Nan Zhuliu slowly withdrew the surging power of lightning. Beside him, Nan Zhou could hardly wait to ask, "What's your first Soul Skill?"
"My first Soul Skill is called Golden Dragon Rampage. It increases all my attributes by one hundred percent."
Both Nan Zhou and Jiang Jingyan instinctively gaped.
A one-hundred-percent increase to all attributes and lightning power-it was actually that formidable? Was this really an effect a thousand-year Soul Skill could grant?
Nan Zhuliu, however, knew that much of the credit went to the might of the Golden Dragon King Bloodline.
On their way out of the Star Dou Great Forest, a lone hundred-year Netherworld Lion blocked their path.
Nan Zhou looked at Nan Zhuliu. "Want to try your hand?"
Nan Zhuliu nodded.
With a thought, the Prison-Subduing Dragon instantly possessed his body. A bright purple ring slowly rose from beneath his feet, and the presence of his Golden Dragon King Bloodline quietly seeped out.
Sensing the presence of a superior being emanating from Nan Zhuliu, the Netherworld Lion's sturdy body visibly stiffened.
Nan Zhuliu advanced with his spear, but did not immediately use his only Soul Skill.
It was simply because Golden Dragon Rampage's one-hundred-percent boost to all attributes was far too formidable.
His already formidable physical attributes had now been strengthened by the thousand-year Thunder Tiger Soul Ring, rising to an entirely new level once again.
Using Golden Dragon Rampage on top of that against a Netherworld Lion with only a hundred years of cultivation would be like firing a cannon at a mosquito.
Of course, it was not that he could not use it. Nan Zhuliu simply wanted to see how far he could go in his first real battle without using a Soul Skill as powerful as Golden Dragon Rampage.
Seeing Nan Zhuliu launch an attack all alone with his spear, the Netherworld Lion stretched out its body and charged without hesitation.
Both sides rushed toward each other, rapidly closing the distance.
The Netherworld Lion roared, its pitch-black figure turning somewhat illusory. Then its towering body actually split in two in midair, one on the left and one on the right, both slashing their sharp claws at Nan Zhuliu simultaneously.
Innate Soul Skill: Netherworld Clone.
Nan Zhuliu swept his spear across, and his terrifying strength actually sent both Netherworld Lions flying.
The sight left Nan Zhou and his wife, who stood nearby ready to intervene at any moment, dumbstruck.
They knew Nan Zhuliu possessed innate divine strength, but had never imagined his strength would be so terrifying that he could easily drive back two Netherworld Lions at once.
The Netherworld Lion and its Netherworld Clone landed simultaneously. Without any hesitation, they attacked Nan Zhuliu again like streaks of black light.
Nan Zhuliu carefully evaded their attacks while watching for a suitable opening to counterattack.
When the Netherworld Lion and its Netherworld Clone stopped attacking in sync, Nan Zhuliu knew his chance had come.
Judging by how much pressure each of the two Netherworld Lions put on him, Nan Zhuliu drove back the one exerting less pressure with a thrust, then spun and stabbed with all his might.
Crackling with lightning and bearing tremendous momentum, the spear instantly pierced the Netherworld Lion's throat.
The incredulous light in the Netherworld Lion's eyes swiftly dimmed, and all signs of life vanished.
The Netherworld Clone made a few token struggles before shattering like a bubble.
Soon, a bright yellow Soul Ring emerged from the Netherworld Lion's corpse.
Jiang Jingyan could not help reaching out to pat his head. "You're amazing, Zhuliu. Even a hundred-year Soul Beast is no match for you," she said with a smile.
Nan Zhou also gave Nan Zhuliu a thumbs-up and chuckled. "Beautifully done, son."
Nan Zhuliu smiled knowingly.
Not long after returning to the Dou Ling Empire, as his cultivation gradually increased and his perception grew ever sharper, Nan Zhuliu abruptly discovered that whenever he cultivated, the Soul Power converted during each full circulation of his cultivation method contained a trace of strange golden-red power that was almost imperceptible.
This trace of golden-red power did not flow with his Soul Power into the dantian where his Soul Power was stored. Instead, it continuously merged into his bloodline.
At first, he felt nothing particularly unusual, but as time passed, Nan Zhuliu was startled to discover that his Golden Dragon King Bloodline had actually improved slightly.
A thought stirred in Nan Zhuliu's mind.
If his Golden Dragon King Bloodline could keep improving through cultivation as it did now, could he cultivate a complete Golden Dragon King Bloodline?
At the thought of this possibility, Nan Zhuliu could not help growing excited.
Although a complete Golden Dragon King Bloodline could not forcibly push him to God King cultivation as the Golden Dragon King's essence could in the original story, at the very least, it would guarantee that he was absolutely invincible on the Douluo Continent.
When the time came, even if Tang San's blockade of the Douluo plane left him unable to ascend to godhood without a divine inheritance, he could still live until the Divine Realm was swept away by the spacetime turbulence, then wait for the Douluo plane to advance before breaking through, or create his own divine position with the help of his long lifespan.
Meanwhile, in the distant God-Forsaken Land.
The Golden Dragon King, slumbering within the dragon cocoon, had not noticed in the slightest that his origin essence was continuously draining away.
The trace of origin essence he lost was simply far too minuscule. Compared to his vast origin essence, which could directly push an ordinary person to half-step God King cultivation, it was nothing more than a grain in the vast ocean.
Moreover, every trace that drained away was seamlessly replenished by the dense Immortal Spiritual Energy. Unless he quieted his mind and examined it carefully, he would not notice it at all.
Ever since realizing that he could improve his Golden Dragon King Bloodline through cultivation, Nan Zhuliu had cultivated with unparalleled diligence. Yet the experience bar for each of his minor levels also seemed to have grown a stretch longer because of the Golden Dragon King Bloodline.
Even so, after a year, Nan Zhuliu's cultivation had risen from his initial rank thirteen to his current rank seventeen.
Without an abundant supply of cultivation resources, what did gaining four ranks in a year mean?
Even among the geniuses backed by top powers such as Shrek Academy and the Body Sect, few could gain four ranks in a year.
Yet Nan Zhuliu had done it.
Across the entire Douluo Continent, the only ones who could compare were the siblings Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, who had broken through to Soul King at just thirteen or fourteen.
Then there was the fact that, as his cultivation increased, each cultivation session produced more and more of that strange golden-red power capable of improving his Golden Dragon King Bloodline.
Nan Zhuliu could sense his Golden Dragon King Bloodline slowly improving, but could not clearly judge exactly how far it had improved by now.
At the same time, over the course of this year, Nan Zhuliu had also gradually figured out the rules for entering the God-Forsaken Land.
As long as he visualized the dragon cocoon while meditating, he would enter the God-Forsaken Land in the form of a spiritual body.
Whether it was because he entered the God-Forsaken Land as a spiritual body or not, Nan Zhuliu could not sense the presence of Immortal Spiritual Energy at all.
Thus, he could basically abandon the idea of secretly drawing on the Divine Realm's Immortal Spiritual Energy through this method to attain godhood.
Whether the Golden Dragon King could kill him across realms remained uncertain, but it was better to fear the one chance than trust the ten thousand. Whenever Nan Zhuliu spoke with the Golden Dragon King, he would first weigh every word he wanted to say over and over in his mind, doing his utmost not to anger him.
Sometimes, when the Golden Dragon King was in a good mood, he would even give him guidance on questions concerning his bloodline and cultivation.
Guidance from an expert approaching the God King level benefited Nan Zhuliu immensely, even if it was only a few words. His use of his Martial Soul and Soul Power grew ever more effortless, far surpassing his peers.