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, "Brat, you're pretty tough, aren't you?"

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

But at that very moment, Guang Long's entire body suddenly shuddered, because he clearly saw a flash of golden light flicker in Tang Wuyang's eyes.

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

An indescribable sensation rapidly spread through Guang Long's entire body, filling him with such oppressive 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. Everyone nearby could even clearly hear the sound of bones breaking in his arm.

Guang Long's two underlings tried to catch him, but like Xie Xie earlier, both of them were sent 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 appeared as well. His entire arm gave him a strange, burning sensation.

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

Tang Wuyang could clearly feel the Soul Power within his body vanishing at an astonishing rate.

Undo it, quickly! he silently urged himself.

A strange scene unfolded. The Golden Scales that had just appeared rapidly dimmed, then turned into specks of light that silently melted into his arm and vanished. The burning sensation within his body began to subside as well.

From the appearance of the Golden Scales to his dismissal of them with a thought, only a dozen or so seconds had passed, yet Tang Wuyang's Soul Power had already been almost completely drained.

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

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

How could such a real sensation be explained as an illusion?

"You... that power appeared again?" Xie Xie had followed after Tang Wuyang when he rushed out. From close by, he had seen Tang Wuyang send Guang Long flying with one hammer blow, and he had also seen the golden scales appear on his hand.

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

The scales that appeared on Tang Wuyang seemed to possess a special magic that struck fear into people's hearts.

Tang Wuyang gave a bitter 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 underlings had already vanished without a trace.

Only then did the surrounding crowd surge forward. Some of the people who also ran shops on the 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 resentfully.

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

Tang Wuyang smiled bitterly. "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 tremendous 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 said goodbye to Uncle Li. Xie Xie quietly slipped some money into Uncle Li's arms before they quickly ran back toward the academy.

As they walked back to the academy, Gu Yue asked Xie Xie, "Will those people retaliate against 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, that's the snack street. Even if he collects protection money, he can't go too far."

"Later, I'll have my family look after that area. There shouldn't be any problems."

Tang Wulin looked at his younger brother with concern. "Wuyang, are you really all right?"

"I'm fine, Brother. I just used up a little too much 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 somewhat silent all the way, suddenly spoke. "Wait. I think I know what triggered the Golden Scales!"

His words instantly drew the other three's attention.

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 I circulated Soul Power, exhausted my Soul Power, or even hurt myself, it never appeared again."

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

Tang Wulin seemed to seize upon something. His gaze abruptly fell on Xie Xie. "Could it be...?"

As if 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 was after I was injured by the Light Dragon Dagger. That was what triggered the Golden Scales."

"And just now, it only appeared after I was cut by Xie Xie's Light Dragon Dagger."

Xie Xie's eyes lit up. "That's right! It does seem to be 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 seem to have nothing to do with my Qilin Martial Soul."

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

"Your Second Martial Soul might be dormant and need some special power to awaken it."

Tang Wuyang looked at the right hand where the Golden Scales had emerged. "I don't really understand Twin Martial Souls. I don't know if that's what this is."

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

Tang Wulin, who had been watching worriedly from the side, suggested, "How about we ask Teacher Wu? Teacher Wu has seen a lot. Maybe he knows something."

"And we can tell Teacher Wu about what just happened, so those people won't come looking for trouble later."

Tang Wuyang hesitated. "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 more anxious than I am?"

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

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

Tang Wulin asked doubtfully, "What is it?"

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

"When two people's Martial Souls are especially compatible, they can unleash a powerful ability called a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

"The more compatible the two Martial Souls are, the stronger the Martial Soul Fusion Skill becomes."

"If this 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.

They had both heard of Martial Soul Fusion Skills as well. 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. The longer we wait, the more trouble there could be. Let's have Teacher Wu take a look as soon as possible."

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

As he ran, Xie Xie muttered, "This Gu Yue is more anxious than you, his actual brother. Don't tell me she really likes Wuyang?"

Tang Wulin rolled his eyes irritably. "What strange things do you think about all day? How old are we? Why are you thinking in that direction?"

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

The teachers' dormitories were in the dormitory building. To make it easier to manage the students, homeroom teachers all lived on the floor corresponding to their class.

The four of them had already been beneath the dormitory building, so they soon arrived at Wu Changkong's residence.

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."

"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' dorm rooms, with its own bathroom, bedroom, and living room.

Xie Xie scratched his head. "Teacher Wu, did we interrupt your cultivation?"

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

Gu Yue nudged Tang Wuyang beside her. Tang Wuyang organized his thoughts before saying to Wu Changkong, "Teacher Wu, my Martial Soul seems to have changed."

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

He had already confirmed that Tang Wuyang's Qilin Martial Soul had mutated. Unlike an ordinary Beast Martial Soul, Wu Changkong was certain that it had undergone a favorable mutation toward an elemental attribute.

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

"What problem occurred?" Wu Changkong asked.

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

"Golden Scales?" Wu Changkong frowned.

The situation Tang Wuyang described was indeed extremely rare.

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

"Xie Xie, try stabbing him with your Light Dragon Dagger again and see whether that happens again." Wu Changkong said to Xie Xie.

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

Gu Yue glared fiercely at Xie Xie. "Stop talking nonsense and get on with it."

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

This time, he moved very slowly, with all five of them watching.

Tang Wuyang only felt a sharp pain 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 still felt as though it had been set ablaze. The heat spread from his tailbone through his entire body, while pieces of Golden Scales emerged on his arm.

Wu Changkong raised a hand. A sharp current of air swept past, shredding the clothes on Tang Wuyang's right arm and exposing his arm and shoulder.

Golden scales appeared over his entire right arm. The arm swelled slightly as diamond-shaped scales that glittered with dazzling golden light surfaced one after another, covering it 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 unconsciously rose and opened. A shrunken Holy Dragon Spear appeared in his palm.

For a moment, the other four all turned their attention to 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 triggered by the Golden Scales on Wuyang's right arm and came out on its own." Tang Wulin looked at his other Martial Soul with an equally puzzled expression.

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

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

Wu Changkong raised his left hand and placed it on Tang Wuyang's left shoulder. Closing his eyes, he silently sensed the changes in Tang Wuyang's body.

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

If he let the power run out, he would probably faint again. He hurriedly willed it away, dismissing the Golden Scales.

Wu Changkong released his hand. 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 on the sofa in Wu Changkong's living room.

"Strange!" Wu Changkong knitted his brows tightly, a contemplative look appearing in his eyes.

Gu Yue, who sat on the sofa with Tang Wuyang, and Tang Wulin and Xie Xie, who stood behind them, merely watched Wu Changkong quietly. None of them rashly asked any questions.

After a moment, Wu Changkong muttered, "This does not resemble Twin Martial Souls. If it were Twin Martial Souls, once the Second Martial Soul was activated, you would naturally be able to sense it."

"This is not Martial Soul Evolution either. This power seems to have nothing to do with your Martial Soul."

"Nor does it seem to be a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

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

"There is no Martial Soul Fusion Skill where only one person changes after it is unleashed."

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

He considered himself widely experienced, but what had happened to Tang Wuyang was truly something he had never heard of before.

"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 physical strength increased by at least three times."

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

"I just sensed the changes in your Soul Power and can be almost certain that these Golden Scales are unrelated to your Soul Power."

"Although your Soul Power is being consumed, this power is not being mobilized with Soul Power as its foundation. Rather, once this power appears, it naturally consumes your Soul Power."

"It is somewhat complicated to explain. Simply put, it is as if these Golden Scales are a Soul Tool. They consume your Soul Power, but they were not born because of your Soul Power."

"This is also the first time I have encountered such a situation. I cannot say whether it is good or bad for now, but having another explosive ability is always a good thing for you."

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

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

Teacher Wu was already the strongest person in the academy. Even he did not know what this strange change in Tang Wuyang was. 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. Like Xie Xie before him, he gently made another cut across Tang Wuyang's right arm, which had already recovered completely.

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

A moment later, Tang Wuyang, whose energy was already greatly depleted, could no longer hold on. The Golden Scales receded like the tide, while 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 trigger this power within Tang Wuyang, 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 two."

"This power is very unusual. If it really is a Martial Soul, then it is absolutely 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 oppressed."

"This is an innate pressure generated by a Martial Soul. The stronger the Martial Soul, the stronger the pressure it brings."

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

Tang Wulin, standing to the side, added, "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 been silent all this time, suddenly spoke. "It's a dragon!"

Her words woke them from their confusion.

Wu Changkong said in sudden realization, "Right, that's it. It's a dragon!"