The first day after the holiday, Class A Classroom.
Cecilia Windwalker stood at the podium, her short black hair and sharp gaze sweeping across the students in the room. Without any pleasantries, she cut straight to the point.
“The final assessment content is out.” Her voice wasn’t loud, but every word was clear.
“Echo Valley, team trial. You will be divided into groups and enter Echo Valley to complete two tasks — first, hunt the highest-ranked magical beast you can handle; second, collect samples from the anomaly zones in Echo Valley and bring them back to the Academy.”
The classroom fell silent for a moment.
Echo Valley was the secret realm where the accident occurred last time, and the Academy had even given them a few days off because of it (which was also how Xuanxi got to meet Xige’s parents ahead of schedule). Xuanxi’s pen tip paused on the paper.
“Echo Valley was originally an advanced trial ground, and normally, it shouldn’t be opened to freshmen like you.” Cecilia’s gaze swept across the classroom.
“But thanks to the Academy’s purge, the high-ranked magical beasts inside the valley have been mostly cleared out. The detailed information is marked on your maps. As a special exception for freshmen, the Academy has set up multiple anomaly zones inside Echo Valley.”
“Each time you reach a zone, you’ll trigger the corresponding trial content — it could be combat, puzzles, team collaboration. Your completion of each zone will be counted toward your assessment score.”
Elsa raised her hand. “Professor, roughly how many zones are there?”
“Each group will get at least one,” Cecilia said. “These zones are scattered across different locations in Echo Valley.
You’ll need to explore, plan your routes, and divide your tasks yourselves. The Academy only provides the starting point and the finishing point. The process in between is entirely up to you.”
A low murmur of discussion rippled through the classroom.
“Additionally,” Cecilia paused, “according to intelligence, there are indeed traces left by the eastern dragon clan in Echo Valley. But that is not part of the assessment setup.”
“If you encounter them, you may record it, but it’s not mandatory for the assessment. The Academy takes an open stance on information regarding the eastern dragon clan — whatever you see, that’s what it is.”
Xuanxi’s pen tip scratched a line across the paper.
Cecilia gathered her lesson notes. “The group assignments are the same as last time’s teamwork course. We depart the week after next, so next week’s class is canceled. You’ll prepare for the final assessment within your groups.”
The class bell rang. Valeris walked over from the back row and sat down next to Xuanxi, her ice-blue eyes fixed on the spot beneath Xuanxi’s right eye.
“That’s three marks now.” Her voice was light.
“Let me see.”
Xuanxi turned her face slightly. Valeris leaned in closer, staring at the three dark gold lines for a few seconds.
“The color is darker than I expected.” She leaned back. “It seems the seal is loosening faster than anticipated. Have you run into anything recently?”
Xuanxi told Valeris the whole story about Xige’s father releasing his pressure.
Valeris nodded. “That explains it. After three marks, you can try partial dragonization on a small scale — like dragonifying one hand or something.”
“I know. You told me in your message.”
Valeris glanced at her. “Have you tried it?”
Xuanxi extended her hand, concentrating mentally. Ink-green scales emerged from her fingertips, covering her fingers, the back of her hand, and her wrist.
Each scale bore faint golden light patterns, gleaming with a cold luster under the classroom lights. The heavenly fate mark gave no burning sensation, and the inhibition did not activate. The power simply flowed quietly and obediently from her heart to the dragonified area.
Valeris stared at the scale-covered hand for a while before giving her verdict.
“…Not bad.”
Afternoon, Training Ground No. 3.
The five-person team assembled in full force once again — Xuanxi, Hildegrifa, Elsa, Reginald, and Valeris.
Elsa stood with her hands on her hips, her short brown hair a complete mess from the wind. “Final assessment! Echo Valley! We’re taking first place!”
Reginald was stretching and glanced at her. “Warm up first.”
Today’s training content was different from before. Previous sessions focused on tactical coordination, elemental synergy, and team combat, but today was about discussing each person’s dragon form.
“We might encounter uncontrollable situations during the assessment.” Xuanxi stood in the center of the training ground. “If we’re in danger, dragonization is our last resort. So we need to know each other’s dragonization abilities.”
Elsa demonstrated first. Her dragonization was as fierce and straightforward as she was. Brownish-red scales covered her entire body, her form swelling to twice its original size.
Flames erupted from the gaps between her scales, and the scorching heat wave raised the temperature of the entire training ground by several degrees.
Reginald went second. His dragonization was far more grounded than Elsa’s. Earth-yellow scales were thick as armor, his limbs as robust as pillars, each step leaving deep cracks in the ground.
Valeris was third. Ice-blue scales covered her arms and shoulders, fine frost crystals forming on the scales. Her breath condensed into white mist in the air.
Hildegrifa was fourth. She only dragonified her right hand. Silver-white scales covered from her fingertips to her shoulder, lightning light crackling across the surface of the scales.
For her, this level of dragonization was enough; her bloodline pressure itself was a weapon.
Then came Xuanxi. She took a deep breath and raised her right hand. Ink-green scales emerged from her fingertips, covering her fingers, the back of her hand, and her wrist.
The scales were quiet, obedient, following her will as they spread from her fingertips up her arm, past her wrist, past her forearm, past her elbow. Each scale bore faint golden light patterns, gleaming with a cold luster under the afternoon sun.
Elsa’s mouth dropped into an O-shape. “This is… Xuanxi’s… dragonization?”
“Just partial dragonization.” Xuanxi flexed her scale-covered fingers, her joints emitting faint cracking sounds.
“No, I mean —” Elsa pointed at Xuanxi’s face. Beneath her right eye, the three dark gold heavenly fate marks were glowing.
“The seal is loose.” Valeris’s voice came from beside her, explaining for Xuanxi. “After three marks, small-scale dragonization is possible.”
Hildegrifa said nothing. She stared at Xuanxi’s scale-covered hand — those ink-green scales with their golden light patterns.
“Try it,” Hildegrifa said.
“Try what?” Xuanxi asked.
“An attack in dragon form.”
Xuanxi raised her left hand, condensing a water ball in her palm. The water ball hovered above her palm, transparent and flowing. She pushed the water ball toward her scale-covered right hand.
The moment the water ball touched the scales, it merged into the gaps between them. The golden light patterns flowed within the water, like tiny golden snakes.
Xuanxi clenched her fist. Water surged out from between the scales, condensing above her fist into a water blade.
This time, the water element was no longer a protective water wall or water curtain. It was a sharp blade for offense, refracting rainbow-colored light in the sunlight.
The entire field went silent. Elsa’s mouth dropped a little wider.
Valeris stared at the water blade, a flicker of light passing through her ice-blue eyes. “Your dragonization strengthens your water attribute. Not just control — your attack power has increased too.”
Xuanxi dispersed the water blade and looked down at her hand. The scales slowly receded, the golden light patterns fading, revealing the skin beneath.
“Again,” Hildegrifa said.
Xuanxi turned to look at her.
“Your dragonization just now was incomplete.” Hildegrifa’s violet crystal eyes met hers. “After all, your horns haven’t come out yet.”
Xuanxi froze for a moment. Horns — she indeed hadn’t dragonified her horns. Back at the Xige family castle, under the pressure of Xige’s father, her dragon form had horns — short, coral-like ones.
Back then, her body wasn’t ready; the seal had forced them out while resisting the pressure. Was she ready now?
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Spiritual Energy surged from her dantian, flowing through her meridians to every limb and bone. Scales emerged — fingers, back of hand, wrist, forearm.
Then, slowly, horns pushed out from both sides of her forehead — coral-like, branching, ink-green. She opened her eyes. Her pupils had changed. Amber gold had turned to pure gold, like molten gold. The golden eyes had appeared again.
The training ground was completely silent this time.
Elsa stopped talking. Reginald stopped stretching. Even Valeris’s expression finally shifted. Hildegrifa watched her, her violet crystal eyes reflecting those golden pupils.
Xuanxi looked at her own hand. The scales covered up to her shoulder. Her horns had fully emerged. She hadn’t lost control. The heavenly fate mark lay peacefully beneath her right eye, not burning.
She curved the corners of her mouth and dispelled the dragonization. The scales receded, the horns retracted, and the golden eyes returned to amber gold.
“Enough?” she asked.
No one answered.
Hildegrifa walked over, reached out, and touched Xuanxi’s forehead — the spot where the horns had just been. Her fingertips were cool, lingering on her forehead for a moment.
“Enough,” she said.
By the time training ended, the evening sun was sinking again. Orange-red light blanketed the entire training ground, stretching the shadows of the five people long and far.
Elsa hugged her knees, still muttering, “Xuanxi’s dragon horns are so cool…” Reginald packed up the training equipment, the metallic clatter ringing out for a while.
Valeris leaned against the barrier pillar, flipping through her notes, occasionally glancing up at the clouds on the horizon.
Hildegrifa and Xuanxi sat side by side on a bench, a fist’s distance apart.
“Your golden eyes.” Hildegrifa’s voice was very soft.
“Mm.”
“Try not to use them during the assessment.”
Xuanxi turned her head to look at her, the amber gold of her eyes reflecting the sunset. “Why?”
Hildegrifa didn’t answer immediately. She stared at the last sliver of light along the distant mountain ridge, her violet crystal eyes darkening.
“Golden eyes are proof of bloodline,” she said. “On this continent, it’s not something just anyone can possess.”
Xuanxi listened quietly.
“Your mother brought you to the West, going incognito the whole way. She clearly didn’t want you to be found.” Hildegrifa turned to look at her.
“If you expose your golden eyes during the assessment, too many people will see them. There will always be someone who recognizes them. The things you’re not ready to face yet…”
She paused.
“…they’ll come knocking on your door ahead of schedule.”
Xuanxi was silent for a moment.
The wind blew, sweeping ink-green hair across her cheek. She looked down, thought for a moment, then raised her head, the corners of her mouth curling slightly.
“And what about you?” she said. “You’ve seen this secret. What are you going to do about me?”
Hildegrifa was momentarily taken aback.
“I’m different.” After saying those four words, she paused, as if weighing her next words. What she ultimately said came out much softer than she’d intended. “I’ll protect you. Like a knight protecting a princess in a fairy tale.”
Xuanxi looked at her profile. The setting sun happened to land right on that silhouette, dyeing the stray hairs by her ear gold.
“I know,” Xuanxi said.
Silence settled between them for a few seconds.
Then Xuanxi spoke again, a hint of laughter in her voice. “Then from now on, I’ll only show my golden eyes to you.”
Hildegrifa’s expression didn’t change much, but Xuanxi could see it — starting from the tips of her ears, a light pink slowly, slowly spread across her cheeks.
Hildegrifa turned her face toward the sunset, as if the light was too bright for her to keep her eyes open.
After a long while, she finally mumbled a single word: “Mm.”
Hidden behind the bench, her hand quietly reached over and hooked around Xuanxi’s little finger.