Breakthrough of the Golden Dragon King's Bloodline's Sixth Seal, and a Spar with the Second Years

Twilight dyed the phoenix tree leaves of Shrek Academy a warm golden hue, and the evening breeze, carrying the scent of fresh grass, brushed against the strands of hair on Tang Wulin's forehead. He still held half a piece of unfinished candied hawthorn in his hand; the sweet and sour taste of the hawthorns, mingled with the faint silver grass scent belonging to Gu Yue, drifted through the air.

The two walked side by side, the slate path beneath their feet warmed by the setting sun. From the novelty trinkets in the soul tool shop to the sugar paintings on the snack street, and finally to watching the koi fish by the lake for an entire afternoon, the time of this day felt like pulled cotton candy—soft and sweet to the point that one couldn't bear to blink.

"Today's sugar painting, my dragon is still better-looking." Gu Yue turned her head slightly, the corners of her eyes and brows carrying a hint of mischievous amusement, her moonlight-like eyes shockingly bright.

Tang Wulin smiled honestly, scratching the back of his head. "Your dragon is majestic, my... my rabbit is quite cute too." He was referring to the crooked jade rabbit he had drawn himself, which Gu Yue had laughed at for a long time.

While they spoke, the shadow of the girls' dormitory building already fell before them, and the streetlamps at the entrance lit up one after another, their warm yellow glow encircling the passing figures. Gu Yue stopped in her tracks, turned around to look at him, and said nothing; only, in those eyes of hers, the evening glow was reflected, and so was his shadow.

Tang Wulin's heartbeat quickened by half a beat for no reason, his fingers gripping the stick of the candied hawthorn tightening slightly. He wanted to say something, like "Let's go to the lake to feed the fish together tomorrow again," or "Next time I'll definitely draw something even more majestic than your dragon," but when the words reached his lips, they only transformed into a single sentence: "We're here."

"Mhm." Gu Yue gave a soft response, paused, and added, "Today... was quite happy. Actually, I don't resent you kissing me, it's just that it's still too early right now."

Her voice was very soft, like the evening breeze skimming across the ripples of the lake. Tang Wulin's cheeks felt somewhat hot, and he nodded repeatedly. "It really was just an accident, you didn't take it to heart, did you?"

Watching his foolish appearance, Gu Yue couldn't help but curve the corners of her lips and turned to walk toward the entrance of the dormitory building. After taking a few steps, she stopped again, turned back, and waved at him. "How could I take it to heart? Go back and rest early, don't practice forging too late."

"Got it!" Tang Wulin waved back at her as well, his voice quite bright. "You go to sleep early too!"

Gu Yue didn't look back again, walking briskly into the light of the dormitory building, and that moon-white figure quickly vanished around the corner of the hallway.

Tang Wulin still stood in the same spot with his hand raised, and only slowly lowered it after her figure was no longer visible. He lowered his head to look at the remaining candied hawthorn in his hand and took a bite; the sweetness spread across the tip of his tongue, yet his heart felt as though it had been filled to the brim by something—soft and warm.

The evening breeze blew over once more, carrying the laughing voices of girls drifting from the dormitory building. He stood there for a while before turning to walk in the direction of the boys' dormitory, his footsteps very slow, while the corners of his lips remained lifted, refusing to be suppressed no matter what.

The night grew heavier, and stars began to blink in the sky. Within Tang Wulin's heart, a patch of sparkling starry sky seemed to be hidden as well.

Tang Wulin sat alone in his dormitory, recalling what the teacher had said two days ago: "This week we are going to hold a sparring match between the first-years and second-years. As first-years, we cannot lose face, so go back and prepare well." Tang Wulin decided to break through the sixth layer of the seal.

The blackout curtains of the dormitory were drawn tightly, with only a dim ray of daylight leaking through the gap in the window, falling upon the floor where Tang Wulin sat cross-legged.

His fingertips pinched a glazed bottle, within which a purple potion bubbled densely; this was precisely the special auxiliary medicinal liquid custom-made for him by Mu Ye—a rare formula difficult to find even for a million federal coins, and his sole reliance to forcefully withstand the impact of the seal.

There was no protector, no outsiders, only the dust floating in the air accompanying his heavy breathing.

Tang Wulin tilted his head back and drank the medicinal liquid down. A wondrous sweetness instantly melted in his throat, and the warmth had just spread to his limbs and bones before abruptly turning into a heart-burning scorching heat.

He let out a muffled grunt, the veins on his forehead bulging. Driven by the medicinal liquid, the Golden Dragon King bloodline erupted even earlier than anticipated, and the golden energy of the sixth layer of the seal slammed into his meridians like a tsunami, every inch of his blood vessels seemingly on the verge of bursting apart.

"I cannot stop..." He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms and seeping blood droplets, while the Mysterious Heaven Technique circulated frantically, attempting to guide the rampaging energy.

Yet the sealing force was far too violent; his body, having broken through the fifth layer not long ago, had not yet fully adapted. Amidst the churning of his qi and blood, a golden web-like pattern spread from his forehead across his entire body, and diamond-shaped scales pierced through his clothing, emitting a cold and hard luster in the dimness.

The fading of the scorching heat was followed by bone-chilling cold, as if his blood had frozen instantly and his skin turned pale with frost. He trembled all over, yet still straightened his spine, relying on sheer willpower to combat the alternating torture of ice and fire.

Within his mind, Lao Tang's voice was deep and resolute: "Hold on, this is the trial of the Golden Dragon King."

Tang Wulin opened his eyes abruptly, unyielding decisiveness flashing through the depths of his gaze—he had to survive, to find his mom and dad, and to become a powerhouse. This obsession transformed into tenacity, supporting him in steadying his mind amidst the turbulent energy, letting that destructive force scour his meridians and temper his physical body.

I do not know how much time passed before the violent energy within his body suddenly stagnated for an instant. Seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Tang Wulin urged all of his soul power and qi and blood, slamming fiercely into that layer of formless sealing barrier.

With a crisp "crack", it was as though shackles had shattered, and golden radiance erupted suddenly from within his body, illuminating the dormitory until it was brightly lit.

Three dazzling soul rings hovered around his body, the halo of the third soul ring appearing particularly dense, while his bloodline aura soared instantly. Dragon-type might quietly diffused through the walls, causing soul masters in the distance possessing dragon-type martial souls to feel inexplicably alarmed.

What surprised him even more was that the shadow of an ancient, unadorned spear suddenly appeared at his Dantian, the shaft of the spear swirling with golden dragon patterns; it was precisely the Golden Dragon Spear transformed from the forty-ninth rib of the Golden Dragon King.

Simultaneously, the soul skill comprehension of the "Golden Dragon Roar" poured into his mind—that was a range-based sonic wave impact, containing the deterrent power of the Golden Dragon King.

Tang Wulin slowly withdrew his cultivation technique. The scales gradually conformed to his skin, and the soul rings faded into his body. Soaked in sweat all over, his clothes shattered inch by inch, yet it could hardly conceal the wild joy and exhaustion deep within his eyes.

The perils of breaking through alone far exceeded imagination; if not for the medicinal liquid's assistance and his own foundation, he might truly have been unable to walk out of this trial alive. But at this moment, with his four-ring cultivation, his overall strength had already taken a decisive step forward.

When he woke up, he discovered that three days had already passed.

The dormitory door was pounded on with a banging sound, accompanied by Xie Xie's impatient and anxious shouts: "Tang Wulin! Are you dead in there? We haven't seen a shadow of you in three days, and your soul communicator isn't answering either!"

Inside the door, Tang Wulin, who had just finished tidying up his shattered clothes, paused in his movements, his voice still somewhat hoarse from just breaking through: "I'm coming."

The moment the door opened, three figures collided in simultaneously—Xie Xie grabbed his arm in a single motion, his brows knitted into a tight knot, his eyes filled with lingering fear: "What on earth are you up to? Gu Yue has practically turned Shrek City upside down! The Spirit Ascension Platform, the forging room, and even the snack street we frequent, she searched through all of them three times over, and she almost blew up your soul communicator calling you!"

Gu Yue walked in slowly. Within the maiden's normally aloof eyes, lingering worry currently rippled. Her gaze swept past the un-faded golden patterns on Tang Wulin's body, then fell upon his damaged clothing and the bloodstains on his palms, her voice slightly hoarse: "You're injured?"

Hiding behind the two of them, Xu Xiaoyan poked her head out, her aquamarine eyes still swimming with a shallow layer of moisture. Seeing that Tang Wulin was fine, she relaxed slightly, trotted in small steps up to him, and pulled a small bottle of light blue medicinal liquid out from her soul tool, handing it over: "Captain, this is the soothing potion I concocted. It can alleviate the exhaustion of soul power overdraft, hurry up and wipe your hands."

Her voice was very soft, carrying a nasal tone born of lingering fear. "The rest of us and I searched for you for a long time. I even performed a divination using the astrolabe last night, and only felt slightly relieved when I saw the astrolabe indicate you had merely fallen into a deep sleep, but still..."

Tang Wulin took the medicinal liquid, his fingertips touching the cool bottle body, and warmth welled up in his heart. Raising his hand, he circulated his soul power, and three dense soul rings abruptly rose from beneath his feet, the halo of the third soul ring far more dazzling than the first two.

The unique pressure of the Golden Dragon King diffused quietly, causing Xie Xie to instinctively take half a step back, shock flashing through his eyes: "Four rings? You, you broke through the sixth layer of the seal?"

"Mhm, just accomplished it." Tang Wulin nodded, his fingertips twitching slightly as the phantom of the Golden Dragon Spear flashed and vanished at his Dantian. "This breakthrough was a bit perilous, it took three days to stabilize my aura, and I didn't get around to replying to communications. I made you all worry."

Gu Yue stepped forward, her fingertips brushing gently against the newly subsided scale marks on his arm, her movement carrying a rare gentleness: "If you lose contact like this again, I'll break the door down directly." Her tone remained aloof, yet it concealed an uncontainable care.

Xie Xie chimed in boisterously from the side: "Exactly! Gu Yue said you might have encountered a backlash from the seal, and was even going to go ask Teacher Wu Changkong. Fortunately you're fine now!"

Xu Xiaoyan nodded vigorously beside them as well, her eye sockets red. "Captain, you must remember to report that you're safe in the future."

Looking at the companions before him, Tang Wulin's heart was filled with warmth. The peril and loneliness of breaking through alone completely dissipated at this moment.

"Now it's time to let that bunch of second-years know our strength. Is everyone ready?" Tang Wulin waved his fist with confidence.

"Always ready!" the other three shouted simultaneously. Although the four of them were now students of Shrek Academy, the bonds of the Eastsea F4 would forever exist.