"You Really Activated It?!"

The middle-aged Soul Master slumped into his chair.

Cold sweat streamed down his forehead like rain.

His fingertips would not stop trembling.

"That wasn't a god."

"No god could possibly have that kind of oppressive presence."

"Before him, the Angel God wasn't even worthy of carrying his shoes."

"I've read every ancient text in the Federation. There has never been any record of this."

"Nine eras were destroyed, and the Angel God was actually a survivor of a previous civilization?"

"In other words, human civilization has now reached its tenth attempt?"

A young scholar wearing glasses suddenly shot to his feet.

A fanatical light gleamed in his eyes.

"This is absolutely a discovery capable of rewriting the history of the entire Douluo Continent!"

"The ancient human civilization, the war between the Angel God and the World-Destroying Dragon, and that supreme existence hidden behind the scenes—"

"If we can uncover the truth behind this, the entire historical community will be shaken to its core!"

"Are you insane?"

The person beside him grabbed him.

"Can't you see how terrifying that thing is?"

"If that thing really exists, we wouldn't even count as ants in its eyes!"

"But It didn't destroy us."

"We're all alive and well now, which means the Tenth Era passed the test."

"Are you sure it passed the test, or... has the test not arrived yet?"

The moment those words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

Then, as if by prior agreement, they all turned their heads.

They looked toward the source of all the strange phenomena.

Lin Yan stood where he was, expressionless.

Yet beside him sat an adorable little silver-white dragon, behaving itself.

The little dragon stared with wide, innocent eyes.

It rubbed its head against Lin Yan's calf pitifully.

It made ingratiating little "ang ang ang" sounds.

Soft and cute.

Well-behaved.

Entirely harmless.

Yet the instant everyone saw that dragon, the Martial Souls within their bodies let out a mournful cry in unison.

It was the fear found only at the pinnacle of the predator chain.

A shudder etched into the deepest depths of their genes.

"That dragon... was the one from just now..."

"There's no mistake. Although it became smaller and fatter, the color of those scales, the shape of those pupils, and that aura that made our Martial Souls tremble—it's definitely it!"

"That World-Destroying Dragon is his Martial Soul?"

"The origin of this Martial Soul is definitely far from simple."

"A being capable of defeating the Angel God and destroying an entire era with one hand would stand at the absolute peak even among God Rank Martial Souls."

"More than merely God Rank?"

"Have you ever seen a God Rank Martial Soul project a vision of ancient history upon awakening?"

"One that could send all the heaven-and-earth elements within dozens, even hundreds, of miles into an uproar?"

The way everyone looked at Lin Yan had changed.

Even more people were frantically replaying the final scenes from earlier in their minds.

The "destruction of eras" that the Angel God had repeatedly mentioned.

That supreme figure who had left her helpless and despairing.

And that ancient divine war, steeped in mystery and epic grandeur—

Countless questions sprouted wildly in their hearts like weeds.

"Why was an existence as powerful as the Angel God so terrified?"

"Who exactly was that supreme god who could render even the Angel God powerless?"

"She mentioned the previous eight eras..."

"Every era worshipped, every era built civilization, yet every era was destroyed."

"Why?"

"What did that being actually want?"

"The Ninth Era was destroyed by the World-Destroying Dragon, but what about the eight before it?"

"Were they dragons too?"

"Or something else?"

Su Hai Tao was completely dumbfounded.

He looked at Lin Yan.

His mouth opened and closed, then closed and opened again.

He could not say a single word.

No, you really activated it?!

Not only was his awakened Martial Soul genuinely God Rank, it had even destroyed the world before.

It had fought the Angel God too.

It had nearly destroyed human civilization as well.

Such an overpowered Martial Soul—

Su Hai Tao felt that Lin Yan had already been understated when he called it a "spatial God Rank Martial Soul."

"Um..." Lin Yan said, his voice somewhat dry. "My loan..."

Su Hai Tao's vision went dark.

You were still thinking about your loan?!

Did you have any idea how much trouble you were in?!

Although he was not sure what Lin Yan would face next.

This Martial Soul was no longer a matter of whether it was strong or not. Its origins were utterly terrifying.

Its mere emergence had triggered changes in heaven and earth, bringing that buried ancient history back before the world.

Most crucially—an extraordinary figure had arrived at the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda today.

The more Su Hai Tao thought about it, the more unfathomably deep the waters seemed.

"Alright, alright. I'll handle the paperwork for you right away."

He hurriedly gathered the files on the desk, his hands trembling.

"Go have lunch first. I'll contact you later."

With that, he clutched the files and ran upstairs without looking back.

Before Lin Yan could say anything, a crowd surrounded him.

"Little brother, what is your Martial Soul called?"

"Where did you awaken it? Was that dragon phantom really your Martial Soul?"

"That dragon... is in its juvenile stage, right? Is it because your Soul Power isn't sufficient, so it can only manifest at this size?"

"It's definitely in its juvenile stage!"

"Did you see how huge that dragon was in the vision? Its body stretched hundreds of kilometers, blotting out the sky!"

"If it reached its complete form, the entire Eastsea City wouldn't be able to contain it!"

"The Holy Six-Winged Angel is already the ceiling among God Rank Martial Souls. Your Martial Soul definitely doesn't lose to the Angel God—it may even be stronger!"

Some were envious, some jealous, while others simply could not suppress their curiosity. They all talked over one another, asking question after question.

"What exactly happened in that piece of history?"

"How was the Ninth Era destroyed?"

"Since you're the owner of the Martial Soul, you should know the full story, right?"

"Why have our school history classes never taught us any of this?"

"What happened to the Angel God in the end?"

"Did she survive?"

The crowd pressed closer and closer, and the noise grew increasingly chaotic.

Gu Yue proudly raised her head and snorted, tapping Lin Yan's calf with her tail.

"See that? This dragon is precious. Who knows how many people want me."

"Hurry up and buy me some sunflower seeds. I want to eat!"

Lin Yan said nothing.

He merely frowned slightly, sweeping his gaze over the fanatical faces around him as a heavy weight settled in his heart.

He did not know what he would have to face.

Would they drag him away for dissection?

Would some major faction forcibly recruit him?

Would they simply erase him as some kind of threat?

Unless absolutely necessary, he did not want to expose himself to the eyes of those important figures this early.

He had too many secrets—

The Creator God's Petri Dish, the true authority of the Spacetime Martial Soul, and this stupid dragon that might betray him at any moment.

What protagonist of a creator sandbox story would reveal his identity so easily?

He lowered his head and glanced at Gu Yue.

This stupid dragon was smugly enjoying everyone's astonishment, her tail wagging like a propeller, her purple pupils plainly saying, "Praise me, praise me!"

Lin Yan expressionlessly kicked her round little butt.

Gu Yue rolled forward from the kick, then got up, clutching her rear and glaring furiously at him.

"You beast! You kicked me again!"

Lin Yan ignored her.

He became even more certain—

This stupid dragon had been sent by heaven specifically to screw him over.