The Second Layer of the Seal, Golden Dragon Body

Following this, he took out the Millennium Blue Vein Vine, Earth Dragon Tendon, and Sea Dragon Marrow one by one, beginning to refine them at high temperatures.

The three materials mixed together in the bathtub.

Han Li stood by the side of the tub, waiting quietly.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the liquid in the tub gradually became uniform, and its color stabilized.

At this moment, the three materials had merged into one.

They fused together, becoming indistinguishable from one another.

Then, Han Li took out the final item.

The Millennium Dragon Scale Fruit.

He checked its age and quality one last time, then, without hesitation, swallowed the Dragon Scale Fruit in one gulp.

The moment the fruit entered his throat...

A scorching surge of energy exploded from his abdomen, rushing through his meridians toward his limbs and bones.

He then sat down in the bathtub, submerging his entire body in the liquid, leaving only his head exposed.

The instant the liquid in the tub touched his skin, he felt every pore on his body open up.

The liquid seemed to possess a life of its own, seeping into his body to converge with the energy released by the Dragon Scale Fruit, surging toward the second seal within him.

Han Li closed his eyes, focusing his mind and calming his breath.

He began to circulate his soul power with all his might, guiding the internal and external energies to continuously batter the seal.

One day, two days, three days.

By the evening of the third day, the liquid in the bathtub had become nearly transparent, as Han Li had absorbed every drop of its essence.

With the conditions ripe, the seal was successfully broken.

The moment the seal shattered...

A massive surge of golden energy erupted from within Han Li, enveloping his entire body.

The energy was warm yet powerful, overbearing yet pure, carrying the unique majesty and ferocity of the Golden Dragon King.

Light radiated from within him, piercing through his clothes and illuminating the entire room.

At this moment, Han Li slowly opened his eyes and looked down at his body.

A golden soul ring rose from beneath his feet, circling his body and emitting a brilliant golden glow.

Looking at the golden soul ring surrounding him, the corners of Han Li's mouth curled upward slightly.

The Golden Dragon King's soul rings did not need to be specifically hunted.

As long as he broke the corresponding seal, the soul ring would manifest automatically.

Moreover, it was a special golden soul ring.

Furthermore, the age of this golden soul ring could not be measured by normal standards.

Because...

It represented the power of the Golden Dragon King, a gift and a curse bestowed by an existence at the God King level.

At this time, the name of this first soul skill surfaced in Han Li's mind.

Golden Dragon Body.

The moment this name appeared in his mind.

He naturally understood the effects of this soul skill.

By consuming his own blood essence, he could comprehensively enhance all aspects of his physical attributes; strength, speed, attack, and defense—every physical capability would be significantly boosted for a short period.

At this, Han Li's smile deepened.

Having broken two layers of the Golden Dragon King's seals, combined with the fact that he was a two-ring Great Soul Master, even a four-ring Soul Ancestor might not be able to defeat him with his current physical constitution.

But this was only the beginning.

There were still sixteen seals remaining.

But once all eighteen layers were broken...

He would step directly into the realm of a God King.

At this moment, Han Li stood up from the bathtub.

He stretched his body, feeling the overflowing power within him, and nodded with satisfaction.

Afterward, Han Li checked out and returned to the academy.

Upon returning to the academy, since he had already requested leave, Ye Yingluo did not press him for details.

Life returned to its peaceful state.

Soon, another month and a half passed.

On the playground of East Sea Academy.

All the first-year students were lined up neatly, while several academy leaders sat on the podium at the front.

The sunlight shone down on the playground, gilding every youthful face with a layer of gold.

The Class Promotion Tournament had arrived.

And the Class Promotion Tournament, as the name implied, was exactly what it sounded like.

It was a challenge initiated by the weakest class against the classes ahead of them; if they won, they would take their place.

This was a traditional event at East Sea Academy, designed to give students in every class the opportunity to strive upward and to keep the class rankings in a state of flux and competition.

However, Class Five currently consisted only of Tang Wulin.

This was because, ever since Tang Wulin had transferred into the class...

The original thirty-some students of Class Five had been left in a state of semi-neglect.

Wu Changkong had poured all his energy into Tang Wulin alone, leaving the other students with almost no effective guidance.

Over the course of more than a month...

The students of Class Five had become utterly dejected.

Many of them had even considered transferring schools.

But because the challenge Wu Changkong had initiated was a solo one, Tang Wulin had managed to fight his way all the way up to Class One.

At this moment, Tang Wulin stood on the competition stage.

His expression was earnest and focused.

After a month and a half of special training, his strength had improved significantly; both his use of soul power and his combat techniques were more mature than before.

He had challenged his way up.

He had defeated the students of Class Two, Class Three, and Class Four with almost no resistance.

Although those classes had students with two soul rings, the quality of their Martial Souls and their combat awareness were far inferior to his, and they couldn't last more than a few rounds against him before being defeated.

His final target for the challenge was Class One.

At this moment, everyone's eyes were fixed on Tang Wulin and the direction of Class One.

The student sent out by Class One stood on the opposite side.

It was Gu Yue.

Her gaze was calm and cold, and there was no expression on her face.

Han Li did not make a move.

He stood within the ranks of Class One, watching the standoff on the field with indifference.

He couldn't be bothered to participate in such trivial struggles over class rankings.

Moreover, he wanted to see how long Tang Wulin, without the Golden Dragon King Martial Soul, could last against Gu Yue.

The result was much as he had expected.

Gu Yue didn't even move her feet.

She raised her right hand, and four types of elements were released simultaneously, sweeping toward Tang Wulin in an overwhelming wave.

The moment Tang Wulin raised his Clear Sky Hammer, his path was blocked by an ice wall.

And as soon as his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul unfurled, it was scorched to nothing by several fireballs.

Immediately following that, several wind blades slashed across his front, forcing him back several steps.

From start to finish, he hadn't even...

Tang Wulin hadn't even touched the hem of Gu Yue's clothes.

He was knocked off the stage in just a few moves.

At this moment...

Tang Wulin knelt on one knee, gasping for air.

His eyes held frustration and disappointment.

But more than that, he felt a sense of powerlessness.

Facing Gu Yue's all-encompassing elemental assault, he truly didn't know how to fight back.

No matter how fast his speed was, it couldn't outpace the wind; no matter how strong his power was, it was meaningless if he couldn't hit his target.

Thus, Class One remained Class One.

Tang Wulin's Class Five became Class Two.

Although Class Five had become Class Two, the looks the teachers cast toward Wu Changkong were extremely strange.

Their gazes shifted back and forth between Wu Changkong and Tang Wulin, their expressions subtle and complex.

The outcome of the Class Promotion Tournament was plain to see.

The reason Class Five was able to promote to Class Two was not due to the strength of the students in Class Five themselves...

It was the strength of Tang Wulin alone.

And Tang Wulin...

Was someone Wu Changkong had poached from Class One.