The Dragon King Golden Toad had always been massive to begin with.
Now, crouching on the ground, its height was nearly on par with the nearby mountain range, falling short by only a sliver.
Its two dragon horns were hung with all sorts of treasures, and its long dragon whiskers, like grapevines on a trellis, were laden with stack upon stack of items.
Nourished by the toad, these items all radiated a golden treasure aura, an aura so dense it formed a barrier that partitioned its domain from the outside world.
Even the ground in its vicinity had turned golden. Anyone looking down from the sky would notice that, under its influence, the earth bore the imprint of a colossal copper coin.
Although Niman was vastly stronger than the Dragon King Golden Toad, she could clearly sense its mountain-heavy presence. If they really came to blows, she might not actually be able to defeat it.
The toad's own power was nothing extraordinary, but it now held far too many treasures. Were it to deploy the treasures from the Sun Emperor's storage ring, even a poorer Mighty One might perish under its assault.
Of course, the Dragon King Golden Toad was no ingrate. Seeing Niman approach, it blinked, then flicked its dragon whiskers. As the long whiskers swayed in the air, a gemstone radiating golden light descended from above, landing right before Niman.
Dragon King Grants Treasure.
Niman knew the Dragon King Golden Toad was activating its ability to bestow an item upon her. Smiling at the toad, she raised a hand and caught the gem.
Within this round gemstone lay a golden key, but Niman had never figured out its exact purpose in the past.
Now, however, its function was revealed to her in an instant.
[Key of the Gem Gate]
[Upon use, opens a golden gem gate. Passing through the gate brings one directly to any known destination within the Tree Universe.]
So that was how it worked.
Niman had pondered for a long time without figuring out how to trigger the gem's ability, but now she understood.
The key was that it required the name of a destination along with a certain degree of familiarity with the place. With a thought, she tossed the gem forward. A golden gem gate materialized naturally. She stepped forward and pushed it open; sure enough, the other side looked out onto Crescent Bay.
"Quite convenient," Niman said with a smile.
She closed the door, and the golden gem gate instantly shrank back down, reverting to a gem floating in midair. Stowing the gem away, she looked at the Dragon King Golden Toad and smiled. "Thanks, Dragon King."
"..."
The Dragon King Golden Toad looked at Niman without uttering a sound.
Yet its two dragon whiskers swayed back and forth through the air, showing that its mood was exceptionally good after its advancement.
At that moment, Niman notified the others through the contract channel about the Dragon King Golden Toad's advancement. Then, pulling a pile of treasures whose functions she had not deciphered from her storage ring, she smiled. "Dragon King, please nourish these as well. If I need any later, I'll come ask for them."
Sensing the treasure aura radiating from the Dragon King Golden Toad, the items drifted one after another onto its body, adding another sweet burden to a frame that was already carrying an immense hoard.
In truth, stack upon stack of treasures was piled upon its back, all glittering with golden radiance and brimming with treasure aura.
This was already the maximum weight the Dragon King Golden Toad could bear and the maximum quantity it could nourish. But having advanced, its capacity had indeed expanded, so it did not refuse the treasures Niman offered.
"Dragon King, here I come!"
Yu Xian's voice rang out before he had even arrived.
Hearing his voice, the Dragon King Golden Toad began blinking frantically. The next second, upon spotting Yu Xian, it glared wide-eyed at him. Yu Xian understood that look the moment he saw it.
A wild Dragon King has challenged you to a duel.
Yu Xian hovered in midair, locking eyes with the Dragon King Golden Toad. Man and dragon froze in place, neither moving a muscle.
"Men..."
Niman watched Yu Xian, utterly exasperated.
She had witnessed this scene countless times over the past decade or so. That wretched competitive streak.
The longest staring contest between Yu Xian and the Dragon King Golden Toad had lasted three whole months. Neither had been willing to yield, until an itch on the Dragon King's belly finally caused it to lose to Yu Xian.
"Dragon King, did you advance?"
Little Nora flew over trailing golden light, shouting happily as she looked at the toad.
The next second, the Dragon King Golden Toad broke completely. After a shudder ran through its body, it finally blinked. Turning to Little Nora, it raised its head slightly, wearing a look of pride.
"You lose!" Yu Xian declared smugly.
The Dragon King Golden Toad merely stiffened for an instant before snorting through its nostrils and hurling a huge pile of treasures toward Yu Xian.
Dragon King Grants Treasure—supersized edition!
Yu Xian had no choice but to scramble and stow his items away.
He had no worry that the Dragon King Golden Toad would give him anyone else's treasures, as it remembered precisely what each person had delivered. Once they were finished nourishing, Dragon King Grants Treasure would return each item to its rightful owner.
"Thanks! Let's see what good stuff we've got," Yu Xian said with a grin. Hovering in the air, he began inspecting them. After being nourished by the Dragon King Golden Toad, their functions might not have changed much, nor had their materials been strengthened, but they had become noticeably newer and finer in appearance.
On the ground, Little Nora sat atop the Dragon King Golden Toad's head, rolling around as she chatted with it. The toad clearly adored Little Nora—immensely so—its body swaying gently with her rolling.
"Did you bribe the Dragon King?" Niman walked over through the air, looking at the items surrounding Yu Xian with a suspicious gaze.
When the Dragon King Golden Toad nourished items, it did not do them all at once; there was a priority order.
Whatever ranked first received the most treasure aura, followed by the second, and then the third. The lower the rank, the less treasure aura an item received, and the allocation was entirely up to the toad's whim.
For Yu Xian to receive so many freshly nourished treasures all at once meant the Dragon King Golden Toad had definitely prioritized his items above everyone else's.
"You can always challenge the Dragon King to a staring contest too," Yu Xian said with a chuckle, examining a bell in his hand. "If you beat the Dragon King, it'll honor the bet and help you first."
Realization dawned on Niman. "So every time it loses to you... No wonder you love playing staring contests with it so much."
"Why else?" Yu Xian tucked the bell away and countered with a grin.
Now Niman wouldn't mock him for being childish anymore—even if he truly did enjoy playing with the Dragon King.
With his strength growing naturally and his lifespan limitless, being happy was all that mattered. Was he supposed to wear a bitter, vengeful scowl and suffer for no reason?
Sleeping until he woke naturally every day, playing whenever he wanted, eating whatever he pleased—what was wrong with that?
He was only twenty-eight. Still just a kid!
Chapter 409