Chapter 1653 — Chapter 1653 Divine Dragon Council

"Then I'll be on my way now."

After Yuan had been given the token, Dragon Princess Meihui quickly left the scene.

There were two major reasons why Dragon Princess Meihui gave Yuan the token, allowing him to skip the assessment entirely. The first reason was simple: she could tell by Yuan's dragon scent that he was more than qualified to participate, making the assessment process unnecessary and a waste of time.

The second reason was because of the meat skewers. If the others in line were forced to endure the enticing aroma for too long, it would likely lead to another commotion. By allowing Yuan to leave early, they would avoid any further disruptions caused by the irresistible scent of the skewers.

With the token in his grasp, Yuan and Yingzi left the scene, disappearing into the distance.

"I guess I don't need to worry about being affiliated with the Divine Dragon Sanctuary for now." Yuan tossed the token into his spatial ring.

"What are you going to do for the next two years?" Yingzi asked him.

"Hmm…"

Yuan pondered for several minutes before responding, "If the Divine Dragon Sanctuary is as powerful as the Eternal Phoenix Domain, they should have training areas like the Nine Levels of Hell, right? I should take this time to strengthen myself further and prepare for the festival."

"But will they allow someone who isn't affiliated with their territory to use these training spots?" Yingzi mused.

"Let's go ask that blue-haired dragon."

Yingzi and Yuan made their way back to the blue-haired dragon, who'd barely moved from his spot since they left.

"Hm? You're back already? Did something happen?" The blue-haired man asked them with a puzzled face since it'd been less than two hours since they left.

Yuan shook his head and explained, "No, I have the participation token in my possession. I returned because I have some more questions."

"Already? That place is usually crowded, and it normally takes several weeks to acquire a token unless you skipped the queue," the man remarked, his expression filled with surprise.

"One thing led to another, and I somehow managed to skip the line." Yuan smiled.

"So something did happen…"

"By the way, why are you still here?"

"Oh, I am something like a guide. It's my job to assist visitors like you. There are many first-time visitors because of the Dragon God Festival, after all."

"I see…"

"Anyway, you have some questions, right? I'll try my best to answer them."

"I'm looking for something to do while I wait for the Dragon God Festival. Are there any training areas available in the Divine Dragon Sanctuary?" Yuan asked.

"Training grounds, huh? There are several, but they are only accessible by those affiliated with the Divine Dragon Sanctuary."

"How does one become affiliated?"

"You must visit the Divine Dragon Council and pass several assessments. Once you become an affiliate, you will essentially become part of the Divine Dragon Sanctuary's prowess. For example, if our territory is ever threatened, you are obligated to aid us."

"Can I ask about the assessments? What do they ask for?"

"The Divine Dragon Council will ask about your background to determine whether you are qualified to become an affiliate."

"So there's a chance I won't qualify, huh?"

"Yes, but I have no reason to believe why you wouldn't qualify. In fact, you're pretty much guaranteed to qualify because you belong to the dragon race."

"I see. Where is the Divine Dragon Council?" In response to Yuan's question, the blue-haired man retrieved a white stone and said, "This will bring you directly to the Divine Dragon Council."

"This…?" Yuan accepted the white stone and inspected it with interest.

"You've never seen a teleport stone before?" The man inquired, sounding somewhat surprised.

"Uhh, no. They don't exist where I am from."

"I guess that's not too surprising since they're unique within the Divine Dragon Sancutary. These teleport stones are created by the Void Dragon, who has the ability to teleport. If you shatter that stone, you will create a rift that will directly bring you to the Divine Dragon Council."

Sometime later, Yuan shattered the teleport stone, releasing the energy stored within. The energy surged out, swirling in the air before forming a rift in front of him.

"The rift will disappear after ten seconds." The man quickly warned him.

"Thanks for your help again." Yuan said to him before jumping into the rift, followed by Yingzi.

Upon emerging from the rift, Yuan found himself standing before a majestic pagoda, its intricate design far surpassing the one he had seen at Phoenix Ascendancy Plateau. The towering structure was adorned with elaborate carvings and shimmering details, exuding an air of ancient power and significance. Its grandeur made it clear that this was a place of great importance.

Just like the Dragon Ascending Mountain, there was a huge line waiting to go inside the pagoda.

'Fortunately, the line isn't as long… Moreover, it's moving much faster,' Yuan thought to himself as he entered the back of the line.

As they waited in line, Yuan listened to the conversations around them. "Hopefully I qualify as a Divine Dragon Warrior. That would make life much easier in the Divine Dragon Sanctuary."

"Unless you are a dragon or have a Master-level bloodline, it's near impossible to become a Divine Dragon Warrior."

"I'll be satisfied with just being affiliated with the Divine Dragon Sanctuary since having a higher rank also means having more responsibility."

"So what if I have more responsibility? Only Divine Dragon Warriors are allowed to use their training grounds, and that is my sole reason for coming here!"

After overhearing the nearby conversation, Yuan began to wonder if being affiliated with the Divine Dragon Sanctuary was similar to joining a faction in the Nine Heavens since there appeared to be ranks amongst those affiliated.

'I need to become at least a Divine Dragon Warrior to use their training grounds, huh?' Yuan mused inwardly.

Sometime later, he looked at Yingzi and asked, "Are you also going to become an affiliate?"