Li Xi didn't stand on ceremony, waving his hand and sending it into the spatial ring, "Don't worry, I'm so young and haven't married and had children. I don't want to die so early."
"You're incorrigible." Aisi's face turned red again.
Avril on the side offered a bitter smile, feeling a pang of sadness watching them so engrossed in each other, oblivious to their surroundings. Only she understood the complex emotions within her.
"By the way, what kind of magical beast was the meat you brought back yesterday? I thought about it all night, but I couldn't figure out what kind of magical beast it was from the taste."
"Isn't this the dragon meat you wanted?"
"Lying again. If that were dragon meat, goblins would fall in love with bathing."
"Haha, you saw through me."
"Tell me quickly, what kind of meat is it?"
"I won't tell you."
...
Within the illusory sealing space beneath Li Xi's belly, the two-tailed Matatabi, after a day of observation, finally confirmed that the jinchuriki named Li Xi was telling the truth. Everything here was completely different from the ninja world he had known before.
He had been teleported to another world by an unknown entity. Matatabi shuddered at the thought. The being that could teleport him away without any fluctuation must be a presence far beyond the Sage of Six Paths. He couldn't fathom how powerful such a being would be. Perhaps in their eyes, he was no different from a mosquito in the air, easily killed with a flick of a finger. Matatabi despaired. The hope of returning home was pure fantasy.
Just as the two-tailed Matatabi began to feel a sense of dread about the future, Li Xi reappeared on the island.
"How is it? I didn't lie to you, did I?"
"Human, you didn't lie to me, but I won't help you. If you have this idea, give up quickly." Beneath the fiercely burning blue flames were eyes filled with hatred for humans, even across worlds.
"I won't try to persuade you to help me, but there's one thing I need to tell you."
Matatabi remained silent, but its gaze, now less filled with killing intent, signaled Li Xi to continue. Having accepted the fact of his transmigration, Matatabi felt a unique connection to Li Xi due to their shared memories.
"In the original ninja world, when a jinchuriki died, you tailed beasts would disappear for a while before reappearing in some corner of the ninja world, thus making you immortal.
But this is another world, not the ninja world. If I die, I don't think you'll have a chance to revive. Death is truly death here. What do you think?"
Li Xi's eyes, as if able to see through hearts, met Matatabi's gaze directly.
The pupils of the two-tailed Matatabi trembled slightly, clearly struck by Li Xi's accurate jab at his deepest unspoken fear. Matatabi had already considered this issue. From any perspective, he had to admit Li Xi was right. He truly had only one life.
"I'll say it again. I'm not asking you to help me actively, but when my life is in danger, you must intervene. This isn't helping me; it's helping yourself." Li Xi's tone was firm.
"Of course, my strength in this world has already reached the upper echelon. There aren't many who can put me in danger. Perhaps you'll never need to act."
Matatabi didn't speak, but its wandering gaze revealed to Li Xi that the beast was mentally acquiescing to his proposal. Its defenses against humans began to crumble. A thousand-mile dam could collapse due to an ant's nest, and the inability to revive after death was that ant's nest in Matatabi's heart.
"This world is vast. If you see anything you like, tell me, and I guarantee you'll be satisfied. In the future, when you've completely let down your guard, we can sit together and communicate as equals. Letting you out to explore is also a certainty."
Matatabi pondered for a long time before nodding slightly. His vital point had been grasped, and he had no choice but to comply. Seeing this, Li Xi smiled slightly, thinking that cooperative tailed beasts were easy to deal with. Progress had been made after only two conversations.
Li Xi's spiritual power returned. He had spent the entire day chatting with Aisi and Madame Avril, which had significantly replenished Li Xi's knowledge and common sense.
Considering what Aisi had said during the day, Li Xi also needed to prepare multiple backup plans. Now that the two-tailed beast was willing to help him, it was equivalent to having a twenty-four-hour surveillance system, ensuring that if he was caught off guard, the two-tailed beast could help him react quickly.
Having dealt with the two-tailed beast, Li Xi formed hand seals. "Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"Bang."
A shadow clone appeared. Li Xi instructed, "You stay in Kado City to protect Aisi and the others. If any emergencies arise, use your clone to notify me."
The shadow clone formed hand seals.
"Bang."
The white smoke dissipated. The shadow clone, resembling Li Xi, used the "Transformation Jutsu" to become an ordinary-looking young man, ensuring that no one would notice him specifically upon sight.
"Good. Find a place for yourself and keep an eye on everything."
Li Xi provided some funds, and the shadow clone disappeared into the night.
The next day, Li Xi accepted his first C-rank mission at the adventurer's guild. He met up with Garilo and the guest elder, Soros. After introductions, Garilo went about his own business.
"Hello, I heard Garilo mention you. Although he didn't describe you very clearly, Garilo holds you in high regard. I truly didn't expect you to be so young." Soros, dressed as a swordsman, spoke with a bright and handsome demeanor. He appeared to be around 30 years old, with a lightweight sword unlike any other hanging at his waist.
Li Xi's gaze paused on the sword. He had been in this world for nearly half a year, and this was the first time he had seen a sword so close to Eastern styles. It was evident that Soros followed an attack-speed build.
"My strength is average. I just run a bit faster than normal adventurers. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare take your mission."
Li Xi was clad in leather armor worth thousands of gold coins, with a masterfully crafted greatsword at his waist. Even his shoes, from Soros's perspective, were enviable. Made from the hide of a level four magical beast, his belt was also a valuable item. Clothing that easily cost hundreds or thousands of gold coins gave Li Xi an air of a nouveau riche.
Soros had only seen people who dressed so ostentatiously in two types of individuals: first, the greenhorn nouveau riche who thought they were the most important person in the world and would likely be swindled out of everything; second, those who were genuinely capable and unfazed by attention. Li Xi, he concluded, was of the latter type.
On their first meeting, both men had a good understanding of each other and were pleased with the prospect of their cooperation.
The two rode their crossbreed warhorses out of Kado City at a rapid pace. The beggars at the city gate were as numerous as ever. Li Xi had been here for a while, and the number of beggars had never decreased.
With the harsh winter fast approaching, if no one took care of these beggars, it would be a miracle if even one-tenth of them survived until spring.
Leaving Kado City, they galloped their horses. Because of their extreme speed, as long as they didn't enter the forest, their pace was unrestrained.
Along the way, Soros was eloquent and humorous, showing no contempt for Li Xi's youth. As a senior adventurer, he often imparted his experience to Li Xi, from which Li Xi benefited greatly.
Two days later, they reached the point where they had to enter the Forest of Forgetfulness, and their speed began to decrease. Upon entering the forest, Li Xi witnessed Soros's strength, capable of defeating a level five swordsman with his level four abilities. The speed of his sword strikes was so rapid that Li Xi could normally only see a blur. By the time the target was hit, Li Xi would realize he had already drawn his sword.
Silent, swift as thunder, a single fatal blow, with cold eyes and an unruffled mind when he acted. This was a true master.
"Your swordsmanship is truly impressive," Li Xi said sincerely. It was clear this was a skill honed through arduous practice.
"I lack talent, so I could only train diligently. After practicing for so long, I've developed some insights," Soros said with a humble smile.
Li Xi also seized the opportunity to show off. He pulled a level two hawk-falcon from the sky, displaying his uncanny speed. Soros was very pleased, stating that such speed would be more than enough to outmaneuver a Deep Sea Cold Dragon.
After another seven days of travel, they finally reached their mission objective: the edge of a lake.
Soros pointed to a small island barely visible in the lake. "I'm looking for the Nine Dragon Grass, a precious material for tempering the body. The Deep Sea Cold Dragon is in this lake. Brother Li Xi, all you need to do is lure the Deep Sea Cold Dragon away for two hourglasses of time so I can retrieve the Nine Dragon Grass, and the mission will be complete."
"No problem. I accepted the mission, and I will complete it. But how can I lure the Deep Sea Cold Dragon out?"
Soros took out a bottle of potion from his spatial ring. "This is a True Dragon Potion infused with dragon blood. As soon as this bottle is opened, the Deep Sea Cold Dragon will be attracted by the scent of dragon blood."
Li Xi took the potion, saying with ease, "Just watch."
With a few flashes of the Body Flicker Technique, he vanished. Soros held his breath and hid to the side. Soon, the lake's surface began to churn as if springs were erupting from the bottom, bubbling as if boiling. After a moment, the boiling lake surface exploded with a 'boom.' A giant serpent covered in silver scales shot out from beneath the water, its eyes looking around in confusion. But the next moment, an expression of longing appeared, and it shot out like an arrow, disappearing into the forest.
Soros didn't dare to waste time. He stepped onto the lake's surface and flew towards the island in the center.
Meanwhile, in the distant forest, Li Xi hadn't opened the potion given by Soros. Instead, he took out a bottle of his own dragon blood. Shortly after opening it, a silver long serpent with a faint dragon's might charged towards him.
"I thought it was something significant. Turns out it's just a sub-dragon magical beast."
Since the Creator God created this world, there had been many dragons. Over tens of thousands of years, these dragons had not only reproduced with other dragons but also with other races, producing a large number of sub-dragon magical beasts. These sub-dragon magical beasts were found all over the world. Even the seemingly unremarkable kobolds had hidden dragon bloodlines, demonstrating how indiscriminate dragons were in their mating.
In principle, humans in this world inherited dragon bloodlines. Every year, a few newborns had distinctive shapes or birthmarks, which were merely instances of bloodline reversion. However, the dragon bloodline within humans was so minuscule that most people didn't believe they were descendants of dragons.
The level six Deep Sea Cold Dragon was incredibly fast, its silver scales gleaming in the sunlight. It was likely a hybrid of a silver dragon and a water python. It had a limited dragon bloodline, not having grown limbs or wings. Two rows of horns of varying lengths grew from its head, making it amphibious. It quickly reached Li Xi, its watermelon-sized eyes fixed on the dragon blood in Li Xi's hand, its scales seeming to want to unfurl.
The Deep Sea Cold Dragon was instantly stimulated by the pure dragon blood, its own blood churning. Drinking this bottle of dragon blood would accelerate its evolution by ten years and purify its bloodline.
This opportunity could not be missed. Like a thrown spear, it charged at Li Xi without hesitation, its speed almost instantaneous. Li Xi turned and ran, not holding back his speed, holding the dragon blood, and maintaining the same speed as the Deep Sea Cold Dragon, leading it from afar and circling a specific area repeatedly.
Finally, one hourglass of time elapsed. The Deep Sea Cold Dragon, enraged by Li Xi's provocative actions, opened its massive mouth, capable of swallowing a warhorse. Inside, a fist-sized tubular organ could be seen.
"It can even breathe fire. It seems your evolution is progressing well."