Dragon Clan Secret Records, Yan's Provocation

Hu Liena's irritated, unwilling "I'll remember you" still echoed through the empty sixth floor of the Library Pavilion when Yang Yu, clutching the thick fragmentary volume of Probing the Origins of Martial Souls, made his way to a window-side corner at the very back of the shelves. The light was dimmer here, and it was quieter too. Leaning against the cold stone wall, he sat down, reopened the book, and completely cast that pink-haired little fox from his mind.

Knowledge was what he craved most right now.

The contents of the fragmentary manuscript were varied and profound. Many sections were vague, filled with the author's personal conjectures and theories that could not be verified. Yet Yang Yu read it with great interest. His modern way of thinking allowed him to step outside the framework of traditional soul masters when considering problems. For example, regarding the limits of soul ring absorption, the manuscript proposed a bold theory: the remnant soul of a soul beast was not entirely dormant within a soul ring, but contained a trace of its origin imprint. When powerful soul masters or those with special martial souls absorbed a soul ring, if they could use their will or the power of their Martial Soul Origin to suppress, or even guide, that remnant soul imprint, they could not only improve the success rate of absorption and the quality of the soul ring, but also have an extremely small chance of "plundering" a trace of that soul beast's racial talent or origin power from the imprint, feeding it back into their own martial soul!

This viewpoint was worlds apart from Yu Xiaogang's rigid original theory that "physique determines the upper limit of soul ring age"! Yang Yu's heart pounded wildly. What level were his Twin Martial Souls? God-tier! And his soul strength? As a transmigrator with an innate Soul Power Level of thirty, it was definitely far beyond that of ordinary people! This theory... it was practically tailor-made for him!

He immediately thought of his target for his first soul ring. Yue Guan had said five thousand years as a starting point! To outsiders, that was absolutely suicidal. But if he could use his Martial Soul Origin and powerful soul to suppress and guide the soul beast's remnant soul... there might not be no hope!

The more he read, the more engrossed he became, completely immersed in an ocean of knowledge. Outside the window, the bright light gradually turned dusky yellow.

Who knew how much time had passed before he put down the fragmentary volume and rubbed his slightly sore eyes. His gaze swept over an inconspicuous corner on the bottom shelf beside him. A very old book lay propped there at an angle. Its cover was made of some dark black beast hide covered in tiny cracks, with no title whatsoever. It had been casually tossed there, seemingly untouched for a long time, with a thin layer of dust covering it.

Yang Yu's heart stirred, and as if possessed, he pulled it out.

It felt heavy in his hands, its beast-hide cover cold and rough. He brushed off the dust and carefully opened the first page.

There were no words. Only an extremely crude engraving that nevertheless carried an indescribably ancient, desolate aura. Its lines were rough, as though they had been forcibly scratched into the tough hide with fingernails or some kind of claw. It depicted a blurry, coiling giant shadow, surrounded by incomprehensible twisted symbols and... shattered stars?

An exceedingly faint yet exceptionally ancient spiritual imprint quietly seeped into Yang Yu's mind as his gaze touched the engraving.

Boom!

Yang Yu's vision went black, and his consciousness seemed to be pulled away in an instant!

He found himself in a vast, boundless void! Beneath his feet lay enormous shattered land fragments burning with dark-red flames! Above him were countless massive warships pouring down beams of destructive light! Shouts of battle, dragon roars, and the deafening explosions of energy filled his ears!

His vision rapidly closed in! He saw a colossal dragon beyond imagination! Its body seemed forged from solidified galaxies, every scale flowing with the radiance of time and creation! It released a grief-stricken, furious roar that shattered the cosmos. With each sweep of its claws, swathes of space collapsed, tearing massive warships apart! But there were too many enemies attacking it! They came in all forms. Some were shrouded in holy light, some exuded cold evil auras, and some commanded enormous metal constructs! Countless attacks capable of destroying heaven and earth rained down upon the dragon like a storm!

The giant dragon fought desperately. Dragon blood spilled across the void like burning lava, every drop containing terrifying power of creation and destruction! When the dragon blood fell upon the shattered earth, it gave birth to countless strange plants and tiny lives! But at the same time, the wounds torn open across its body continued to widen under the force of annihilation!

Brutal! Tragic! Desperate!

Just as the giant dragon was about to have its head completely pierced by a terrifying spear of light spanning the galaxy!

Roar—!!!

A dragon roar that pierced endless space and time, filled with boundless sorrow and unwillingness, crashed into the depths of Yang Yu's soul like a final swan song!

Pfft! Yang Yu's body shuddered violently, his face turning paper-white in an instant as he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. It splattered across the black beast-hide pages in his hands! His vision darkened, his head felt as though it were splitting apart, and it was as if that dragon roar had viciously torn away a piece of his soul! The beast-hide book in his hands fell to the ground with a slap.

"Cough, cough..." Yang Yu clutched his throbbing forehead, gasping heavily as cold sweat drenched his body. What had those scenes just now been...? An illusion? Or... ancient memory fragments imprinted in the book? That giant dragon... could it have been the legendary Dragon God?! And that final sorrowful roar...

Still shaken, he stared at the open black beast-hide book on the floor. A small patch of its page had been dyed red by his blood. Strangely, the bloodstains were being absorbed by the page at a visible speed, disappearing without a trace. At the same time, lines of extremely tiny ancient characters, emitting a faint golden glow, slowly emerged beside the crude engraving as if a hidden code had been activated!

Yang Yu did not recognize these ancient characters, but when he focused on them, a faint spiritual fluctuation entered his mind and transformed directly into the Douluo common language he could understand:

<Dragon Clan Secret Records (Fragment) · Bloodline Covenant> "...Divine War... dragon fall... bloodline descendants scattered among the stars... origin imprints... bloodline resonance... river of time and space... seek the path home..."

The information was fragmented and incomplete, full of sorrow and unresolved mysteries. It seemed to describe how, after the Dragon God fell, its bloodline descendants scattered in all directions, carrying hidden origin imprints of the Dragon God within them that could resonate under certain conditions... perhaps even point toward some kind of "path home"?

Yang Yu's heart began pounding wildly! Dragon of Eternity and Time! His martial soul! Could it... really be a direct bloodline descendant of the Dragon God? Or even... a "bloodline descendant" in some sense? Was that why it had triggered the ancient imprint within this book?

Suppressing his headache and weakness, he carefully picked up the Dragon Clan Secret Records and held it tightly against his chest. This book definitely concealed a tremendous secret! It might concern the ultimate mystery of his martial soul! He could not lose it!

"Your Highness! What happened to you?" Yue Guan's slightly anxious voice came from nearby. Yang Yu's vomiting blood and the sound of the book falling had alarmed him. He strode over and saw Yang Yu's pale face, the blood at the corner of his lips, and the extremely old black beast-hide book clutched tightly in his arms. His brows immediately furrowed.

"I'm fine, Elder Ju." Yang Yu wiped the blood from his lips and tried to appear calm. "I got too absorbed in reading and my Soul Power circulation went astray. It's only a minor injury." He did not want to explain the vision he had just seen. It was far too bizarre.

Yue Guan looked suspiciously at his pale face, then at the clearly unusual book in his arms. The book emitted an extremely obscure ancient aura that made even him feel uneasy. "Your Highness, this book..."

"Just a collection of miscellaneous notes. It's interesting, and I want to take it back to study." Yang Yu's tone was calm, but carried an unquestionable air. He was the Holy Son now. He still had that much privilege.

Yue Guan opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. Your Majesty the Empress had said that he could read whatever he wanted below the sixth floor. "Yes. If Your Highness is unwell, let us stop for today. You have already been here for most of the day." He glanced at the darkening sky outside.

Yang Yu truly felt mentally exhausted. The pain from his injured soul still lingered faintly, and his head felt heavy and muddled. He nodded. "All right."

Yue Guan led Yang Yu down the Library Pavilion. They had just reached the stairway on the third floor when they ran into three people coming from the opposite direction.

At the front was Hu Liena. Beside her were her brother Xie Yue and a particularly tall, burly boy with short fiery-red hair. The boy looked only eight or nine years old, but his build was already like that of a young calf, muscles knotted beneath his skin. His gaze was proud and unruly, and a scorching aura radiated from his body. He was Yan of the Golden Generation!

The moment Yan saw Yang Yu beside Yue Guan, his large eyes widened. He openly looked Yang Yu up and down, his gaze filled with scrutiny, suspicion, and intense provocation.

"Elder Yue Guan." Hu Liena and Xie Yue hurriedly bowed. Yan also gave a perfunctory salute, but his eyes remained fixed on Yang Yu.

"Mm." Yue Guan responded indifferently.

Hu Liena's gaze also fell on Yang Yu. Seeing his pale face, slightly unsteady aura, and the tattered black book held tightly in his arms, surprise and schadenfreude flashed through her fox-like eyes. This brat had spent most of the day in the Library Pavilion. How had he ended up in such a miserable state? Did he cough up blood from reading? Useless!

Her eyes shifted, and she deliberately spoke to Yan in a voice neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for everyone to hear. "Yan, see him? This is Teacher's new disciple, the Holy Son of our Spirit Hall, Yang Yu." She placed particular emphasis on the words "Holy Son," her tone filled with obvious mockery.

Yan had long been holding back a bellyful of anger. As the core of the Golden Generation, he possessed exceptional talent, and his Flame Lord was a top-tier fire-element beast martial soul. He had always been arrogant and proud. Then he suddenly heard that Your Majesty the Empress had taken a six-year-old brat as her direct disciple and even immediately named him the Holy Son, raising his status above all of theirs! How could he possibly accept that? Especially when Yang Yu looked sickly and weak, hugging a broken book like some frail little chicken, the anger in Yan's heart surged even higher.

"His Highness the Holy Son?" Yan stepped forward, his burly body carrying an oppressive presence as he looked down at Yang Yu, who was a head shorter than him. His voice was loud, filled with undisguised doubt and provocation. "Him? A little brat who hasn't even grown all his hair yet? Elder Yue Guan, are you sure you didn't make a mistake? What makes him worthy?"

Yue Guan's face darkened. "Yan! Do not be disrespectful! His Highness the Holy Son holds a noble status. Who are you to question him?"

"Status?" Yan sneered and pointed at Yang Yu. "Spirit Hall's rules say strength is supreme! He's just a brat who awakened his martial soul. No matter how high his Soul Power is, it's empty! He doesn't even have a soul ring. Why should he ride over our heads? I refuse to accept it!" He stuck out his neck, his voice echoing through the quiet third floor of the Library Pavilion and drawing furtive glances from several stewards reading in the distance.

Xie Yue frowned and wanted to stop Yan, but his hand paused halfway before dropping back down. In truth, he was somewhat dissatisfied as well. Hu Liena crossed her arms and watched the show from the side, a sly glint shining in her fox-like eyes. She was practically one step away from shouting, Fight!

Yang Yu's head was already muddled, and Yan's loud roar made it buzz even more, stirring up a wave of irritation in his heart. He looked at the red-haired boy standing before him like a wall, his face screaming I'm pissed off, and frowned tightly. Trouble had indeed come. The Golden Generation, especially Yan, really was the least capable of holding back.

"What do you want?" Yang Yu raised his head. His voice was slightly hoarse, but his gaze remained calm as he looked at Yan. He did not want trouble, but if it came knocking, he would not fear it.

"What do I want?" Yan grinned, revealing white teeth, his expression full of brutish arrogance. "Simple! Fight me! Let me see what you, this 'Holy Son,' are really made of! If you can't even beat me, then get lost already! Don't squat in the latrine without taking a dump! Otherwise, you'll only embarrass Spirit Hall when you go outside!"

His words were extremely unpleasant, and even Yue Guan's face turned completely dark. "Insolence! Yan! You—"

"Elder Ju," Yang Yu interrupted Yue Guan. He looked at Yan, with no anger in his eyes, only an almost cold calmness. "I accept."

"Your Highness!" Yue Guan was startled. Yang Yu had just coughed up blood in the Library Pavilion and was clearly not in good condition. Their Soul Power Levels were also far apart—Yan was a level twenty-eight Soul Grandmaster. How could they fight?

Hu Liena and Xie Yue were also stunned. They had not expected Yang Yu to agree so readily. Was this brat... stupid, or did he truly have confidence?

Yan froze for a moment, then was overwhelmed with delight, afraid Yang Yu would change his mind. "Good! You've got guts! Come on! To the Training Ground!" He rubbed his fists together, as though he could already see himself beating this annoying brat to the ground.

"No need for that much trouble." Yang Yu held the Dragon Clan Secret Records and remained where he was. His voice was not loud. "Right here. One move."

"One move?" Yan thought he had heard wrong, then burst into mocking laughter. "Hahaha! Brat, did I scare you stupid? One move? Fine! I'll use one move! I'll show you what a real gap in strength looks like!"

He stomped forward and let out a low roar. "Flame Lord, possess me!"

Boom! A scorching wave of heat exploded outward from Yan! His body instantly grew taller. His already burly frame became even more powerful, and his skin turned dark red, as though lava flowed beneath it! Every strand of his short red hair stood upright like burning flames! Two bright yellow soul rings rose beneath his feet and slowly revolved around his body! The fierce Soul Power pressure of a Soul Grandmaster mixed with blazing heat rushed forward! Even the surrounding air became scorching and distorted!

"Yan! Stop!" Yue Guan shouted, preparing to intervene. But Yan had already moved!

"First Spirit Ability! Hell Lava Charge!"

With a savage grin, Yan clenched his right fist. It was instantly covered in a thick dark-red flame like molten lava! His entire right arm swelled by a full size, carrying terrifying heat and explosive force as he launched himself forward like a cannonball. His fist smashed viciously toward Yang Yu's chest! The wind from the punch howled, and the scorching air swept dust from the floor into the air! He held nothing back with this punch! He intended to cripple this Holy Son who did not know his place in a single blow!

Excitement flashed in Hu Liena's eyes. Xie Yue's expression turned grave. Yue Guan's face changed sharply as he prepared to intervene and save Yang Yu!

Faced with this terrifying punch, powerful enough to blast an ordinary soul master to pieces, Yang Yu remained standing in place, clutching that broken book. He seemed frightened stiff, as if he had even forgotten to dodge.

Just as the horrifying lava-wreathed fist came within less than half a foot of his chest, and the scorching wind had already curled the hair on his forehead!

Yang Yu's calm, rippleless eyes suddenly lit up!

Buzz! An invisible domain that controlled time instantly spread out from him! Its range was small, only enough to cover the half-meter space in front of him!

Yan's lava-coated heavy fist, swift as lightning and carrying the force of thunder, abruptly slowed the instant it entered the half-meter range before Yang Yu! It was as if it had plunged into incredibly viscous glue! The violent impact, the burning heat, the explosive flames—all of it seemed to have been forcibly switched to slow motion! What should have struck in an instant now struggled forward as though moving through a slowed scene!

What?! The savage grin on Yan's face froze, transforming into utter shock and disbelief! He felt as though he was not swinging a fist, but hauling an incomparably heavy mountain! The air around him had become terrifyingly viscous, and time seemed to have stretched countless times over! The bizarre sensation made his scalp go numb!

In that brief instant while his fist was delayed!

Yang Yu's free left hand shot up like lightning! A phantom of the Chaos Creation Lotus flashed through his palm! A thin, nearly transparent Emerald Light Membrane instantly unfolded before him, like a shield woven from the toughest plant vines!

Bang!! Yan's delayed lava punch finally slammed heavily into the emerald membrane!

There was no violent explosion or sound of shattering Bones as expected. The lava flames, hot enough to melt gold and stone, seemed to encounter their nemesis the instant they touched the Emerald Light Membrane. Their violent energy was tightly restrained, enveloped, and broken down by a powerful yet flexible force of life! A dull sound rang out, like a heavy object falling into a swamp!

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle! Dark-red flames frantically scorched the Emerald Light Membrane, producing piercing sounds as thick white vapor rose! The emerald membrane fluctuated violently, flickering as though it might shatter at any moment! Yang Yu's face turned even paler, and his body swayed. Clearly, he was enduring immense pressure!

But!

It had blocked the attack in the end!

The violent impact was dissolved layer by layer by the Emerald Light Membrane, and the force transmitted to Yang Yu became almost negligible!

Yan's fist was stopped dead by that seemingly fragile membrane less than an inch from Yang Yu's chest! It could not advance another fraction!

"Impossible!" Yan's eyes nearly popped out as he let out a beast-like roar! He could not believe that his full-powered attack had been blocked by a brat without even a soul ring through such a bizarre method!

At the very moment his mind shook violently and his old strength had faded before new strength could rise!

Two indescribably sharp lights burst from Yang Yu's calm eyes! An ancient, boundless Dragon Might from the deepest depths of his soul—one that stood above all things—erupted like an ancient beast awakened and thoroughly enraged! This Dragon Might was not an impact of Soul Power, but an absolute suppression in rank originating from his Martial Soul Origin!

Roar—!!! A majestic dragon roar that seemed to come from primordial antiquity and pierce endless space and time exploded directly in Yan's soul!

"Argh!!!"

Yan was struck as if by lightning! At that moment, he felt his Flame Lord martial soul release a miserable wail, as though it had encountered a supreme king and instinctively wished to prostrate itself in worship! An irresistible fear from the deepest depths of his soul flooded over him like an icy tide! The Soul Power throughout his body instantly lost control and went berserk. His mind went blank, his vision blackened, and his legs gave out!

Thud! Yan, who moments earlier had been brimming with ferocity like a humanoid beast, was frightened into Soul Power collapse by an invisible dragon roar. His legs went limp, and he crumpled to the ground like mud! He sat sprawled there, face white as paper, eyes unfocused, body shaking violently like chaff in the wind. He gasped for breath, and when he looked at Yang Yu, his eyes were filled with boundless terror, as though he were looking at some primordial monster wearing human skin!

The entire third floor of the Library Pavilion fell deathly silent!

The schadenfreude on Hu Liena's face froze completely, transforming into extreme shock and horror! She was close by. Though the Dragon Might had not targeted her, even the trace that leaked out made her soul tremble and her Demon Fox martial soul shiver uncontrollably!

Xie Yue sucked in a cold breath, his pupils contracting sharply! What had just happened? Yan's certain-to-hit punch had been bizarrely slowed? It had been blocked by a layer of green light? Then... Yan had been frightened limp by a roar... that could not be heard?! What... what kind of ability was that?!

Yue Guan's outstretched hand froze in midair, his face filled with shock! Time slowing! Life protection! And that... that was definitely Dragon Might! The highest grade of Dragon Might! Even a top-tier beast martial soul like Flame Lord had been instantly suppressed into collapse! What exactly had this kid experienced in the Library Pavilion just now? And that broken book in his arms...

Yang Yu slowly lowered his left hand, and the Emerald Light Membrane before him quietly dissipated. His face was so pale it seemed nearly transparent, and his body swayed slightly. Clearly, the brief outburst had cost him enormously, especially that final soul-level Dragon Might impact. Yet he remained standing steadily, holding the Dragon Clan Secret Records as he looked down at Yan, who lay limp on the floor as if all the Bones had been pulled from his body.

His expression was calm, even carrying a trace of faint exhaustion. His voice was hoarse, yet clear. "One move." "You lost."

After saying that, he no longer looked at Yan, who had lost his spirit on the floor, nor did he pay any attention to the dumbfounded Hu Liena and Xie Yue beside him. He turned toward Yue Guan, who was still immersed in shock. "Elder Ju, I'm tired. Let's go back."