Volume One: The Dragon Soul Awakens Chapter 15: The Hidden Words

Mo Xing stuffed the newspaper into the mailbox.
He reminded himself not to be swayed by public opinion, not to care too much about what others thought. He needed to focus on studying, on training, on preparing well for the new student assessment!
With that in mind, Mo Xing found an open space and began his morning training routine.
He gripped his staff, summoned water elements, and repeatedly practiced the techniques he had read about in his study materials the night before.
“Ice Pillars!”
Among all the Elementalist’s spells, this was the fastest to cast. A ring of ice pillars crashed down around him, each with a freezing effect, useful both for keeping opponents at bay and for launching attacks.
But what he conjured was merely a column of water! Compared to ice pillars, the effect was far inferior.
“Ice Blade!”
Another offensive spell in the Elementalist’s arsenal—rapid spikes of ice shot forward in a line, highly destructive and carrying a freezing effect.
Yet again, all he managed was a column of water! The damage was nowhere near that of real ice spikes.
No wonder Teacher Apocalypse had urged him to intensify his training—this was the reason:
An Elementalist couldn’t rely on sheer explosive power alone!
Only by deftly shifting between different elements to create a stable control cycle could the true advantage of this profession be realized!
It was much like the role-playing games he used to play—the mage’s strength always lay in combining burst and control. But this wasn’t a game; this was a real, living world. Here, skills weren’t learned automatically by leveling up; he had to explore and master them himself!
Mo Xing practiced for another half hour, but still, all he could summon were water columns.
If his water element couldn’t be transformed into ice, the control effects would be greatly diminished. Could it be, as Mr. Shen had said, that he truly wasn’t suited for the path of the Elementalist?
No! He had to prove himself!
Grrrrr~
Suddenly, Mo Xing’s stomach rumbled, his body reminding him it was time for breakfast. Helplessly, he stowed his staff back into the Titan Ring and headed toward the shopping street.
West Shopping Street.
This was the most bustling street in the Royal City of Aslant, located to the left of the Holy Sky Royal Academy. Mo Xing only needed to step out the school gate and take a turn, and he was there—remarkably convenient.

Because it was the weekend, the school’s Poli Cafeteria was closed and didn’t serve breakfast, so Mo Xing had to look for a breakfast shop outside.
The street was lined with shops, one after another, packed closely together, their goods dazzling in variety. Some stores had minimal decoration, with simple signage that gave off a crisp, straightforward impression. Others were adorned with colorful artistic lettering, elegant borders, and beautiful illustrations, making them eye-catching and lively.
After walking for a while, Mo Xing finally reached the street’s food section. The breakfast stalls, large and small, were enveloped in clouds of white steam. At the small tables sat several elderly gentlemen, chatting and laughing.
Mo Xing walked up to one of the shops.
“Well, up early, aren’t you, young man?” the shopkeeper greeted him warmly, even as he busied himself packing another customer’s breakfast.
“Morning,” Mo Xing replied.
“Sir, your breakfast is ready and packed.”
The shopkeeper handed the packaged breakfast to the elderly man beside Mo Xing, then turned and asked him,
“What would you like, young man? Eat here, or take away?”
“Three meat buns and a soy milk, to eat here,” Mo Xing answered after a pause, realizing that Aslant’s breakfast was almost identical to what he’d known in his previous world—it felt perfectly natural.
“Coming right up!”
The shopkeeper deftly picked out several meat buns from the steamer, put them in a small bag, and handed him a large paper cup filled with soy milk.
“That’ll be sixty coins,” the shopkeeper said with a smile.
“Oh, right!”
Mo Xing dug through his pockets for money, but after searching for some time, he realized he’d forgotten to bring any. Embarrassed by the shopkeeper’s friendliness, he didn’t know how to explain.
“I’ll pay for him. And add two vegetable buns and another soy milk to my order, to eat here,”
A familiar, friendly voice spoke up. Mo Xing turned quickly and saw Shiyan standing beside him.
“Of course!” said the shopkeeper enthusiastically.
“Good morning, Mo Xing!” Shiyan waved.
“Morning… what brings you here, Shiyan?”
Mo Xing noticed Shiyan was wearing a blue-and-white tracksuit; her delicate features glowed with youthful energy, as radiant as the rising sun. Her slender figure was accentuated, and Mo Xing felt himself blush involuntarily.

“Maybe it’s fate!” Shiyan smiled.
“Here’s your breakfast, both of you,” the shopkeeper said cheerfully. “That’ll be ninety-nine coins in total.”
After Shiyan paid, Mo Xing helped carry the food to a nearby table.
“Thank you, Shiyan,” Mo Xing said. “I’ll pay you back when we get back.”
“Don’t say that,” Shiyan suddenly pouted, a little displeased.
“Huh? Why?” Mo Xing asked, puzzled. “But it doesn’t feel right not to repay you.”
“We’re friends,” Shiyan paused for a moment, “Next time we have breakfast, you can treat me instead.”
“All right, that works,” Mo Xing agreed, still not quite understanding how girls thought.
“Mo Xing, the new student assessment is tomorrow,” Shiyan said suddenly, “How’s your preparation going?”
“It’s okay, but I still need to improve,” Mo Xing replied.
“I’m free this morning. I can teach you some test-taking strategies,” Shiyan offered.
“Really?” Mo Xing was surprised.
“Yes,” Shiyan smiled, “But let’s finish breakfast first.”
Mo Xing quickly finished his meal. As he was about to toss his paper cup into a nearby trash bin, he noticed a line of small writing on it:
“May you pass every test.”
Mo Xing was stunned—who wrote this, and how did they know he was about to take an exam?
He hurriedly looked back at the breakfast shop named “The Seer’s Corner” and saw the shopkeeper watching him, a simple, honest face breaking into a faint smile.