Chapter 261 - A Test of Strength
Soul rings with special colors rarely appeared throughout history, and the legendary Huo Yuhao and Tang San were the most prominent examples of people who possessed them.
In light of this, even though Tang Wulin only had a single golden soul ring, it immediately attracted everyone’s attention.
After recovering from her surprise, the old lady furrowed her brows. “Your soul ring is quite unique. It doesn’t seem to be made of soul power. I sense blood essence fluctuations coming from it, but your soul power is completely serene. Just what is going on?”
“Honestly, I don’t know either,” Tang Wulin answered calmly. “I only know that my blood essence is very powerful. I think this ability came from my bloodline, but since it granted me a soul skill, it seems to be a type of soul ring.”
As Tang Wulin spoke, the golden ring lit up, and the roar of a dragon erupted from his body. His muscles swelled as a layer of golden light enveloped him.
“Th-this is... Golden Dragon Body? You have the Golden Dragon bloodline?” the old lady sputtered.
Her words stunned Tang Wulin.
The name of the soul skill appeared in my mind, so how does this old lady know it? Has someone been in a situation like mine in the past?
No. That’s not possible. She said Golden Dragon, but what’s sealed inside my body is the Golden Dragon King. They should be two different things.
As his mind worked in overdrive to understand the situation, the old lady appeared in front of him in a flash.
“Punch me.” The old lady stared at him with profound, thoughtful eyes.
“Punch you?” Tang Wulin hesitantly asked, clearly taken aback.
Although he knew how mighty a Shrek Academy examiner had to be, the old lady before him looked as if she already had one foot in the grave. He doubted that she could take one of his punches.
My strength surpassed five hundred kilograms long ago, but with Golden Dragon Body, I think it might be over five thousand kilograms!
“Don’t worry about me,” the old lady said impatiently. “My old bones are quite tough. If you actually kill me, you can just immediately enter the Sea God’s Pavilion.”
At her words, Tang Wulin sucked in a deep breath and said, “Please be careful then.”
And he threw a punch at her.
Bang!
Tang Wulin suddenly felt something strike his arm, instantly slapping his punch aside.
“Have you not eaten yet?” the old lady barked in a scolding tone. “Use some strength!”
The people watching from the sidelines had clearly seen what happened. The moment Tang Wulin’s scaled fist shot out, the old lady casually swatted it away as if it were a housefly!
Their awareness of his strength only made this sight all the more shocking. Even if it wasn’t a full-power punch, Tang Wulin was still a dragon in human form! Yet... she simply...
Realizing what had happened, Tang Wulin felt better about punching the old lady. He sucked in a deep breath, his belly seemingly inflating as a sharp whistling sound pierced in the air. His arms swelled with even more power than before, their golden scales shining brilliantly. With a loud grunt, he threw all of that power into an explosive punch directed at the old lady.
However, this punch was different. A deafening boom rumbled through the room in the wake of his fist, even leaving a golden afterimage.
Bang!
His fist came to an abrupt halt in the old lady’s palm.
The old lady hadn’t moved an inch and was just as expressionless as before. Tang Wulin felt as if he had struck a wall of rubber, all of his force instantly dissipating.
This...
Tang Wulin felt just as powerless as Xie Xie had. She can actually take my punch without using her martial soul or soul power? She’s crazy strong!
“Is that all?” the old lady asked dryly. “You’re only this strong?”
The disappointment in her eyes provoked his sense of pride.
“I’m even stronger than this,” he declared, preparing his fist once more. Golden tendrils of light danced about as it transformed into a golden dragon claw.
With Golden Dragon Body activated, low rumbles could be heard radiating from his claw, as if its oppressive magnificence alone was enough to make the air tremble.
Light flashed through the old lady’s eyes.
“Come,” she said.
Breathing in deeply, Tang Wulin hurled his third punch screaming outward.
This time he held nothing back, pouring all his strength into this punch. Unlike the second punch, his blood howled as all of his blood essence converged on his right arm. The roar of a regal dragon filled the air as he punched. No sonic boom accompanied his fist this time because the air itself parted before its might.
Although the old lady remained nearly as motionless as before, this time she threw a punch of her own.
Xie Xie, Gu Yue, and Xu Xiaoyan saw light warp around the old lady as nine resplendent rings of light appeared. Before they could comprehend what was happening, the two fists met.
Boom!
Flying backward like an artillery shell, Tang Wulin struck the wall twenty meters behind him, embedding himself into it.
The old lady remained where she had been standing, unmoving. After a moment, she returned to her seat at the table. “Next.”
“Captain!”
“Wulin!”
The members of class zero shouted in unison, immediately rushing to his side.
“I’m fine,” Tang Wulin said with a cough.
Debris tumbled from the wall as he extricated himself from it.
This wall is really thick!
Tang Wulin truly was fine. During the clash of their two fists, he felt as if he were punching a gigantic balloon. A simply overwhelming elastic force had sent him flying into the wall.
His was more than tough enough to experience being embedded into the wall and walk away unscathed, but still, it wasn’t a pleasant experience. Those three punches had depleted him of blood essence, and now his body felt weak.
Gu Yue helped him up. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Tang Wulin nodded. “Relax. I just need to rest for a moment and I’ll be in prime condition. Actually, I guess I’m still a bit hungry.”
If I had a good meal right now, would my blood essence recover even faster? Too bad there isn’t any food here.
Preoccupied with Tang Wulin’s condition, the students hadn’t seen the looks of shock painted on the faces of Shen Yi and the other two examiners. Their jaws had dropped.
Tang Wulin sat on the chair, took in a deep breath, and began using the Mysterious Heaven Method to adjust his soul power and recover his blood essence. His breathing was still a bit rough as his eyes flitted toward the old lady, awe lingering within them.
Her strength is unfathomable! I don’t think that even Teacher Wu could compare!
Gu Yue walked to the center of the room, her expression somewhat grim. She did not bow like her three classmates before her. Instead, she simply nodded. “I’m beginning now.”
Shen Yi frowned. This was the first time someone ever dared act so haughty in front of a Shrek Academy examiner.
The old lady narrowed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. “Go on then.”
Gu Yue’s eyes sparkled as three soul rings appeared beneath her, two yellow and one purple. She flipped her hands to form the shape of a bowl with her palms, a yellow light gathering in them a moment later.
That yellow light was steady and gentle, the characteristics of the earth element.
The earth element spun within her hands and gradually congealed into a physical form.
Elemental control. So she’s showing the strength of her spiritual power.
The three examiners instantly came to the same conclusion.
However, what happened next challenged their understanding.
Gu Yue took the ball of yellow light in her left hand, then began sculpting it with her right. Each soft touch of her fingers created a petal, until finally, she held a yellow flower with nine petals.
The nine-petaled flower spun slowly, its otherworldly nature a mesmerizing sight.
The middle-aged man on the right gave a slight nod of approval. Elemental-type martial souls were rarely seen, and Gu Yue’s wealth of spiritual power and steadfast control over the element proved impressive. However, this still fell within the boundaries of what was considered normal.