Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 449 - 449 448 Third-layer High Rank Phantom Beast

Chapter 449: Chapter 448 Third-layer High Rank Phantom Beast Knight Chapter 449: Chapter 448 Third-layer High Rank Phantom Beast Knight Glowing Territory, Thunderflame Territory.

The names for the future territories of the Fluorescent Fungi Family had been decided; the joyous discussions celebrated Russell’s promotion to Grand Scholar, and the banquet concluded accordingly.

For others.

The promotion to Grand Scholar naturally deserved a grand celebration, but as Russell was already a Baron, the Grand Scholar title was just icing on the cake. With the ice age approaching, the celebration was muted to a simple family dinner.

After the banquet, the ladies gathered to play cards.

The men, led by Baron Roman, retreated to the study to continue drinking and discussed state affairs.

“Russell, you said a few days ago that you were ready to initiate the Third-layer; I even went to Red Castle and returned, so why haven’t you started?” Baron Roman asked. It was now December, and Russell was still a Second-layer senior Phantom Beast Knight.

“I am coordinating the balance between the soul contracts,” Russell frowned, “It’s harder than I imagined.”

“Right, each Phantom Beast has its own mind, it’s not easy to coordinate them well,” Baron Roman commented.

Uncle Rosen exclaimed, “I envy you for getting to wrestle with the difficulties of mental balance. Cob and I can’t even achieve perfect synchronization.”

Cob was his Contracted Phantom Beast—Golden Lynx.

“You and Cob are not compatible,” Baron Roman stated, “The key issue is that you pamper Cob too much; when I see you with Cob, it seems like Cob is the Knight, and you’re just an attendant.”

Rosen was taken aback, “Really?”

Roland laughed, “Uncle, I’ve felt that too, Cob acts like a cat owner.”

After suggesting a few ideas to tame the Golden Lynx, Baron Roman began to impart his experience in mental balance to Russell.

He had contracted three Phantom Beasts and was experienced in this area.

However, Russell shook his head, “Father, it’s not just the different minds of the Phantom Beasts. The problem I’m facing is the imbalance in Yuan Breath strengths between Polly and Hape… Polly is a Pseudo-Dragon, and the Pseudo-Dragon Yuan Breath is too strong.”

“Is that so?” Baron Roman took a sip of his drink, “Then I don’t have much to teach you.”

Uncle Rosen and Roland also said, “We likewise cannot help, the path you are taking, the heights you’ve reached, are beyond our reach.”

Baron Roman patted Russell on the shoulder, “Think it through, I believe you can overcome this difficulty.”

“I will, Father,” Russell nodded.

This challenge was indeed tough, but it was also a barrier preventing Russell’s progress, not only concerning his current combat prowess but also his future as a Dragon Knight—Ouroboros was greatly beneficial for Little Dream Dragons—so he had to overcome it.

Upon returning to Cigar Courtyard.

Russell, along with Unicorn Polly and Pseudo-Harpy Dragon Hape, had a heartfelt conversation in the small bamboo forest.

Gathering ideas.

He delved into how to subtly balance the Pseudo-Dragon Yuan Breath of Polly with the Phantom Beast Yuan Breath of Hape so as to initiate the Third-layer.

“Russell, tell Hape that maybe the balance we’re striving for is mistaken,” Polly said through the soul connection, “I have ascended to a Pseudo-Dragon, and my Yuan Breath level has surpassed the range of Phantom Beasts. Persisting in seeking balance might be pointless.”

“What should we do then?” Russell asked.

“Perhaps, we need to find another approach, establishing, yes, stability is the word I should use between souls,” Polly stated.

Russell relayed these words: “… Hape, what do you think?”

“Russell, ask Polly how we should pursue stability,” Hape said in the soul connection, “If the souls are not balanced, how could the contract be stable? Based on your understanding, Russell, a contract is fundamentally a restraint on the soul.”

“The difference between balance and stability is like… the relationship between husband and wife is balanced, while that between father and son is stable…”

“Polly, are you asking me to recognize you as my father?”

“Don’t bind us with human relationships, Hape; we are Phantom Beasts, we can draw from these relationships, not establish them,” Polly explained.

“Yes, you’re right, but how do we establish it?”

“Why don’t we try letting my Pseudo-Dragon Yuan Breath cover yours like Dragon Breath? Then we can form a three-layer structure: the innermost layer is your Yuan Breath, the middle is my Pseudo-Dragon Yuan Breath, and the outer layer is Dragon Breath.”

“Alright, we can give it a try.”

As Polly and Hape continuously communicated, Russell merely relayed messages between them, and the problem of mental balance was resolved.

Then,

Polly and Hape began to put effort into changing the structure of each other’s Yuan Breath, allowing Polly’s Pseudo-Dragon Yuan Breath to envelop Hape’s Phantom Beast Yuan Breath.

Watching his two diligent partners, Russell suddenly felt a multitude of emotions: “Am I the knight, or are Polly and Hape the knights? My father teased Cob that Uncle Roson was his knight, and it turns out the same for me.”

But unlike Uncle Roson who always fretted,

Russell relinquished the knight’s dominance over the phantom beast, and what he gained was ease and freedom. Of course, there was also a sense of absurd liberation, “You’re already a grown phantom beast, it’s time you learned to cultivate on your own.”

Bang! Bang!

The Dragon Breath surged within him, and with Polly and Hape’s efforts, Russell soon felt a qualitative change in his own power.

If previously the Dragon Breath uniformly covered both the Pseudo-Dragon Yuan Breath and the Phantom Beast Yuan Breath,

it had now become the ideal concentric circles, where the Dragon Breath uniformly covered the Pseudo-Dragon Yuan Breath, which in turn uniformly covered the Phantom Beast Yuan Breath.

A structure far more stable than the balance of Yuan Breath had been achieved.

“Cool!” Russell, feeling the new Dragon Breath and the unbreakable power structure, couldn’t help exclaiming in awe, “Polly, you and Hape are truly geniuses among phantom beasts, not advancing to Pseudo-Dragons would truly be outrageous!”

“I’m already a Pseudo-Dragon,” Polly chuckled.

Hape excitedly responded, “I’ve been looking forward to this day, Russell, go quickly and contract with Ouroboros, get stronger, let’s get stronger together!”

Russell did not immediately go to contract with Ouroboros.

He still needed to adapt to the new balance of the contract, the three-layer power structure created by Polly undoubtedly solved the problem of Hape’s weak Yuan Breath. Previously, when he maneuvered his own power, he always felt it was top-heavy.

Now, the three kinds of power were completely integrated, without any awkwardness.

“Polly, tell me, in the current structure, has your contract slot been freed?” Russell asked.

Polly caught on immediately, “Are you saying, perhaps beyond the Pseudo-Dragon, you could contract five more phantom beasts?”

“Is that possible?”

“I don’t know, but it’s worth a try, just keep contracting phantom beasts, Russell, and soon you’ll know how Yuan Breath merges under the new structure,” Polly smiled, “If it’s really so, when Hape advances to Pseudo-Dragon, maybe you’ll free up another contract slot.”

“Ha ha!” Russell shook his head.

This was an avenue worth exploring, yet he wouldn’t hold too much expectation to avoid future disappointment.

Bathing, changing clothes, meditating in a seated position.

It wasn’t until the next day that Russell called Ouroboros to initiate the long-anticipated third-layer contract.

“Ouroboros, I’m here to fulfil my promise to you, to let you join the Quiet Dream Family. Now let go of your body and mind, feel my intention in the Fighting Spirit Chain… using blood as a medium, connect our thoughts!”

Ouroboros bit into Russell’s finger, blood flowed, and magic dissipated.

Boom!

Like a catalyst, after the blood smeared, Russell and Ouroboros’s thoughts instantly built a bridge.

This bridge also served as a channel connecting Yuan Force and Fighting Spirit.

Within each Dragon Breath Particle, a Pseudo-Dragon Yuan Breath Particle was enveloped, and inside that, Hape’s Yuan Breath Particle was wrapped. At this moment, inside the Pseudo-Dragon Yuan Breath Particle, next to Hape’s Yuan Breath Particle, a new Yuan Breath Particle was born.

It was distinct from Hape’s Yuan Breath, supporting the growth of the Pseudo-Dragon Yuan Breath and ultimately the growth of the Dragon Breath.

This was a contract structure entirely different from other high-level phantom beast knights.

But the achieved effect was astonishingly perfect, completely resolving the imbalance of power brought by the evolution of phantom beasts into Pseudo-Dragons.

“Third-layer, I’ve successfully initiated the third-layer!”

Clasching his fists, feeling the increasingly powerful strength, Russell was overwhelmed with emotions.

Ouroboros, coiled on him, connected in spirit, had become capable of conversing mentally.

That day, Russell successfully ascended to a third-layer high-level Phantom Beast Knight!