Unsealing the First Layer

Watching the longing in Tang Wulin's eyes, Chen Ye paused for only a moment before nodding calmly.

"That's fine. Which spirit herbs do you need, and when do you need them by?"

"Brother Chen, I need them now. Can you get them to me by tomorrow night at the latest?"

As Tang Wulin spoke, a trace of embarrassment crossed his face; he knew this request was asking a lot.

Although the items he needed were only century-old spirit herbs, collecting them still required a significant amount of time unless one had sufficient backing.

He knew that in the original timeline, it was only after Xie Xie took him to an auction house that he managed to gather everything.

Therefore, his demand to have them within a day was somewhat excessive, yet Chen Ye simply nodded indifferently.

"Give me your list now. I'll take you to get them in fifteen minutes."

"I need a century-old Ice Crystal Fruit, a century-old Red Fruit, and ten drops of blood from a century-old dragon-type soul beast."

Although Tang Wulin was surprised by Chen Ye's promise, he answered decisively.

Hearing this, Chen Ye nodded and immediately took out his soul device to make a call.

He dialed his own clone directly—the one serving as a deacon at the Spirit Pagoda.

Chen Ye enjoyed a very high status at the Spirit Pagoda, even if Leng Yaozhu had said there was no need to cater to him.

However, the higher-ups at the Spirit Pagoda dared not take that to heart, so he could obtain anything he wanted; previously, this had been handled by another deacon.

But after taking control of that clone, he had the clone replace the deacon responsible for his resource scheduling.

After all, one doesn't feel embarrassed when asking oneself for favors.

Chen Ye went through the motions of giving instructions before taking Tang Wulin to the school gate.

Tang Wulin was clearly nervous at this moment, having only learned of the requirements himself not long ago.

Especially when he thought of the terrifying golden dragon inside his body, his eyes flickered with rare panic.

He actually wanted to tell Chen Ye about it, but the consciousness in his mind named Old Tang kept telling him not to tell anyone.

And he held an inexplicable sense of trust toward Old Tang.

Thus, Tang Wulin looked at Chen Ye several times, wanting to speak but ultimately holding his tongue.

Chen Ye didn't mind; after all, he had known the truth for a long time, and he was even waiting for this very day.

About ten minutes later, a soul-guided car pulled up slowly, and a middle-aged man stepped out.

He held a bag containing the two spirit fruits and a glass bottle, inside of which was the blood of a dragon-type soul beast.

Seeing these items so easily handed over to him, a hint of excitement appeared on Tang Wulin's face.

He looked at Chen Ye with adoration in his eyes: "Thank you, Brother Chen! You're just too amazing!"

"Don't worry, Brother Chen. I'll pay you back for these materials by next month at the latest. You can decide how much interest you want!"

"These are small matters; there's no rush for repayment. But I'd like to ask, what are these for?"

"Century-old spirit herbs and fruits cannot be combined randomly, or negative side effects might occur."

Chen Ye looked at Tang Wulin, his face full of concern.

Feeling Chen Ye's sincere concern, Tang Wulin felt a sting in his nose.

He opened his mouth, wanting to confess to Chen Ye, but at that moment, a voice slowly echoed in his mind.

"Wulin, don't talk nonsense. This is your greatest secret. If you reveal it, you will likely die. Do not tell anyone about this, ever."

"Just make up any excuse to explain it. You don't need to worry about him; he won't discover you."

Listening to that calm yet gentle voice in his mind, Tang Wulin opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.

He simply lowered his head slightly and whispered an explanation to Chen Ye: "I have my own use for them."

"Don't worry, Brother Chen, there won't be any negative effects, and it won't cause any discomfort to my body. Please, just trust me."

As Tang Wulin spoke, Chen Ye stared directly at him.

A mischievous smile played on his lips as he directly "imagined" the Dragon of Imagination within his own body.

He then proceeded to "imagine" away the Authority of the Sun and the Authority of The Hanged Man residing within him as well.

At this moment, a divine consciousness flashing with golden luster inside Tang Wulin's body was watching Chen Ye through Tang Wulin's eyes.

This consciousness had no eyes, yet its "gaze" held a trace of disdain.

Old Tang had already remembered who he was, as well as the plan he had left behind.

It was a nearly insane and cold-blooded plan, but if it succeeded, his son would be able to become the Golden Dragon King.

By then, he would at least achieve the status of a God King, and it was even possible for him to directly become the next Dragon God.

Therefore, Old Tang did not focus his main consciousness on Chen Ye at all.

He merely swept over him before beginning to carefully sense the presence of his parents.

Only after sensing that his parents were both in deep slumber did he calm his divine consciousness.

What he didn't know, however, was that his fluctuations had already been completely observed by Chen Ye.

A faint, imperceptible smile flashed across Chen Ye's face before he quickly composed himself.

"Alright, Wulin, Brother Chen believes in you. You should head back now. Keep an eye on your limits; if you can't handle the medicinal potency, you must contact me."

As he spoke, Chen Ye reached out and patted Tang Wulin on the head.

A trace of emotion crossed the boy's face. He nodded earnestly before heading off in the direction of the dormitory.

Chen Ye stood there for a moment, then another Chen Ye returned to the dormitory.

Meanwhile, Chen Ye stood behind Tang Wulin, watching him with great interest.

It was nighttime, and since his roommates were all busy preparing for the next day's competition, Tang Wulin went straight to their Class 5 classroom.

There were no surveillance cameras in the classroom; this era leaned heavily toward technological weaponry.

Development in other areas, especially civil matters, had progressed, but it was nowhere near the same level.

Thus, Tang Wulin entered the room and locked the door behind him, leaving himself entirely alone in the classroom.

Looking at the dim, shadowy surroundings, Tang Wulin took a deep breath.

He pulled the prepared mixing tools from his desk, placed the two spirit fruits together, and began to stir.

What he didn't know was that right beside him—even right next to his head—Chen Ye was watching the scene with keen interest.

Once the two spirit fruits were blended, Tang Wulin added ten drops of dragon-type soul beast blood.

Watching the liquid shimmer with an eerie luster, Chen Ye looked at Tang Wulin, only to see a look of steely resolve on the boy's face. Without a moment's hesitation, he lifted the mixture and swallowed it whole.