Chapter 9 The New Change

In an instant, Rocky was struck by intense pain radiating from his arms. It was as if a beast was biting his flesh ferociously. Overwhelmed with the pain, he couldn't stop himself and knelt on the ground. The color of his face began to turn pale. His body broke out into a cold sweat, and his face showed the agony.

All the people were astonished because the Holy Dragon Bead responded to Rocky. But soon they pointed their fingers in his direction and commented on the odd scene before them. They were convinced that what Rocky was going through was the kiss of death. In a few hundred years that had passed, no one-even if he was extremely preeminent-had successfully fused with the Holy Dragon Bead. Since so many strong men had failed, there was no chance for Rocky. After all, he was only an abandoned prince.

Therefore, all the people just stood still and made no attempt to hold Rocky back. They looked with cold and shocked eyes as Rocky was devoured by the power of the Holy Dragon Bead.

Even Priest Dean, who saved the last boy, stood unmoved. He kept looking at Rocky with disdain. It was clear that he had no intention to help Rocky.

Lena couldn't stand it anymore. She was concerned and began to run towards Rocky. Suddenly a deep voice called out to her, "Lena, leave him alone."

Hearing those words, Lena could not stop herself from looking back. It was the emperor of the Holy Dragon Empire, the father of the owner of Rocky's body. No one thought that the father would stand still and watch his son die.

"But, Basil's body is unable to bear the power of the Holy Dragon Bead. He will die if it goes on like this," Lena expressed her thoughts to the emperor.

"The fool is supposed to have died earlier. It's really a mistake to keep him alive. He is a disgrace to our royal family." At this point, a sneering sound burst out.

"Crown Prince Alston." Lena called out after looking towards the source of that sound and finding that it was Alston.

The handsome man was Alston, Basil's brother. Being the son of the empress of the Holy Dragon Empire, he would succeed to the throne to be the emperor of the Holy Dragon Empire in the future.

Though Alston and Basil were related by blood, Alston was aloof and cold towards his brother. His eyes revealed his hatred for Rocky. He always looked down upon Rocky as the one who brought shame to the royal family.

"Your Majesty..." Lena turned to the emperor of the Holy Dragon Empire. Anger flashed across her eyes.

However, the emperor of the Holy Dragon Empire gave no response to her pleas. He kept looking impassively at Rocky, who had knelt on the ground and writhed in suffering and pain.

Rocky felt that his limbs had gone numb as though they were frozen because of the sharp pain. He had no control on himself, it was as if the body was not his own. However, he could hear strange cries. Those seemed to be cries likely to come from an over-fussy baby. Though he didn't understand what was happening, he knew it for certain that his pain had something to do with the cries.

Rocky calmed himself down. Then he tried to interpret the cries and comfort the baby. Though he was not very good at it, he had gained rich experience when he got along with animals as an animal geneticist. He knew that sometimes things could be conveyed through other ways instead of speaking. Like the usual exchange of expressions between humans and animals, it was fulfilled through movements and eye contact.

Thus, Rocky started to imagine that he was stroking a crying baby. Gradually, the cries faded away. Meanwhile, it appeared that the stroking had a sense of reality, which was a sort of fantastic sensation beyond description.

As he kept doing it and the cries faded, Rocky noticed that the pain along his arms began to wear off. All of a sudden, there was relief and peace was restored all around. But a bright light band was still around his arms. The light band grew brighter and brighter. He felt a light burning sensation on the skin as if something was being imprinted with a hot seal. He sensed that his arms were being injected with a certain power. Soon the arms began to swell. The power was too much for him and he felt that his arms were going to burst with that power and pressure.

Suddenly, a turbid light was released around Rocky's body, which converged as a vortex above his head. In the chaos, a shadow of a dragon with six wings showed up. Instantly, the light glared like the scorching sun. All the people present there were overwhelmed by the formidable pressure. It began suffocating them. The Grand Dragon Hall shook because of the effect of the amazing power. The people were astonished at the sight before their eyes.

On the circular platform, the messenger of the Dragon Master Clan, which used to look on indifferently, couldn't stop himself from trembling violently with a surprised expression evident on his face. He uttered a few weird words and hastily disappeared from the circular platform.

While the people were watching it all in surprise, the profound light and the formidable pressure vanished like an illusion. When their eyes rested upon Rocky again, it was like a bolt from the blue for them. Their eyes were wide open because they were surprised to find him safe and sound.

When Rocky got back on his feet, the Holy Dragon Bead had disappeared. Seeing the stunned royal members and nobles staring in his direction with an awkward silence, he stood up in bewilderment and looked around. He found it strange that everyone's eyes were fixed on him as if he was a monster.

He looked down at his arms and found some Dragon Spirit Marks, just like the ones he had seen on other people, though they were not as obvious compared to the others. If not looked carefully, they could easily be ignored or missed. Besides, the aura it carried was also very weak.

"Basil, you made it! You really made it!" A voice reached his ears. It was filled with a subtle joy.

Rocky looked up. It was Lena, whose beautiful delicate face was full of surprise and excitement. Her thin, red lips slightly parted as her small hand covered her mouth. Though recovering from shock, she looked really adorable.

"Is that for real? Bryant as the head of the Ximen Clan has not been able to fuse with the Holy Dragon Bead. Then how could Rocky do that?" Shirley was stunned at the sight of Rocky managing to fuse with the Holy Dragon Bead. Just yesterday, she had humiliated Rocky. It was clear that no one had imagined that Rocky could perform such a miracle.

"Have I finished the ceremony?" Rocky was witty, and could quickly guess the reason of the silence and shock. Thinking of that, he burst into laughter. He was aware that he had performed a miracle. He knew that what had happened just now was beyond everyone's expectation for an abandoned prince.

However, a few skeptical voices began to rise from here and there.

"How could this happen? How could an incapable prince like him fuse with the Holy Dragon Bead? It's the holy treasure of the Holy Dragon Empire!"

"He had spent years to fuse with the Dragon Spirit Bead, but he got nowhere earlier. How could he do it now?"

"There must be something fishy. How could this useless man suddenly be able to accept the power of the Holy Dragon Bead?"

Standing still, Priest Dean looked serious. He repeatedly glanced over Rocky with his amazed and queer eyes. He couldn't hide his rage and finally began to rebuke, "Your Royal Highness, do you know that you have destroyed the most sacred ritual of the Holy Dragon Empire?"

"Did I?" Faced with Priest Dean's wrath, Rocky just shrugged his shoulders, pretending to be innocent.

"Don't feign ignorance. You have done it all intentionally," Priest Dean spoke furiously at his response.

"Priest Dean, what do you mean? Why do you accuse Basil of wrong intentions?" Lena questioned as she walked over.

"All the people have seen that Basil touched the Holy Dragon Bead without permission. He should know that the Holy Dragon Bead is the holy treasure of the Holy Dragon Empire. No one is supposed to touch it, if not allowed," Priest Dean announced seriously.

"Don't you remember? Basil has lost his memory. He knows nothing. How could he recognize the Holy Dragon Bead?" Lena argued.

"But... who knows. Maybe he has been deliberately planning this, over a long period of time. A man like him is too weak. He will never be able to qualify as a spirit manipulator. As you can see, only a little spiritual power can be sensed from his body, though he has fused with the Holy Dragon Bead," Priest Dean scoffed publicly.

All the other people realized the fact mentioned by Priest Dean. It was true that Rocky still did not have much spiritual power. It was foretold that the Holy Dragon Bead was such a holy treasure that it had the ability to make the human, who fused with it, the King of Spirit Manipulation. How could it be possible that Rocky's spiritual power didn't reach the first grade of the Mortal Stage? Rather it seemed inferior to that of the last twenty-nine people. In theory, after fusing with the powerful Holy Dragon Bead, the man should at least obtain the spiritual power of the fifth grade of the Mortal Stage instantly.

There was such a great contrast. It was unconvincing for anyone to accept.

Immediately, the people in the Grand Dragon Hall were in a state of tumult again. Their eyes turned disdainful and jealous. Staring ferociously at Rocky, they thought that the idea of him gaining the power of the Holy Dragon Bead was nothing but a waste.

"Priest Dean, you're overreacting! Anyhow, it shouldn't matter as Basil is a prince," Lena retorted angrily. She defended Rocky from Priest Dean's insult.

When all this went on, Rocky, though being the initiator of the whole debate, just quietly saw them arguing and their faces reddening to the ears. Tittering inside, he felt so lucky that he was able to fuse with the holy treasure of the Holy Dragon Empire. If he would not have been able to make that fusion, he could never become a spirit manipulator. On the whole, he was glad that he had obtained the dragon spiritual power. He had become a royal spirit manipulator, and now he was able to control the dragon.

Suddenly, the argument between Lena and Priest Dean was interrupted by a cough. They turned back and saw the emperor of the Holy Dragon Empire coming towards them. After glancing at Rocky and looking around the crowd, he said, "I must admit that it is Basil who has been irresponsible. He disturbed the ritual and destroyed the holy treasure of the Holy Dragon Empire, which has been passed over from one generation to another for years. Thus, I have decided to abolish his royal status. I announce him to be equal to any civilian of the empire."

All the people were startled at the words of the emperor of the Holy Dragon Empire. They had never expected that he would punish his own son in the cause of justice. The crowd was agitated.

In all that chaos, the announcement made by the emperor, his father, left Rocky flabbergasted.