Echoes of Victory, Whispers of Concern
Blue light embraced Yao Xuan, the sterile white of the battle arena dissolving into the familiar, crystalline luminescence of the preparation chamber. The profound silence of singular combat gave way to the muted hum of machinery and the low murmur of voices. He let the Ancestral Dragon Body recede, the majestic scales fading, the surging power settling back into the deep wells of his soul and blood. He stood, centered and calm, as the spatial transition completed.
Before him, his teammates materialized one by one, each arrival painting a clearer picture of the trial's toll.
Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Zhang Yangzi, and Wang Jinxi looked… weathered. Tang Wulin's face was a patchwork of minor bruises, his expression one of frustrated determination. Xie Xie leaned against a wall, his usual playful energy replaced by a weary slump. Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi stood together, their postures deflated, faces etched with the sting of defeat.
"Boss, you're back already?" Xie Xie pushed off the wall, his eyes wide. "How many rounds did you clear?"
"Six," Yao Xuan replied, his tone matter-of-fact. "Intermediate, Advanced, and Final assessments."
"S-Six?!" Xie Xie stammered, his fatigue momentarily forgotten. "But… your fight didn't seem that much longer than ours! How?"
"The opponents were calibrated to my type," Yao Xuan explained, downplaying his own dominance to spare their pride. "They favored direct power, which played to my strengths. I ended the fights quickly. What about you all?"
Xie Xie groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Don't even ask. My opponent was a speed demon. My daggers might as well have been swinging at smoke. Got tossed around for thirty seconds just to pass the first round. The second round…" He shook his head. "Wasn't happening."
Tang Wulin offered a wry, bruised smile. "Same story, Brother Xuan. One round, endured by taking hits. Couldn't land a single solid blow. Second round was a shutout." Without the explosive, untamed power of the Golden Dragon King bloodline to occasionally overwhelm skill, his control-type focus had met its match in the relentless, tailored assaults.
Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi exchanged a glance. "We… didn't pass any, Captain," Zhang Yangzi admitted, his voice thick with shame. "Couldn't last the thirty seconds."
Before Yao Xuan could offer the encouragement forming in his mind, the air shimmered once more. Gu Yue appeared.
She was pale. A fine sheen of sweat glistened at her temples, and her silver eyes, usually pools of unshakable composure, held a faint, lingering tremor of exertion and surprise. Her steps, as she materialized, were uncharacteristically unsure.
Yao Xuan was at her side in an instant, his movement smooth and natural. He didn't grab her; he simply positioned himself within her reach, his arm a steady presence should she need it. "Are you alright?" His voice was low, layered with a concern that was both tactical and deeply personal.
Gu Yue's gaze found his, and some of the strain in her features eased. She took a slow, deliberate breath, the sovereign within reasserting control. "I am fine," she said, her voice regaining its melodic steadiness. "Merely a significant depletion of spiritual energy. The opponent in the final stage was… unexpectedly complex."
"Sister Gu Yue, how many rounds did you clear?" Zhang Yangzi asked, his curiosity overcoming his dejection.
"Six rounds as well," Gu Yue replied, her attention still partly on Yao Xuan, drawing a subtle strength from his proximity. "The final adversary possessed a martial soul related to vision. Its abilities bypassed conventional defenses and targeted the mind directly. Achieving the thirty-second endurance objective was… challenging." She did not elaborate on the nature of the 'eye'—likely a simulation of Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes—nor the mental siege she had weathered. The memory of confronting a distilled version of such potent spiritual power, a power that had once been wielded by a fellow disciple of the Divine Realm, had been a profound shock to her system.
"Six rounds too! So you and the boss tied for first! That's incredible!" Wang Jinxi exclaimed, his admiration genuine.
Yao Xuan turned his attention back to the downcast duo. "Don't measure your worth by this single test," he said, his voice firm yet encouraging. "This trial forced isolated combat. Your true strength, your synergy, lies in your martial soul fusion. That's a power this chamber couldn't evaluate. This wasn't your battlefield, and that's no reflection on your capability."
His words were precise and true. They landed not as empty consolation, but as strategic insight. Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi straightened slightly, the shame in their eyes mingling with renewed resolve. "Thank you, Captain," they said in unison, their voices firmer.
At that moment, Wu Changkong entered the preparation chamber, his stern eyes sweeping over them, pausing briefly on Yao Xuan and Gu Yue. "Assessments are concluded. Your performances have been logged. For those who passed at least one stage, you have met the minimum requirement for this final exam subject. Prepare to return."
As they formed up to leave, Yao Xuan fell into step beside Gu Yue. The others chattered ahead, comparing notes on their phantom opponents—a speedy Zhu Zhuqing for Xie Xie, a relentless Dai Mubai for Tang Wulin.
"A vision-type martial soul," Yao Xuan murmured, just for her ears. "That would target your greatest strength. To endure for thirty seconds against such a thing… your mental fortitude is astonishing."
Gu Yue glanced at him, a flicker of warmth in her silver eyes. "It was a test of containment, not domination. A lesson in weathering the storm." She paused, then added, her voice even softer, "Your presence. Thinking of it… helped anchor me." It was a staggering admission for the Silver Dragon King to make—that the thought of him had been a tactical and emotional lifeline in her moment of peak vulnerability.
He didn't smile broadly. He simply let his shoulder brush gently against hers as they walked, a solid, wordless acknowledgment. The touch was a quiet promise: I am here. Your anchor is real.
The grandeur of the Hall of Heroes, the echoes of legendary clashes, the systemic rewards (a total of 335 Gold Evolution Points now rested in his reserve), all faded into background noise. The most significant outcome was this: they had each faced a tailored pinnacle of historical challenge and emerged victorious. They had done it apart, yet the thought of each other had been a weapon in their arsenal.
As they boarded the soul-guided bus back to Donghai Academy, the setting sun casting long shadows, Yao Xuan knew the true assessment was still to come. Not in simulated arenas, but in the living room of a home in Tian Dou City, in the silent language of a bond ready to be named. The trials of power were complete. The trial of the heart was just on the horizon.