"Junior Brother, when do we start training? What will the regimen involve?" Finger asked eagerly, barely containing his excitement now that Chu Zihang had agreed to teach him.
"Training? It's far too early to begin formal instruction," Chu Zihang replied bluntly. "Your current physical condition is completely inadequate. With your fitness level, you'd collapse the moment we started any real training."
Finger's response was unexpected—he actually laughed. While he might appear to be nothing more than a lazy gossip-monger on the surface, he'd never truly stopped exercising over the years. His Word Spirit, Bronze Throne, was specifically designed to enhance physical capabilities.
"I know what you're thinking," Chu Zihang said, reading Finger's expression perfectly. "You want to mention your Bronze Throne Word Spirit and claim your physical fitness is actually quite good, right?"
"Exactly, Junior Brother. I'm glad you understand."
Since Finger had decided to study under Chu Zihang, he was prepared to reveal his true capabilities. Beneath his lazy exterior lay genuine pride and strength.
Chu Zihang rummaged through his office desk until he found a small utility knife. He tossed it to Finger casually. "Attack me with that blade using your full strength. I won't use any of my abilities."
"Are you certain about this?" Finger asked, weighing the knife in his hand.
"Absolutely certain."
"Very well!"
If Chu Zihang wanted to underestimate him, Finger would gladly demonstrate his true power. His grip tightened on the knife, and his entire demeanor shifted. The lazy slouch disappeared, replaced by a sharp, predatory focus that transformed his presence completely.
"Here I come, Junior Brother!"
Finger exploded into motion, his legs driving him forward like a missile. The ordinary utility knife in his hands became something far more dangerous under his Word Spirit's enhancement. Against a normal person, this strike would have cleaved them cleanly in two.
But Chu Zihang was no ordinary person—he was a humanity dragon.
The blade pierced Chu Zihang's jacket and struck his body with tremendous force, only to shatter instantly into metallic fragments. The knife hadn't even managed to scratch his skin, leaving only a faint white mark where it had made contact.
"How is this possible?" Finger stared at his empty hands in disbelief. His most powerful attack had been completely ineffective, and Chu Zihang had kept his promise not to use any supernatural abilities.
"Nothing is impossible, Brother Finger," Chu Zihang said calmly. "Of course, to train under me, you don't need to develop this level of physical resistance. You just need to meet the minimum fitness requirements."
He paused, considering the appropriate benchmark. "Run ten kilometers in under thirty minutes while carrying a five-hundred-kilogram load. Once you can do that consistently, we can begin proper training."
Running ten kilometers in thirty minutes was well within Finger's capabilities—mixed-bloods possessed far superior physical attributes compared to normal humans, and his years of training had doubled his natural speed. Under normal circumstances, this would be trivial.
But adding five hundred kilograms of weight changed everything dramatically. That load would essentially reduce him to ordinary human capabilities, and asking a normal person to maintain such pace over that distance was completely unrealistic.
"Understood, Junior Brother! I'll prove myself to you!"
In the past, such demanding requirements would have made Finger abandon the idea immediately. But seeing the living example of Chu Zihang's transformation before him, witnessing what was possible with proper training, Finger felt his determination crystallize into something unbreakable.
After leaving Chu Zihang's office, Finger began training that very day.
Over the following days, students and faculty at Cassel College witnessed an extraordinary sight: Finger, notorious for his laziness and gossip-mongering, rose before dawn each morning to run weighted laps around campus. His dedication was absolute and unwavering.
"Has Finger been mentally affected by something?" students whispered.
"Did the sun rise in the west today?" professors wondered aloud.
"Is this really the same Finger we know?" even his closest acquaintances asked.
Finger ignored the external commentary completely, focusing entirely on his exercise regimen while gradually increasing his load each day. His transformation from campus joke to serious athlete was impossible to miss.
Not only students and teachers observed Finger's metamorphosis—Vice Principal Flammel had been watching as well. One evening, he appeared in Finger's path as the student completed his training circuit.
"Vice Principal?" Finger's reaction mixed expectation with surprise.
He'd known Flammel would eventually approach him—the change in his behavior was too dramatic to go unnoticed by someone of Flammel's position. What surprised him was the open nature of this encounter rather than a discrete private meeting.
"Finger, what's your purpose in doing this?" Flammel's usual cynical playboy demeanor had vanished, replaced by solemn gravity.
"Revenge, Sensei," Finger replied quietly, meeting Flammel's gaze directly.
The title "Sensei" hit Flammel unexpectedly. He hadn't heard that form of address in years, and hearing it from Finger created a moment of disorientation—memories of a different time, when he'd been more teacher than administrator.
"Revenge?" Flammel repeated.
"Yes. Revenge."
"I understand." After a long pause, Flammel stepped aside, allowing Finger to continue his determined march into the distance.
Meanwhile, the investigation into Gustave's true identity had reached an impasse. With no concrete information available and Ladon's defeat serving as undeniable proof of his capabilities, Authorities found themselves in a difficult position. Cassel College's refusal to share details about the Kunlun Mountain dragon only complicated matters further.
After extensive deliberation, the Chinese government agreed to permit Cassel College's expedition—but with strict conditions:
First, this would be a joint operation comprising representatives from Cassel College, Chinese mixed-blood families, and official government forces. The government would maintain ultimate command authority throughout the mission.
Second, if the expedition confirmed a second-generation dragon's presence in the Kunlun Mountains, Chinese forces would claim two-thirds of any recovered materials after the creature's elimination.
When these terms reached Cassel College, Anjou accepted the first condition without hesitation. Operating within Chinese territory severely limited the academy's available resources—unlike their activities in Japan, any attempt to deploy American military assets would likely provoke missile strikes from Chinese forces.
The second condition proved more problematic. After several days of intense negotiations, including more than a few heated arguments, both sides reached a compromise: spoils would be divided equally, though Cassel College would bear all transportation costs for removing their share from Chinese territory.
Due to Chinese participation in the investigation, Cassel's original team was reduced to just two members: Ye Sheng and Aki Sakakotsu.
The Chinese mixed-blood families contributed three representatives: Chen Moqing, Li Quan, and Xia Jidong. Government forces provided another three: Wang Jianjun, Qian Feng, and Ma Yue.
Eight individuals total from three separate factions, equipped with cutting-edge gear and backed by official authorization, prepared to enter the Kunlun Mountains—the sacred peaks of Chinese legend—in search of an ancient dragon that might be stirring from millennia of slumber.