Golden Scales Reappear

Guang Long was roaring arrogantly when he suddenly saw Tang Wuyang charging at him again.

This time, Tang Wuyang was only swinging the hammer with one hand. Guang Long said disdainfully, "Stinky Boy, you're pretty tough, huh?"

"If you weren't a child, Laozi would've crushed you to death." With that, he slapped directly at Tang Wuyang's Sinking Silver Hammer.

But at that very moment, Guang Long suddenly shuddered. He clearly saw a flash of golden light pass through Tang Wuyang's eyes.

The instant that golden light flashed, Tang Wuyang's pupils suddenly narrowed into cold vertical pupils.

An indescribable sensation rapidly spread through Guang Long's body, filling him with such crushing pressure that he felt as though he were about to collapse.

Bang! Guang Long's massive body was sent flying by Tang Wuyang's hammer. The people around them could even clearly hear the sound of the bones in his arm breaking.

Guang Long's two lackeys tried to catch him, but like Xie Xie earlier, both of them went tumbling across the ground.

Tang Wuyang looked at his right hand in shock.

At that moment, Golden Scales completely covered his palm, and claws had emerged from his fingers. His entire arm was filled with a strange burning sensation.

Compared to last time, his feelings were much clearer this time.

Tang Wuyang could clearly feel the Soul Power inside his body draining away at an astonishing speed.

Dismiss it, quickly! he silently urged himself.

A strange scene unfolded. The light from the newly grown Golden Scales rapidly dimmed, then turned into specks of light that silently merged back into his arm and disappeared. The burning sensation inside his body also began to subside.

From the appearance of the Golden Scales to their dismissal through his thoughts, only a dozen seconds had passed. Yet Tang Wuyang's Soul Power had already been nearly exhausted.

His arm felt sore and swollen, as if he could barely lift it.

Tang Wuyang's mind was in chaos. If the previous appearance of the Golden Scales could possibly have been an illusion, then what about this time?

How could such a vivid sensation possibly be explained as an illusion?

"Y-you used that power again?" Xie Xie had followed after Tang Wuyang when he rushed out. From close by, he had watched Tang Wuyang send Guang Long flying with one hammer strike and seen the golden scales appear on his hand.

It was not only Guang Long who had felt fear at that moment. Xie Xie and Tang Wulin, who stood not far away, had felt it too.

The scales that had appeared on Tang Wuyang's body seemed to possess a special kind of magic that shook the heart.

Tang Wuyang gave a wry smile. "I don't know what's going on either. Hm? Where did they go?"

When he looked for Guang Long again, Guang Long and his two lackeys had already vanished without a trace.

Only then did the surrounding crowd surge forward. Some nearby shop owners from Snack Street helped Uncle Li set the stove back up and clean up the mess.

"That bastard ran off without paying compensation." Xie Xie said bitterly.

"Your hand..." Gu Yue looked at Tang Wuyang hesitantly.

Tang Wuyang gave a wry smile. "I don't know what's going on either. This is already the second time it's happened."

"Those scales rapidly drain my stamina and Soul Power, but they can give me great strength for a short time. That's all I know."

Gu Yue pressed her lips together. "Let's go back first and talk about it there."

The four of them bid Uncle Li farewell. Xie Xie quietly stuffed some money into Uncle Li's arms, then they hurriedly ran toward the academy.

As they walked back to the academy, Gu Yue asked Xie Xie, "Will those people take revenge on Uncle Li?"

Xie Xie said, "He probably doesn't have the ability to do that for now. Wuyang broke his arm, didn't he?"

"Besides, this is Snack Street. Even if he collects Protection Fees, he can't go too far."

"Afterward, I'll have my family look after that place. It should be fine."

Tang Wulin looked worriedly at his biological brother. "Wuyang, are you really okay?"

"I'm okay, Ge. I just used up a lot of Soul Power." Tang Wuyang reassured him.

After entering the academy, just as Gu Yue was about to part ways with the three of them and return alone to the Girls' Dormitory, Tang Wuyang, who had been silent the entire way, suddenly spoke. "Wait. I think I know what triggered the appearance of the Golden Scales!"

His words instantly drew the attention of the other three.

Xie Xie froze, while Tang Wulin urgently said, "Then tell us quickly. What happened?"

Tang Wuyang said, "After it appeared the first time, I tried many methods. Whether it was circulating Soul Power, exhausting my Soul Power, or even injuring myself, it never appeared again."

"Today was the second time it appeared. It looked sudden, but one thing was the same as the first time."

As if he had caught onto something, Tang Wulin abruptly fixed his gaze on Xie Xie. "Could it be...?"

As though confirming Tang Wulin's guess, Tang Wuyang also looked at Xie Xie. "That's right. It was the Light Dragon Dagger."

"The first time, it appeared after I was injured by the Light Dragon Dagger."

"And just now, it appeared after Xie Xie's Light Dragon Dagger cut me."

Xie Xie's eyes lit up. "Right! It does seem like that. But why?"

Tang Wuyang shook his head. "I don't know either. Even now, I don't know where the Golden Scales came from. They feel like they have nothing to do with my Qilin Martial Soul."

Xie Xie said, "Could it be that you also have a Second Martial Soul? You and Wulin are brothers, so it wouldn't be strange even if you had Twin Martial Souls."

"However, your Second Martial Soul might be dormant and need a special force to awaken it."

Tang Wuyang looked at his right hand, where the Golden Scales had appeared. "I don't really understand Twin Martial Souls, so I don't know if that's it."

The only thing he could sense was that the Golden Scales should be very powerful.

Tang Wulin, who still looked somewhat worried, suggested, "How about we go ask Teacher Wu? Teacher Wu is knowledgeable, so he might know something."

"Besides, we can tell Teacher Wu about what happened just now and prevent those people from causing trouble later."

Tang Wuyang hesitated. "Go now? It's so late. Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

Xie Xie said impatiently, "Why wait until tomorrow? Let's go now. Teacher Wu probably isn't asleep yet."

Tang Wuyang said helplessly, "Why are you even more anxious than I am?"

Xie Xie chuckled. "Because there's another possibility for what's happening to you."

"If it really is that possibility, it would be greatly beneficial to me too!"

Tang Wulin asked in confusion, "What is it?"

Xie Xie said, "A Martial Soul Fusion Skill! Haven't you heard of it?"

"It's a powerful ability that can be used when two people's Martial Souls are especially compatible. It's called a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

"The higher the compatibility between the two Martial Souls, the stronger the Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

"If it really is a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, that would be amazing."

When it came to rare Martial Souls and Martial Soul abilities, Xie Xie clearly knew more than the Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin brothers.

The two of them had also heard of Martial Soul Fusion Skills. In the world of Soul Masters, they were extremely high-level existences.

Gu Yue pressed her lips together, grabbed Tang Wuyang's hand, and headed toward Wu Changkong's office. "That's right. Night brings many dreams. We should have Teacher Wu take a look as soon as possible."

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, who had been left standing there, exchanged a glance and hurried after them.

As he ran, Xie Xie muttered, "This Gu Yue, why is she more anxious than you, his biological brother? Could she really have fallen for Wuyang?"

Tang Wulin rolled his eyes irritably. "What weird things do you think about all day? How old are we? You're already thinking in that direction?"

Seeing this, Xie Xie did not argue further. He quickly followed after them with Tang Wulin.

The teachers' dormitories were located within the Dormitory Building. To make managing students more convenient, the homeroom teachers all lived on the floors corresponding to their classes.

The four of them were already beneath the Dormitory Building and quickly arrived at Wu Changkong's dormitory.

Knock, knock, knock! Gu Yue knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Wu Changkong's usual cold voice came from inside.

Gu Yue said, "Teacher Wu, it's Gu Yue. We have a question we'd like to ask you about."

"Come in." The door opened, and Wu Changkong, dressed in pajamas, appeared before the four of them.

As a teacher, Wu Changkong naturally had a room to himself. It was much larger than the students' dormitories, with a private bathroom, bedroom, and living room.

Xie Xie scratched his head. "Teacher Wu, we interrupted your cultivation, didn't we?"

Wu Changkong shook his head. "Get to the point. What is it?"

Gu Yue nudged Tang Wuyang beside her. Tang Wuyang gathered his thoughts and said to Wu Changkong, "Teacher Wu, my Martial Soul seems to have changed somewhat."

"Oh?" A trace of surprise appeared in Wu Changkong's previously calm eyes.

He had already confirmed that Tang Wuyang's Qilin Martial Soul had mutated. Unlike an ordinary Beast Martial Soul, Wu Changkong could tell that it had undergone a beneficial mutation toward an elemental direction.

And now Tang Wuyang said that his Martial Soul had changed again. That likely meant the Qilin Martial Soul had continued mutating, which was definitely a good thing for him.

"What happened?" Wu Changkong asked.

Tang Wuyang recounted the two appearances of the Golden Scales and their previous speculation.

"Golden Scales?" Wu Changkong frowned.

The situation Tang Wuyang described was indeed extremely rare.

Moreover, Xie Xie's earlier deduction was quite correct. Under these circumstances, the most likely possibilities were a dormant Second Martial Soul or a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

"Xie Xie, use your Light Dragon Dagger to stab him again. See whether that phenomenon appears." Wu Changkong said to Xie Xie.

"Yes!" Xie Xie looked at Tang Wuyang with ill intent, released his Light Dragon Dagger, and said with a grin, "Wuyang, where do you think I should stab you?"

Gu Yue glared fiercely at Xie Xie. "Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up."

Xie Xie stuck out his tongue and carefully used the Light Dragon Dagger to make a cut on Tang Wuyang's outstretched right arm.

This time, his movements were slow, and all Five people watched closely.

Tang Wuyang only felt a sting in his arm, but to his surprise, when the Light Dragon Dagger cut through his skin, a faint glow from the dagger seemed to flow into his body.

Immediately afterward, the burning sensation from before surged forth again. His body felt as though it had been ignited, with heat spreading from his tailbone throughout his entire body. At the same time, patches of Golden Scales emerged from his arm.

Wu Changkong raised a hand, and sharp Airflow swept past. The clothing on Tang Wuyang's right arm turned into scraps, exposing his right arm and shoulder.

Golden scales appeared across his entire right arm. His arm swelled slightly as diamond-shaped scales glittering with dazzling golden light emerged, covering his arm in an instant.

At the same time, his palm began to change as well. Golden Claws about an inch long grew from the tips of his five fingers.

As if sensing the aura of the Golden Scales, Tang Wulin's Left Hand involuntarily rose and opened. A miniature Holy Dragon Spear appeared in his palm.

For a moment, the other four all focused their gazes on Tang Wulin.

Xie Xie could not help asking, "Wulin, why did you release your Martial Soul too?"

"I don't know why either. It's like my Holy Dragon Spear was stirred by the Golden Scales on Wuyang's right arm and came out on its own." Tang Wulin looked at his other Martial Soul with a puzzled expression.

"Put it away first." After saying that, Wu Changkong reached out and grasped Tang Wuyang's right hand. "Use your strength!"

Tang Wuyang knew he could not possibly hurt Teacher Wu, so he hurriedly exerted force with his right hand and gripped Wu Changkong's right hand.

Wu Changkong raised his left hand and pressed it against Tang Wuyang's Left Shoulder. He closed his eyes and silently sensed the changes in Tang Wuyang's body.

After maintaining the grip for around ten seconds, Tang Wuyang felt the powerful sensation in his body beginning to fade. The Soul Power he had used while fighting Guang Long had not fully recovered yet.

If he allowed his strength to run out, he might faint again. He hurriedly willed it away, dismissing the Golden Scales.

Wu Changkong released his hand, and Tang Wuyang swayed as weakness instantly washed over him.

Gu Yue and Tang Wulin stepped forward at the same time, supporting him from either side and helping him sit down on the sofa in Wu Changkong's living room.

"Strange!" Wu Changkong's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and a thoughtful expression appeared in his eyes.

Gu Yue sat on the sofa beside Tang Wuyang, while Tang Wulin and Xie Xie stood behind them. They merely watched Wu Changkong quietly and did not rashly ask any questions.

After a moment, Wu Changkong muttered, "This doesn't seem to be Twin Martial Souls. If they were Twin Martial Souls, once the Second Martial Soul was activated, you would naturally be able to sense it."

"This also isn't Martial Soul Evolution. This force seems to have no connection whatsoever to your Martial Soul."

"At the same time, it doesn't seem to be a Martial Soul Fusion Skill either."

"If it were a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Xie Xie should have undergone a change as well."

"There has never been a Martial Soul Fusion Skill where only one person changes after it is used."

"On the contrary, Tang Wulin's Second Martial Soul was affected by the aura of these Golden Scales."

Wu Changkong considered himself well-informed, but the phenomenon that had appeared on Tang Wuyang was truly something he had never seen or heard of.

"Teacher, then these Golden Scales of mine..." Tang Wuyang could not help asking.

Wu Changkong looked at him. "They are very unusual. This is an extremely powerful force. After being enhanced by the Golden Scales, your own strength increased by at least three times."

"That is why your energy is consumed so quickly. However, you cannot control this power yourself."

"I just sensed the changes in your Soul Power and can say with near certainty that these Golden Scales have nothing to do with your Soul Power."

"Although your Soul Power is being consumed, it is not your Soul Power that serves as the primary source for activating this force. Rather, after this force appears, it naturally consumes your Soul Power."

"It sounds rather complicated. Simply put, these Golden Scales are like a Soul Tool. They consume your Soul Power, but they were not born from your Soul Power."

"This is my first time encountering such a situation as well. I cannot say whether it is good or bad for now, but having another explosive ability is always a good thing for you."

"You need to find a way to control it in the future. I estimate that as your Soul Power grows, it should continue to change as well."

"Yes." Tang Wuyang agreed, but he felt somewhat disappointed inside.

Teacher Wu was already the strongest person in the academy. Even he did not understand the strange changes in Tang Wuyang's body. Then who else could know?

Xie Xie said disappointedly, "Is there really no chance that it's a Martial Soul Fusion Skill? Without me, he wouldn't be able to use this power at all!"

Wu Changkong did not directly answer Xie Xie's question. Instead, he looked at Tang Wulin. "Use the Holy Dragon Spear to cut Tang Wuyang again."

Tang Wulin released his Holy Dragon Spear Martial Soul and, like Xie Xie had done earlier, lightly made another cut on Tang Wuyang's right arm, which had already recovered completely.

The next moment, the exposed right arm changed again, and Golden Scales once more covered Tang Wuyang's arm.

A moment later, Tang Wuyang, who had already expended a great deal of energy, could no longer hold on. The Golden Scales receded like a tide, and he sat on the sofa, panting heavily.

Only then did Wu Changkong look at Xie Xie. "You saw it too. This manifestation is not a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

"However, these Golden Scales should share similar attributes with your Light Dragon Dagger and Tang Wulin's Holy Dragon Spear."

"In other words, your Light Dragon Dagger and Tang Wulin's Holy Dragon Spear can both stir the force within Tang Wuyang's body, causing Golden Scales to appear on his right arm."

"If he can control this power himself in the future, he will be able to unleash it at any time even without you."

"This power is very unusual. If it truly is a Martial Soul, it is definitely the highest-level Martial Soul I have ever seen."

Wu Changkong shifted his gaze to Tang Wuyang. "You only have one ring of Soul Power, but when these Golden Scales appear, even I feel somewhat suppressed."

"This is the innate pressure produced by a Martial Soul. The more powerful the Martial Soul, the stronger the pressure it brings."

"Yes, yes, I felt that too." Xie Xie hurriedly said.

Tang Wulin, standing nearby, echoed, "That's right. When I release the Holy Dragon Spear, I feel that oppressive sensation too. It gets a little better when I switch to the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul."

Gu Yue, who had remained silent all along, suddenly spoke. "It's a dragon!"

Her words awakened them all.

Wu Changkong said as if suddenly enlightened, "Right, exactly. It's a dragon!"