As Vaan trained in the Way of the Formless Dragon, he consumed a large number of mana stones only to produce a small amount of dragon aura.
However, dragon aura was much denser than the normal aura. Thus, even if the dragon aura was smaller, the power was still comparable to a greater normal aura.
Nevertheless, his dragon aura wasn’t the only thing improving.
After performing the required set of physical movements a few hundred times with increasing tempo, Vaan began to feel the burn in his tired muscles.
Thus, he absorbed more mana and allowed it to nourish his body.
Ding!
<Your body is being strengthened>
<Your body is being strengthened>
<Your speed has improved by three points>
…
Due to Vaan’s high defense and strength, some benefits of practicing the Way of the Formless Dragon could not be seen.
Even so, his body still improved in a way that also increased his speed.
That said, Vaan wasn’t the least bit surprised that his speed could also be improved from practicing the Way of the Formless Dragon.
After all, he had incorporated the essence of the Swift Dragon Exercise, which prioritized speed, in its creation.
Even so, the essence of the Swift Dragon Exercise wasn’t purely about improving speed.
Rather, it emphasized the development of elasticity and flexibility in the muscles over mass. Thus, improving the body’s overall toughness and strength without any loss of speed.
As such, Vaan didn’t have to worry about developing excessive muscle masses that would make him bulky and impede his freedom of movement.
Ding!
<Your dragon aura has increased>
<Your speed has increased by 3 points>
…
While Vaan was immersed in aura cultivation, everyone else in the Red Dragon Clan was also focused on their individual training.
Hester worked on consolidating her third mana ring and stabilizing her power as an Early-stage High Witch, using the abundance of mana found in the Red Dragon Clan’s atmosphere.
She hoped to achieve saturation in her third mana ring as soon as possible so she could borrow the dragons’ help again to advance to the Mid-stage High Witch rank.
It might be selfish of her to rely on the dragons, but she would be a fool if she didn’t take advantage of the opportunity presented to her.
Furthermore, it was Headmaster Astoria who gave her the idea.
Just two days ago, Headmaster Astoria sought help from the ninth dragon lord and successfully overcame the barrier that prevented every Early-stage High Witch from becoming Mid-stage High Witch.
Since then, Headmaster Astoria had been consolidating her fourth mana ring and stabilizing her power as a Mid-stage High Witch.
Besides Headmaster Astoria, Lady Aeliana also borrowed the eighth dragon lord’s help to form her third mana ring and advance to Early-stage High Witch.
Hester felt a sense of inferiority when she thought of Lady Aeliana.
After all, while it was true that Lady Aeliana requested the eighth dragon lord’s help to advance to Early-stage High Witch safely, the eighth dragon lord didn’t actually get a chance to help.
Lady Aeliana’s advancement to Early-stage High Witch was smooth without any problem. She only asked the eighth dragon lord for insurance.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t the time for Hester to feel down due to her lack of talent.
She knew that Lady Aeliana’s talent wasn’t easy to come by. In fact, Lady Aeliana had suffered a great deal to acquire her strong mental fortitude.
Hester was confident in her determination, but even she wasn’t so sure she could endure three years of hellish agony without losing her mind.
As such, she had a great deal of respect for Lady Aeliana.
‘Even if others don’t think well of me, I have to use my connections to compensate for my lack of talent. That is the only way I can keep up with them,’ Hester understood.
…
…
…
Over the past month, Sunpeak Town has undergone great changes.
When news of the curse being lifted from the land spread to its neighboring regions, travelers and merchants alike started to use the fast route passing through the town once more.
However, any business-minded person could easily smell the money when they recalled Sunpeak Town’s prosperity in the past.
As a result, Sunpeak Town’s population increased tenfold, the outer buildings were all renovated, and even the town’s wall was repaired.
As more people traveled and moved into Sunpeak Town, life was breathed back into the town with a fresh new look.
However, the heart of the town, the central district, remained decrepit and old, like a cancerous disease that refused to be removed.
Although the original townspeople didn’t pay attention to the business world, even they could sense a great storm brewing over Sunpeak Town amidst its revitalization.
…
Inside the old town lord’s estate, a young Mid-stage True Witch carrying a stack of letters knocked on the doors to the lord’s bedchamber.
After receiving permission from Lady Solana, the acting lord of Sunpeak Town, the young Mid-stage True Witch entered.
“Lady Solana, I’ve brought invitations and messages from merchants and the neighboring lords,” the young Mid-stage True Witch informed.
“Thank you, Marilla. You can just leave them on the desk in the left corner like last time,” Solana instructed with a tired tone.
“Yes, Lady Solana,” Marilla complied obediently.
Nevertheless, while heading over to the desk in the left corner, she snuck a glance at Solana sitting beside the bed with dark bags under her eyes.
It was clear that Solana had not slept for many days.
However, another lady occupied her bed, deep in slumber with a weak breath, bandaged body, and exuded a strong stench of herbal medicine.
Besides the severely-wounded lady on the bed, there was also another person in the bedchamber.
After Marilla completed her task, Cyrena immediately picked up the letters from the desk to read them one by one.
“Milady, please get some rest. Your body won’t hold at this rate,” Marilla worriedly suggested as she was about to leave the room
However, Solana shook her head.
“You don’t have to worry about my health, Marilla. I will rest when I need to,” Solana stated before requesting, “Please return to your post and keep watch of the situation outside.”
“I understand, Milady,” Marilla obeyed with a soft sigh.