The Possibility of Dragon Transformation? No, I Am the True Dragon!

After the Martial Soul awakening.

Qing Family Manor, main hall.

Qing Zhengyue sat in the seat of honor, holding a cup of clear tea. The emerald liquid reflected in his deep, piercing eyes.

Liu Yunlan sat beside him, mending a small cyan robe. It was their grandson's garment, and the old lady insisted on sewing it herself, refusing to let the servants intervene.

Qing Hongyuan and Shen Wanqing sat in the lower seats, their gazes darting toward the old man at the head of the table, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Finally, Qing Hongyuan could no longer hold back.

"Father." He set down his teacup and spoke with careful deliberation: "Mu Feng's Soul Rings... eight hundred years and sixteen hundred years, isn't that too risky?"

Qing Zhengyue did not answer, keeping his head lowered as he sipped his tea.

Qing Hongyuan braced himself and continued: "Son knows that Feng'er has innate level twenty soul power and extraordinary talent. But common knowledge in the soul master world dictates that the first ring limit is no more than four hundred years, and the second no more than seven or eight hundred. You are doubling that at once; if something goes wrong..."

"If what goes wrong?" Qing Zhengyue raised his eyes to look at him.

Pinned by that gaze, the words died in Qing Hongyuan's throat.

Shen Wanqing gently took her husband's hand from the side and spoke for him: "Father, Hongyuan is worried that Mu Feng's body won't be able to bear it. He is still young, and his meridians may not be that resilient."

Qing Zhengyue set down his teacup and was silent for a moment.

Then he stood up, walked to the bookshelf on the side of the hall, pulled a yellowed ancient text from the third shelf, turned to a specific page, and handed it to Qing Hongyuan.

"Look at this."

Qing Hongyuan took the book and looked down.

It was a hand-copied ancient text; the paper was brittle and yellowed, yet the handwriting remained clear. It was the personal manuscript of one of the Qing Clan's ancestors.

What was recorded in the book was not a soul skill or a cultivation technique, but a treatise on the limits of Soul Ring absorption.

"The so-called human limit for Soul Ring age is merely the limit of an ordinary person's meridians. The wider and more resilient the meridians, the higher the age of the Soul Ring one can withstand. If one uses medicinal baths to temper the body from childhood and uses soul power to nourish the meridians, the limit can be broken. This is not determined by talent, but by the foundation."

Qing Hongyuan finished reading and looked up at his father.

Qing Zhengyue had already pulled several more books from the shelf and laid them out on the table one by one.

Qing Hongyuan glanced at the titles.

Meridian Theory, Essentials of Soul Ring Absorption, Records of Body Tempering...

These were all among the oldest classics in the Qing Clan Library.

"These books have been hidden in our Qing Clan for over a hundred years."

Qing Zhengyue's voice was not loud, but every word was clear: "You are usually busy with family affairs and managing the businesses; has anyone ever bothered to flip through them?"

Qing Hongyuan lowered his head, and Shen Wanqing also cast her eyes downward.

"I have," Qing Zhengyue said. "In the dozen years since I retired, I have read every book in the Qing Clan Library. Some I have read more than once."

He walked back to the seat of honor and sat down, picking up his teacup, though he did not drink.

"The human limits circulating in the soul master world are not the true limits. They are merely the limits for most people. Because most families lack methods for body tempering, lack formulas for medicinal baths, and lack the patience to begin nourishing a child's meridians before the age of six."

He looked at his son and daughter-in-law, his tone calm yet beyond dispute.

"From the day Mu Feng was born, your mother bathed him in medicinal decoctions. From the age of three, I used my soul power to clear his meridians every day. Did you think that was just doting on a grandson?"

Qing Hongyuan was stunned.

Shen Wanqing was also stunned.

Both of them looked at Liu Yunlan simultaneously.

The old lady did not even look up, continuing to mend the small robe, though the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

"Mu Feng's current meridian width and resilience are stronger than those of an average ten-year-old soul master," Qing Zhengyue said. "If he couldn't withstand an eight-hundred-year Soul Ring, then my dozen years of nourishment would have been in vain."

Qing Hongyuan opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He recalled the past years, how his father would call his grandson to the study every morning and lock the door for an hour.

He had always thought it was just the grandfather and grandson growing close, but he never imagined...

"There is one more thing." Qing Zhengyue's voice suddenly deepened.

He scanned the hall, and only after confirming that it was just his own family did he speak slowly.

"You all saw the phantom of Mu Feng's Martial Soul that day."

The four of them nodded in unison.

"Do you think it looked like an Azure Snake?"

Silence.

Qing Hongyuan recalled the phantom above the altar that day.

That massive size, those emerald-like scales, those golden snake pupils, and that pressure that made even him, a Soul Ancestor, feel suppressed.

"It did not," he spat out the two words with difficulty.

"In that phantom, I saw a Dragon Aspect."

Qing Zhengyue spoke these words in a soft voice, as if sharing a secret that must not be overheard.

Qing Hongyuan suddenly looked up: "A dragon?"

"A serpent's body, a dragon's head, golden eyes, and that pressure which does not belong to any snake." Qing Zhengyue tapped his fingers lightly against the tabletop.

"I have witnessed the awakening of our Qing Clan's Azure Snake martial soul no fewer than ten times. Never once has such an anomaly appeared."

Liu Yunlan finally set down her needlework and looked up, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes.

"Old man, are you saying... that Feng'er's martial soul has the potential for Dragon Transformation?"

"It is not a potential," Qing Zhengyue said with ironclad certainty. "It is a certainty. As long as the foundation is laid well, this snake of his will eventually become a dragon."

Silence returned to the hall.

Qing Hongyuan and Shen Wanqing exchanged a glance, both seeing shock reflected in the other's eyes.

A dragon martial soul.

Throughout the history of the entire Douluo Continent, dragon martial souls have always been the pinnacle of existence.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was able to become one of the Upper Three Sects based solely on a dragon martial soul.

And the Qing Clan... was merely a small, reclusive family.

"Therefore," Qing Zhengyue stood up, standing with his hands behind his back.

"Mu Feng's first and second soul rings must be high-age, high-quality wood-attribute soul rings. This is not a risk; it is a necessity."

"If he is to undergo Dragon Transformation, he must build a solid foundation from a young age. If the foundation is unstable, there will be no hope for transformation in the future, and it may even cause a backlash."

He turned around, looking at the sky outside the hall.

"The age of a soul ring is not always the higher the better. It must be as high as possible within the limits of what the body can withstand."

"The limit for an ordinary person is four hundred years. As for Mu Feng's limit, I can tell you."

The old man paused, slowly spitting out two words: "One thousand."

"For his first ring, he can withstand one thousand years. My choice of an eight-hundred-year Vine Dragon for him is already leaving some leeway."

Qing Hongyuan took a deep breath and stood up: "Father, regarding the hunting of the soul beast..."

"Your mother and I will personally take him secretly to the Star Dou Forest to hunt it," Qing Zhengyue waved his hand to interrupt him. "The Soul Hunting Forest is too small; one simply cannot find such high-quality soul beasts there."

"You and your wife must guard the house and instruct the servants that from this day forward, they are not to discuss anything regarding the young master—not even his name. They must refer to him only as 'that person,' or they will be dealt with directly."

"Make them get used to forgetting Feng'er's existence."

As he said this, a cold, murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

Qing Hongyuan opened his mouth, but meeting his father's unquestionable gaze, he ultimately just nodded.

"From now on, only the five of us shall know about Feng'er's martial soul," Qing Zhengyue's voice was as heavy as iron.

"To the outside world, just say his martial soul is a mutated Azure Snake with an Innate Soul Power of level five."

"That is only if you are forced to speak; otherwise, do not mention it at all."

"Understood," Qing Hongyuan and Shen Wanqing replied in unison.

Liu Yunlan picked up her needlework again, bowing her head to stitch the small robe while murmuring softly.

"My precious grandson, Grandma will certainly protect you well. If anyone dares to harm a single hair on your head, this old woman will make sure their entire family meets a miserable end."

Her voice was very gentle, as if she were speaking of a trivial matter.

Qing Zhengyue glanced at his wife, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.

This woman, who had been with him for fifty years, was a ruthless character who had once used poison to kill a Soul Saint on the battlefield.

He sat back down in the main seat, picked up the cup of tea that had already gone cold, and drained it in one gulp.

"Mu Feng's path truly begins from today."

He looked toward the direction of the secret chamber deep within the estate, his gaze distant.

"When the Azure Dragon leaves the abyss, all wood shall bow in submission."

"I only hope that in my lifetime, I can see that day with my own eyes."