The training field behind the Mu Family compound quieted again after Mo Fan finished his scuffle with Mu Zhouyun. Dust still floated in thin strands through the air, drifting past the broken tiles and shattered stone. Several disciples whispered among themselves, unable to believe that a commoner boy had forced their young master into such an ugly retreat.
Xu Mang stepped out from the shadowed walkway only when the last echo of shouting faded. His eyes calmly swept over the courtyard, lingering for a moment on the cracked ground where lightning had danced earlier.
The faint pulse of the Golden Dragon inside him stirred again.
It was like a ripple across a lake surface. A pressure. A warmth. A reminder.
The lightning calamity fruit he consumed weeks ago had not fully fused with his core. Its lingering energy mixed with the dragon's bloodline presence, forming a current that quietly strengthened his meridians day after day. His senses felt sharper. His control over lightning smoother.
Lu Jun's Water Stardust inside his spiritual world flowed with a clearer rhythm.
He exhaled.
"Still not enough," Lu Jun murmured, tightening his grip around the White Tiger Pendant.
Little sparks flickered across his left hand, while a thin veil of water aura swirled around his right. The resonance between them was improving and he could now summon both simultaneously for short bursts without risking backlash.
A group of Mu Family elders approached Mo Fan, scolding him for public disruption. Mo Fan merely shrugged the way he always did, pretending not to care while Xiaohou tried to hold in his laughter behind him.
Xu Mang watched silently.
This was the moment the Mu Family had been waiting for. They tolerated Mo Fan's existence only until he crossed the line. Now that Mu Zhouyun had lost face, Xu Mang knew what would happen next.
A duel was inevitable.
And the duel was the perfect opening.
Xu Mang stepped forward, his voice calm. "Elder Mu, since Zhouyun insists Mo Fan insulted him, why not settle it in a formal exchange?"
The courtyard instantly went quiet.
Mo Fan blinked. "Eh? Bro what are you doing?"
Xu Mang did not answer him. His eyes remained locked on the elders.
The Mu elders exchanged glances. They could not refute a challenge that came from an outsider who was known to have ties with the Mu Family. Xu Mang was trained privately by them. Ignoring his words would imply disrespect to their own decision to shelter him.
One of the elders cleared his throat. "A formal exchange is reasonable."
Xu Mang hid a faint smile.
Now the stage would be set exactly as it was supposed to unfold. Mo Fan would confront Mu Zhouyun under official rules. Mo Fan would grow. And Xu Mang's own plan could proceed beneath the surface.
Deep inside his spiritual world, the Golden Dragon shifted again. A low rumble echoed like distant thunder.
You are preparing for conflict again, the ancient voice murmured.
Xu Mang mentally replied, "This is necessary."
Your path keeps changing… but it draws closer to mine each day. Good. Strength only grows in adversity.
Ripples of gold light spread briefly behind Xu Mang's pupils before fading.
He stepped toward Mo Fan.
"Relax. You will win," Xu Mang told him casually.
Mo Fan knew Xu Mang well enough by now to understand these were not empty words. "Right. Then I guess I will handle this quick."
Xu Mang nodded. "Make sure you do."
As the Mu disciples hurried to prepare the arena for the formal duel, Xu Mang turned away from the noise and looked at the sky. There was a faint tremble in the air that only he could sense. A distortion between elements. A stirring from the Summoning Plane.
Something was calling him.
Perhaps the Lightning Belle was reacting.
Perhaps the Golden Dragon sensed something ahead.
Whatever it was, Xu Mang felt the next stage of his path already approaching. And he needed to be ready.