The Collapse of His Persona, the Debt-Ridden Heartthrob!

The Intermediate Division training ground's central arena gleamed with a metallic sheen beneath the sunlight.

Compared to the fierce battles among the upper-year students, this place seemed especially deserted.

A few dozen people sat scattered across the stands, most of them lower-year students passing by to watch the fun.

After all, a match between "trash Class Five" and "mediocre Class Four" was just a pathetic squabble between weaklings. It was hardly enough to pique anyone's interest.

Class Four's homeroom teacher, Kong Hanwen, stood below the arena with his arms crossed and a confident smile on his face.

Although Class Five had changed teachers and gotten Wu Zhangkong, who looked rather difficult to deal with, he still had complete confidence in Jialong, Lin Zunyuan, and Mosi.

Especially Jialong. He was a strength-type Soul Master. Wouldn't dealing with those skinny monkeys from Class Five be effortless?

On the arena.

"Hey, you lot, it's not too late to surrender now."

The burly Jialong clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking loudly as he looked disdainfully at the three people opposite him, who had not even released their Martial Souls.

"Once we start fighting, I might not be able to hold back."

Across from him, Xie Xie did not even spare him a proper glance. He merely lowered his head and picked dirt from beneath his fingernails, left over from helping Tang Linyuan tidy the courtyard that morning.

"Boss said... how were we supposed to fight again?" Xie Xie asked casually.

"Finish it quickly." Tang Wulin rolled his neck, producing a crisp crack. "Brother is still waiting for us to go back."

Gu Yue stood at the rear with both hands in her pockets, too lazy even to raise her eyelids.

"You're asking for death!"

Jialong roared in rage after being ignored.

"Begin!" The referee teacher waved his hand.

Boom!

Light flashed beneath Jialong's feet, and he charged forward like a raging bull. There were no fancy moves—he barreled straight toward Tang Wulin, who looked like the easiest target.

Lin Zunyuan and Mosi followed close behind, pouncing toward Xie Xie and Gu Yue respectively.

Kong Hanwen's smile widened below the arena. "It's in the bag."

Yet the next second, his smile froze on his face.

Faced with Jialong's powerful charge, Tang Wulin did not even release his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

He merely dipped his shoulder slightly and stepped forward. Just as that massive fist was about to smash into his nose, he raised a hand and caught Jialong's wrist.

Slap.

That iron fist, strong enough to shatter stone, was caught firmly by a fair, slender hand. It did not move an inch.

"Too light."

Tang Wulin gave his quiet assessment.

After three months of life-or-death training under Tang Linyuan, their dynamic vision and reflexes had long since reached an absurd level.

Compared to the sudden, unpredictable forehead flicks they faced every day, this straightforward attack was as slow as a snail's crawl.

"Up."

Tang Wulin drove force through his waist and twisted with the motion.

A textbook shoulder throw.

Bang!

A thunderous crash rang out.

Jialong had not even realized what had happened before he was slammed face-first onto the arena. The floor shook, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out on the spot.

At the same time, Xie Xie moved.

He did not use the Light Dragon Dagger.

His body merely flickered, and he appeared behind Lin Zunyuan and Mosi like a ghost.

His hand chopped down.

Slap, slap.

Two crisp impacts sounded.

The two of them felt a chill on the backs of their necks. Before they could even see his figure clearly, their vision went dark, and they collapsed limply.

Three seconds.

From the referee's shout to the silence of the entire arena, only three seconds had passed.

Class Four had been completely wiped out.

On Class Five's side, they had not even revealed their Martial Souls.

"Th... they were way too weak, weren't they?" Xie Xie shook his hand, looking utterly bored. "That didn't even count as a warm-up."

"Let's go." Gu Yue turned around. Even after winning, her expression barely changed.

Kong Hanwen stood there with his mouth agape, like a duck with its neck squeezed shut.

Just what kind of monsters had that icy-faced Wu Zhangkong trained? They had instantly defeated their opponents without even using their Martial Souls?

The three of them walked off the arena without paying any attention to the horrified gazes around them.

At the entrance to the passageway, Wu Zhangkong still wore that cold, indifferent expression.

Looking at the three outstanding students approaching him, he did not praise them. His tone was merely calm.

"Not bad. You didn't embarrass yourselves. Keep that mindset. Tomorrow's opponents will be stronger."

"Yes, Teacher Wu," the three replied in unison.

"Enough. Go back and rest."

Wu Zhangkong waved a hand, then looked at Tang Wulin and Xie Xie. "Tang Linyuan asked me to pass along a message."

"After the match, the two of you are to return to the courtyard immediately. He has something important to arrange."

"The two of you?" Gu Yue sharply caught the key phrase, her brows knitting slightly. "What about me?"

"He didn't mention you." Wu Zhangkong spoke truthfully. "It probably isn't convenient."

Gu Yue's expression darkened instantly. The corners of her lips, which had lifted slightly because of the victory, pressed together again.

"Oh? Looks like this is some secret meeting between men."

The moment Xie Xie heard that, he perked up and sidled over to Gu Yue with a mischievous grin.

"Some people may be strong, but they're still girls. There are some things that just aren't convenient for them to join. Hehe, Gu Yue, you should obediently go back to the dorm and do some embroidery."

Gu Yue turned her head. Her clear black-and-white eyes fixed on Xie Xie, and the temperature around them plummeted. Several Wind Blades flickered faintly at her fingertips.

"Say that again."

That look reminded Xie Xie of the terror of being dominated by his own boss.

"Cough, cough... I was joking." Xie Xie instantly cowered and darted behind Tang Wulin. "Wulin, save me! This woman wants to kill me to keep me quiet!"

Gu Yue snorted coldly and dispersed the Wind Blades in her hand.

"Boring."

She did not press the matter further, nor did she ask why she was not allowed to go.

She merely gave the direction of that courtyard a long look before turning away. Her retreating figure seemed somewhat aloof.

"Did I... go too far?" Xie Xie scratched his head.

Tang Wulin watched her leave and felt a little guilty.

After all, they were a team. Being excluded like that certainly could not feel good.

Just as he was about to go after her, Xie Xie grabbed him.

"Don't! Wulin, are you stupid? Boss specifically called for the two of us, so it must be something huge! If we make Boss wait too long, just imagine the consequences..."

At the mention of consequences, Tang Wulin instinctively covered his forehead.

On one side was a future teammate who might be sulking. On the other was his deeply formidable older brother.

This choice required no thought at all.

"Let's go! Back to the courtyard!" Tang Wulin turned around without hesitation. His brother's affairs were the most important thing in the world.

Teacher Dormitory Area, private courtyard.

Inside the room, the curtains were drawn, leaving it dimly lit. Only a faint sliver of sunlight spilled across the floor through a gap.

Tang Linyuan sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes lightly closed.

The pitch-black Tyrant Profound Divine Spear had not been put away. It lay across his knees, faint black mist coiling around its shaft as though a sleeping black dragon were breathing.

Hearing the door open, Tang Linyuan slowly opened his eyes.

"You're here."

Tang Linyuan pointed to the two cushions beside the bed. "Sit."

There was no unnecessary small talk. The atmosphere was especially solemn.

The playful expression on Xie Xie's face also vanished. He obediently sat beside Tang Wulin.

"Brother, did something happen?" Tang Wulin looked at his brother's serious expression, his heart beating uneasily.

Tang Linyuan looked at him with deep eyes.

"Wulin, although your strength has continued to grow, have you ever felt that there has always been a force sleeping inside you? Like a massive treasure vault, but you cannot find the key."

Tang Wulin paused, then nodded. "A little. Even though I practice the breathing technique every day and keep eating good food, it feels like there's a layer of membrane inside my body that I just can't break through."

"Because your bloodline is asleep."

Tang Linyuan's voice was low. "Within you flows an extremely ancient and superior dragon bloodline. Right now, you're only fighting with the tiniest scraps overflowing from it."

"A dragon bloodline?!" Xie Xie cried out in shock, staring wide-eyed at Tang Wulin. "No wonder this guy has the strength of a savage dragon. He actually has a dragon bloodline?"

Tang Linyuan ignored Xie Xie's surprise and continued staring at Tang Wulin. "I called you here today to awaken it."

"I won't directly help you break through the seal. Your current self cannot withstand that power. What I will do is stimulate it, make it 'come alive,' and let it tell you how to walk the road ahead."

"And..." He turned to Xie Xie. "We'll need to borrow Xie Xie's strength."

"Me?" Xie Xie pointed at his own nose.

"Your Martial Souls are the Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger. Though they cannot be considered top-tier True Dragons, their dragon aura is pure and mild in nature." Tang Linyuan explained,

"I will use your dragon aura as a catalyst, together with my Spear Intent, to forcibly stimulate the bloodline inside Wulin and trigger a stress response."

This involved the origins of Martial Souls and the secrets of one's bloodline. One wrong move could lead to cultivation deviation.

Yet Tang Wulin did not hesitate for even a second.

"Brother, I'll listen to you."

The boy with large eyes had complete, unreserved trust written across his face.

"As long as I can become stronger, I'm not afraid of pain. Ever since I was little, you're the person I've trusted most, Brother."

"Then I have even less of a problem with it!"

Xie Xie patted his chest. "Boss, just tell me what to do!"

"Good."

Tang Linyuan nodded, his expression turning solemn. "Since that's the case, we'll begin."

"Xie Xie, release your Martial Souls. Control your Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger, and lightly cut Wulin's wrist. It doesn't need to be deep. Drawing blood is enough. Then force out your dragon aura and pour it in through the wound!"

"Come on, Xie Xie." Tang Wulin directly rolled up his sleeve and extended his arm before Xie Xie. Blue veins were clearly visible beneath his skin.

Xie Xie took a deep breath, his gaze becoming focused.

Hum!

The Light Dragon Dagger appeared in his hand, flashing with golden light.

Slice.

A thin line of blood appeared on Tang Wulin's wrist. The bright red blood had only just seeped out when it was held still by an invisible force.

"Tyrant Profound, guide!"

Tang Linyuan shouted, and the Tyrant Profound Divine Spear across his knees suddenly released a high-pitched hum.

An extremely tyrannical black Spear Intent, filled with the aura of Destruction God and dominion, instantly filled the room.

The Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger in Xie Xie's hands trembled violently as though they had encountered their natural predator, releasing frightened whines.

"Don't let them retreat!" Tang Linyuan said sternly. "Control your Martial Souls! Force out the dragon aura and pour it in!"

Sweat covered Xie Xie's forehead as he desperately circulated his Soul Power. He forcibly drove out two illusory dragon-shaped streams of energy, sending them into Tang Wulin through the wound on his wrist.

"Urgh—!"

The instant the dragon aura entered his body, Tang Wulin's eyes widened abruptly and his body shook violently.

He felt as though what had entered his body was not energy, but two streams of molten iron. They rampaged through his meridians and rushed straight toward his Sea of Consciousness.

That burning sensation instantly made his consciousness waver.

It was at that moment that Tang Wulin felt the world around him change.

The room disappeared, as did his brother and Xie Xie.

In their place was a boundless golden ocean.

And at the center of that ocean, a blurry figure slowly emerged, carrying an aura that felt somewhat familiar to him yet incomparably majestic.

Who... was that?