“Kid, let’s see you try and run this time. You made me hunt you down for days.” Bor glared, beard bristling.

“We’re not at school. You might be my teacher, but you don’t get to put me under house arrest.” Bexia hated it when Bor talked to him like this, up and down like he owned him. Their teacher‑student relationship was… complicated, to say the least.

“You little brat… forget it.” Bor was choked by Bexia’s glare. He had already promised before the break that he wouldn’t interfere for the whole vacation. Since he’d said it himself, he couldn’t just go back on it now.

“Hm? You advanced to mid‑rank?” Bor suddenly noticed the change in Bexia and asked in surprise.

“Yeah. It just suddenly bumped me up to mid‑rank like that.” Bexia spoke with a helpless look.

“Yeah right. You’re just trying to crush my self‑esteem.” Bor’s mouth twitched. Mid‑rank at sixteen—he’d only reached that at nineteen.

He could also sense how dense the mana was around Bexia. That meant it wasn’t some hollow boost from potions. This level of solidity was just like what you get from grinding it out step by step—maybe even better than his own.

“You really are asking for it. But since you’re mid‑rank now, I happen to have something for you to do.”

“Nope. We agreed I do nothing this vacation. Don’t try to use me as free labor.” Bexia refused without hesitation.

“You sure? Don’t tell me you don’t want to go to Kingdom Anzu?” Bor put on an act. “If that’s how it is, then forget it. I was gonna send you to lie flat in Anzu.”

“Wait, what did you say? You’re sending me to Anzu?” Bexia stared at Bor in disbelief. The one who’d stopped him from going before was Bor. Now he suddenly wanted to send him to Anzu? That flip‑flop was enough to make Bexia suspicious. Just what was Bor plotting?

“Didn’t you just say you’re not going?” Bor smiled slyly. In his head: in the end, a teacher’s still a teacher. Let’s see how you play me, kid.

“Then I’m not going. Worst case, I’ll figure something else out.” Bexia wasn’t scared of Bor at all. Other people might fear the name “Burst King,” but Bexia didn’t feel a shred of pressure. It wasn’t like Bor could actually do anything to him. Barefoot doesn’t fear the one wearing shoes.

“Are you going or not? If you’re not, I’ll send someone else.” Bor knew Bexia’s temper was stubborn. Once he decided something, he wouldn’t budge.

“Tell me what it is first. If it’s heavy labor, don’t even think about it.” This old man was devious. Bexia had been screwed over by him more than a few times already.

“A diplomatic mission to Kingdom Anzu. I want you to be in charge of this trip.” Bor said.

“I can’t do that kind of thing. Find someone else.” Bexia really didn’t know the first thing about being an envoy. He’d be totally useless.

“You don’t have to do anything. Just lend us your name. Other people will handle the rest.” Bor knew exactly what kind of guy Bexia was. If he let this kid actually handle diplomacy, Asman and Kingdom Anzu would probably be at war by tomorrow.

“You’re being this nice?” Bexia looked at Bor in shock. Suddenly so good to him? No matter how he looked at it, it reeked of a setup.

“When have I ever harmed you?” Bor rapped Bexia on the head, annoyed. He was still his teacher, and this was how the kid saw him?

“You really got no idea what you look like inside, huh?” Bexia exposed him without mercy.

“You looking for a beating?”

“Go on, hit me. Tomorrow I’ll go around telling everyone the great Burst King bullied a little mid‑rank weakling. Let’s see what they say then.”

“I’m done messing around. I’m serious this time. Are you going to Anzu or not?” Bor asked again.

“Then tell me what the real goal is. I don’t buy that you suddenly care about diplomacy.” Bexia knew Bor wouldn’t pull something like this for nothing. A crowned champion dealing with foreign affairs personally? If he’d come himself, there had to be something else mixed in.

“Have you heard of the Great Dragon Festival?” Bor asked.

“The Great Dragon Festival?” Bexia thought about it. It rang a bell, but not clearly. It seemed Long Momo had gone back to take part in some Great Dragon Festival thing.

“The Great Dragon Festival is a huge event in Kingdom Anzu. It’s held once every hundred years. Each time, they choose a new High Priest. And your Sis Dragon is one of the two candidates for this round’s High Priest.”

“You want me to go join that Great Dragon Festival?” Bexia asked.

“No.” Bor shook his head. “I want you to join their ‘Divine Dragon Tournament.’”

“Divine Dragon Tournament? What’s that?”

“The High Priest election takes place in a special space we call the ‘Dragon God Domain.’ The High Priest candidates enter that space to fight for the Dragon God’s inheritance. They can even kill each other in there. Whoever walks out alive in the end, or gets the stronger inheritance, becomes the next High Priest.”

“And inside the Dragon God Domain, it’s not just the Dragon God’s inheritance. There are tons of treasures. For example, that cultivation treasure everyone outside talks about, ‘Dragon Source Force,’ is something you get from inside.”

“But what does this Divine Dragon Tournament have to do with the Dragon God Domain? The Church isn’t gonna let outsiders meddle in something like that, right?” Bexia voiced his doubts. This already counted as a national‑level affair for Kingdom Anzu. How could outsiders get involved? It sounded impossible.

“You’re wrong about that. Other people really can take part in the High Priest election. The ‘Divine Dragon Tournament’ is the special platform for that.”

“The Divine Dragon Tournament happens before the Great Dragon Festival. Anyone can sign up, as long as they’re under twenty. If you win ten matches in a row, you get a ‘Great Dragon Token’ that lets you enter the Dragon God Domain.”

“Enter the Dragon God Domain? For real? The Great Dragon Church doesn’t interfere?” Bexia was baffled. It was clearly a huge national event for Kingdom Anzu. Why would they allow others to step in?

“I don’t know why either. But that’s always been how the Great Dragon Church in Kingdom Anzu does it. As long as you can win ten times in a row, you can use a Great Dragon Token to enter the Dragon God Domain. The Church won’t interfere at all.”

“But that Dragon God Domain isn’t easy to get into. Winning ten straight matches in the Divine Dragon Tournament is hard. And most importantly, while the Dragon God Domain has lots of treasures, it’s also full of danger. I’m not asking much from you—just go take part in the Divine Dragon Tournament.”

“And if I actually get a Great Dragon Token?”

“As if it’s that easy… But if you really do get one, you can decide for yourself whether to enter the Dragon God Domain. It’s supposedly really dangerous in there, but the opportunities are huge too. That Dragon God Domain is an extremely ancient ruin, after all.”