After hanging up, Tang Wulin put his communicator back in his storage bracelet.
He arranged the four wooden boxes in front of him, sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion, and closed his eyes.
His consciousness sank into his dantian, and he began calling for Old Tang.
In his mind, he pictured the five-clawed golden dragon, the seventeen rings, its deer antlers and serpentine body.
Darkness descended.
The golden dragon lay coiled in the void, seventeen rings pressing firmly down on its body.
The figure of light stood before the golden dragon, its outline a little clearer than last time.
"You're here already."
"Have you prepared everything?"
Tang Wulin answered, "I have."
"The Thousand-Year Dragon Scale Fruit, Thousand-Year Earth Dragon Tendon, Thousand-Year Sea Dragon Marrow, and Thousand-Year Azure Tendon Vine."
"They're all good quality. They were much harder to find than the materials for the first seal, but you were fast enough."
"It's thanks to President Mu's help."
"Having someone to lend you a hand out there is always better than feeling your way around blindly on your own."
Tang Wulin agreed wholeheartedly. Tang Hao had said the same thing at the forge. He couldn't help Tang Wulin in the real world, so there was no harm in taking on a teacher.
"Old Tang, how should I take them, and how do I break the second seal?"
Old Tang fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"The first way is to eat the Thousand-Year Dragon Scale Fruit directly, grind the other three into a slurry, and soak in it to apply it externally. That's the simplest and easier method, but twenty to thirty percent of the medicinal effects will dissipate."
"The second way is to grind all the spirit items into a slurry and take it all at once, making full use of their medicinal effects and maximizing the improvement."
"But it will also be somewhat more painful than the first method."
"Old Tang, I only have one question. Can my body withstand it?"
"I can guarantee there won't be a problem. Your physique is much better than I imagined. You've eaten high-quality food these past few years, and the cultivation technique you practice is also very powerful. It has compressed your Soul Power and improved your Spiritual Power, while forging has strengthened your physique. All of that has far exceeded my expectations."
"Then I'll choose the second way."
He paused. "Are you sure?"
Tang Wulin didn't hesitate. "I'm sure. Pain only lasts a while, but getting stronger lasts forever."
Old Tang looked at him for two seconds, then suddenly chuckled. "All right, kid, you've got guts. Go on."
"Start as soon as you're ready. I'll help you undo the seal when the time comes."
Tang Wulin opened his eyes, stood up, and carried the four wooden boxes out of the quiet room.
Mu Chen was sitting behind his desk, leafing through files. He raised his eyes when he saw Tang Wulin come out.
"Why did you come out?"
"President, could you do me a favor?"
Tang Wulin set the four wooden boxes on the desk.
"These four spirit items need to be ground into a slurry. My metal canteen isn't big enough. Does the association have a larger container?"
Mu Chen put down the files and glanced at the four boxes. "Grind them into a slurry? You're going to take them all at once?"
"Mm."
Mu Chen's expression grew serious. "Are you sure? The medicinal properties of these four thousand-year spirit items will clash violently when combined."
"There's a world of difference between taking them separately and taking them together."
"Can your eight-year-old body withstand that?"
"I can." Tang Wulin's tone was firm. "Don't worry, President. I know what I'm doing."
Mu Chen stared at him for a few seconds. Seeing how steady his gaze was, without the slightest sign that he was trying to be brave, he said no more to dissuade him.
He stood up and pressed a switch on the wall. Another hidden door slid open beside them.
"My personal forging room is in there. These things are rather difficult to process, but heating them in a forging furnace will make it much easier."
Tang Wulin followed him into the forging room.
Mu Chen placed the items in a translucent, sealed container and began heating them at a low temperature.
At the same time, he used Soul Power to protect the four spirit items so they wouldn't be scorched or burned.
A few minutes later,
the contents of the translucent, sealed container had turned into a thick, dark green liquid, and a bitter, fishy smell spread through the air.
Tang Wulin stood watching from the side, the corner of his mouth twitching.
The stuff was an ugly color and smelled awful. Just a whiff was enough to kill his appetite.
He grumbled inwardly, Can't spirit items be made to look and taste a little better?
Mu Chen handed the container to Tang Wulin. It was a large cup filled to the brim, holding roughly seven or eight hundred milliliters.
"It probably won't taste good. You'd better drink it all in one go without stopping. It'll be worse if you stop."
"Thank you, President."
Tang Wulin took the cup in both hands, drew a deep breath, and turned back to the quiet room.
The door closed behind him. He sat cross-legged on the floor and looked at the cup of thick, dark green slurry in his hands.
He closed his eyes for a moment, then tipped his head back and drank it down.
The first mouthful nearly made him throw up.
It was bitter, fishy, and astringent, but he held it down and gulped the whole cupful, mouthful after mouthful.
The instant the liquid reached his stomach, Tang Wulin doubled over, nearly falling flat on the floor.
Violent energy exploded inside him.
Overbearing power surged wildly through his body.
He gritted his teeth and straightened his back, using the circulation path of the Mysterious Heaven Skill to forcibly guide the medicinal power through his body.
As the medicinal power entered his body, the Golden Dragon King's power was released at that moment as well.
His blood Qi rose wildly.
The blood in his veins flowed who knew how many times faster.
A faint bloody mist began seeping from the surface of his skin.
Tang Wulin gritted his teeth and held on.
The pain was real, but he could withstand it. He had enough willpower,
honed by practicing the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer with a wooden hammer at the forge.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
The Soft Bone Rabbit Soul Spirit emerged from his chest, lay down on his legs, and began absorbing the Golden Dragon King's power.
The Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul and the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul appeared at the same time, floating on either side of him.
The three of them absorbed the Golden Dragon King's power once more, growing stronger and improving again.
Time passed bit by bit.
A layer of dark red grime seeped from the surface of Tang Wulin's skin, carrying a fishy stench.
At last, Tang Wulin felt his body suddenly relax. The pain was gone, and he let out a long breath.
Old Tang's voice rang out in the Sea of Consciousness.
"Congratulations. You've successfully broken the second seal."
Looking at Old Tang's figure, Tang Wulin smiled too.
"It wasn't as painful as I imagined."
"I wonder what the surprise you mentioned is?"
Old Tang chuckled. "You should discover the surprise I mentioned for yourself. Only then will it be a surprise."
"What I need to tell you now is which spirit items you'll need to prepare for the next seal, and when."
Tang Wulin's expression grew solemn.
"Go ahead."
"The next seal must be broken before you turn sixteen."
Tang Wulin acknowledged him without paying it much mind. It was still early, after all. He had another seven and a half years.
"What spirit items do I need to prepare?"
Old Tang's tone grew somewhat more serious.
"You'll need five spirit items, all a thousand years old as well: Thousand-Year Dragon Marrow Flower, Thousand-Year Blood Dragon Ginseng, Thousand-Year Earth Dragon Heart, Thousand-Year Dragon Bone Grass, and Thousand-Year Dragon Blood Ganoderma."