Since Golden Dragon Natasha first set foot in Dragon Valley, more than a month has quietly slipped by.
During this time, Nasha had observed the operational patterns of the well-ordered Ignas Dragon Flight and the massive, highly efficient Molten Iron Tribe.
Her understanding of the Red-Iron Dragon, Garros, had also gradually deepened.
—He was a powerful being who possessed both strength and wisdom.
Meanwhile, as two dragons who had both embarked on the path of the Martial Dragon, an exchange of experience was only natural.
And the way Martial Dragons exchanged experience had always been direct and pure—a fight!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Gale-force winds howled over Dragon Valley, scouring the dragons' impenetrable scales.
Black-Red Dragon Qi and brilliant golden Dragon Qi collided in the Void Realm like opposing armies, clashing and erupting in ripples of energy.
Lights of various elemental colors flashed and exploded within the fray.
The deep, guttural roars of the dragons, powerful enough to drown out the howling wind, intertwined with the booming sounds of Qi explosions, ringing out incessantly.
A dozen minutes later.
Following a dull thud of impact, the golden dragon's balance was disrupted by the Red-Iron Dragon's swift wing sweep followed by a claw strike. Immediately after, Garros's massive foot, covered in dark red scales, stomped heavily onto her spine, forcing her to lose her flight posture and plummet diagonally toward the solid ground below.
Boom!
The ground shook violently, and the thick snow instantly surged into white waves, spreading rapidly outward in a ring, revealing the frozen earth beneath, now covered in spiderweb-like cracks.
Garros released the claw he had been pressing against Nasha's back.
His powerful frame stood tall amidst the swirling snow like a mountain, his chest rising and falling slightly with his breath.
"Exhilarating! Truly exhilarating!"
Nasha panted heavily.
The air rushing into her lungs brought stinging pain, but it also provided a trace of relief to her overheated body.
She struggled to roll over and stand back up, shaking her slightly dizzy head.
Although she had gained many new wounds and the stinging pain of tears and the soreness from overexerting her muscles spread throughout her body, she couldn't help but wince in pain while simultaneously looking exceptionally satisfied and delighted.
Unlike Garros, she was not obsessed with pain itself.
It was the experience of total concentration, self-forgetful immersion, and the surge of excitement that came from clashing with a formidable opponent during battle that she craved.
Every clash with Garros made her feel immense pressure every single second.
But precisely because of this, in this state, her mind could fully focus on the battle itself, and the speed at which her Martial Dragon skill proficiency increased far exceeded her usual solitary, arduous practice.
Moreover, Garros's attacks were far more substantial than those of her fellow Metallic Dragons back in the Dragon Domain, who were always mindful of stopping just at the right moment.
Except for avoiding fatal vital points to ensure no risk of death, he basically had no other reservations.
Back in the Dragon Domain, sparring between Metallic Dragons was never this intense or realistic.
Because the Aura Garros had forged through countless life-and-death battles, combined with the visceral, real-combat feel of claws sinking into flesh and scales drawing blood, sometimes even made Nasha have the illusion that Garros was truly trying to take her life.
This sense of combat that was infinitely close to reality was like dancing on a tightrope, and Nasha found it extremely stimulating.
"Just now, you tried to link an Ice-type skill with a Fire-type skill, using the destruction caused by the instantaneous intersection of extreme heat and extreme cold to reduce my defense and create an opening. That was a good idea."
The Red-Iron Dragon looked at the Golden Dragon as she rose, speaking in a low voice.
Nasha shook her slightly dizzy head, listening intently.
"But at the moment of transition, your Dragon Qi showed a noticeable lag. It doesn't matter against weaklings, but when facing an opponent of the same Rank or stronger, a split-second opening is enough to be fatal."
"If you cannot link them smoothly, it's best not to use such techniques in battle."
"It will instead become an opening for yourself."
Garros pointed to the spot where he had been grazed by her attack; a trace of frost remained on his scales, but it was rapidly melting away.
Nasha took a deep breath, feeling the still-turbulent Dragon Qi within her, and nodded thoughtfully.
"I understand."
"The Four Symbols path pursues change and combination, using these to deal with all kinds of situations. But if the elemental changes themselves are not smooth and there are gaps in the transitions, then no matter how many changes there are, they will only become a burden to oneself and instead increase one's openings."
She paused and looked at Garros.
She sighed, "Your attacks are like a seamless thunderbolt that leaves me breathless. Compared to you, my Martial Dragon skills are still too immature."
Nasha couldn't help but recall the details of the battle just now.
Every pounce, every tail whip, every claw strike of Garros seemed to have been tempered a thousand times, natural and perfect. The transitions between his movements were incredibly fast, almost as if he always had a warrior skill active—the movements were like a tide, flowing clouds and water, without the slightest redundancy or hesitation.
Once he seized the slightest opportunity.
The subsequent dense and continuous strikes would often secure victory and end the battle in an extremely short amount of time.
Garros responded, "Ultimately, it is because you lack enough actual combat experience."
A Young Adult Dragon evaluating an adult dragon as lacking combat experience—this sounded somewhat inverted and absurd.
However, Golden Dragon Natasha did not refute it, accepting this point.
She still clearly remembered the scene she saw when, for the first time during an intense clash, she had managed to break through the tough layer of Frostburn Scales on Garros's body.
Those black-red scales covered in battle-scarred patterns had brought her a dual shock to both her vision and her soul.
In addition, during these days, with every collision and every piece of insightful, hit-the-nail-on-the-head guidance and in-depth discussion, Nasha could clearly feel her own progress on the path of the Martial Dragon.
Some previously vague thoughts and concepts became clear under the pressure of actual combat and Garros's incisive comments.
Garros was also not stingy about imparting Martial Dragon experience to Nasha.
In the process of sparring and discussing together, he himself also benefited.
Fighting against a Martial Dragon who was proficient in the Four Symbols path and skilled in elemental combinations and tactical changes enriched his understanding of and response strategies to different combat styles. The endless elemental combinations and tactics of Four Symbols dragons, while unable to pose a substantial threat to him, acted like a mirror, allowing him to see blind spots in his own combat system that were rarely touched.
Beyond fighting and guidance, Garros also required Nasha to act as his sparring partner.
This was the return for his unreserved sharing of experience and guidance.
"Shall we end today's Martial Dragon sparring here?"
Garros looked at the sky and suggested.
Nasha, still wanting more, stuck out her tongue and licked her lower jaw, her golden pupils still burning with Battle Intent: "No, just a little longer! I haven't had enough yet, I feel like I can squeeze out a bit more potential."
The Red-Iron Dragon nodded.
"Very well, then as you wish."
Amidst the wind and snow, two massive figures, one black and one gold, erupted with powerful force once more, shooting straight into the sky, then continuously crossing, separating, and colliding, until half an hour later, when they finally gradually ceased.
Nasha removed that shining golden armor and retracted it.
She lay flat on her back on the cold snow without any grace, as if limp, panting heavily, feeling as if every muscle and bone in her body had been completely drained, reaching her physiological limit.
At this moment, she didn't even have the strength to twitch the tip of her tail.
Garros exhaled a puff of white air carrying intense heat, stretched his strong body that had also undergone high-intensity confrontation, and said to the Golden Dragon sprawled on the ground: "Rest here and recover. When you feel ready, come over and join me for the next round of resistance training."
His breathing was only slightly heavier than before, showing absolutely no signs of fatigue or lethargy.
The intense battle just now seemed like nothing more than a decent warm-up for him.
In fact, that was indeed the case.
So Garros was already calculating, preparing to drag the Red-Silver Dragon out for more training.
Listening to Garros's words, the Golden Dragon really couldn't help it, and listlessly retorted: "You really are a monster who doesn't know the meaning of fatigue... Garros, is there a perpetual motion machine inside your body? Do you never feel tired at all?"
Upon hearing this, Garros thought about it seriously.
He answered in a matter-of-fact tone: "Tired? Of course, I still feel tired, but I am working hard towards the goal of 'not knowing fatigue'."
He recalled the two battles with the Red Dragon Gorthax and the Blue Dragon Perest.
Only battles of that Rank made him feel exhausted.
In comparison, the sparring with Nasha was far from reaching that level of intensity.
Nasha was immediately rendered speechless; she didn't know how to react to the Red-Iron Dragon's answer, which sounded like bragging yet was delivered with absolute sincerity.
"What an arrogant freak..."
She gritted her teeth, involuntarily fantasizing about the wonderful scene where, one day, her strength would greatly increase, allowing her to defeat Garros in turn and then condescendingly instruct him on Martial Dragon techniques.
After all, no matter how much one loves fighting, one cannot always be the one being suppressed and lectured.
Learn Garros's Martial Dragon techniques, master them, and then surpass him!
—This was a small goal Nasha had set for herself.
But what she didn't know was that the last one to set such a goal, and even make a vow for it, was her own younger brother, Alberto. That ambitious Golden Dragon was still struggling in a cycle of repeated defeats, and the day he would fulfill his vow remained a distant prospect.
After warming up, Garros flapped his wings and returned to the Dragon Valley area.
"Hmm? Where is Deborah?"
His gaze swept across the surroundings, but he did not find that familiar silver-white figure.
"Here, here! I know where she is, I'll take you there!"
The Faerie Dragon appeared immediately, grinning from ear to ear, and actively hopped ahead to lead the way.
Thus, guided by the enthusiastic Faerie Dragon Vera, Garros found the Red-Silver Dragon, who was hiding at the bottom of the lake, having used Polymorph to disguise herself as a large silver fish, attempting to blend in with the school of fish to get away with it.
"Deborah, stop hiding, I've found you."
The large silver fish did not make a sound, pretending to be stupid and ignorant.
Garros shook his head slightly, then charged through and scattered the school of fish, hauling the large silver fish out alone.
"How did you find me?"
Having no other choice, Deborah reverted to her original form.
Garros did not betray his guide, and ignoring those half-hearted protests, he forcibly dragged the Red-Silver Dragon out of her comfort zone and threw her into a new round of training.
Time flowed on at an unhurried pace, accompanied by the whistling wind and snow.
Before long, the Red-Silver Dragon collapsed, exhausted. The Faerie Dragon flew over and whispered bad things about Garros in her ear, declaring that she stood firmly on her side.
Garros was accustomed to this and began his own, more focused and in-depth training alone.
In another area of the Dragon Valley, the Young Dragons and Wyrmlings from the Dominic Dragon Flight were also clenching their teeth under the strictly, almost harsh, training of the White Dragon Tereshi, undergoing arduous physical conditioning and basic skill practice.
The air was filled with the suppressed groans and heavy panting of the Young Dragons.
However, no Dragon complained.
It was said that the powerful King of Molten Iron possessed the strength that commanded such awe today precisely because of training that was far beyond the imagination of ordinary Dragons.
This greatly encouraged these young juniors; they took Garros as an example and strove to keep up with him.
Moreover, although the training intensity was frighteningly high, often resulting in cracked scales and torn skin.
But the food and nutritional supplements provided to them by the Molten Iron Tribe were unprecedented in their abundance and quality, enough for them to gorge themselves after exertion and recover quickly.
This was a level of generous treatment that was completely unimaginable in the original Dominic Dragon Flight.
Precisely because these tangible benefits were right before their eyes, and although the arduous training was painful in the process, the results were significant and truly beneficial to their growth and development, the sense of belonging and trust these Young Dragons and Wyrmlings felt toward the Molten Iron Tribe was growing day by day.
At the same time, they gradually began to view the Dominic Dragon Flight they once belonged to as a past they couldn't bear to look back on.
Rumble!
The low roars of the Dragons, the tremors of heavy footsteps trampling the earth... all kinds of sounds intertwined, rising and falling, endless to the ear.
The atmosphere of the entire Dragon Valley was fiery and full of vitality.
If it weren't for the fact that the ground and mountains here had been reinforced and enchanted layer by layer by the warlocks among the kin, and that there was a specialized engineering team constantly maintaining and strengthening them, it would be difficult to withstand the day-after-day, almost insane training and destruction of so many Dragons.
Not long after, time quietly slipped into the deep night.
The pitch-black night sky shrouded the world like a heavy velvet cloth, and snowflakes danced wildly in the whistling cold wind.
Under the night sky, it seemed as if only the Dragon Valley was still emitting light; a large number of bonfires and magical lights dispelled the influence of darkness.
The Young Dragons and Wyrmlings finally finished their day of torturous training, then dragged their exhausted bodies, flapping their still-tender wings, and flew unsteadily toward the cave Dragon nests carved out on the steep cliffs, preparing to enter dreamland and welcome the next day's challenges.
Just then, a golden Dragon shadow circled in the sky, seemingly searching for something, and then landed in front of Garros, who was still tempering himself alone.
It was the Golden Dragon Natasha.
After a period of rest, she had recovered some of her physical strength.
"You've come at the right time."
Garros paused slightly and stopped for the moment.
He looked at the Golden Dragon Natasha, whose breathing had stabilized significantly, and greeted her: "Use your elemental skills to attack me. The requirements are the same as before; there's no need to hold back."
Nasha was long accustomed to this and did not stand on ceremony.
She took a deep breath, suppressing the lingering soreness in her body, raised her Dragon claw, and the Dragon Qi within her body surged and flowed once again.
The next moment, flames, ice, thunder, rock spikes, torrents... all kinds of elemental attacks with distinct attributes, like the most brilliant fireworks display on a holiday, bombarded the Red-Iron Dragon head-on.
The blinding light instantly engulfed Garros completely, and the turbulent energy caused the surrounding air to distort.
The scales on his body made subtle cracking sounds, but instead of showing any signs of pain, a glimmer of pleasure flashed in his eyes. He even actively spread his wings and body, adjusting his posture slightly to match the angle of Nasha's attacks, allowing elemental attacks of different attributes to more comprehensively cover every inch of his body.
Although there was no specific progress bar, Garros was very certain that he was gradually adapting to these attacks.
His resistance was slowly increasing as a result.
After some time, Nasha felt as if her body had been completely hollowed out again, her Dragon Qi nearly dried up, and her breathing became rapid and heavy like a broken bellows; she slowly stopped this round of elemental pouring.
Garros's body was now covered with scars and marks left by various elements.
Charring, frost, corrosion, lacerations... and so on.
The Frostburn Scales on his body surface had shattered and peeled off in large areas under such violent bombardment, revealing the black-red scale armor underneath, which was covered with countless battle-scarred patterns.
Those dense markings intertwined with the elemental traces.
Far from looking disheveled, it only served to highlight the magnificence and toughness of his physique.
A fierce Aura, forged through countless battles and tempered like steel, washed over her, causing the panting Nasha to waver in her heart for a moment, her gaze unable to look away.
Just then, seemingly having sensed something, Garros and Nasha turned their heads almost simultaneously, looking in the same direction.
Alberto was seen approaching with steady strides, unhurriedly.
He puffed out his chest and held his head high, his eyes seeming to contain a lion ready to pounce, carrying a deep Aura that was different from before.
The most crucial thing was.
Garros and Nasha both keenly noticed that Alberto's golden Dragon horns on his head had, at some point, changed from one pair to four pairs!
The newly added Dragon horns grew in a winding manner, cleverly intertwining and coiling around each other.
In the end, they formed a rugged structure like a natural crown on top of his head, shimmering with a noble and mysterious luster under the reflection of the bonfires and magical lights.
Under the combined gaze of the Red-Iron Dragon and his own Dragon sister, Alberto did not speak, nor did he offer any explanation.
He simply raised his head again, making his Dragon horns look even more conspicuous.