Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 336 - 335 - Draconic Perks

"So am I to understand you have always been experimenting in controlling 2 different sets of Qi on top of your own elements?"  Vice Sect Mistress Lydia was sitting behind her desk as Lind stood across from her.

Compared to how he had been in the past, she felt a true presence of power in front of her.  It did not help that the 2 pale amber badges made her nervous.  Technically speaking, Lind was slightly superior to her.

Heaven grade masters much like in the mortal realm to grade comparison, held the level of their mastery.

Lind Frey was essentially on par with the lower third of Sky Realm tiers in status but having 2 such badges made him a master among masters.  It also elevated his status far above her but he never acted like it.

He was hardly looking at her as a junior, however.  He was looking at her as an equal.

"I started it as simple research to help my wife and other demons that treat me as a friend.  I also have found that sometimes exploring the derivative elements brings me inspiration for my main abilities.  As for what you call Fiend Qi, it is not the same."  Lind began to pace as his hands were behind his back.

He seemed to be considering and Lydia steepled her hands as she leaned forward.  Using demonic Qi while odd, was acceptable.  It would raise the prestige of Lind's abilities even more if it became widespread.  He seemed to lag behind his primary elements in quality but she had no idea if it was only in mortal grade or was already at Heaven grade as well.

If the former, it was far behind but if the latter, Lydia no longer knew how to treat Lind Frey.

"I first encountered what I call anti-Qi in a Ruin in the Lotus Academy entrance trial.  It was different but the spirit there was fine.  He was not evil nor cold but happily spoke to me about the relationship between all 3 sets of elements."  Lind's revelation stunned Lydia.

She knew for a Ruin to exist, it would have to have been a Fiend Inheritance but she had never heard of any such thing ever.  There were no legends, myths, or even warnings about such a thing.

Why had no one ever mentioned such a thing?

"Cyntilla and I found it together and she struggled to even stay there a moment but I was hardly affected.  My harmony seemed to protect me instinctively.  I was also able to share it with her so we delved into it."  Understanding flooded Lydia.

No cultivator would explore a Ruin that seemed like a death trap in an entrance ceremony.  They wanted to live after all.

Lind relayed the rest of the adventure but the more he spoke the more Lydia felt a chill in her heart.  It sounded nothing like the Fiends they were at war with.  It sounded like a perfectly normal Ruin as were found in many places.

How could such a thing be possible?

Lind spoke as if it was perfectly normal but he did not have the knowledge she did.

"You understand that Fiends our–"  A sudden flare of aura made Lydia feel suppressed.  Lind closed his eyes and took a breath before the aura vanished.

"I fought them, remember?  I felt that vile Qi up close and personally.  I would never mistake it but what was in that Ruin was just different.  It also makes me think demonic elements existed before compared to what I learned on my recent journey."  Lind spoke on the revelations he had been told about Fiends and demons.

Lydia had already heard part of it, but the revelation that Fiends existed for so long made her truly appreciate how long the war with them had gone on.  Still, Lind's words made her curious.

"How does it feel to use that Qi?"  Lind put a hand to his chin as he gathered his thoughts but then the oppressive aura returned a thousandfold stronger.  Lydia was unable to take a breath but the aura was unrelenting.

Her Qi would not move, it would not even budge inside her dantian!

Lind looked at her and she understood he was the source of the feeling.  He had no artifact, no augmentation from a treasure, nor did she feel the slightest fluctuation of Qi from him at all!

"What you are feeling is the presence of my dragon soul.  It is the maximum I can unleash but I have learned that what to a dragon would feel weak is devastating to other races."  Lind's calm voice was a bit disturbing but Lydia suddenly realized the truly terrifying fact.

Not a single array activated nor did any elder reach out to her at all.  He was able to finely control his aura so it only affected her!  He had only woken up a little over a week ago!  He had such masterful control of that horrifying aura.

"Your Qi is no longer protecting you, you are unable to even last very long as it is difficult to breathe or just concentrate."  Lind then held out a spark of emerald flame and the aura began to lighten.

Lydia was covered in sweat as breath returned to her and her Qi began to function.  The emerald flame suddenly covered her and she felt vitality return to her quickly without the need for a pill or elixir to do it.

"Cyntilla described my harmony as invigorating her Qi despite being a demon.  She said it was like her body reclaimed all it lost and then some."  Lydia stared in amazement at the emerald flame and looked up in confusion at Lind. "Ethry has been teaching me how to use my flame.  It can heal as well as destroy.  My harmony seems to have added a few more effects as well."

Monster, that was the only word for him.  Lind had again only been awake for a little more than a week and had made progress to a terrifying degree.

The flames vanished and Lydia felt like the world came back to her.

"The anti-Qi was oppressive but only due to its nature.  It counteracts my Qi entirely while demons seem to be crushed by it."  Lind clearly had been studying the relationships between them and Lydia suddenly had an epiphany.

The elemental theories that Lind distributed over a century ago were based on studying all 3 versions of Qi!  No wonder it had been so revolutionary!

"I see, but the ant-Qi you conjured felt different.  It felt powerful or at least awe inspiring."  Lind slowly nodded.

"It is something I noticed in something else in my journeys, but I have no idea why.  After encountering it though, my advancement of anti-Qi took a massive leap forward.  Today was the first time I was able to truly utilize it."  Lydia nearly fell out of her chair.

Exactly how high were his standards?!

"Nevertheless, never use that publicly ever again."  Lydia knew the dangers as there had been cultivators caught with Fiend artifacts or tools that resulted in summary executions.  Lind nodded and actually looked a little sheepish.

"I kind of lost myself in the moment."  The vision of a mature cultivator was broken but Lydia was not fooled.  The being in front of her was vastly different from his previous self.

"I can see you made massive advancement in your professions, but how did you advance so far into Heaven grade?"  The amount of resources to raise a cultivator profession to such a realm was not small.

Lind did not answer that time.  He simply shrugged and made it obvious he would not answer.  Lydia sighed but knew she had stepped beyond reasonable inquiry.

"Are there any other tests you want to do, as your audience requests are becoming unavoidable?"  Lind actually tilted his head and began to pace once more.  Lydia decided to pour herself some tea as it could take some time.

As she turned her head back up she suddenly felt her heart in her throat.

Lind stood at the edge of her balcony!  It was where she took off from if she needed to get somewhere quickly by flying, but he was only a Diamond Tier!

She leapt up but then froze as he disrobed down to his pants.  His broad shoulders were now well muscled but she could see no sign of scars or even injuries from any fight in his history.  The hair on his head reached nearly to his thighs by now.

A blush came across her face but then the skin began to change.

Unlike before, it was not like he was transforming as beasts could do.  That was a technique that needed sentience and Qi skills to accomplish.  Before when Lind changed, his harmony would fluctuate and seem to infuse his body.

Now, there was not even a tremor as his skin shifted and she noticed his muscles seemed to bulge.

"I am not entirely sure, but I have to try."  His mumbled words snapped Lydia out of her daze as she moved faster to try and stop him from doing something that could get him killed!

She nearly reached him when the wind flow changed drastically.

Lydia tripped forward and tumbled until she was on her back looking up at something impossible.

A World Realm flying without the aid of an artifact or sword!

"HA HA HA HA HA!  I AM FLYING!"  Lydia could only look on in shock as Lind Frey did the impossible.

He was flying!  He was flying not by any method she used but simply because he could!

A prismatic sinuous dragon arose from the ground below and roared in joy as it encircled Lind.  He laughed louder and did circles around Ethry as if he was born to fly.

The show continued for a long time until he made a beeline back to her office.  Ethry followed until he safely landed.  He waved at her and she purred back at him before diving back to the ground herself.

He was back to being completely human and was covered in sweat but the glow of excitement on his face was infectious.

"I can finally fly!  It was amazing!  Why don't you do that all the time?!"  The boyish excitement took Lydia back to her first months flying as a Sky Realm.  The true freedom to fly under her own power had been intoxicating.  Everyone went through a time like that but Lind seemed to fly under a different power.

"It takes a lot of Qi down here but even in the Floating Isles it consumes a lot of Qi as you increase speed or weight."  Lydia seemed unable to ask the questions burning in her but Lind nodded quickly as he wiped himself down with water he controlled and air to dry.

"I think I can fly only for short distances but it was like breathing.  I just…did it!"  He was speaking out loud but Lydia grasped it instantly.  How does a bird fly?  It is born knowing how, it just has to get strong enough to do it.

Lind had a dragon soul and his body was changed by it.  He had met the minimum requirement to fly, but he had a long way to go.  It was humbling and amazing to her.  The perks he enjoyed were stunning to her and she found herself wishing she could fly like that too.

They returned to the meeting but it was mostly about the long list of people wanting to meet him.  Lind quickly shaved it down to the bare minimum and then wrote up instructions for all other requests to be sent toward the Moebius Sect as he would return.

He had a lot of work to do and he was ready to do it.