Chapter 5: Storm over Qinghe
Thunder rolled across Qinghe City, but this wasn't an ordinary storm. The lightning that flashed above carried faint traces of spirit energy, illuminating the clouds with streaks of violet and gold.The entire city trembled beneath the brewing tempest.
Ren Yu stood on the academy's rooftop, his hair fluttering in the rising wind. The faint glow from his veins had dimmed since the awakening, but its presence was constant — a quiet, thrumming reminder of the dragon that now slept within him.
From below, the academy's alarms echoed, ancient sigils flashing across the barrier towers surrounding the city.It wasn't a drill.
He could feel it — the energy signature that lingered on the edge of perception. Something had responded to his awakening.
The world had noticed him.
Kairen Liu arrived panting, eyes wide with both fear and excitement. "Ren! The city watch just announced an external surge of aura — they think a spirit beast tide is forming outside the east gate."
Ren Yu turned to him. "Spirit beasts? Here?"
"Yeah," Kairen said, catching his breath. "The radar caught something massive. The governor's already mobilized the city guards."
Ren Yu's eyes narrowed. He had felt the same oppressive aura the moment the dragon mark awakened — a whisper, like something ancient stirring far beyond the city walls.
'You called to me.'
The words were faint, not from outside, but within — the dragon's voice again, ancient and steady.Ren Yu clenched his fists. "I didn't mean to."
'Intent is irrelevant. The bloodline responds to balance. You awakened power — power calls to power.'
He exhaled slowly. "Then something's coming for me."
Back at the Ren Family Villa, Ren Housheng was already on a private call with city officials. His expression was dark."Yes, I understand. Double the guard near the east barrier. No one below the third martial tier is to engage."
When the call ended, Lin Yuyan entered silently."It's begun, hasn't it?" she asked.
He nodded. "The seal in the outer plains broke two hours ago. Spirit fluctuations match those of high-tier beasts… possibly influenced by a resonance. And the timing—" his gaze turned toward the window, where lightning streaked across the sky—"it aligns too perfectly with Yu's awakening."
Lin Yuyan's eyes softened with both pride and fear. "The child inherited more than we prepared him for."
"Which means we can't protect him forever," Ren Housheng murmured. "The world will come for him — and not all with good intentions."
At the academy, the students were evacuated into the underground shelters as patrol drones circled the perimeter.Only a few figures remained on the rooftop — Ren Yu, Lira Han, and Kairen Liu.
Lira's calm eyes glowed faintly with inner light. "I can sense it. The energy wave is massive — definitely not natural. The beasts are converging around something."
Ren Yu looked toward the horizon. The eastern skyline burned with flashes of violet light. Spirit energy pulsed like a heartbeat.
"Do you have weapons training?" he asked suddenly.
Kairen blinked. "What? Now?!"
"Because," Ren Yu said, his tone calm but firm, "if they breach the barrier, this place will be a battlefield."
Lira stepped forward. "You plan to fight."
"I plan to understand what's calling to me," Ren Yu said. "If I'm the reason they're coming, hiding won't help anyone."
Lira hesitated, then nodded. "Then I'll fight too."
The three of them left the rooftop as the alarms wailed louder.The streets below were in chaos — civilians rushing toward the shelters, drones projecting directional routes through the glowing mist of the storm.
Ren Yu stopped briefly under a streetlight. The puddles at his feet rippled with faint golden light.His reflection shimmered — for an instant, he saw not himself, but the shadow of the dragon coiled behind his form, its molten eyes watching through his own.
At the eastern barrier, the city guard lines formed up in disciplined rows. Their armor pulsed with spirit cores, each warrior holding a glowing spear or sword. Above them, hover drones projected a massive transparent dome of energy — Qinghe's defense formation.
Then, the air ripped.
From the dark forest beyond the gates, the first of the beasts emerged — creatures of shadow and fire, their eyes glowing with feral hunger. They weren't ordinary animals; their bodies shimmered with unstable martial essence, mutated by energy storms long forgotten.
Ren Yu's heart pounded. He could feel their hatred — not mindless, but directed.They were seeking him.
The leading beast — a wolf with scales of obsidian and silver — howled toward the city. The barrier flared under the impact, its energy trembling.
"Maintain formation!" a captain shouted. "Tier Two beasts at the front!"
The soldiers braced, their aura flaring in unison. Spears of spirit energy pierced the night, shattering into arcs of lightning. The wolf roared, but the attacks barely slowed it down.
Ren Yu stepped forward. His aura began to stir — faint at first, then growing, swirling around him like a living storm.
"Ren!" Kairen shouted. "Don't— you'll expose yourself!"
He ignored him.
Golden veins lit under his skin, and with them came the ancient roar — faint but unmistakable. The dragon's presence surged, and for a heartbeat, every beast outside the barrier froze.
Ren Yu raised his hand.
The barrier between man and beast trembled — and a streak of golden fire erupted from his palm, cutting through the storm like a blade of light.
The lead wolf was consumed instantly, the flames leaving nothing but ash that scattered in the rain.
For a long moment, there was silence.Then, the other beasts began to retreat, their howls fading into the distance.
The storm broke. The barrier stabilized.
And yet, deep beneath the city — in the sealed archives of the Martial Research Bureau — a silent alarm began to blink.
"Category: Unknown Martial Attribute. Source: Ren Yu."
By dawn, Qinghe was quiet again. The streets were washed clean by the rain, the city alive but shaken.
Ren Yu sat on the academy steps, watching the sunrise.
Kairen slumped beside him, hair soaked. "I think you just saved the city."
Ren Yu didn't answer. His gaze was distant — drawn to the faint golden mark now etched into his right palm.A symbol of the dragon's eye, glowing faintly beneath the skin.
Lira approached quietly. "They'll come for you now. Not beasts this time. People."
Ren Yu smiled faintly. "Then it's better I start preparing."
She studied him for a long moment before saying softly, "You don't seem afraid."
"I've died once before," he murmured. "Fear loses meaning after that."
Lira's eyes widened slightly, but before she could ask what he meant, a low hum filled the air — the sound of approaching skycraft. Dozens of sleek black airships bearing the City Council's sigil descended toward the academy.
Ren Yu rose slowly, the wind catching his coat as the ships cast shadows over the courtyard.
He looked up, calm and steady.
"Looks like they didn't waste time."