Walking into Ruan Mei's laboratory, Sylvia was struck by how bright it was—not at all the minimalist aesthetic she had imagined.
Instead, the decor leaned heavily into the style of the Xianzhou.
She supposed that was just Ruan Mei's personal taste.
Sylvia followed Ruan Mei inside, getting scanned and sanitized by automated machinery as we walked.
Once a certain airlock door hissed open, Sylvia saw them: two rows of massive, cylindrical incubation pods. Inside, all sorts of bizarre, twisted creatures were suspended in fluid.
"These are the results of my recent experiments. I've been trying to replicate Dragon Traits, and I've received some rather promising feedback," Ruan Mei explained as we strolled through the rows.
"To give you the bottom line: all these test subjects possess a faint trace of the Path of Permanence. But that's where it ends. Once they reach maturity, that power doesn't increase; in fact, it starts to atrophy."
"The existence of Dragon Traits definitely brings about the power of Permanence. That much is certain."
Ruan Mei caressed the glass casing beside her. The creature inside was serpentine, adorned with dragon wings, currently coiled in a peaceful sleep.
"I later tried adding multiple Dragon Traits to a single specimen, even attempting to mimic the appearance of the Aeon of Permanence itself..."
Hearing this, Sylvia finally couldn't help but ask:
"Did you succeed?"
"No. I failed."
Ruan Mei glanced back at Sylvia, a faint, almost imperceptible smile gracing her lips.
"A very intriguing experiment. The embryo survived and developed quite smoothly, but the moment it reached a certain stage, it was as if some entity forcibly cut its life short. It simply ceased to be."
When it came to genetic compilation, Ruan Mei considered herself flawless.
The smooth development of the embryos proved this; some even exhibited morphologies that matched the Light Cone data by over 50 percent.
Yet, even with all data falling within expected parameters, they died for no reason. This inexplicable death made Ruan Mei realize there were deeper forces at play.
The difficulty in stacking Dragon Traits wasn't technical—it was external.
As she spoke, she dragged the hologram of the deceased subject into the air for Sylvia to see.
"...A baby dragon embryo?"
"Yes. It failed. So, I tried mimicking the appearance of the Vidyadhara High-Elders."
She was, of course, referring to their true dragon forms.
"Did those fail too?"
"Indeed. However, these fared slightly better. At least they managed to reach maturity before dying."
Ruan Mei nodded and continued leading us deeper into the lab.
"I suspect the Path of Permanence itself is obstructing the birth of these dragons."
Ruan Mei believed the Path was actively limiting the creation of dragons. Even with this artificial method, it was impossible to increase the number of Scions of Permanence.
It was an iron law of the Path.
While those creatures with minor Dragon Traits possessed a sliver of power, they were weak and capable of reproduction—clearly, they didn't meet the standards of a true dragon scion.
At this point, Ruan Mei's gaze sharpened, boring into Sylvia with an intensity that felt as if she were trying to peer through skin and muscle, straight into her womb.
Sylvia instinctively took a step back, unsettled by that scorching stare. She had a feeling Ruan Mei was about to say something world-shattering.
And, as it turned out, Ruan Mei didn't disappoint:
"I am very curious, Sylvia. Do you still possess the ability to bear offspring? You are the only Pathstrider of Permanence who isn't a naturally born dragon scion."
Ruan Mei smiled and took a step forward, as if she were merely asking if we'd had lunch yet.
"Shall we try? Let us conceive a child."
"...?!!!"
Before Sylvia could even react, Mei stepped forward, planting herself between Sylvia and Ruan Mei.
Her eyes were cold, filled with a dangerous, sharp intent. Even her hair began to lose its color, turning white—she looked ready to draw her blade and strike Ruan Mei down at the slightest provocation.
"Calm down, calm down! Don't hack her here—if you break something, we can't afford the damages!"
Seeing Mei's pressure mounting, Sylvia quickly reached out to wrap her arms around her, holding her back. This lab looked obscenely expensive; if they sold her off in pieces, they probably still wouldn't be able to pay for the repairs.
Ruan Mei was forced back a few steps by the sheer force of the presence, but her eyes brightened with excitement.
"You truly are an Emanator! And it seems your relationship is... much more than just partners."
"For Sylvia's sake."
Mei reined in her aura but didn't budge, keeping herself as a barrier between the two. Her sharp, piercing gaze made her stance clear.
Ruan Mei gave a small, graceful smile.
"If it bothers you, the two of you can join as well. I only need data on whether Sylvia can still reproduce. The partner is secondary."
Swish—
Mei's demeanor softened instantly.
"...That, actually, doesn't sound too bad."
Mei tilted her head, seemingly lost in a fleeting thought, and nodded to herself, looking like she might actually be considering the suggestion.
But right then—
Thwack!
A palm smacked directly against Mei's forehead. Sylvia, face flushed bright red, snapped:
"It sounds terrible! Why are you agreeing to that?!"
Mei, having been soundly slapped, didn't even flinch. She just turned her head and stared at Sylvia with an innocent blink.
Her left eye seemed to say 'None,' her right eye said 'Selfish,' and her forehead was practically branded with 'Self-Sacrifice for Science.'
"Shoo! Go away!"
Sylvia couldn't handle that gaze; she was afraid that if she looked at her for another second, her own resolve would crumble. She shoved Mei to the side before turning to Ruan Mei.
"I'm rejecting this experiment. If you have the time, you should research something more practical—like the fusion of the Abundance and the Path of Permanence. At least the Xianzhou has a successful case study for that."
"Heh~" Ruan Mei covered her mouth with one hand and chuckled.
"You're referring to the current High-Elder of the Luofu, I presume? I've heard of that matter, but I prefer to start with reproduction."
Compared to the Abundance, the Propagation—which she had studied recently—was clearly a more suitable starting point.
"As a matter of fact, I've already made progress. Look at this."
Ruan Mei waved a hand, signaling the AI to open a specific chamber. A sealed pod descended slowly from the ceiling. Inside the glass, there was a creature about two meters long, resembling a mix between a dragonfly and a dragon.
Two pairs of thin, translucent dragon wings shimmered with a brilliant, iridescent light. It possessed a slender body covered in snow-white scales, along with the iconic dragon tail and horns.
However, its six jointed limbs, giant compound eyes, and mouthparts were distinctly insectoid.
It was a strange, yet hauntingly beautiful creature.
"I used your data, Sylvia, combined with the power of the Swarm to create it."
Ruan Mei seemed somewhat satisfied with the results.
"By incorporating the power of Propagation, adding Dragon Traits became feasible. The power of Permanence was significantly enhanced. This path seems theoretically sound."
"However, what's interesting is that even though I added the power of Propagation, the moment the power of Permanence stabilized within it, the creature lost the ability to reproduce."
Ruan Mei pouted as she shared the conclusion. She had meticulously designed a complete reproductive system, even one capable of parthenogenesis. Yet, even while the system developed perfectly, it simply failed. It lost the ability to produce offspring.
And this was the Propagation at work. To have the Path of Propagation lose the ability to propagate? Was the Path of Propagation too fragmented, or was the Path of Permanence simply too overpowering? Ruan Mei found this phenomenon utterly fascinating.
Sylvia didn't dwell on it, but Mei, who understood the Paths more deeply, showed a clear emotional shift at this discovery. The effective combination of two Paths was something nearly impossible for a normal Pathstrider. Yet, Ruan Mei could just toss something like this together?
So this is the capability of a genius, Mei thought to herself.
Sylvia then spoke up:
"So, all in all, you really did succeed in creating the first dragon scion?"
"The result speaks for itself."
"Sssp..."
Sylvia couldn't help but think of the insane lengths Dan Heng's past self had gone to. Knowledge truly is power. Ruan Mei just casually turned her hand and manifested a dragon scion. One wonders how Dan Heng would feel if he knew what was happening here.
Ruan Mei, unaware of Sylvia's internal musings, didn't care for her reaction and stepped forward. She beckoned, and several mechanical arms extended from the shadows.
"First, let me take a sample. Your current state, the way you exhibit dragon traits... and tell me, how exactly are you enhancing the power of Permanence?"
For normal dragon scions, increasing the power of Permanence is grueling. The Vidyadhara rely on ancestral rites—spells derived from the Path of Permanence, refined over generations.
But even then, breaking through to the peak of a High-Elder to achieve the 'flesh-dragon' form is nearly impossible. They rely on dreaming of their progenitor dragons to break those limits.
That was why Sylvia piqued her interest. It had only been a short time, and the Permanence within Sylvia had already grown. What Sylvia displayed completely defied the characteristics of the Path.
Sylvia didn't feel the need to hide it.
"I keep wearing down the Permanence. Metamorphosis, rebirth. It's a process, and the result, so far, has been smooth."
"I am using the power of Nihility to oppose Permanence, simulating that 'extinction-to-rebirth' cycle. It's been effective."
"..."
Even Ruan Mei couldn't help but stare at Sylvia, taken aback by a method so reckless it bordered on suicidal.
"That is certainly a unique approach," Ruan Mei muttered. "Using Nihility to counter Permanence... when you think about it, it makes sense. The power of a Path is tied to philosophy; when your actions align with that philosophy, the power grows. The extinction brought by Nihility is even purer than Destruction."
"It's a bold strategy. But researching Nihility requires more preparation. You don't mind if I contact Herta?"
Ruan Mei's current equipment wasn't enough to support research into Nihility. She intended to take this into the Simulated Universe for further projection.
"Sure, go ahead."
Sylvia nodded, unbothered. Normal dragon scions wouldn't have the nerve to play with their lives like this.
With other methods, death might mean reincarnation, but if you get swallowed by Nihility? That's truly the end.
"Then thank you, my dear."
Ruan Mei's gaze burned with a hunger that suggested she wanted to strip her bare and examine everything, inside and out.
It was precisely why she wanted to know if Sylvia's reproductive system was functioning properly. Sylvia's state was inherently abnormal, and she was tempering her body with Nihility daily—that made it even more volatile.
Perhaps this very instability was the key to Sylvia breaking through the laws of Permanence.
It was imaginable: if it were possible, dragon scions across the galaxy would go mad to possess Sylvia.
Let's hope that doesn't happen.
Ruan Mei shrugged and gestured for the sampler to approach. During this, she reached out, her fingertips glowing, and touched Sylvia's abdomen.
She moved the fabric of her hem aside and rubbed her fingertips against the smooth, firm skin. Though perhaps unnecessary, as a researcher, this investigation required a personal touch.
Having such a sensitive area touched so directly—and probed with that peculiar energy—made Sylvia's face flush crimson.
"Wait... mm... is this check really necessary?"
Sylvia's voice trembled, a faint, ragged breath escaping her lips. It was clear Ruan Mei's examination was quite deep.
"Of course. It is the most important part."
Ruan Mei didn't hesitate. The power at her fingertips quickly returned feedback. The entire reproductive system was intact and healthy.
At least from the preliminary results, Sylvia retained her reproductive capacity, unlike other dragon scions whose systems often failed due to their nature.
She likely still could reproduce. But whether she could successfully carry a child still required proof.
After all, Sylvia wasn't a natural-born dragon scion; even if she bore offspring, it was highly unlikely they would inherit dragon traits.
It's a pity. If only I could see a child.
Ruan Mei felt a pang of regret. Sylvia clearly had no intention of sacrificing her time for the sake of the experiment.
"Sigh... alright, that's enough."
Ruan Mei withdrew her hand from the gently trembling abdomen and looked at the flushed Sylvia with a slight smile.
Quite sensitive, isn't she? Is that innate?
While her mind wandered, she started ushering them out.
"Samples collected. If you're free later, help me release these little guys into the wild. I've marked the optimal drop-off points for them. I've also sent the special sensory beacons to your device."
Except for the successful dragon scion that still required nurturing and observation, the rest could be released. They were failures, after all.
The lab's AI had already calculated the suitable locations. Usually, autonomous drones handled this, but since Sylvia was here, she might as well do it.
She could even kill them and eat them if she wanted to—they were just failed experiments.
"Oh... alright."
Sylvia opened the file Ruan Mei sent. The creatures weren't particularly ferocious, but the variety was eclectic. They looked like they had been hand-selected for some purpose.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL