Chapter 28: The True Prodigy of the Dragon Kingdom, the One Who Transferred Classes Early!

Damn it! I should have known better—why on earth did I ask him? It’s just as they say: curiosity killed the cat. Qin Yue made a firm resolution to break this bad habit.

Li Yao ignored her fierce glare and scanned the surroundings. After confirming they were alone, he emptied his storage ring, dumping out a mountain of bronze and iron-tier equipment.

*Clatter.*

A kaleidoscope of colorful gear suddenly flooded their vision. Uncle Wu was so stunned he could barely speak. "This is..."

"My storage ring is full. I have two more dungeon runs to do with Qin Yue, so I’ll leave these with you. Handle them as you see fit."

Li Yao trusted the connection with the Silver Wolf Guild; they wouldn't dare cheat him. Besides, knowing this was his son's equipment, Li Yang would likely keep a close eye on things.

Uncle Wu and his companions stared in disbelief, having never seen so much gear in their lives. He asked cautiously, "Could it be... are these all drops from the Nightmare difficulty?"

"Not all of them. Some were dropped in the wild."

Uncle Wu exhaled in relief, thinking the Nightmare drop rate was impossibly high. Wait—Gold-tier? With his keen eyes, Uncle Wu spotted several pieces of Gold-tier equipment in the pile. You’re just tossing Gold-tier gear around like trash?

"Oh, right. I haven't opened the final boss loot yet. I'll give you whatever I don't need later."

"..."

At that moment, Uncle Wu genuinely wanted to grab the loot and run. Gold-tier equipment... every single piece was priceless. Even the second young lady of their Qin family was currently equipped entirely in Silver-tier gear. Uncle Wu looked at the young man before him, then back at his own mistress... *Sigh.* From now on, they could no longer treat the Silver Wolf Guild so casually. After all, the Silver Wolf had raised a true dragon.

With the equipment settled, Li Yao led Qin Yue straight into the dungeon portal. There were two more Nightmare-tier opportunities left in the Abyss Realm. Li Yao intended to finish them all in one go, then open all the chests together to see if he could finally complete the [Royal] set.

...

Meanwhile, in the Dragon Kingdom’s capital.

In a rustic courtyard, a young man with sharp, sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes stood before a middle-aged man. "Father, I want to go to Jiangzhou."

The middle-aged man didn't look up from his newspaper. "Jiangzhou? For that newly opened Purgatory-tier dungeon? The Goblin Lair, I believe?"

"That’s right."

"No."

"Why?"

The man lowered his paper, looking at the youth with dissatisfaction. "As someone who has undergone early class advancement, how can you justify competing with those little ones for a dungeon?"

"But the first clear of a Purgatory-tier dungeon is significant. Even if our Zhang family doesn't compete, others will."

"They are 'others'; we are the Zhang family." The man’s expression remained stoic, yet the pressure he exuded caused the youth to tremble. "Since you enjoy the benefits of early advancement, you must follow the rules. Are you afraid that if someone else gets the first clear, you won't be able to surpass them?"

"Impossible!"

"Then there you have it." The man smiled faintly, his oppressive aura vanishing as he spoke as if they were discussing daily chores. "Yucheng, the reason our Dragon Kingdom is strong isn't because of the Zhang, Wang, or Lin families. It is because countless brilliant professionals emerge like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. I’ve heard Elder Lin mention this Li Yao. He thinks highly of him, saying he might shatter the ceiling for Summoners and create a new paradigm."

"Shatter the ceiling for Summoners and create a new paradigm..." The youth murmured, his expression turning serious. Even he had never received such praise from Elder Lin.

"Since Li Yao opened the dungeon, let him compete for it himself once he hits level 20."

"Father..." The youth wanted to say more, but was cut off.

"The Federation has clear restrictions. Even if those shameless people go to Jiangzhou, they must wait for the dungeon opener to enter first. If he can't even beat those people, then this Li Yao is nothing special."

The youth nodded. The 'people' his father referred to were the children of great families who had received early advancement before turning eighteen. Because of the martial arts examination restrictions, they were all stuck at level 25, honing their skills and raiding dungeons for the sake of achieving a 'perfect' class advancement and securing a greater future. They would pay any price for high-grade items. Once a Purgatory-tier dungeon opened, they would swarm it like sharks smelling blood. He had wanted to go to Jiangzhou for this very reason.

*Li Yao, if Elder Lin thinks so highly of you, surely you won't disappoint.*

*Very well... I'll see you at the martial arts exam.*

Having made up his mind, the youth prepared to leave.

"Oh, by the way," his father called out. "When you were level 10, could you solo a level 12 Nightmare-tier dungeon?"

"Uh..." The youth was speechless.

"I see. You may go."

As the youth walked out with a sullen face, he heard a voice drift lazily from the room: "You still need more practice."

"..."

...

"Young Master Li, I’m level 14 now. What about you?" Without realizing it, Qin Yue had started calling Li Yao 'Young Master' along with Uncle Wu.

"Just hit 17. Not bad."

After two consecutive dungeon runs, it was already dawn. The uses for the Abyss Mirror were exhausted, and exhaustion was clearly etched onto Qin Yue’s face. Li Yao felt much the same. "I’ll head back now. Like I said, we’ll hit the Nightmare dungeon in South City tomorrow. You can bring your friends, provided they have an Abyss Mirror."

South City was a neighboring city, only a few dozen miles away. It housed a level 18 dungeon called the Blood Moon Forest, which offered much faster leveling than the Goblin Lair. Unfortunately, the Nightmare difficulty for the Blood Moon Forest had been cleared by a team from Magic City three years ago, so the first-clear reward was long gone. As for the Purgatory difficulty, that required level 28 to enter—not something for Li Yao to worry about yet.

"No problem, but I'll have to go back and ask around." Qin Yue nodded, already mentally checking which of her girlfriends might possess an Abyss Mirror. Then, it struck her. "Wait a minute. If my Abyss Mirror is used up, are you going to dump me, Young Master Li? Boo-hoo!" She grabbed Li Yao’s arm, looking at him with 'tearful' eyes.

"Depends on your luck," Li Yao said, shaking her off with disdain. "You were the one who looted all the treasure chests for me. If the drops are bad, well, heh..." He shot her a fierce look before walking toward the border.

"Well, that’s fine then! My luck has always been great!"

Soon after parting ways with Qin Yue, Li Yao returned to the room he had rented at the Star Net Exchange. Six treasure chests sat before him—three from the bosses and three from the dungeon clears. Li Yao rubbed his hands together vigorously and opened all six at once.

Suddenly, the room was filled with blinding light. As he looked at the items on the floor, his eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but sigh with genuine admiration.

"Could it be that Qin Yue is actually a genius at looting?"