Light Dragon's Defeat

"Then don't blame me for showing no mercy!"

Light Dragon roared, and two Soul Rings suddenly rose beneath his feet—one white, one yellow. Their dazzling light instantly illuminated the dim mouth of the alley. His aura surged, and his already burly body swelled even larger. A thick layer of iron-gray scales emerged across his skin, and even his eyes turned an icy silver.

"Second Soul Skill, Ironclad Dragon Body!"

This was the true strength of a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster. Waves of Soul Power swept toward them like a rising tide, carrying a crushing pressure.

"Watch out! He has two rings!" Gu Yue's expression changed. Her long black hair stirred without a breeze, and a trace of gravity flashed through her rare violet eyes. Her hands swiftly formed seals. "Wind-Fire Vortex!"

Violent wind and fire elements gathered before her, forming a spiraling current that tried to block Light Dragon's charge. Xie Xie reacted just as quickly. His footwork shifted, and he became a blur as he circled toward Light Dragon's rear flank, his Light Dragon Dagger flashing coldly as it stabbed at his waist.

"Just what I wanted!"

Light Dragon neither dodged nor retreated. He crashed straight through Gu Yue's Wind-Fire Vortex. Wind blades powerful enough to slice through rock struck him, leaving only a few faint white marks.

"His defense is that strong!" Gu Yue cried, her violet pupils contracting slightly.

"Is that all the strength you've got?"

Xie Xie seized the opportunity and accelerated in an instant, driving his Light Dragon Dagger hard into Light Dragon's ribs.

Clang!

A sharp ring sounded. Xie Xie felt the web of his hand go numb—the dagger could not penetrate even a fraction of an inch! Light Dragon's skin was as hard as an iron plate.

"Is that all the strength you've got?" Light Dragon sneered and swung his elbow back, smashing it heavily into Xie Xie's shoulder.

"Urgh—" Xie Xie spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward like a kite with its string cut, slamming into the wall.

"Xie Xie!" Tang Wulin's eyes widened in fury. Blue Silver Grass shot from his hands, turning into countless vines that wound toward Light Dragon's legs. "Entanglement!"

Yet Light Dragon merely gave himself a slight shake, and the tough Blue Silver Grass snapped apart, inch by inch.

"Wulin, your Blue Silver Grass doesn't work on him!" Gu Yue shouted anxiously, sweeping her hands again as she tried to gather a stronger elemental attack.

"Stop wasting your strength!" Light Dragon charged forward with long, powerful strides, each step making the ground tremble slightly. "Since you love sticking your noses into other people's business so much, you can all go to your deaths together!"

His fists shone with an earthy yellow light, empowered by his first Soul Skill, and hurtled toward Tang Wulin with the force of a crushing weight.

Although Tang Wulin was already a three-ring Soul Elder, as noted, most of his Soul Skills focused on support and control. He lacked a means of dealing direct damage. Faced with this heavy, powerful blow, he could not take it head-on and could only roll clumsily out of the way.

Boom!

The blow smashed a shallow crater into the ground.

Meanwhile, although Gu Yue's control over the elements was remarkable, she still had only one ring, and her reserves of Soul Power were nowhere near Light Dragon's. After several intense elemental bombardments, her face had grown pale, and her black hair clung messily to her cheeks.

"Damn it, I'm using too much Soul Power..." Gu Yue gritted her teeth, a trace of frustration flashing through her violet eyes. As she watched Light Dragon close in step by step, helplessness welled up inside her.

In the blink of an eye, all three had been driven into a corner. Xie Xie clutched his chest, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. He struggled to stand but could not summon the strength. Tang Wulin stood protectively in front of the other two, the Blue Silver Grass constantly changing shape in his hands yet seeming utterly powerless. Gu Yue leaned against the wall, gasping for breath, and even her proud violet eyes now held a trace of despair.

Light Dragon looked down at the three of them, his eyes full of contempt. "These are the so-called geniuses? In front of me, you're nothing but three slightly stronger ants."

He slowly raised his fist, Soul Power surging over it as he aimed at Tang Wulin's face.

"In your next life, remember to mind your own business!"

His fist whistled through the air. If this blow landed, Tang Wulin would be gravely injured, if not killed.

"Wulin!" Xie Xie shouted in despair.

At that critical instant, a crimson streak suddenly shot in from the mouth of the alley, carrying a scorching heat that could burn everything to ashes, and slammed into Light Dragon's fist!

"Aaargh—!"

A piercing scream instantly rang through the night sky.

The instant the crimson light touched Light Dragon's fist, it seemed to ignite some dormant fuse. It abruptly exploded, becoming a skyful of golden-red radiance.

"Aaargh—!"

Light Dragon let out a bloodcurdling scream. The sudden, tremendous force sent him flying backward, and he slammed into a wall several meters away. The iron-gray scales he had been so proud of were now covered in cracks, and blood ran down his cheeks.

Dead silence fell over the scene.

Everyone's eyes widened in terror, their gazes fixed on the slender figure standing in their midst.

Tang Wulin slowly straightened, but his condition was utterly different from before. His once-ordinary right hand had completely transformed into a dazzling golden dragon claw! Every scale on that claw was clearly visible, shimmering with an ancient, sacred metallic luster. Its five talons were incomparably sharp, as though they could tear through space itself.

A terrifying, suffocating pressure spread from him. It was the majesty of a sovereign rising from the deepest reaches of his bloodline—domineering, wild, and carrying a hint of destruction.

"Wh... what is that?" Xie Xie clutched his chest, staring at Tang Wulin's right hand in stunned disbelief. That power made even his soul tremble.

Gu Yue also pushed herself upright with her hands on her knees. Her black hair hung loose and disheveled, and golden light reflected in her violet eyes. She stared intently at Tang Wulin, disbelief filling her gaze. "What terrifying Bloodline Power... Wulin, you..."

Tang Wulin said nothing. A faint golden sheen had covered his eyes as well. His normally gentle gaze had turned cold and haughty, as though he had become someone else entirely.

He slowly raised the golden dragon claw, curling its five fingers slightly as he felt the seemingly endless power coursing through his body. It gave him the illusion that he held life and death in his hands.

Across from him, Light Dragon struggled out of the rubble, his face filled with terror and fury. "Bastard... what did you do?! I'll kill you!"

Roaring, he gathered all his Soul Power once more. His fists blazed with earthy yellow light as he charged at Tang Wulin again with desperate resolve.

"Die!"

Yet to Tang Wulin now, his movements were as slow as a snail's.

"Rrrr—"

A deep dragon's rumble escaped Tang Wulin's throat. Without moving his body, he casually raised his right hand, and the golden dragon claw swept through the air in a blur.

"So fast!"

No one saw how he struck.

There was only a muffled thud as the golden dragon claw slammed straight into the chest Light Dragon had been so proud of.

There was no earth-shaking explosion, only the teeth-grating sound of shattering bones.

Crack—

Light Dragon's attack collapsed in an instant. Like a rag doll struck by a massive hammer, his chest caved in, and blood sprayed wildly from his mouth. His body flew in an arc for more than ten meters before crashing heavily to the ground. He twitched a few times, then lay motionless.

Not a sound could be heard.

Everyone was frightened out of their wits by the sight. With just one claw strike, that arrogant Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster—that Light Dragon whom even Gu Yue and Xie Xie together could do nothing against—had been crippled as easily as swatting a fly?

Tang Wulin slowly withdrew his dragon claw. The golden light gradually faded from his eyes, restoring their clarity. He looked at his right hand, which had returned to normal, then at Light Dragon lying in the distance, his fate unknown. Confusion and lingering fear flashed through his eyes.

"I... just now, I..." he murmured, feeling his right arm ache and tingle. The Soul Power inside him seemed to have been drained dry.

"Wulin!" Xie Xie and Gu Yue rushed over at the same time, supporting him on either side as he swayed on his feet.

"You were so cool just now!" Though Xie Xie was covered in injuries, his eyes shone with startling brightness. "Was that a dragon claw? Was that your Martial Soul Avatar? No, a Martial Soul Avatar isn't that strong!"

Gu Yue said nothing. Her gaze remained on Tang Wulin's right hand, a complicated light flickering in her violet eyes, as though she were pondering some astonishing secret.

"Let's... let's leave first," Tang Wulin said weakly, his face as pale as paper.

The night was black as ink. Along the tree-lined path leading to Eastsea Academy, only the footsteps of the three of them echoed through the silence.

"Wulin, how are you feeling? Can you hold on?" Xie Xie supported Tang Wulin's arm with one hand, feeling that his body was as heavy as a stone. His own injured shoulder still throbbed, but he could not spare it much attention now.

Tang Wulin shook his head. His voice was weak, carrying a barely perceptible tremor. "I'm fine... just a little tired."

He forced himself to keep walking. The aching numbness in his right arm had yet to fade, but now a strange tingling came from his left arm, as though something were stirring beneath his skin. After that domineering golden power had receded, an entirely different sensation seemed to rise from deep within his body—light, nimble, and carrying an indescribable suppleness.

Gu Yue walked on his other side, silent all the while. Her violet eyes looked especially deep in the darkness. Her gaze swept over Tang Wulin's left arm from time to time, her brows drawing together slightly.

"Wulin." Gu Yue suddenly spoke, her voice cool and clear. "Your left arm... what's wrong with it?"

Tang Wulin started and instinctively tried to pull his hand back, only to set off pain throughout his body. He gave a wry smile and stopped trying to hide it. "I... I don't know either," he said quietly. "After that power disappeared, my left arm started feeling strange."

"Strange?" Xie Xie noticed it too and said in surprise, "Wulin, your left arm... looks like it's glowing!"

Tang Wulin's heart tightened. Looking down in the moonlight, he did indeed find a faint pink glow in his left palm. That glow was gentle and mysterious, completely unlike the domineering gold of his right arm earlier.

"Could it be..." Shock flashed through Gu Yue's eyes, and her violet pupils contracted slightly. "Could you be..."

She did not finish, but the astonishment in her voice was unmistakable.

The three remained silent for the rest of the walk, the atmosphere even heavier than on their way out. Before long, they arrived downstairs at the boys' Dormitory.

"We're here." Xie Xie breathed a sigh of relief and helped Tang Wulin upstairs. "Let's get you back so you can rest."

Tang Wulin nodded. In the faint moonlight, he saw Gu Yue standing below, looking up at him. Her gaze passed over Xie Xie and settled directly on his left hand, which shone with a pink glow. A complicated light flickered in her violet eyes.

"Good night, Wulin," Gu Yue said softly, her tone carrying a solemnity he had never heard before.

"Good night," Tang Wulin replied, an inexplicable sense of unease stirring within him.

Back in the Dormitory, Tang Wulin lay on his bed but could not fall asleep. The soreness in his right arm gradually faded, while the pink glow in his left arm grew increasingly distinct. He raised his left hand and stared at the strange light in his palm, his mind in turmoil.

Blue Silver Grass, Golden Dragon Claw, and now this pink light...

Who exactly am I? How many secrets are still hidden inside my body?

Outside the window, moonlight flowed like water, quietly spilling over the head of the boy's bed. Far away in the night sky, a shooting star streaked past and vanished in an instant, as though heralding that an even grander, more tempestuous journey had only just begun.