Volume One: The Dragon Soul Awakens Chapter 73 Seeing Through Appearances to Grasp the Essence

Beneath the Divine Ark.

Zhang Zhihao burned with the power of the Fire Dragon God, supporting the ark as it sped toward Dragon Fang Island. The sky overhead darkened, as if rain were imminent. Yet none of this affected him; his sole focus was to sustain the ark until his companions above could repair the fuel transport hub.

He could do it—because he had unleashed all his strength.

Suddenly, the entire ark began to rise. Zhang Zhihao looked up; the pressure on his arms eased significantly. He could feel it—his companions had succeeded!

The fuel transport hub had been restored!

All the mechanical gears whirred to life, lifting the ark along its upward trajectory.

The Divine Ark was running again!

The crimson in Zhang Zhihao’s eyes faded. The taut string inside him finally slackened; his consciousness slipped away, and he fell, unresisting, into the blazing flames.

Not far off, a golden figure streaked through the air, rushing toward that dazzling fire.

Inside the engine room.

Mo Xing and Wu Danze clapped each other’s hands in delight, with Shiyan smiling at their side.

They had just accomplished an incredibly arduous task—successfully “stuffing” the ground fuel back into the transport hub.

Following Shiyan’s instructions, Mo Xing first infused the fuel with water elements, allowing him to control the volatile liquid. They then transported it to the hub, where Wu Danze repaired the breach with gold elements. At the critical moment, Shiyan “restored” the fuel by extracting the water element once the breach was sealed. With that, the Divine Ark resumed normal operation!

“Shiyan, your method is amazing!” Mo Xing gave a thumbs-up.

“Yeah, absolutely incredible!” Wu Danze nodded vigorously.

“No, really, it was all about our teamwork,” Shiyan replied with a gentle smile.

“By the way, what was supporting the entire ark during those few minutes?” Mo Xing suddenly wondered aloud.

“Good point!” Wu Danze frowned. “By rights, the ark should have been plummeting. If not for some immense power holding it up, we wouldn’t have had the chance to make repairs!”

“Could it be...” Shiyan hesitated. She could guess who it was, but—one person supporting an ark of this size? That was simply outrageous!

And sustained flight for a full seven minutes! Even a master at the Violet Cauldron level might not manage such a feat.

“Meow—”

Little Moonshadow whimpered and darted out of the engine room.

The three of them looked in that direction and saw that rain had begun to fall outside, pattering steadily on the deck. Over the rain and the growing commotion, they stepped out and saw a dozen or so people gathered—senior brothers and sisters, all soaked.

“What’s going on with you all?” Wu Danze frowned, eyeing their drenched clothes and hair.

“We... we came to help,” one of the senior brothers explained.

“We’ve solved everything here,” Shiyan waved her hand. “The broadcast I sent twenty minutes ago—now you arrive?”

“Well... we got lost...” another senior brother scratched his head.

“Don’t fool yourselves! Is it so entertaining?” Wu Danze snapped. “Look at your clothes, your hair—you came to take shelter from the weather, didn’t you?”

“Surprised, are you? The ark didn’t fall but was fixed by us!” Wu Danze glared at them.

“Don’t talk down to us!” one shouted back. “You’re just a first-year—how dare you lecture us?”

“At least I wouldn’t run away in a crisis like you did!” Wu Danze shouted in return.

Silence fell. Only the rain marked time.

Mo Xing felt awkward. He hated when the air suddenly went quiet...

“Meow—”

Moonshadow swished its tail, as if regretting something.

Just then, a golden light flashed in the rain. The crowd turned, and saw Summer Ningxin beneath a green, umbrella-shaped aura dispersing the rain. On her shoulder, she supported a man aglow with crimson.

“Zhang Zhihao?!”

Mo Xing was stunned. It was the legendary Zhang Zhihao!

What on earth had happened?

The others were astonished as well.

“What... what’s happened to President Zhang?” Wu Danze stammered.

“...” Shiyan was speechless with shock. Someone as powerful as President Zhang, injured?

“Find a doctor.”

Summer Ningxin pushed through the crowd, laying Zhang Zhihao under shelter. The wind element eased the burden on her body, but not the weariness in her heart.

“We don’t know where the doctors are!” someone in the crowd called.

“Find them!” Summer Ningxin’s voice was cold as ice.

“Right away!”

Two or three senior brothers dashed off, but quickly returned.

“Doctor Bai is here!”

How timely—speak of the devil, and he arrives.

The crowd parted to let Doctor Bai through to Zhang Zhihao’s side.

“Keep your distance,” Doctor Bai instructed, summoning three differently colored orbs to circle him as a six-pointed magic array of green light appeared on the ground.

Everyone stepped back. Mo Xing noticed Moonshadow still lingering and scooped him up.

“Meow~” Moonshadow batted at Mo Xing’s arm, resisting.

“Be good, Moonshadow,” Mo Xing soothed, stroking its head. “Doctor Bai is treating him, don’t disturb.”

With a crisp snap of his fingers, Doctor Bai drained the world of color—only black, white, and gray remained.

Eternal Night!

Everyone looked around in astonishment. All but the people were frozen—even the falling rain hung motionless in midair.

“What... what skill is that?” Mo Xing asked in wonder.

“It’s his signature move,” Shiyan explained. “His own unique creation.”

“So powerful! I want to create a skill, too!” Mo Xing scratched his head.

“You need a solid theoretical foundation and extensive practical experience,” Wu Danze said. “And that’s just for starters.”

“I see...” Mo Xing muttered.

“Don’t worry,” Shiyan smiled. “I believe you’ll manage it one day.”

“Mm.” Mo Xing nodded, watching Zhang Zhihao being treated...

He could guess now—Zhang Zhihao had surely played a crucial role in keeping the ark stable...

Perhaps risking his very life...

Please, wake up...

“Meow!”

As Mo Xing’s thoughts drifted, Moonshadow broke free and shot toward Doctor Bai, interrupting the treatment. The [Eternal Night Domain] shattered instantly; the world returned to normal.

“Meow!” Moonshadow planted itself in front of Zhang Zhihao, hissing at Doctor Bai.

Oh no, Mo Xing panicked.

“What’s with this cat?” someone grumbled.

“Causing trouble?!” another echoed.

“Whose damn cat is this?” someone yelled.

“Mine.” Summer Ningxin’s voice was icy.

The crowd fell silent.

“Can the treatment continue?” Summer Ningxin asked.

“Not today, I’m afraid. The Eternal Night Domain is too draining. We’ll try again tomorrow.” Doctor Bai wiped sweat from his brow.

“Then... what about his injuries?” Mo Xing asked, embarrassed that his carelessness had let Moonshadow interrupt the treatment.

“He’s already halfway recovered; a couple days of rest should do,” Doctor Bai replied, collecting his orbs.

“Let’s carry President Zhang back to his room,” Wu Danze stepped forward, shouldering Zhang Zhihao.

“Mm.” Mo Xing hurried to help.

The rain had nearly stopped, and the sky was clearing. The onlookers dispersed, and the fleeing students returned one by one, mostly led by Mentor Su Yunzhou.

Mo Xing wondered where Mentor Su had been during the crisis. He’d assumed the mentor would be in charge. Later, he learned from a senior brother in the next room that Mentor Su had gone to find the students who’d run off.

He hadn’t asked for more details.

In those forty minutes, Mo Xing had witnessed much: senior brothers who selfishly fled, companions who worked together to repair the ark, Zhang Zhihao’s heroic struggle to support the entire vessel, and...

That black-haired bounty hunter...

Rumor had it the forced landing was orchestrated by the bounty hunter. All non-school staff on board had been killed, each with a single shot. The specifics were still under investigation.

Fortunately, the ark’s autopilot required no skilled pilot. Mo Xing, Shiyan, and Wu Danze had restored the fuel transport hub. Despite the lost fuel, enough remained to reach Dragon Fang Island.

Because Zhang Zhihao had propelled the ark ahead earlier, they were now closer to their destination, expected to land by sunset—half a day earlier than planned!

Thinking of this, Mo Xing couldn’t help but admire Zhang Zhihao anew.

But... he’s human, too...

He gets exhausted as well...

Mo Xing looked at the unconscious Zhang Zhihao on the bed, feeling a pang of sorrow.

He alone had saved the Divine Ark.

If only he would wake up soon...

With that thought, Mo Xing took out the box of medicine Summer Ningxin had given him from the [Titan’s Ring].

What kind of medicine was this? So light...

Mo Xing opened the box quickly—there was no medicine inside, just a piece of paper.

Was Summer Ningxin playing a trick on him?

Surely not, especially when it was for Zhang Zhihao.

She’d told him to read the instructions...

Wait! Instructions!

Mo Xing unfolded the paper. The first two lines stunned him:

“See through the surface to the essence.”

“The old fox reveals his tail.”

——Idle Chatter by the Pit——

Thank you to all my loyal readers. This is my first time writing a novel, and I’m not always the best judge of pacing, so if the story drags at times, I hope you’ll understand. Please share any suggestions you have—I appreciate all feedback!

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