The Dragon Blood Blossoms harvested on Dragon Island were distributed according to strict quotas and allocations. There were clear regulations governing what quality of Dragon Blood Blossom a given bloodline was entitled to — it wasn't a free-for-all. A Sixth-Order Giant Dragon like Fu Qi generally only qualified for inferior-grade blossoms.
Only upon reaching the Seventh-Order would one be eligible for medium-grade blossoms, and only at the Eighth-Order for superior-grade.
As for someone with a Tenth-Order bloodline like the Grand Elder or Second Elder, they could only use supreme-grade blossoms, since anything below supreme-grade had negligible effect on them — consuming them would be a waste, and they'd be better off letting other dragons use them to strengthen their bloodlines.
Fu Qi had lived for a great many years, but even counting generously, he had consumed no more than ten medium-grade Dragon Blood Blossoms in his entire life. Now, with only unranked and inferior-grade blossoms remaining on the entire island, a single medium-grade specimen stood out like a crane among chickens — impossible to ignore.
Yang Kai had some understanding of this, so he said nothing further. Instead, he carefully transplanted the medium-grade Dragon Blood Blossom onto a patch of open ground before him. There was a residual hole in the earth there — clearly left from the last time he had pilfered Dragon Blood Blossoms.
He then drew a finger across his fingertip, slicing open a tiny wound. Channeling his profound art in silence, he forced out a single drop of golden blood, letting it trickle down along the blossom's roots and seep into the soil.
Fu Qi's eyes went wide beside him, his breathing growing noticeably ragged. His gaze locked onto that single drop of golden blood without so much as a blink.
Yang Kai actually heard the sound of someone swallowing. He turned his head to look at Fu Qi. "Brother Fu Qi, are you hungry?"
"No, no, no…" Fu Qi waved his hands in a panic, but his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily once more.
At first, Yang Kai assumed he was drooling over the medium-grade Dragon Blood Blossom. But upon closer inspection, he realized Fu Qi was staring straight at the wound on his finger. A chill ran through him, and without a trace of ceremony, he tucked his hand behind his back. What the devil — was his vital blood useful to male dragons too? Then again, on second thought, it wasn't so strange. Zhu Qing had advanced from an Eighth-Order dragon bloodline to Ninth-Order precisely because of her intimate relationship with him. In other words, something in his body could rapidly elevate a dragon's bloodline.
His golden blood might truly be effective on all dragons.
This was not good… Yang Kai shuddered at the thought. If that was the case, might the dragons capture him and bleed him dry, letting everyone share in the bounty?
Using his blood to cultivate Dragon Blood Blossoms and compensate the dragons for their losses was one thing, but having the dragons actually drink his blood — that was a line Yang Kai wasn't quite ready to cross.
He waved Fu Qi off. "Alright, you're dismissed. I can handle things here on my own — no need to keep me company."
Given what had just transpired, there was no way Yang Kai would let him stay.
Fu Qi blinked in surprise. "But my duty is to guard this place…"
Yang Kai shot him a sidelong glance. "What's there to guard on this crummy island? A hundred-odd Dragon Blood Blossoms that wouldn't amount to anything — you think I'd take them and run?"
As if you haven't done exactly that… Fu Qi muttered internally, but aloud he said, "The Grand Elder instructed me to…"
"Are you leaving or not? If you won't leave, then I will."
"You'll leave? Where would you go?" Fu Qi started in alarm.
"The world is vast — I'll go wherever I please."
Fu Qi exclaimed, "But Brother Yang, weren't you going to cultivate the Dragon Blood Blossoms? How can you just walk away?"
Yang Kai let out a long sigh. "That was the plan, but some people have a way of ruining the mood. I've lost all interest now."
Fu Qi's face flushed red. He understood that his earlier display had probably rubbed Yang Kai the wrong way. When he thought about it, he couldn't blame the man — he had stared at his blood with undisguised greed, which was nothing short of an instinctive reaction, driven by his clear understanding of how immensely useful that golden blood would be to him.
But since Yang Kai had put it so bluntly, Fu Qi could only say, "I'll need to consult the Grand Elder about this."
"Go ahead and consult!" Yang Kai urged impatiently, his expression one of pure irritation.
Fu Qi immediately employed a secret technique to contact the Grand Elder. A moment later, his face fell. "The Grand Elder says there's no need to keep guard here…"
Yang Kai hummed in acknowledgment. "The Grand Elder is a reasonable man."
Fu Qi resigned himself. "In that case, I'll take my leave."
"Off you go, off you go." Yang Kai waved him away.
Fu Qi cast one last reluctant glance at the newly transplanted medium-grade Dragon Blood Blossom before turning and flying off into the distance. He still felt a pang of regret — that single drop of golden blood, if only he could have consumed it himself. He had no idea what effect it would have on him, but it would certainly surpass eating an entire Dragon Blood Blossom.
Watching Fu Qi disappear from sight, Yang Kai finally relaxed, body and mind. He stroked his chin, standing in place, quietly observing the changes in the Dragon Blood Blossom.
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but in the short time since, the blossom seemed to have undergone some subtle transformation — a faint golden luminescence now flowed across its deep crimson petals, lending it an almost bewitching allure.
He watched a while longer. It seemed to change again, or perhaps it hadn't.
Yang Kai couldn't quite tell. But since Dragon Blood Blossoms required dragon blood for cultivation, his golden blood should produce formidable results. After all, his bloodline was powerful enough to suppress most dragons on the island.
He didn't rush to transplant the other blossoms. First, he needed to see whether this one bore fruit. If it didn't, then there was no point in any of this — he'd simply storm the Dragon Temple and be done with it, rather than suffering through this tedious process.