He tore through the Holy Grail War, and you still call him a dragon?

Zhou Yuxuan knew exactly why their attitudes had shifted—they'd seen with their own eyes what Shirou and Old Tang were capable of. It had become clear that the path of the Magecraft Circuit wasn't just viable—it had limitless potential.

What the noble families originally thought was the main goal—uniting to tear down the Chen family—suddenly seemed narrow-minded in retrospect.

But Zhou Yuxuan was a methodical man. He wouldn't dismiss people just because they annoyed him. That composure made the noble families dare to approach in the first place.

"I'm doing well, Master Wu, and so is Nuwa-sama—spirits high and energy strong."

Wu Jianhong let out a hearty laugh and slapped Zhou Yuxuan's back like he was pounding a war drum. "I heard something went down at the Three Kings' Tomb a while back—something serious. Word is your new Chōshi saved your life. Am I right or am I right?"

Zhou Yuxuan remained calm. "I appreciate the concern, Master Wu. Some people like to flap their tongues too much. Nuwa-sama personally selected our new Chōshi; I imagine the rumors were spread by people with an agenda."

"The Zhou family's new Chōshi… I wonder who that outstanding talent might be?" Wu Jianhong pushed, fishing directly for info about Shirou.

But Zhou knew Shirou was considered untouchable by Nuwa-sama—a personal favorite. She wouldn't allow the noble families to poke around. And Shirou himself clearly didn't want to be bogged down with noble gossip either. If Zhou let his guard down, the nobles' spies would swarm like flies.

"Best to wait, Master Wu. On the appointed day, you'll see the Chōshi's power with your own eyes."

As dusk settled on the horizon, Zhou recalled Nuwa-sama's instructions. He bowed slightly and said seriously:

"Rather than digging for what you won't get, Master Wu, perhaps you should consider why Nuwa-sama is willing to share Magecraft with a select few noble houses—and only with those she already trusts. You do realize this knowledge can't be kept under wraps forever? It'll eventually spread across nations."

When that day came, it wouldn't just be these nobles knocking on the door.

Wu Jianhong's jovial face suddenly turned solemn. "Yuxuan, are you offering me counsel?"

"I wouldn't dare. Just a suggestion… perhaps Nuwa-sama believes our noble families are too quiet. Some names have become obstructive—like the Chen family tying itself to the Gattusos… or Kassel itself…"

The noble houses were supposed to protect Shenzhou from local dragons and keep foreign mixed-blood factions at bay. But in truth, they'd grown complacent. Dragon blood and artifacts were slipping out of the country. Even Kassel had opened a preparatory school branch here, pulling in wildblood students by the hundreds.

In fact, Shenzhou's Black King descendants had become Kassel's primary student source. The nobles had nearly given up the fight.

But Nuwa-sama saw Magecraft as a turning point—a catalyst for change.

Wu Jianhong's eyes flickered with realization. His burly arms tensed, beard trembling slightly as he gave Zhou Yuxuan a deep, respectful bow. "Nuwa-sama… truly has vision."

Zhou returned the gesture before calmly walking away. "Then I hope you, too, will show some vision, Master Wu."

This was a realignment. A reshuffling of powers. The Bai family had already shown its hand. The rest—if they were smart—should know which side to take.

"After all… you wouldn't want your family to be the next Chen family, right?"

—

Whoosh—

A piercing hiss as blades tore through the air—two flashes of steel darting like venomous snakes.

"Ha! I dodge!"

Old Tang, proud of his improved reflexes and wild instincts, spun around dramatically and leapt backward with flair. The aura of the ancient blades just barely skimmed past him.

CLANG!

A pair of black-and-white bronze short swords scraped across the ground after narrowly missing their mark, carving deep, smooth grooves into the pavement and sending wisps of smoke into the air.

"Old Tang! Watch out!" Shirou called from a distance, sending another pair of twin blades flying.

The new swords buzzed through the air, spinning like silken threads of death.

The first pair, now behind Old Tang, suddenly reversed course, twirling in deadly arcs. Four swords now flanked him, sealing off every possible escape route—front, back, left, right.

"Damn it! You throw another pair at me, and next time I'm gonna leave this training with a missing limb!"

Old Tang's instincts kicked in. He locked in on the trajectory of the swords—yes, these were Kanshō and Bakuya, the married blades.

In a move that defied physics, he bent backward like a bow, legs spread wide. The two lateral swords clashed right in front of his chest—clang!—and dropped harmlessly. But the ones from front and back nicked his pants—

Rrrip.

A pair of clean, straight slashes tore through his brand-new Patagonia training pants.

"Relax. No more coming. Two pairs is the limit of Crane Wing Twin Link."

Shirou walked over and retrieved the swords. Lately, he'd focused almost exclusively on projecting Kanshō and Bakuya, following the style of Red Archer. Finally, he'd managed to infuse the blades with mutual attraction properties—an essential step.

His goal? To develop the infamous Crane Wing Triple Link, an inescapable combo that used the blades' homing pull to close all exits. But he was still far from the level of Red Archer, who could execute a three-pair barrage based on pure combat insight and prediction. Right now, Shirou could only manage two.

Old Tang grumbled, brushing off the dust. He'd been through hell in this training. He finally had some money in his pocket thanks to the Zhou family, bought himself some nice gear… and now it was getting slashed up in practice.

His "good brother" said sweating now meant bleeding less on the battlefield, then kicked off some insane training regimen. Old Tang was too embarrassed to admit he'd rather be playing StarCraft, letting all this Magecraft talent go to waste.

As he drifted in thought, Zhou Yuxuan approached from a distance.

"Nuwa-sama requests your presence. According to the latest intel from the 'Trio,' the Chen family is on the move. Our operation begins soon."

(End of Chapter)

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