Dragon's Hidden First Reveal · The Wise Observe the Stars

To Long Jinyu's surprise, the habitual, gentle smile on Mu En's face faded, replaced by a deep contemplation, perhaps even a hint of... gravity?

He did not immediately answer Long Jinyu's retort, instead slowly sitting upright, his aged frame seemingly imbued with the weight of a mountain.

"In such a rush?"

Mu En's voice was low and steady, as if stating a fact or perhaps organizing his own thoughts.

"I took you as a disciple because your talent is peerless, a once-in-ten-thousand-year occurrence, but 'clear as day'?"

He shook his head slightly, his gaze locked onto the nine-colored flowing light in Long Jinyu's palm.

"Little one, you overestimate this old man's dimming eyes."

"Your Martial Soul... is profound and unfathomable, far beyond the reach of common logic."

He paused, seemingly lost in memory:

"The methods you used to suppress the evil fire in Ma Xiaotao just now were miraculous. Though I could not glimpse the full picture, I caught a glimpse of the truth."

Mu En's gaze shifted to the "unconscious" Ma Xiaotao on the couch, as if he could see right through her body.

"'Ultimate Ice' to suppress the source of the restless evil fire;"

"'Ultimate Light' to dispel the sinister darkness entangled within the evil fire;"

"'Ultimate Fire' that could actually nourish and purify her own Phoenix Fire—such a method is inconceivable;"

"And even more rare is the 'Ultimate Life' containing vast vitality, protecting and nourishing the meridians and organs damaged by the evil fire's erosion."

With every attribute Mu En named, the shock on Yan Shaozhe's face deepened; he looked at Long Jinyu as if staring at a walking, breathing treasure.

Long Jinyu felt a stir in his heart; the system was indeed reliable. Even Mu En could only capture four of the ultimate attributes.

The core, the "Ultimate Power" used to stabilize and balance everything, was perfectly hidden beneath the radiance of the other attributes.

"Fourfold ultimate attributes..."

Mu En's voice carried the vicissitudes of history.

"To appear simultaneously on a single Martial Soul, existing in such harmony, and even complementing one another—this in itself is a miracle."

He looked at Long Jinyu, his eyes sharp as blades.

"Furthermore, what you displayed while flying was... colored dragon wings? Neither gold nor silver, neither white nor black, shimmering with light, indescribably noble."

Mu En leaned back against his chair, his gaze drifting toward the ancient wooden patterns on the ceiling of the Sea God Pavilion, as if tracing a dust-covered legend:

"I have lived for over two hundred years and have pored over countless rare texts in the Sea God Pavilion. I once heard that the ancient Dragon God was the ancestor of all dragons, possessing power that could shake the heavens and earth."

"Legend says the Dragon God had two sons."

"One was the Golden Dragon, inheriting the power of the Father God, symbolizing the pinnacle of ultimate strength and the physical body;"

"The second was the Silver Dragon, inheriting the abilities of the Father God, controlling all elemental changes in the world, the embodiment of ultimate elements."

Yan Shaozhe held his breath; it had been many years since he had seen his teacher this serious.

"The Golden Dragon—I was fortunate enough to sense a trace of its lingering aura when I was young. It was tyrannical and peerless, breaking all laws with sheer force."

Mu En's gaze returned to Long Jinyu, filled with unprecedented scrutiny and deliberation.

"And your Martial Soul... possesses multiple ultimate attributes simultaneously, and its form far exceeds that of ordinary dragons."

"Although the Silver Dragon controls ultimate elements, the fragmented ancient texts record that its attributes do not seem to be this... numerous and pure? Not to mention those colored wings..."

He pondered for a moment, his aged voice echoing within the Sea God Pavilion, carrying the wisdom of one who understands the world and a bold hypothesis:

"Therefore, I dare to speculate—"

"Your Martial Soul is either an 'Elemental Dragon King' that has fused with the Silver Dragon's bloodline, resulting in a shocking mutation that controls multiple ultimate attributes; or..."

The brilliance in Mu En's eyes surged, his tone firm and decisive.

"It is something closer to the origin of the Dragon God—the legendary Seven-Colored Dragon King that controls the power of seven-colored elements! Only an existence of such status could explain everything you have shown today!"

"Seven-Colored Dragon King?!"

Yan Shaozhe could no longer hold back, gasping in shock. The look he gave Long Jinyu was filled with unbelievable awe. This was a speculation that exceeded the limits of his understanding!

Long Jinyu felt a slight tremor within: Seven-Colored Dragon King? As expected of the Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion, his knowledge and deductive abilities are truly astonishing!

System, he actually guessed as far as the seven colors. He's only a 'Nine' and a 'God' away from the truth.

[As expected. Mu En's insight is at the peak of humanity during the Douluo II era. Deducing the Seven-Colored Dragon King is his limit; the concept of a 'Nine-Colored Dragon Emperor' exceeds the cognitive framework of this world.]

[Host, proceed as planned.]

Long Jinyu wore an expression of perfectly measured surprise and emotion, which then melted into a deep, sorrowful loneliness.

The nine-colored light in his palm slowly receded, and his voice dropped, carrying the weariness of a wanderer:

"Elder Mu is indeed knowledgeable and profound; this junior is full of admiration."

"What you have speculated... is already very close."

He raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the walls of the Sea God Pavilion toward the distant north: "My Martial Soul is not the Seven-Colored Dragon King, but rather... the Nine-Colored Dragon Emperor."

The system had deliberately instructed him to replace the word "God" with "Emperor," both to lower his status and to align with his identity as the "Son of the Valley Master."

"I am not of this world, but hail from a hidden sect in the far north of the continent known as the Nine-Colored Dragon Valley."

"All members of the valley possess the bloodline of the dragon race, living in seclusion for generations to guard the ancient secrets of our kin."

Long Jinyu spoke at a measured pace, yet his words carried a heavy, resonant weight.

"However... heaven has unpredictable storms. A sudden, terrifying Calamity descended upon the Dragon Valley. The firmament tore asunder, space collapsed, and it felt as if a supreme will was erasing our very existence... The entire valley, my kin... all were annihilated, leaving not even bones behind."

Just then, a sharp, urgent voice from the system suddenly rang out in Long Jinyu's mind:

[Host! Hurry and add more! Don't forget the Nine Dragon God Guards! Tell them that besides you, ten other 'people' might still be alive!]

Long Jinyu was instantly bewildered. The Nine Dragon God Guards? What are those? And besides, shouldn't the 'Nine Guards' be nine people? Where did ten come from?

[The system huffed: Idiot! The Nine Guards are nine 'people'! If you add this system, isn't that ten?!]

Long Jinyu was even more shocked: You?! You count as a person?!

[The system was so angry it nearly glitched: #￥%...&*]

[This system is a higher intelligent life form! How could I not count?! Hurry up and say it! This is important background lore!]

Long Jinyu was left stunned by the system's sudden "identity assertion," but he had to maintain a sorrowful expression on his face.

He could only bite the bullet. After finishing the heavy account of his clan's destruction, he added with a hint of imperceptible awkwardness:

"However... in that cataclysmic disaster, perhaps... there remains a glimmer of hope. According to my clan's oldest traditions, the Nine-Colored Dragon Emperor was followed by nine supreme experts who swore to protect the Emperor's bloodline, known as the Nine Dragon God Guards."

"They possessed unique secret techniques for spatial protection. The moment the Calamity descended, I felt ten faint but distinct spatial fluctuations forcibly break through the blockade... Perhaps..."

"Besides myself, the Nine Dragon God Guards... and... er... another extremely special existence, also luckily survived, though they were scattered to unknown lands and their whereabouts remain a mystery."

Mu En and Yan Shaozhe were once again struck by this sudden, twisting revelation.

"The Nine Dragon God Guards?!" Yan Shaozhe felt the amount of information he had received today far exceeded the past few decades.

Mu En's pupils contracted slightly, his fingers tapping the armrest unconsciously: "The Nine Guards...? A special existence...?"

Long Jinyu tried his best to make his expression look mysterious, tinged with a hint of uncertain anticipation:

"That tenth one... is not a 'person' in the traditional sense, but... the Spirit of Dragon Valley, which my clan has worshipped for generations and which possesses supreme wisdom."

"Its form of existence is extraordinary, but its wisdom and power are one of the cornerstones of my clan's survival."

"If it also escaped... perhaps..." He left a perfectly timed pause, wrapping the existence of the system in the concept of the "Spirit of Dragon Valley."

A sharp light flickered in Mu En's eyes. He keenly captured keywords like "extraordinary form of existence" and "cornerstone of wisdom and power," automatically filling in the blanks by imagining some powerful spiritual entity or guardian spirit, perhaps nearing the level of a deity.

He nodded slowly and said in a deep voice: "So that is how it is... The Nine Dragon God Guards, the Spirit of Dragon Valley... Jinyu, your origins are even more... vast than this old man imagined."

Yan Shaozhe was so shocked he couldn't speak; this background was more astonishing than any legendary tale!

Just then—

"Cough..."

A soft cough rang out.

On the couch, Ma Xiaotao, who had been "unconscious," could no longer keep up the act.

She sat up abruptly. Though her beautiful face was devoid of color, her phoenix eyes were wide open, filled with shock, disbelief, and a hint of... heartache and curiosity?

She had heard everything!

Four ultimate attributes!

The Nine-Colored Dragon Emperor!

Especially that "Nine Dragon God Guards" and "Spirit of Dragon Valley" business—it sounded like a fairy tale!

"Xiaotao?"

Yan Shaozhe was stunned.

Mu En frowned slightly: "Xiaotao, this matter is of great importance, you should first..."

"I'm not leaving!"

Ma Xiaotao's voice was weak, yet exceptionally firm.

She stared fixedly at Long Jinyu: "He... he saved me! Why shouldn't I be allowed to hear about his affairs? Besides... what's this about nine guards or ten guards..."

Her personality was naturally fiery and direct. At this moment, she was gripped by intense curiosity regarding Long Jinyu's bizarre background and the "potential survivors," and she stubbornly refused to leave.

She wanted to know more about this mysterious "junior."

Mu En and Yan Shaozhe exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of understanding and some tacit "all according to plan" sentiment in each other's eyes.

Yan Shaozhe even gave Mu En a subtle wink: Teacher, look, isn't it done? Isn't the bond tied now? She even heard such core secrets!

Mu En pondered for a moment, looking at the stubborn Ma Xiaotao, then at Long Jinyu, who wore a complex expression of loneliness. Finally, he nodded slowly:

"Very well. Since Xiaotao already knows part of it, and this matter involves her as well... she may stay. However..."

His tone turned serious, his gaze sweeping over the three people present.

"Everything said within the Sea God Pavilion today must never be leaked! This is the highest secret of Shrek! Especially the matters regarding the 'Nine Dragon God Guards' and the 'Spirit of Dragon Valley'!"

His final gaze landed on Long Jinyu, as if he were looking at the future pillar of Shrek, or perhaps... a light of hope capable of changing the landscape of the entire continent.

"Long Jinyu."

Mu En's voice was softer than ever before, yet carried a heavy, profound weight.

"From this day forward, Shrek Academy and the Sea God Pavilion are your home. Your vengeance, your hatred, and your origins—I, as your master, shall bear them with you."

"As long as I have a single breath left, I will never let that 'Calamity' befall you again! As for the search for the Nine Dragon God Guards and the Spirit of Dragon Valley, the Sea God Pavilion will exhaust every resource!"

As Mu En's words fell, the entire Sea God Pavilion seemed to tremble slightly. A faint, imperceptible golden light flowed through the ancient veins of the Golden Tree in the dome, resonating subtly with the trace of nine-colored Dragon God aura that had yet to fully settle within Long Jinyu's body.

Inside the Sea God Pavilion, the light seemed to grow a fraction brighter.

Long Jinyu looked at Mu En, who had made such a solemn promise.

He then glanced at Ma Xiaotao beside him, who was pressing her lips together, her eyes complex yet filled with stubbornness, concern, and intense curiosity.

And at Yan Shaozhe, who wore an expression of excitement he was struggling to suppress, as if he had just "stumbled upon a peerless treasure."

He spoke silently to the system in his heart:

Sigh... this old fox, he talks better than he sings...

System, now even your "registration" has been reported, and you've become the Spirit of Dragon Valley... satisfied?

[The system huffed, still sounding a bit piqued: Hmph, you're finally showing some sense! This system's status is noble; how could it be compared to mere mortals!]

...Fine, fine, you're the most noble...

Meanwhile, Ma Xiaotao looked at the "Dragon Pattern Contract" in her hand, feeling an unprecedented, pure, and powerful soul power slowly circulating within her body—a gift left behind by Long Jinyu.

Looking at his profile, which carried a sense of loneliness that seemed slightly less heavy now that there was a possibility his "companions might still be alive," she felt a stirring and a desire to explore that went beyond mere curiosity—a feeling she couldn't quite define herself toward this "cheap junior."

She tightened her grip.

Nine Dragon God Guards... sounds impressive, doesn't it? And that spirit thing... this guy really has so many secrets...

On the ceiling of the Sea God Pavilion, the ancient patterns of the Golden Tree seemed to silently record this very moment...