A Dragon Inside the Body

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin exchanged a glance and smiled helplessly in unspoken agreement before each climbing onto their beds to sit cross-legged.

How could they not be excited?

On the contrary, deep down, they were even more excited than Xie Xie. They simply did not show it.

Tang Wuyang took a deep breath, recalling Wu Changkong's two astonishing sword strikes as he began trying to meditate.

Teacher Wu's two strikes had been too miraculous. To him, they had felt like power from another world.

At the instant Wu Changkong drew his sword, Tang Wuyang felt as though his mind had been drawn into it, as if Teacher Wu had become the core of the entire world, pulling the whole world into attacking Guang Biao.

For everyone else, the most shocking part might have been the second strike, when Wu Changkong used the Frost Sky Sword to summon Extreme Cold Sword Qi with unstoppable force. But for Tang Wuyang, the first strike had been even more shocking.

At that time, Wu Changkong's Frost Sky Sword had shifted from pointing diagonally at the ground to sweeping upward. It looked effortless and unhurried, without much aura, and Tang Wuyang had not noticed anything in that state.

But when the tip of Wu Changkong's Frost Sky Sword touched Guang Biao's fist, Tang Wuyang clearly heard what sounded like a mournful Dragon Roar in his mind.

Moreover, those agonized dragon cries rose and fell one after another. Scale after scale was knocked flying, and the painful roars shook his mind, giving him a feeling as though he shared that pain.

Tang Wuyang could even feel Extreme Cold Sword Qi drilling into Guang Biao's body through the flying Dragon Scales, causing Guang Biao's Martial Soul to suffer.

At that moment, Tang Wuyang was deeply shaken, yet another voice echoed from the depths of his mind.

That voice filled him with extreme fury.

The scorching sensation that had previously appeared only when he was stabbed by the Light Dragon Dagger or Holy Dragon Spear emerged again. Though it lasted only a short time and caused no changes to his body, it still left Tang Wuyang greatly startled.

Ever since this power had first appeared, it seemed to have surfaced more and more frequently. He realized that some secret appeared to be hidden within his body.

Thinking of this, Tang Wuyang became restless. Usually, he could enter meditation easily, but today he could not calm down for a long time.

Zhou Changxi entered the dormitory with Yun Xiao, who had come over to visit.

Even Xie Xie and Zhou Changxi, who normally were not especially close, were excitedly discussing the splendor of Wu Changkong's two sword strikes with Yun Xiao.

Hearing their heated discussion, Tang Wuyang found himself unable to enter meditation for the time being.

Gradually, his consciousness became somewhat hazy. In his mind, agonized Dragon Roars seemed to echo endlessly, as though something were slowly fermenting.

As time passed, Tang Wuyang's consciousness began to blur, and the Dragon Roars quieted. His Soul Power circulated, and he seemed to enter meditation.

Tang Wulin, on the upper bunk, had already entered meditation.

When he had witnessed Wu Changkong's two sword strikes earlier, aside from excitement, he had also felt an inexplicable discomfort.

As he meditated, an extremely faint silver-gray gleam flashed and vanished from the center of his left palm.

As Tang Wuyang's Soul Power circulated peacefully, everyone else in the dormitory had also settled into meditation and cultivation.

Behind Tang Wuyang, the Golden Pattern extending from his cervical vertebra all the way to his tailbone appeared again.

A faint scorching sensation enveloped his body, making him tremble slightly.

Tang Wuyang's eyebrows furrowed from time to time, as though he were experiencing something extremely painful.

Black. Everything around him was pitch black, and he could see nothing.

Tang Wuyang discovered that he seemed to have arrived in a black world.

Suddenly, Golden Light lit up in the distance. Its dazzling gold immediately drew his attention.

The gold came closer and closer, gradually growing larger. When Tang Wuyang saw its appearance clearly, he was horrified to find that it was actually a massive golden dragon.

The golden dragon had five claws, its entire body covered in enormous diamond-shaped Golden Scales. It had deer antlers and a serpent's body.

Eh, why did he know it was a dragon?

It clearly differed from the dragons on the continent! It had no Wings, and five claws beneath its body, yet why did he simply know it was a dragon?

Golden Light suddenly blossomed. Tang Wuyang felt solid ground beneath his feet, and when he lowered his head, he could finally see himself. However, his body now appeared somewhat illusory.

The floor was paved with blue bricks, seemingly part of a vast hall. Above the hall, the enormous golden dragon floated in the air.

Compared to before, he could see more clearly now. Tang Wuyang was astonished to discover eighteen Light Circles around the huge golden dragon's body, which was a hundred meters long.

Each Light Circle radiated a clear blue-golden glow.

Its enormous left claw tightly gripped a blue-golden Light ball of the same color as the Light Circles.

For some reason, when Tang Wuyang saw that blue-golden color, the first thing that came to mind was his older brother's Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

"You've finally come."

At that moment, a dignified, low voice rang out.

A vaguely human-shaped Light Shadow appeared before Tang Wuyang, its form gradually becoming clear.

It was a burly man with bulging arm muscles and golden hair.

Tang Wuyang asked doubtfully, "Who are you? Where is this? Am I dreaming?"

"Haha! You can consider it a dream."

"I am a strand of divine sense, the divine sense of the dragon before you. This place is a part of your body."

Although Tang Wuyang was afraid, he was only nine years old after all, and his curiosity outweighed his fear. "You mean there's a dragon living inside my body?"

"I am not merely a dragon. I am a Dragon King, an incarnation of the Dragon God, the Golden Dragon King!"

Tang Wuyang was somewhat surprised. "Then is it my Martial Soul?"

The man who called himself the Golden Dragon King shook his head. "No. This is your opportunity, but also your disaster."

"It contains all of my essence as the Golden Dragon King. This energy is too immense. Once it erupts, your current body will be unable to withstand it. You will die."

"Ah?" Tang Wuyang's mind went blank.

"The fact that you could come here means you have sensed This King's power and have begun to be influenced by it."

"As an incarnation of the Dragon God, I possess the strongest physical power. With the feedback from my energy, is your own strength not extraordinary compared to ordinary people?"

If Tang Wuyang had previously still believed this might be a dream, then after hearing the Golden Dragon King's divine sense say this, he gradually understood that perhaps it was not a dream—at least, not a simple one.

"That's right. My strength is greater than that of others my age," Tang Wuyang said honestly.

The Golden Dragon King's divine sense looked as though it had expected that. "That is because your body has already been influenced by me."

"Do you see those Light Circles?"

"They are all seals. As long as you can steadily unlock them one by one and make the energy in every layer of seals your own, your life can at least be preserved."

Tang Wuyang's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Little Fellow, don't be happy too soon. Although this power has Eighteen Seals, it also contains This King's violent nature."

"If you unlock them step by step according to the current seals, you will eventually be controlled by the violent part and harm those around you without distinguishing friend from foe." The Golden Dragon King's divine sense looked calmly at Tang Wuyang.

Tang Wuyang bit his lip. "Then what should I do?"

The Golden Dragon King's divine sense said, "That is why I want to make a deal with you."

"I will help you dissolve the Vicious Qi within the seals and replace these seals. In return, you will do one thing for me. How about it?"

Tang Wuyang asked, "What are you going to do?"

The divine sense smiled. "I am only a strand of divine sense. There is a peculiar power within you that has awakened me from my original Vicious Qi. Even if I do nothing, I will dissipate soon."

"I will absorb most of the Vicious Qi into this divine sense. As the divine sense dissipates, that Vicious Qi will also be dissolved."

"As for the small remainder, with the traits of your Martial Soul, it will not greatly affect you as long as you do not lose emotional control."

Tang Wuyang froze. "Then won't you die?"

"Hahaha! My divine sense could not have existed for much longer anyway. Trading it for one thing from you is a good bargain."

"So, little one, will you make this deal with me?" The Golden Dragon King's divine sense was very composed, without the slightest trace of fear.

Tang Wuyang hesitated, but his desire to live still forced him to agree. "All right, I agree, but you can't make me do anything immoral."

"Of course."

The Golden Dragon King's divine sense paused, then looked solemnly at Tang Wuyang. "This King wants you to help the Soul Beasts create a homeland, one far from humanity's persecution."

Tang Wuyang looked firmly at the divine sense before him. "All right, I promise. I swear it on my Martial Soul. But how can you be sure I can do it?"

"I cannot be sure. That is why I want you to stand on the Soul Beasts' side if a great war breaks out between humans and Soul Beasts."

"Besides, three-quarters of the bloodline in your body is Soul Beast Bloodline. For now, you can count as one of the Soul Beasts!" The Golden Dragon King's divine sense smiled at Tang Wuyang.

Tang Wuyang stared in astonishment as he processed those words, which carried far too much information. His eyes were blank as he looked at the divine sense, his mouth opening without any words coming out.

"All right, little one. Remember what you promised This King."

"Work hard to become stronger. Do not disgrace This King's bloodline."

"Oh, right. If possible, take good care of This King's younger sister, the Silver Dragon King."

As soon as the Golden Dragon King's divine sense finished speaking, his entire body blazed with Golden Light, so bright that Tang Wuyang could not open his eyes.

"Wait, who is the Silver Dragon King? How am I supposed to find her?" Tang Wuyang shouted, but received no response.

"This King has replaced the seals within your body. You only need to extract their energy while cultivating."

"When you reach the Zero Point, the seals will naturally unlock one by one." The voice echoed beside Tang Wuyang's ears.

Tang Wuyang looked toward the Golden Dragon King's enormous body. The original eighteen pale-blue Light Circles had already turned bright gold, appearing even more magnificent.

Tang Wuyang abruptly opened his eyes and rose from the bed. His entire body was drenched in sweat, and he felt indescribably uncomfortable.

He could clearly feel his originally scorching body temperature slowly receding.

Was it a dream?

If not for everything he had experienced before, Tang Wuyang might have believed it was merely a dream.

But could it really have been as simple as a dream?

If it was a dream, why had it felt so real?

Why had the stimulation of the Light Dragon Dagger or Holy Dragon Spear caused Golden Scales to emerge?

His strength had clearly not been remarkable when he was younger, yet after his Martial Soul Awakening, it had begun to increase dramatically, even surpassing his older brother, who possessed Twin Martial Souls?

Tang Wuyang shook his head hard to calm himself down. Quietly getting out of bed, he ran to the Water Room to wash himself and change into dry clothes.

After returning to bed without disturbing the other three, who were still meditating, Tang Wuyang finally calmed down somewhat.

Taking a deep breath, Tang Wuyang's eyes gradually settled.

According to the Golden Dragon King's divine sense, its essence was inside his body. It put him at risk of death, but it was also an opportunity.

From the current situation, he could at least draw two conclusions.

First, the essence of a Dragon King really was inside his body, threatening his life. If he could not absorb it, he would die.

Second, if he could absorb it bit by bit, he could become stronger.

Then the first thing he needed to do was extract the seals' energy and try to break through the First Seal. Only then could he understand what it truly was.

"Work hard to become stronger. After all, do what you can according to your abilities." With that thought, Tang Wuyang entered meditation again.

This time, he would try absorbing some of the Golden Dragon King's Bloodline Power within his body.

Not long after entering meditation, Tang Wuyang's blood began to boil.

His body temperature rapidly soared. Intense heat surged through him as though he were inside a furnace. Sweat poured like rain, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Faint web-like Golden Patterns extended from his forehead. His entire body turned red, and he could vaguely see blood rushing rapidly through his veins.

So hot!

Tang Wuyang felt unbearably hot, nearly unable to endure it, but he still gritted his teeth and held on.

Before long, the intense heat turned into extreme cold.

Heat and cold alternated across his body, as though countless tiny insects were crawling about inside him.

Tang Wuyang's body shook even more violently. He felt wretched beyond measure, yet he still gritted his teeth and persisted.

After an unknown amount of time, the sensations in Tang Wuyang's body finally calmed down, and the Golden Patterns faded away as well.

Early the next morning, the four people in the dormitory woke from meditation looking full of energy.

Tang Wuyang checked his condition, and to his delight, his Soul Power seemed to have improved considerably. He had likely reached the peak of the Thirteenth Rank.

"Come on! Wulin, Wuyang, let's eat." Xie Xie jumped down from his bed.

Tang Wuyang said helplessly, "We haven't even washed up yet."

"Uh, I'm a little hungry. Then let's hurry up and wash!" As he spoke, Xie Xie started to head outside.

Tang Wulin, sitting on the upper bunk, suddenly spoke. "Xie Xie, I want to ask you something."

"Have you heard of Kongling Fruit?"

Xie Xie froze for a moment. "Kongling Fruit? Of course I have!"

"Isn't it a very ordinary spirit fruit? They sell it in shopping malls."

"It has a pretty good nourishing effect for people whose Martial Souls possess the Space Attribute."

"Why are you asking about that?"

Tang Wuyang looked at Tang Wulin with confusion in his eyes, unable to understand why his older brother had suddenly begun asking about a spirit fruit he had never heard of.

Tang Wulin climbed down from the bed, walked over to Xie Xie, and asked in a lowered voice, "Then... is this spirit fruit expensive?"

Xie Xie said, "It's all right. One costs ten or twenty thousand Federation Coins, depending on the quality."

Hearing this, Tang Wulin was instantly overjoyed. "The good-quality ones are things like Hundred-Year Kongling Fruit, right?"

Xie Xie rolled his eyes. "Can you have some common sense? Spirit fruits over ten years old are already very good. Those over a hundred years old can only be found at auctions; they count as Spirit Treasures."

"Once they reach a thousand years, they become Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures."

"Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, as the name implies, are priceless treasures."

Tang Wuyang gave a wry smile. "Then how much would a Hundred-Year Kongling Fruit cost?"

Xie Xie said, "Kongling Fruit is relatively common, so the price is manageable. At an auction, it would probably cost around eight hundred thousand to one million Federation Coins."

Tang Wulin was dumbstruck, as though shocked by the price.

"Older brother, what happened? Why are you suddenly asking about this?" Tang Wuyang could not help but let a hint of concern enter his voice.

"Exactly. People rarely use spirit fruits under normal circumstances because their medicinal effects are too overbearing, and there are risks in the human body absorbing them. Unless it's a special situation, no one would use them lightly."

"Otherwise, if they affect one's foundation, the results could very well be detrimental."

"Of course, those over a thousand years old are exceptions, but they are not something just anyone can obtain."

"Spirit fruits over a thousand years old can be considered Soul Beasts. Once they reach ten thousand years, they even develop their own intelligence."

Tang Wulin did not answer Tang Wuyang's question. "Xie Xie, when Rest Day comes this week, take me to an auction to have a look. I've never been to one."

"Sure!" Xie Xie agreed without hesitation. "Wuyang, do you want to come too?"

He had always been cold toward outsiders, but he was actually very straightforward with friends he recognized.

"Sure. It'll be a good chance to broaden my horizons."

"Then it's settled. We'll go together then." After saying that, Xie Xie went to wash up.

"Older brother, what exactly happened?" Tang Wuyang grabbed his older brother's arm, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Tang Wulin patted the hand on his right arm and smiled. "It's okay. I'll explain it to you tonight. For now, let's wash up and Attend Class."

Hearing this, Tang Wuyang could only temporarily suppress the doubts in his heart.