Chapter 28-The True Prodigy Of The Dragon Nation, One Who Advanced Their Class Ahead Of Time!

"Damn it!

I should have thought of that earlier. Why did I even ask him?

As they say—curiosity killed the cat!

Qin Yue made up her mind to break this bad habit.

Li Yao ignored Qin Yue's fierce glare and glanced around.

After confirming no one was nearby, he emptied all the bronze and black iron equipment from his storage ring.

Clatter.

In an instant, a dazzling array of equipment filled everyone's vision.

Uncle Wu was so shocked he could barely speak. "These…"

"My storage ring is full. I'll be running a couple more dungeon runs with Qin Yue, so I'll leave these to you. Handle them as you see fit."

Li Yao trusted that, given the Silver Wolf Guild's backing, they wouldn't try to scam him.

Besides, knowing these were his son's belongings, Li Yang would likely assign people to keep an eye on things.

Wu Shu and the others were stunned. They had never seen so much equipment in their lives.

Cautiously, Wu Shu asked, "Wait… are these all Nightmare-level drops?"

"Not all of them. Some came from the wild."

Wu Shu breathed a sigh of relief. He had almost thought the Nightmare-level drop rate was this high.

No, wait.

Gold-tier?

With his sharp eyes, Wu Shu immediately spotted a few gold-tier items among the pile.

Gold-tier… and you're just throwing them out like junk?

"Oh right, I haven't opened the final boss loot yet. If there's anything I don't need, I'll give it to you later."

At that moment, Wu Shu seriously considered taking the loot and running.

Gold-tier equipment… every single piece is priceless.

Even their Qin family's second young miss was still wearing silver-tier gear.

Wu Shu glanced at the young man before him, then at his own lady…

Sigh.

From now on, they could no longer afford to be so casual with the Silver Wolf Guild.

Because Silver Wolf had raised a true dragon.

After sorting out the equipment, Li Yao took Qin Yue and dove back into the dungeon vortex.

He still had two Nightmare-level attempts left in the Abyssal Mirror.

Li Yao planned to clear them in one go.

Once he was done, he'd open all the loot boxes together and see if he could complete the final piece of the Royal Authority set.

Meanwhile, in the capital of the Dragon Nation.

Inside an ancient courtyard.

"Father, I want to go to Jiangzhou."

A sharp-eyed young man stood before a middle-aged man, speaking firmly.

The man didn't look up from his newspaper. "Jiangzhou? For that newly unlocked Hell-level dungeon? What was it called… Goblin Nest?"

"That's right."

"No."

"Why not?"

The middle-aged man set down the newspaper and looked at the young man with disapproval.

"As someone who transitioned early, do you really think it's appropriate to compete with those fledgling rookies for a dungeon?"

"But securing the first clear of a Hell-level dungeon is crucial. Even if our Zhang family doesn't fight for it, others will."

"And that's exactly the point. They are 'others.' We are the Zhang family."

The man's face remained expressionless, yet the pressure radiating from him made even the young man shudder.

"If you enjoy the privileges of early transition, you must follow the rules that come with it."

"Even if someone else gets the first clear, are you afraid?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Then that settles it."

The middle-aged man's sharp aura vanished as he chuckled, as if they were merely having a casual chat.

"Yu Cheng, do you know why our Dragon Nation is strong? It's not because of our Zhang family, nor because of the Wang or Lin families."

"It's because countless talented professionals emerge like bamboo shoots after the rain."

"I've heard of this Li Yao. Elder Lin speaks highly of him. He believes this kid might break the ceiling for summoners and usher in a new era."

"Break the ceiling for summoners… usher in a new era…"

The young man murmured the words, his expression growing serious.

Even he had never received such high praise from Elder Lin.

The middle-aged man continued,

"Since this dungeon was opened by Li Yao, let him fight for it when he reaches level 20."

"Father…"

The young man wanted to argue but was cut off.

"The Federation has strict regulations. Even if those shameless ones go to Jiangzhou, they'll have to wait—priority access always goes to the dungeon opener."

"If he can't even handle them, then Li Yao is nothing special after all."

The young man nodded.

By those people, his father meant the children of elite families—those allowed to transition early before the age of 18.

Due to the national combat exams, their levels were all capped at 25.

They spent their time refining their skills, clearing dungeons, and securing relics—

All in preparation for their transition quests, aiming for a perfect transition and a stronger future.

And these people—

Would stop at nothing for high-tier items.

Whenever a Hell-level dungeon was unlocked, they would swarm to it like sharks scenting blood.

His desire to go to Jiangzhou had stemmed from this very reason.

Li Yao… if Elder Lin holds you in such high regard, then I trust you won't disappoint.

See you at the combat exams.

Having sorted his thoughts, the young man turned to leave.

"One more thing," the middle-aged man suddenly called out.

"Back when you were level 10… could you solo a level 12 Nightmare dungeon?"

"Uh…"

The young man hesitated.

"I see. You may leave."

As he left, his face darkened.

From behind him, his father's voice echoed.

"Still need to train more…"

"Young Master Li, I'm level 14 now. What about you?"

At some point, Qin Yue had started calling Li Yao Young Master Li like Uncle Wu and the others.

"Just hit level 17. Not bad."

After two more dungeon runs, it was already morning.

The Abyssal Mirror's attempts were used up, and Qin Yue's face showed visible exhaustion.

Li Yao was just as tired and said, "I'm heading back now."

"As I mentioned earlier, tomorrow we'll be running the Nightmare dungeon in South City. You can invite your friends—if they have an Abyssal Mirror."

South City was right next to Jiangzhou, just a few dozen miles away.

There, an 18-level dungeon called Blood Moon Forest would provide much faster leveling than Goblin Nest.

Unfortunately, the Nightmare-level version had been cleared three years ago by a pro team from Magic City, so there was no first-clear reward left.

As for the Hell-level version—

That required level 28 to enter, something Li Yao didn't need to worry about for now.

"No problem! But I need to check with them first."

Qin Yue nodded while considering which of her friends might have an Abyssal Mirror.

Then she suddenly realized something.

"Wait a minute."

"I used up my Abyssal Mirror! Young Master Li, are you trying to ditch me?!"

"Sniff, sniff."

Qin Yue clung to Li Yao's arm, gazing at him with teary puppy eyes.

"That depends on your luck." Li Yao shoved her away in disgust.

"You were the one who picked up my loot. If the rewards are trash… heh…"

Li Yao gave her an ominous smile before heading toward the outskirts.

"Then I have nothing to worry about! My luck has always been great!"

After parting ways with Qin Yue and the others, Li Yao returned to his rented room at the Starweb Trading Post.

Before him were six treasure chests—

Three boss loot chests and three dungeon clear chests.

Rubbing his hands together, he opened all six at once.

In an instant, the entire room was bathed in dazzling light.

Looking at the loot spread before him, Li Yao's eyes gleamed as he let out a heartfelt sigh.

"Could it be… that Qin Yue is actually a treasure-finding prodigy?"