Translator: AnubisTL
He now had the capital to dance on the edge of death, time and again, with a high probability of crawling back! This perfectly solved the greatest concern of dual-cultivating the Eternal Death Path—the risk of truly dying if things went south.
Now, Garos was almost perfectly compatible with this dangerous branch path.
Even the stupidest, slowest dragon should know what choice to make now.
I must dual-cultivate the Eternal Death Path!
Garos's eyes burned with resolve as he made his decision.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Just then, the heavy sound of dragon wings churning the air grew louder, rapidly approaching from afar.
Garos raised his head and saw the familiar figures of Iron Dragon Solgorn and Red Dragon Samantha emerging from the swirling snow, their forms gradually becoming clear.
Just like him, his two blood kin had also awakened from their long slumber.
The dragons before him had all entered the young stage—true young dragons.
Samantha's length had already exceeded sixteen meters. Thanks to the innate talent of the Red Dragon race, her body appeared exceptionally powerful and fierce, her scales shimmering with a dull luster.
Solgorn's length was similar to Samantha's, though he seemed slightly smaller overall, yet he exuded a steel-like toughness.
Soon, the two landed beside the Red-Iron Dragon one after another.
"Garos, you've finally awakened."
Iron Dragon Solgorn's gaze swept over Garos's larger, more imposing frame as he spoke. "The Ironforged Tribe has been lying low, waiting for your return, for far too long."
"Now, we can finally reveal our claws and fangs to the wilderness, to the wider world, and fulfill our grand ambitions!"
Ever since his awakening after completing his evolution, the Iron Dragon Solgorn's conqueror's spirit had never ceased to burn. Every day, he yearned to lead the tribe in expanding their territory.
Yet, his increasingly mature and composed mind forced him to suppress these primal urges.
He knew all too well that only with the awakening and return of Garos, the true pillar of the dragon pack, could the tribe's strength be forged into the mightiest of fists. Thus, he had chosen to wait patiently—until this very moment.
Unlike the exhilarated Iron Dragon, the Red Dragon Samantha, upon landing, first sized Garos up and down. Then, she glanced down at her own powerful frame before erupting into a delighted laugh.
"Haha! My dear brother, look! I've finally become as strong as you!"
She swung her tail in joy, her voice booming. "Though you are still larger than I am, setting aside our overall length, our sheer strength appears to be nearly identical."
"This means that if I push my training to the next level, I have a very good chance of catching up to you—or even surpassing you."
At this moment, although Garos was brimming with Dragon Jade energy, his physical body had not yet fully recovered to its absolute peak from its long slumber. His muscular build, however, appeared quite similar to Samantha's current robust state.
This similarity led her to a wonderful misunderstanding.
"Hmm."
Garos watched the red dragon's spirited and confident display, a faint smile playing on his lips. He chose not to shatter her rare enthusiasm and newfound fighting spirit by revealing the truth.
"I'll be waiting to see."
An hour later, the sky was completely shrouded in ink-black darkness.
Outside the valley, fierce winds howled and snow flew wildly, the harsh environment threatening to devour the entire world.
Yet, within the Dragon Valley, protected by this barrier of wind and snow, as well as in the distant Black Iron Plains, the Fertile Plains, and all the Ironforged Tribe's forward outposts, mines, and pastures, a fervent and jubilant atmosphere had taken hold.
The entire tribe was celebrating their leader's return with unbridled joy, like a blazing fire in the heart of winter.
On the first level of the Burning Steel Citadel, the spacious front courtyard had been transformed into a temporary banquet hall.
Garos, Deborah, Solgorn, and Samantha—four towering young dragons—were undoubtedly the most striking figures in the crowd.
Next were Treacy, a prime-age white dragon; four dragons who had already entered their juvenile stage—Heliam the blue, Cahill the red, Seraphina the black, and Ludwig the green—as well as a few juvenile and young dragons Garos wasn't very familiar with, whom he had taken in later.
The dragons of the Ironforged Tribe were all gathered here.
Among this group of dragons and monsters, whose appearances ranged from majestic to ferocious, there was a remarkably conspicuous exception.
A young human of extraordinary beauty, with dazzling golden hair, was performing a magnificent sword dance in the center of the grounds, wielding a training longsword. His performance drew the curious gazes of many surrounding familiars.
This was none other than the Gold Dragon Alberto, appearing in his human form.
Garos had invited him with a hint of mischief, never expecting him to actually accept and show up.
"Alberto, I recall you once vowing to hone your skills relentlessly, without a moment's slack. How do you have the leisure to come here and dance with a sword now?" Garos couldn't help but ask.
Alberto brought his sword to a sharp halt, ending his dance. A brilliant smile spread across his face as he replied, "After a long night of insomnia... er, deep contemplation! I have finally grasped a crucial truth."
"Proper relaxation and mental rest can make subsequent training twice as effective with half the effort, allowing one to reach even greater heights."
"True strength should not be bound by rigid ideas, but should instead seek to understand their essence."
Though he could be stubborn at times, Alberto was far from foolish.
After Garos had fallen into his slumber, Alberto could no longer rely on physical aids to help him sleep. He had endured a prolonged period of agonizing insomnia. Finally, one morning while staring blankly at a gold coin, he had a sudden epiphany. He realized that his previous, extreme method of self-discipline had been a dead end.
The current Alberto remained so diligent in his training that it would make a dragon's jaw drop. However, he had learned to carve out necessary time for rest and relaxation—such as attending a celebration like tonight's.
"Still, after the banquet, I would like to challenge you to a duel," Alberto added. "I hope we can compare our skills in a calm and friendly manner."
"No problem," Garos replied magnanimously. "I'll spare you one free sparring session."
He happened to need a way to test his attributes and condition after waking up, and Alberto was an excellent partner for that.
(End of the Chapter)
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