Let's Try It! Azure Dragon Armor, Azure Dragon Claw Probe's First Real Combat!

The Azure Spirit Dragon's vertical pupils contracted slightly, its forked tongue flicking in and out, trying to capture the source of that aura in the air.

It was an aura that made it tremble from the depths of its bloodline.

Not fear.

It was submission.

It was the instinct, etched into its genes, of a lower bloodline facing a higher one.

"Azure Dragon, possess me."

Qing Mufeng walked towards the vale step by step, his pace unhurried.

As he walked, he circulated the soul power within his body.

Possessed by the Azure Dragon Martial Soul, he became stronger, taller, more powerful, filled with might.

His pupils also turned golden and vertical.

At this moment, he felt like a superhuman.

This power was intoxicating.

A deep yellow soul ring lit up, and his right arm began to transform.

Azure scales appeared, his fingers sharpened into claws, and his entire arm thickened.

At the same time, just in case, he summoned another ability in his heart.

Azure Dragon Armor, combine!

Azure light surged from his body, solidifying on his skin into that set of azure wooden armor.

A chestplate with wood grain texture, limbs covered in snake scales, shoulder guards shaped like a snake's head, and a half-face helmet.

The armor shimmered with a faint azure glow under the sun, completely enveloping his body.

With his dragonized right arm and the full body armor, the six-year-old child looked like a miniature war god.

Qing Zhengyue watched from behind, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

This armor, combined with that soul skill, and the Azure Dragon's bloodline suppression over snake-type soul beasts...

Perhaps, it could really work.

Qing Mufeng walked into the vale.

He stopped when he was ten steps away from the Azure Spirit Dragon.

Not because he was afraid to go further, but because this distance was just right.

Too far and he couldn't reach it, too close and he couldn't escape.

The Azure Spirit Dragon finally moved.

It slowly raised its snake head, uncoiling its body from its resting position.

Its eight-meter-long body fully extended, like an azure giant dragon lying across the center of the vale.

Its vertical pupils stared intently at the small figure before it, its forked tongue flicking faster and faster.

It was hesitating.

A thousand years of instinct told it that the human cub before it was just food, something it could swallow in one bite.

But the trembling from the depths of its bloodline told it not to move.

If it moved, it would die.

The two instincts warred fiercely in its serpentine brain.

Qing Mufeng saw its hesitation.

He didn't wait.

He stomped his right foot down, his small body shooting towards the Azure Spirit Dragon like an arrow loosed from a bow.

His dragonized right claw was raised high, five azure claw projections condensing at his fingertips, carrying a sharp whistling sound as they slashed fiercely towards the snake's body.

Azure Dragon Claw Probe!

The Azure Spirit Dragon reacted with extreme speed, its body recoiling sharply, narrowly dodging the claw strike.

However, the claw projections grazed its scales, leaving five shallow white marks on its deep azure scales.

It didn't break through the defense.

Qing Mufeng frowned.

The defense of a thousand-year soul beast was stronger than he had anticipated.

But his objective was achieved.

Although the claw strike didn't cause substantial damage, it had thoroughly enraged the Azure Spirit Dragon.

The fear from the bloodline suppression was, at this moment, overshadowed by anger.

Its tail swept out horizontally with the force of a thousand jun, lashing towards Qing Mufeng.

The speed was astonishing.

Qing Mufeng had no time to dodge, so he could only cross his arms in front of his chest to take the blow head-on.

BANG!!!

He was sent flying.

His small body tumbled twice in the air, slammed heavily into the ground, and rolled another three or four meters before coming to a stop.

Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the Azure Dragon Armor where the snake tail had struck.

"Feng'er!" Liu Yunlan cried out, about to rush forward.

"Wait." Qing Zhengyue pressed down on his wife's shoulder.

Liu Yunlan turned to glare at him, only to see a flash of surprise in the old man's eyes.

She followed his gaze and froze.

Qing Mufeng climbed up from the ground.

He brushed the dirt off his body and flexed his arms, which had been numbed by the impact.

The cracks on the armor were repairing at a speed visible to the naked eye; in less than three breaths, it had returned to its original state.

This was the terror of the Azure Dragon Origin.

And this was only the effect limited by his low Soul Power Level.

In the future, as his Soul Power Level increased and the restrictions were gradually lifted, the effects would be even more terrifying.

As for him right now.

Defense: significantly increased.

Recovery: significantly increased.

These "significant increases" were not just empty words.

Qing Mufeng looked at his arms, the corners of his mouth curling upward slightly.

Taking a hit from a thousand-year soul beast head-on and only being knocked back without sustaining injury—the defensive power of the Azure Dragon Armor was even stronger than he had anticipated.

He resumed his combat stance, his gaze locked onto the Azure Spirit Dragon.

That last strike had confirmed a few things for him.

First, the Azure Spirit Dragon's attack power was within the defensive range of the Azure Dragon Armor; he could withstand it.

Second, the recovery power of the Azure Dragon Armor was formidable; as long as it wasn't a one-hit kill, he could recover quickly.

Third, the bloodline suppression was indeed effective; the Azure Spirit Dragon's reaction speed was much slower than normal, and its attacks lacked decisiveness.

Fourth, his own attack power was not yet enough to break through its defenses.

The first three points were good news, but the fourth was a problem.

If he couldn't damage his opponent, being able to take a hit was useless.

Qing Mufeng did not rush to attack again; instead, he stood his ground, staring at the Azure Spirit Dragon while thinking rapidly.

His attack power was insufficient because his Soul Power Level was too low, and the full might of the Azure Dragon Claw Probe had yet to be developed.

But he didn't need to kill the Azure Spirit Dragon.

His grandfather and grandmother were right behind him, ready to intervene at any moment.

He only needed to wear it down.

Qing Mufeng moved.

This time, he didn't charge head-on, but instead moved rapidly around the Azure Spirit Dragon.

Although his six-year-old body was small, it was agile.

He darted between the grass and rocks like a nimble monkey, constantly changing his position.

The Azure Spirit Dragon's snake head turned to follow his movements, but its speed clearly couldn't keep up.

The bloodline suppression had slowed its reactions.

Qing Mufeng seized the opportunity, rushed in from the side, and landed another Azure Dragon Claw Probe on the snake's body.

This time, the claw light struck the exact same scale.

The white mark deepened, but it still failed to break the defense.

Qing Mufeng didn't linger, retreating immediately after the strike to put distance between them.

The Azure Spirit Dragon hissed in fury, its tail sweeping wildly and smashing the surrounding grass and rocks to pieces.

But Qing Mufeng's frame was too small; he slipped through the chaos like a loach, weaving through the gaps in the snake tail's attacks time and time again.

Azure Dragon Claw Probe.

Retreat.

Azure Dragon Claw Probe.

Retreat.

Azure Dragon Claw Probe.

Retreat.

Attack after attack, retreat after retreat.

More and more white marks appeared on the scales of the Azure Spirit Dragon, growing deeper with every strike.

Finally, after the seventeenth attack, the first scale shattered.

The dragon claw of Qing Mufeng left the first wound upon the serpent's body.

Fresh blood gushed out.

The wound was not deep, merely a superficial injury.

But to the Azure Spirit Dragon, it meant that this human whelp, whom it had initially disregarded, could truly harm it.

Fear once again overwhelmed its rage.

The Azure Spirit Dragon began to back away, its serpentine body recoiling into the depths of the Vale.

It was fleeing.

Qing Mufeng did not pursue.

Most of his soul power had been exhausted, and the duration of his Azure Dragon Armor was running thin. To continue the chase now would be reckless.

He halted his steps and turned to look at his grandfather.

"Grandfather," he said, "it wants to run."

Qing Zhengyue looked at his grandson, silent for two breaths.

Then, the old man laughed.

It was a laugh that came from the bottom of his heart, unrestrained and exhilarating.

"Good."

Qing Zhengyue drew his long blade.

The aura of a Soul Emperor swept out like a gale, pressing down upon the fleeing Azure Spirit Dragon.

The body of the Azure Spirit Dragon stiffened violently.

It sensed the scent of death.

The white-haired old man who had been standing in the back all along was the true threat.

Qing Zhengyue's figure flickered and vanished from where he stood.