Five Years Later (Revised)

"Since that's the case, let's do this. Yu Hao, come here first."

"Okay."

A faint smile touched Yu Chen's lips as he gently tapped Dai Yuhao's glabella with a fingertip. With a thought, he forced out a drop of pure ordinary blood. The droplet was a vivid crimson, brimming with dense, strange life energy. The instant it appeared, the surrounding air seemed to freeze for a moment.

That drop of blood entered Dai Yuhao's glabella and instantly transformed into a warm current that surged through his tiny limbs and bones, washing over and tempering his body, cleansing his meridians and marrow.

The mother and son quickly noticed something was wrong.

"Little brother, this is..." Huo Yun'er asked softly, her face filled with worry.

"It's nothing. I'm merely helping Yu Hao remove the impurities accumulated in his body," Yu Chen said calmly, casually coming up with an excuse.

The moment he finished speaking, a shocking change suddenly occurred.

The previously unremarkable Spirit Eyes Martial Soul erupted with dazzling golden light. Within that radiance, Dai Yuhao's black pupils underwent a complete transformation, becoming narrow vertical slits. A pair of brilliant Golden Eyes took shape!

Golden Eyes, complete.

Dai Yuhao clearly felt the surging power within him and covered his eyes in shock. "This is... my Martial Soul?"

"That's right." Yu Chen stood with his hands behind his back and asked lightly, "Now sense it. What level has your Innate Soul Power reached?"

Dai Yuhao closed his eyes and focused for a moment. Unable to suppress his excitement, he stammered, "F-five... Level Five!"

Huo Yun'er covered her mouth in shock, utterly unable to believe it. "What? Level Five? It actually rose directly from Level One to Level Five?!"

"Yes, this is the foundation he should have possessed." Yu Chen nodded lightly, then solemnly warned, "Remember, you must not reveal a single word about the increase in Soul Power or the mutation of his Martial Soul. Do you understand?"

"I'll remember!" Dai Yuhao nodded hard, his eyes brimming with gratitude.

With the matter settled, Yu Chen looked toward the twilight sky. "It's getting late. I should be on my way."

"You're leaving already? Why not stay for dinner before you go?" Huo Yun'er quickly urged him to stay.

"No need. I still have important matters to attend to on the road."

Before the mother and son could persuade him further, Yu Chen waved a hand and strode straight out of the room, cutting a dashing figure.

Dai Yuhao stood by the threshold, quietly watching that receding figure. Deep within his young heart, the image of this older brother was forever engraved.

"Big Brother Yu Chen, I'll never forget your kindness for as long as I live..."

Time flew by, and five years passed in the blink of an eye.

That encounter at the White Tiger Duke's Estate felt as though it had happened only yesterday.

And now, the main storyline of the Douluo Continent original work was officially beginning.

Over these five years, undercurrents had surged across the entire continent. Countless gifted youths lay hidden in every corner, silently honing themselves.

Yet Yu Chen's path of cultivation was a hundred times more difficult than that of any Soul Master in the world.

Ordinary Soul Masters possessed ordinary Martial Souls. Their cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, and breaking through realms was as easy as eating and drinking.

But flowing through his body was the Golden Dragon King's Origin Bloodline, which commanded ultimate power!

On the continent, ultimate Martial Souls were already one in ten thousand, with incredibly high cultivation thresholds and slow advancement. The Golden Dragon King's Origin Bloodline, however, was a supreme dragon bloodline that stood above all ultimate Martial Souls.

Its bloodline foundation was unmatched, but the price was an extreme drain on his own origin. Every breakthrough in realm was unimaginably difficult.

After five full years of day-and-night cultivation, tempering his body and Soul Power day after day, his cultivation had still only reached Level Forty-Five Soul Ancestor.

To outsiders, gaining only a few levels in five years might seem unimpressive. But if the Soul Masters of the continent knew the truth, they would be utterly shocked.

Bearing such a terrifying dragon origin and still steadily cultivating to Level Forty-Five, his foundation and potential had long since surpassed the vast majority of geniuses in the world.

I've finally arrived at Shrek City. I'm only eleven this year, yet I'm already a Level Forty-Five Soul Ancestor. My four soul rings are all black, each one at the ten-thousand-year level.

With such heaven-defying talent, I've drifted outside for four whole years, and the road ahead has always been unclear. A man can make his home anywhere. Wherever I go is where I belong; all the green mountains under heaven are my homeland.

"People say the Desolate Heaven Emperor had a bitter life, but how could his hardships compare to mine? I was born in this chaotic age. Tang San of the God Realm constantly watches the continent's movements, while the evil Soul Masters of the Holy Spirit Cult wreak havoc everywhere below. Every step is difficult."

Yu Chen was filled with emotion, leaving him with nothing but helplessness. Then he suddenly remembered that the Golden Dragon King's remnant soul had entrusted him with an important task: find an opportunity to contact and guide the Silver Dragon King, and make sure that the divine positions of the Dragon God lineage ultimately remained in the hands of their own kind.

There was no need to rush when it came to approaching the Silver Dragon King. He only needed to wait patiently for the right opportunity.

It was as if he could hear the Silver Dragon King's indignant inner voice: Just try approaching me. When the time comes, I'll strike directly and see how you deal with it.

For now, he would head to Shrek Academy and gather some information.

I'm eleven now, about the same age as Dai Yuhao. He should also be setting out for Shrek's entrance examination this year.

Not long afterward, Yu Chen arrived outside Shrek City's eastern gate. Looking at the bustling prosperity within the city, he could not help murmuring, "As expected of the home of the continent's number one academy. Such prosperity is truly rare."

Then, thinking of the changes to come, he secretly felt regret. What does all this liveliness matter? Ten thousand years from now, this city will ultimately become scorched earth amid the flames of war. What a pity.

Come to think of it, the disciples of Shrek Academy were far too arrogant. Who on the continent did not know that those who came from Shrek constantly spoke of the academy's glory?

If I successfully enroll in the future, will I gradually be influenced by this atmosphere and become completely assimilated?

After all, I still carry modern ways of thinking in my bones. It'll be difficult for me to fully conform to this continent's beliefs.

He walked slowly along the street toward the enrollment registration area at Shrek's main gate.

Before long, Yu Chen arrived at the registration site. Looking up, he saw at least a hundred youths lined up in a long queue, waiting to register. He clicked his tongue inwardly. Good grief, there are actually this many applicants.

After a long wait in line, it was finally his turn.

The person in charge of registration and assessment was a female deacon. She looked up at him and said, "Take out your letter of recommendation for verification."

Yu Chen took out a letter of recommendation and handed it over. He had obtained it through proper channels when passing through a major city earlier.

The female deacon accepted the letter and carefully checked it before nodding. "The letter of recommendation is valid."

As she spoke, she pulled out a new student aptitude registration form from the letter's inner layer and lowered her head to fill in the information.

"Name: Yu Chen. Soul Power Level: Forty-Five. Martial Soul: Golden Dragon."

When she saw what was written on the form, the female deacon froze on the spot. Even her words began to stumble. "J-junior, your Soul Power has actually reached Level Forty-Five?"

The surrounding applicants and accompanying parents all turned to look at once upon hearing that. The entire place instantly erupted into an uproar.

"No way, a Level Forty-Five Soul Ancestor?"

"He looks only eleven or twelve. He's already a Soul Ancestor at that age? What kind of monstrous genius is this?!"

When her gaze fell upon the words "Golden Dragon" in the Martial Soul column, an even greater storm rose in the female deacon's heart. That was the Golden Dragon, the ancient progenitor of dragon-kind's strength!

A parent nearby saw it clearly and cried out in shock, "Golden Dragon? Could it be the legendary first Golden Dragon?"

Among the crowd, some were overwhelmed with awe and admiration, while quite a few applicants wore jealous expressions and muttered resentfully to themselves. Why did someone so young possess such profound cultivation?

Those consumed by jealousy were ultimately few. Most people looking at Yu Chen had nothing left in their eyes but pure admiration and worship.

"That's right, Senior Sister. My Soul Power is Level Forty-Five, and my Martial Soul is indeed the Golden Dragon."

Suppressing the shock churning in her heart, the female deacon asked, "Would it be convenient for you to release your Martial Soul so I can verify it? It's not that I doubt you, but it's part of the academy's standard registration procedure."

"Of course." As soon as Yu Chen spoke, he directly activated Martial Soul Possession. Four dense black soul rings, each ten thousand years old, slowly rose from beneath his feet.

Startled cries immediately erupted from the surrounding crowd. The female deacon drew in a sharp breath. Such aptitude was far beyond what an ordinary registration deacon like her could handle. She turned and signaled for a student on duty nearby to temporarily take over her work, then looked at Yu Chen. "I don't have the authority to deal with your situation. I'll take you to meet the head of the Martial Soul Department."

The gazes of everyone present intertwined—shock, envy, jealousy—all of them fell upon him. Yu Chen followed this senior sister and left the enrollment registration area.