Mutation

Tang Wuyang quickly took off his shirt.

Then, to his horror, he saw that it was not just his palm that had changed, but his entire right arm.

Starting from where the Light Dragon Dagger had pierced him and spreading all the way to his palm, it was completely covered in Golden Scales.

Tang Wuyang felt that this arm contained an unimaginable amount of power.

He subconsciously swung it forward. Boom!

His right fist struck the air, and a mass of golden light surged out, faintly taking the shape of a dragon's head in midair.

The golden light burst forth for a full meter. Even Tang Wuyang was startled by its imposing aura.

Just as he was puzzled by the changes in his right arm, Xing Yu's previously swollen body on his shoulder gradually shrank, while the golden scales on his arm and palm rapidly faded.

In just a few breaths, his entire arm and palm returned to normal.

What followed was an irresistible wave of exhaustion. Tang Wuyang's vision went dark, and he passed out.

What he did not know was that the golden web-like patterns that had appeared several times before surfaced on his exposed skin again. They were especially distinct along his spine.

Who knew how long had passed before Xie Xie woke amid the jolting movement. His mind was still muddled as the scenery around him slowly moved backward.

He subconsciously looked up and saw a familiar face.

Looking up again, the gates of Eastsea Academy came into view.

It was already dark by then. The four words "Eastsea Academy" stood out under the lights.

"Ugh..."

Xie Xie wanted to speak, only to discover that all he could produce were strange sounds.

Tang Wuyang frowned slightly and asked Xie Xie on his brother's back, "What did you say?"

"Wha' happened?" Xie Xie's voice was still incomprehensible.

As his consciousness gradually cleared, he realized that Tang Wulin was carrying him on his back.

He subconsciously raised a hand to touch his face and found it swollen like bread.

Xie Xie knew that he had lost again!

If he had lost to Tang Wuyang the first time because he had been careless...

Then what about this second time?

Xie Xie only felt that he had lost for no apparent reason. He did not even know what had happened before he was defeated just like that.

He stared at Tang Wuyang's shoulder. The tear in his clothes was still there, but the wound had vanished.

A secret. This guy definitely had a secret!

"What was that golden light?"

After Xie Xie adjusted himself, the brothers finally managed to understand him.

"Golden light? What golden light?" Tang Wuyang looked at Xie Xie with a baffled expression.

"Quit playing dumb! That golden light on your body earlier!" Xie Xie said angrily.

This guy had not only humiliated his body, but was even insulting his intelligence. This was simply unbearable!

Tang Wulin, who had been silent while carrying Xie Xie, could not help looking at his younger brother with concern.

He had woken up before Xie Xie. The moment he understood the situation, he had asked his younger brother, who had just put his shirt back on, about the Strange Phenomenon from earlier.

The result only made Tang Wulin more worried.

Tang Wuyang gave a bitter smile. "Would you believe me if I said I don't know either?"

Xie Xie snorted coldly, making his attitude clear.

When they returned to the dormitory, Zhou Changxi stared wide-eyed as Tang Wulin took Xie Xie off his back and placed him on the lower bunk.

Zhou Changxi said bluntly, "He wanted to beat up your brother, and you still carried him back?"

Xie Xie's swollen cheeks clearly showed who had won and lost.

During introductions that morning, hadn't he said this guy had Eighteenth Rank Soul Power?

Tang Wuyang immediately answered, "He paid for it!"

He rubbed his empty stomach. "Brother, let's go have dinner. I'm starving!"

Tang Wulin nodded, then asked Zhou Changxi, "Has dinner service ended yet?"

Zhou Changxi checked the time. "Not yet, but it should be ending soon."

Before he had even finished speaking, he saw the brothers vanish from the dormitory like the wind.

"Hey, you lost again?" Zhou Changxi asked Xie Xie.

Xie Xie shot him a vicious glare. "I was just careless. Next time, I'll definitely win!"

As he spoke, he struggled up from the bed.

With his face swollen like this, how could he not get treated? He absolutely could not be disfigured!

When Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin went to the Meal C counter and ordered their sixteenth and twelfth bowls of noodles respectively, the cook could not help asking, "You two kids didn't deliberately come this late because you were afraid of being seen, did you? We're about to get off work."

Tang Wulin lowered his head shyly. "Sorry, Uncle Cook. We were delayed by something today, so we came late."

Tang Wuyang also said apologetically, "Sorry, Uncle Cook. We won't do it again next time. Then I'll have just one more bowl and stop."

The cook smiled. "Eating isn't a problem. Meal C is free at the academy anyway, and there's no limit as long as you don't waste food."

"But how much more can you two eat?"

Tang Wulin rubbed his stomach. "I'm about eighty percent full. I think I can still eat another five or six bowls."

Tang Wuyang scratched the back of his head somewhat sheepishly. "I can probably still eat quite a lot."

After all, he had skipped lunch, and he was especially hungry today.

The cook said, "There's an upside to coming late. There's still a little left over at the Meal B counter. No one will buy it now anyway, so I'll give it all to you. Better than wasting it."

Two huge basins of noodles, each topped with half a basin of braised meat, were brought to the brothers.

The brothers had never had much resistance when it came to food. After thanking the cook, they each began eating heartily.

As soon as the meat entered his mouth, Tang Wuyang chewed a few times, and his eyes immediately lit up.

Seeing the same delighted look in Tang Wulin's eyes beside him, Tang Wuyang knew his brother had felt the same thing.

He had no idea what kind of meat was stewed in Meal B, but it was very chewy. The flavor was only average, yet after eating it, their stomachs felt warm, and the physical strength they had used up during the day clearly recovered faster.

So Meal B was this good. What about Meal A?

Tang Wuyang swallowed and glanced at the Meal A counter, but quickly shook his head. That was not something he could afford.

Once he started taking jobs at the Forging Master Association, perhaps he could earn more money.

But the brothers had already discussed it. They needed to save as much of their earnings as possible to buy the Soul Spirits they needed.

One million Federation Coins could buy a yellow Century Soul Spirit. That was their current goal.

After each earning ten thousand from the Forging Master Association, the brothers had set their next Soul Spirit's age at the century level.

After eating and drinking their fill, the brothers returned to the dormitory together.

When they opened the door, they found that Xie Xie was gone.

Tang Wuyang did not think much of it. Although that guy was arrogant and cocky, he at least knew his limits. It was clear from how, during their fight that day, he had chosen to attack Tang Wuyang with the dagger's hilt first.

Tang Wulin had an even worse impression of Xie Xie than Zhou Changxi. Xie Xie was always trying to challenge Wuyang, and today he had even injured him, causing that still-unexplainable Strange Phenomenon to appear on his body.

Unable to figure out what exactly had happened, Tang Wulin climbed onto his upper bunk. The only thing he could do now was cultivate diligently. Only by becoming stronger could he help Wuyang if anything unexpected happened to him.

Just as Zhou Changxi was about to enter Meditation, he saw them return and immediately poked his head down from the upper bunk. "Tang Wuyang, isn't Xie Xie an Eighteenth Rank Soul Master? How did you beat him?"

He was becoming more and more curious about this roommate, whose strength seemed to surpass even his own.

Tang Wuyang said helplessly, "Actually, I don't know either."

He truly did not know. How was he supposed to explain something like scales appearing on his body?

After waking from his fainting spell, his body had completely returned to normal. Yet no matter what method he tried, he could not make those scales appear again.

He only vaguely remembered that his entire body had felt hot. Then, his scaled right arm had been filled with berserk power. Even his mind had become a little hazy, as if he could barely control his own body, and violent emotions had emerged as well.

If his willpower had not been strong enough, someone might have been in danger.

But what exactly were those Golden Scales? Could they really have been caused by a Martial Soul Mutation?

Although his Qilin Martial Soul could also strengthen his physical power, it was nowhere near as strong as those Golden Scales that had appeared out of nowhere.

Besides, in Tang Wuyang's perception, his Qilin Martial Soul should have been more inclined toward elements, just as Teacher Mang Tian had said before.

Where had those Golden Scales come from? Could it be that they would only appear when he was hurt?

With that thought, Tang Wuyang rummaged through the daily necessities he had brought and found a sewing needle. He pricked his finger with it.

That hurt!

A bead of blood appeared on his fingertip, accompanied by a sharp sting.

He was bleeding, but...

The Golden Scales did not appear.

Tang Wuyang blinked his beautiful eyes twice, unwilling to accept it.

Had he pricked himself too lightly? Thinking so, he jabbed himself again.

The result...

There was still no change at all.

Should he try Meditation?

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he focused his mind, calmed himself, and circulated his Soul Power in an attempt to locate that previous warmth.

What he and Tang Wulin had learned was only the most basic Meditation Technique, with an extremely simple Soul Power circulation route.

Soon, he completed one cycle, yet there was still not the slightest change in his body.

Everything was normal, no different from his usual cultivation.

This was truly strange.

Tang Wuyang released his Martial Soul again. After merging with it, he looked at the tail behind him, then touched the pair of small horns on his forehead.

With no clue at all, Tang Wuyang could only suppress his doubts, dismiss the Martial Soul fusion, and begin meditating as usual.

Morning.

When Tang Wuyang finished meditating, he saw Xie Xie meditating across from him as well. He did not know when Xie Xie had returned.

The swelling on Xie Xie's face had subsided considerably, but his expression was still unpleasant. Tang Wuyang could not tell whether it was from being beaten or from anger.

After all, paying money to get beaten up was never a pleasant experience...

"Fight me again!"

Xie Xie chased after Tang Wuyang, repeating those words so many times that Tang Wuyang had lost count.

Tang Wuyang could not even be bothered to acknowledge him and headed toward the cafeteria with Tang Wulin.

"I didn't perform well yesterday! If you won't fight me, do you believe I'll expose your secret?" Xie Xie said viciously.

"Do whatever you want." Tang Wuyang did not care in the slightest.

Even he himself did not know what was going on with those Golden Scales. Why would he be afraid of Xie Xie talking?

"You!"

"Stop interfering with my brother and me eating."

As if brushing away a fly, Tang Wuyang shoved Xie Xie aside and headed with Tang Wulin toward the Meal C counter.

"Hey, fight me, and I'll treat you and Tang Wulin to Meal A!" Xie Xie suddenly called out to the brothers' backs.

Tang Wuyang, who had been walking forward, seemed as if someone had grabbed him from behind. Without turning around, he pulled Tang Wulin back several steps and returned to Xie Xie's side.

"Really?" Tang Wuyang was still looking forward to Meal A.

Especially after eating Meal B the previous night, he could clearly feel that more nutritious food was greatly beneficial to his body.

When he woke that morning, Tang Wuyang distinctly felt refreshed all over, as though every muscle in his body had become lively.

After asking Tang Wulin, who had also eaten Meal B, and learning that he felt the same, Tang Wuyang developed an even greater desire for Meal B and the more expensive, more nutritious Meal A.

"Of course!" Xie Xie said proudly.

"As much as we can eat?" Tang Wulin, who was half an outsider to this matter, asked with some anticipation.

Tang Wuyang's eyes gradually lit up as he looked at Xie Xie.

"Eat as much as you want. Didn't they say you brothers can both eat a lot?"

"If you can, eat the Meal A counter empty." Xie Xie curled his lip.

"Deal!"

Faced with the temptation of Meal A, Tang Wuyang decisively agreed to Xie Xie's request.

After all, who would ever have a problem with food?

Half an hour later, Xie Xie began to regret it.

"Are you two even human? Tang Wulin alone ate eighteen Phoenix Turtle Eggs, and Tang Wuyang, you're even more outrageous—you ate thirty! And you're still not full?"

One Meal B cost three hundred Federation Coins, while one Meal A cost a full thousand Federation Coins!

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin did not know that number, but so far, they had eaten fifteen and nine portions respectively, and both still looked eager to continue.

The brothers looked at each other, then at the stacks of empty plates growing before them, and felt somewhat embarrassed.

Tang Wulin put down the half-eaten food in his hand. "How about we forget it? We won't eat anymore."

Tang Wuyang nodded beside him, indicating his agreement.

They did not know how much one Meal A cost, but after eating so much each, it surely was not cheap.

Seeing that they were about to head back to Meal C, Xie Xie hurriedly grabbed one of them with each hand and said fiercely, "Eat! Why stop?"

"Tang Wuyang has already humiliated my body. I can't let you brothers humiliate my dignity too."

"If I promised it, I'll definitely do it."

Meal A truly felt extraordinary to Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin. They had never eaten anything so delicious before.

Meal B was nutritious, but it was not nearly as tasty.

Meal A was different. Not only did it taste good, but after eating it, their stomachs felt warm and comfortable beyond words.

That warmth continuously spread through their limbs and bones, making the brothers' entire bodies heat up in indescribable comfort.

Tang Wuyang felt as though some sort of power inside his body was faintly throbbing.

Only after they had eaten twenty-four and sixteen portions respectively did Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin finally let out satisfied breaths.

Needless to say, the larger share of twenty-four portions had naturally been eaten by Tang Wuyang.

"Thank you."

Facing the brothers' unison reply, Xie Xie rolled his eyes. "What? You two full already?"

As if only just realizing it, the brothers chuckled. Then Tang Wuyang said, "I forgot your name is Xie Xie. We meant thanks."

This time, Xie Xie finally understood. He snorted coldly and said to Tang Wuyang, "Remember to keep your promise."

Looking at the two uneven stacks of plates, his heart ached again. Although his family was wealthy, his allowance was still limited.

More than twenty thousand yesterday, and another forty thousand today.

Most tragically, Xie Xie couldn't be sure whether, just like before, he had spent money only to buy himself another beating...