The Friendly Spar

For an instant, the clearing settled into a calm, as though the trees themselves were holding their breath.

The wild energy of the battle faded. In its place, a gentle current of curiosity passed through the group. It was as soft and elusive as early fog winding between ancient trees.

Zhu finally broke the quietness.

He folded his arms and tilted his head. His look flickered from Shi Min to his elder brother, as though pondering whether to share the mischievous idea forming in his mind.

"You know…" Zhu drawled, drawing out the words.

Huang glanced at him.

"What?"

Zhu grinned.

"I'm curious now."

His grin broadened, a spark of mischief lighting his eyes.

"Brother Huang."

Huang could already sense where Zhu's thoughts were flowing, like a river quietly curving toward hidden rapids.

"…What are you planning?"

Zhu shrugged with an easy motion, as casual as if he were taking a walk beneath the trees rather than a test of strength, his shoulders relaxed and a touch of amusement in his tone.

"Why don't you test him?"

Shi Min lifted an eyebrow slightly.

"Test?"

"Purely a friendly spar," Zhu replied, spreading his hands as if this were the most reasonable suggestion in the world.

The children burst out into motion, excitement surging up like a concealed spring breaking through the rock.

Chin Chin jumped into Shi Min's arms.

"Yes! Yes! Fight!"

Kim Kim corrected her instantly.

"It is a spar."

Zhu leaned nonchalantly against a nearby rock.

"Same difference."

Ren and Lily caught each other's eyes.

Even they looked curious, glancing between Huang and Shi Min.

Huang studied Shi Min for a long moment. His eyes narrowed, searching for something covered beneath the calm surface.

He was not one to waste strength on empty spectacle.

Yet the memory of the Cloud Qilin's strange, silent submission remained in his thoughts. It was like a riddle left unsolved.

And the odd hush that had spread over the beasts felt like the forest itself was listening.

Left a quiet question echoing in his mind.

Finally, he nodded.

"A test of aura only."

Shi Min looked at him calmly.

"…Very well."

The Clearing

They moved to a wider patch of earth. Sunlight flowed through the boughs in golden pools that shimmered across the ground.

The others gathered in a loose circle, anticipation quivering in the air resembling the wings of invisible spirit insects.

Shun and Fatty stepped back to give them space.

Mushu stood quietly beside Ling Li, observing with interest.

Four Eyes crossed his arms, watching closely.

"Protect the children," Ling Li said to Four Eyes.

Four Eyes obliged, summoning the Shield of the Loyal Heart. His aura unfurled, wrapping protectively around family and friends.

Ling Li nodded once when she saw the Shield protecting everyone; she remained silent, simply confirming the safety with her gesture.

But her eyes glinted, keen as a blade grasping sunlight in the center of the forest.

The Azure Dragon noticed the protection, and his mouth twitched slightly.

Xiao Chi hovered excitedly above them in phoenix form.

"Fight! Fight! I strongly support my husband!" Xiao Chi cheered in her phoenix form.

Brother Shi Min. Fighting!"

Shi Min tilted his head, meeting the gaze of the little phoenix circling above. A faint ripple stirred in his chest, as if some ancient memory passed over his spirit.

The Azure Dragon and Red "...."

Huang came forward.

A slight shimmer of golden light gathered around him, swirling like early mist rising from a hidden valley.

His dragon aura did not burst forth in wild torrents like those of lesser dragons.

Instead, it unfurled outward, gentle and unstoppable, like sunlight penetrating the shreds of a passing storm.

Warm.

Majestic.

Authoritative.

The grass at his feet bowed away, as if paying silent homage.

Nearby, spirit birds scattered in a flurry of wings, startled by the rising power.

Even the wind appeared to halt, swirling uncertainly at the edge of his aura.

This aura was the presence of a true dragon heir. Warm. Commanding. Impossible to ignore.

Its weight would have driven ordinary cultivators to their knees.

Jack and Sisu nearly collapsed, but Ling Li reached out, steadying them with a gentle touch.

Four Eyes scratched his nose as he realized, with a click of annoyance, that he had forgotten to extend his shielding aura to his own assistant, glancing apologetically at Jack and Sisu.

Shi Min stood opposite Huang.

Utterly unmoving, his feet seemed rooted in the living earth itself.

No aura burst.

No visible preparation.

Only a deep, unbroken quiet, just as the world itself kept holding its breath.

Zhu arched an eyebrow.

"… He's not even releasing his qi."

Huang's Aura

Huang lifted his hand slightly.

"This will only test your stability."

Shi Min nodded.

"I understand."

Then Huang released it.

A measured surge of dragon aura swept across the clearing, rolling through grass and stone like a silent tide.

The air itself appeared to shiver.

Leaves trembled violently.

Pebbles scampered across the earth, nudged by a hidden force.

The pressure of Huang's aura rolled outward, relentless as a tide that would not be turned.

Ren's eyes widened slightly.

"That aura…"

Even Shun muttered under his breath.

"Dragon bloodline pressure."

Yet Shi Min stood where he was, untouched and unbowed.

The dragon aura reached him.

And then—

Something uncanny stirred in the air, a ripple that made the world seem thinner for an instant.

The Response

Shi Min drew in a slow, steady breath.

And let it out, quiet as rain falling on moss.

He did not release power outward.

Instead—

Something deep and silent shifted inside of him.

Not loudly.

Not violently.

But unmistakably.

The shadow at his feet deepened, gathering as ink spilled across age-old parchment.

For a fraction of a second—

For an instant, something immense dashed behind him, half-seen, ancient as the roots of the mountain.

A serpentine outline.

Dark.

Immense.

Ancient.

Not golden like Huang's aura.

Not radiant like a dragon.

Something else.

Something deeper.

Ling Li saw it instantly.

So did the Azure Dragon.

Huang felt it directly.

His golden aura, which had been pressing forward, suddenly met resistance.

But it was not a clash.

It was…

Correction.

It was like pressing against a surface that silently modified the force, folding it inward with effortless precision.

The force folded inwardly.

Stabilized.

Neutralized.

The dragon aura unraveled, fading harmlessly into the air like early mist dissolving beneath the sun.

The clearing settled once more into hush, as if nothing had ever disturbed its ancient peace.

Silence

No one spoke.

Zhu blinked.

"…Okay."

He scratched his head.

"That was weird."

Chin Chin blinked rapidly.

"Did I miss anything?

What happened?

Did it end?"

"Yes," Kim Kim agreed, gaze thoughtful.

"Yes. That was a structural cancellation of pressure."

Fatty whispered quietly,

"I didn't even see him move…"

Shun nodded quietly, murmuring, "Me neither."

Huang's Realization

Huang stared at Shi Min.

For the first time, surprise flickered openly across his face.

He walked closer.

His golden dragon eyes studied Shi Min carefully.

"That…"

He paused.

"…was not dragon energy."

Shi Min shook his head.

"I told you."

Zhu walked closer, peering curiously.

"Then what was it?"

Shi Min answered calmly.

"I do not know."

He paused, then added, "Sometimes I wonder if it is something leftover from before, or perhaps a shadow of something much older than me. I have tried to sense its shape, but it always slips away, like a dream on waking."