The Azure Dragon’s Trial

“Wear it.”

Ao Yu’s body quivered, and the hundred dragon scales instantly detached from him, swiftly converging in his hand to form the Azure Dragon Armor.

“This scale armor will help you rapidly absorb the fruit’s energy, prevent any dissipation, and protect your meridians from being overwhelmed by a massive influx of spatial energy.”

The energy contained within that fruit was not to be underestimated, especially since it was spatial energy. A single lapse in concentration could lead to a catastrophic outcome of energy explosion and death.

Li Jia thanked him, quickly taking the armor.

Only last night, she had donned this scale armor under Ao Yu’s guidance.

Taking the Azure Dragon Armor, she skillfully put it on.

Once Li Jia had donned the Azure Dragon Armor, she felt her entire body once again suffused with that inexplicable power, as if an invisible shield enveloped her.

Ao Yu looked at her and nodded. “Next, you only need to press the Dragon Heart close to your chest, and I will guide the energy into your body.”

Li Jia took a deep breath, holding the massive Dragon Heart in both hands, slowly bringing it closer to her chest.

Ao Yu activated his Azure Dragon power, and a beam of azure light shot from his fingertip, striking the Dragon Heart.

In an instant, the Dragon Heart emitted a dazzling radiance.

The stable spatial outer membrane was torn open, and the spatial energy contained within surged towards Li Jia like a tumultuous tide.

Amidst a faint glow, the Azure Dragon Armor steadily protected her body, allowing the energy to smoothly integrate into her meridians.

After the Azure Dragon Armor’s initial filtration,

Li Jia felt only a profound warmth throughout her body, every cell exulting as if greedily absorbing the potent energy.

She could distinctly feel her magical power rapidly increasing, and her previously stagnant level began to show signs of advancement.

As the energy continuously surged in, her body underwent wondrous changes, and an unprecedented sense of power spontaneously arose within her.

“Do not lose focus!” Ao Yu roared.

This was merely the calm before the storm; the true challenge was yet to come.

Under the manipulation of the dungeon’s consciousness, that fruit had been imbued with the aura of his Azure Dragon.

Had the S-rank dungeon not lacked sufficient energy, what would have been birthed was undoubtedly a true dragon.

It seemed, then, that the ability to bear an S-rank spatial fruit was intimately connected to him.

And it must have… inherited his fierce attacks as well.

Upon hearing this, Li Jia immediately reined in her thoughts, focusing all her mental energy on controlling the surging magical power within her.

She braced herself for the impending onslaught.

As expected,

A powerful surge of spatial energy, having evaded the Azure Dragon Armor’s ‘strangulation,’ finally unleashed its tyrannical nature.

Vast amounts of spatial energy converged, transforming into a Spatial Dragon that relentlessly assaulted her body.

In that instant, a searing pain engulfed her heart.

Despite her preparations, Li Jia was still caught off guard.

A mouthful of fresh blood spurted out, trickling down the dragon armor.

It had to be said, Li Jia was incredibly fortunate, yet equally unlucky.

The maturation process of this fruit had been excessively convoluted, with too many contributing factors.

It had gathered all the remaining energy of an S-rank dungeon, as well as Ao Yu’s Azure Dragon power.

The energy it contained far surpassed that of an ordinary S-rank fruit.

While the energy elevated Li Jia’s magical power, it was also scouring her soul.

That was the very foundation of her innate ability.

Endure it, and she would soar to new heights.

Fail to endure, and with the Azure Dragon Armor on her and Ao Yu safeguarding her, advancing to S-rank would still be within reach.

But an ordinary S-rank was still not enough!!

Li Jia gritted her teeth, her nearly scattered nerves re-coalescing under the stimulus of pain.

‘I cannot fall here. I must… trap Aya Tone in my spatial realm.’

At the thought of those red lips from last night, the magical power within Li Jia surged as if injected with a stimulant, launching a desperate assault.

Fighting on her home ground, she forced the Spatial Dragon to retreat step by step, finally shattering it with a single blow, transforming it back into spatial energy that dispersed throughout her body.

“Hmph!” Li Jia let out a muffled groan.

She had turned her body into a battlefield; no matter the outcome, she was still the one sustaining injuries.

Relying on her ‘unyielding’ will, she continuously adjusted the flow of her magical power, striving to adapt to this immense energy.

The Azure Dragon Armor on her body glowed with a faint azure light, alleviating the surging magical power within Li Jia.

It bought her a precious moment to breathe.

As time passed, Li Jia, beneath the Azure Dragon Armor, had long since become a person drenched in blood.

Even with the divine armor mitigating some of the burden, her magician’s body still couldn’t withstand the savage ravages of the chaotic spatial energy.

“Just a little more, hold on!”

Ao Yu, looking at the spatial fruit now reduced to the size of a fist, couldn’t help but feel a tremor of shock.

‘This young woman possesses such formidable willpower.’

He was very curious as to what kind of will was sustaining Li Jia.

Just a sliver left!

The fist-sized Dragon Heart spun rapidly, and the spatial energy it contained was entirely channeled into Li Jia’s body under the guidance of the Azure Dragon Armor.

Vast magical power surged swiftly within her, continuously growing and refining.

Suddenly!

Li Jia felt a commotion emanating from her soul, as if a construction crew were pile-driving inside her brain.

“Noisy! It’s killing me!”

The physical agony paled in comparison to the torment of her soul.

Li Jia’s molars were nearly ground to dust, yet it did nothing to alleviate the agony in her mind.

In that moment, she desperately wanted to punch her own brain to silence the damned noise.

However, the result was that her body was completely overwhelmed by the sudden surge of magical power; she couldn’t even harm herself, let alone move an inch.

Until she gained complete control, she might temporarily have to experience the life of a vegetative state.

Ao Yu watched anxiously from the side. While the advancement of an innate ability wasn’t as difficult as most people imagined, a slight misstep could still inevitably lead to soul damage.

For a magic-type ability user like Li Jia, soul damage was tantamount to the sky falling.

Hold on!

Under the stimulation of this immense magical power, Li Jia’s soul, like a kindled spark, began to burn intensely.

“Aaah!!!”

Each combustion made her soul purer and stronger.

Likewise, her resilience was also enhanced.

With a thunderous ‘boom’ in her mind, an even more potent and pure magical power erupted like a volcanic explosion.

A spatial storm instantly surged around Li Jia, tearing apart everything in its path.

Li Jia, at the eye of the storm,

Her entire aura became more composed and formidable.

Success!

Ao Yu was overjoyed; even as the spatial blades struck him, he remained unmoved.

This young woman’s innate ability had successfully advanced to S-rank.

Z Nation had gained another S-rank spatial ability user; how could he not be pleased?

Originally, he had only given this young woman a chance out of deference to Aya Tone, never expecting her to prove herself so capable!

It seemed his private decision regarding the fruit could now be considered water under the bridge.

‘Hmph, I’ll definitely have to see the expressions on those old men’s faces then.’