From that day on, Lin Yuan had one more training task. Whenever the Pressure Resistance Training and Soul Power control exercises arranged by Gu Yue Na were over, he would set aside an hour or two by the Lake of Life to focus on cultivating and practicing the Dragon God Claw.
Day after day, year after year.
Every morning in the Star Dou Great Forest, a small figure could be seen by the lake, greeting the first ray of sunlight as he swung the seemingly immature yet supremely majestic Nine-Colored Dragon God Claw again and again.
At first, Lin Yuan still needed Di Tian to guide his exertion techniques and correct flaws in his posture. But as time passed, his movements became increasingly fluid, and the Dragon God Claw gradually evolved from mere form into intent.
One afternoon, he casually raised his hand and curled his fingers. The space ahead seemed to be lightly stirred by an invisible hand, rippling in circles. Wherever the claw intent reached, even the wind was sliced in two. Di Tian watched from the side, his blood boiling, while Gu Yue Na smiled with gratification in her eyes.
Under Gu Yue Na's careful guidance, Lin Yuan's foundation became incomparably solid. His Sea of Consciousness grew ever more vast, while the Dragon God Bone became indestructible under the nourishment of the Golden Jade Fruit and Water of Life.
During his free time, Lin Yuan would also play and hunt with the Imperial Auspicious Beast in the Star Dou Great Forest. Over time, the boy and beast gradually grew familiar with each other. On top of that, the Dragon God Bloodline possessed a powerful attraction to all soul beasts, so the Imperial Auspicious Beast would practically come looking for Lin Yuan every day, like a clingy little tail.
At this moment, Lin Yuan was lying on Three-Eyed Golden Lion's back, his small hands gripping her soft mane as boy and beast darted swiftly through the Star Dou Great Forest. Every soul beast they encountered fled in terror the moment it saw them.
What soul beast in the Star Dou Great Forest did not know how exalted these two were?
Three-Eyed Golden Lion was an ancient auspicious beast, honored as an emperor and now the continent's sole auspicious beast. Lin Yuan, though merely a human child, possessed the supreme Dragon God Bloodline of the soul beast race and was the true lord of all soul beasts. No matter how powerful a soul beast was, it could only bow obediently before them and would never dare harm them. Any soul beast chosen as food could only flee and would not dare offer the slightest resistance.
"Sister, how about we restrain our bloodlines? Otherwise, they'll all run away." Lin Yuan lay on Three-Eyed Golden Lion's back and helplessly suggested as he watched the scattered soul beasts flee.
Three-Eyed Golden Lion looked tenderly at the little fellow on her back and spoke in a clear, pleasant voice. "Xiao Yuan, I'll restrain my bloodline right away." As soon as she finished speaking, boy and beast simultaneously concealed their auras.
"I refuse to believe we won't get any meat today! Sister, target the thousand-year White Spirit Deer five hundred meters away..."
Before Lin Yuan could finish, Three-Eyed Golden Lion had already turned into a streak of golden light and shot out soundlessly. With their auras concealed, they moved with astonishing speed and made almost no noise.
The White Spirit Deer warily pricked up its ears. Just as it was about to flee, Lin Yuan's gaze sharpened, and the Dragon God Domain silently unfolded, trapping it in place. The surrounding soul beasts that had long since hidden or fled could not help but sigh in relief when they saw the two lock onto a target. After all, living another day was better than dying.
"Sorry, but you're our dinner today." Lin Yuan spoke apologetically, then reached out and grasped at empty air, ending the White Spirit Deer's life.
"Xiao Yuan, let's return to the Lake of Life. It's safer there," Three-Eyed Golden Lion said gently.
More than ten minutes later, boy and beast returned to the Lake of Life with the captured thousand-year White Spirit Deer. Lin Yuan then directly took out a barbecue grill from his Soul Tool Storage Ring. He had specially asked Di Tian to bring it back for him from Star Luo City. It came complete with skewers and seasoning bottles, while several strings of fresh spirit fruits sat beside it.
By the Lake of Life, the venison on the grill sizzled, its fragrance spreading through the air. Lin Yuan skillfully turned the meat as he chatted with Three-Eyed Golden Lion, creating a warm and relaxed atmosphere.
"Xiao Yuan, how has your cultivation been lately? Have you run into any difficulties?" the Imperial Auspicious Beast asked.
As Lin Yuan turned the venison, he answered, "It feels fine. It's just that my spiritual power can't quite keep up with the speed at which my authorities activate. When I stack multiple authorities, things get confused easily."
"Is your spiritual power not strong enough?" The Imperial Auspicious Beast tilted her head in thought before saying seriously, "I can help Xiao Yuan solve that."
"I believe Xiao Yuan knows that where an auspicious beast resides, all beasts receive protection. Its attributes are supreme, and humans may receive guidance from them. Under auspicious protection, one's future is boundless. Put simply, an auspicious beast can shelter soul beasts and greatly increase their cultivation speed. Different auspicious beasts possess different attributes. I possess several, such as Ultimate Light and Ultimate Fire, but those are not my primary attributes. What I mainly cultivate is spiritual power. Attribute Guidance means using my attributes to refine your attributes, Xiao Yuan, allowing you to gain more auspicious aura as well."
However, what the Imperial Auspicious Beast had not expected was that Lin Yuan rejected the proposal without even thinking.
"Sister, you only told me the benefits of Attribute Guidance for me, but you didn't mention its drawbacks for you." Lin Yuan looked at Three-Eyed Golden Lion, his tone serious. "I know that transferring any Auspicious Power comes at the cost of your own origin. You would become weak and need a long time to recover. You might even lose some of your most important fortune. I do want to become stronger, but I don't want you to pay any price for me."
Three-Eyed Golden Lion looked at Lin Yuan, her eyes full of gratification. She lowered herself and gently nuzzled his cheek. "Then we'll use another method. Without consuming my origin, I can activate an Auspicious Blessing for you. It won't transfer my fortune. It will only help expand your Sea of Consciousness several times over, allowing your spiritual power to undergo a massive qualitative improvement."
"Can that really work?" Lin Yuan was still somewhat worried.
As soon as he spoke, Gu Yue Na appeared behind Lin Yuan without anyone knowing when. She reached out and drew him into her arms, saying softly, "It can, but Sister Nana will need to handle this operation. I'll use the Imperial Auspicious Beast's spiritual power together with my own to expand your Sea of Consciousness. Sister Nana also specializes in spiritual power, and I'm a god, so my spiritual power is at a divine level. It's far too domineering. If it entered your Sea of Consciousness directly, it might scatter your consciousness. Therefore, I need to use the Imperial Auspicious Beast's Auspicious Power to first soften my spiritual power, then use her as a bridge to slowly guide it into your Sea of Consciousness. This will ensure your safety, allow you to receive the greatest possible improvement at once, and benefit both the Imperial Auspicious Beast and me. Xiao Yuan, are you willing to try?"
Lin Yuan nodded solemnly. "All right. I'm willing to try."
Gu Yue Na smiled faintly. "Then let's begin."
With that, she took Lin Yuan's hand and went with Three-Eyed Golden Lion to a stone at the center of the Lake of Life. Gu Yue Na positioned Lin Yuan before her, while she and Three-Eyed Golden Lion stood on either side of him, forming a triangle.
Gu Yue Na extended her hand and pressed her palm against Lin Yuan's. Three-Eyed Golden Lion also gently placed her third vertical eye against Lin Yuan's forehead.
"Xiao Yuan, relax and follow my guidance." Gu Yue Na's voice was gentle yet firm.
As her words fell, both Lin Yuan and Three-Eyed Golden Lion shuddered violently.
The Dragon God's Eye on Lin Yuan's forehead was unexpectedly stimulated by the strange power contained within Three-Eyed Golden Lion's vertical eye and quietly opened. After that instant of trembling, his mind suddenly went blank. Even his Sea of Consciousness seemed to vanish.
Gu Yue Na's voice sounded within Lin Yuan's Sea of Consciousness. "Xiao Yuan, don't resist. I'm here."
Lin Yuan instinctively relaxed and allowed that warm, vast power to surge into him.
Gu Yue Na transformed her spiritual power into a pure river of stars that flowed forth. Before entering Lin Yuan's Sea of Consciousness, it was softened by Three-Eyed Golden Lion's Auspicious Power, becoming countless gentle points of light. At that moment, Lin Yuan's Sea of Consciousness expanded with a roar, its original boundaries being gently pushed outward.
Circles of strange, distorted halos enveloped the bodies of Lin Yuan, Gu Yue Na, and Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Between them, their bodies seemed to become transparent as faint light flickered in and out. Every time the light shifted, all three of them trembled slightly.
The vast life aura originally contained within the Dragon God's Eye, drawn from Living Being Gold, poured out madly and entered Gu Yue Na and Three-Eyed Golden Lion's bodies. With the three of them as the center, the entire Douluo Continent seemed to stir. Dense life energy surged invisibly toward them, continuously flowing into their bodies.
The distorted light grew increasingly brilliant. The blankness in Lin Yuan's consciousness gradually faded, and his Sea of Consciousness reappeared within his perception. To his surprise, it seemed that something had been added to it. The size of his Sea of Consciousness had expanded by at least dozens of times, and a faint, indistinct aura existed within it. His Dragon God's Eye had changed as well.
Most of the time, the Dragon God's Eye, filled with life aura, radiated green light. To Lin Yuan, it had merely been a place to house Living Being Gold, something he could use whenever needed. But now it was different. Lin Yuan could clearly feel that he truly possessed a third eye. This Dragon God's Eye was completely under his control, and it had turned entirely scarlet. The Living Being's Guardian Blade was directly expelled from within it and fell to the ground before him. The life aura of Living Being Gold remained on the Living Being's Guardian Blade and had not been stripped away.
In other words, the Dragon God's Eye had now completely become his own third eye and was entirely under his control. Moreover, he could clearly sense that this third eye contained an additional, peculiar power. Even he could not say what that power was, but he could feel that it seemed to transcend every ability he already possessed. Before that power, time and space themselves seemed to lose all meaning.
The God's Eye was no ordinary heavenly eye. It could see through falsehood and reach directly to the essence of things.
Lin Yuan closed his eyes, letting his consciousness sink into his Sea of Consciousness. On the forehead of the Nine-Colored Giant Dragon floated a vertical eye, quietly radiating a faint golden glow. When he opened his eyes again, the vertical eye on his forehead slowly opened, as though it could see through the operating laws of heaven and earth.
At that moment, Gu Yue Na and Three-Eyed Golden Lion both sensed the change in Lin Yuan. They could clearly perceive a powerful force that transcended time and space quietly awakening within him.
Lin Yuan excitedly discovered that he could see the possibilities of the next few seconds and choose the optimal path accordingly. More than that, he could lock onto a target's future trajectory, then guide events toward the most advantageous outcome by subtly adjusting every action in the present.
This was merely the tip of the God's Eye's iceberg. He also discovered that this eye could deconstruct an opponent's power into its most fundamental laws, allowing him to see through the flaws of any move at a glance. Even more impressively, the God's Eye could freeze a small portion of time and space, granting him precious time to think and react at critical moments.
As for Gu Yue Na and Three-Eyed Golden Lion, the benefits they received were not small either. The most obvious was the blessing of the Dragon God Bloodline. At the same time, after this operation, their fates had become linked with Lin Yuan's. Whether Gu Yue Na or the Imperial Auspicious Beast, both were now within Lin Yuan's destiny and were destined to become entangled with him.
Gu Yue Na was fine with it. After all, she and Lin Yuan had long shared a promise, so their linked fate was only natural. But on the Imperial Auspicious Beast's side, the gears of fate had quietly begun to turn, making Lin Yuan feel vaguely uneasy. He suddenly remembered the original story, where the Imperial Auspicious Beast sacrificed herself for Huo Yu Hao.
No, I absolutely can't let that happen! Lin Yuan silently made up his mind, determined to use his own power to rewrite this fate.
At this moment, the Imperial Auspicious Beast stared blankly at Lin Yuan. An indescribable emotion rose within her heart, a mixture of closeness, dependence, and adoration. Like a seed quietly falling to the ground, it took root and sprouted in the depths of her heart.
Gu Yue Na naturally noticed the absent-minded look in the Imperial Auspicious Beast's eyes as she gazed at Lin Yuan. A knowing smile flashed in Gu Yue Na's eyes. From the moment she linked the fates of the three of them, she had known this day would come. The Imperial Auspicious Beast would slowly turn her adoration for Lin Yuan into a young girl's attachment to the one she loved.
Gu Yue Na smiled softly and reached out to ruffle Lin Yuan's hair. "All right, let's eat the grilled meat first, or it'll get cold."
Lin Yuan looked at Gu Yue Na and nodded, then asked quietly, "Sister Nana, aren't you jealous?"
Gu Yue Na followed Lin Yuan's gaze and saw Three-Eyed Golden Lion looking at him affectionately, her eyes filled with undisguised attachment. Not only was Gu Yue Na not jealous, she smiled and bent down to plant a light kiss on Lin Yuan's forehead.
"Silly child, the more people who like Xiao Yuan, the more it proves how outstanding you are. Sister is happy before she could ever be jealous." She paused, then added gently, "But affection should still have an order of priority. You must remember who your official fiancée is."
Gu Yue Na's teasing made Lin Yuan blush. He hurriedly waved his hands. "I won't rank anyone! Liking someone is liking them. No one is more important than anyone else."
Seeing how serious Lin Yuan was, Gu Yue Na smiled and rubbed his hair. "All right, then don't rank them. But you must learn to take responsibility for the affection you receive. Don't let anyone who likes you get hurt."
Upon hearing that, Three-Eyed Golden Lion gently nuzzled Lin Yuan's cheek and whispered, "I'll always stay by Xiao Yuan's side."
The fragrance of grilled meat gradually drifted through the air, but Lin Yuan was deep in thought. Looking at Three-Eyed Golden Lion beside him, the decision in his heart became even firmer: he would never allow her to repeat the fate of sacrificing herself in the original story.
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