Wang Dong lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
He simply sat up and lowered his head to look at his hands. Moonlight spilled through the window onto his palms, revealing a faint layer of golden light flowing beneath his skin.
He closed his eyes and felt the surging power within him: the weight of the Clear Sky Hammer, the agility of the Soft Bone Rabbit, and the savage power of the golden dragon king bloodline that seemed ready to erupt at any moment. The three intertwined like three great rivers roaring through his body.
He opened his eyes, a gleam of gold flashing through his pupils. His once azure eyes turned into brilliant golden eyes, carrying a pressure that made hearts tremble.
Although it lasted only an instant, that aura alone was enough to make any Soul Beast shudder.
Was this the power of the golden dragon king bloodline?
Wang Dong clenched his fists, feeling the strength in his palms that seemed capable of crushing anything.
He did not know exactly how strong he was now, but he could feel that this was definitely not strength an ordinary Soul Master should possess.
In the original story, Tang Wulin's golden dragon king bloodline required him to consume vast amounts of life energy to break its seals and unlock its power step by step.
But his version seemed different. The golden dragon king bloodline within him seemed to have been activated outright, without any seals restricting it. He could use its power freely, and it even seemed capable of growing. Perhaps when he later broke through to three or four rings, it would undergo further changes.
Wang Dong pondered for a while, his gaze drifting involuntarily toward the figure curled up on the opposite bed.
Dai Huabin had his back to him, his entire body tucked beneath the covers. He appeared to be asleep, but Wang Dong could sense that the fluctuations of Soul Power around him were unsteady. Clearly, he was still awake too.
Suddenly intrigued, Wang Dong climbed out of bed, walked over to Dai Huabin's bedside, and kicked the bed frame. "Hey, stop pretending. I know you're awake."
Dai Huabin's body stiffened. After a long pause, he gave a muffled reply. "...What?"
"You said earlier that you hadn't used your full strength?" Wang Dong folded his arms and looked down at him.
"Now I'm giving you a chance. Use your Soul Skills and attack me with everything you've got. Let's compare our strength."
Dai Huabin threw off his covers and sat bolt upright, his mismatched eyes wide, his face full of humiliated fury. "What did you say? You want me to attack you with all my strength? You're looking down on me!"
"That's right. I am looking down on you." Wang Dong nodded frankly. "So I'm giving you a chance to prove yourself. Are you in or not?"
Dai Huabin trembled with rage. In all his life, no one had ever humiliated him like this.
He leaped out of bed, his Soul Power erupting. His Evil-Eyed White Tiger martial soul instantly possessed him, and three Soul Rings-two yellow and one purple-spun wildly beneath his feet.
"Fine! Since you're asking to die, I'll grant your wish!" Dai Huabin roared. His third Soul Ring suddenly lit up. "Third Soul Skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
His body abruptly swelled, his muscles knotted, and a metallic sheen spread over his skin. A white tiger phantom roared behind him, its presence imposing.
This move directly increased his strength and defense, bringing his offensive power on par with the peak of the three-ring level!
"Die!" Dai Huabin roared, lunging savagely at Wang Dong with both claws, fierce winds tearing through the air around them.
He poured all his Soul Power into this strike, determined to knock Wang Dong flat in one blow and wash away his earlier humiliation!
Wang Dong stood where he was, neither dodging nor retreating. He had not even released his martial soul. Watching Dai Huabin charge toward him with ferocious momentum, he merely raised one hand casually and punched.
Thud!
With a dull impact, Dai Huabin seemed to slam into an invisible wall. He flew backward faster than he had charged in, crashed heavily into the wall, then slid down with a muffled groan of pain.
He lay sprawled on the floor, his head buzzing, the White Tiger Vajra Transformation around his body instantly collapsing.
He raised his head in disbelief and stared at Wang Dong, who was still standing in the same place without having moved his feet at all. Was this some kind of joke?
"That's it?" Wang Dong raised an eyebrow, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Are you trying to tickle me?"
Dai Huabin's pupils contracted sharply. How was this possible? He had poured all his Soul Power into that blow! With White Tiger Vajra Transformation enhancing him, his strength had already matched the peak of the three-ring level!
Yet this person had defeated him effortlessly. What kind of monster was he?
Wang Dong seemed not to notice his stunned expression and simply beckoned. "Again. Use your strongest attack. Don't hold back."
Gritting his teeth, Dai Huabin climbed up from the floor, his eyes bloodshot. Anger had clouded his mind, making him completely forget that he was no match for Wang Dong. With a roar, he lunged at him again.
His claws gleamed with fierce Soul Power as they shot straight toward Wang Dong's vital points.
Wang Dong threw another punch.
Thud!
Dai Huabin went flying again.
"Again."
Thud!
"Again."
Thud!
Dai Huabin had lost count of how many times he had been sent flying. Every time he climbed back up, he charged again, only for Wang Dong to knock him away with effortless ease.
He had long since lost the ability to maintain his White Tiger Vajra Transformation, and more than half his Soul Power was gone. Bruises covered his body, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, yet he still gritted his teeth and charged again and again.
Wang Dong, meanwhile, grew more excited with every test. Through these repeated clashes, he finally gained a clear understanding of his current strength. The boost granted by the golden dragon king bloodline far exceeded his expectations.
He did not even need to use the Clear Sky Hammer. His physical strength alone could overwhelm a three-ring Soul Elder.
His Soul Power was currently at rank 24, but his raw strength had already reached the level of a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor.
Moreover, he vaguely sensed that this power was slowly growing as he used it, like a slumbering beast awakening little by little.
After being knocked away one last time, Dai Huabin lay on the floor, unable to get up again. His whole body shook, his breath came in heavy gasps, and his eyes were filled with humiliation and despair.
Seeing him like this, Wang Dong felt a little guilty. He walked over, crouched down, and patted Dai Huabin on the shoulder.
"All right, stop crying. You're already pretty impressive. At least you can take more hits than I expected."
Dai Huabin nearly spat blood from anger. "You... you call that a compliment?!"
"Of course it's a compliment." Wang Dong looked utterly sincere. "Anyone else would have fallen apart after taking that many hits from me. The fact that you lasted this long proves that the White Tiger martial soul really does give you a good physique."
Dai Huabin: "..."
He felt he had never been so aggrieved in his entire life.
Meanwhile, deep within the academy, in a quiet little courtyard.
Mu En, who had been resting in a recliner with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. Disbelief flashed across his aged face as he stared straight toward the boys' dormitory.
"Was that... the aura of a higher dragon?"
Mu En sat upright, his brows tightly furrowed. As the bearer of the top-tier Radiant Sacred Dragon martial soul, he was exceptionally sensitive to draconic auras.
Yet just now, he had distinctly sensed an extremely faint trace of pressure from a higher dragon. Though it was only a trace, it had made his Light Sacred Dragon Martial Soul tremble slightly within him.
"How could this be... How could the aura of a higher dragon exist in this era?"
Mu En pondered for a long time before finally shaking his head. Perhaps he had imagined it. After all, that aura had been so faint and fleeting that even he could not be certain he had truly sensed it.
"It must have been an illusion." Mu En lay back in his chair and closed his eyes.
The rest of the night passed without incident.
The next morning, hunger woke Wang Dong.
He opened his eyes, his first awareness the furious growling of his stomach. He was so hungry that his belly felt plastered to his spine. Rubbing his stomach, he sighed helplessly.
"Looks like the golden dragon king bloodline does have one side effect: it burns through too much energy... With an appetite like this, I might eat the Shrek dining hall out of business."
He climbed out of bed and glanced at the opposite bunk, only to discover that Dai Huabin was gone. His covers were folded neatly, but there was no telling where he had gone. Wang Dong gave it little thought, washed up, and headed straight to the dining hall.
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