Yasenia arrived at the garden and joined Kaleina, Flame, Andrea, and Evelyn.
"Mommy!"
"Aunty!"
Kaleina and Flame rushed toward her with large smiles once they spotted her, falling in her arms.
By now, Kaleina was considered a big creature for common beasts. Although her body was in the long and slender spectrum as an eastern dragon variant, she was already three meters long. While a three-meter-long snake would be relatively slim, as a dragon, Kaleina was at least three times thicker.
Moreover, unlike most Eastern Dragons, Kaleina only had frontal limbs, and on her back, there were two small dragon wings. They were still growing, and for now, they were unusable, but in the future, they would grow beautifully.
Yasenia asked while caressing the two little ones in her arms. "What were you doing, dears?"
Kaleina answered enthusiastically. "We were fighting!"
Kaleina's speech was much more mature than before, as she was already approaching ten years of age.
Flame corrected her quickly, looking a bit nervous. "Sparring! Not fighting!"
Flame was also taller after her growth during her 10~13 years. Of course, for our dragoness, Flame was still petite and could fit snuggly between her arms.
Yasenia laughed and kissed Flame's and Kaleina's foreheads. "Very good. How about you show me?"
Kaleina and Flame nodded quickly and went to the small arena Andrea created. It was about 10 meters wide, more than enough for both of them.
Arriving by Andrea's and Evelyn's side, the dragoness asked. "How are you doing, Dear, Darling?"
They smiled, and Andrea spoke first. "Well, we are relaxing a bit with the children. Have you finished whatever you were doing?"
Evelyn's nose twitched as she sniffed around Yasenia. "Did you have fun with the others?"
Yasenia was speechless. "What are you, a dog? I bathed before coming here."
Evelyn lifted an eyebrow. "Right, you smell fresh, as if you just showered. And other than when you shower with us after sending us to Pleasure Heaven, you don't shower. Hence, since you took a bath, it means that you got intimate with someone."
Yasenia and Andrea were stumped. They couldn't say anything else but admit defeat. Yasenia hugged her and laughed. "I was with Cecile and Kali."
Evelyn's eyebrows raised. "Did you just say, 'and'?"
The dragoness smirked. "The situation was just right, so Cecile didn't mind."
Andrea looked toward the arena and commented. "They are in position, love."
Yasenia patted Evelyn's head. "Let's talk later."
Evelyn didn't have any problem with that, and the three of them looked at the arena. Kaleina shouted. "Mommy, give us the go-ahead!"
Yasenia took out a coin and smiled. "When this coin touches the ground, you both can start."
Cling~.
Her nail accurately flicked the coin upward in a parabola, sending it toward the center of the arena between Kaleina and Flame.
The young dragon's muscles tensed as Flame also took a fighting stance, her red wings folding on her back.
Yasenia pondered in her mind. 'Kaleina is a Level Five Mortal Beast, while Flame is a high-level Foundation Building Phase Body Cultivator. In terms of energy, Flame has an advantage, but in terms of strength, Kaleina should be above. It will be an interesting match.'
Since she had taken Flame under her wing, Yasenia did not hold back teaching her, and she had prepared suitable Fire Attributed Spiritual and Body Cultivation Techniques and Treasures. While she still couldn't learn the Spiritual Cultivation Technique, she was already learning it to have much less trouble when starting later.
Moreover, she had noticed that the first realm of the Spiritual Path and the second realm of the Body Path had many similarities in terms of being the realm when the cultivator developed their meridians and Dantian.
Remember that the first Body Realm was about coating the body with energy, while only in the second would the cultivator grow their meridians.
While she thought about this, the coin she threw finally hit the ground with a crisp sound.
In the same instant, Flame leaned forward and pushed while Kaleina also shot forward like an arrow shot from a bow.
Yasenia's eyes flashed. 'Good speed.'
Flame moved her arms in a circular motion that ended in a straight punch. "[Fire Punch]."
Answering her punch, Kaleina's golden dragon eyes flashed with deep energy, and her body shifted in place. Yasenia's eyebrow shot upward. 'Spatial manipulation? Already?'
Flame's fist burst in a fire explosion, creating a fireball, and as if she expected Kaleina to dodge, her body spun, and her leg shot venomously toward Kaleina's body. "[Fire Kick]!"
With the sound of air igniting, Kaleina had to twist her body and place her arms defensively. "
Bang!
Kaleina's body moved backward, but she quickly opened her jaw as white energy gathered. Flame quickly sidestepped in surprise, her feet tangling a bit, and a small white ball shot quickly from Kaleina's mouth, brushing past her and landing on the ground, creating a small explosion. It was a ball of Star Energy that she had compressed and shot.
After dodging, Flame was quick and stepped into mele range, shooting her fist toward Kaleina's reverse scale without mercy. Kaleina's pupils shrunk as she moved her head, dodging the uppercut, and her tail quickly moved as she lashed at Flame from the side.
Flame, without any other option, used her wings and arms to protect herself.
BANG!
The heavy hit blew her arms and wings open, and the strike of the dragon forced her to take a few steps back.
Kaleina didn't let that opportunity go, and her Beast Core rotated, emitting Void Energy and making the space around Flame's right foot vanish for a second.
The young woman's eyes opened as her foot felt as if it stepped into nothing, losing balance as her body fell sideways.
With a quick movement, Kaleina threw herself toward her prey with her mouth open, rushing to bite Flame's throat.
Flame wanted to dodge by using her wings, but it was too late.
Before the dragon's teeth sank into Flame's skin, Yasenia appeared and hugged them both in her arms. "Wow! You two did so well!"
Their combat-ready state completely disappeared, returning to their usual cuddly and cheerful selves. Kaleina exclaimed. "Oh! I won! I won!"
Flame laughed from Yasenia's arms. "Congratulations, Kaleina! Today, you were much sharper than usual." Flame teased. "Is it because Aunty Yasenia was looking?"
Kaleina's cheeks became brighter in embarrassment, and she nodded shyly. "I wanted to show Mommy my best."
Yasenia laughed and rained kisses on their faces. "You both did excellent. Flame's combination at the beginning was extremely well executed. The only reason you couldn't finish Kaleina off with the uppercut was that your sidestep was a bit rushed, and you tangled yourself."
Flame blushed at the compliment and then seriously nodded when Yasenia pointed at her mistake.
Yasenia then looked at Kaleina and smiled. "When someone attacks you, and you dodge, it's not always best to rush into an opening because they might have created it on purpose. For the first exchanges, unless you are 100% confident, it is best to evaluate your opponent slowly and never take risky approaches. Remember that as a dragon, you usually will have more stamina than your opponent. Long fights are your strong point; take advantage of them."
Kaleina nodded, thoughtful.
Evelyn approached and coughed. "Yasenia, are you sure that there are no problems with this way of sparring?"
Yasenia blinked. "What's wrong?"
Evelyn commented. "I mean, they are attacking to kill."
The dragoness was confused. "Yes, and? Don't we do the same?"
Evelyn opened and closed her mouth, scratching her head. "Aren't they too young?"
Yasenia shook her head. "Of course not. I trained similarly with children Mom carried over when I was little. It is a very good way to hone instincts against attacks toward weak points. It comes to a point when you can sense that someone is aiming at your vulnerability before they even begin the attack."
Andrea patted Evelyn's back with a laugh. "Don't worry so much, Evelyn. Aren't we here to take care of them? Moreover, they have protection treasures to avoid accidents. Once they grow and it starts to be more difficult to protect them, we can always teach them how to spar less… Lethally?"
Evelyn sighed and nodded. "Sorry. I'm just not accustomed to seeing the two little ones trying to kill each other."
Kaleina laughed. "It is fun!"
Flame nodded shyly. "The thrill when an attack risks your life is very stimulating."
Yasenia smiled. "Right? The body cells are active as your senses sharpen for a second, your brain speeding up to find ways to avoid the lethal strike. That sensation is addicting."
Flame and Kaleina nodded a few times. Flame commented. "It was a bit difficult at first, but now I'm completely okay!"
Kaleina asked, changing the subject. "Mommy, will we go outside?"
Yasenia pondered. "Do you want to go outside?"
Kaleina nodded her dragon head eagerly. "I want to see the underwater city!"
Yasenia looked at the shy Flame and asked with a smile. "What about you, Flame?"
Flame nodded and spoke softly. "I also want to."
Her temperament had softened a lot during the last years from her cheeky and playful self, thanks to all the love she received from our girls. In front of Yasenia, she was always a soft-spoken and shy little girl, looking up at her admiringly.
Yasenia nodded thoughtfully, and Andrea asked as she approached. "Are you worried about those new groups?"
The dragoness tilted her head upward, looking at Andrea with a smile. "Not by a lot. It's just that I want to stay here until we set up everything perfectly. I was thinking if walking outside would be possible if I ask Alaia and the others to accompany me." The dragoness smirked playfully. "If I ask them to follow me in secret, we might lure an interesting catch."
Evelyn laughed. "But you won't, right?"
Yasenia lifted her eyebrow. "Oh, why not?"
Evelyn snorted. "As if you would use Kaleina and Flame as bait."
The dragoness chuckled. "Well, you are right. That's why I want to wait for a bit."
Kaleina exclaimed while putting on a begging face. "Mommy, we can go! I'll be obedient!"
Flame said at the side with a sterner tone. "Kaleina, Aunty Yasenia is saying this for our own good. We should listen to her."
Kaleina blinked and said cutely. "But Mommy can squash those people like bugs with her strength. There shouldn't be any problem." Kaleina sorted twice. "Hmph, hmph. If they dare attack Mommy, they will only become her food."
Evelyn's eyebrow twitched. "I'm always a bit taken by surprise."
Andrea agreed with a laugh. "Right? Kaleina's speech patterns are truly… 'Dragon-like.' Hahaha."
Kaleina looked at them, confused. "Do I speak strangely?"
Andrea patted her head and shook it. "Not at all."
Kaleina nodded with a smile. Flame asked, curious. "Aunty Yasenia, I've never seen some of those races. What are they?"
Yasenia reviewed in her mind the knowledge that Flame was currently learning and realized that she wouldn't start learning about other species until one or two years passed. Knowing that, she answered. "Well, you'll learn about them the next year. However, I can give you a small summary."
Flame and Kaleina listened attentively.
Yasenia smiled and explained. "There are a few races gathered there. The ones you don't know about are the Demons, Divines, Spirits, and Undead. The other two groups were a Human and a Beast group."
Kaleina blinked. "Aren't Undead what Mama Tatyana summons?"
Flame also remembered. Yasenia clarified. "Those Undead are a bit different from Tatyana's Undead. While Tatyana's Undead can evolve to have their own thoughts and can also become stronger, they are all formed by Tatyana's strength. Meanwhile, the ones we saw the other day are naturally forming Undead, creatures born from places with a high concentration of energy and with independent souls and cultivation methods."
Flame titled her head. "Cultivation Methods? Aren't there only three paths, excluding the beast path?"
Yasenia nodded with a smile. "For almost all creatures, like beast humans, humans, and other types of humanoids, that's correct. However, the reason these creatures are so special is that each of them has different cultivation methods. Divines, Demons, Spirits, and Undead all have their own cultivation path."
Flame put on a puzzled expression. "Aunty Yasenia, then who are the humanoids you talk about, then?"
Yasenia commented. "These humanoids are usually sapient plant creatures, elemental beings, and human sub-races like Nature Elves. There are plenty of races like that."
Flame blinked, surprised. "Humans are a strong race!"
Yasenia smiled and asked. "Why do you think so?"
Flame commented. "There are so many different types of human-like creatures like me, all super different but with the same common ancestry."
Yasenia laughed. "That's right. Even beasts strive for a humanoid transformation when they become mature. The reason is actually simple, or so it is thought among those knowledgeable. Legends say that the first cultivator was a human. So, all creatures strive to gain a humanoid shape. You saw that even spirits, creatures made of pure elements, also take humanoid forms."
Flame nodded. Kaleina listened to the side and smiled at Flame proudly. "I already knew all of this!"
Flame looked at Kaleina and laughed, patting her head. "Little Kaleina is super smart, after all."
Evelyn, Andrea, and Yasenia saw the young phoenix girl patting the proudly smiling dragon and laughed.