Afterward, he took out the Millennium Blue Vein Vine, Earth Dragon Tendon, and Sea Dragon Marrow one by one and began refining them at high temperature.
The three materials mixed together in the bathtub.
Han Li stood beside the bathtub and waited quietly.
After roughly the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the liquid in the bathtub gradually became uniform, and its color stabilized as well.
At this moment, the three materials had completely melded into one.
They fused together, indistinguishable from each other.
Then, Han Li took out the final item.
The Millennium Dragon Scale Fruit.
He gave its age and quality one last confirmation, then swallowed the Dragon Scale Fruit in a single bite without hesitation.
The instant the fruit went down his throat...
A searing energy exploded from his abdomen, surging through his meridians toward every part of his body.
Then, he stepped into the bathtub and submerged his entire body in the liquid, leaving only his head above the surface.
The instant the liquid in the bathtub touched his skin, he felt every pore on his body open.
The liquid seemed to come alive, seeping into his body and joining with the energy released by the Dragon Scale Fruit as it charged toward the second seal within him.
Han Li closed his eyes and focused his mind.
He began circulating his Soul Power with all his strength, guiding the two streams of energy inside and outside his body to repeatedly scour the seal.
One day, two days, three days.
By the evening of the third day, the liquid in the bathtub had become nearly transparent. All of its essence had been completely absorbed by Han Li.
Everything fell into place, and the seal was successfully broken.
The instant the seal shattered...
A vast golden energy erupted from Han Li's body, enveloping him entirely.
The energy was warm and powerful, tyrannical yet pure, carrying the Golden Dragon King's distinctive majesty and savagery.
Light shone through his body, piercing his clothes and illuminating the entire room.
At that moment, Han Li slowly opened his eyes and looked down at himself.
A golden Soul Ring rose from beneath his feet, circling his body and radiating dazzling golden light.
As he looked at the golden Soul Ring surrounding him, the corner of Han Li's mouth lifted slightly.
The Golden Dragon King's Soul Rings did not need to be obtained deliberately.
As long as he broke the corresponding seal, a Soul Ring would automatically emerge.
And it was a special golden Soul Ring.
At the same time, the age of this golden Soul Ring could not be measured by normal standards at all.
Because...
What it represented was the Golden Dragon King's power, a gift and curse bestowed by an existence at the God King level.
At that moment, the name of his first Soul Skill surfaced in Han Li's mind.
Golden Dragon Body.
The instant the name appeared in his mind.
He naturally understood the effect of this Soul Skill.
By consuming his own blood vitality, it comprehensively enhanced all aspects of his physical abilities. Strength, speed, offense, defense—every bodily attribute would be greatly amplified for a short time.
Han Li's smile deepened.
Having broken two layers of the Golden Dragon King Seal, and already being a two-ring Soul Grandmaster, with his current physical condition, even a four-ring Soul Ancestor might not necessarily be able to defeat him.
But this was only the beginning.
There were still sixteen seals left.
Once all eighteen layers were broken...
He would directly step into the God King Realm.
At that moment, Han Li rose from the bathtub.
He moved his body, feeling the abundant power within him, and nodded in satisfaction.
Afterward, Han Li checked out and returned to the academy.
After returning to the academy, Ye Yingluo did not question him further since he had already requested leave before.
Life returned to peace.
Soon, another month and a half passed.
On Eastsea Academy's athletic field.
All first-year students stood in neat rows, while several academy leaders sat on the podium ahead.
Sunlight shone over the field, coating every youthful face in a layer of gold.
The Class Promotion Tournament had arrived.
And as its name implied.
The weakest class would challenge the classes ahead of it, replacing them upon victory.
This was Eastsea Academy's traditional competition. Its purpose was to give every class an opportunity to rise while keeping the academy's class rankings fluid and competitive.
But Class Five now had only Tang Wulin.
Because, ever since Tang Wulin transferred classes...
The original thirty-odd students of Class Five had remained in a semi-neglected state.
Wu Changkong had devoted all his energy to Tang Wulin alone, leaving the other students with almost no effective guidance.
Over the past month or so...
The students of Class Five had all become dispirited.
Many had even begun considering transferring schools.
However, because Wu Changkong had initiated an individual challenge, Tang Wulin had still fought his way all the way to Class One.
At this moment, Tang Wulin stood on the competition platform.
His expression was serious and focused.
After a month and a half of special training, his strength had improved considerably. Whether in his use of Soul Power or his combat techniques, he had become more mature than before.
He had challenged his way upward.
He defeated the students of Class Two, Class Three, and Class Four, encountering almost no major resistance.
Although those classes also had two-ring Soul Masters, the quality of their Martial Souls and their combat awareness were far inferior to his. They could not last more than a few exchanges before being defeated.
And his final challenger was Class One.
At this moment, everyone's attention was focused on Tang Wulin and Class One.
The student Class One had sent out was also standing opposite him.
It was Gu Yue.
At this moment, his gaze was calm and cold, with no expression on his face.
Han Li did not make a move.
He stood among Class One's students, calmly watching the confrontation in the arena.
He could not be bothered to participate in this sort of dispute over class rankings.
Besides, he wanted to see how long Tang Wulin, without the Golden Dragon King Martial Soul, could last against Gu Yue.
The result was more or less what he had expected.
Gu Yue did not even move his feet.
He raised his right hand, releasing four elements at once that swept toward Tang Wulin like an overwhelming tide.
Tang Wulin had barely raised his Clear Sky Hammer when an ice wall blocked his path.
His Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul had just spread out when several fireballs burned it to ashes.
Immediately afterward, several wind blades swept past him, knocking him back several steps.
From beginning to end...
Tang Wulin did not even touch the edge of Gu Yue's clothing.
He was knocked out of the arena after only a few moves.
At this moment...
Tang Wulin knelt on one knee, gasping heavily.
His eyes held unwillingness and disappointment.
But even more than that, helplessness.
Facing Gu Yue's all-encompassing elemental assault, he truly did not know how to fight.
No matter how fast he was, he could not outrun the wind; no matter how great his strength was, it meant nothing if he could not hit his target.
Thus, Class One remained Class One.
Class Five, where Tang Wulin was, became Class Two.
Although Class Five had become Class Two, the gazes the teachers directed at Wu Changkong were extremely strange.
Their eyes shifted back and forth between Wu Changkong and Tang Wulin, their expressions subtle and complicated.
The result of the Class Promotion Tournament was obvious.
The reason Class Five could rise to Class Two was not the strength of Class Five's students themselves...
It was Tang Wulin's strength alone.
And Tang Wulin...
Was someone Wu Changkong had poached from Class One.
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