The Fosterer Jiazhuosa

Late at night, Ochre Valley, dragon's nest.

The Nurturer's nest was completely different from the Dragon Hatchling's. It stood high on one side of the valley, converted from an ancient lava cave.

The entrance was tall and wide enough for a dragon to enter and leave with its wings spread. The interior was likewise spacious, with several side chambers that could serve as treasure vaults.

Deep within the cave, Jiazhuosa · Burningheart lay curled up, pretending to sleep with her eyes closed.

Beneath her was a shallow depression, carved by Gray Dwarves into a perfectly level shape and lined with an exceptionally soft beast hide.

The hide had been sewn from the full skins of seven snowfield yaks. It had cost dearly, with the fur facing upward and spread out so seamlessly it looked like a single piece.

The rock walls around the nest had been carefully polished by her followers, glimmering with a faint dark sheen. A small hanging brazier dangled from the wall, pine branches crackling as they burned, while an almost imperceptible haze of smoke drifted through the space.

The Young Dragon soaked in the tranquil scent of pine branches, utterly motionless.

She tried to calm herself.

Calm down. Shut everything outside the nest away—the clamor when the Dragon Hatchlings dispersed, the sounds of Kobolds cleaning, the crackle of bonfires, the low chant of the night wind sweeping across the valley—strip it away layer by layer until only her own breathing remained.

Then slow her breathing further, steady her heartbeat, control her thoughts, and enter a state of complete calm.

Next, sink her consciousness into the pure ocean of Heavy-Metal Dragon bloodline. Avoid those savage, intense ferocities. Search and explore. Remain calm. Explore. Avoid...

As time passed, Jiazhuosa's breathing gradually grew heavier. Her once-relaxed muscles tightened strand by strand, her heartbeat boomed like thunder, and both power and presence leaked from her uncontrollably.

The more she tried to restrain her consciousness, the harder it became to gather it in. The more she tried to avoid her savage nature, the more those churning desires filled her chest.

In the end, leaping sparks of electricity even burst from the edges of the Iron Dragon's scales.

Jiazhuosa opened her eyes, and a complicated emotion flashed through her pitch-black vertical pupils.

"I still can't master meditation."

The Young Dragon shook her head, rose to her feet, and paced slowly with a low sigh.

She felt some anger, but even more disappointment.

Dragon meditation was utterly different from the meditation mortals spoke of. Mortal meditation was a means of training the mind and accumulating magic power.

Yet magic power naturally flowed in dragon blood. Without any learning at all, dragons could still awaken magic.

Jiazhuosa lay with her eyes closed, seemingly motionless as well, but what she sought was neither spirit nor magic—it was the dragon bloodline itself.

In the language of dragons, meditation had another, more fitting name—

"Bloodline Refinement."

Aitixiya had told her that if dragons of the material world wished to transcend the ordinary and complete an elevation of rank, they had to master the method of Bloodline Refinement.

Whether through meditation, divine favor, or other secret arts, only by mastering the method of Bloodline Refinement could dragons open the golden gate that crossed the boundaries of rank.

"Blood Frenzy..."

Jiazhuosa murmured, her voice nearly a prayer.

When the golden gate crashed open, as their bloodlines continuously rose, dragons would gradually comprehend many ancient and powerful abilities from increasingly purer bloodlines.

The first was Blood Frenzy.

It bore different names among different dragon clans. Gem Dragons called it Spirit Infusion, Metallic Dragons called it Blood Rage, and Chromatic Dragons called it Rampage, but all referred to the same ability—

It made the heart beat beyond its limits, forcing out enormous quantities of blood and brutally squeezing the organs, bones, and muscles. Through a terrifying speed of blood flow, it comprehensively strengthened the body's functions or fully amplified spellcasting ability.

When a dragon's body could sustain Blood Frenzy without collapsing and dying under that astonishing burden, it could be called an "Archaic Species."

That was a leap in the essence of life, breaking free from the rank decreed by dragon gods. Even the weakest Nickel Dragon, after becoming an Archaic Species, could easily defeat a Higher Species of the same age.

To open that golden gate and become extraordinary, Jiazhuosa had worked for decades.

She was unwilling to accept it.

She walked through the nest, loosening her body and doing her best to settle her emotions. At last, she returned to the depression, coiled down, and prepared to try once more.

Jiazhuosa adjusted her breathing and entered calmness.

The secret art of meditation had been taught by Aitixiya. Aitixiya was a truly intelligent dragon. Though younger, she was instead more powerful, and was herself an unusual Gem Dragon—a rare White Zircon Dragon.

All Heavy-Metal Dragons enjoyed being around Gem Dragons, and Jiazhuosa was no exception. She and Aitixiya had met by chance, traveled together through the forested mountains of Nolan, and spent the beautiful years of their adolescence together.

Even now, Jiazhuosa still remembered Aitixiya sitting beside her, explaining the essentials of meditation and demonstrating them for her over and over without the slightest impatience.

Afternoon sunlight filtered through gaps in the forest canopy. Aitixiya lowered her head, her face like pure white marble—clear and immaculate, beautiful beyond all measure.

Yet Jiazhuosa still could not do it.

She had long known where the crux of the problem lay. Heavy-Metal Dragons possessed bodies of excessive density, and their bloodlines were filled with heavy metallic elements and restless bloodlust. Those ferocities were like bubbles on boiling water, rising again and again without end, making it impossible for her to enter the ethereal state of meditation.

Jiazhuosa had practiced for decades and taken one wrong turn after another. Even now, though she could occasionally seize a thread of inspiration, it always vanished in a flash.

Second by second, time passed. Long afterward, a furnace-like sound rang out once more from within the Iron Dragon's body, and dancing electric sparks sprayed forth.

Jiazhuosa stood up, the emotions in her eyes cooling as she slowly walked around the nest.

Two months earlier, Jiazhuosa had written to Aitixiya to ask whether she could pass the secret art of meditation on to other dragons. That letter had been written with extraordinary care. Jiazhuosa had even silently recited it several times, only sending it to Shien Peninsula after confirming that its tone was proper.

She had received the reply long ago. Jiazhuosa went to the stone platform in the corner, found the parchment scroll again, held it with the utmost care, and read it through once more.

To her surprise, Aitixiya had not minded at all. She said she had never intended to conceal or hoard it away, and whether meditation should be taught or made public was entirely Jiazhuosa's decision.

She had also comforted her in the letter, saying that meditation cultivation emphasized emptying the heart and restraining chaotic thoughts and desires. Throughout history, only a small number of exceptionally gifted Gem Dragons had been able to master it. Even for Metallic Dragons, learning it was exceedingly difficult.

So she hoped Jiazhuosa would not be discouraged by this. Even without meditation, there might yet be other paths to advancement in the future.

"Restrain thoughts, empty the heart."

Jiazhuosa spoke softly. Over the past several decades, she had recited that central principle under her breath countless times.

Then she recalled the exchange at the gathering place just now. A Chrome Dragon had stepped forward and named the greatest enemy within the heart.

Nature.

Hearing that answer, Jiazhuosa had naturally become angry.

In order to master meditation and suppress the nature within her body, she had spent her entire youth in ceaseless conflict with herself. Not only had her strength failed to grow, it had instead dwindled day by day.

Only recently had she gained some insight and gradually freed herself from that internal depletion.

Jiazhuosa's insight was that nature could not be fought against, nor could the savagery in one's bloodline be easily suppressed. Otherwise, one would only harm oneself. When exploring the ocean of consciousness deep within the bloodline, she could only ignore them as much as possible and avoid them.

But that Dragon Hatchling had spoken another set of words.

"Restrain thoughts, empty the heart."

Jiazhuosa repeated the Gem Dragon's principle, then murmured, "See your nature, and wield it freely."

She thought that answer was truly wonderful—so wonderful it felt unreal. It did not sound like something an untempered Dragon Hatchling should have said, yet it coincided with the Gem Dragon's principle without prior agreement.

She knew she had lost her composure before the hatchlings, but this was the path of advancement she had searched for bitterly. While seeking an answer, how could she not be moved to the point of losing herself?

After decades of effort, she could now see the savagery in her bloodline. But how, exactly, could she wield it freely?

The answers would certainly differ among different dragon clans.

In the end, she could only answer it herself.

Jiazhuosa shook her head and headed toward a side chamber to inspect the supplies transported in from various places.

Since she had received Aitixiya's permission, she could teach the little dragons the method of meditation. Two months had passed, and all the materials she required had gradually been gathered.

She had made an agreement with the Lineage: when this batch of descendants became young dragons, if they could produce one Level Seven Disaster, three Level Six Disasters, and ten Level Five Disasters, it would prove that Jiazhuosa's fostering work had been highly successful. She would then receive part of the territory in the Streamlands, along with ten thousand gold coins from the leader.

Back then, Jiazhuosa had joined the Ashmark Lineage alone, bringing neither wealth nor followers. She had been the weakest among the Lineage's members. Though she was nominally the lord of Ochre Valley, even the garrison outside the valley did not belong to her.

Such a reward was already tempting enough for her.

Thus, although Jiazhuosa seemed never to interfere with the hatchlings' lives, she actually valued them greatly and always hoped they would grow faster and larger.

At that moment, a rustling sound came from outside the lava cave.

Jiazhuosa raised her head and saw a steel-gray Dragon Hatchling walk in, somewhat restrained, cautious yet bold.