Battle with Gu Yue, Gu Yue's Thoughts
"Yao Xuan, I will give you ten minutes to recover. The match begins in ten minutes."
Wu Zhangkong's voice was as calm and measured as ever, offering no room for negotiation. His eyes, however, held a glint of keen interest, fixed on the two youths before him.
"Yes, Teacher Wu," Yao Xuan replied. Though the run had barely taxed half of his stamina, he accepted the directive without question. He settled into a cross-legged position on the grass, closing his eyes. His breathing slowed, becoming deep and rhythmic as he centered himself, not just to recover physical strength, but to calm the sudden, complex emotions swirling within him at Gu Yue's appearance.
Ten minutes passed in a silence broken only by the distant sounds of the still-running class.
"Take positions, thirty meters apart. Prepare yourselves."
At Wu Zhangkong's command, the two figures moved backward with practiced steps, maintaining a precise distance. The space between them seemed to crackle with unspoken tension.
Yao Xuan observed the girl standing across from him. Her beauty was undeniable, a stark, elegant perfection that seemed to draw the very light from the air. It was a different beauty from Na'er's innocent charm. This was the poised, formidable grace of the Silver Dragon King in her prime—a majesty that commanded respect rather than inviting protection. A deep, instinctual part of him, the part that housed the Ancestral Dragon's legacy, recognized a peer, a sovereign of another lineage.
As Yao Xuan assessed her, Gu Yue's amethyst eyes were equally analytical, sweeping over him with a seriousness that masked a torrent of internal confusion. A strange, familiar warmth bloomed in her chest, an echo from a past she thought was sealed away.
"Begin."
Wu Zhangkong's single word sliced through the stillness.
"Ancestral Dragon, Possess!"
Yao Xuan's mind commanded, and his soul power surged in response. A nimbus of nine-colored light, subtle yet profound, condensed before him. The Ancestral Dragon Soul Spirit materialized, not with a roar, but with a silent, overwhelming presence that pressed down on the immediate vicinity.
"This... this aura!"
Gu Yue, who had been poised to initiate her attack, froze for a fraction of a second. Her eyes widened imperceptibly, a seismic shockwave of disbelief crashing through her carefully constructed composure.
'A Dragon? The Dragon God? How can this be?' Her mind raced, a whirlwind of ancient memories and ingrained instincts. 'The Dragon God fell. I am the inheritor of his wisdom and power. So why does this human... why does *he* carry an aura that feels so foundational, so... sovereign?'
The similarity was uncanny, a resonance that spoke of shared origins at the most primordial level. It was enough to trigger the deepest layers of her draconic heritage. But a battle was no place for contemplation. With the discipline of a queen who had weathered eons, she forced the turmoil down, her expression smoothing into one of focused intent. A brilliant yellow soul ring bloomed from her feet, its light pure and strong.
Simultaneously, the Ancestral Dragon Spirit above Yao Xuan soared upward and then descended, merging into his body in a cascade of shimmering energy. The moment it settled, Yao Xuan's aura transformed. It became denser, older, layered with invisible power. Faint, intricate scales patterned his skin, gleaming with a metallic luster, and his fingertips elongated into wickedly sharp, golden dragon claws.
'It's true. This is no imitation. The authority in that energy is real,' Gu Yue thought, her certainty hardening even as her confusion grew. Fragments of memory surfaced—hazy, emotional recollections from her time as Na'er. The comfort she had always felt in Yao Xuan's presence, the inexplicable draw, the sense of home. She had attributed it to his kindness, but now she wondered. Was it this? Was it this ancient, draconic essence within him that had called to the dragon in her, even in her amnesiac state?
The questions were a labyrinth, but she saw a clear path through it. She was here now, at his side. The answers would reveal themselves in time. Her purpose solidified: stay close, observe, and understand this mystery.
While her mind worked, her body moved. As her soul ring pulsed, a red halo flashed behind her. She raised a slender arm, her motion effortless, and a fist-sized sphere of concentrated flame burst into existence. It hurtled toward Yao Xuan, not as a wild blast, but as a controlled, precise projectile, the air around it wavering with heat.
"Fire element control. Exceptional purity for someone her age. Her fundamentals are impeccable," Wu Zhangkong noted inwardly, a spark of approval in his icy gaze.
The watching students, their run forgotten, stared in fascination. "She's so pretty!" "That fireball looks powerful!" "Can Yao Xuan handle it?"
Yao Xuan watched the incoming fireball with a calm eye. As it closed in, he didn't retreat. Instead, his body seemed to blur at the edges. He employed the Ancestral Dragon Shattering Void Step, not as a full-powered dash, but as a minimal, efficient shift of his body. He moved just enough, the fireball passing so close he felt the heat on his cheek, but not a single thread of his uniform was singed.
"Oh?" Gu Yue's eyebrow quirked in genuine surprise. That step had not been mere speed; it had carried a subtle, yet unmistakable, distortion of space. Wu Zhangkong's eyes narrowed further, cataloging another extraordinary data point about his top student.
Having evaded the attack, Yao Xuan closed the distance. He would not take this fight lightly. His first soul ring ignited, burning with that deep, ancient yellow.
"Ancestral Dragon Sky-Splitting Strike!"
Against any other opponent, he would have held back, fearing severe injury. But this was Gu Yuena. The Silver Dragon King could withstand far more than this. His arms crossed before him, his dragon claws forming a diagonal cross that tore through the air itself, aiming not to maim, but to test, to force a reaction.
Wu Zhangkong tensed, soul power coiling at his fingertips, ready to intercept. But Gu Yue's expression remained serenely unafraid.
As the devastating strike neared, the red aura behind her flickered and shifted to a vibrant cyan. A gust of wind seemed to cradle her, and her body flowed backward with impossible grace, as light as a leaf on the breeze. Yao Xuan's claws swept through the space she had occupied, the force of the attack whipping at her clothes, but she was already safely out of range.
'A dual-attribute martial soul? Wind and fire?' Wu Zhangkong's analytical mind raced, his interest fully captured. 'This girl... she is no ordinary find. Just who is Yao Xuan, and now who is this Gu Yue?'
The battle was only beginning, but the stage was set for a clash that transcended a simple entrance exam. It was the first meeting of two legends, a dance of dragons hidden in the form of children.