"Phew-"
The golden light at the center of the formation gradually faded. Mu Changqing let out a long sigh, and the phantom of his Martial Soul, the Golden Dragon, slowly dispersed.
Mu Changqing's eyes were weary. His limbs felt limp and powerless, and he lay quietly to one side.
"Big brother, are you all right?"
Bei Bei trotted over and helped him up, his face filling with worry at the sight of Mu Changqing's weakness.
Zhang Lexuan also came over to support Mu Changqing, channeling her Martial Soul into his body to help him regain some strength.
After awakening his Martial Soul, Mu Changqing's body had grown a little sturdier, and he was even slightly taller than Bei Bei.
"Changqing is fine. He's just exhausted his Soul Power."
Mu En stroked his long white beard, his face kindly.
Although something unexpected had happened during Mu Changqing's Martial Soul awakening, the outcome was good. His lineage was destined to dominate the continent in the future.
Bei Bei's Martial Soul was the Holy Dragon of Light, and Mu Changqing's was the Golden Dragon. Two Limit Douluos in one lineage someday-Mu En would wake from his dreams laughing at night.
"So hungry! ...Hungry!"
"I want food..."
Mu Changqing leaned against Zhang Lexuan's chest. His voice was very weak, but he kept muttering about food.
Zhang Lexuan immediately took several bottles of beast milk from her storage Soul Tool to replenish Mu Changqing.
Those bottles of beast milk were all she had in her Soul Tool. She usually handled breakfast after Mu Changqing and Bei Bei finished their morning exercises, so some beast milk had been left in it.
Mu Changqing took the beast milk, tore it open, and gulped it down ravenously. Milk spilled from his mouth, running down his chin to his neck and finally soaking his clothes.
As the nourishment from the beast milk reached his stomach, Mu Changqing's strength slowly recovered. After drinking four bottles, he let out a great breath.
"Changqing, test your Soul Power!"
Mu En, who had been quiet at the side, suddenly spoke. Under the control of his Soul Power, the testing crystal ball fixed to the stone pillar flew into his hand.
He supported the crystal ball with his Soul Power and brought it before Mu Changqing, who pressed his hand against it.
In an instant, gentle blue light shone from the crystal ball in all directions.
"Good! Good! Good! Both of you brothers have Innate Full Soul Power!"
"Heaven truly blesses our Shrek!"
Mu En looked with satisfaction at Bei Bei and Mu Changqing in Zhang Lexuan's arms. They truly were his descendants.
He had suffered severe injuries in his battle with Du Busi years ago. Although he had luckily broken through to Limit Douluo with the help of a dragon core, he was merely clinging to life and had only a few years left.
Shrek now faced a gap between generations. Xuan Zi could not shoulder the responsibility, Zhang Lexuan still needed time to grow, and the others were even less capable.
His lineage had produced one with the potential to become a Limit Douluo and another with the potential to become a god. Mu En saw hope for Shrek to rise again.
He wanted to train them into Titled Douluos as quickly as possible within his remaining years. Then his task would be complete, and he could leave this world and die in peace.
"Changqing, summon your Martial Soul and let me have a look!"
Mu En wanted to experience the Golden Dragon, the king of strength, up close.
Mu Changqing nodded, left Zhang Lexuan's embrace, and immediately released his Martial Soul.
The Golden Dragon King's phantom appeared behind Mu Changqing. He raised his dragon head and looked down proudly at the three of them, his golden slit pupils radiating supreme draconic might.
At their first sight of the Golden Dragon King, both Bei Bei and Mu En felt a faint urge to submit.
The Golden Dragon King exerted bloodline suppression. Its effect on Bei Bei's and Mu En's Martial Soul bloodlines was the most pronounced, while Zhang Lexuan's Martial Soul was the moon and suffered relatively little suppression.
Logically, it made sense for Bei Bei to want to submit, but Mu En was a Limit Douluo. Even if he felt the same urge, his cultivation should have suppressed it.
How could bloodline suppression possibly be offset by cultivation? This was the natural suppression higher dragons exerted over lower dragons.
What a noble dragon bloodline!
Seeing that all three seemed to be under the Golden Dragon King's suppression, Mu Changqing gave a wickedly charming smile and merged with his Martial Soul. The Golden Dragon's phantom dispersed into the air.
Now that the first seal of the Golden Dragon King had been released, Mu Changqing could possess the Dragon Transformation skill. Once he released the second seal, he would be able to use Golden Dragon Body.
From then on, every two seals Mu Changqing released would grant him a skill and a Blood Essence Soul Ring.
Mu Changqing's right arm instantly grew several times larger, shredding the sleeve covering it.
Golden dragon scales sprouted one after another along Mu Changqing's right arm, transforming it into a glittering Golden Dragon Claw before the three of them.
"So cool, big brother!"
Bei Bei was the first to speak and summoned his own Martial Soul. The phantom of a platinum dragon appeared, but he could not undergo Dragon Transformation, leaving him a little disappointed.
"Changqing, you can already undergo Dragon Transformation when you've only just awakened your Martial Soul?"
Mu En covered his mouth, his eyes wide. This was his first time seeing someone capable of Dragon Transformation immediately upon awakening their Martial Soul.
Mu En was hailed as Shrek's strongest man in a thousand years, yet he had only just managed Dragon Transformation at two rings.
Zhang Lexuan also understood the significance of Changqing's Martial Soul allowing him to undergo Dragon Transformation directly. Standing beside Bei Bei, she stroked his hair to reassure him not to lose heart.
"Grrr-"
Amid the tense atmosphere, Mu Changqing's stomach let out an uncooperative growl.
"Um-when can we eat?"
Mu Changqing rubbed his stomach awkwardly, withdrew his Martial Soul, and looked at them.
Mu En, Bei Bei, Zhang Lexuan: ...
"It's getting late. Lexuan, take them to dinner!"
"All right... Teacher!"
Zhang Lexuan took their little hands and headed toward the stairs.
Mu En followed close behind them. He would go downstairs and move around a little too.
The four had just reached the foot of the first-floor stairs when they saw Xuan Zi sitting in a chair at the conference table nearby, drinking and staring into space.
"Oh, you've finished awakening your Martial Souls! How did it go?"
"Did you cause that commotion just now?"
Noticing people behind him, Xuan Zi turned and saw Mu En and the others, then gave a goofy smile.
Seeing Xuan Zi's unpromising state, Mu En shook his head helplessly.
He quietly sent a voice transmission to Bei Bei and Mu Changqing, telling them to show Xuan Zi their Martial Souls and satisfy his curiosity.
"Changqing, if you can, try using your Martial Soul to suppress Xuan Zi."
Mu En secretly sent Mu Changqing a voice transmission, and Mu Changqing nodded.
"Elder Xuan, my Martial Soul is the Holy Dragon of Light."
As Bei Bei spoke, a Holy Dragon of Light Martial Soul appeared behind him.
"Good, good, good. Elder Mu has a worthy successor."
Xuan Zi drank, his face as red as a monkey's bottom, and offered Bei Bei some encouragement.
Mu Changqing walked up to Xuan Zi.
"Roar-"
Mu Changqing merged with his Martial Soul. The Golden Dragon King's phantom appeared behind him and let out a resounding dragon roar.
Xuan Zi's Martial Soul suffered bloodline suppression. Though he was still drunk, his Taotie Divine Bull Martial Soul automatically merged with him and tried to strike back at Mu Changqing, only to be suppressed by Mu En's Holy Dragon of Light.
"That Martial Soul of yours is the Golden Dragon, the progenitor of strength, isn't it?"
"That scared me to death! Drinking really does ruin things!"
Xuan Zi instantly sobered up. His own Martial Soul had nearly injured Mu Changqing while trying to protect its master, frightening him into a cold sweat.
"Elder Xuan, how about taking a few punches from me?" Mu Changqing looked at Xuan Zi. He truly wanted to see how powerful the Golden Dragon King Martial Soul was.
High damage with the left hand! High damage with the right!
Xuan Zi walked beside the conference table and told Mu Changqing to give him his best shot.
Mu Changqing's right arm underwent Dragon Transformation, becoming a Golden Dragon Claw.
Mu Changqing threw several punches at Xuan Zi, all landing on his arm. It felt as though he were punching steel.
"That strength of yours is pretty good. You could beat an ordinary Soul Grandmaster to death."
"If you weren't Elder Mu's great-great-grandson, I'd want to take you as my disciple."
Elder Xuan's Martial Soul was the Taotie Divine Bull, making him a strength-type soul master too. Mu Changqing being able to knock him back half a step was enough to show that the Golden Dragon deserved its title as the progenitor of strength.
Hearing Xuan Zi say he wanted to take him as a disciple, Mu Changqing felt as though the grass on his grave would grow several meters tall.
Mu Changqing settled on the direction of his future cultivation.
Mechanics are all empty tricks. Overwhelming strength is king.
High damage with the left fist, high damage with the right. No mechanics, just the charm of raw stats.
Strength path consumes far too many resources, so I shouldn't cultivate it. I should put the resources I save into cultivating strength path.
Punch someone into a mist of blood, and they just have to call it a blood-path killer move.