It Feels Like I've Become a Child of Destiny

Since he had already decided to expose his Dragon Power, the next question was how to activate this power hidden within his body.

He carefully recalled the plot of Douluo Dalu 3. Tang Wulin had first activated his Golden Dragon Bloodline after being cut by the Light Dragon Dagger and stimulated by the power of the Dragon Clan, allowing it to awaken.

Then, if he wanted to activate the thin trace of Golden Dragon Power within his body, the most direct method would probably also require stimulation from an external Dragon type power.

But how rare were Dragon type Soul Beasts?

The Soul Hunting Forest near Nuoding Academy only had Soul Beasts of up to a thousand years. There was simply no chance of Dragon type Soul Beasts living there.

Even if there really were any, with his current strength, he could not get close at all. Forget obtaining stimulation from Dragon type power—he would probably become its meal before he even approached.

Could there be no other way?

Lin Xuan paced back and forth in his room, his footsteps producing dull thuds against the floor. His thoughts, however, raced through his mind like unbridled wild horses, searching for every possible clue.

Stimulation from Dragon type power... it did not necessarily have to come from a living Dragon type Soul Beast, did it?

Perhaps items carrying the aura of Dragon type Soul Beasts could have the same effect?

For example, Soul Tools containing Dragon type power, weapons that had been used to attack Dragon type Soul Beasts, or even shed scales and leftover bone fragments from Dragon type Soul Beasts?

This thought was like a ray of light in the darkness. His eyes lit up at once, and hope reignited in his heart.

Although Nuoding City was not large, it was a transportation hub connecting several towns. There were quite a few passing Soul Masters and merchants, so perhaps some unexpected treasures circulated through its market.

In particular, Spirit Hall had a branch in Nuoding City. Occasionally, Soul Masters sold Soul Beast materials they had no use for at the market. Perhaps he could find something carrying a Dragon type aura there.

Besides that, he also thought of Yu Xiaogang. That "Master" came from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, as a top-tier Beast Martial Soul, inherently possessed pure Dragon type bloodline.

If he could obtain some of Yu Xiaogang's blood before fighting Tang San, perhaps it could stimulate the Golden Dragon King Bloodline within him.

Although Yu Xiaogang's Soul Power Level was not high—one could even say he was somewhat "useless"—his Martial Soul, the Three-Eyed Flame Dragon King, was anything but ordinary.

It was a Martial Soul with the potential to evolve into a Golden Sacred Dragon.

And as the master of the Three-Eyed Flame Dragon King, Yu Xiaogang's Soul Power progressed slowly, but the bloodline within his body should not be weak.

Otherwise, by the time of Douluo Dalu 2, there would not have been such powerful descendants as Mu En and Bei Bei.

However, getting Yu Xiaogang's blood would be far from easy.

Leaving aside Yu Xiaogang's wariness toward him and Tang Hao's possible watchful gaze from some unknown corner, Tang San, who was almost always at Yu Xiaogang's side, would not be easy to deal with either.

Obtaining Yu Xiaogang's blood without anyone noticing was not something he could accomplish quickly. It would require an extremely meticulous plan and might even involve tremendous risk.

Compared to that, trying his luck at Nuoding City's market was more realistic and safer.

Lin Xuan made up his mind. There was no time to lose—he would head to Nuoding City's market and investigate at once.

He took out some Gold Soul Coins from the Silver Sinking Storage Soul Tool, counted them carefully, and then put them away with caution.

Come to think of it, he had Tang San's "contribution" to thank for this.

The money was not much, but it should be enough to purchase some low-grade Soul Beast materials.

His requirements were not high. Even a few scale fragments or a small piece of bone from a Dragon type Soul Beast would do.

Having made up his mind, Lin Xuan immediately went to Teacher Mo to request half a day off. Then, alone, he quickly headed toward Nuoding City.

The market was packed shoulder to shoulder. Cries of vendors and the sounds of haggling rose One After Another, weaving together into a bustling, clamorous scene.

All manner of Soul Beast materials and weapons from the Soul Hunting Forest filled the stalls, dazzling enough to leave one overwhelmed.

Lin Xuan threaded through the crowded throng, his gaze sharp as an eagle's as he carefully scanned every stall, paying particular attention to those labeled "rare Soul Beast scales" and "special beast bones."

He wandered for over an hour and inspected dozens of stalls. Either they sold common Soul Beast materials found everywhere, or outrageously expensive items that were obviously fake. He never found anything carrying a Dragon type aura.

As time passed, the sun gradually sank westward. A hint of disappointment rose in Lin Xuan's heart, and his steps slowed.

Just as he was preparing to check a few final stalls before returning to the academy if he found nothing, a small stall in a remote corner caught his attention.

The stall owner was a white-haired old man. Deep, crisscrossing wrinkles covered his face, as though recording the hardships of time.

Only a few inconspicuous items lay on the stall, coated in a thin layer of dust. Clearly, not many people had stopped by.

Among them, a palm-sized black scale covered in cracks lay quietly in one corner of the stall. It was utterly inconspicuous, yet it inexplicably drew Lin Xuan's gaze.

The scale's surface was rough and uneven, its color dull and dark. It looked utterly ordinary, like a piece of scrap iron.

But when Lin Xuan approached, the faint Golden Dragon King Bloodline within him stirred for no apparent reason, as though it sensed some distant, weak resonance. His heart gave a slight jump as well.

"Young man, taken a liking to this scale?"

The old man raised his head. A trace of imperceptible Essence Light seemed to flash through his cloudy eyes.

With age came cunning, and Lin Xuan's inexperienced gaze directly exposed his truest thoughts.

Lin Xuan quickly realized it, inwardly cursing himself for being too careless.

Now he had no idea how much he was about to be fleeced for.

As though he had seen through Lin Xuan's thoughts, the old man's eyes flashed with amusement, and his voice carried a hint of hoarseness.

"I picked this up near the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest when I was young. I don't know what Soul Beast it came from, but it's extremely hard. If you like it, five gold coins and it's yours."

Lin Xuan's heart stirred. He had thought he would be overcharged, but it was only five Gold Soul Coins. Five gold coins were not cheap, but neither were they expensive. If this scale truly carried a Dragon type aura, it would be more than worth it.

Thinking about it, though, it was only natural. This was a frontier town like Nuoding City, after all.

How expensive could these Soul Beast materials really be?

The local spending level was what it was. The old man might even still be making a profit at five Gold Soul Coins.

As for whether this old man had brought it out of the Star Dou Great Forest?

Lin Xuan did not believe that for a second.

He did not agree right away. Instead, he reached out casually and lightly touched the scale.

The instant his fingertip contacted the scale's icy surface, a weak yet exceptionally pure Dragon type aura quietly flowed into his body through his finger. Like a stone thrown into a tranquil lake, it instantly stirred his bloodline.

Though this aura was extremely faint and far less vast than that of a genuine Dragon type Soul Beast, it had indeed stimulated him. The Golden Dragon King Bloodline within his body became more active than before, as though cheering with joy.

Lin Xuan held the black scale, one eyebrow rising slightly.

He had only thought of looking for something carrying a Dragon type aura that morning. He had not expected to find what he needed so smoothly on this very trip.

Yet he had barely entered this Soul Master market when he found such a harvest. It was a little too smooth, making him feel vaguely uneasy, as though he had seen a similar scene somewhere before.

"Fine. I'll take it."

Though a trace of doubt flashed through his mind, Lin Xuan did not hesitate for long.

At this point, all he wanted was to hurry back and test whether this thing actually worked.

He took out five gold coins from In the Arms and handed them to the old man.

The coins clinked crisply against one another.

He could not be bothered to haggle. To him now, time and opportunity were far more important than a few gold coins.

Carefully wrapping the black scale in a clean piece of cloth, he placed it close against his body in In the Arms. Lin Xuan turned and quickly left the market, hurrying toward Nuoding Academy.

By the time he returned to the academy, the sky had already grown dim.

Lin Xuan did not return to his dormitory. Instead, he immediately slipped into the Dark Room on the Back Mountain that he had previously used for his breakthrough.

Before that, however, he instinctively extended his senses toward the place where he had previously discovered Tang Hao, then let out a sigh of relief.

Not only was Tang Hao gone, but those Wine Jars had been cleared away as well. It should be safe.

At least, there was an eighty percent chance that he had gone hunting Soul Beasts with Tang San and the others.

He shut the Room Door behind him, cutting off all the noise outside. Then he impatiently took out the black scale and laid it in his palm.

The scale felt icy in his hand, its cracks clearly visible.

Lin Xuan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and focused all his attention on sensing the faint Dragon type aura contained within the scale.

At the same time, he slowly circulated the Soul Power in his body, carefully guiding the Golden Dragon King Bloodline within him to resonate with it.

The faint Dragon type aura was like a spark falling upon dry kindling, instantly igniting the slumbering bloodline within his body.

Lin Xuan could clearly feel a warm force slowly emerging from his heart. Like a stream thawing in early spring, it gradually spread through his meridians and throughout his body.

His muscles and bones trembled faintly, as though struggling to respond to something, or perhaps stretching limbs that had slept for far too long.

Although this power was still extremely weak, only enough to make him feel a trace of warmth and nowhere near enough to form genuine Combat Power, it at least proved that his guess was correct.

As long as he continued stimulating it with this Dragon type aura, given enough time, he would certainly be able to fully activate the thin Golden Dragon Bloodline within his body.

Lin Xuan tightly gripped the black scale in his hand, anticipation gleaming uncontrollably in his eyes.

"Tang San, hurry back."

He muttered softly, a confident curve lifting at the corner of his mouth.

"Once you become a Soul Grandmaster, you'll be worth ten Gold Soul Coins. This time, I'll show you what true power is.

"And Tang Hao, three months at most. In three months at most, your time watching me will be up."

Lin Xuan's gaze became deep and crazed, carrying a trace of icy coldness.

As an ordinary University Student from modern society, for Tang Hao to make even him unable to suppress the urge to kill showed just how much pressure Tang Hao had placed on him.

He had originally wanted to keep his head down and survive quietly, but Tang Hao's presence had forced him into Nuoding Academy.

After entering, he had thought that getting Tang San out of the Seventh Dormitory would mean fewer problems.

But he had never expected Yu Xiaogang to set his sights on him as well, and somehow he ended up becoming enemies with Yu Xiaogang and Tang San.

Then Tang San began constantly causing him trouble, coveting his hammer and perhaps competing with him over bloodline.

If Tang San had not annoyed him so badly in the end, he would never have started offering sparring matches for money.

He had clearly never wanted anything to do with Tang San and the others. Why did every single one of them have to force him into this?!

"You've forced me to expose this power so far ahead of time. Who knows how much trouble it'll cause?

"If I don't use your lives to make up for it, I'm afraid the resentment in my heart will never be settled!"