The indoor Human-Dragon War Season 2 was in full swing.

Outside, however, some people weren’t idling around either.

In the practice field, under cherry blossom trees, Noa sat cross-legged with her eyes gently closed.

As it was already autumn, which was slightly chilly, cherry blossoms occasionally would drift down from trees, landing on Noa’s head and by her side.

At that moment, several petals were already perched atop her head, but she hadn’t noticed them at all.

Noa was currently inside her consciousness space, replaying and analyzing events with her ancestor.

“I want to talk to you about that live-action interactive game from a few days ago.”

The white dragon before her yawned lazily, lying “obediently” in front of Noa. A hint of indolence glimmered in her dragon eyes.

“It’s been more than half a month. Why are you still hung up on that?”

“Because I can’t be certain whether, during that final bell-snatching game, when I used my tail to steal the bell tied to Dad’s waist, it was purely my subconscious action or...”

Noa slightly furrowed her brows, her expression growing cold as she stared at her ancestor in front of her.

“...or if, in that split second, you controlled my body to use the tail and grab the bell.”

The ancestor chuckled softly. Rather than answering immediately, she posed a question in return.

“You’ve been mulling over this for days, and though you’re only asking me now, I assume you’ve already arrived at a preferred conclusion, haven't you?”

Noa bit her lower lip lightly and nodded.

“At that moment, it was you briefly controlling my body. Otherwise, I would’ve just ended up being grabbed by Dad like one grabs a claw machine toy.”

Noa could clearly recall the scene. After all, it was one of the rare instances where she truly went head-to-head with that man, so of course, the memories were vivid.

In the final moment of that 1v1 game, Noa lunged to snatch the bell hanging from Leon’s waist. Though she originally overshot her pounce, she managed to use her tail to curl out of Leon’s line of sight and snatch the bell. And at last, she won the game.

However, when rehearsing her strike mentally just before the final lunge, she hadn’t considered using her tail.

This was why, for days now, she had been stuck pondering whether her victory was mere coincidence or aided by...

the assistance of her ancestor.

“Alright then, since you’ve figured it out, I’ll reluctantly take credit for that move.”

The ancestor admitted matter-of-factly. “That’s right. At that moment, I did briefly take over your body to use your tail to grab the bell.”

“But I—”

“I know you wanted to win the game entirely on your own, but you mustn’t ignore the substantial strength gap between you and your father.”

“Since remedying that disparity in strength wasn’t feasible, the only way to win was through strategy, making use of minor details.”

“You might feel it was a less-than-honorable victory, but—”

Her tone and gaze became slightly more resolute as she continued,

“Listen here, kid. Don’t push yourself too hard to accomplish things outside your current capabilities.”

“I understand your thoughts.”

“You’re the eldest children in the family, responsible for looking out for your two younger sisters.”

“You also have exceptional parents whose actions have taught you much about responsibility.”

“So naturally, you’re eager to grow stronger, to obtain powers far beyond what’s typical for someone at your age.”

“That’s understandable. For the Dragon Clan, the pursuit of greater power is only natural.”

“I greatly admire and cherish the resilience and spirit you embody. I’m also very certain that one day, you’ll surpass even me and become a Dragon Queen even more extraordinary.”

“But you must also understand this: the higher the expectations you place upon yourself, the greater the disappointment when you fall short.”

Noa listened quietly, absorbing the words of the ancestor while processing them.

“Higher expectations… greater disappointment…” she murmured.

The ancestor’s tone turned serious once more,

“When such disappointments occur repeatedly, you’ll inevitably spiral into deep self-doubt.”

“And that, above all else, is what I don’t want to see.”

“Granted, your parents care deeply about you and hold you in high regard. But unlike me, they can’t spend twenty-four hours a day by your side.”

“I’m with you constantly. I know your every move, and I know precisely what you hope to achieve.”

“That’s why I’m here now to remind you: Kid, it’s fine to hold yourself to high standards, but remember to relax appropriately. Otherwise, it’ll only backfire.”

“Bear in mind: if a violin string is pulled too tightly, it will eventually snap.”

Drip—

A single drop of water fell from the dark golden ceiling, landing in the water beneath their feet, creating soft ripples.

The ripples gently spread outward, eventually reaching Noa’s feet.

She lowered her gaze, her eyes fixed on her reflection in the water.

Noa rarely scrutinized herself. On her relentless journey forward, she constantly pushed herself, refusing to pause or look back.

But after listening to her ancestor’s words, she seemed to grasp something new.

Something beyond the surface-level like “higher expectations lead to greater disappointment.”

But deeper lessons, and more meaningful doctrines—at Noa’s current age and stage in life, she could faintly discern them.

After a long pause, Noa slowly raised her head. A faint smile, though slight, appeared on her previously solemn face.

“Alright, I understand. Thank you for telling me this.”

“Hmph. I just don’t want my host ruining her own body.”

The ancestor replied curtly. “After all, I’ll need that body of yours later to fend off the Ultimate Fear.”

Noa blinked and tilted her small head.

Hiss—

Why did this kind of response sound so familiar?

Come to think of it, didn’t her parents act like this all the time before?

The “Involuted Queen” pondered a couple of times, prompting a light laugh.

“Admitting you care about me—is it really that hard?”

“I don’t care about you. I only care about your body.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t buy it.”

“Then suit yourself!”

The ancestor couldn’t save face any longer and immediately stood up.

Her enormous frame moved abruptly, causing the entire watery expanse to quiver a little.

“Lecture time is over. It’s time to get down to business.”

Noa nodded. She knew exactly what “business” meant.

The next moment, Noa exited her consciousness space.

Cool air brushed her cheeks, jolting her fully awake.

She shook her head and dusted off the cherry blossom petals on it. Then, pulling something out of her pocket, she took a small black orb in her hand.

The Black Holy Stone.

Or rather, the Nightshade Crystal.

In this era, the Nightshade Crystal was considered rare. But due to its neutral properties and inability to aid in magical power cultivation, it was mostly used as a decorative item.

However, unbeknownst to most, this object was a true treasure in the ancestor’s time.

Only ancient Primordial Power could unlock the dormant energy within a Nightshade Crystal.

The result had proven that the ancestor—fortunately not suffering from memory lapses—was indeed right on point. The Nightshade Crystal significantly boosted Noa’s efficiency in condensing Primordial Power.

In the past half-month, Noa had already accumulated more Primordial Power than she had altogether before.

Although the Involuted Queen didn’t exactly know how much Primordial Power her ancestor might ultimately demand, Noa was happy to “work for” her ancestor since it simultaneously enhanced her own physical capabilities.

While Noa focused on power refinement, not far away, behind a tree, two little heads popped out one after the other.

“See that, Second Sis? Big Sis is over there!”

“Wow~”

Aurora tilted her head in surprise.

“Wow? Wow, what?”

“Big sis looks so cool when she’s training!”

“......”

Aurora nudged her forehead against her second sister’s chin lightly, coaxing her out of fangirling. “Now’s not the time to act like a Sis-obsessive girl. We’re here to catch the ghost inside Big Sis!”

Reluctantly tearing her gaze away from Noa, Muen glanced down at her younger sister.

“Aurora, you’ve been trying to catch it for months now. We haven’t even seen the shadow of that ghost.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Second Sis!”

“How so?”

“Ghosts… don’t cast shadows!”

“Eh?~~ Is that really true? ╰(*°▽°*)╯”

Aurora nodded earnestly.

“Of course. But I’ve got a feeling—we’re getting a major breakthrough tonight!”