"Mm... What happened to me?"
Tang Wulin struggled to sit up from the floor, feeling as if his body had been torn apart by pain.
[You're awake?]
"Teacher? What... happened to me?" Tang Wulin held his head, as if he still hadn't come to his senses.
[You were unconscious for four days. You've only just woken up.]
"What? Four days! Th-that's impossible!" Tang Wulin could hardly believe it.
[Your body was too weak to withstand the impact of breaking the seal. To protect your soul, I put you into a deep sleep.]
Long Yuan explained.
He'd done it on purpose, but hey, he had protected Tang Wulin's soul from being torn apart, hadn't he?
[All right, don't dwell on that for now. Take a look at what you gained this time. I did my best to protect you, but some of the energy was still absorbed by your body. Fortunately, it was within the limits you could handle, and it ended up doing you a world of good. Now, channel Soul Power into your right hand and feel how it's changed.]
"Yes, teacher!"
After spending so many Federal Coins, Tang Wulin wanted to see what he had gotten out of it, too.
He poured all his Soul Power into his right palm. Golden light flowed along his veins, cloaking his right hand in a layer of gold.
Then his right hand suddenly grew larger. His fingers lengthened, golden claws emerged, and diamond-shaped scales grew over one another until his hand had transformed into a Dragon Claw.
"This is... a Dragon Claw?"
Tang Wulin felt the abundant strength surging through his right hand. He'd never felt anything like it. With this hand, it seemed he could tear even Thousand Refinement alloy to pieces.
[This Dragon Claw has the Shatter effect. As long as the difference in strength isn't too great, anything it strikes will turn to dust.]
Long Yuan continued to explain:
[I'd call this ability Dragon Transformation. Twenty thousand years ago, it was an exclusive ability of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Later, though, many dragon-type Soul Beasts learned to do the same. By changing their physical state, they gained combat prowess far beyond that of others at the same level. You've now absorbed some of my bloodline power, so you can partially transform into a dragon, too.]
"Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon?" Tang Wulin blinked. Of course he'd heard of it.
The history of Soul Masters was a required course at the academy, and there was plenty about the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, a family that had flourished two thousand years ago. The clan's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul had even been hailed as "the greatest Beast Martial Soul under heaven."
He stared at his palm, unable to believe it. "Teacher, do you mean I can fight with the same kind of power as the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul?"
[Heh—]
Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon? Don't make Your Lord Golden Dragon King laugh.
[Wulin, it seems you still don't understand what I mean. A mere Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is no more than an ant before me!]
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was indeed a True Dragon, but it wasn't particularly high-ranking among the Dragon Clan. In the presence of the direct descendants of the Nine Great Dragon Kings, it was just another nobody. How could it compare to him?
[Wulin, I'll be honest with you. If you're willing to inherit my bloodline, then even among True Dragons, you'll be able to call your bloodline noble. A mere Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon is nothing but an ant.]
Listening to his teacher, Tang Wulin felt a little light-headed. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was a renowned top-tier Beast Martial Soul, and his teacher thought it was nothing?
Just how powerful had his teacher been before he was sealed?
And if Tang Wulin accepted his bloodline inheritance, would he really become as strong as his teacher claimed?
Tang Wulin had always wanted to become stronger. He'd worked hard, but his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, with its mere three levels of Innate Soul Power, had always been a hurdle he couldn't get over.
He'd known that power couldn't come so easily, but the strength surging through his right hand now told him it wasn't just a fantasy.
He was certain that a light punch would be enough to kill the version of himself from before he broke the seal.
"Teacher, what's the point of cultivating?"
Tang Wulin suddenly asked.
Far away at the Blacksmith Association, Long Yuan raised an eyebrow. Had the boy taken a hit to his confidence?
[What? Can't take it already? Maybe you should just give up the path of a Soul Master.]
Tang Wulin: "..."
When Tang Wulin fell silent, clearly looking dejected, Long Yuan withdrew his attention and turned his gaze to the metal material in front of him.
It was a piece of purified Sinking Silver. As a metal with the closest ties to the Tang family, its properties were naturally excellent.
It was the all-purpose metal among rare metals. If you weren't sure what material to use, you couldn't go wrong with Sinking Silver.
The piece was only half the size of his palm. With a thought, Long Yuan took it in his hand, squeezed hard, then opened his fingers. A glow flashed across it.
Hundred Refinement Sinking Silver. Done!
He hadn't learned Soul Forging yet, but his understanding of basic forging, like Hundred and Thousand Refinement, had grown deeper and deeper. By now, he could even squeeze out Hundred Refinement metal with his bare hands.
While Long Yuan idly toyed with the Hundred Refinement Sinking Silver, Tang Wulin finally came around.
"Teacher..."
[Hmm? What, figured it out? Not feeling down anymore?]
Tang Wulin ignored Long Yuan's teasing and said firmly, "Master, I want to become stronger. Please teach me!"
Master?
Long Yuan's eyes lit up.
[Have you thought it through? There's a world of difference between master and teacher, even if it's only one word.]
When Long Yuan had told him stories before, he'd mentioned the saying that a teacher for even one day should be revered as a father for life.
"I've made up my mind. Please teach me to become stronger, Master!"
[Hahaha! Good, good. Then I'll take you as my disciple.]
Long Yuan laughed for a while before continuing: [Since you've made up your mind, I'll tell you what I have planned. You know about Twin Martial Souls, right?]
Tang Wulin nodded.
[Compared with a single Martial Soul, the greatest advantage of Twin Martial Souls lies in their potential. The kind of Soul Rings a person can absorb depends on many factors, but it ultimately comes down to Soul Power Level, mental strength, and physical strength. Once you've cultivated one Martial Soul to a sufficiently high level, you can give your second Martial Soul Soul Rings far beyond what would normally be possible. Although Soul Ring levels aren't set in stone in the age of Soul Spirits, starting from a higher point is still an advantage.]
"But Master, I only have one Martial Soul." Tang Wulin understood what he'd said, but still didn't see why his master was telling him this.
[Once you inherit my bloodline, a True Dragon Martial Soul will form automatically. Have you heard of the Golden Dragon?]
"Golden Dragon?" Tang Wulin murmured the name. He felt like he'd heard it somewhere, but all he knew was those three words.
[The Golden Dragon is a Martial Soul with Ultimate power. There's an old saying that someone with an Ultimate Martial Soul can match an ordinary Titled Douluo upon reaching level seventy. As for you, for now, keep cultivating your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul as usual. But when choosing Soul Skills, try to pick ones that enhance your life force and physical strength. That will benefit you the most.]
"Twin Martial Souls, Ultimate power..." Tang Wulin murmured, his eyes shining.
He was looking forward to the future...