Dragon Battles in the Wild

The playground after the typhoon was filled with the scent of sea salt. The ground had not yet dried, and puddles shimmered with scattered golden flecks in the morning light. Yun Zhiyu stood at the very front of Class One's formation, her jet-black hair tied into a ponytail. Behind dark brown contacts, her purple eyes were as calm as deep pools.

Across from them, the combined teams of Class Five and Class Two stood side by side.

Tang Wulin stood in the center, his blue-gold eyes brighter than they had been before the typhoon. It was as if something dormant within him had awakened, subtly changing his entire bearing—making him straighter, sharper, like a freshly honed sword. His hands hung at his sides, and his knuckles occasionally gave off faint cracking sounds, a sign that the Golden Dragon King Bloodline was flowing through his bones.

Xie Xie stood to the left, the aura of his Twin Martial Souls far more solid than before. The Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger flickered in and out of view in his palms, the intertwined glow of the twin daggers carrying the distinctive pressure of a two-ring Grand Soul Master. His gaze landed on Yun Zhiyu, brimming with eager excitement. "Class One's captain, I can finally fight you!"

Gu Yue stood to Tang Wulin's right, her black hair cascading to her waist and her silver eyes clear. Her indifferent gaze swept over the members of Class One, lingering briefly on Yun Zhiyu. There was no emotion in that look, yet it sent a faint chill down Yun Zhiyu's spine—the Silver Dragon King's senses truly were sharp.

Zhou Cheng and Shi Yu of Class Two stood on either flank, the heaviness of the Ironclad Bear and the agility of the Azure Bird forming a strange complement.

"The rules," the referee announced, "are five against four. The combined team challenges Class One, the strongest class. Class One may field all its members or only some of them. Victory is determined when all members of one side are eliminated or surrender."

Yun Zhiyu turned and looked at the four behind her.

"Zhang Yangzi, command," she said flatly. "Wei Xiaofeng, harass them. Nianbing, main offense. Jin Xi, defense. I'll hold the line."

"Hold the line?" Wei Xiaofeng's eyes widened. "You're not fighting?"

"I'm not." Yun Zhiyu took a step back and stood beneath the old banyan tree at the edge of the arena. "The four of you are enough."

She paused. The slit in her purple eyes opened slightly, then quickly vanished again. "Let me see the results of your training over the past six months."

Zhang Yangzi took a deep breath. A hint of solemnity flashed through his eyes as the Dark Illusion Demon Eagle Martial Soul stirred within him. He understood Yun Zhiyu's intent—this was tempering, a test, a trial meant to push them to their limits. If the four of them could force the combined team to reveal its trump cards, even force out Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon King power, that would be true growth.

"Class One!" he shouted. "Fight!" The battle erupted in an instant.

Wei Xiaofeng moved first. Azure Shadow Stack split into three afterimages that lunged at Xie Xie from three directions at once. He was astonishingly fast, and the serpentine trajectories unique to snakes made it impossible to distinguish real from fake. Like a green net, they enveloped Xie Xie.

"Good!" Xie Xie laughed. The Light Dragon Dagger and Shadow Dragon Dagger were drawn at once, their intertwined radiance forming a whirlwind around him. His second soul skills, Light Dragon Storm and Shadow Dragon Storm, activated simultaneously. The two tornadoes intertwined into an even more violent vortex, sweeping all of Wei Xiaofeng's afterimages inside.

"Now!" Zhang Yangzi's voice came from behind them.

Darkness Control!

Black soul power spread like a tide, blotting out the light across half the arena. Xie Xie's vision was abruptly hindered, and the rotation of Light Dragon Storm slowed slightly. Wei Xiaofeng's true body shot out of the shadows, the claws of his Azure Shadow Serpent aiming straight for Xie Xie's back—

Bang!

A bone shield blocked Wei Xiaofeng behind Xie Xie. Wang Jinxi's Bone Dragon Claw thrust out from the ground, gray-white bone patterns spreading up to his wrist and forming a vicious shield. Wei Xiaofeng's claws left three white marks on it, but failed to pierce through.

"Jin Xi!" Wei Xiaofeng retreated hurriedly. "Whose side are you on?"

Wang Jinxi did not answer. His gaze was fixed on Tang Wulin, and an odd tremor ran through his grayish face. The Bone Dragon King Bloodline within him was restless—not with fighting spirit, but with something more primal, almost instinctive... fear?

Tang Wulin stood where he was, confusion in his blue-gold eyes. He did not attack, only watched Wang Jinxi. He watched that bone shield, watched the gray-white bone patterns spreading across it. Within his body, something warm stirred, as though he had encountered a long-lost... kin?

"Wulin!" Gu Yue's voice was cool as spring water. "Stop spacing out. Elemental Tide!"

Water elements surged in from every direction, forming a thin layer of water across the arena. It was no ordinary water. Precisely controlled by Gu Yue's spiritual power, it was living water containing an ancient rhythm. Every droplet carried the power to erode and bind as it spread toward the four members of Class One.

Wu Nianbing moved.

The Icebound Frost Sword solidified in her palm. Her pale skirt brushed across the water as Frostmark Sword Shadow streaked through the air like a startled swan. Her first soul skill, Frostmark Sword Shadow, activated. Wherever her sword tip passed, Gu Yue's water elements froze into fine ice crystals, refracting seven-colored light under the sun.

"Ice?" Gu Yue's silver eyes stiffened slightly. "It can freeze my water?"

Her Elemental Tide was no ordinary water. It was elemental control containing the Silver Dragon King's origin power, and theoretically, it should not have been frozen by an ice attribute of the same level. Yet Wu Nianbing's Icebound Frost Sword had inherited Wu Changkong's Heavenfrost Sword Intent and been nourished by the Ice God's Chain for years. It carried a coldness that shared the Silver Dragon King's origin, yet differed from it—a coldness belonging to "protection."

The two forces collided in midair, water and ice weaving into a vast white mist.

"Jin Xi!" Zhang Yangzi barked. "Protect Nianbing!"

Wang Jinxi gritted his teeth and slammed his Bone Dragon Claw into the ground. Gray-white bone patterns spread from his palm, forming a ring of bone spikes that protected Wu Nianbing at its center. His gaze remained fixed on Tang Wulin, and the fear born from his bloodline grew increasingly intense. It was as if some monstrous beast was roaring inside him, urging him to submit, flee, or... fight.

Tang Wulin finally moved.

He did not release Bluesilver Grass. He merely took one step forward, a light step that made Wang Jinxi's Bone Dragon King Bloodline instantly boil. Gray-white bone patterns bulged beneath his skin as if countless snakes were crawling through his flesh. Wang Jinxi let out an inhuman roar, his Bone Dragon Claw uncontrollably reaching for Tang Wulin—

"Jin Xi!" Zhang Yangzi's expression changed. "What are you doing?!"

Tang Wulin raised his hand to meet the Bone Dragon Claw.

The instant his hand rose, it changed. Fine golden scales surfaced beneath his skin, his knuckles lengthened, and his nails transformed into sharp dragon claws. His entire hand became a vicious claw belonging to some ancient existence.

Golden Dragon Claw!

Boom—

The Bone Dragon Claw collided with the Golden Dragon Claw, and the shockwave sent the water across the arena flying.

Wang Jinxi felt an irresistible force surge in through his palm. This was not a difference in soul power, but the crushing suppression of bloodline—the trembling that rose from the marrow when a subject faced a monarch. Held in the Golden Dragon Claw's grip, his Bone Dragon Claw let out strained cracking sounds as the gray-white bone patterns began to fracture.

"Bloodline suppression..." Wang Jinxi's voice cracked with fear. "You... how could you..."

A violent golden gleam that did not belong to Tang Wulin flashed through his blue-gold eyes. It vanished in an instant, but his movements paused slightly, as if something inside him were using his eyes to inspect this world.

"Wulin!" Gu Yue's voice held unusual urgency. "Stop!"

But it was already too late. Under the Golden Dragon Claw's suppression, Wang Jinxi's Bone Dragon King Bloodline completely lost control.

Gray-white bone patterns spread from the fractures, covering his entire face. Bones pierced out from within his body, forming even more vicious bone armor. His pupils became vertical dragon eyes, and he released a shrill roar.

Bone Soul Transformation!

His second soul skill activated prematurely in his loss of control!

"Not good!" At the referee's stand, Wu Changkong's white robes suddenly tightened, and the blue sword in its sheath gave a hum.

Zhang Yangzi was closest to Wang Jinxi. Feeling that violent aura, he knew that if he did not stop him in time, Wang Jinxi would be consumed by his own Martial Soul. He gritted his teeth and unleashed the Dark Illusion Demon Eagle Martial Soul with all his might. Black soul power surged toward Wang Jinxi like a tide, attempting to suppress the Bone Dragon King's rampage with Darkness Control—

But the moment the two forces made contact, a sudden change occurred.

Under the pressure of the Golden Dragon Claw, Zhang Yangzi's dark soul power and Wang Jinxi's Bone Dragon power directly triggered a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Black mist and gray-white bone patterns intertwined in the air, forming a massive phantom with an eagle's head and a dragon's body.

Martial Soul Fusion Skill!

Eagle-Dragon: Dark Bone Canopy!

The phantom spread its wings, and black bone feathers blotted out half the sky. Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi's figures flickered within it as their soul powers fused in an unprecedented manner, forming a domain that covered a radius of thirty meters and carried corrosion and crushing pressure.

Tang Wulin raised his head and looked at the descending canopy.

His Golden Dragon Claw trembled—not from fear, but excitement. The Golden Dragon King Bloodline inside him roared as though it had encountered a defiant subject and wanted to crush it in the most violent way possible. The savage golden gleam in his blue-gold eyes grew brighter and brighter, gradually swallowing their former clarity.

"Come..." His voice was hoarse in a way that did not belong to him, like some ancient dragon tongue. "...fight!" The Golden Dragon Claw swung toward the sky.

Golden light tore through the Dark Bone Canopy. The Eagle-Dragon phantom let out a mournful cry as black bone feathers shattered one after another. Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi both spat out blood, falling from the phantom and crashing heavily onto the arena.

But Tang Wulin did not stop.

The Golden Dragon Claw swung again. A second strike, a third strike—each attack carrying greater savagery than the last, like an enraged beast determined to rip everything before it apart. His pupils had turned completely gold. The Bluesilver Grass Martial Soul was suppressed within him, replaced by an existence that was older and more tyrannical.

"Wulin!" Xie Xie shouted, trying to rush forward, but Gu Yue stopped him.

"Don't go!" Gu Yue's silver eyes were solemn. "He's lost control..."

She did not finish, but Yun Zhiyu heard enough.

She had been waiting all along.

Holding the line was not standing by. It meant waiting for the right moment. She wanted to see Tang Wulin's limits, to see the Golden Dragon King's berserk state, to see how many trump cards Gu Yue would expose in a crisis. And now, the time had come. Dusk Dragon Flash: Instant Step!

Her figure vanished from beneath the old banyan tree. When she appeared again, she was already in front of Tang Wulin. The Golden Dragon Claw's fourth strike came straight at her with a shriek that tore through the air, yet she neither dodged nor retreated. She merely raised her right hand, palm facing upward.

Torch Dragon Breath: Nether Shadow!

Netherfrost seeped from her palm. It was not an attack, but entanglement, soothing, and an even more ancient majesty that made even the Golden Dragon King Bloodline freeze. The instant that cold touched the Golden Dragon Claw, the savage golden gleam stalled slightly, as if it had encountered something of the same origin yet different—a presence from a higher level.

"Wulin!" Yun Zhiyu spoke, her voice carrying the echo unique to the Torch Dragon Bloodline, an echo that commanded time and space. "Calm down."