In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar

"We had a fight." Wang Yan shrugged, trying to make his tone sound casual.

Serene didn't say anything.

Although her celestial form showed no change in expression, the light around her dimmed noticeably.

Having known her for so long, Wang Yan knew perfectly well what this expression meant; it meant Serene was genuinely worried.

"It's nothing serious," Wang Yan said directly, without hiding anything. "It's just... I exchanged a couple of blows with that Vilett."

“That Vilet?” Serene’s voice suddenly rose. “The Supreme Judge of Maple Valley? The Water Dragon King?”

When Wang Yan came to Fengdan for a visit, he naturally introduced the situation of Fengdan to Serene. At the very least, Vilet must have told her about it.

"Ah."

"You fought him?" Serene's voice trembled. "Have you gone mad?!"

As an angel who had studied the Ice Dragon King, Serene was well aware of the power of these elemental dragon kings; even the dead ones possessed terrifying authority and threat.

Not to mention a living Dragon King.

"What are you thinking about?" Wang Yan tapped Serene's head. "That Vilet is the second-generation Water Dragon King, quite different from the Ice Dragon King you remember."

Compared to the first Dragon King, although Navellet regained full power, he was indeed still 'young' and could not match the strength of the first Dragon King.

If it were Appepp, Wang Yan would absolutely not fight it; he would simply run away.

Even without his full powers, Apep, who has rekindled the heart of the oasis, is still far more powerful than any ordinary demon god.

To put it simply, when Dotoree was stirring up trouble within the World Tree, even causing it to mutate in an attempt to surpass it, Appepp didn't even consider moving out of the desert, or even making a single move.

When Ying took Nasita to find her, Apep said he only felt that it was noisy.

It's fair to say that even the doctor who controls the World Tree didn't pose a threat to Appepp.

Many people think the Fire Dragon King is awesome, and the Dragon Clan's technology is amazing.

But it seems no one has considered that the Fire Dragon King is powerful because of his advanced technology and combat strength. So... what makes Apep, who is on the same level as the Fire Dragon King, comparable to him?

So when I say Appepp's fighting power is heaven-defying, does anyone understand?

Serene stared at him for a while, making sure Wang Yan wasn't injured, before nodding: "So you're alright?"

“It’s over.” Wang Yan nodded. “Vilette left after the fight. I rushed back because I was afraid the people from the Shadow Chasing Court would come after us.”

Serene was silent for a while, then her little tail finally wagged slightly again, a sign that she had relaxed.

"Next time..." her voice was muffled, "Next time, if you know you'll be facing someone of that level, could you tell me beforehand?"

“You can’t really help anyway,” Wang Yan said frankly.

"Me!!" Serene exploded, leaping into the air. "What do you mean?! I'm, after all,..."

"Okay, okay, you're amazing." Wang Yan laughed and reached out to pull her back. "But next time something like this happens, I'll definitely call you first, alright?"

Serene was held in his palm, sulking and refusing to speak.

After a few seconds, she whispered, "...Could you please not scare me like that next time?"

Serene was genuinely terrified when she heard that he had faced off against the Elemental Dragon King.

Of course, this cannot be blamed on Wang Yan.

Because in Wang Yan's understanding, the existence of the Dragon King is actually similar to that of the Seven Gods.

Furthermore, since Navellet is a law-abiding dragon, his threat level is even lower.

Even during the battle, Wang Yan did not sense any murderous intent from Navelite. Otherwise, after the previous clash, Wang Yan would not have let Navelite leave directly, but would have chosen to continue fighting desperately.

Wang Yan wouldn't simply dismiss someone who harbors murderous intent as "sick" and call it a day.

Therefore, even in the midst of a major battle, in Wang Yan's mind, the Vilet were at least a neutral party.

But in Serene's mind, it was a completely different matter.

In her view, the Dragon King was an existence that could not be compared to any so-called demon god, and his level of danger was far greater.

Even during the eternal ages in which she was active, an era when the Dragon Kings were suppressed, the Dragon King's existence was one of the defining factors.

If the dragon is in danger, then the dragon king is even more so.

"Okay, I'll be more careful next time."

Wang Yan did not ignore the worry in Serene's words. He gently rubbed her cheek with his index finger, giving her his assurance.

Just then, "Seventy-two Xuanming" flew back, hovered in front of Wang Yan, circled twice, and made a clear chime.

The water is boiled.

Are you going to take a shower?

"Yeah, I just had a fight, I'm all sweaty and wet, I need to wash up first," Wang Yan replied matter-of-factly.

"Then, then you go wash." Her voice inexplicably shrank by half. "I... I'll go to the lab to check the data."

She was only halfway through her sentence when she vanished in a flash, leaving only a faint trail of light behind her.

Wang Yan watched her fleeing figure and couldn't help but chuckle before walking straight into the inner room.

The living area in the secret realm was renovated by him later. Although the castle he promised Serene is still nowhere to be seen, there is already everything he needs for rest.

The bathtub was already prepared, and the water temperature from the "Seventy-Two Xuanming" was just right—neither too hot nor too cold. The moment I soaked in, my tense muscles felt like they were melting away, and I felt indescribably comfortable.

Wang Yan closed her eyes, letting the warm water envelop her.

At the same time, the battle with Navellet replayed quickly in his mind.

The Water Dragon King's power was indeed well-deserved; the feeling of pressure coming down from the level of authority was unlike any opponent he had encountered before.

If I hadn't made such rapid progress during this period, I might not even have been able to face my opponent directly.

But... that's all there is to it.

Once I obtain the formula for "Harmony" and integrate it with "World Style," the realm of elements will surely usher in a new breakthrough.

At that time... I wonder if Vilet's great power over water will still be able to resist the distorted laws within the domain.

"However... Gu Long's power is really quite formidable."

Wang Yan thought to himself, recalling every move Vilette made during the battle.

Recalling the source water surrounding the Water Dragon King, recalling their mechanical lifespan.

Gradually, as Wang Yan's will fluctuated, the water in the bathtub seemed to come alive, flowing around Wang Yan.

If Navellet were here, he would find that these water rings encircling Wang Yan's trajectory are seven or eight parts similar to the way the source water encircles him.

Wang Yan's eyes lit up.

There's a way!

During the battle, he vaguely sensed that when Vilet activated the source water, there was something regular hidden in the flow of the water.

At the time, he was too busy responding to the challenge to think things through. Now that he's soaking in the water and has some free time, he's reflecting on his experience and comparing it with his own. Surprisingly, he's actually figured out some of the tricks of the trade.

The water flowing around him grew faster and faster, and the trajectory became more and more complex, gradually moving from a seven or eight-tenths similarity to a nine-tenths similarity.

Wang Yan held his breath, his consciousness sinking into the flowing ripples of the water.

He wanted to see what was hidden behind the Source Water Mechanical Energy Life E, and whether it was what he imagined.

He directly pried the fire elemental rune from the Sacred Red Eagle, the grass elemental rune was given to him by Narcida, and the wind elemental rune was given to him by Venti. These were all "ready-made".

But things are different now.

If it were possible to replicate Violet's ability to control the source water, then...

The water flowed around him in circles, its trajectory becoming more and more precise, and closer and closer to how he remembered Vilet activating the source water.

Wang Yan's heart skipped a beat.

Is there a chance?

He concentrated, following the path of the water to explore deeper—

Then, there was nothing.

The water is indeed flowing, and the trajectory is indeed mimicking, but behind the trajectory... there is nothing.

It's like he drew a circle exactly like a photograph, but the photograph itself doesn't tell him why the circle in the photograph is round.

Wang Yan opened his eyes, and the water around him collapsed with a "whoosh," splashing half a bucket of water out.

He stared at his palms and remained silent for a long while.

"...Something is missing."

It's not a lack of skill, nor a lack of precision.

He can imitate the hissing of the source water, and replicate the posture of the water flowing around the Violet, even achieving an 80-90% resemblance, but that's about it.

The trajectory is merely a superficial appearance.

The reason why the source water hisses so strongly is that it is a natural quality that Light, as the Water Dragon King, possesses from birth.

What Wang Yan saw and imitated were only the "results," not the "causes."

He can draw the shape of flowing water, but he cannot conjure up the water itself.

However, what the Root Runes need to understand is not what is outwardly visible.

What he's doing now, to put it nicely, is observation and learning; to put it bluntly, it's just copying others, imitating others' walks, or mimicking others' expressions... In short, it's not going to work.

We still need to see the essence.

Wang Yan sighed and put his arm, which had surfaced, back into the water.

Not urgent.

Take it slow.

He closed his eyes and savored the feeling of the water flowing again.

Although no root runes were released, his understanding of many water element runes has indeed deepened after that round.

"Hmm... It's not a bad deal."

Wang Yan muttered something to himself and finally let go of the matter.

Soaking in the hot water made me feel weak all over, and drowsiness came over me again.

He soaked in the bath until the water temperature cooled down to a comfortable level before slowly getting out of the tub, drying himself off, and changing into his pajamas.

I flopped onto the bed, pulled the blanket over myself, and my mind was still racing with the thoughts I'd just had. But then, it just stopped racing.

He drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 372 If I can't beat the Water Dragon King, I can still beat you?

The next day.

Wang Yan awoke with a heavy feeling in his chest.

Without even opening his eyes, Wang Yan skillfully reached out, picked up Serene, and put her aside before standing up and stretching.

I slept soundly through the night and felt refreshed.

I picked up the pocket watch from the bedside, opened it, and glanced at the time. It was still early, only six o'clock.

"Before, my biological clock was like that of an animal, which left me no chance to sleep in. Now it's better. My physical fitness has improved, my mental strength has increased, and my need for sleep has decreased."

"I'm just not cut out for sleeping in."

Wang Yan made a self-deprecating joke, then got out of bed, greeted "Seventy-two Xuanming" with a "good morning," brushed his teeth, washed his face, and ate breakfast.

By the time he finished, Serene hadn't gotten up, and Wang Yan didn't wake her either. This girl had been concerned about Wang Yan for a while yesterday, and then she stayed up all night doing experiments.

Let her sleep a little longer.

After leaving a small note for Serene, Wang Yan left the secret realm.

...

The gentle morning breeze and warm sunshine made me feel really comfortable.

There are many more boats on Dafengdan Lake, and there are more or less people in uniforms on these boats.