Moving can lead to false enlightenment, stillness to true confusion. Both enlightenment and confusion are illusions. Those who grasp the illusory and perceive the true, as in a grand dream, will understand the myriad forms of life and the cycle of all things.
A grand dream, an illusory cycle, remains unchanged in its meaning.
The fifth illusory cycle!
This fifth illusory cycle is extremely special compared to the other four.
This is because, in this fifth illusory cycle, Wu Tao entered with his memories intact.
August 8th, the Day of Summoning, is a day that will decide the future for every young person on the continent of Arclantis who has just turned eighteen.
For on this day, as their first ritual upon reaching adulthood, most children will summon their lifelong companions – their contract beasts – in the Great Summoner's Tower.
On the continent of Arclantis, though there are countless professions, the most noble, most popular, and most valued is that of the Summoner.
Therefore, even young children who have just reached adulthood, as long as they meet the conditions for summoning a contract beast, must immediately rush to the Grand Summoner's Hall to summon the beast that will accompany them for life.
Nan Ya City. Today, most of the children from surrounding towns and the city itself have gathered here…
The Great Summoner's Tower is almost the most magnificent building in all of Nan Ya City, a colossal tower capable of holding tens of thousands of people.
The Great Summoner's Tower is covered in runes and is as vast as an arena, primarily designed for the formation of summoning contract beasts.
Inside the Great Summoner's Tower, all the children who are to undergo the summoning ritual today stand in neat rows.
“I’ve never seen so many people. Are they going to go up one by one? How long will that take…”
Among the children, someone occasionally murmurs. Those standing at the front are mostly children of great nobles and landowners, while those behind are from ordinary families.
Today is their coming-of-age ceremony, and also the day they officially sign their contract beasts.
In this world, signing a contract beast is like a second birth, a ritual as significant as life and death.
“With so many people, it’s impossible for them to go one by one. I heard my father say that eighty-one people will summon together, but even so, this ceremony will take several days.”
Another slightly plump boy in fine silk robes said.
Some children craned their necks, looking at the dense crowd around them, and said with a wry face, “Are we going to stand here foolishly the whole time?”
With so many people, even if they were divided into groups of eighty-one, it would still take a considerable amount of time.
This is perhaps also something the higher-ups of Nan Ya City have considered. If all the rituals were to be completed today, with so many children and their relatives, even the great tower would not be large enough to accommodate them.
…
“Time is almost up, it’s time to begin, Great Summoner.”
On the high platform, a middle-aged woman wearing a pure white, loose-fitting robe spoke to the elder with white hair and a white beard sitting in the main seat.
The elder with white hair and a white beard stroked his beard, nodded to her, and then strode to the very center of the formation.
Wherever he went, this highly respected Great Summoner always drew the most attention. Countless eyes followed his movements.
“My dear children, I believe today will be an unforgettable day for you, for today you will not only usher in an important moment in your lives but also welcome an intimate friend and companion who will accompany you throughout your life.”
As the Great Summoner spoke, a Frost Dragon, over five hundred zhang long, circled continuously in the sky.
This adult Frost Dragon was the Great Summoner’s contract beast.
Almost everyone’s gaze was fixed on the Frost Dragon. Its appearance instilled a sense of fear in everyone present; it was the bloodline pressure of a high-level demonic beast.
Within the massive formation, countless mysterious runes flickered, their dazzling light illuminating and enveloping the eighty-one eighteen-year-old children.
Then, the eighty-one children each picked up a small knife and, without hesitation, sliced their wrists.
Drops of fresh blood dripped down, and under the control of the runes, they emitted a shining glow.
As the runes continued to flicker and the blood seeped in, fine patterns began to appear on the great formation, interweaving with the original patterns.
A subtle, almost imperceptible connection appeared in her heart. Xu Xiaomei wondered if she was mistaken, for in the darkness, she seemed to see a pair of fiery red eyes gradually opening, fixing on her.
“This is indeed an interesting start…”
In a vast rocky cave, looking at the shimmering rune-etched steel bars in front of him, and at his own body covered in crimson scales, with sharp claws and teeth, and a tail half a zhang long, and a body about ten zhang long, Wu Tao sighed with a touch of helplessness.
Returning to this world, his luck this time was rather ordinary, even, one could say, poor.
He hadn't been reborn as a human, which was fine, as he didn't particularly care. However, this time, he had retained his memories.
Whether he was human or another race made little difference to him.
“But this connection…”
Quietly sensing the surrounding atmosphere, feeling the weakness of his body, and the subtle connection deep within his bloodline, Wu Tao frowned in thought.
In this body, a faint connection existed at all times, linking him to another being beside him, forming an extremely profound bond.
This connection was incredibly tight, and to Wu Tao’s perception, it had reached a terrifying level.
Under this connection, the two independent entities would share life and power, to the point where the death of one would also mean the death of the other.
Carefully sensing the terrifying connection within him, Wu Tao analyzed somewhat uncertainly.
One life lives, one death dies.
At this moment, a sudden exclamation came from beside him.
“Crimson Blood Dragon, it’s actually a high-level demonic beast, and a Dragon species! This is incredible!”
She looked at Wu Tao in front of her, her face filled with enthusiastic excitement.
For her, this was an absolute surprise.
In this world, the contract beasts summoned by individuals typically varied according to their abilities, luck, and opportunities.
As the individual grew stronger, their contract beast would also grow, forming a relationship of mutual achievement.
Generally, children with naturally strong vitality were placed with high expectations, as greater vitality allowed for the summoning of more powerful contract beasts.
And Xu Xiaomei’s vitality was not weak, but not exceptionally strong either. To summon a high-level Dragon species demonic beast was undeniably incredible luck.
Looking at the woman excitedly before him, Wu Tao's eyes were cold. He moved his body slightly, taking a closer look at his current appearance.
It was a dragon covered in crimson scales.
Sharp claws extended from its limbs, its pair of light crimson eyes were deep, and it had two massive wings and a crimson tail.
…
Night.
After Xu Xiaomei brought Wu Tao, transformed into a Crimson Blood Dragon, back to her room, the two – human and beast – conversed for an hour or two before drowsiness overcame them, and they fell asleep.
Wu Tao, the Crimson Blood Dragon, slept on the floor, while Xu Xiaomei slept on the bed.
Since Wu Tao was currently a Crimson Blood Dragon, Xu Xiaomei, a girl in her teens, did not feel any particular need for propriety.
In front of Wu Tao, she stripped off all her clothes, completely naked.
Her slender, undeveloped young body was fully exposed to Wu Tao, causing him to blush slightly. At this moment, Xu Xiaomei was a very cute and beautiful young girl, her skin as delicate as porcelain, making it hard not to gaze.
…
“Little Dragon, your body is so hard, just as expected of a high-level dragon…”
Xu Xiaomei, sleeping carelessly, rolled off the bed and landed on the Crimson Blood Dragon Wu Tao’s arm.
She tightly hugged Wu Tao’s dragon arm, her legs like white jade rubbing vigorously against his scales.
This was already something, but more crucially, as she rubbed, she mumbled in her sleep.
“Little Dragon, you’re so adorable, I really like you. You’re truly the best.”
“Hey… hey… you… you guy, why are you sleep-talking…”
Awakened by her actions, the Crimson Blood Dragon Wu Tao was instantly speechless.
Indeed, they were completely different species: one was human, the other a dragon.
One was just over a meter tall, while the other was over ten zhang tall.
Even sleeping naked together was not an issue, as nothing untoward could happen.
However, being embraced by a cute young girl made Wu Tao question his reality…
This kind of life continued until Xu Xiaomei turned eighteen and came of age.
…
At the age of twenty, Xu Xiaomei joined the army. As a woman, Xu Xiaomei started from the lowest rank of "enlisted soldier" and, with Wu Tao's assistance, embarked on the path of a glorious and powerful career.
At twenty-one, she fought against the northern barbarians and made her debut, earning a promotion to the rank of captain.
In the battle of Shan Hai Pass, she and her contract beast Wu Tao held their ground, a position that no enemy could breach!
This battle also attracted the attention of the empire’s high command, and from then on, her path to rapid advancement began.
She was twenty-three that year.
At the age of thirty, in the battle of Qiqihar, Wu Tao, the Crimson Blood Dragon, went berserk and single-handedly annihilated fifty thousand enemy soldiers.
Xu Xiaomei seized the opportunity to take the enemy general’s head, shocking the entire army.
This time, she finally became a commanding officer of a region, a general, and it was from this point that Xu Xiaomei finally had her own private army.
At thirty-five, in a battle against the Miao people in the south, she led the charge and annihilated one hundred thousand Miao soldiers, severely weakening the southern tribes. Xu Xiaomei achieved the position of Imperial Expeditionary General.
At forty-five, Xu Xiaomei annihilated three hundred thousand northern wolves using a pincer movement tactic, was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Victory, and commanded over fifty thousand soldiers.
Thirty years passed in the blink of an eye. Wu Tao passed the weakest larval stage of his dragon life and entered the growth stage.