Deep within the Dragon Spine Mountain Range, the Dragons Nest Mountain Range.
This is the power center of all Dragon Clans in the world of Azeria, the seat of the True Dragon Imperial Court.
Above the sky, a Red Dragon of indescribable size hovered amidst the clouds.
Her body was a full hundred meters long, with every breath exhaling scorching currents of air. Lava-like patterns flowed between her dark red scales, and her massive dragon wings, when unfurled, cast shadows that could easily cover an entire hillside.
This was the Legendary Red Dragon Ilena, a prime-age True Dragon with a Rank as high as LV.72. Her size stemmed from the "Gigantamax" ability that only adult True Dragons and giants could master, a symbol of power.
Beside Ilena, another much smaller Red Dragon appeared extremely impatient—
It was none other than Fafnir.
He flicked his tail irritably, churning the clouds.
"Teacher, how much longer must we wait here? Those lowly Sub-dragons are moving too slowly!"
Ilena did not move; her voice rang directly in Fafnir's mind, calm yet filled with unquestionable authority.
"Fafnir, restrain the irritability within you. This is a path one must take to become strong."
Fafnir didn't dare speak again, but he was complaining wildly in his heart.
Training again, always training!
This teacher of his might look gentle, but she was actually one of the most ruthless instructors in the entire Dragon Academy. He didn't want to experience the humiliation of having his scales stripped bare while alive ever again.
At the thought of this, the base of Fafnir's tail felt a chilly breeze.
Because he had lost a Silver Dragon egg from the hatchery, the most beautiful scales on the tip of his tail had already been plucked by the Academy Council of Elders; it was now bald and hideously ugly.
In the True Dragon Imperial Court, every Young Dragon, from the day they undergo hatching, is guided by a designated teacher to learn how to master the vast knowledge and power within their bloodline inheritance. They do not leave the Dragons Nest to begin their own long dragon lives until they reach adolescence.
Once they grow weary of the outside world, they return to the Dragons Nest to become archons or, like Ilena, teach the next generation.
To the Academy, dragon eggs are hope.
And losing a dragon egg, especially one clearly recorded in the hatchery, is an extremely serious incident—
For this, Fafnir and his good friend, the Blue Dragon Leo, both received severe punishment.
Even worse, he had seen with his own eyes that the Silver Dragon egg had hatched, and the little Silver Dragon that emerged was actually being kept by a lowly Earth Dragon!
This was simply outrageous! It was the ultimate insult to the noble True Dragon bloodline!
The Dragons Nest naturally could not tolerate such a thing.
But Fafnir always felt that the Dragons Nest's reaction seemed a bit too excessive... The entire True Dragon Imperial Court had been mobilized, large numbers of Dragon Guards were beginning to assemble, and some Elders even proposed entering the deep rifts of the earth to search outward inch by inch from the subterranean world.
Just for one little Silver Dragon and one Little Earth Dragon...?
Although Fafnir was hot-headed, he wasn't stupid. He could keenly sense that something was not quite right behind the scenes.
But now, the young Red Dragon had no choice but to follow his teacher.
Using "searching for the Silver Dragon" as an excuse, Ilena led him all the way east, completely deviating from the direction where the Earth Dragon was first discovered, clearly intending to take him away from the center of the incident.
Fafnir couldn't figure it out.
Shouldn't now be the best opportunity for him, the only "dragon witness," to redeem himself?
Why was his teacher pushing him away instead?
Just then, in the dim evening sky, three massive shadows flew back.
They were the three Frost Wyverns sent out earlier.
Sensing the terrifying high temperatures radiating from the Legendary Red Dragon Ilena, they did not dare approach, hovering in the air at a distance.
"Have you investigated the anomaly at Rock Submerge Lake?"
Ilena's voice rang in their minds.
The leading Frost Wyvern's body emitted a light like cracking ice crystals, and in an instant, he transformed into a cold-faced human male form clad in silver armor.
He knelt on one knee toward Ilena and gave a respectful salute.
"Reporting to Lady Ilena, a high-intensity battle did indeed occur in the Rock Submerge Lake area. Judging from the residual energy fluctuations at the scene, it was at least the power of the Amethyst Tier."
"The Guardian of the Lake Heart that originally resided there has been killed. Based on the marks of destruction and the magical residue left behind, the one who acted... was likely a Dragon."
"The Guardian of the Lake Heart, huh..." Ilena's massive head turned slightly, a hint of contemplation flashing in her golden vertical pupils.
Dragons from the Imperial Court generally do not provoke those ancient regional Overlords.
Could it be a rogue dragon? Or a dragon from another Dragons Nest?
If that were the case, the opponent's goal could only be the legendary Treasure Trove deep within the lake heart.
As for what that treasure actually was, even with Ilena's five thousand years of experience, she had only heard some legends about it during her time as a Young Dragon.
The Legendary Red Dragon roughly understood the reason and did not delve further.
"Understood."
Ilena's voice rang out again: "Continue your patrols in the surrounding area."
"Yes, milady."
The leading Sub-dragon, "Gan," responded, but received no further instructions.
Patrol? Who is the target? How large is the range?
Ilena did not speak.
Gan did not dare ask either, and could only lead his two companions, "Will" and "Cure," back into the night to continue executing this vague order.
Seeing the three Sub-dragons leave, Ilena looked at Fafnir beside her: "Let's go. We'll head to the Lordaeron Empire first."
Fafnir was full of anger, but he still had to follow along reluctantly.
The two Red Dragons beat their wings, and their figures soon vanished into the horizon... As the night deepened, in front of the gates of the Lordaeron Empire's Seventh Magic Combat Academy, several magic lamps flickered.
The guard at the gate was leaning against a pillar yawning when a set of dragging footsteps came from the distance. He squinted, raised his spear, and shouted, "Who's there? This is an academy restricted area; no unauthorized personnel allowed!"
"It's me."
The voice was hoarse, carrying a sense of deathly exhaustion.
The guard was taken aback; the voice sounded familiar. He raised his magic lantern to shine it forward, and his hand shook so much in fright that the lantern almost hit his foot.
A group of people stood within the circle of light.
The man in the lead had a mage robe that had been reduced to rags, and his once meticulously groomed hair looked like a bird's nest. His face was covered in black soot and dried blood.
The students following behind were even worse off; some were only wrapped in a few pieces of tattered cloth, supporting each other. They looked even more wretched than the beggars in the slums outside the city.
"In... Instructor Raymond?" The guard's eyes widened. "Weren't you leading a team to Rock Submerge Lake for an assessment? How did you end up like this...?"
Raimond didn't have the strength to explain. He waved his hand and led the group of despondent students through the gate.
This night, the Seventh Magic Combat Academy was destined to be sleepless.