After a full year in the forest, Fang Chen had clawed his way up to become one of its apex rulers.
Though only at Tier 7, his sheer toughness had left the other three beast kings completely speechless.
It wasn't that they couldn't injure him—it was that Fang Chen was a complete lunatic.
No matter how badly wounded he was, he'd charge in again like nothing had happened.
That savage beastliness earned him the recognition of the three beast kings. He was officially acknowledged as the strongest existence beneath the beast kings.
His incredibly thick hide came from the discovery of a Life Stone mine he had stumbled upon over the year.
To claim that mine, he'd even gotten injured while in his Dragonkin form.
Life Stones were meaningless to ordinary beast races—just shiny minerals that attracted attention.
But to Fang Chen, they were treasures. Consuming them in large quantities—
not only strengthened his body but also enhanced his simulation form's durability and recovery.
So even while in Earth Lizard form, he reaped dual benefits.
Not only did the Earth Lizard's defense and recovery rate increase, but those improvements fed back into his Dragonkin body as well.
These stones were among the few treasures in this world—though only for low-tier dragons.
For Fang Chen, they were ideal. After consuming a large quantity,
his entire body looked like it was wrapped in dense, dark-green armor. His defense reached granite-like levels.
His regeneration speed rose to one-third that of his Dragonkin form.
And though that may sound slow, that was only in comparison to his original body.
Compared to normal beasts, he was virtually immortal—as long as he held on, he couldn't die.
In game terms: a health bar always at the edge of death, but never falling.
Thanks to his rigorous training, his Earth Lizard form had reached Tier 7 lifeform status—
putting him at the doorstep of the continent's true elite.
As for his encounter with the beast kings?
That was due to Fang Chen's relentless slaughter, which eventually drew their attention.
Only at Tier 8 did magical beasts gain full sapience, reaching intelligence on par with humans.
After a full year of battles, Fang Chen had begun to develop real combat instincts.
How to kill with the least effort, how to spot weak points, how to finish enemies with a single blow—
He had read about all of it in novels, but applying it in real combat was something else entirely.
He had spent a year learning it all—and as an Earth Lizard, he had risen to the top of the Magic Beast Mountain Range.
When he shed the Earth Lizard form, all the combat experience directly fed back into his Dragonkin body.
[Race: Dragon
Dragon Type: Unknown
Age: One Year
Level: Tier 2 (equivalent to Lesser Dragon adult)
Talent: Apex of Evolution, Transformation MAX, Dragon Might (Basic)
—Scales with strength. A core instinct of Dragonkin.
Abilities: Flame Resistance (Advanced), Temperature Adaptation (Intermediate), Lightning Resistance (Intermediate), Toxic Resistance (Advanced), Physical Enhancement (Advanced), Self-Healing (Advanced), Scale Hardness (Advanced), Attribute Simulation (Advanced), Breath Perception (Advanced), Dragon Eye (Advanced)
Skills: Hidden Position (Intermediate), Rapid Strike (Advanced), Flight (Special), Scale Blade, Dragon Breath (Basic), Dragon Roar (Basic)]
After countless life-or-death fights, Fang Chen's Flame Resistance and Toxic Resistance had advanced. He even developed Lightning Resistance.
Due to the constant stress on his body, Self-Healing and Scale Hardness also improved drastically.
Thanks to his throat having fully developed over the past year, he now possessed Dragon Breath and Dragon Roar.
They were still at basic level—he hadn't had much chance to use them yet—but due to his dragon bloodline,
he could fully replicate any familiar elemental breath of another dragon.
Fang Chen's current body had already grown to ten meters—fully adult in appearance.
If he transformed into his Dragonkin form now, no one would believe he was still just a child.
At this moment, Fang Chen let out a slow breath. He had gained enough experience—
Now it was time to rely on Evolution to boost his actual strength.
He didn't plan to live the rest of his life in the Earth Lizard form.
Just as he was preparing to transform back, a sound in the distance broke his concentration.
Fang Chen turned his gaze—
A caravan, rows of wagons, was slowly approaching from afar.
Onboard were beast cages, filled with young magical beasts, and in some locked crates—eggs.
With Breath Perception and Dragon Eye activated, Fang Chen could sense everything clearly from a distance.
Most of the people escorting the caravan were Tier 7. Three were Tier 8. One was Tier 9.
Their ornate armor and garb screamed imperial hunting expedition.
In this world, even though magical beasts were dangerous, they also made excellent tamed battle pets.
Fang Chen frowned as his gaze landed on the Tier 9 powerhouse—so soon, and already encountering the peak?
Then again, it made sense.
Though it's hard for humans to break through, Tier 9s did exist. Most reached that level after around 60 years of cultivation.
But since they couldn't reach Tier 10, and humans only lived around a hundred years,
naturally the number of Tier 9s would gradually accumulate.
In other words…
There were likely many Tier 9s in a single empire—though not an overwhelming number.
Fang Chen gave the caravan a glance and slowly turned to leave.
Right now, he couldn't take on a Tier 9 opponent.
However, while he didn't intend to escalate things, the humans had other plans.
The moment the Tier 9 sensed Fang Chen's presence, his eyes lit up with excitement.
He had been searching for a mount—and now a perfect candidate had appeared.
Though still far away, a quick assessment confirmed it:
Tier 7, reptilian, no elemental attributes, high-defense magical beast—Spiked Earth Lizard.
If properly trained, it could definitely reach Tier 8. It was a dream mount.
In an instant, a group of knights mounted their wolves and began charging toward Fang Chen.
Fang Chen stopped in place.
As an Earth Lizard, he couldn't outrun them—their mounts were simply faster.
But if he transformed back into his true self—that would be a different story.
He couldn't beat a Tier 9.
But humans couldn't fly.
And in this world, flying magical beasts were incredibly rare.
Most ended up captured only if injured or foolish enough to get caught. The few tame flying dragons were Lesser Dragons who had been wounded or enslaved.
So Fang Chen felt no fear.
In fact, he looked at the incoming riders with complete calm.
Amid the strange stares from those who surrounded him, the leading Tier 9 slowly rode closer.
In that moment—
Fang Chen's beastly pupils locked eyes with the Tier 9 hunter.
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