Time flew by in a flash, and another nine months passed.
Sea God Island, underground secret chamber.
Golden light flickered uncertainly within the dim secret chamber, illuminating a cross-legged figure. Tang Wulin's face was ferocious, the veins on his forehead bulging, and large beads of sweat slid down his cheeks.
The Bloodline Power around his body fluctuated violently like boiling magma, and surging waves of berserk power slammed back and forth inside him, as if they wanted to tear his body apart.
The floor of the secret chamber was covered in all kinds of spiritual items. Millennial Ice Marrow, Crimson Flame Ganoderma, Dragon Blood Grass, Ten-Thousand-Year Black Iron... Every single one of them was a rare and priceless treasure worth a fortune, and casually taking even a single one out would be enough for ordinary Soul Masters to fight tooth and nail over.
And right now, these spiritual items were being consumed at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning into pure energy that surged into Tang Wulin's body.
He was breaking through the sixth Golden Dragon King Seals.
Ever since he caused some trouble last time that attracted the attention of all the major forces in the Federation, Tang Wulin had truly behaved himself over the next few months, steadily focusing on peacefully improving his own strength.
He relied on the compensation given by the Federation to purchase spiritual items, and was currently breaking through the sixth, and most crucial, seal.
If it were the past, he would never have dared to imagine he could break through seals this quickly, but who made the Federation compensate him with five hundred million.
The Golden Dragon King Bloodline inside his body surged crazily, and the sixth seal was tottering under the impact of the spiritual items. Tang Wulin gritted his teeth, gathering all of his Bloodline Power into a single point, and fiercely smashed it toward that seal.
Boom!
A muffled explosion erupted within his body, and the seal finally shattered. A majestic power surged into his limbs and bones like a breached floodgate, and golden light burst out from within his body, enveloping his entire person.
Tang Wulin panted heavily, his entire body soaked in sweat, but a look of relief appeared on his face.
He slowly raised his hand, watching the golden light circulating in his palm, feeling the surging power within his body, and the corners of his mouth hooked up slightly.
At his feet, three golden Bloodline Soul Rings slowly rose, exuding an ancient and majestic aura.
The three Bloodline Soul Rings corresponded to the breakthroughs of the three Golden Dragon King Seals, and added to the previous ones, he now possessed the power of six Bloodline Soul Rings.
Tang Wulin took a deep breath, feeling the changes within his body. It was still rank 40 soul power... Actually, he had already reached rank 40 three months ago, but because his soul spirit was still purple, he had delayed breaking through.
Yet in a span of one year, rising from rank 31 to rank 40, a span of nine ranks, was simply unimaginable for an ordinary Soul Master.
Although this was inseparable from the massive resources provided by the Genius Class, Tang Wulin's own effort and talent could not be ignored either.
Perhaps after acquiring his fourth soul ring, Tang Wulin's soul power would usher in another explosive surge... After all, the Life Force provided by those spiritual items was truly abundant.
However, the things he had done over this past year were not limited to just cultivating soul power.
The breakthrough of the Golden Dragon King Seals caused his Bloodline Power to surge drastically, and along with it, his forging level rose in tandem. The current him was already a Level Six Blacksmith.
A Level Six Blacksmith could be considered top-tier across the entire continent, and even among top forces like the Pagoda and Shrek Academy, they were extremely scarce talents.
In addition to this, he had also seized spare moments to practice the Body Secret Art of the Body Sect.
The Body Secret Art had now been cultivated to the third stage, and his body's strength and resilience had both been vastly enhanced. Coupled with the blessing of the Golden Dragon King Bloodline, his current physical fitness already far surpassed Soul Masters of the same rank.
Tang Wulin stretched his muscles and bones, feeling the abundant power within his body, and suddenly felt as though something was still missing.
He seemed to sense something, and stretched out a hand in a summoning gesture.
A streak of golden light condensed in his hand, and a long spear materialized out of thin air. The spear was entirely golden, its shaft flowing with delicate dragon patterns, and the tip emitted a chilling cold gleam, radiating an ancient and majestic aura.
The Golden Dragon Spear.
The moment Tang Wulin grasped the spear hilt, a feeling of bloodline connection welled up in his heart. He could feel that this spear seemed to be a part of his body, producing a strong resonance with the Golden Dragon King Bloodline inside him.
So you were here, the reward for unlocking the sixth seal... Tang Wulin's mouth curled slightly, a flash of excitement in his eyes.
He had always felt that his offensive methods were somewhat single-minded. Although his strength was great, his speed was fast, and he had powerful skills like Teleportation and Eight-Stage Throw, he lacked a handy weapon. Now that he had the Golden Dragon Spear, his combat power could rise by at least another notch.
Tang Wulin brandished the Golden Dragon Spear a few times, felt the feedback of power coming from the shaft, and nodded in satisfaction. He put away the Golden Dragon Spear, glanced at the time, and found that it was almost time for class.
Oh no, I'm going to be late.
He hurriedly cleaned up the spiritual item residue in the secret chamber, changed into a clean set of clothes, and hurried toward the classroom.
Inside the classroom, the others had already arrived.
A year had passed, and everyone had grown quite a bit. Soul Masters' growth and development speeds were naturally faster than ordinary people's, and coupled with sufficient nutrition and bitter cultivation over this past year, everyone had grown taller, and their temperaments had also become much more steady.
The moment Tang Wulin pushed open the door and walked into the classroom, several gazes cast over simultaneously.
"Class monitor!"
"Boss!"
"Brother!"
Everyone greeted him warmly. After a year of getting along, everyone had completely recognized Tang Wulin's strength. Whether it was cultivation talent, combat ability, or how he conducted himself in the world, he won everyone's heartfelt admiration. This call of "class monitor" sounded much more sincere than it did a year ago.
Tang Wulin smiled and nodded, walking over to his seat to sit down.
Gu Yue and Na'er sat on his left and right respectively. Through a year of polishing, although the two of them would still bicker occasionally, they were no longer at each other's throats like they were in the beginning.
Wu Changkong stood on the podium, looking at the six people below, a trace of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. In a year, the growth speed of these children far exceeded his expectations.
"A year has passed," Wu Changkong slowly began. "The initial training goals can be considered successfully completed. Now, I will announce your current soul power ranks."
He picked up the record book and read out, "Tang Wulin, rank forty."
A low gasp rang out in the classroom. Rank forty-when he first arrived a year ago, he was rank thirty-one, improving by nine ranks in a single year. This speed was simply terrifying.
"Gu Yue, rank thirty-eight."
Gu Yue still wore a calm expression, as if this achievement was a matter of course.
"Na'er, rank thirty-eight."
Na'er smiled and glanced at Tang Wulin, as if saying, Aren't I amazing.
"Yuanen Yehui, rank thirty-five."
Yuanen Yehui maintained a poker face, but the slightly curved corners of her mouth still betrayed her satisfaction. In a year, rising from rank twenty-seven to rank thirty-five, an eight-rank span, was enough to leave anyone outside dumbfounded.
"Ye Xinglan, rank thirty-two."
Ye Xinglan clenched her fist. Although her rank was at the bottom of the class, she had improved by nine ranks in a year, a speed she was already very satisfied with.
"Xu Lizhi, rank thirty-one."
Xu Lizhi gave a chuckle, scratching his head somewhat sheepishly. He was originally the one with the lowest soul power in the class, and having improved by ten ranks in a year, although he was still at the bottom, at least he hadn't fallen too far behind.
Mainly because his soul power foundation was low, allowing his early progress to be a bit faster.
Wu Changkong closed the record book and swept his gaze over everyone. "All of you are above rank thirty. The oldest is no more than ten years old, and the youngest is barely eight and a half. Do you know what this means?"
The classroom fell silent for an instant.
Wu Changkong slowly said, "This means that every single one of you is the youngest rank 30 Soul Elder in the entire history of the Douluo Continent. Even looking across ten thousand years of history, you cannot find a second class like this."
Before you continue