Did the Radiant Holy Dragon Mutate?!

Jiang Lin opened his eyes. A flash of blood-red lightning flickered in his left eye, while golden flames danced in his right for a moment before slowly fading away.

The awakening process of the Radiant Holy Dragon had gone much more smoothly than he had anticipated.

Two diametrically opposed forces had each found their place within his meridians; although they had not yet fully integrated, they were at least able to coexist peacefully.

He looked down at his hands and, with a flick of his mind, opened his right palm. A miniature golden dragon, shrunk countless times, emerged from the center of his palm.

The dragon shadow was barely half a foot long, its entire body covered in fine golden scales. With its head held high, a pair of dragon eyes burned with holy golden flames.

It swam slowly through Jiang Lin's palm like a fish living in light.

This was not Martial Soul Possession—that was the fusion of a Martial Soul with a soul master's physical body to enhance their various attributes.

But his current state was him summoning the Radiant Holy Dragon out in its entirety, existing independently of his body, alive and present in the air.

He shifted his focus again, and the little golden dragon let out a faint, delicate dragon roar before darting back into his palm.

Immediately following, a pale golden halo seeped out from beneath his skin, and his pupils transformed into golden slits in an instant, a pure dragon might radiating outward from his body.

This was the possession state—completely different from the detached state just moments ago.

"Detached... possession..." Jiang Lin muttered to himself, his brow furrowed.

Normal beast Martial Souls only possessed the possession state, where soul masters gained the power and traits of their Martial Soul through Martial Soul Possession. No one could summon a Martial Soul independently outside the body—that was a trait exclusive to tool Martial Souls.

Well, except for that grand trash, but Jiang Lin didn't consider him a person.

Tool Martial Souls could be detached to be used as weapons, while beast Martial Souls could only possess the body to enhance it; this was an ironclad rule that had been passed down for countless years on the Douluo Continent.

Yet, the Radiant Holy Dragon was a beast Martial Soul, and he was able to summon it outside his body just like a tool Martial Soul.

Jiang Lin fell silent for a moment, his mind rapidly backtracking through theoretical knowledge regarding Martial Souls.

Twin Martial Souls were rare enough as it was, and having both a tool Martial Soul and a beast Martial Soul simultaneously was even rarer than phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

The Blood Fiend Divine Thunder Halberd was a tool Martial Soul, and the Radiant Holy Dragon was a beast Martial Soul. The two had pulled and adapted to each other during the awakening process, causing the Radiant Holy Dragon to absorb some of the characteristics of the tool Martial Soul as it took shape—this was likely why it could be detached.

Coupled with the soul ring of the Golden Thunder Python, the golden bloodline was already a branch of the dragon lineage, which resonated with the Radiant Holy Dragon and further catalyzed this mutation.

"A blessing in disguise."

The corners of Jiang Lin's mouth lifted slightly.

The baleful aura of the Blood Fiend Divine Thunder Halberd had not suppressed the Radiant Holy Dragon; instead, it had forced it to mutate during the awakening process.

Now, his second Martial Soul not only retained the enhancement abilities of a beast Martial Soul but also gained the detached combat capabilities of a tool Martial Soul, effectively giving him the combat styles of two Martial Souls at once.

He withdrew his soul power, his golden slit pupils returning to their normal black, and turned to walk out of the Thunder-Struck Forest.

Elder Chen was already waiting for him at the end of the stone steps.

Seeing Jiang Lin walk down, Elder Chen first glanced at his soul power fluctuations and nodded with satisfaction:

"Level forty-four, not bad."

He then took a closer look, his brow furrowing as if he had sensed something unusual, but in the end, he did not ask.

He had followed Jiang Lin for four years and knew well that there were too many things about this young man that could not be explained by common sense. Since Jiang Lin didn't say anything, he wouldn't ask.

The two walked down the mountain path, passed through the streets of Heaven Dou City, and returned to the residence shaded by locust trees in the east of the city.

Jiang Lin sat down on the grand armchair in the main hall and took the jade slip containing the Soul Refining Pill recipe from his storage Soul Tool, placing it on the table.

Elder Chen and Dugu Bo, who had just been summoned, stood before the table. Seeing the jade slip, one stroked his beard in contemplation, while the other rolled up his sleeves, ready to get to work.

"The Soul Refining Pill; its function is to double one's cultivation speed," Jiang Lin said, getting straight to the point.

"I just obtained the pill recipe. The medicinal ingredients aren't too hard to find, but the refining technique is quite unique. It requires using soul power to control the fire, and the precision required for the heat is extremely high.

Elder Chen, fire control is your specialty.

Old Poison, you deal with poisonous herbs and insects year-round; your understanding of medicinal properties is better than most alchemists.

You two each have your own strengths. Why don't you try working together to see if you can refine this thing?"

Elder Chen took the jade slip, channeled his soul power into it, and closed his eyes to sense it for a moment. When he opened his eyes, his gaze held a hint of solemnity:

"The age of the ingredients, the order of addition, the temperature of the fire—every step is strictly defined.

The slightest deviation will ruin it. However,"

He paused, his withered fingers tapping lightly on the jade slip, "When I was in the Fire Leopard Sect, I saw many methods for processing medicine. The logic behind this pill recipe is different from conventional methods, but it is indeed feasible. Give me a few days to gather the ingredients and try it out."

Dugu Bo also took it and looked it over, a flash of excitement crossing his emerald eyes, though he soon frowned:

"Young Master, this pill recipe is a treasure, but the refining difficulty is indeed not low.

I can oversee the medicinal properties, and Old Chen can control the fire; both are indispensable."

"No rush, try it first," Jiang Lin said, then turned to look at Tang Yuan.

Tang Yuan had been leaning against a pillar in the hall, arms crossed, as silent as a shadow.

Seeing Jiang Lin look his way, he took several items from his storage Soul Tool and placed them on the table one by one.

First were three palm-sized dark silver hand crossbows; the crossbow bodies were small and exquisite, with a row of six short bolts pressed above the trigger mechanism.

Next were several lotus-shaped metal creations, their petals layered and overlapping, the entire body a dark gold with intricate patterns carved into every petal.

When closed, it resembled a metal lotus bud—that was the Buddha Wrath Tang Lotus.

Unlike the hand crossbows, this item was a one-time-use weapon of mass destruction, and its manufacturing difficulty was on a completely different level.

"Godly Zhuge Crossbow," Tang Yuan pointed to the three hand crossbows, "I made three according to the blueprints in the manual. The trigger is light, the reloading is fast, and it can penetrate the defenses of an ordinary Soul Elder within forty paces without issue."

He then pointed to the metal lotus, unusually saying a few more words, "I only made one Buddha Wrath Tang Lotus; there weren't enough materials. I haven't tested its power."

Jiang Lin picked up a Godly Zhuge Crossbow and weighed it in his hand; the heft was moderate, and it would indeed be inconspicuous if hidden in a sleeve.

He then picked up the Buddha Wrath Tang Lotus; it felt heavy in his hand, the metal edges of the petals as sharp as knives, gleaming with a cold, dark golden luster under the light.

He placed both items back on the table and nodded at Tang Yuan: "You've worked hard."

Tang Yuan didn't say anything, merely grunting in acknowledgment.

Jiang Lin leaned back against the master chair, his gaze sweeping over the three people in the hall one by one.

"Everyone is here, so I have a few things to say."

He spoke, his tone no longer the casual manner used when discussing cultivation or medicinal pills, but a steadier, weightier calm. "First, I have decided to establish our own faction, which is officially formed starting today.

I have already thought of the name; it shall be called 'Dawn'.

The Dawn of daybreak, meaning it is time for this sky to brighten."