Chapter 129: Chapter 113: To Be or Not to Be Human?

"CLANG!"

One side held a flaming blade, the other a mass of flesh, yet the instant their weapons clashed, they produced a sound like steel striking steel.

Immediately after, the slender Liu Li and the burly Dragon-man began to dance swiftly across the training grounds. The cold glint of a blade and the searing marks of a sword intertwined, leaving the already damaged field even more shattered!

Watching them fight, Isaac gradually came to understand the Saint Master’s current strength. A powerful physique combined with formidable Dragon Race Magic gave him combat power far exceeding that of a conventional Tier One!

Although his Combat Techniques were still a bit clumsy, he was improving at an astonishing rate. Clearly, he hadn’t fully digested the power from his bloodline. With more training, he might even be able to fight above his tier, just like Liu Li.

However, what pleased Isaac most wasn’t the Saint Master’s combat prowess, but his incredibly natural Casting Ability. He could apply Dragon Race Magic in actual combat the moment his transformation was complete, even if it was just Ordinary Dragon Race Magic like Dragon Might, Dragon’s Roar, and Dragon Breath.

One should know that even among normal Dragon-men who have reached adulthood, not many could skillfully use these abilities in battle. This was a rather interesting point.

They had clearly shed many of the Giant Dragons’ physical traits, becoming closer to humans who excelled in intellect, yet their specialty was not Magic, but physical combat...

That was why some Wizards believed the evolution of Dragon-men was a flawed path. Although they were already stronger than most Dragon Blood Demons, and even had the potential to advance into High-level Demons.

The position of Dragon-men was awkward; physically, they couldn’t compare to Giant Dragons, and intellectually, they couldn’t match humans. They were stuck in the middle.

Therefore, for him to be able to use Magic to this extent right after his transformation, he clearly had decent magical talent. He was well-suited for the Cultivation of Secret Skills!

Of course, Isaac’s conclusion was based on something of a stereotype. When it came to learning Secret Skills, magical talent was the last thing you needed! 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

’If you had that kind of talent, who would even bother learning Secret Skills? Wouldn’t it be better to just become an Arcanist?’

’At the very least, you could become a Legendary Mage, write a few books, perform some rituals, and level up. Isn’t that nice?’

’Who would want a life-draining profession like a Secret Mage?’

But it didn’t really matter. Magical talent didn’t prevent one from becoming a Secret Mage. The Dimensional Demon Gods treated everyone fairly and equally. As long as you wanted it, anyone could become a Secret Mage!

At least, that was how it was for now.

After a while, seeing that the Saint Master had demonstrated enough, Liu Li ended the fight directly.

Isaac wasn’t surprised by this at all. The Saint Master was strong, but Liu Li was a Demon God’s Favored. She possessed two Authorities, both of which were highly practical—unlike Shushu. The Invisible Hand was traceless, and a single punch from it was excruciatingly painful!

The gap was simply too large. Forget Tier One; Liu Li had few opponents even among Tier Twos, unless her opponent also possessed an Authority and could see the Invisible Hand.

After that thorough beating, the Saint Master looked at Liu Li with a newfound sense of reverence. ’She looks so small, but her punches hurt so much!’

Once the battle was over, Isaac returned to his laboratory to continue his experiments and study Magic. As for the Saint Master... he had just transformed and needed to acclimate to his new strength before he could begin learning Secret Skills.

After that, a long-lost tranquility descended upon Isaac’s life. Especially after ordering takeout, he threw himself body and soul into his research, often pulling all-nighters. After all, while a Mage’s body might be lacking in a fight, thanks to Magic Enhancement, it was second to none when it came to staying up all night!

At his most immersed, Isaac once stayed up for seven consecutive days and nights!

Of course, it was worth it!

「One month later」 In his lab, after a full day’s rest, Isaac looked at the golden-red Magic Potion on his table with an excited smile. This was the fruit of his seven sleepless days of labor—the Dragon Transformation Secret Medicine!

This Magic Potion was the culmination of all his current research and technical expertise on Dragon Blood Purification!

The effects of the Dragon Transformation Secret Medicine were simple and brutal. One only needed to consume this Magic Potion in conjunction with a ritual so simple that even an Ordinary person could set it up, and their heart would be reformed by the potion, granting them the bloodline of a Giant Dragon!

Of course, if that were all, it wouldn’t have been worth so much of Isaac’s time and effort. There were already plenty of Magic Potions that could bestow Dragon Blood.

What made the Dragon Transformation Secret Medicine truly precious was that it bestowed the bloodline of a Pure-blooded Giant Dragon!

If one continued to evolve along this path, the final destination was a Pure-blooded Giant Dragon!

This was what Isaac had concocted over those seven days, combining his Golden Finger with all the Knowledge he currently possessed. It bypassed the complex and varied bloodlines of other dragons, leading directly to a Pure-blooded Giant Dragon!

Of course, this didn’t mean one would become Tier Three just by drinking it. It only granted the bloodline of a Pure-blooded Giant Dragon; the Dragon Blood within the body would still require further purification. There was still a long road ahead to becoming a true Giant Dragon.

However, one thing was certain: drinking this potion would allow one to advance to Tier Two. Compared to gaining a Giant Dragon Bloodline, this was just a bonus. But this "bonus" was the main reason Isaac had made the potion in the first place.

That’s right, he had prepared this Magic Potion for Smith.

Although an ordinary Knight advancement Magic Potion could also help Smith advance to Tier Two and become a Great Knight, it had to be said that Smith’s talent wasn’t very high. Combined with the injuries from his early years, even if he became a Great Knight with the help of a Magic Potion, his lifespan wouldn’t be extended by much.

And if Isaac were to help him advance to High-level Knight on top of that...

The difficulty would increase by several orders of magnitude!

But if he drank this Magic Potion and gained a Giant Dragon Bloodline, the result... would be completely different!

Of course, this Magic Potion wasn’t perfect... it had one small drawback... After drinking it, one would become a Dragon Blood Demon!

From the inside out, they would no longer be human.

Most importantly, due to the exceedingly high Magic Resistance of a Giant Dragon, it would be extremely difficult to use Magic to transform back into human form!

Even if one managed to revert to human form, life would feel incredibly suppressive, far less comfortable than their Dragon form. This was different from Liu Li, whose true form was a mass of flesh that was inherently malleable. Her ability to obtain the Perfect Form Authority was related to this trait.

But a Giant Dragon could never obtain that Authority!

Things like Authorities almost always have prerequisites; if you don’t meet them, you can’t obtain them. Among all powers, only a Legendary Mage could break this restriction, using a Legend ritual to seize an Authority from an Outer God as they pleased.

Therefore, this was a choice Smith had to make. Isaac didn’t lack a Giant Dragon’s combat power in his forces, so besides the Dragon Transformation Secret Medicine, he had also prepared a dose of the perfectly ordinary Advanced Black Snake Knight’s Secret Medicine for Smith. While it wasn’t as miraculous as the Dragon Transformation Secret Medicine, it was still a top-quality item.

Stretching languidly, Isaac casually sent a pulse of Magic Power to ring the blue bell by the door. He then picked up the two Magic Potions, one black and one red, and left the laboratory for the council hall.