How could anyone have such an outrageous start?
Long Yuan could hardly stop himself from cursing.
He looked at the eighteen golden halos surrounding him. Within them, the faint image of a colossal golden dragon took shape.
That was right. It was him.
Or rather, it was the Golden Dragon King Bloodline sealed inside Tang Wulin by Tang San.
"No. I can't just sit here and wait for Tang Wulin to break the seal and absorb me. I have to save myself!"
But that was easier said than done. In his current state, he couldn't break the seal around him on his own.
And even if he could, there was still a chance the Silver Dragon King would devour him.
So he would have to think this through carefully.
But...
Long Yuan suddenly remembered all the cultivation novels he'd read in his previous life, and the "power-transferring arts" in them that could grant someone a huge boost in cultivation at the cost of losing only a few memories.
"Maybe I could possess Tang Wulin instead?"
"Or maybe I could raise Tang Wulin properly, the way I want."
Long Yuan thought of a certain Huo Huo from the vast universe.
Anyway, Tang San wasn't here. He was far away, beyond the reach of the emperor, so raising Tang Wulin wouldn't be difficult.
After all, when it came to his setup, who on Douluo Continent could compare with Tang Wulin?
His future Blue Silver Emperor was already a Super Martial Soul, and he had the Golden Dragon Spear and the Seagod Trident, a Super Divine Artifact, as well as the identities of Child of Nature and the Child of the Plane, plus the Sea God Bloodline...
No!
Long Yuan shook his head.
"Long Yuan, oh, Long Yuan. You're still sealed away, and you're already daring to dream this far ahead."
"Better think it over some more."
Long Yuan raised his eyes to the somewhat dim imprint of the Golden Trident outside the seal.
If he guessed correctly, that had to be Old Tang. It also contained three chances for Tang San to strike.
That was another major threat. Whatever Long Yuan wanted to do, he'd have to find a way around him.
"Luckily, the imprint is so dim. It looks like the divine sense clone inside hasn't been activated yet."
At the thought, Long Yuan quickly curled his dragon body in tighter.
"I'd better not move around carelessly from now on, so I don't activate that divine sense too early. Ideally, it'll never be activated."
"If people with strong mental power can project their senses outward, there's no reason I can't."
With that thought, Long Yuan focused and guided his perception toward the outside of the seal.
Little by little, he drew closer. Then, astonishingly, he passed right through the seal. Looking back, he saw the enormous dragon body floating silently within it, eyes closed.
"Does this count as my divine sense leaving my body?"
Long Yuan lowered his head and looked at his golden form. He was now nothing but a tiny golden figure.
"Looks like Tang San thought the Golden Dragon King had already been slain, so he never bothered to design a seal specifically to restrain divine sense. Heaven really is helping me."
"But that makes sense. If I hadn't transmigrated here, the essence of the Golden Dragon King Bloodline would have had nothing but instinct. The seal would have been more than enough to deal with that."
Thinking of this, Long Yuan felt even more confident about what lay ahead.
"Now, let's see what you're up to, Tang Wulin."
Long Yuan cautiously avoided the Trident imprint and sent his divine sense probing into the outside world.
In the next instant, a scene appeared before him.
"Mm..."
Tang Wulin's body suddenly swayed, and he clutched his forehead.
"Little friend, what's wrong?" The Spirit Master had been about to awaken the child's Martial Soul, but seeing this, he had no choice but to stop and ask with concern.
Tang Wulin shook his head hard. Only after he felt that he was fine did he say, "I'm all right, Spirit Master. I just felt a little dizzy for a moment, but I'm much better now."
The Spirit Master frowned and carefully examined him with Soul Power. Only after confirming that nothing was wrong did he breathe a sigh of relief.
If anything had happened to someone while awakening their Martial Soul in his care, it would have reflected badly on him. At the very least, he'd have to write up a report afterward.
"Good, as long as you're all right. Get yourself settled, and we'll continue with the Martial Soul Awakening ceremony."
"Yes, Spirit Master."
Tang Wulin quickly took a few deep breaths and returned to the center of the Soul Guidance Array.
In the next instant, white light shone in the Spirit Master's hand, and he pointed upward.
The white light shot into the sky at once, and brilliant patterns lit up across the awakening chamber.
The patterns began at the ceiling and spread down the walls. They seemed to regain their vitality, or perhaps to come to life, as they continued toward Tang Wulin's feet. All the light eventually converged where he stood.
A warm current flowed into his body from the soles of his feet. A tingling sensation spread through him, and he began to tremble.
"Ah—"
Tang Wulin's sudden scream startled the Spirit Master.
"Could something really be wrong?"
The Spirit Master flashed to Tang Wulin's side. If he found that anything was amiss, he would stop the ceremony immediately to ensure the boy's safety.
Up close, he was surprised to see a golden pattern flicker across Tang Wulin's forehead. In the next instant, it spread like a web toward his limbs.
"What is this? A Martial Soul Mutation?"
The Spirit Master had no idea what it was, but Long Yuan, watching the scene from above as if through a god's-eye view, saw it clearly.
Just now, he had distinctly sensed a tiny wisp of energy essence being stripped from his true body by the seal. It was only one ten-millionth of the whole, but even that was more than a six-year-old like Tang Wulin could easily withstand.
With the Soul Guidance Array's assistance, though, absorbing it wasn't difficult. The amount was simply too small.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before a pale blue glow lit up in the palm of Tang Wulin's raised right hand. A small pale blue blade of grass emerged from it: his Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass.
Tang Wulin was heartbroken to have awakened the widely known Trash Martial Soul, but at least he had Soul Power. With the Spirit Master's consolation, his spirits finally lifted a little.
In a daze, Tang Wulin left Red Mountain Academy and rubbed his aching head. It seemed the energy that had nearly burst him apart earlier still hadn't dissipated.
When Tang Ziran learned what Martial Soul his son had awakened, he showed no sign of sorrow. Instead, he comforted him patiently.
Tang Wulin listened with mixed feelings and some doubt, but said nothing.
For the rest of the day, Tang Wulin stayed in low spirits. After returning to their shabby home, he used his tiredness as an excuse to shut himself in his room.
Of course, he really was tired. He lay down on the bed, and before long, he fell asleep.
It wasn't long before Tang Wulin began to toss and turn in bed. His skin turned slightly red, then gradually became translucent. The meridians beneath it appeared and disappeared, and faintly, the flow of his blood could even be seen. His blood was circulating at an incredibly rapid pace, at least three times faster than normal.
Long Yuan drew a deep breath. Now came the real test of his ability to bluff!