Rolling heat waves surged from the Red-Iron Dragon's body, causing the air around him to twist slightly from the heat.
The high temperature collided violently with the cold air, producing a faint sizzling sound and giving rise to thick clouds of white steam that enveloped his massive form, making him appear indistinct and adding a touch of majesty and danger.
Garros had just finished a long period of training.
He breathed heavily; his red-hot scales slowly returned to their original state, and the intense heat on his body subsided as the steam gradually dispersed.
Crack! Crack!
He gently shook his body, and with a series of dense, crisp sounds, the Frostburn Scales covering his body shattered along countless tiny cracks, falling in a shower of fragments to the ground, revealing his black-and-red scales covered in battle-scarred patterns.
"The Frostburn Scales are gradually failing to keep up with my current training intensity."
Garros looked down at the shattered scales on the ground, assessing the situation internally.
Not to mention the Crimson Lotus State and Bloodburst State, even in the most ordinary Frenzied State, if maintained for a bit longer, the heat generated was enough to overstrain this outer layer of scales, causing them to gradually collapse.
Its only effect for Garros now was its ability to absorb and transform thermal energy, serving as a key to activate the Crimson Lotus State.
Aside from that, the bonus it provided in terms of defense was negligible.
Moreover, Garros had an increasingly obvious feeling.
With his day after day of brutal training, the Frostburn Scales underwent cycle after cycle of shattering and regeneration.
However, they did not become harder or more robust because of it; instead, through repeated destruction, their structure seemed to become more fragile, and the regeneration period was quietly lengthening.
In contrast, his underlying Origin scales were becoming harder by the day, even starting to gain toughness.
Beneath the scales, he often felt a faint itching sensation, as if something was growing and reshaping.
Garros knew very well what this meant.
Although not obvious normally, his body was constantly adapting to external and environmental influences, undergoing a slow but steady evolution.
Scale defense, which frequently endured various attacks, was naturally of the utmost importance.
This layer of Frostburn Scales, which was no longer well-suited to his current power level, was being instinctively adapted by his body, gradually moving toward a transformation more suited to his future path.
"The deep sleep of the young adult stage... at that time, the core will lie in the evolution of the blood."
"However, I have never stopped targeted tempering of my scale defense and wing mobility; perhaps these two aspects can also complete corresponding Adaptive Evolutions."
Garros stretched his dragon wings, carefully sensing every subtle change in every inch of his body.
Just then, a strong wind howling with snow flurries swept in.
The valiant and heroic Nasha, her golden scales shining, landed on the ground not far in front of the Red-Iron Dragon.
She had intended to invite Garros for a new round of martial arts exchange, but before she could speak, her gaze was drawn to the Red-Iron Dragon's powerful body, which still radiated residual heat after his training.
His black-and-red scales, covered in battle-scarred patterns, looked like the hardest steel against the light of the sky.
His bulging muscle lines were full of explosive power.
Subconsciously, Nasha raised a front claw covered in golden scales and placed it on the Red-Iron Dragon's broad, hard chest.
It felt warm to the touch and the scales were hard, as if she were touching a dormant volcano.
"Hmm?"
Garros snapped out of his introspection and looked at the Golden Dragon who had suddenly acted this way; under his gaze, Nasha felt as if she had been struck by an electric current and withdrew her claw with a whoosh.
She felt her face heating up, luckily hidden by her golden scales.
"The training lately has been too intense, my claw isn't listening to me. I don't know what happened, it just reached out on its own."
She hastily made up an excuse, her tone carrying an unmistakable awkwardness, while she frantically scolded herself internally.
Nasha, oh Nasha, your brain hasn't even finished thinking, how could your claw move on its own?! Even if you did have some thoughts, you can't just put them into practice so directly!
Oh no, will I be seen as a frivolous Golden Dragon?
The Red-Iron Dragon looked at the Golden Dragon, whose eyes were darting around guiltily, for a few moments but didn't think much of it. He slowly spoke: "Since you're having trouble with body control, then take another good rest for a while."
"For a Martial Dragon, being unable to perfectly control one's own body is a major taboo."
Across from him, Nasha breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and nodded quickly like a chicken pecking at grain: "You're right, I'll be careful."
Garros didn't dwell on this little episode.
He turned and asked, "What did you come here for?"
Because of that awkward accident just now, Nasha temporarily gave up the idea of a martial exchange.
She switched the topic and said, "I wanted to ask if you're interested in visiting the Metallic Dragon Domain?"
Hearing this, Garros did not immediately voice his stance, a look of contemplation appearing in his eyes.
On Planet Bernardo, there are five main Metallic Dragon Domains in total, each under the protection of a Metallic Dragon King.
For example, the Raging Tide Dragon Domain where the Red-Silver Dragon Deborah's family lives is governed by the Bronze Dragon King; while the Fubo Dragon Domain, to which the Golden Dragon Alberto and Nasha belong, is under the rule of a Silver Dragon King.
Garros had never set foot in any Metallic Dragon Domain.
The records regarding Dragon Domains in his dragon heritage were also quite sparse and vague.
After all, his ancestors were basically notorious Evil Dragons, and there were no friendly interactions with the Metallic Dragon Domains.
However, frankly speaking, he was indeed somewhat curious about the Metallic Dragon Domain.
Seeing that he didn't refuse outright, Nasha continued her enthusiastic introduction: "To improve the competitive spirit and initiative of the young dragons, the major Dragon Domains jointly hold specialized competitive tournaments every once in a while."
"Any dragon who has not yet entered the prime of their life and has not undergone the adult deep sleep is eligible to participate."
"In the end, the outstanding young dragons from the five major Dragon Domains will compete for the five strongest spots. They will be granted the honorary title of Dragon Domain Rising Star and receive generous rewards provided by the Dragon Domains."
"And these five Dragon Domain Rising Stars will then engage in a final Peak duel under countless gazes to compete for the sole title of champion!"
"The rewards for becoming the Champion Dragon are even more generous than you can imagine!"
"It's said that there's even a chance to gain the favor and blessing of the Dragon God's will."
Nasha's intention in saying all this was obvious.
She wanted to urge Garros to get involved in the Metallic Dragon Domain's competition.
Nasha looked at the strong Red-Iron Dragon before her and said in an inflammatory tone, "Garros, do you want to give it a try? With your strength, you might be able to overwhelm all the Metallic Dragon Geniuses and become the ultimate Champion Dragon!"
Deep down, she loved a good spectacle.
Nasha felt that she shouldn't be the only dragon shocked by the young Red-Iron Dragon.
Those arrogant young Metallic Dragons from other Dragon Domains should also get a good taste of this monster's style.
Moreover, she really wanted to see what kind of wonderful expressions those fellow clansmen would have if Garros really swept through and crushed the younger generation of the five major Dragon Domains.
"Evil Dragons can also participate in competitions held by Metallic Dragons?"
Garros looked at Nasha and asked a key question.
"It's not explicitly forbidden in the rules."
Nasha explained, "In fact, many Metallic Dragons have the habit of adopting and teaching Chromatic Dragon Young Dragons. Within the Dragon Domains, there are actually a small number of Chromatic Dragons who have chosen the path of Order."
"I can get my parents to vouch for you together, ensuring you can enter from the Fubo Dragon Domain."
Just then, a figure of interwoven silver-white and honey colors flapped its wings, landing gracefully and lightly beside the two.
It was the Red-Silver Dragon Deborah.
She had heard part of the conversation and immediately chimed in, "Fubo Dragon Domain? No good, no good."
She turned to the Red-Iron Dragon and said, "Garros, if you really want to see the Dragon Domains, you can set out from our Raging Tide Dragon Domain. I'll take you back to see the Raging Tide Dragon Domain; it's my hometown."
"Besides the parents you've already met, I have some elders there."
"They will welcome your arrival."
On the other side, Nasha gave Deborah a somewhat surprised look and reminded her, "Deborah, I've heard that your Raging Tide Dragon Domain has a powerful character known as the Wrath of Justice."
"One of the Bronze Dragon King's offspring, Siano Sheffield."
"His attitude toward Evil Dragons is notoriously radical. He's killed many Chromatic Dragons, and even some Chromatic Dragons who have lived in the Raging Tide Dragon Domain for years and behaved well were forced by him to leave."
She said in a cautious tone, "If Garros goes there, can that Wrath of Justice restrain his killing intent?"
Hearing this, a look of hesitation appeared on the Red-Silver Dragon's face as she recalled, "The Bronze Dragon you mentioned, I know him."
"When I was little, my father did solemnly warn me to stay away from this elder and not have any contact with him, but my father didn't explicitly state the specific reason."
Nasha said with certainty, "You'll know if you go back and ask around more."
"That Wrath of Justice is famous across all the major Dragon Domains, especially... in the small circles of the Chromatic Dragons."
Hearing the Golden Dragon speak so definitively, as if it weren't a fabrication, Deborah turned her head somewhat dejectedly.
She looked at Garros and said helplessly, "If that's really the case, then for safety's sake, it might be better for you to enter from the Fubo Dragon Domain. The Raging Tide Dragon Domain might have some unnecessary trouble."
Garros silently memorized the name "Siano Sheffield" and the title "Wrath of Justice."
He shook his head slightly, then, with a tone of slight helplessness, said to the two female dragons who had already assumed he would participate: "My two beautiful Dragon ladies, you both seem to have decided that I really want to participate in this competition?"
The Red-Silver Dragon flicked her long, slender silver tail, a look of surprise appearing on her face.
"Don't you want to go?"
She said matter-of-factly: "To sweep through all the young generations of the five Dragon Domains with the power of a single Dragon, and to reap glory and countless praises under the spotlight—doesn't that sound exactly like something you would love to do?"
Is my vanity that strong? How come I didn't know that?
Garros straightened his expression and explained: "I admit, I do hold some curiosity about the Metallic Dragon Domain."
"But after all, it is not my territory, and to be honest, I don't have much interest in arena-style duels."
He was speaking the truth.
On one hand, having experienced life-and-death struggles with many powerful beings like the Red Dragon Father and the Blue Dragon leader, Garros's perspective had long since surpassed that kind of competition where one stops at a touch.
If he wanted to spar, he had plenty of suitable opponents; why travel all the way to the Dragon Domain to compete with Metallic Dragons?
With that time and energy, it would be better spent further improving his own strength.
On the other hand, within the Dragon Domain, there were likely more than just one Metallic Dragon, like the Wrath of Justice that Nasha spoke of, who might judge good and evil purely based on Bloodline.
If some powerful and highly-regarded Legendary Metallic Dragon also held such extreme views and was deep-thinking, they might see him, an "Evil Dragon," sweeping through the young generation of the Dragon Domain so ostentatiously, and consequently view him as a threat that must be eliminated.
The consequences would be unimaginable.
"Really no interest at all?"
Nasha still wouldn't give up and continued to dangle the temptation: "You might not know this, but almost all the Champion Dragons of past generations have been able to successfully break through the Legendary barrier in a very short time."
"The rewards prepared by the Dragon Domain for the champion are so generous that even many Legendary Dragons would be envious."
"They include a large number of rare treasures that can catalyze a leap in a Dragon's growth."
Hearing keywords like "break through to Legendary in a very short time," "Legendary Dragons would be envious," and "leap in growth," Garros's eyes flickered involuntarily.
He was indeed lacking interest in the Dragon Domain competition itself.
But then again... those rewards... The Red-Iron Dragon shook his massive head violently, casting these temptations out of his mind, and quickly steadied his focus.
"Let's talk about it later."
"At least for now, I have no intention of going to the Dragon Domain, and I will not let my resolve be shaken by external objects that I am not certain I can obtain."
Speaking up to this point, his voice paused slightly.
He asked: "From what you say, it seems that none of the past Champion Dragons were already Legendary?"
The Red-Silver Dragon answered first: "Of course not! The rules explicitly state that any Dragon who has already gone through the adult slumber, regardless of their strength, is not eligible to participate."
"If someone were already Legendary without having gone through the adult slumber... then what is there to compete for?"
"The Champion Dragon title and all the prizes would just be awarded to him directly. Such monsters don't appear once every many years."
That makes sense.
Garros agreed internally.
Entering the Legendary Domain before the adult slumber is truly a rare occurrence.
Each one is a top-tier Genius recorded in the history of the Dragon Clan, a true Dragon among Dragons.
Even as confident as Garros was, with his powerful talent and crazy training, he dared not say he had absolute certainty of achieving this.
However... deep in his heart, he felt he might have a chance.
As they chatted, the conversation between Nasha and Deborah turned to some anecdotes from their respective Dragon Domains, and the atmosphere gradually became relaxed and harmonious.
After getting enough rest, Garros once again threw himself into training.
The defense of his scales, the maneuverability of his wings, and the potential of his blood—these were the three directions he was currently focusing on training, hoping to gain key evolutions during his young adult stage slumber.
Besides that, he never relaxed his resistance to and adaptation of the Frenzied Flame.
During intense training, he would often let his rage accumulate to a certain level, but instead of immediately venting it through combat or destruction, he would force himself to think complex thoughts while in this restless, highly-disturbed state, honing his ability to remain calm amidst fury.
Just like that, time flowed smoothly amidst the howling snowstorms of The Borderlands.
By this time, three whole years had passed since Garros woke up from his last slumber.
In just three years, he had led the Molten Iron Tribe to conquer the two major regions of the northwest and central wilderness, forging his own hegemony.
Now, the Molten Iron Tribe's rule in the wilderness was becoming increasingly entrenched and orderly.
The other two regional kings, the Mountain King and the Mushroom King, adopted similar strategies, with no intention of expanding, both racing against time to convert the wilderness resources within their control into tangible military strength and foundation.
The regional king war that swept through the entire Serel Wilderness had come to an end.
Now was the harvest period for various factions to digest their gains and accumulate strength.
Then, in the year 278 of the New Era, the Blue Dragon Heriam lived up to expectations, leading a carefully assembled pioneer legion to officially head north, stepping into the harsh environment of the Permafrost Tundra to open up a rear path for the Molten Iron Tribe.
In the days of stable development, time seemed to pass exceptionally quickly.
Meanwhile, the war between the Southern Kingdoms entered an unprecedented stage of white-hot intensity.
At the beginning of the year 279 of the New Era, King Aubrien, clad in armor and wielding weapons, personally led the Legendary Guards who had awakened from the kingdom's heartland to launch a royal expedition!
A thin lion is still a lion.
The Lothern Kingdom had an incomparably deep foundation; the moment the Legendary Guards appeared, they displayed a powerful combat capability that was like sweeping away withered leaves.
Even though the opposing camp brought out their trump cards, they still found it difficult to withstand this torrent that gathered the King's will and ancient power, retreating steadily.
In the following six years, the Royalist camp was riding high on momentum, with reports of victory coming one after another.
King Aubrien seemed like a reincarnated sage king; under his wise command and leading from the front, the coalition army made a concerted effort to recover all previously lost strategic strongholds, pointing their blades directly at the enemy's heartland.
However, the turning point of the war appeared in the year 285 of the New Era.
A battle erupted around the ownership of the strategic waterway, the [Beckton Great River].
The Rebos Kingdom deployed a large number of unprecedented war machines in this battle.
Alchemical cannons capable of injuring Legendary powerhouses, top-tier golems capable of confronting Legendaries head-on, and various new weapons with bizarre functions and astonishing power.
The Lothern coalition was caught off guard by the enemy's suddenly increased power, suffering the heaviest casualties since the war began.
King Aubrien himself was severely injured under the siege of several hostile Legendaries and war golems, falling into a perilous situation.
In the end, relying on the desperate protection of the Legendary Guards at any cost, they managed to escort the King to a safe area, escaping the crisis of death.
The Battle of the Beckton Great River became the turning point of the war.
In the four years that followed, relying on a continuous stream of powerful war machines, the anti-royal camp led by the Rebos Kingdom successfully reversed their previous decline.
They recaptured the occupied strategic strongholds.
They began to advance step by step towards the core territory of the Lothern Kingdom with a slow but firm posture.
By the year 289 of the New Era, the Lothern Kingdom showed signs of defeat, its defensive lines constantly shrinking; although it was still putting up a stubborn resistance, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the situation was already precarious.
It was also in this year that the seventy-year-old King of Molten Iron, after ten years of persistent and crazy training, as well as the supply of massive resources, had accumulated his body and mind to the limit, welcoming his young adult stage slumber ahead of time.
Generally speaking, a Young Adult Dragon would naturally enter the slumber period around the age of eighty.
"Time flies like an arrow, years pass like a shuttle... ten years have passed in a flash."
In The Borderlands, deep within the Dragon Valley, the Red-Iron Dragon raised his towering head, looking at the snow-filled sky.
During these ten years of steady development, apart from day-after-day training to hone himself and handling necessary tribal affairs, there were basically no magnificent wars like the three-year hegemony period before.
Therefore, he felt as if time had passed especially quickly.
The scenes of leading the tribe to conquer everywhere and fighting bloody battles with strong enemies ten years ago were still vivid, as clear as yesterday.
"The forces of the Mountain King and the Mushroom King are becoming increasingly stable, and their activities are also becoming frequent; the war in the south in Lothern is also drawing to a close."
"The present is not the best time for slumber, but time waits for no one; I can only adapt to the situation. Now, slumber and becoming stronger are the most important things."
Garros thought to himself.
Not long after, he began to arrange various affairs of the tribe.
This included entrusting allies with good relations and Metallic Dragon friends to look after things, and giving specific instructions to the Dragons, familiar leaders, and lords under his command.
After he had handled things properly.
The King of Molten Iron swallowed the accumulated black oil crystals, various rare gemstones, and a large amount of magical precious metals. Then he stepped into the slumber place he had prepared in advance.