Wu Changkong Came from Shrek

The instant the medicinal liquid entered his stomach, Tang Wulin felt as though he had swallowed an active volcano while plunging into the Ten-Thousand-Year Mystic Ice Cavern.

"Urgh—!"

An agonizingly stifled groan squeezed out from deep in his throat. Tang Wulin's knees buckled, and he fell heavily to the floor, his entire body shaking violently. The ten drops of dragon Soul Beast blood essence turned into a raging torrent inside him, battering his internal organs, while the medicinal power of the ice crystal fruit and crimson flame fruit tore through his meridians like two opposing tides.

"Hold on!" Yun Ming stepped forward, his vast spiritual power acting like an invisible hand to support Tang Wulin's faltering body.

Tang Wutong and Jiang Nannan clenched their fists nervously, their nails nearly digging into their palms. They could clearly see veins bulging across Tang Wulin's exposed skin, writhing beneath it like little twisted snakes. His face swung wildly between deathly pale and crimson. Sweat poured off him like a waterfall, instantly soaking his clothes before the scorching heat turned it into billowing white vapor.

"Aah—!"

At last, the pain surpassed his limits, and Tang Wulin threw his head back with a piercing howl. His body abruptly arched as though an invisible hand had seized his spine from within and squeezed it viciously.

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

A dark golden radiance erupted from his body. An ancient, domineering, desolate aura filled that light and instantly flooded the entire Quiet Room. Everyone's heart tightened. It felt as though they were no longer facing a boy, but a mighty dragon from the primordial wilderness!

"The seal... it's about to break!" Long Yeyue rose excitedly, a brilliant gleam bursting from her clouded eyes.

Crack—

A faint yet distinct sound of shattering seemed to come from the depths of his soul.

Tang Wulin felt a crack finally appear in the heavy shackles that had bound him within his mind for years. As it spread, a terrifying power unlike anything he had ever experienced erupted from his dantian, surging wildly through every limb and bone.

"It hurts! It hurts so much!"

It felt as though someone were scorching his marrow with a red-hot branding iron, then slicing his flesh apart piece by piece with a dull blade. His bones groaned beneath the unbearable strain, as if they might shatter at any moment.

Yet the most violent transformation occurred in his right arm.

As the Golden Dragon King's blood energy erupted, the skin on Tang Wulin's right arm split open, slick with blood. But the blood never dripped down; the dark golden current instantly evaporated it. Then countless fine, diamond-shaped golden scales burst from beneath his torn skin like bamboo shoots after spring rain!

Sssrrip—

The sound of the scales growing made everyone's skin crawl. Each scale bore fierce, sharp edges and gleamed with a cold, metallic luster. The muscles in Tang Wulin's right arm swelled wildly, his bones issuing a rapid series of explosive cracks. His entire arm instantly grew thicker, brimming with explosive strength.

"Roar—!"

A deep dragon's cry reverberated from Tang Wulin's chest. His eyes snapped open, golden light blazing from his pupils!

"It worked!"

With one final, barely audible sound of a seal breaking, the dark golden light surrounding Tang Wulin abruptly withdrew, sinking entirely into his body. He gasped for breath, drenched in sweat, looking as though he had just been hauled out of the water.

Trembling, he raised his right hand.

It was no longer a human hand. Dark golden scales covered his entire arm, extending to his fingertips. His five fingers had become long and sharp, their ink-black nails flashing with a chilling gleam. A slight movement carved five faint currents through the air.

Golden Dragon Claw!

This was the power bestowed upon him after the Golden Dragon King's first seal was broken!

With a thought from Tang Wulin, the fearsome dragon claw instantly receded. The scales sank beneath his skin, and his nails returned to normal. But the terrifying strength lurking constantly in his right arm told him that he was no longer who he had been before.

"Wulin, how do you feel?" Tang Wutong hurried forward to support his swaying body, her eyes filled with concern and aching tenderness.

Tang Wulin smiled weakly and raised his right hand. Looking at the palm that had returned to normal yet still brimmed with strength, he spoke in a hoarse but resolute voice:

"Sis, I feel... like I could tear anything apart."

Only when she saw that Tang Wulin's breathing had steadied and the savage golden dragon aura had drawn inward did Tang Wutong's taut nerves finally relax. She gently patted her chest and let out a long breath. "Thank goodness you're all right. You scared me to death."

Before she had finished exhaling, however, an ancient, boundless pressure spread silently through the room.

Leaning on her dragon-headed cane, Long Yeyue tottered forward, but her clouded old eyes shone frighteningly bright as she stared at Tang Wulin, as though studying a peerless piece of uncut jade. She circled halfway around him, her nostrils twitching as if she were sniffing some rare fragrance, and clicked her tongue in wonder. "A dragon bloodline... it really is a pure dragon bloodline! Though it differs from this old woman's Martial Soul, and the power it commands is different too, that nobility rooted in the very level of his life cannot be faked."

She stopped suddenly and turned her burning gaze toward Yun Ming and Tang Wutong, her tone carrying an unquestionable authority. "This child must learn from me! I'll teach him how to cultivate his dragon bloodline. Think about it. Experts may gather here like clouds, but who understands dragon Martial Souls and bloodlines better than I, the Light-Dark Douluo? My mastery of the light-dark twin dragons alone could spare him a hundred years of wrong turns! Having him follow anyone else would be a criminal waste of heaven's gifts!"

"Hey! You old woman, that's a little unreasonable!"

Before her words had faded, Zhuo Shi protested from the side. He rolled up his sleeves, and his red-flame twin dragon Martial Soul instantly possessed him. Two fire dragons coiled around his body as he glared fiercely at Long Yeyue. "I may call you my senior, but that doesn't mean you can push me around like this! My Martial Soul is a dragon too, after all! Fire dragons, at that! Fierce and domineering—the perfect fit for this boy's current path! How can I let you snatch him away? I should be the one teaching this disciple!"

Long Yeyue glanced at him as though looking at an ignorant junior. Slowly, she stroked a beard that did not exist, an inscrutable smile curling her lips. "If you call me your senior, you ought to know to respect the old and cherish the young. Besides, your shallow knowledge of the Dragon Clan amounts to little more than showing off. Can you compare with me in depth of knowledge or in uncovering a bloodline's origins? My power of light and darkness is best suited to guiding that violent force within him. Step aside. Don't lead a student astray."

Zhuo Shi's face and neck flushed with anger. The two fire dragons roared above his head, and he looked ready to launch into an argument with Long Yeyue.

Just then, Holy Spirit Douluo Ya Li, who had been watching Tang Wulin tenderly all this time, chuckled and stepped forward. Soft, seven-colored light radiated from her, instantly suppressing Zhuo Shi's fiery temper.

"You are both mighty experts of the Dragon Clan. Aren't you becoming a little too fixated on this dispute?" Ya Li smiled at Tang Wulin, her eyes full of affection. "I carefully observed this child's Soul Power circulation just now. Though he possesses a dragon bloodline, the Martial Soul he awakened is Blue Silver Grass."

She paused, her tone turning gentle yet firm. "Since it's Blue Silver Grass, it belongs to the plant category, the Healing System, and the life category. As for teaching him to command the power of life and draw out Blue Silver Grass's greatest might..." She looked around and smiled confidently. "I believe none of you here could be better suited than I, the Holy Spirit Douluo, could you? Leave this child's instruction to me."

Watching these great figures, whose mere stamp of a foot could make the Douluo Continent tremble three times, argue red-faced over teaching him, Tang Wulin could not help feeling dazed. He tilted his head and looked at Tang Wutong with an innocent, slightly dopey expression, resembling a bewildered little kitten so adorable that anyone would want to give him a pinch.

Seeing her little brother like this, Tang Wutong burst into a giggle and thought, Now this should be a good show.

Tang Wulin rubbed his right arm, which still ached and felt swollen. Although the Golden Dragon Claw's form had vanished, the strength surging through his bloodline filled him with both wonder and unease. He raised his head, looking past the others toward Cai Yue'er, whose bearing was graceful but whose gaze held a trace of complexity.

"Grandma Cai," Tang Wulin said, his voice carrying the clear brightness unique to a young boy as it broke the silence in the Quiet Room, "I remember seeing someone in a very cold place when I was little. From behind, he looked a lot like one of my teachers now."

At his words, Cai Yue'er's hand paused slightly around her teacup, and a barely perceptible ripple passed through her eyes. She set the cup down, leaned forward a little, and asked gently, "Oh? Really? Then does Little Wulin remember his current teacher's name?"

Tang Wulin nodded emphatically and enunciated every word. "I do! His name is Wu Changkong!"

The moment the name "Wu Changkong" left his lips, the atmosphere in the Quiet Room grew subtly charged.

Bei Bei and Tang Ya exchanged astonished glances. Xu Sanshi's mouth fell open, as though he wanted to say something but swallowed it back. Even the ever-composed Yun Ming raised his brows slightly.

But the greatest reaction came from Zhuo Shi.

The Titled Douluo, who had just been arguing red-faced with Long Yeyue over taking a disciple, froze where he stood as though struck by a paralysis spell. Then a radiant smile blossomed across his aged face. His earlier frustration and resentment vanished without a trace, replaced by indescribable delight and pride.

"Well, well! So this child was taught by Wu Changkong!" Zhuo Shi grinned so broadly that his eyes nearly disappeared. Stroking his beard, he surveyed the room smugly. "I was wondering why this boy was so talented. It turns out he's my granddisciple!"

He strode over to Tang Wulin. The two red-flame dragons that had been circling and roaring furiously now wound around him as meekly as little snakes. Zhuo Shi extended his large hand and gently patted Tang Wulin's shoulder, his voice filled with an elder's affection and barely concealed pride. "Good lad! To think you're Wu Changkong's disciple! That makes us family! That boy Wu Changkong was my most prized disciple back then! Since he's your teacher, I'm your Grandmaster Ancestor! Heh, there's no arguing with that seniority!"

With this connection established, Zhuo Shi naturally no longer needed to compete with Long Yeyue and Ya Li over teaching Tang Wulin. As his Grandmaster Ancestor, he only needed to watch from the sidelines and offer a few pointers now and then.

Seeing this, Long Yeyue paid Zhuo Shi no further attention. She turned toward Ya Li, and the two exchanged a knowing glance.

"Since this child already has a teaching lineage, there are certain things we needn't worry about." Long Yeyue dropped her competitive stance and recovered an elder's dignity, though her gaze remained gentle as she looked at Tang Wulin. "However, that boy Wu Changkong teaches swordsmanship and the power of ice. When it comes to using the Golden Dragon King bloodline, I'm afraid he won't be much help. Wulin, your big sister Long will teach you that part."

Tang Wulin looked at the noble, silver-haired elder before him. Though she was very old, her eyes were as clear as a young girl's. He nodded obediently and said sweetly, "Thank you, Big Sister Long!"

Ya Li also stepped forward with a smile. A soft, seven-colored glow radiated from her, carrying a pure aura of life that felt wonderfully soothing. She gently took Tang Wulin's other hand and said softly, "Since your Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass, your big sister Ya Li will teach you how to cultivate vitality and keep your life force burning undiminished in battle."

Tang Wulin felt that Ya Li's palm was as warm as spring, and even his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul seemed to leap with joy inside him. He looked up at the beautiful silver-haired woman and answered just as obediently, "Thank you, Big Sister Ya Li!"

Hearing Tang Wulin call them "big sister" so naturally, Tang Wutong and Jiang Nannan could not help covering their mouths and chuckling. After all, Tang Wulin was probably the only person on the Douluo Continent whom Super Douluos of Long Yeyue and Ya Li's seniority allowed to address them that way.

"Good boy." Ya Li fondly stroked Tang Wulin's head. "Starting today, you'll cultivate your bloodline power with your big sister Long every morning, then come to me in the afternoon to understand the rhythms of life. How does that sound?"

"Yes!" Tang Wulin nodded vigorously, his eyes shining with anticipation for the future.