Leng Yaozhu's lavish generosity, the first seal broken ahead of time

Deep within the Sea of Consciousness, Old Tang's figure wavered slightly, and a trace of confusion appeared on his illusory face.

He carefully studied the child before him, his gaze piercing through his soul to reach his martial soul origin. The Soft-Boned Enchanting Rabbit... it was indeed the Soft-Boned Enchanting Rabbit.

He knew this martial soul all too well. It was his wife's martial soul, which had accompanied him through countless battles of life and death. Yet he distinctly remembered that the Golden Dragon King bloodline flowed within this child. By all rights, he should have awakened Blue Silver Grass. How had it become the Soft-Boned Enchanting Rabbit?

"You didn't awaken Blue Silver Grass?" Old Tang's voice carried a hint of disbelief.

Tang Wulin scratched his head. "No. I awakened the Soft-Boned Enchanting Rabbit."

Old Tang fell silent for a moment. His illusory figure rippled slightly, as though he were digesting this information. Only after a long while did he slowly speak.

"Interesting... fate truly isn't set in stone. Since you've taken a different path, keep following it."

His tone shifted, turning solemn. "But there is something you must know. The Golden Dragon King bloodline within you is suppressed by eighteen seals. These seals are both protection and shackles. You must break them one by one within the allotted time and absorb the power within them. Otherwise, the day the seals collapse completely will be the day you die."

Tang Wulin nodded. Of course he knew this. In the original story, Tang Wulin had increased his strength by gradually breaking the seals.

But before he could think it through, Old Tang's voice abruptly stopped.

"Wait..."

Old Tang's gaze fell on the first seal, and a strange expression appeared on his illusory face.

The seal was trembling slightly, the patterns on its surface flickering with a faint glow, as though it might shatter at any moment.

"Did you just... eat a Century-Old Ice Crystal Fruit, a Century-Old Blazing Flame Fruit, and ten drops of century-old dragon-type soul beast blood?"

Tang Wulin paused, recalling the meal he had just eaten. As the deputy master of the Spirit Pagoda, Leng Yaozhu would naturally spare no expense on her first meal with her personal disciple.

Aside from a few ordinary side dishes, the main fare consisted entirely of rare spiritual ingredients. The Ice Crystal Fruit was cool on his tongue, while the Blazing Flame Fruit burned like fire. There had also been a small dish of fresh blood with a strong, draconic tang, supposedly from a century-old dragon-type soul beast and said to be highly nourishing.

He had been so hungry that his stomach felt plastered against his spine. Without giving it much thought, he had swept everything away like a gale scattering clouds.

"I think... that does sound right."

Old Tang's expression grew complicated. He watched Tang Wulin in silence for quite a while before speaking with a quiet sigh. "You certainly saved yourself some trouble."

He had originally expected to spend considerable effort helping Tang Wulin break the first seal. Instead, the child had fulfilled all the requirements in the time it took to eat a meal.

Breaking the Golden Dragon King's seals required stimulation from specific energies, and the Ice Crystal Fruit, Blazing Flame Fruit, and dragon-type soul beast blood happened to be exactly what was needed to loosen the first seal.

Other people racked their brains collecting spiritual ingredients. He had settled everything over a single meal.

"Since the conditions have been met, let's break the seal now." Old Tang raised his hand, his illusory figure beginning to gather power. "Relax your mind. Don't resist."

Tang Wulin nodded, closed his eyes, and opened his consciousness completely.

Outside, in the dining room.

Leng Yaozhu was sitting on the sofa, regulating her breathing, when she suddenly sensed an immense surge of energy spilling out of Tang Wulin's body.

Her eyes snapped open. A dazzling layer of golden light shone all over Tang Wulin, and fine patterns emerged on his skin like dragon scales. An ancient, majestic aura spread from within him.

Leng Yaozhu's pupils abruptly contracted. She instinctively rose to her feet, circulating her soul power and preparing to intervene at any moment.

But she soon discovered that, immense as this energy was, it was not violent. Instead, it carried a gentle, guiding quality, as though helping Tang Wulin undergo some kind of transformation.

She hesitated, then ultimately chose not to interrupt. Instead, she quietly stood guard beside him, keeping a vigilant watch on their surroundings.

Although she did not know what secrets this unexpectedly acquired disciple harbored, he had chosen to trust her, and she would not betray that trust.

The golden light lasted roughly as long as an incense stick took to burn before finally receding. Tang Wulin opened his eyes, and a golden gleam flashed deep within them, vanishing in an instant.

He checked the fluctuations of soul power within him and discovered, to his delighted surprise, that his soul power level had broken straight through to sixteen!

From level eleven to level sixteen—he had gained five levels in the time it took to eat a single meal!

The Ice Crystal Fruit, Blazing Flame Fruit, Red Jade Shrimp, and the power released when the Golden Dragon King's seal broke had combined, pushing him straight onto a new rung.

Tang Wulin raised his right hand. With a thought, densely packed golden scales covered the back of it, gleaming with a metallic luster.

His fingertips curved slightly into sharp claws, as though they could tear through anything.

Golden Dragon Claw.

This was the reward for breaking the first seal, the first ability granted to him by the Golden Dragon King bloodline.

Tang Wulin clenched his fist, feeling the power welling up from deep within his marrow. A smile unconsciously lifted the corners of his mouth.

Seated across from him, Gu Yue watched Tang Wulin's transformation, a peculiar glint flashing in her eyes. As an avatar of the Silver Dragon King, she was exceptionally sensitive to dragon bloodlines.

The Golden Dragon King aura emanating from Tang Wulin was several times stronger than before, and it was still rising. This human's rate of growth far exceeded her expectations.

Leng Yaozhu also recovered her composure and strode over to Tang Wulin, examining him from head to toe.

Her gaze settled on his right hand, covered in golden scales, and her pupils contracted slightly. That aura... it was a dragon bloodline, and one of an exceptionally high rank. Even her heavenly phoenix bloodline felt faintly suppressed.

"You..." Leng Yaozhu opened her mouth, wanting to say something, only to realize she did not know where to begin. This disciple of hers seemed to harbor far too many secrets.

Tang Wulin grinned. "Master, I think I've gotten a lot stronger."

Leng Yaozhu took a deep breath, suppressing her shock, and gave him a meaningful smile. "Come. Let's test you and see just how strong you are now."

In the testing hall of the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters, Tang Wulin stood before an enormous strength-testing machine.

The machine was made entirely of soul-conducting alloy, its surface covered in intricate soul-conducting patterns. It was said to withstand impacts exceeding a hundred thousand jin.

"First, try your strength in your normal state." Standing to one side, Leng Yaozhu gestured for him to strike.

Tang Wulin nodded, drew a deep breath, and drove his right fist forward. It slammed into the machine's target with a deep, thunderous bang. The numbers on the display jumped wildly before finally settling on "1,580 jin."

Leng Yaozhu's brows rose slightly. A six-year-old child with fifteen hundred jin of strength in his normal state? Even an ordinary adult soul master had only that much. This disciple of hers was extraordinary indeed.

"Now try the Golden Dragon Claw," Leng Yaozhu said.

Tang Wulin flexed his wrist. Golden scales once again covered his right hand, and sharp claw-shaped light gathered at his fingertips.

With a low shout, he lashed out. The golden image of a claw swept through the air in a fierce arc and slammed heavily into the target.

Boom!

The testing machine shook violently. Its numbers soared wildly before finally stopping at "5,000 jin."

Leng Yaozhu drew in a sharp breath. Five thousand jin! A six-year-old child had delivered five thousand jin of force with a single claw strike! That was already comparable to the strength of an ordinary three-ring Soul Elder!

And this was only the reward from the first seal. Seventeen more seals remained to be broken. How strong would he become by then?

Gu Yue stood to one side, her gaze flickering as she watched Tang Wulin's golden-scaled right hand. The potential of the Golden Dragon King bloodline was even more terrifying than she had imagined. This human... was worth continuing to "raise."

"Let's test your spiritual power too." Suppressing her shock, Leng Yaozhu pointed to the spiritual-power testing machine beside them.

Tang Wulin walked over and placed his hand on the machine. The numbers on its display began to change, climbing from an initial "101" all the way to "155," where they finally stopped.

Leng Yaozhu fell silent.

A spiritual power of 155, born in the spirit connection realm, and only one step away from the next realm. Add that terrifying strength and the Golden Dragon Claw... this disciple of hers was simply a monster.