As one Rainbow Dragon Hatchling after another completed its evolution and transformed into true dragons before descending back onto the mountaintop—
Only the little dragon remained in the sky.
Drawing upon the power of its Dragon Pearl to replenish its stamina, it continuously adapted to the pressure of the Dragon Might, slowly pushing higher and higher into the heavens.
By now, it had already flown more than a kilometer above the summit. Looking up from below, all that could be seen was a tiny speck of light.
Compared to the Azure Dragon's golden dragon eyes, radiant as twin suns, it was no more than a grain of dust.
Yet it never stopped.
It continued climbing toward the sky, steadily approaching—and even surpassing—its own limits.
One minute... ten minutes...
Watching the little dragon cast Waterfall Climb every so often, struggling to ascend another invisible "step," its body trembling as if it were on the verge of collapse—
Even the Azure Dragon became curious.
At this rate, with the Dragon Pearl replenishing its energy, the little dragon could probably keep climbing for an entire day or two without issue.
But why was it trying so hard?
Every second under the pressure of the Dragon Might was agony—practically torture.
It had already fulfilled the requirements for evolution and could evolve into either a Rainbow Dragon or a Woodlight Dragon.
Yet it refused to give up. Instead, it used this suffering to temper its will, constantly pressing forward.
Was it dissatisfied with those two evolution forms?
Even the Azure Dragon considered them excellent evolutions.
Especially the Woodlight Dragon. It perfectly matched the Azure Dragon's aesthetic tastes.
Back then, had Apollos not descended upon the world and brought with him a tidal wave of Light power, allowing the Light Attribute to rapidly integrate into Earth and become one of the world's fundamental laws—something impossible to shake—
Perhaps the Azure Dragon itself would now wield the authority of Light.
Yet the little dragon had rejected both options and continued striving onward.
{What do you want to become?}
The Azure Dragon's question echoed within the little dragon's mind.
The little dragon lifted its head toward the colossal azure dragon head that filled its entire field of vision and let out a long roar.
"Muuu!" (I want to become a dragon stronger than you!!)
{I see...}
The Azure Dragon felt neither offended nor displeased.
As the strongest divine dragon on Earth since its arrival, it had long since grown accustomed to being viewed as a goal.
Countless Pet Beasts wanted to become it or surpass it.
Even Beast Tamers who dreamed of controlling it were hardly uncommon.
Yet centuries had passed, and it remained what it had always been.
As for those Pet Beasts and Beast Tamers from the past, most had long since become dust beneath the earth.
So when it heard the little dragon's answer and felt the sincerity behind it—the utterly unhesitating honesty and fearless drive to advance—
It felt much the same way a billionaire might feel upon hearing a younger generation declare that they intended to become even wealthier than him.
Rather than amusement, what it felt was understanding and satisfaction.
No wonder.
Those two evolution forms were indeed quite good.
But if the goal was to surpass the Azure Dragon, they were nowhere near enough.
True, the Azure Dragon was not a human researcher and knew little about research itself.
But it was a genuine Mythical Tier Pet Beast.
Its perspective stood higher and broader than that of humans, allowing it to see things they could not.
It could "see" that the Rainbow Dragon Hatchlings still contained far more untapped possibilities within them.
If one could not fully realize their own potential—
Then surpassing it was out of the question.
Even reaching the Demi-God Tier would remain an unattainable dream.
{At this pace, you'll still need some time before you can uncover that potential...}
{Let me give you a hand.}
The deep, steady voice echoed within the little dragon's mind.
The next moment, the Azure Dragon's Dragon Might changed.
If its previous pressure had been mere intimidation—the casual gaze of a deity cast upon the mortal world—
Then now, that gaze carried a trace of anger.
The wrath of a dragon could overturn mountains and seas, shatter the heavens, and devastate the earth.
Even the slightest trace of it caused the little dragon to freeze in place as countless images flashed before its eyes.
It saw scenes of utter destruction.
Floodwaters swept across the land. Lightning shattered the sky. The benevolent divine dragon of old revealed a side of cruelty and annihilation.
The visions felt unbelievably real, as though they had truly happened before...
And perhaps they had.
Before that world-destroying fury, all of the little dragon's efforts and perseverance suddenly seemed meaningless.
It was nothing more than a tiny speck of dust, something that could be effortlessly crushed and washed away.
And at that moment, the cold and furious Dragon God let out a low growl.
"What do you want to become?"
If the little dragon had previously thought it understood the limits of the world, this sliver of divine dragon wrath tore those limits apart and revealed the boundless sky beyond.
Fear?
Awe?
Retreat?
Countless emotions surged through its heart.
Then, in that instant, a voice seemed to echo beside its ear.
'You will surpass the Azure Dragon, surpass Yinglong, surpass every dragon that exists!'
The little dragon raised its head.
Blazing golden flames ignited within its eyes.
Its body moved.
Instead of retreating, it charged straight toward the furious Dragon God in the sky, enduring that sliver of dragon wrath head-on.
A proud dragon's roar rang out.
"ROAR!!" (I will become the strongest dragon!)
In an instant, all the visions shattered.
It had broken through the illusion.
It had overcome that trace of dragon wrath.
The azure divine dragon once again appeared in the sky. Within its radiant golden eyes was a hint of warmth and satisfaction.
{Congratulations.}
Congratulations?
Confusion flashed through the little dragon's heart as it lowered its head.
Then, the next moment, brilliant white light erupted from its body!
An instant later, a brand-new Rainbow Dragon appeared in midair.
Unlike ordinary Rainbow Dragons, the seven-colored radiance behind its body stretched outward like an aurora, transforming into six magnificent, flowing ribbons.
Those six ribbons resembled dragon wings woven from aurora light, drifting gently through the air.
Feeling the changes within its body, the newly evolved little dragon was overjoyed. It lifted its head and let out a long roar.
"ROAR!!" (Thank you, Uncle Dragon!!)
{There's no need to thank me. You had already earned the right to awaken this power. I merely brought it forward a little sooner.}
Flapping its six aurora wings, the little dragon excitedly spun through the air several times before eagerly diving down from the heavens.
"ROAR!" (Jiang Xing!!)
Apparently, it had forgotten that it was no longer the tiny hatchling it used to be.
Now, its dragon head alone was comparable in size to a calf. Its body stretched well over ten meters in length and was thicker than a water barrel.
It had truly become a dragon.
As it came hurtling down from the sky, it almost knocked Jiang Xing backward...
By one centimeter.
Well, Jiang Xing wasn't exactly an ordinary person anymore, either.
With the Azure Dragon's power and his Beast Tamer attire, his actual combat ability was undoubtedly far stronger than that of a Commander Level Pet Beast.
Effortlessly absorbing the impact, he pulled the dragon into his arms.
While delighted, he also felt somewhat puzzled.
Through the Beast Taming Contract, Jiang Xing could sense the little dragon's condition. He had clearly felt its willpower and spiritual strength being tempered as it climbed the heavenly staircase, steadily growing stronger little by little...
So how had everything suddenly exploded all at once?
After questioning the little dragon and learning what had happened, Jiang Xing finally understood.
The fact that Uncle Dragon had personally used his power to help the little dragon evolve was unquestionably a good thing.
After all, in the neighboring Pokémon world, top-tier legendary Pokémon could practically create secondary gods by hand.
For a Mythical Tier Pet Beast, casually sharing a fraction of its power was enough to completely alter the fate of an ordinary Pet Beast.
As for whether this process could be replicated...
That would be a matter for future research.
Evolving first was never the wrong choice.
Besides, based on the little dragon's description, the Azure Dragon hadn't truly interfered with the evolution itself.
It had merely increased the effect of its Dragon Might slightly.
In essence, at the final stage of the heavenly staircase, it had added an extra trial of inner demons, stimulating an explosive breakthrough in both spiritual strength and evolutionary power.
Fundamentally, it was no different from the way the Auspicious Cloud Qilin had previously hypnotized the Honey Attendants.
'If I want to explore this evolution form of the little dragon, I could recreate that illusion from before and use the power of the Auspicious Cloud Qilin—or perhaps another Psychic-type Pet Beast—to achieve a similar effect...'
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Jiang Xing held the little dragon in his arms and looked at its brand-new appearance after evolution.
A smile spread across his face.
First things first—
Time to write its Pet Beast Compendium entry!