Zhan Kong's departure left a heavy silence over the field.
But as the tension grew, Xu Mang suddenly stopped moving.
A faint spark crackled through his body.
It was not his Lightning Stardust.
It was deeper.
Older.
Something he had not felt in months.
The Lightning Calamity Fruit.
Or rather…
The thing inside it.
Xu Mang inhaled sharply as the familiar sensation swept through his spiritual world.
A pulse.
Then another.
Then—
A low, ancient rumble of thunder rolled through his mind, so distant it felt like it came from another lifetime.
The Golden Dragon.
The remnant will be sealed inside the fruit.
The same one that nearly killed him when he first attempted to absorb it.
It was stirring.
Not fully awakened.
Not breaking free.
Just… shifting.
Just enough for Xu Mang to feel its gaze, its judgment, its ancient pride.
Lightning flickered along Xu Mang's fingertips without his permission.
His heart raced.
His senses sharpened.
His spiritual energy surged, as if the dragon's remnant will had strengthened slightly.
Wolfie in the Ice Plane trembled, sensing the overwhelming pressure—but it was not directed at him.
It was directed at Xu Mang alone.
The dragon's voice—if it even had one—echoed faintly like metal scraping against thunderclouds.
"Grow."
The command struck like lightning through his veins.
And Xu Mang felt it immediately:
His lightning stardust circulation had become smoother
• His spiritual perception had expanded
• His reaction speed had sharpened
Only slightly.
But enough to matter.
Xu Mang clenched his fists.
"So the Calamity Dragon imprint… got stronger," he breathed.
"That means I must have synced with more of the fruit than I realized."
Lu Jun noticed the strange spark in Xu Mang's eyes.
"You felt something. Did your Summoning Plane react?"
Xu Mang shook his head slowly.
"No. Not the Ice Plane. Something else. Something tied to lightning."
Mo Fan peeked over with suspicion.
"What, did an electric eel bite you in your dreams?"
Xu Mang exhaled slowly.
"Something like that… but much worse."
The dragon's will faded into silence again, but the lingering power remained.
A warning.
A boost.
A reminder that part of Xu Mang's fate was tied to a creature that once commanded storms themselves.
He swallowed hard.
"If the Golden Dragon is stirring… something big is coming."
Lu Jun's pendant warmed.
Mo Fan's fire stardust trembled.
Wolfie howled inside the Ice Plane.
And far above Bo City, thunder rolled once through a perfectly clear sky.
The White Tiger Resonance
At that exact moment, Lu Jun's White Tiger Pendant warmed faintly against his chest.
The Tiger.
The Dragon.
Two ancient forces.
Both stirring at the same time.
Lu Jun touched the pendant, confused.
"It rarely reacts without reason…"
But before either could think deeper, Xue Musheng called out:
"Students! The examination results will be announced soon. Please gather in front of the board!"
The three boys fell back into the crowd as the exam proper resumed.
But their minds stayed locked on the same question:
Why were ancient powers shifting at the same time as demon activity rose?
And why…
did Xu Mang feel as if something in the Ice Plane had turned its eyes toward Bo City?
The Results and the Rising Tension
Scores were announced
Lu Jun – Top of the class.
Xu Mang – Shockingly high ranking, despite his attendance record.
Mo Bai – Furious at being pushed down a position.
Mo Fan – Solidly above average, exactly as he intended.
But none of the three paid attention.
They all felt the same pressure closing in around them.
Mu Bai, irritated and humiliated, glared at Mo Fan with venom.
"You think hiding behind your luck will save you? Just wait until young master Yu Ang arrives. You will kneel like the dog you are."
Mo Fan cracked his knuckles.
"Try me. I bite harder than dogs."
Xu Mang exhaled, annoyed. "Bai, shut up before you embarrass the family again."
Lu Jun added calmly, "Obsessing over status will only bury you deeper."
Mu Bai trembled with rage but walked away.
Nearby, Mu Ningxue paused only a moment, watching Mo Fan as if trying to decipher a puzzle she did not yet understand.
But then she, too, turned and disappeared through the crowd.
Parents Arrive – The Weight of Bo City
Parents flooded the exam grounds.
Some embraced their children.
Some scolded them.
Some cried from relief.
Xu Mang stood alone for a moment, watching the families gather.
His own affiliation with the Lu Family placed him between worlds.
Not quite alone.
Not quite belonging.
Then Lu Mei descended gracefully from the stands.
"Jun. Mang. Walk with me," she said calmly.
Lu Jun nodded immediately.
Xu Mang followed, still feeling the icy pressure inside his spiritual world.
Mo Fan hung back, knowing the Mu Family might be waiting to trap him again.
But before anything could happen, a voice cut through the crowd—
"Students! All residents of Bo City must return home immediately. Preparations for emergency defense protocols are being initiated!"
Panic spread instantly.
Mo Fan's heart sank.
Xu Mang felt the dragon's echo louder than before.
Lu Jun gripped his pendant.
Lu Mei's expression froze.
"This is… not normal," she whispered.
And for the first time, even Mu Ningxue looked unsettled.
The storm that Zhan Kong warned them about—
It was coming.
And the ancient powers stirred for a reason.