I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

The red dragon spewed out two streams of sparking air from its nostrils, wishing it could burn the smiling human in front of it to ashes with a single breath of dragon flame. However, it glanced at Ji Tian's completely unconcerned expression and knew that the little girl in front of it must have a countermeasure.

"Fifty percent?" It gave up releasing its dragon flames and squeezed out two words from its throat, its voice somewhat low.

"That's right." Shirley nodded, counting on her fingers. "Master said that you can't go all out in a fight; you have to test the waters first and leave some room for maneuver. You're a guest retainer, how can I go all out right away?"

You call that leaving me a way out? You almost sent me to my death!

Red Dragon felt he had been greatly insulted.

It was defeated by Ji Tian because of a pure crushing defeat in strength; it was simply outmatched in skill, and it accepted that.

It's not a very good look to be crushed by a human girl in the realm of physical strength, which the dragon race has always been proud of.

For the first time in all its years of life, the opponent's punch made it realize that its scales might not be thick enough.

Shirley remained standing in the same spot, still in the punching stance, her bright orange-gold eyes fixed on it.

This was the first time she had ever met someone other than her master who could withstand 50% of her power and still speak.

"Senior Guest Elder, this is only the first move. Shall we continue?"

Red Dragon glanced at the dragon-shaped indentation on the mountain wall, then at Sherry's fist, which wasn't even red yet, and suddenly realized that a full-force punch from her might actually kill him.

That shouldn't be the case. It's only been staying in the Xiling Mountains for decades without going out. Are all the young people outside this fierce?

"Little girl, not bad strength." Its voice was hoarse, but carried a deliberately suppressed calmness. "But didn't your elders teach you to be polite to your elders?" Then came a series of incomprehensible words, such as "young people don't know martial ethics," "I didn't defend with all my might," and "the bad weather today affected my performance," which made Ji Tian laugh.

Shirley tilted her head, thought about it seriously, and finally shook her head. "I don't know, my master didn't teach me."

Two plumes of black smoke billowed from the red dragon's nostrils, clearly indicating that it was extremely angry.

Seeing that he had achieved his goal of giving the other party a hard time, Ji Tian spoke up: "Shirley, that's enough. Today is the day for new disciples to begin their training. Don't go too far. Let's arrange a time another day and have Old Dragon give you a proper sparring session."

Upon hearing this, Shirley's eyes lit up even more: "Really? How about tomorrow?"

Red Dragon's body stiffened slightly, and he simply pretended not to hear.

Alex stood at the edge of the square, witnessing the entire unequal "sparring" session, his hand unconsciously resting on the hilt of his sword.

Mason leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Are you going to fight her again tomorrow?"

Alex paused for a moment, then said, "...I'll go, though."

"Are you crazy?"

"I can't go back on my word. I believe Senior Sister will hold back." Alex looked at Sherry's back, his tone carrying a hint of expectation that he couldn't quite explain. "Besides, being able to fight against a strong person is a blessing in itself."

Mason rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything more.

Ji Tian clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back.

"Alright, the excitement's over. Go do what you were doing. Ophelia, take your junior brothers and sisters to choose their cultivation techniques. Sherry, straighten that tree over there, and have Jenny settle your bear in." He paused, then added, "Old Dragon, come with me for a moment."

Red Dragon refused to respond to Sherry's challenge and remained silent. Upon hearing this, it hurriedly flapped its wings and followed Ji Tianchao to the back of the main hall.

Jenny walked over to the silverback bear and gently patted its front leg: "Come with me to the back of the mountain first. There's an open space there where you can stay. Big Black is still down the mountain; I'll bring it up to find you later."

The bear let out a low growl and actually followed her.

Shirley hasn't moved yet.

She stood there, arms crossed, her orange-gold eyes still fixed on the red dragon, muttering to herself, "It can fly, how rare..."

Red Dragon pretended not to hear.

Lilith followed behind her second senior sister and whispered to her third senior sister Alice beside her, "Third senior sister, has eldest senior sister always been this fierce?"

Alice waved her hand as she walked, "You'll get used to it. Last time, a dragon accidentally wandered into the sect and was knocked unconscious by the senior sister with one punch. It was dragged to the back mountain and worked as a porter for a month before running away on its own."

Lilith remained silent upon hearing this, thinking to herself:

Senior Sister is truly an amazing person!

The bluestone square gradually quieted down.

Red Dragon followed Ji Tian through the side door of the main hall and onto a stone path leading to the mountain wall.

"Why did you summon me here?" Its voice was muffled, still carrying a trace of lingering resentment.

Ji Tian didn't turn around, but took out the reverse scale from his white robe and twirled it in his hand.

"I've kept all your treasures for you. The sect isn't wealthy right now, but once it develops, we'll repay you with interest."

The red dragon paused for a moment: "...What does 'with interest' mean?"

"It's more than what you used to have."

The red dragon fell silent.

It stared at the back of Ji Tian's head for a long time, trying to find any trace of "liar" on that expressionless face, but found nothing. Instead, it sensed a seriousness in the other person's tone that it was not used to.

"...How much more?"

"Look at the sect's development. In a hundred years, it will at least double."

The red dragon snorted, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but simply descended slowly, following Ji Tian side by side.

After passing through a stone path and around a bamboo grove, a stone house came into view.

The door to the stone house was ajar, and a warm light shone through from inside.

"This is your place." Ji Tian pushed open the door.

The stone house was large, clean, and tidy.

In the corner was a huge stone platform covered with soft, dry grass, perfect for dragons to curl up in.

The window faces the cliff behind the mountain, offering a wide view of the distant, rolling mountains.

The red dragon poked its head in, looked around, and sniffed the air—there was the fresh scent of pine resin, the smell of sun-dried hay, and a faint trace of what Ji Tian called spiritual energy.

"It'll do." It said this, but its tail unconsciously started to wag slightly.

Ji Tian placed the now-emptied reverse scale on the stone platform, then turned and walked towards the door.

"Oh, right."

The red dragon raises its head.

"Shirley, that child, doesn't know her own strength, but she's a good kid, not a bad person at heart." Ji Tian glanced at it sideways. "You've lived for two thousand years, you wouldn't hold a grudge against a child, right?"

Red Dragon opened his mouth, wanting to say that he was once a powerful figure, but now he had to be comforted, and in a tone that was like "coaxing a child."

"……Won't."

It was relieved; after all, it was a guest elder of the sect, and it should have some magnanimity.

Upon hearing this, Ji Tian nodded with a slight smile and walked out of the stone house.