Evolving by devouring from a young dragon

The five stone giants fell silent at the same time and remained motionless for a long time.

Whether it was ten seconds or a thousand years, the giant stone inscription on the left finally spoke first.

"Blue, do you know that the legendary path of the stone giant requires the Heart of the Earth to traverse? If you give it to that dragon, you will never have any hope of becoming a legend in this lifetime."

"Are you really willing?"

Blue didn't hesitate, he just nodded emphatically, "It's okay, the boss will protect me."

The palace returned to its deathly silence, and even the sound of the liquid magic flowing underground became exceptionally clear.

I don't know how much time has passed.

The giant rock in the center finally spoke, its voice majestic and profound.

"Blue, our race of rock giants was born on the original land, so we have experienced many hardships and loneliness throughout our lives. Even when we rely on other races, they only regard us as tools, not allies."

He paused, then continued, "I just want to tell you that once you take this step, there is no turning back. Once the Heart of the Earth is given away, you will be forever barred from legend, and even the very foundation of your being a stone giant will be crippled."

"At that time, you will be of no value."

Blue listened silently without saying a word, simply standing there quietly.

The stone giant spoke again:

"If you insist on going your own way, we cannot stop you, but your words alone are not enough to win the heart of the earth."

The giant rock in the center raised its right arm, pointing to the huge ball of light floating in the center of the palace.

In mid-air beside the sphere of light, there is a floating rock platform covered with runes, emanating an aura of the same origin as the sphere of light.

"The Stone Giants do not easily trust outsiders, nor do they easily trust themselves. You must prove that you are worthy of this heart."

Blue stood up.

"How can you prove it?"

"The condensation of the Heart of the Earth requires the condenser to sacrifice a portion of their essence," the Stone Giant said solemnly.

"We will not refine it for you, nor will we help you withstand the trials. You must walk to the core yourself and use your stone spirit to resonate with the power of the earth veins to separate the heart of the earth from the core."

He paused, then continued.

"But you should know that obtaining the Heart of the Earth is part of the legendary trial, and with your current strength, it will probably be very difficult."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Blue already understood.

If the stripping of the source fails, the body will shatter, the stone soul will be torn apart by the violent earth vein power, turning into a handful of dust beneath this source palace, leaving not even the slightest trace.

The air around them instantly became incredibly heavy.

Blue took a deep breath and looked up at the rock giant in the center.

"I can't do that."

"The boss told me to prioritize survival above all else and never risk my life."

He paused, his gaze resolute, showing no sign of backing down. "I am willing to abandon the path of legend, willing to sacrifice my own essence, but I cannot die here."

The giant rock in the center narrowed its gaze slightly, and its rock armor emitted a faint glow, making the atmosphere inside the palace somewhat complicated.

Bru stood up straight, his voice steady and powerful:

"I am willing to accept any test, endure any pain, and pay any price except my life, just for a trial that will not kill me."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire Magic Source Palace fell into dead silence once again.

The five stone giants exchanged a glance, their eyes showing a mixture of surprise and tacit approval.

The rock armor patterns on the central giant's body slowly lit up, and its deep voice rang out again, this time with less majesty and more approval.

"Keeping promises, remembering instructions, and not acting rashly—this is the mindset that those who inherit the land should have."

"Since you are not willing to risk your life, then let us choose another trial, called the Trial of the Rock of Heart."

As soon as he finished speaking, the stone platform began to slowly sink, and countless runes lit up.

As Bru looked over, he felt an overwhelming sense of majesty wash over him.

"This trial is not a matter of life and death. You must stand on the stone platform and let the power of the earth veins wash over the stone soul, enduring the excruciating pain of having your essence stripped away. You must not use any magic to resist throughout the entire process, nor can you bend your knees and fall to the ground."

The giant of rock spoke in a deep voice, clearly stating the rules of the trial.

"You must endure the pain of being pierced by ten thousand stones and burned by the fire of the earth, and always hold fast to your convictions, without moving an inch or wavering a single thought."

"During the process, your cultivation will plummet and your origins will be damaged, completely severing your path to legendary status, but you will not die or your soul will perish. As long as you can endure for a month, the earth's veins will naturally condense the Heart of the Earth, acknowledging your perseverance."

The ancient stone giant on the right then added a sentence, his tone tinged with warning.

"Remember, never give up. If you give up halfway, you will be expelled from the Source Palace and will never have the chance to obtain the Heart of the Earth again in this lifetime."

Blue looked at the stone platform and stepped forward without hesitation.

……

Blue emerged, completely oblivious to what had happened, with no recollection of the trial whatsoever.

Its heavy rock body remained steadfast, but deep within its stone surface, a thick layer of luster had appeared.

Beside him lay a pale yellow rhombus-shaped crystal, which Blue recognized at a glance as the Heart of the Earth.

Looking around, they discovered that the previous five stone statues were gone.

Without much thought, he bent down, picked up the Heart of the Earth, held it in his palm, bowed to the void in front of him, and turned to walk back the way he came.

The five giant shadows only reappeared after Bru left the stone hall.

"Abandoning the path to legend, yet remaining true to oneself..."

"This young man may not have the potential to reach the summit, but he possesses the resilience of a rock."

After a moment of silence, the giant stone inscription gazed at the empty palace gates and whispered:

"His name..."

The palace doors slowly closed behind Blue.

The pale gold and deep blue light was cut off by a crack in the door, leaving only a thin line before disappearing completely.

Blue stood at the entrance to the summit of the giant rock mountain and glanced back.

The palace is no longer visible.

All that could be seen was the endless, dark blue sky and the enormous rocks suspended in mid-air.

He turned around and stepped into the darkness of the ley line fissure.

"Boss... Blue isn't dead... and we got the stuff..."

……

Hengduan Mountains, Moonlit Forest, Allied Forces Camp.

Three weeks.

After killing the Tree King, Alduin successfully obtained the Luna Stone, and only one final step remained.

We are just waiting for Blue's return.

The Lion Clan's allied forces are stationed in the Moonlit Forest, on high alert, and conduct daily training.

The orc warriors of Ironbone couldn't stay idle; they sought out lion cubs for sparring every day.

At first, it was just a friendly fight, but as it went on, they got all red-eyed and ended up being kicked away by Leon and Ironbone.

After three weeks, the animosity between the orcs and the lions dissipated, and they even developed a degree of friendship.

Raine taught three orcs how to use a sword... although the orcs' sword-wielding posture was like chopping wood.

Alduin, on the other hand, stayed in the dragon's lair every day to consolidate his strength.

To put it simply, it's about sleeping.

Although he is now at the seventh rank, he is only 17 years old. At this age, an ordinary dragon would only be a young dragon.

However, dragons are ranked according to their strength, so based on his current strength, he is a seventh-tier epic youth dragon.

However, being too young is not necessarily a good thing.

His soul is too immature; if he wants to reach a higher realm, he must slowly mature over a long period of time.

Even with the talent to devour and evolve, a massive amount of accumulation is still required.

Alduin kept his dragon eyes closed, but his sonic perception remained active.

The next moment, a burly figure entered the range of perception.

He slowly opened his dragon eyes.

Blue is back.