Chapter 1 Purple Thunder Dragon Carving

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard the Grey Falcon airship. After a long journey of three days and three nights, we have arrived at the central area of the Endless Desert. It will take another three hours to reach our final destination, the 'Mountain and Sea Academy.' Please prepare accordingly. I am Captain Blake Johnson..."

　　Inside the luxurious cabin, there were about twenty or thirty people, all of whom looked like teenagers of fifteen or sixteen years old, making a lot of noise.

　　"We've been waiting for this day for so long!"

　　"Yes, twelve years of hard work and study, all for what? To become a master by opening the Soul Sea! If we wait a little longer, we'll be able to fulfill our wishes!"

　　"Hey, what kind of pet beast are you planning to contract with? I've already made up my mind, I must have a thunder attribute, and the best one would be an electric mouse!"

　　...

　　On the young and slightly naive faces, there was excitement and joy written all over them.

　　John Smith silently watched them, with a smile of anticipation on his lips.

　　Turning his head, he sighed when he saw the young girl sleeping soundly while holding onto his arm.

　　"Emily, Emily, wake up, you've been sleeping half the day!"

　　John Smith knocked on the young girl's shiny black head out of habit, feeling somewhat helpless.

　　"Hmm?"

　　Perhaps due to just waking up, there was still a faint blush on the girl's face.

　　Her appearance was not stunning, but delicate and petite enough.

　　She had an oval face, a straight nose, a red mouth, and her dark hair fell naturally over her shoulders.

　　She was like the image of a neighbor's little sister in his mind.

　　"Have we arrived at the station?"

　　Emily Jones rubbed her sleepy eyes and mumbled with a touch of grogginess in her voice.

　　"On the way."

　　John Smith said as he moved his stiff and numb arm, glancing at Emily Jones irritably.

　　"If you keep sleeping, my arm will probably be useless!"

　　Emily pouted and shrugged off his concern.

　　"I just had a dream about a fish-bone bird, it was delicious..."

　　When John ignored her, Emily slyly placed her ten fingers on his shoulder.

　　"John, let me give you a massage, I'm really good at orthopedic massage!"

　　John's first reaction was that it was unreliable.

　　He winced in pain after two strokes, and pushed away Emily's arm.

　　"Never mind, you have time to fool around, why not think about how to explain to your cousin when we arrive at the academy later?"

　　"What's there to explain? I just don't want to go to the Green Phoenix Women's Academy, Michael is in the Mountain and Sea Academy, and you're going there too, why do I have to go to the Green Phoenix Women's Academy alone? It's no fun at all!"

　　Emily complained,let go and instead grabbed onto John Smith's sleeve, speaking in a small, plaintive voice.

　　"Couldn't you have at least said goodbye before sneaking out like this? Your family must be worried sick..."

　　John Smith sighed and rubbed his forehead.

　　Despite Emily Jones' innocent and pure appearance, she was actually quite mischievous and stubborn.

　　She had caused trouble since she was young, and John Smith had often been dragged into her messes.

　　But he never expected that for this important decision of attending the Beast Taming Academy, Emily's family had arranged for her to attend the more suitable Qingluan Girls Academy, and had made all kinds of arrangements in advance.

　　Emily had stubbornly refused and even followed him in secret onto the floating airship to the Shanhai Academy.

　　Emily has a cousin named Michael Jones, three years her senior, who is the eldest son of the current head of the Jones family and is currently in his fourth year at the Shanhai Academy.

　　From what John remembers, Michael Jones has limited affection for his cousin Emily.

　　He is more like a stern father figure, treating her with high demands in her daily studies, cultivation, and tasks.

　　Emily Jones impulsively switched colleges, which would undoubtedly earn her a scolding from Michael Jones when he found out.

　　"Hehe, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I'm already here, and Michael can't possibly send me back, right?"

　　 Emily Jones made a face at John Smith, oozing with confidence.

　　Just as John Smith was about to further educate Emily Jones, the stable airship suddenly shook violently, causing countless people on board to scream in shock.

　　"Look outside, what's that?!"

　　Following the sound, John Smith looked out the window only to see the once sunny and cloudless sky turning dark at a visible speed.

　　In the distance, dark clouds rolled in, covering half of the sky.

　　Powerful and thick flashes of purple lightning intermingled and collided in the black clouds like a serpent demon in a frenzied dance.

　　The thunderous sound of lightning, even though muffled by a thick layer of ship planks, still shook the ears and frightened people.

　　"A thunderstorm?"

　　John Smith was stunned for a moment, then realized that something was wrong.

　　How could such a large black cloud with thunder and lightning form in just a few seconds?

　　"Squeak!"

　　Suddenly, a piercing bird cry came from the apocalyptic lightning black cloud.

　　A huge monster appeared, with crimson eyes looking towards the floating ship.

　　In the flicker of lightning, John Smith saw the full picture of the monster. He froze, as if he had lost his soul, motionless.

　　It was a huge raptor, with a dragon's head and bird's body, a wingspan of hundreds of meters, but not a single feather.

　　Its whole body was covered with purple dragon scales.

　　The scales looked like they were made of metal, filled with a stunning beauty and sense of power.

　　Its head was very similar to the legendary dragon, with a pair of golden dragon horns curving backwards, noble and sacred.

　　Its mouth, however, was a curved bird beak, black and sharp, several meters long, and stained with the blood of beasts, apparently just having fought something.

　　Even more terrifying were its claws, as thick as a bull's, sharp as a knife, and with a chilling light that could easily tear through the defense deck of the floating ship!

　　"A purple...purple...purple thunder dragon eagle?"

　　Emily Jones swallowed a mouthful of saliva and murmured, "How could a monster of this level appear here?"

　　"Its mood doesn't seem right. Look at its eyes, bright red like blood, clearly in a state of rage. What happened to make it so crazy that it would venture so far from its nest to this barren desert?"

　　 John Smith forced himself to calm down and analyzed the situation.

　　Obviously, the enraged Purple Thunder Dragon Eagle noticed the floating ship in the distance, which was much smaller than it, with disgust in its bright red pupils.

　　It flapped its purple wings hard and dove down like lightning.

　　"Everyone, stay in place, defense system fully activated, start maximum overload mode!"

　　The captain's voice came through the broadcast, trying to sound calm. Then, the bow of the ship quickly shifted and flew away in the opposite direction at the fastest speed.

　　The floating ship that John Smith and Emily Jones were on was the latest model provided by the Mountain and Sea Academy.

　　Its power was abundant and generally comparable to the vast majority of fully evolved flying supernatural creatures.

　　In the outer and even middle zones of the Endless Sands, its safety factor was extremely high.

　　However, this purple thunder dragon eagle was too terrifying in size, and was likely to be an ultimate-stage monster!

　　As the huge and ferocious body of the purple thunder dragon eagle drew closer and closer, everyone in the cabin could not sit still, and even some timid girls started to cry.

　　"Shh!"

　　The sharp, eerie purple electric light on the wings, like an unparalleled treasure sword, split the floating ship in half.

　　In the blink of an eye, John Smith only had time to throw himself on Emily Jones, hoping to give her a little extra protection...

　　Afterwards, there was a whirlwind sensation and consciousness sank into silence.