Early the next morning, the sunlight outside his window woke Lu Chen.
The moment he opened his eyes, he felt comfortable all over. The bone-deep exhaustion from last night had been swept away, and the Soul Power surging through his meridians was more than a level more concentrated than yesterday.
He instinctively looked inward. His bloodline progress bar had settled firmly at fifteen percent!
What delighted him even more was that deep within his sea of consciousness, two profoundly mysterious dragon patterns were slowly revolving-the Time Zero and Instant he had been anticipating for so long!
With these two skills unlocked, his strength could shoot straight up to a whole new level!
Lu Chen sprang out of bed in excitement, washed up, and headed straight for the training field.
But after scanning the field, he found no sign of Gu Yue.
He went over to ask Wu Zhangkong, only to receive the reply, "Gu Yue took leave."
Lu Chen immediately frowned, doubts stirring in his mind.
Going by the original story, Gu Yue had absolutely no reason to take leave at this point, did she?
Could my appearance have caused a butterfly effect and introduced a change? Or maybe the original simply never mentioned little trifles like this.
He pondered it for a long while without reaching any conclusion, so he could only put it out of his mind for now and throw himself wholeheartedly into training.
After finally making it to evening, Lu Chen was carrying two steamed buns and planning to find a quiet corner to enjoy his late-night snack.
Without warning, a pitch-black streak of light descended from the sky, so fast that he had no time to react.
He felt a numbness at the back of his neck, his vision went black, and his body went limp.
But Lu Chen did not truly lose consciousness. Instead, a gentle force guided his awareness into the Nibelungen domain deep within his sea of consciousness.
He could clearly "see" everything outside.
The one who had abducted him was a figure in black robes. Those golden slit pupils exuded an oppressive majesty that looked down upon the world. Who else could it be but the Beast God, Di Tian?
Lu Chen's heart lurched, but he did not panic in the slightest.
With Nidhogg and Nibelungen there, even if Di Tian wanted to attack, he would gain little from it.
Sure enough, Di Tian carried him down onto a secluded mountaintop. Faint Soul Power wreathed his fingertips as he carefully extended it into Lu Chen's body, seemingly probing for something.
The instant that strand of Soul Power touched Lu Chen's bloodline, Di Tian's pupils contracted sharply, and golden-green light flickered violently within them.
He could sense that this boy's bloodline was extraordinarily domineering, carrying the pressure unique to the Dragon Clan, yet it was unlike any dragon he knew.
Within that presence were the coldness of destruction, the greed of devouring, and a faint, elusive familiarity that made even his heart tremble.
Di Tian knitted his brows tightly, his eyes full of uncertainty and astonishment. He increased the Soul Power at his fingertips a little more, but the more he probed, the deeper his confusion grew.
What bloodline was this? Why did it give him the illusion of facing... facing the Dragon God himself?
Meanwhile, inside his sea of consciousness, Lu Chen watched Di Tian's bewildered expression, unable to stop a smug smile from curling his lips.
Amazing! This feels amazing!
So what if you're the Beast God, Di Tian?
My bloodline still has you scratching your head!
Once I raise my strength a little more, maybe I really can pass it off as the Dragon God's bloodline!
Through Nibelungen's perspective, Lu Chen clearly saw a rare trace of embarrassment appear on Di Tian's imposing face. He raised a hand to scratch his head, then leaned close to Gu Yue and lowered his voice.
"My lord, I can more or less confirm that this boy is no different from a true member of the Dragon Clan." Di Tian's voice was full of confusion. "His human bloodline is pitifully thin. I would guess he's the mixed-blood descendant of some powerful dragon Soul Beast and a human. No, he might even... even be the Dragon God reincarnated!"
"Oh? What do you mean, he might be the Dragon God reincarnated?" Gu Yue's brows instantly drew together, her tone turning somewhat grave.
"It is only speculation," Di Tian said in a low voice. "But his bloodline gave me an overwhelming sense of suppression, even stronger than that of your bloodline, my lord! It is only because his bloodline concentration is currently insufficient that it has not had much effect."
At his words, a trace of surprise flashed through Gu Yue's eyes. Then she chuckled, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Na'er, oh, Na'er. You really have found me someone extraordinary."
"My lord, should we try to win this boy over?" Di Tian hesitated before asking.
"Of course." The corners of Gu Yue's lips rose as she said with complete confidence, "Rest assured, just leave this to me. Take him quietly back to school. Don't let anyone notice."
Di Tian nodded. With a flash, he brought Lu Chen back to the edge of a secluded grove at Eastsea Academy and gently set him down.
Then Gu Yue hurried over from the distance.
"Lu Chen! What happened to you?" Gu Yue crouched down, looking at his "unconscious" form, her voice full of genuine anxiety. She reached out to feel his forehead. "Did you go too long without eating and faint from hunger?"
Lu Chen held back his laughter, slowly-held back his laughter, slowly "waking up." Looking at Gu Yue's concerned face, he nodded helplessly.
Come on, I can't exactly say the Beast God, Di Tian, kidnapped me to examine my bloodline, can I?
If I said that aloud, they'd probably think I was crazy.
He simply played dumb without exposing her little trick, and the days passed like that.
During his evening combat practice with Wu Zhangkong, Lu Chen never once used his newly unlocked Time Zero or Instant.
Come on, these two skills are my trump cards, tucked away at the bottom of the chest. I haven't completely mastered them yet. Who knows how much trouble I might stir up if I use them rashly?
He planned to practice both skills within the Nibelungen domain until he could activate and stop them at will.
After all, during the class promotion tournament, he would have plenty of opportunities to give those fellows who were certain to underestimate him an earth-shattering surprise!
Lu Chen's days were so packed that he practically spun nonstop like a top.
From Monday through Friday, he trained desperately in actual combat with Wu Zhangkong on the field during the day. The crisp clacking of wooden swords never stopped. Every exchange let him pry another bit of practical combat technique out of Wu Zhangkong, and his Soul Power and swordsmanship improved by the day.
Once Saturday and Sunday came around, everyone else either holed up in their dorms to catch up on sleep or went out shopping.
He, on the other hand, plunged straight into the legion's forging room. The clanging of hammering metal could ring out from morning until night. Master Zhen Hua would occasionally offer him a few pointers, and his forging skills soared at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Whenever he occasionally had some free time, Long Tianwu would haul him off to the legion's training grounds to practice standing at attention and marching in formation. Everything had to be straight and proper, without the slightest sloppiness.
After all, he now held the rank of second lieutenant. He was a junior officer, at least, so his military bearing and discipline could not fall short.
Two or three weeks passed in this orderly fashion. Seeing that Lu Chen's military rank remained an empty title without the slightest actual authority, Long Tianwu thought that this was not quite appropriate.