortunately, the land of the Border Abyss is vast. Even after being invaded seven or eight times, the eroded Void Territories are insignificant. Some of these Void Territories have even become avenues for local people to make a fortune, smuggling and trading."

"Our Void Training uses one of these eroded Void Territories as a stepping stone into Zhou Yuan, but without truly entering Zhou Yuan. It's like visiting an enclave within the Void. Although we don't access a higher-level knowledge system, it allows us to receive the blessings of Zhou Yuan and explore many bio-resources, minerals, and materials unique to the Void without interference from those overwhelmingly powerful Void Overlords. Quite a bargain."

"I see, it's like a mock enemy drill."

Li Aozi nodded.

Earthlings often engage in these mock enemy confrontations as a norm, but in the Starry Abyss, it took thousands of years of societal invasions to adopt such tactics.

Fortunately, the Starry Abyss side has started to incorporate these tactics now.

"But, since these Void Territories are nominally part of Zhou Yuan, doesn't that mean the Void Overlords can teleport here anytime they wish?"

Li Aozi posed a doubt.

"The probability is low. Moreover, the risks are insignificant compared to its rewards—that is a direct liberation towards the potential of achieving a demigod or higher state. Frankly, unless someone completely lacks any talent to the extent they can't even practice the Pathway of Destroyer, making one journey here basically guarantees becoming a demigod."

Compared to the rewards promised by the Dragon Chieftain, Yachi found this training even more intriguing:

"Brother Li Xian, you are also a martial artist; such an opportunity shouldn't be missed."

"Yes, that's true, but I have other matters on Dragon Island, so I probably can't go with you."

Li Aozi appeared indifferent.

Given his current situation, if he ventured into the Void, Xides's mentor, the Twilight Duke, would definitely come directly to tear him apart.

He's in no hurry to enter the Void.

The Void was only opened in version 14.0 of the game, meaning it has already exceeded his zone of prophetic advantage.

He could either wait until he fully integrates Xides's historical Raiding history or wait for players to enter the Void together next time.

Yachi couldn't think of this, obviously, since Li Aozi came with him this time to find someone.

"Have you not found Ireixis Sundace yet?"

Li Aozi shook his head:

"No news, it seems she's not fond of wandering around."

"There's no need to rush." Yachi nodded: "From what I know, Ireixis is a genius; she will definitely make an appearance sooner or later. Since you've returned to Dragon Island, you might as well meet Sodore Chieftain too. Participating in this competition will be very beneficial for you."

"We'll see."

Li Aozi took a sip of tea, responding perfunctorily, but inside, he had already made up his mind.

Instead of defeating opponents openly and helping the Dragon Race achieve a higher ranking, Li Aozi planned to approach it differently.

On Earth, there's a saying, if you improve by one point in an exam, it's equivalent to beating a person in the playground.

So, how to quickly improve one's ranking?

Since this is an Earthling's proverb marked by cruelty and intelligence, he should think with their logic.

Thus, Li Aozi considered a perfect solution:

[If I eliminate everyone ranked ahead, then I'll be number one in the test!]

Originally, Li Aozi had no intention of participating in such a boring competition that could drag on for ten days to half a month, involving entanglements with a bunch of people.

Since the competition itself is brutally ruthless, pursuing absolute superiority as a species.

Is there anything more ruthless than Earth in the Starry Abyss?

The answer is: no.

"Let them witness this cruelty from Earth!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.