"It's getting cold," Gu Zhiwei shivered, his golden aura flickering. "Brother Xie? Are you okay?"
Wangchen didn't answer. His brows furrowed. The spiritual energy in the air began to swirl toward him, forming a visible funnel cloud.
"He's breaking through!" Wen Shiru gasped, snapping his ledger shut. "Here?! Now?! Without a protector?!"
"He's insane!" Lu Jianheng stood up, hand on his sword. "If he fails, the backlash will blow up the pavilion!"
"We have to help him!" Gu Zhiwei shouted. "Circle formation! Protect Brother Xie!"
The three Protagonists, despite their rivalry, sprang into action. They formed a triangle around Wangchen, channeling their own Qi to create a buffer zone.
But Wangchen didn't need their help.
Inside his spiritual sea, the image of the Ice Dragon roared. It wasn't a dragon of destruction anymore.
It was a dragon guarding a treasure. And that treasure was a memory: A boy in gray robes, handing him a meatball.
