Chapter 322: Good Things Are Hard‑Fought

Stepping out of the portal was Ao Xiliya.

Her steps were light and swift, as if she could hardly wait to come over; at a glance she saw Lei En sitting on the balcony, his cold, exquisitely beautiful face like a melting iceberg, his mouth slightly upturned, a few threads of smile appearing in his eyes, then she quickly restrained them, pretended a composed demeanor, and waved her hand to close the portal behind her.

Lei En took it all in.

His soul eye observed everything crystal clearly; her mood was extremely pleasant, forming a stark contrast with the cold exterior she displayed.

Lei En let out a faint laugh; in truth, after more than a month without seeing Ao Xiliya, he missed her a little.

Before leaving Mo Du, the two were almost together day and night, meeting daily, mostly at the Weizelan Grand Library, sometimes attending lessons together, and often having private conversations on this balcony; they got along very harmoniously, had grown accustomed to each other's presence, only the level of their relationship remained unbroken.

During the past month on the Seien Plateau, Lei En recalled carefully and found that the number of times he thought of Ao Xiliya was not fewer than the times he thought of Viola.

Could it truly be the saying: "Better not to steal than to fail at stealing; the unattainable is the most alluring"?

Lei En mocked himself in his heart: men really can't change their nature!

He rose at the same time and called out, "Xiliya."

"You're back," Ao Xiliya replied with a faint nod, lifted her hand to tuck a strand of black hair behind her ear; the slightly wavy black hair draped over her shoulders, adding a touch of cold elegance.

She walked over, sat before Lei En, and suddenly her complexion shifted slightly as she asked:

"Did you kill a true dragon?"

Lei En had intended to tease a few jokes, but his smile froze instantly; he didn't understand how Ao Xiliya knew. He had previously considered her reaction, resolved to conceal the past as much as possible, yet the moment they met his cover was blown.

He could only admit, "Hmm, it was a green dragon."

Ao Xiliya leaned in, lightly sniffed Lei En's body twice, and nodded, "Indeed it was a young green dragon; no wonder it wasn't your match."

"Aren't you angry?" Lei En's face showed surprise.

He had thought Ao Xiliya would erupt in fury, after all she was also of the dragon race, fearing their relationship would be ruined, but that didn't seem to be the case.

"Why would I be angry?" Ao Xiliya instead gave Lei En a strange glance, calmly explaining, "Most green dragons are followers of Ti Ya Xi Si; they die, that's all. What does that have to do with me?"

Hearing that, Lei En understood.

Great dragons are also a complex species, roughly divided into four categories: five‑colored dragons, metal dragons, gemstone dragons, and hybrid dragons.

Generally, five‑colored dragons are what people call evil dragons, inherently brutal and greedy; they are followers of the "Dark Calamity Dragon" Ti Ya Xi Si, a deity also known as the Mother of Evil Dragons, who has committed countless evils and has brought terrifying disasters to the Ai Lun E Si world many times.

But not all five‑colored dragons are evil; there are a few exceptions.

For example, the Kelaoaosi Speaker of the Weizelan Council, though a red dragon, worships the God of Magic, is enamored with spell research, possesses a mature and rational mind, and is certainly a benevolent dragon.

Metal dragons oppose five‑colored dragons; for instance, gold dragons and silver dragons are usually benevolent, worshiping the benevolent dragon deity "Bahamut", who is a mortal enemy of the Mother of Evil Dragons.

Gemstone dragons maintain a neutral stance, generally leaning toward benevolent dragons;

Hybrid dragons are the opposite; most of them worship the Mother of Evil Dragons and often associate with five‑colored dragons.

As for legendary dragon species, they are exceedingly rare; each individual is singular, with no common inclination in moral view or belief.

Lei En had long known that Ao Xiliya worships the God of Magic.

He roughly understood Ao Xiliya's mindset.

This rainbow dragon, being half human, differs greatly in thought from ordinary great dragons; she grew up in the Empire, lived among humans for a long time, and often regarded herself as a true human—her rainbow dragon form was merely a transformation spell, not her true body.

After so long a contact with her, he often forgot that she was a rainbow dragon.

Lei En exhaled a breath of relief inwardly and asked:

"Xiliya, how did you know I killed a true dragon?"

"You carry the aura of a dragon slayer; this aura is extremely faint, detectable only by true dragons. Through this aura, other great dragons can discern how many dragons you've slain, their species and ages. The more you kill, the stronger the slayer aura, inviting retaliation from great dragons; thus many dragon slayers meet a grim end."

Ao Xiliya, usually soft‑spoken, unusually said so much.

"Dragon clans establish social ties through bloodlines; behind every great dragon may lie connections to ancient dragons or primordial dragons."

A hint of worry flashed in her eyes: "Lei En, you must be careful; never slay more than three great dragons, or the slayer aura will become too obvious and inevitably draw retaliation from powerful great dragons."

"I will," Lei En nodded solemnly.

The Monajas he killed this time was a descendant of the green dragon king "Zhanqing," and fortunately it ran fast; otherwise the outcome would have been unpredictable.

This is the classic case of killing the young, inviting the old.

And great dragons grow stronger with age.

He suddenly realized why many legendary beings above Mid-stage often find it easy to slay young great dragons with their power, yet few dare to indiscriminately hunt dragons.

A single great dragon's value, just its dragon soul alone, exceeds one hundred thousand Gold Shields!

Add its carcass, dragon blood, dragon hide, dragon bone, dragon sinew, dragon marrow—each a rare precious material capable of forging countless enchanted gear and elixirs; converting all to Gold Shields yields a value surpassing the dragon soul.

Being chased by ancient dragons or even primordial dragons for a few hundred thousand Gold Shields is definitely spending money without a life.

Even with a Holy Soul Wizard shielding him, he wouldn't dare act recklessly.

While Lei En was pondering, Ao Xiliya quietly surveyed him, her gaze unintentionally a bit enamored; noticing Lei En looking back, their eyes met, she quickly averted her gaze and changed the subject, saying, "Didn't you say at most half a month? Why has it taken so long?"

"I ran into some matters…"

Lei En recounted his experiences on the plateau without any concealment, even his entry into the Storm Sanctuary where he met the Titan elder, and told Ao Xiliya.

"A Titan elder who has lived nearly four thousand years!"

Ao Xiliya's eyes glittered, and she couldn't help but gasp softly.

Lei En guessed her thoughts: the Titan elder's knowledge must be immensely profound; the rainbow dragon's nature is curious, tirelessly pursuing knowledge, surely eager to see it firsthand.

"If the chance arises and you obtain Elder Sorim's permission, perhaps you can meet him in person."

"That would be wonderful."

Ao Xiliya seemed very pleased; she knew it wasn't easy and said softly, "Thank you, Lei En."

"It's nothing…" Lei En laughed nonchalantly.

He gazed at the stunning beauty just within arm's reach, suddenly grasped her slender hand, feeling a warm, soft sensation that made his heart flutter.

Ao Xiliya stared blankly for two or three seconds before reacting; instinctively she tried to pull her hand away, only to find Lei En holding it tightly, unable to break free.

Her face flushed instantly: "Won't you let go already!"

Lei En's soul eye has been constantly open; Ao Xili Ya's soul is like a rainbow, usually hard to discern emotions, but now it is crystal clear—she is neither angry nor resistant.

Moreover, Ao Xili Ya is a legendary dragon race; although she has just entered the youth stage, her true dragon body already possesses Mid‑stage legendary power, and even in human form her strength is at seven grades, comparable to a legendary berserker, far from the seemingly frail appearance.

If she tried to struggle, a slight effort would make her slip free, not this powerless look.

Lei En not only didn't let go, but changed his posture, interlocking their ten fingers intimately, laughing, "I like holding your hand, why let go?"

Ao Xili Ya felt the warmth through the hand, her heart pounding, yet she could not utter a refusal.

Lei En pressed further, leaning his upper body forward.

She instantly realized what he intended, her gaze dodged, but her body stayed obedient, sitting still, even closing her eyes, eyelashes fluttering lightly, as if awaiting that moment.

Seeing this, Lei En's heart blossomed, with no further hesitation.

The next second, um…

The two on the balcony kept the pose for minutes without moving; from awkward to passionate, everything was indescribably wonderful.

Lei En probed further contact, finding Ao Xili Ya showed no sign of opposition.

He was overjoyed, thinking he could become a dragon knight today, and was about to sweep her into a princess carry from the balcony into the bedroom, when a voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.

"Lei En, come up to the tower."

It was the voice of teacher Anxiwodasi.

Lei En's movement froze.

Ao Xili Ya snapped out of her trance, also hearing the teacher, hurriedly broke free from his embrace, like a child caught doing mischief, reddening her ears as she smoothed her disheveled clothes, scolding, "It's all your fault."

Before the words finished, she swiftly opened a teleportation portal and fled.

Lei En's hand hung in midair, watching her silhouette vanish, too late to stop it.

Damn!

He couldn't help a wry smile; this in‑between situation was awkward, never expecting a Holy Soul Wizard to interrupt his good moment.

Looking up at Fu Kong Cheng, his gaze landed on the top of the Weizelan high tower, piercing the magical shield to look inside, but saw no sign of the teacher.

The teacher probably didn't intend it, but truly had business with him.

Lei En felt somewhat depressed, yet not too angry; after all, today he already broke through this layer of relation, how far to break the next barrier?

A boiled duck can't fly; this dragon knight I have decided!

He took out the Weizelan badge, opened a portal to Fu Kong Cheng, stepped into his room in the tower, then passed through a random door into the teacher's study.

Anxiwodasi remained as always, seated behind his desk, buried in studying profound knowledge, focused; if not for the terrifying aura around him, he would look like an ordinary senior scholar.

Sensing someone entering, the Holy Soul Wizard looked up at Lei En, a strange smile on his face.

(End of chapter)