320: The Threshold of Ten Thousand Years
The morning light filtered through the workshop's high windows, catching the nine-colored gleam of Yao Xuan's nearly-complete battle armor components. Six pieces now—belt, helmet, chest armor, left pauldron, right pauldron, right gauntlet—each representing weeks of patient labor, each humming with the particular resonance of spirit alloy integrated with ancestral dragon essence.
But today, his attention was elsewhere.
Within his chest cavity, the ancestral dragon soul spirit coiled in its eternal meditation, its form more substantial than ever before. Nine-colored radiance pulsed through its scales in slow, rhythmic waves, each cycle bringing it imperceptibly closer to transformation. The purple of its thousand-year foundation had deepened, now bleeding into pale black at the edges—the color of approaching ten thousand years.
Yao Xuan had known this moment was coming. The system's notification merely confirmed what his instincts had been telling him for weeks: his soul spirit stood at the precipice of qualitative transformation. The last hundred years of cultivation would demand more than passive accumulation.
"The riot period begins today," Gu Yue said from the workshop doorway. She had finished her morning preparations early, her silver hair pulled back in a practical style, her battle armor belt gleaming softly at her waist. "The intermediate platform's soul beast density will increase significantly. Ten-thousand-year specimens will be... accessible."
She didn't need to elaborate. They had discussed this extensively over the past week, weighing risks against potential rewards. The twice-yearly Spirit Ascension Platform riot period was both opportunity and challenge—greater danger balanced against greater harvest.
"My soul spirit is at the same threshold," Gu Yue continued, stepping into the workshop. Her silver eyes held the particular calm that preceded significant action. "The riot period offers the most efficient path to simultaneous evolution."
Yao Xuan considered their combined capabilities. His ancestral dragon bloodline at 39.4%, hers at comparable advancement. Six battle armor components each, fully integrated. Combat coordination refined through six months of daily practice and weekly sparring against Wu Changkong's full power. Mental strength sufficient to maintain awareness through extended engagement.
"We go together," he said. It wasn't a question.
"Together." Her agreement was immediate, absolute. "Two days, perhaps three. We don't stop until both soul spirits have crossed the threshold."
Wu Changkong had granted their leave request without extended commentary. His nod had carried understanding rather than approval—the acknowledgment of a warrior who recognized when students had outgrown standard curricula. "Don't die," he'd said. "Dying is inefficient training."
The soul-guided sedan arrived at the academy's eastern gate with silent precision, its exterior elegant and unremarkable, its interior unexpectedly spacious. Yao Xuan had grown accustomed to Gu Yue's access to resources that exceeded typical student means—the Dragon Fortress's wealth manifested in subtle ways, never ostentatious but always present.
Inside, the sedan's soul guidance arrays hummed with quiet efficiency. Sound-dampening runes created an atmosphere of hushed intimacy. Vibration-absorption matrices smoothed the journey to near-imperceptible motion. Heaven and earth soul power gathered in gentle currents, enriching the breathing space.
Gu Yue settled beside him immediately, not across the compartment but close enough that their shoulders touched. In the academy's public spaces, she maintained careful composure—affectionate but restrained, conscious of observation. Here, with only the two of them and the soft hum of the sedan's arrays, those careful boundaries relaxed.
She leaned into him, her head finding the familiar hollow between his shoulder and chest. Her silver hair spilled across his arm like captured moonlight, cool and silken against his skin. Yao Xuan's arm curved around her naturally, his hand finding the gentle rhythm of stroking through her hair—a gesture that had become as automatic as breath over the past six months.
"I've wanted this all week," Gu Yue murmured, her voice carrying the particular softness reserved for these private moments. "Just... quiet. Just us."
"The riot period will be anything but quiet." His fingers continued their gentle motion, smoothing strands of silver that caught the dim interior light. "Once we enter the platform, we'll be in continuous engagement until the evolution completes."
"I know." She didn't move from her position. "That's why I wanted this first. To carry with me."
The sedan carried them through Shrek City's afternoon streets, its passage smooth and unobtrusive. Outside, the world continued its ordinary rhythm—merchants calling to customers, students hurrying between commitments, the eternal commerce of a great city. Inside, time seemed to slow, each moment held and appreciated.
Yao Xuan felt the tension of accumulated weeks gradually release. The pressure of maintaining peak readiness, the constant calculus of resource allocation and training optimization, the weight of leadership and the heavier weight of the path ahead—all of it settled into temporary abeyance. Not forgotten, but set aside. Held at a gentle distance.
Gu Yue's breathing slowed, her body relaxing against his. Not sleep, but the particular restfulness of complete trust. Her hand found his free one, their fingers interlacing with the easy familiarity of long practice.
"The first time I saw you," she said quietly, "at Donghai Academy's entrance assessment. You were standing apart from the other examinees. Not isolating yourself—just... complete in yourself. Not needing to cluster for reassurance." Her thumb traced small circles on the back of his hand. "I thought, 'This one will be either my greatest asset or my most significant obstacle.'"
"And now?"
She was silent for a long moment. When she spoke, her voice carried the weight of genuine self-examination. "Now I think the categories were wrong. You're not asset or obstacle. You're... where I belong. The place my path was always leading."
Yao Xuan's hand stilled in her hair. He looked down at her—the elegant line of her profile, the silver of her eyes visible through half-lowered lashes, the particular peace that transformed her usually analytical features into something softer, more vulnerable.
"I thought the same," he said. "At the entrance assessment. Not about asset or obstacle. About recognition." He paused, searching for words that could contain the feeling. "Like finding a melody I'd forgotten, then realizing I'd been humming it my whole life."
Gu Yue's eyes opened fully, meeting his. The space between them held no tension, no urgency—only the quiet certainty of shared understanding. She smiled, the expression genuine and warm.
"Then let's go find our ten-thousand-year threshold together."
The Spirit Pagoda's headquarters rose against the afternoon sky, its crystalline spire catching light and transforming it into prismatic color. Yao Xuan had visited this place weekly for six months, yet each approach still carried a particular weight—the awareness of standing at the threshold between ordinary reality and the constructed wilderness of the Ascension Platform.
The staff recognized them immediately. Not just as members, but as the young blacksmith whose first-grade spirit forging had become quietly legendary among those who understood such things, and the silver-haired girl whose presence seemed to make the pagoda's spiritual energy itself more responsive.
"Senior Feng left instructions," the receptionist said, her professional composure softening slightly. "The intermediate platform's riot period access has been pre-authorized for both of you. Duration flexible." She paused, then added with genuine warmth, "We've been tracking your soul spirit cultivation records. Today's the day, isn't it?"
Yao Xuan nodded. "Today we cross the threshold."
"Then I wish you successful evolution." She processed their access tokens with careful efficiency. "The platform's deeper zones will be active. Ten-thousand-year specimens are confirmed in sector seven; thirty-thousand-year may manifest in sector twelve by the third day. Stay aware of your surroundings."
They moved through the familiar corridors, their footsteps synchronized without conscious adjustment. At the intermediate platform's access point, they paused.
Gu Yue turned to face him, her expression carrying the particular focus that preceded significant combat. "Two days. Maybe three. Continuous engagement until both soul spirits have evolved." She extended her hand. "Together, as always."
Yao Xuan took her hand, their fingers interlacing with the ease of long practice. "Together as always."
The platform's activation sequence hummed to life, spatial energy gathering around them in visible currents. Light intensified, then transformed—and the constructed wilderness of the Spirit Ascension Platform materialized around them.
Ancient trees rose toward a simulated sky. Distant roars echoed through layered dimensions of compressed space. Somewhere ahead, ten-thousand-year soul beasts awaited, their spiritual essence the catalyst Yao Xuan's soul spirit needed to complete its transformation.
His ancestral dragon soul spirit stirred within him, sensing the proximity of its prey. Nine-colored radiance pulsed with heightened anticipation.
Beside him, Gu Yue's silver eyes reflected the same readiness.
The hunt had begun.