When Tang Wulin's consciousness left the forge, he was still savoring the technique for exerting force in Void, the first of the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes.
But just as he expected to open his eyes and see the ceiling of his home as usual, the scene before him abruptly changed.
Darkness.
A vast expanse of boundless darkness.
There was nothing at all, only an empty, silent void.
Tang Wulin felt as though he had been tossed into a perfect vacuum.
Then a golden light appeared.
An enormous dragon materialized before him.
Tang Wulin's breath caught.
The dragon was golden from head to tail, every scale seemingly cast from refined gold.
Its five claws were all thick and powerful. Two horns like a stag's antlers extended from the top of its forehead, and its long, serpentine body coiled in the void. The forked tip of its tail swayed gently.
But what stunned Tang Wulin most were the eighteen rings around the dragon's body.
Eighteen golden halos were spaced evenly along its body, from head to tail.
The eighteen halos overlapped, forming an exceedingly intricate sealing structure that suppressed the vast majority of the golden dragon's power within its body.
Tang Wulin looked at the dragon, his mind racing.
In his previous life, he had been very familiar with the first Douluo Continent, but he had only seen scattered Douyin explainers about Douluo II and Douluo Dalu III: The Legend of the Dragon King.
Still, he knew a little about the Golden Dragon King Seal. Tang Wulin had the Golden Dragon King's power inside him, but it was too powerful for him to absorb directly,
so powerful that eighteen seals were needed to suppress it.
Each time a seal was broken, his strength would surge, but he would also face the risk of being devoured by the Golden Dragon King's energy.
This should be the Golden Dragon King.
He silently confirmed it to himself.
Just then, a voice rang out in the darkness.
"You've finally come."
Tang Wulin looked toward the voice and saw a figure of light before the golden dragon's enormous body.
It was a hazy mass of light. Its face and age were impossible to make out, and even its gender was hard to discern.
It was shaped like a human, seemingly formed from countless tiny particles of light.
"Who are you?" Tang Wulin asked.
The figure of light fell silent for a moment.
"I am a strand of divine consciousness." Its voice was faint, as though recalling something from the distant past.
"I'm here to help you."
"Help me with what?"
"You have the Golden Dragon King's power inside you." The figure of light gestured toward the golden dragon.
"It's too powerful. Your body as it is now simply can't withstand it."
"So a mighty expert placed eighteen seals on it, suppressing it layer by layer."
"You must gradually break the seals, absorb and refine his power bit by bit, and ultimately make it your own. Only then will you be safe."
The figure of light paused, its tone growing somewhat grave.
"If you can't absorb it, the energy will make your body explode, killing you."
"So you must keep strengthening your physique. Your body must be tough enough to withstand the impact of the Golden Dragon King's power."
At that, Tang Wulin's heart skipped a beat.
He knew better than anyone how much weight those words, "your body explode, killing you," carried.
"The fact that you can see me means you already have the foundation to absorb the power of the first seal."
The figure of light continued, "Your physical foundation is decent. You have two rings of Soul Power, and your Spiritual Power far surpasses that of your peers. You barely meet the requirements."
"Barely?" Tang Wulin seized on the word.
The figure of light did not respond to his question and simply continued, "You need to find three things to strengthen your body. Once you've gathered them, I'll help you break the first seal."
"Which three?"
"A hundred-year Ice Crystal Fruit, a hundred-year Scarlet Flame Fruit, and ten drops of fresh blood from a hundred-year Soul Beast with a dragon-type bloodline."
Tang Wulin's mind raced after hearing the list.
From their names alone, he could tell that the Ice Crystal Fruit and Scarlet Flame Fruit were heavenly treasures with two extreme attributes, one frigid and the other scorching.
At a hundred years old, they would be highly sought-after goods on the market.
As for fresh blood from a hundred-year Soul Beast with a dragon-type bloodline, Soul Beasts were already scarce, and hundred-year Soul Beasts with dragon bloodlines were rarer still. To obtain ten drops of fresh blood, he would have to find a living dragon-type Soul Beast.
"You must gather these three things before you turn ten." The figure of light's voice grew a little heavier.
"That's the latest possible age. Otherwise, the first seal on the Golden Dragon King will be forcibly broken, and it will be out of control. The risk will increase greatly."
Tang Wulin did the math. He was eight now, so he had two years left.
Two years to find three things, two of which were heavenly treasures.
He sighed inwardly.
"These things... must be worth a lot, right?"
For once, the figure of light paused, seemingly caught a little off guard by his question.
"That's your concern, not mine."
Tang Wulin silently worked out the costs.
Over the past year, at Uncle Mang Tian's place, he had performed Thousand Refinement once and Hundred Refinement dozens of times every day, doubling that on weekends.
He had earned quite a bit, though he didn't know whether it would be enough to pay for the three materials.
The figure of light began to grow a little blurry.
"Once you've found these things, picture this dragon while you meditate, and I'll bring you here."
"Remember, don't call for me unless it's important. My power and my time are limited. Once they're used up, I won't be able to help or guide you anymore."
Tang Wulin nodded, committing the information firmly to memory.
As the words ended, the darkness shattered.
The world spun before Tang Wulin's eyes, and the intense sensation of weightlessness nearly made him cry out.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw the familiar ceiling and the gray-white morning light filtering through a gap in the curtains,
as well as Na'er, curled up and sleeping soundly in the little bed beside his.
"Phew..."
He let out a long breath and touched his forehead.
A thin layer of cold sweat covered it. His heart was still racing, thumping against his chest.
"Golden Dragon King Seal."
He murmured the words, etching them into his mind.
Before he turned ten: a hundred-year Ice Crystal Fruit, a hundred-year Scarlet Flame Fruit, and ten drops of fresh blood from a hundred-year Soul Beast with a dragon-type bloodline.
Uncle Mang Tian was his only contact, but if he told Uncle Mang Tian, he would surely grow suspicious. That was another problem.
Save money first, then ask around.
He set a direction for himself. I still have two years until I turn ten. I can't rush.
He slipped out of bed and tucked Na'er's blanket around her. Na'er rolled over, mumbled something, and sank back into deep sleep.
Tang Wulin walked to the window and pulled the curtains open a crack.
The eastern sky had already begun to pale like a fish's belly. It was a clear day.
He took a deep breath, opened the door, and went up to the rooftop.
Facing east, he sat cross-legged, circulated the Mysterious Heaven Skill, and prepared the Purple Demon Eye.
The moment the golden morning light pierced the clouds, he opened his eyes and drew the Purple Qi into them, beginning to refine it and increase his Spiritual Power.
He cultivated as usual, and life went on as usual.
But there was one more thing on Tang Wulin's mind.
The seal was counting down.