By the time the complex affairs of the Ye Family's integration were finalized, an entire month had passed since Gu Xuan's return to the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. Currently, Gu Xuan and Ye Lingling remained at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, in no hurry to return to the academy's humdrum routine.
Ye Haitang had officially taken up her post at the Well. The physical relocation of the family's thousand members was being managed by Zhang Jinyuan and You Mingluo. Ye Haitang and Yang Wudi frequently exchanged knowledge regarding pharmacology and alchemy. While they were both masters, they quickly established a hierarchy. Yang Wudi was forced to admit that while he was a genius at refining, his ability to nurture the raw materials was a step below Ye Haitang's natural affinity. Professional matters required professional hands, and Ye Haitang was the professional among professionals.
The primary reason Gu Xuan stayed behind, however, was because the dragon egg was on the verge of hatching. The blood pool—comprised of the essence of two 90,000-year dragons and one 30,000-year dragon—had been almost entirely absorbed. Dugu Bo estimated that the hatchling might enter the world already at the thousand-year level. Given the sheer mountain of resources poured into it, the aura radiating from the egg was already comparable to a formidable thousand-year soul beast.
Gu Xuan wasn't surprised. In nature, no soul beast parent had the ability to slaughter high-level dragons just to provide a starter pool for their offspring. This creature was being born with a silver spoon—or rather, a dragon-blood spoon—in its mouth.
During this time, Dugu Bo had noticed the budding intimacy between Gu Xuan and Ye Lingling. As an elder, he chose not to meddle. Given Gu Xuan's monstrous talent, Dugu Bo knew the boy would never have just one companion, as long as his granddaughter, Dugu Yan, remained the primary wife. He remembered that Gu Xuan had given the Yearning Heartbroken Red to Yan Yan, evolving her Martial Soul into a peak-tier variant on par with True Dragons. That gesture alone proved Yan Yan's place in his heart, so Dugu Bo kept his mouth shut.
A week later, the dragon egg finally began to crack. Gu Xuan, who had left a strand of mental power focused on the pool, sensed the movement immediately and rushed to its side. The oval egg, two meters high and shimmering with a faint azure light, stood in the center of the now-dry basin.
Gu Xuan had replaced the dragon blood with a specialized nutrient solution to facilitate the final transition. A hairline fracture appeared at the very top, spiraling downward until the shell—which was a staggering ten centimeters thick—split into two halves.
A resonant, high-pitched dragon roar pierced the air, echoing off the valley walls. Standing in the center of the pool was a hatchling unlike any other. It stood 1.5 meters tall, its body covered in deep, metallic blue scales that caught the light like polished sapphires. Gu Xuan studied it with a mixture of awe and recognition. This was a Sword-Winged Demon Dragon, but it bore distinct variations from its father.
While the late 90,000-year beast had eight swords, this little creature possessed ten. Eight miniature, lethal dragon-swords were folded neatly along its back, while a sharp, obsidian-like blade protruded from its forehead like a horn. Its tail, too, ended in a wicked, sword-shaped point. It was born at the peak of its lineage. Even as a newborn, the pressure it radiated was undeniably at the thousand-year level. The blades looked slightly supple, still wet from the hatching process, but they carried the undeniable promise of future carnage.
The little dragon blinked its large, intelligent eyes, focusing immediately on Gu Xuan. Sensing the resonance in its bloodline, it let out a soft chirp and stepped out of the nutrient solution. Gu Xuan smiled, unfurling his own Sword Dragon Eight Wings. The silver-white blades on his back hummed in greeting. The hatchling responded instantly, trotting over to the edge of the pool and nuzzling its head against Gu Xuan's outstretched hand. As his fingers touched the dragon's scales, Gu Xuan felt a jolt of connection.
It wasn't just a physical touch; it was a soul-deep bond. Because he had fed the egg a drop of his essence blood during the incubation, a mental bridge had been established. To his utter shock, he heard a voice in his mind—a soft, melodic, and distinctly female voice that reminded him of a younger version of Ning Rongrong.
"Papa..."
Gu Xuan froze, his hand trembling slightly. 'A girl? And she... she called me Papa?' He stared at the dragon, who tilted her head and blinked at him with pure, unadulterated affection. The fact that they could communicate wasn't entirely "outrageous," given that he possessed the soul bone of her biological father, but it was certainly enough to make his head spin. Ye Lingling watched from the side, her eyes wide with wonder. "Oh, she's absolutely beautiful, Gu Xuan. Look at those scales!"
The roar had drawn the rest of the residents. Dugu Bo appeared from his secluded meditation spot, while Ye Haitang and Yang Wudi hurried over from the gardens. They stood in a circle, staring at the 1.5-meter-tall "newborn" that was already radiating the power of a thousand-year beast. "Birth at the thousand-year level," Ye Haitang whispered, her voice full of wonder. "I've read about the ancient dragon clans, but to see it... It's a miracle of nature."
"It's a miracle of high-grade blood essence," Yang Wudi corrected, though his eyes were wide with respect. Gu Xuan stroked the dragon's head, feeling the ridge of the forehead-sword. "From now on," he said softly, "your name is Gu Jian." The dragon—Gu Jian—chirped happily, nodding her head as if the name were a coronation. She rubbed her snout against his palm, but then her stomach let out a low, rumbling growl. She opened her mouth and let out two more chirps.
"Papa, I'm hungry... so hungry."
Gu Xuan blinked. 'You just got here! And where am I supposed to find dragon milk?' He looked down at the pool and saw the thick, shattered pieces of the eggshell. He remembered that many egg-born creatures, especially high-level soul beasts, consumed their own shells to reclaim the minerals and energy used during incubation. Using his right hand, which he transformed into a bone claw, Gu Xuan crushed a piece of the ten-centimeter-thick shell into smaller fragments and offered it to her. Gu Jian sniffed the shards, looked at Gu Xuan for a final confirmation, and then began to feast.
Crackle! Crunch!
The sound of her powerful jaws pulverizing the dense shell was surprisingly satisfying. She swallowed the pieces and chirped again, her eyes gleaming with hunger. "Papa, delicious! More! I want more!" Gu Xuan chuckled and began breaking the rest of the shell into bite-sized chunks, feeding her with the patience of a devoted parent. Gu Jian washed the dry shells down with large gulps of the nutrient solution remaining in the pool.
As she ate, something extraordinary happened. This wasn't just a meal; it was a secondary metamorphosis. Her body began to expand and harden right before their eyes. The soft, "newborn" sheen of her scales turned into a deep, impenetrable azure. Her height shot up from 1.5 meters to a staggering three meters. The "nursery school" cuteness evaporated, replaced by the lethal, streamlined elegance of an apex predator. Her forehead horn sharpened into a jagged, terrifying blade, and the sword on her tail grew long and flexible, crackling with a faint, cold energy. The eight swords on her back unfurled completely, looking like a fan of steel. By the time she finished the last of the shell, her cultivation level had surged, settling firmly at 1,500 years.
She let out a massive, bone-deep yawn that showed off her rows of serrated teeth. Chirping one last time, she said, "Papa, I'm full... but I'm so sleepy now. Going to sleep-sleep..." Without waiting for a response, she curled up in the dry basin. Her now-massive frame completely filled the space where the egg had once been. As she drifted into a deep, evolutionary slumber to digest the massive influx of energy, Gu Xuan stood there, still holding a small piece of shell. He looked at the sleeping dragon daughter and then at the stunned faces of the elders. A three-meter-tall, 1,500-year-old "newborn" dragon.
'Well,' Gu Xuan thought, a smirk playing on his lips. 'I've got my mount. Now I just have to figure out how to explain to Yan Yan that I'm technically a father.'
(TL/N: Gu Jian = Ancient Sword)
(End of Chapter)
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