In the early morning, sunlight pierced through the thin mist, trimming Black Stone Castle with a warm, golden edge.

[Daily Intelligence Refresh]

[1: After defeating the Three-headed Snake Monster "Blood Throat," the Young Black Dragon "Black King" used its Dragon Mighty to conquer a large Ratfolk tribe of four thousand and a clan of over a hundred giant swamp frogs in the Western Wetlands of the Jade Swamp.]

[2: In Thunder Dragon City, Lady Anna returned to the Royal Palace and had a major argument with Aiden Duke over the newly appointed Crown Prince. She believes this action is a betrayal.]

[3: In the Thunder Dragon Duchy, the philandering Viscount Wiedel was chased for nearly a mile by a boar in heat during a hunt. He only escaped by climbing a tree, and the incident has become the latest joke at high-society gatherings.]

[4: The chief court jester of the Lion Duchy tearfully complained after getting drunk that the Duke "is no longer the Duke he used to be." The next day, he was expelled from the capital on grounds of madness.]

[5: Fifty kilometers south of the stone wall entrance to the Giant Dragon Realm, there is a mountain peak where a type of Magic Plant called "Dragon Breath Grass" has reached maturity. This peak is the habitat of a Wind God Winged Dragon, and the Dragon Breath Grass was created by long-term exposure to the Wind God Winged Dragon’s Dragon Power.]

[6: The third Prince of the Eagle Kingdom in the South has gone missing during a hunt. The King is furious and has dispatched the Royal Knight Order to seal off the entire Sunset Mountain Range, offering a massive reward for clues to the Prince’s whereabouts. Rumor has it the Prince was abducted by a Green Dragon from the mountains.]

[7: To contest ownership of the newly discovered ruins, the "Tomb of the Traitor," deep within the Black Stone Mountain Range, the Witch Demon King of the Skeleton Plain and the Vampire Prince of the "Crimson Bloodline" have initiated a "war game," using their respective legions as chess pieces. The game has lasted for a month, and the Witch Demon King currently has a slight advantage.]

[8: In the Thunder Dragon Duchy, Count Barton of Giant Stone is currently a guest in Thunder Dragon City. After mocking Chief Court Mage Herast’s hairstyle at a banquet, he woke up the next day to find his own hair had turned into a giant pineapple.]

[9: Hector, "Flame Hand," the former Chief Court Mage of the Violet Kingdom, was exiled due to ideological differences with the Emperor. He is currently traveling in the north, seeking a Kingdom that will accept him. He is renowned for his violent Fire Magic and rigorous magical theories.]

[10: Beyond the Black Stone Mountain Range, in the Frostfall Empire to the north of the Continent, the royal family claims to have the blood of Frost Giant Dragons flowing through their veins. Recently, the Empire’s Eldest Princess awakened the rare "Frost Heart" talent at her coming-of-age ceremony, attracting the prying eyes of an unidentified adult Ice Dragon.]

Raylo stood before the window. The scorch marks on the square from the "Solar Furnace" were still clearly visible.

"Ed, continue the training as usual today," Raylo instructed. "I’m going out for a while. I’m leaving the castle’s defenses to you."

"Yes, my lord."

Ed bowed and accepted the order.

After breakfast, Raylo left the castle.

In the morning light, Baofeng was already waiting in the square.

It was preening its yellowish-brown Iron Feathers. Upon seeing Raylo, it let out a low, affectionate cry.

Next to it, the hundred-meter-long Golden Dragon, Sun, lay coiled like a majestic golden mountain, its head held high.

"Ready to go?"

Sun’s voice held a hint of eagerness.

It had just mastered a new power and was eager for a good, satisfying fight to test its results.

"Of course."

Raylo vaulted onto Baofeng’s back.

"Let’s move out."

Baofeng beat its wings, stirring up a powerful gust of wind as it soared into the sky.

Sun’s enormous body followed it into the air. They became two black dots of different sizes, speeding toward the Black Stone Mountain Range to the north.

Arriving once again before the familiar, massive stone wall, they found that nothing in the surroundings had changed.

Raylo leaped down from Baofeng’s back, and Coal Ball jumped down from his shoulder.

"It’s up to you, Coal Ball."

Raylo patted Coal Ball’s little head.

Coal Ball shook its head and slowly walked up to the stone wall.

The air before it began to twist and fold. The hard stone wall rippled like the surface of water, and a deep spatial rift slowly opened.

Without the slightest hesitation, Raylo led Baofeng and Moonlight through it first.

Immediately after, Sun’s shrunken body squeezed through as well. The spatial rift closed quickly behind it, and the stone wall returned to its original state, as if nothing had ever happened.

The moment they passed through the spatial passage, the world changed in an instant.

Day turned to night.

A primitive, ancient aura washed over them, and the air was thick with concentrated Magic Power.

The Giant Dragon Realm.

It was pitch-black.

They followed the familiar path to the huge cave where they had hidden before.

Raylo lit a bonfire, and its flickering flames drove away the chill in the cave.

They had two objectives for this trip.

First was the Dragon Blood Grass located in the Gray Mist Valley.

According to Master Barnaby, this Magic Plant was a top-tier ingredient for concocting the Magical Beast Growth Potion, with a growth-accelerating effect several times that of Earth Dragon Grass.

Second, and the main event of the trip, was the Hill Giant camp not far from the stone wall entrance.

During his last brief visit, Raylo had determined that there were over a dozen Hill Giants in the camp. Their leader was a genuine Tier Five Domain Level Giant, while the rest were mostly Tier Four, along with a few young, underage Giants.

In the past, faced with a tribe that had a Domain Level Powerhouse, Raylo would have had no choice but to take a detour.

’But now, things are different.’

Raylo glanced at the massive golden head at the cave entrance.

Sun’s successful creation of the "Solar Furnace" Domain gave him the confidence to confront a Tier Five powerhouse head-on.