Douluo Continent III Haotian Wulin

After the two stepped back, the sound of the wind in the open space became much clearer.

Xie Xie stared at Tang Wulin, but did not move immediately.

Those few exchanges had completely dispelled his initial arrogance. Tang Wulin's speed was inferior to his, and his skills were clearly clumsy, but that hammer was too heavy and its power too brute. If Tang Wulin got close, even a mere glancing blow would cause serious trouble.

Tang Wulin was also looking at Xie Xie.

His shoulders slumped slightly, his hands gripped the hammer, and he pressed his breath down little by little.

That clash just now made him realize his problems more clearly—he could suppress the opponent for a moment, but he couldn't seize the opportunity afterward; he could force Xie Xie back, but he found it difficult to truly keep him in place. He had the strength, and his hammer was heavy enough, but he was still far from knowing how to turn that weight into a truly effective advantage.

"This time, I won't give you another chance," Xie Xie suddenly said.

The moment he finished speaking, the yellow spirit ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up.

He charged out again.

But this time, it was clearly different from before.

He stopped changing direction repeatedly, instead going straight first, then zigzing, and finally, when he was less than five meters away from Tang Wulin, he suddenly split into three. It wasn't that he actually split into three, but rather that after reaching extreme speed, he left three short and clear afterimages in sight.

Tang Wulin's eyes narrowed.

I can't tell.

But he didn't panic. He slammed the Sinking Star Hammer into the ground, and his first spirit ring lit up at the same time.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

The ground trembled, and that familiar feeling of oppression suddenly expanded. The grass blades in front of them all bent down, and even the air seemed to freeze.

The shadow on the left disappeared.

The shadow in the middle also dissipated.

The real Xie Xie had already cut in from the right.

He had clearly anticipated Tang Wulin's move. The real target wasn't directly in front of him, but rather he used the afterimage and momentum to send himself to a position where he shouldn't be seen.

Tang Wulin couldn't spin the hammer in time.

Xie Xie thrust the Light Dragon Dagger forward, first grazing the hammer handle, then smoothly sliding in along the edge of the Heavy Star Hammer. It wasn't a direct clash, nor a straight thrust, but a very tricky entry.

The next instant, the dagger was already aimed at Tang Wulin's right shoulder.

Xie Xie held back his strength in this attack.

He just wants to win, not to cripple his opponent.

Even with his strength restored, the Light Dragon Dagger was still the Light Dragon Dagger. The instant the blade pierced his flesh, Tang Wulin's shoulder still jolted violently, his clothes ripped open, and blood seeped out.

The excruciating pain came on suddenly and fiercely.

Tang Wulin groaned, his body slumped downwards, and the force with which he gripped the hammer in his right arm faltered for a moment.

Xie Xie landed a successful blow and passed right by Tang Wulin, giving him no chance to retaliate with his hammer. He shifted his feet and slid behind Tang Wulin, flicking his wrist to press the Light Dragon Dagger against the wound.

"It's not too late to admit defeat now."

His voice was cold, and his breathing was not steady.

He didn't win this battle easily.

Tang Wulin clenched his teeth, the pain in his shoulder causing his vision to go black for a moment. But what truly tormented him was not just the slash itself, but the sharp soul power within the Light Dragon Dagger, which pierced through him like needles, causing his entire right arm to go numb.

"Do you admit defeat?" Xie Xie asked again.

Tang Wulin did not answer immediately.

He just kept his head down, his shoulders and back tense.

Refuse to admit defeat.

He didn't even need to think about those three words.

But just as this thought crossed my mind, another strange feeling suddenly exploded from the depths of the wound.

First it was scalded.

Then came an even deeper surge of heat, rushing from my shoulder into my body and flowing straight down my spine. It wasn't ordinary heat; it felt more like something that had been dormant somewhere inside me had been abruptly awakened by this knife.

Tang Wulin trembled violently.

Xie Xie immediately sensed something was wrong and instinctively tried to retract the Light Dragon Dagger.

But as soon as he stopped, his expression changed immediately.

It's too late to get it back.

It wasn't that I couldn't pull it away by force, but rather that the dagger seemed to be "bitten" by something; even though it hadn't pierced deeply, it was stuck in that piece of flesh and refused to come out.

"What's going on—"

Before he could finish speaking, Tang Wulin had already abruptly raised his head.

The clear black and white of his eyes seemed to have been burned, with a faint golden tinge appearing at the edges. The next instant, a very fine golden line lit up from the edge of the wound on his shoulder, as if something was pushing outwards along the skin.

Xie Xie felt a sudden jolt in his hand as he held the Light Dragon Dagger.

Immediately afterwards, the dagger, which was usually sharp and steady, emitted a very faint tremor.

It's not a dragon's roar.

It's more like...fear.

Before Xie Xie could react, the bleeding from the wound had already stopped. Fine golden light shone through the skin, spreading outward little by little. Under the pressure of that increasingly bright golden light, the Light Dragon Dagger was forced to bleed through the flesh bit by bit.

Tang Wulin let out a muffled roar, barely suppressed.

He himself didn't know what had happened.

All he knows is heat.

My body was hot all over, hot in my bones, hot in my blood. That heat rushed up my spine to my right arm, and my arm suddenly felt like it no longer belonged to me, incredibly heavy and terrifyingly strong.

"ah--"

Tang Wulin finally couldn't hold back any longer, and a low roar burst out from his chest.

The Light Dragon Dagger was forcefully knocked away.

Xie Xie almost instinctively took a quick step back, but he was still half a step too late.

Tang Wulin turned around and threw out his right fist.

This punch had no hammer.

It didn't come with any fancy decorations.

It was just a single punch.

But the moment that punch was thrown, a faint golden edge appeared around the fist. The air was forcibly pushed apart, and the punch was fast and heavy, so fast that Xie Xie only had time to see a fist covered with fine golden scales.

Yes.

Golden scales.

Xie Xie's pupils suddenly contracted.

But it was too late for him to avoid it.

"boom--"

The fist didn't land squarely on his chest, but grazed his chest and shoulder. Tang Wulin clearly held back a little at the last moment, but even so, the explosive force was terrifying enough.

Xie Xie was blasted backward, his back slamming heavily against the tree trunk before sliding down the tree.

His vision went black, and his consciousness vanished instantly.

The open space fell silent again.

Tang Wulin knelt on the ground, panting heavily, his right hand supporting him on the ground, his whole body trembling.

The pain was still there, but even more intense was the heat surging from the deepest part of his body. He subconsciously looked down at his right hand, and in just one glance, he froze.

The back of my hand, knuckles, wrist, and even the lower half of my forearm were all covered with a layer of fine golden scales.

The scales weren't large, but the edges were very clear, and each scale was pressed very tightly together. The nails had also changed; they were noticeably longer and harder than usual, and the tips even had a slightly narrowed, sharp feel.

Tang Wulin's breath hitched.

He slowly raised his hand, his eyes momentarily vacant.

This is not his martial spirit.

It wasn't anything left over from forging.

It grew out of his body.

Near the wound on his right shoulder, the ant-like spirit attached to the power of the spirit ring also became noticeably restless, its body radiating a faint golden light, as if responding to something. However, its fluctuations were very weak, so weak that Tang Wulin was almost certain—this was not the change brought about by it.

It is not a spirit.

Then it can only be myself.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when the golden scales on his right arm began to recede rapidly. The searing heat that had almost burned him through his shoulder was also quickly dissipating, replaced by a feeling of utter exhaustion.

too fast.

From appearance to disappearance, it lasts only a few breaths.

Tang Wulin didn't even have time to examine it closely before the strangeness on his hand had mostly subsided, leaving only a faint golden mark near the wound on his shoulder, as if everything just now was an illusion.

But he knew it wasn't an illusion.

The moment Xie Xie was sent flying was not an illusion.

The injury on my shoulder is not an illusion.

Tang Wulin tried to stand up, but his legs suddenly went weak.

He barely managed to turn his head to look at Xie Xie not far away. Seeing that the other man had only fainted and his chest was still rising and falling, he breathed a sigh of relief. But as soon as he breathed a sigh of relief, everything went black before his eyes.

He fell forward.

Before he lost consciousness, only one very simple thought flashed through his mind—

The trouble is big.

Xie Xie was awakened by the commotion.

When he regained consciousness, his head was still spinning, and he felt like the whole world was shaking. His face, shoulders, and back were all in pain, especially his face, which was so numb that it almost didn't feel like his own.

He struggled to open his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a familiar shoulder.

Further ahead is the gate of Donghai Academy.

It was already dark.

The streetlights were all on, illuminating the large characters at the college entrance very clearly.

Xie Xie was stunned for a moment before realizing that he was being carried on someone's back.

The person carrying him was Tang Wulin.

"You..." he began, but his voice was so muffled that even he couldn't hear it clearly.

Tang Wulin frowned and tilted his head, saying:

"You're awake?"

Xie Xie opened his mouth, but it took a lot of effort to squeeze out the words.

"What happened to my face?"

"It's swollen," Tang Wulin answered directly. "It's probably a bit worse than yesterday."

Xie Xie paused for a moment, then slowly raised his hand to touch his face.

It's swollen, hard, and hot.

The moment his fingertips touched it, he gasped in pain.

Then, everything that happened in the park during the day gradually came back to me.

He remembered that he had the upper hand.

I remember that my strike had already overwhelmed Tang Wulin.

I also remember the golden light that suddenly shone on the opponent's shoulder after that, and the final punch.

Xie Xie froze for a moment when he thought of that punch.

"you……"

He was about to ask something, but then suddenly stopped.

He suddenly remembered the words he had said to Tang Wulin before they set off in the park.

Don't worry, if I hurt you, I'll find someone to treat you.

Now, with her face swollen, she was carried back by Tang Wulin.

Thinking of this, Xie Xie felt a tightness in his chest.

He spent 24,000 yuan to buy a beating.

Now someone has to carry him back to school.

Tang Wulin didn't hear what he said afterward, nor did he turn around; he simply walked steadily forward. The wound on his shoulder had stopped bleeding, but it still ached with every step he took.

"Don't move around," he said, frowning. "I don't have much strength right now. If you fall, I might not want to pick you up."

Xie Xie wanted to say something, but after hearing this, he swallowed his words.

After a long pause, he muttered a curse under his breath:

"You're... really annoying."

Tang Wulin ignored him.

A breeze blew in from the school gate, and the coolness of the night instantly suppressed the lingering heat of the day.

But Tang Wulin's unease did not dissipate at all.

Xie Xie only saw his own final punch.

But he knew that the real problem wasn't how hard the punch was.

Rather, it was those golden scales.