The Turning Point

Sensing the uncertainty and suspicion among the crowd, Yuan Chen didn't pause for long. What he needed to do was to send out a message during this process, thereby triggering the existing conflict within Ixialia.

After that, Yuan Chen turned his gaze to Lupe.

Seeing this, Lupe nodded and whispered for Milio to walk toward Yuan Chen.

This was Milio's first time in such a place, and the first time he had ever felt so much attention. Standing there, the young Milio felt extremely uncomfortable, even walking cautiously. Even a small child could sense Milio's unease.

Upon seeing Milio, Master Odh was taken aback and instinctively asked, "Is that the student?"

"Student?"

Upon hearing Master Odh's words, King Yuen, who had been frowning and sensing something was amiss, asked, "Master Odh, do you know him?"

"Yes, we met once." Master Odh said with a hint of solemnity in his eyes, "He was Master Yuan Chen's first student, having studied under Master Yuan Chen before Princess Qiyana. He also said that he would have him exchange ideas with the fire element faction."

"But... but he's only twelve years old." Master Odh said hesitantly, "I thought it was just Master Yuan Chen's polite refusal... but why would Master Yuan Chen allow an apprentice to appear here?"

Qiyana was also puzzled. However, unlike Master Odh and the others, Qiyana simply squinted at the boy who had become Yuan Chen's student before her, a hint of dissatisfaction in her eyes.

She hates it when others take away what she likes... or rather, what someone else does. Even if Milio came first, Qiyana still believes she is the best.

In response, Yuan Chen simply whispered a few words of comfort to Milio. Although those outside the arena couldn't hear what Yuan Chen said, they were certain that Yuan Chen 'Milio demeanor visibly relaxed after hearing his words.

--Actually, it was just encouragement, and the words that everyone in the village had pinned their hopes on him.

After getting himself in the right mindset, Milio quickly felt a surge of excitement and anticipation. Without a doubt, this was going to be a great adventure!

At twelve years old, he was at the age where he longed to be the center of attention. Almost without thinking, Milio, now back to his senses, gleamed with intense excitement, and his clear, boyish voice boomed:

"All eyes are on me! I have something to announce!"

"I'm a genius!"

Milio had never imagined he could fight himself like this. Feeling the gazes from all the regions and counties of Ixialia, Milio knew that this was the hope for the family's rise that Grandma Lupe had told him about.

Although Milio didn't know what the rise of his family meant, the young Milio knew that listening to his grandmother would solve everything!

Yuan Chen's junior schoolmate should have a lot in common with Milio on this point.

The crowd's confusion didn't last long. Before their doubts about Milio's conspicuous behavior could even turn into dissatisfaction, Yuan Chen waved his hand and said:

"Milio! Give us a show!"

Upon hearing this, Milio took a deep breath, clasped his hands together, and then a gentle light emanated from the heater behind him. Milio then lunged forward and pushed, shouting in his childish voice:

"Damn it, let's go, ignore it!!"

The next moment, three gentle balls of fire shot out from the fireplace behind Milio—

!

Three flames left warm trails in the air, and at first, people did not realize that this was some kind of inexplicable magical performance.

But when the three warm flames landed on the ground and were seen by everyone through the spell, almost all the Elemental Master couldn't help but stand up abruptly.

Master Odh, especially of the fire element faction, was filled with awe as he gazed at the ball of fire that resembled a dough ball but emitted a warm and gentle light.

Fire, the most universal element, symbolizes rage, intensity, and activity within the framework of the Yuan Chu Axiom. At the same time, it is also the most difficult Yuan Chu Axiom to control. Compared to elements like water and earth, the Axiom Constraint fire are much more stringent.

No matter how much control is exerted, the gentlest form of the Fire Axiom will burn as fiercely as a torch.

But now, with the soft light spreading like Concealment Spell, everyone could feel the peace and tranquility of being inside a warm fireplace.

"As I said before, the biggest difference between the Yuan Chu Axiom and the Ionia Spirit Theory lies in the perception of the elements themselves," Yuan Chen said. "The rigorous formulas shaped the greatness of the Yuan Chu Axiom, but this strict framework also locked in the upper limit of the Yuan Chu Axiom."

"The human heart can resonate with the spirit of the elements. The Healing Fire before us is the best proof. The flames are explosive and merciless. But the essence of healing is selflessness. When you stop drawing power from the elements and instead resonate with the spirit, then the power changes willingly."

"Generosity is a form of praise, and the giver is also healed—in spirit, body, and soul."

"Therefore... whether for Ixialia or for a better exploration of the boundaries of truth, change is imminent!"

After saying that, Yuan Chen pulled Milio towards the edge of the arena. Milio did not resist, but waved to the Fire Treasure in the distance—this was the name of Milio's Healing Fire.

As for the grass, go, ignore it... These are the command incantations given at Yuan Chen's suggestion.

Well, it's just pure, morbid fun, free rein without affecting the plan in any way.

After that, Lupe and Mordas took turns on stage, recounting the hardships and despair of the dragon-slaying battle, while also sharing their visions for the future.

To Yuan Chen's surprise, Mordas was even willing to set aside prey belonging to the Meat-toothed Beast to express his respect for the civilization and achievements of Ixialia.

Despite his many grievances, King Yuen expressed his gratitude and reciprocated with a gift in return for this gift.

The Lupe Family was thus pardoned—but what excited Lupe the most, more than the pardon itself, was that King Yuen wanted to summon Milio to the palace for a private audience.

Lupe knew that Milio had gained everyone's approval—as long as he had enough magic power, he could immediately become Elemental Master and a member of Yuentar. It wasn't just about restoring the family to its former glory, but about taking the family to a higher level!

Meanwhile, because of their participation in the Dragon Hunt, the villagers also received citizenship in Yishuaoken. With the permission of King Yuen, the Road Protector began planning the town overnight so that these people who had fought off the dragon's attack could settle down as quickly as possible.

The Elemental Festival is of similar importance to Ixialia as the National Day in Yuan Chen's previous life. At the start of the Elemental Festival, the entire Ixialia enters three days of revelry, celebration, and parades.

Therefore, even after the opening ceremony, the enthusiasm in Ixialia remained undiminished. In fact, the turmoil caused by the Yuan Chen showed no signs of abating until the end of the Elemental Festival.

On the contrary, all sectors of Ixialia society were engaged in heated discussions, debates, and arguments. The topic of contention was nothing more than whether or not the country should open up and establish contact with the outside world.

At first, the nobles merely objected and argued their case. Later, this argument gradually turned into attacks. They not only attacked Yuan Chen and Qiyana, but also attacked Milio —because he was Yuan Chen's student.

Then... then they were forcefully suppressed by King Yuen.

Not only King Yuen, but also the opposing sides in the Yuentar debate over "reform and opening the country" versus "maintaining tradition" all distanced themselves from and took advantage of the situation to attack the nobles of Milio.

They are truly Divine Sunderer.

Milio is now the apple of the eye of the entire ruling class—it should be noted that the Yuan Chu Axiom of Yuentar have not seen much progress or expansion for over a hundred years.

Even the emerging Yuentar nobles were refining some of the theories from the past.

Now, Milio represents the progress and greater possibilities of the entire Yuan Chu Axiom —and the feasibility of these possibilities has been perfectly demonstrated in the Fire Axiom.

After realizing Milio's precious talent, Master Odh practically treated Milio as his junior... or even as his ancestor, and elevated him to a position of great respect.

He would frequently visit the Lupe Family's current resettlement area to inquire about their well-being, as if he couldn't wait to get Milio to join the fire elemental school.

Lupe wasn't stupid either. Although he agreed to Master Odh's visit and instruction of Milio, he delayed allowing Milio to formally become his apprentice.

Master Odh dared not say anything, for both King Yuen and Sem were keeping a close eye on Milio's safety.

Moreover, the Elemental Festival has come to an end, but the story of Yuan Chen and the others has only just begun. When Yuan Chen and Qiyana went to Ixialia ahead of him, Yuan Chen only brought the most precious items such as pure Dragon Blood and Azure Starfire.

The dragon's materials were all left in the caravan.

Therefore, after the dragon carcass completed its offering during the Elemental Festival, the dragon's corpse was then dismembered into pieces by the combined efforts of the Ixialia royal craftsmen and the Fleshfang Hunter.

Dragon scales were pried off one by one, followed by Dragon Tooth, eyes, and horns. The internal organs were immediately soaked in a magical solution after the dissection was completed.

Dragons are treasures from head to toe. Their scales possess magic resistance and toughness far surpassing ordinary steel, and their magical conductivity is unparalleled. This is especially true in the presence of Ixialia scholars—who have a strong interest in the corpse of this Elemental Drake.

After all, even in ancient times, there were very few mages who had the opportunity to study dragons.

The only regrettable thing is the Dragon Heart. The penetrating wound left by Yuan Chen's fatal blow greatly reduced the value of the Dragon Heart. Therefore, after careful calculation by scholars, the Dragon Heart was divided into two halves with the penetrating point as the center.

After removing the parts of flesh that had lost their effectiveness, the remaining flesh was stitched together with the dragon's fascia.

As previously agreed, the materials from the dragon were divided into four parts: the Lupe Family, Yuan Chen, the Meat-toothed Beast, and all the villagers.

Although it was said to be divided into four parts, in reality, the Lupe Family and all the villagers presented it to the King Yuen as a gift. This made the King Yuen very happy, and as a return gift, he instructed the Road Protector to speed up the construction of the villagers' and Lupe Family's settlement.