"Of course." Constantine nodded, his gaze sweeping over every corner of Nibelungen, a hint of puzzlement in his voice. "This Nibelungen of yours is full of very unusual metals. But the strange thing is, these metals seem to lie somewhere between reality and illusion. They're a little hard to pin down."
Lu Chen sealed the deal and patted Fenrir's huge head. "All right, that's what we'll do! You'll come out with me, and Constantine will stay here to guard our home."
Fenrir was so excited that even the tip of his tail trembled. His enormous body abruptly shrank, finally turning into a streak of brilliant golden light that shot straight toward the spot between Lu Chen's brows.
Almost at the same moment, the little Jiao Snake that had been coiled within Lu Chen's Sea of Spirit and had just completed its initial evolution after absorbing that drop of blood-
It now let out a piercing hiss, as though it had sensed some terrifying pressure, and curled straight into a ball, not daring to move at all.
Fenrir swallowed the little Jiao Snake in a single gulp.
Fenrir's power was far too overbearing. The instant he entered the Sea of Spirit, he whipped up a golden storm.
Lu Chen felt a buzz in his head, as though a mountain had come crashing down on it. The pain forced a muffled groan from him, and beads of cold sweat instantly covered his forehead.
"Bear with it." Constantine's voice sounded beside his ear, carrying a trace of barely perceptible worry. "Fenrir's power is too pure. Your fusion will take a little time."
Lu Chen gritted his teeth and nodded, clenching his fists tightly.
He could clearly feel a scorching power flowing from between his brows and burrowing into every limb and bone. Wherever it passed, his meridians burned and tingled as though seared by fire, yet, strangely, they also widened considerably.
At the same time, a golden Soul Ring slowly appeared beneath him, where there had been nothing before.
Unlike ordinary Soul Rings, which had only a single color, this one had earthy yellow mixed into its gold and red hidden within the earthy yellow. Tiny arcs of lightning also seemed to curl around the ring, making it look both mysterious and overbearing.
More astonishingly, the moment the Soul Ring appeared, the air throughout the dorm room began to tremble violently. The sky outside the window abruptly darkened for a moment, and faint thunder rumbled deep within the clouds.
Na'er, who had been nibbling on candied hawthorn, was so startled by this sudden pressure that her little hand shook, dropping hawthorn seeds onto the floor.
A hint of depth and sharpness flashed through her lowered purple eyes.
She raised her head and blinked her big, watery eyes at Lu Chen, her little face full of worry. "Big brother, what's wrong?"
Gritting his teeth, Lu Chen forced out a smile. "Nothing... I'll be fine in a moment."
As soon as he finished speaking, the power within him surged, and a wave of draconic might spread out uncontrollably.
The tables, chairs, and stools in the dorm room hummed, and even the dust on the walls came pattering down.
Meanwhile, Fenrir had already bound himself completely to Lu Chen's soul within the Sea of Spirit.
The little fellow seemed very satisfied with this new "nest." He even flicked his tail playfully and nuzzled Lu Chen's soul.
"It worked!" Lu Chen's eyes snapped open. A gleam of gold flashed through them, then swiftly disappeared.
He lowered his head to look at his Soul Ring, and towering waves surged through his heart.
Even he couldn't discern this Soul Ring's age!
As soon as he finished speaking, the Soul Ring on him, its gold and red intertwined, suddenly began to change.
A thin layer of silver light silently spread over it, like a translucent veil draped over the Soul Ring, completely concealing its overbearing, mysterious presence.
In the blink of an eye, the Soul Ring that had radiated such ferocity slowly faded to a pale yellow. It looked utterly unremarkable, no different from the most ordinary hundred-year Soul Ring.
"Big brother?" Na'er still had her half-eaten candied hawthorn in her mouth. Her little brows knitted tightly as she reached out and tugged on the hem of Lu Chen's clothes, her face full of confusion.
"Wasn't the one you drew just now a ten-year Jiao Snake Spirit Soul? How did it suddenly turn into a hundred-year Soul Ring?"
At those words, Lu Chen froze, his heart giving a jolt.
Right! I was so caught up in being happy about the successful fusion that I never even considered that!
Even with the silver light disguising the Soul Ring, it still looks like a hundred-year one. How am I supposed to explain that?
His eyes darted as his mind raced, and he hurriedly made up an excuse. "Maybe... maybe my Martial Soul and this Spirit Soul mutated together!"
Yes, that's what I'll say! Martial Soul mutations aren't unheard of on the Douluo Continent. It makes perfect sense!
Na'er tilted her head and thought for a moment, then pursed her little lips and sighed softly, looking every bit like a tiny adult.
Fine, fine. It sounds a little far-fetched, but there are all sorts of strange things on the Douluo Continent. A Martial Soul and Spirit Soul mutating together seems... not entirely impossible to explain?
Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Lu Chen hurried toward school, his heart brimming with excitement.
He had barely taken a few steps through the school gate when he spotted Tang Wulin sitting on a stone bench at the edge of the field, a piping-hot meat bun clutched in his hand.
Seeing him approach, Tang Wulin immediately broke into a grin and waved hard at him. "Brother Lu! Over here, over here!"
Once Lu Chen came closer, Tang Wulin eagerly leaned toward him and asked, "How was it, Brother Lu? What exactly was the Spirit Soul you drew yesterday? Is it strong?"
Lu Chen's heart jolted. He hurriedly trotted out the lie he had prepared beforehand, putting on a dazed expression.
"Just... just a ten-year Jiao Snake Spirit Soul. But something really strange happened. It mutated together with my Martial Soul, and the Soul Ring jumped straight to a hundred years."
With that, he quickly changed the subject, patting Tang Wulin on the shoulder. "Enough about me. How about you? Have you broken through to rank ten yet?"
"I broke through ages ago!" Tang Wulin smiled so broadly that his eyes narrowed into slits, his voice full of excitement.
"I'm going to buy a Spirit Soul in a little while. I'll finally have my very first Soul Ring!"
"All right, then. Go chat with Wan Yunchao and the others for now." Lu Chen smiled and waved at him. "I need to talk to Teacher Lin about something first."
With that, he turned and ran toward the teachers' office.
As soon as he pushed the door open and entered, Lin Mengxi looked up and spotted him. Her eyes curved into crescents, and she instinctively reached out to ruffle his hair.
"You little brat. You reached rank ten ages ago, but you were as stubborn as an ox. You'd rather slowly save up the money yourself than accept any help from the school, no matter what. Have you finally saved enough now?"
Lu Chen's head tilted under her hand. He froze for a moment before coming to his senses, then chuckled. "Yep! And my Soul Power has already risen to rank thirteen!"
"All right." Lin Mengxi took a letter of recommendation out of a drawer and handed it to him, tapping the paper lightly with her fingertip. Yet she couldn't help sighing, her voice full of regret and hope.
"I expect you and Tang Wulin will have to go to Eastsea Academy together. Ah, neither of you started out with particularly high Soul Power. At least you'll be able to look out for each other and lend each other a hand there."