Lu Chen scratched his head, feeling a wave of helplessness. But on second thought, awakening the power of the King of Earth and Mountain hardly seemed like a loss. At least this thing could put food on the table; scraping together money for meals would be no problem.
His days passed just like that, neither salty nor bland. During the day, he stayed at school, chewing through soul master theory with his teachers and practicing the basics of Soul Power control. At night, he plunged headfirst into Nibelungen to battle it out with those ancient Word Spirits.
Unfortunately, after more than half a year of effort, all he had learned were things like earth vein manipulation and strength control. Strength control was all well and good-it was solid, usable power in his hands, and even his punches packed more force than before.
But that earth vein manipulation made Lu Chen's scalp prickle just thinking about it.
One wrong move with that thing, and he could drain himself to death. His spiritual power and bloodline would probably be sucked dry in an instant.
At that thought, Lu Chen's face scrunched up like a bitter melon.
Still, he knew perfectly well that building a good relationship with Tang Wulin right now could not go wrong.
To him, that guy was practically a walking cultivation accelerator. Just being around him made his Soul Power grow faster than usual. Sticking close to this accelerator in the early stages was definitely the right move.
As for later...
Lu Chen pursed his lips. That would depend on Tang Wulin's own choices.
After all, he did not think a friend like himself, who had appeared out of nowhere halfway through, could match the weight that high-and-mighty father held in Tang Wulin's heart.
In the blink of an eye, three years slipped away like sand between his fingers.
At the orphanage, Lu Chen's little room was silent.
He sat cross-legged on the bedding of his hard wooden bed, his eyes tightly shut, his consciousness already sunk into that familiar Nibelungen.
Just then, the half-dead giant tree, with one side withered and the other sprouting buds, shuddered violently. A dazzling pillar of light suddenly burst from deep within its trunk, stabbing straight through the murky heavens above Nibelungen like a golden sword.
In an instant, a gash tore through the surrounding darkness, which had stagnated for untold years. Wherever the light swept, the intricate patterns carved into the cracked ancient stone slabs by his feet began to flow slowly, like an enormous beast that had slumbered since time immemorial finally opening its eyes.
Lu Chen's gaze was riveted to the slabs. Those ancient golden characters seemed to come alive, twisting and writhing across the stone before finally gathering into a clear line of Dragon Script.
Bloodline fusion: ten percent. Unlocked the power of the King of Bronze and Fire.
Almost the instant the Dragon Script took shape, a scorching wave of heat exploded from Lu Chen's dantian!
He could clearly feel his Martial Soul undergoing earth-shaking changes.
Crimson patterns like molten iron began spreading across his originally ocher dragon-shaped Martial Soul. The dragon scales gradually darkened as well, shifting toward a shade close to inky black.
Surging power rampaged through his meridians like rushing magma. Every pass made his bones crackle, while waves of tingling itchiness rose from his bloodline, as though something long sealed away was slowly awakening.
Meanwhile, in the room in the real world, Na'er's pupils abruptly contracted as she stood guard beside the bed, and an exceedingly faint purple gleam flashed through her eyes.
She frowned, staring fixedly at Lu Chen as his body convulsed nonstop on the bed, her pretty brows drawn into three tight furrows.
"Strange..." Na'er's voice was extremely low, carrying a trace of confusion and disbelief. "Why can I sense a hint of pressure from him that makes even my heart tremble a little? And this bloodline... it doesn't resemble the dragons of this plane in the slightest."
"My lord, we should leave."
A deep voice suddenly rang out. Without warning, a black vortex appeared in the corner of the room, and Di Tian slowly stepped out of it.
His gaze fell on Lu Chen, and his pupils contracted sharply. For the first time, unmistakable disbelief flashed through those vertical pupils, normally as still as an ancient well.
How was this possible?!
Towering waves surged through Di Tian's heart. The bloodline of this boy named Lu Chen... was actually completely different from every dragon bloodline currently on the Douluo Continent!
Moreover, the faint presence seeping from him carried the awe-inspiring pressure of a superior bloodline. It was anything but ordinary.
"My lord!" Di Tian turned toward Na'er beside him, his face full of confusion.
"Don't ask me. I don't know either. Wait a little longer before I leave. Let me say a proper goodbye to him." Na'er's gaze softened.
Di Tian had wanted to dissuade her, but after looking at the strange bloodline coursing through him, he considered it and chose to agree.
"Then, my lord, shall I go contact the people on those two sides first?" Di Tian asked respectfully.
Na'er nodded obediently. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Lu Chen's eyelashes trembling slightly, as though he was about to wake, and hurriedly gave Di Tian a look, signaling for him to withdraw first.
Di Tian's figure had only just disappeared into the dark vortex when Lu Chen abruptly opened his eyes.
Still concealed in the shadows and not yet fully gone, Di Tian felt his heart clench fiercely the instant his gaze met those eyes. Shock he could not conceal burst into his own.
Those were dragon eyes through and through!
As golden light flowed within them, their stern majesty bore down like a primordial divine mountain. They even faintly exuded a presence capable of suppressing him, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, making the dragon scales all over his body instinctively tighten.
Fortunately, those brilliant Golden Eyes shone for only a few dozen seconds before swiftly losing their radiance and returning to their original clarity.
Lu Chen braced himself against the bed and sat up. Seeing Na'er standing beside him, he remembered how his body had convulsed uncontrollably when his bloodline ran wild.
He scratched his head a little sheepishly. "Na'er, I didn't scare you just now, did I? Sorry, I suddenly lost control of my power."
Na'er immediately concealed the unusual look in her eyes. Tilting her little face up, her eyes sparkling, she spoke with a voice full of admiration. "You didn't scare me at all! Was that your Martial Soul, big brother? It's so amazing!"
Her praise went a little to Lu Chen's head, and he unconsciously puffed out his chest. Yet he put on a solemn expression and patted his chest in all seriousness. "Of course! With your big brother around, I'll definitely protect you. No one will get to bully you!"
Looking at him like that, Na'er could not help curling her lips into a smile, revealing two shallow dimples. Her voice was sweet as honey. "Of course I believe you, big brother!"
Lu Chen's eyes dimmed, and an indescribable sense of loss quietly welled up.
He remembered that the day Na'er would leave was probably drawing closer and closer.
Those three years of saving money were truly hard to sum up in a few words.
Much like Tang Wulin, he had pinched pennies and scrimped on food and expenses, yet had only barely managed to save thirty thousand.
That little money was nowhere near enough to buy a Spirit Soul at the Spirit Pagoda. At most, it would cover a lowest-tier Spirit Soul draw; he did not even qualify to pick and choose.
Still, Lu Chen did not dwell on it much.
The quality of a Spirit Soul really did not matter that much to him.
Even a defective one with meager Soul Power that might dissipate at any moment would not bother him.