Master's Advancement!

The route back was different from the one they had taken coming here. Master first led everyone out of the forest's outer region, then headed back along its perimeter. This was both safer and faster for returning to Notting City.

By the time they left the outer region, it was already the following afternoon. Since they were on the outskirts, they could travel at night as well, stopping only when they grew tired to set up camp and rest.

As soon as midnight passed, Seria said, "Automatic sign-in successful. Congratulations, Host, you have obtained one monthly sign-in gift pack."

Hearing Seria's prompt, Wu Liang woke from his cultivation. "Has another month passed already? Just as Teacher said, once we get back, this semester will be more or less over."

Deep in the quiet night, Wu Liang could see Teacher meditating and keeping watch outside the tent by moonlight. He opened the tent flap, walked out, and said to Master, "Teacher, go get some rest. I'll take watch for the second half of the night."

"Hehe, why are you being so proactive tonight? Weren't you always whining like you were being tortured before?" Master woke from his meditation and asked with a smile.

"I can't sleep tonight, so I'll help you keep watch for the second half. Go sleep." Wu Liang was not annoyed. He simply found a comfortable spot and sat down.

Seeing this, Master said nothing more and rose to return to the tent.

Wu Liang cultivated silently by himself in the camp. Just before dawn, a faint pressure came from deep within the forest, rapidly closing in on the camp. Wu Liang immediately rose to his feet and watched the forest vigilantly.

Seria said, "Host, the main quest monster has arrived."

"You don't need to tell me that. These days, the only things with dragon might are the Dragonkin Tower of Sky City. I've never seen one out here," Wu Liang muttered.

At that moment, the people in the three tents emerged one after another. Master looked at Wu Liang and asked, "What's going on? Why is there faint dragon might?"

Though Master's Martial Soul had mutated, it was still ultimately a dragon Martial Soul. He could recognize dragon might.

"A dragon-type soul beast is approaching us, and it's probably around a thousand years old. Otherwise, its pressure wouldn't be this faint." Wu Liang stared at the forest as he spoke slowly.

At those words, Tang San immediately summoned his Blue Silver Grass, ready to restrain the enemy the instant it approached.

Master and Yu Yan also summoned their Martial Souls. It was closest to dawn, the darkest time of day. There was not a trace of light in the sky, with only some plants around the forest emitting a faint glow.

"It's here!"

Wu Liang shouted, and a dragon-headed lizard darted out of the forest. It was not large, only the size of a housecat, yet it radiated a thick bloody ferocity and faint dragon might.

"What kind of soul beast is this?" Master cried out as the Dragon Lizard stopped before them. He had never seen such a soul beast before.

Wu Liang did not explain much. He merely turned to Tang San and said, "Tang San, make sure you catch it. Remember, don't kill it. This soul beast will be of great use to Teacher."

"Alright."

Tang San did not ask any questions. He immediately activated his soul skill, Entanglement.

The Blue Silver Grass spread incredibly quickly, but the Dragon Lizard was too small. Its nimble body leaped and darted through the encircling Blue Silver Grass, evading it.

Seeing that Tang San's soul skill had failed to take effect, Wu Liang could only draw his sword and join the battle. As the Dragon Lizard dodged the Blue Silver Grass's Entanglement, he flashed to its side and sent it flying with a sword strike.

Unable to gain leverage in midair, the Dragon Lizard gave Tang San an opening. Tang San controlled the Blue Silver Grass to pursue and bind it, finally capturing the little creature.

"That took quite some effort, but we finally caught this little thing." Wu Liang looked at the tightly bound Dragon Lizard, then turned to Master. "Teacher, come kill it. Remember, don't use your dagger. Just shatter its brain with Soul Power."

Master did not understand why, but he still walked over to the Dragon Lizard. He wrapped his palm in Soul Power, placed it on the creature's head, and gave it a shake. The Dragon Lizard's writhing body stiffened, and it fell silent forever. A purple Soul Ring rose from its body.

Once the Dragon Lizard was dead, Tang San set down its corpse. Wu Liang then called Luo San Pao over. "Go. Eat it."

"Luo luo luo."

Luo San Pao did not understand why, but after looking at Master and Wu Liang, it swallowed the corpse on the ground in one bite.

"Xiao Liang, why did you have San Pao eat that soul beast?" Master did not understand, but he had not stopped Luo San Pao from devouring the corpse.

Wu Liang did not speak, because Seria was issuing the quest reward in his mind.

Seria said, "Congratulations, Host, for completing the main quest. You have obtained one drop of diluted Golden Sacred Dragon Blood."

Though Wu Liang said nothing, Luo San Pao, having swallowed the Dragon Lizard, rolled on the ground in agony. Seeing this, Master cried out in alarm, "San Pao, what's wrong?"

And while Master cried out, a drop of golden blood appeared in Wu Liang's hand. With a flick of his finger, it flew into Master's mouth.

Master choked and was about to say something to Wu Liang when a massive amount of golden light suddenly surged from his body. Master no longer had the chance to say anything. He could only sit cross-legged and desperately refine the golden energy pouring from within him. Though Master did not know what this golden energy was, it was clearly greatly beneficial to him.

Dense golden energy enveloped Master. He felt his Soul Power boiling, as though decades of constant cultivation had suddenly borne fruit. The bottleneck at Rank 29 was instantly shattered, and his Soul Power rose past Rank 30. The Dragon Lizard's Soul Ring in the distance was drawn over and automatically attached itself to Master. Master's rising rank continued to climb—Rank 31, Rank 32, Rank 33...

It finally stopped at Rank 39. As for Luo San Pao, its appearance had changed dramatically. Its former pig-like body had stretched out, with two horns growing from its head, making it look quite majestic. Its torso had lengthened, its foreclaws had shrunk, and its hind legs had become exceptionally thick. A pair of enormous dragon wings grew from its back, and golden dragon scales covered its entire body. However, it seemed that the Dragon Lizard's dragon blood had exhausted its effect, so it had failed to fully grow into a giant dragon. It was only the size of a horse, considered to be in its growth stage and not yet mature.

Everyone watched Luo San Pao's transformation and Master's current state, staring at Wu Liang in shock. Tang San asked tremblingly, "A Liang, what exactly is going on?"

Wu Liang smiled. "Do you know what kind of soul beast San Pao ate? It was an extremely rare soul beast called a Dragon Lizard. You can tell from its name that it contains blood capable of purifying or evolving dragon-type soul beasts. And Teacher—you probably don't know his name, do you? Teacher's full name is Yu Xiaogang. He is the son of Yu Yuanzhen, the Clan Leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. That means Teacher's Martial Soul, San Pao, should originally have been a dragon, but it mutated into something neither pig nor dog. But now it's fine. Although it hasn't fully evolved into a mature Golden Sacred Dragon, this is enough. So long as Teacher keeps cultivating, it will evolve again when he reaches the rank of Titled Douluo."

After hearing this, Tang San was once again stunned beyond measure. Teacher's Martial Soul could actually evolve to such an extent. If Teacher's Martial Soul had mutated in a positive direction from the beginning, he would likely have become famous throughout the continent long ago instead of being mocked as he was now.

Yu Yan no longer knew what to say. Since San Pao had only just completed its transformation, it could not yet control its dragon might well. The scattered pressure made it difficult for her to breathe. Seeing how hard she was struggling to resist it, Wu Liang walked to her side and released his own aura to shield her from San Pao's pressure.

"Thank you, Senior Brother. Teacher's Martial Soul has become so powerful that I can barely withstand it." Seeing Wu Liang take the pressure for her, Yu Yan hurriedly thanked him.

At that moment, San Pao's tightly shut eyes abruptly opened. The overwhelming pressure withdrew like a receding tide. Having completed its evolution, it looked at Wu Liang gratefully. It was clearly overjoyed, but afraid of disturbing its master's cultivation, it did not make a fuss despite its happiness. It quietly crouched beside Master.

"Senior Brother, what's wrong with Teacher? Why hasn't he woken up yet?" Yu Yan looked at Master, who had already absorbed all the golden light, and asked Wu Liang, "Did Teacher also receive some major improvement?"

Tang San also looked at Wu Liang curiously, waiting for his explanation.

"Teacher should be adapting to his new strength right now. Since San Pao evolved into a growth-stage Golden Sacred Dragon, its original Soul Ring skills will certainly have changed as well. Also, that drop of golden blood I gave Teacher can replenish his Innate Soul Power. Since Teacher only had half a rank of Innate Soul Power, he was unable to break through Rank 30. But that drop of blood replenished five ranks of Innate Soul Power, changing his aptitude. Teacher should be adapting to all the changes right now. Once he has fully familiarized himself with them, he'll naturally wake up." Wu Liang spoke calmly.

Another two hours passed. By then, the sun had fully risen. Only then did Master slowly open his eyes. He exhaled a mouthful of foul air, then looked at Wu Liang with a complicated expression. "Xiao Liang, thank you this time. If it hadn't been for you, I might have missed this opportunity. And your Golden Sacred Dragon Blood made up for my innate deficiency, greatly improving my aptitude. Though I'm already old, I can still feel it. I still have a chance—a chance to stand at the peak of the continent, with who I am now and who San Pao is now."

"Roar!"

Hearing Master's words, San Pao also let out a roar in agreement.

"By the way, Teacher, what are San Pao's Soul Ring skills now? It can't still be farting, right?" Wu Liang looked at San Pao, now transformed into a giant dragon.

Master shook his head with a bitter smile, then said with a trace of pride, "No. Thanks to your Golden Sacred Dragon Blood, San Pao's first Soul Ring skill became Lightning Strike, and its second became Titanic Crash. The third Soul Ring it just gained has the skill Dragon Transformation, which can temporarily enhance the first and second soul skills. Furthermore, during the enhancement period, the first and second soul skills have no consumption. It's a very powerful skill. Now, I can say this—I am also a Rank 39 attack-type Battle Soul Grandmaster."

"Probably not just that. Because San Pao is special and can manifest physically, Teacher, you can consider cultivating sword techniques with me in the future, or learning Tang San's random assortment of things."

"Hey, hey, hey! Why are you calling my things a random assortment? These are called Hidden Weapons, alright?" Tang San immediately jumped out to refute him.

"Hahaha, fair enough. Then I'll cultivate with you two from now on. Oh, right, Xiao Liang, those biscuits and juices of yours... does your teacher get a share too?" Master asked Wu Liang with a warm smile.

"Yes, yes, yes. Teacher, please never smile at me like that again. I'm afraid I'll wake up in the middle of the night from nightmares. Teacher, smiling doesn't suit you. Really. You're suited to being solemn. Mm, solemn."