Douluo Continent III Haotian Wulin

On the way back, the three of them were much quieter.

Tang Wulin kept his head down the whole way, clearly deep in thought; Gu Yue was also unusually thoughtful, her brows furrowed in contemplation; Xie Xie frowned, glancing at Tang Wulin every now and then, as if reliving the scene from just now.

Upon entering the academy, Gu Yue parted ways with them and returned to the girls' dormitory.

"I'm going back now." She paused, then looked at Tang Wulin. "Don't do anything reckless tonight."

Tang Wulin nodded.

After Gu Yue had walked away, Xie Xie and Tang Wulin continued walking into the dormitory building.

When Tang Wulin arrived at the dormitory entrance, he suddenly stopped.

"Xie Xie, wait a moment."

"What's wrong?" Xie Xie turned to look at him.

Tang Wulin looked at him, his expression much more serious than usual.

"I think I know how those golden scales appeared."

Xie Xie was taken aback at first, then his eyes lit up.

"You know? Tell me quickly."

Tang Wulin organized his thoughts and slowly said, "After the first appearance of the golden scales, I tried many methods. I mobilized my soul power, trained until I was exhausted, and even deliberately injured myself, but nothing worked. But when it appeared for the second time today, I suddenly remembered that there was something exactly the same as the first time."

"What?" Xie Xie immediately asked.

"It was your Light Dragon Dagger," Tang Wulin said in a low voice. "The first time, it was you who injured me, and that's when the golden scales came out. Today, it was the same; after your Light Dragon Dagger cut a wound on my back, that burning sensation reappeared."

Xie Xie was stunned.

He stood there for a moment, thinking, and then the expression on his face became quite interesting.

"Yes..." he murmured, "that's really true."

But then he frowned.

"But why is that?"

Tang Wulin shook his head.

"I don't know either. That thing doesn't seem to be the same as the Sinking Star Hammer. I can't even say whether it counts as a Martial Soul."

Xie Xie's eyes darted around, and he suddenly said, "Could it be a second martial soul?"

Tang Wulin was taken aback.

"A second martial soul?"

"Yes." Xie Xie became more and more convinced of the possibility as he spoke. "Twin martial souls don't necessarily all appear openly like mine. Maybe yours is latent, only emerging when stimulated. If that's the case, then you don't just have one martial soul."

Tang Wulin's heart suddenly started beating faster.

Second Martial Soul.

These four words were far too heavy for him.

If that golden scale truly belongs to another martial soul of mine, then many things will be different.

He thought about it for a while, but still hesitated.

"But I don't understand these things either."

Xie Xie, however, was completely engrossed.

"Then let's ask the dance teacher. She definitely knows more than we do."

"Let's talk about it tomorrow," Tang Wulin said. "It's so late now."

"Wait until tomorrow?" Xie Xie grabbed his arm. "Let's go now. What if it's really what I suspect?"

Tang Wulin glanced at him.

"Why are you in such a hurry than I am?"

Xie Xie chuckled, his expression revealing an barely concealed excitement.

"Because besides the second martial soul, there's another possibility," he lowered his voice, "martial soul fusion."

Tang Wulin was slightly taken aback.

"A Martial Soul Fusion Skill?"

"That's right." Xie Xie became more and more fluent as he spoke. "Think about it, both times the golden scales appeared, it was related to my Light Dragon Dagger. If this wasn't just a simple thrill, but rather a special synergy between our two martial souls, then that would be amazing."

Tang Wulin had certainly heard of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

In the world of Soul Masters, that's an extremely rare occurrence. Soul Masters capable of using Soul Fusion Techniques often possess combat power far exceeding that of their peers. Throughout the entire East Sea Academy, he had never heard of many students who could do this.

Thinking this way, his breathing quickened.

"Let's go." Xie Xie couldn't wait any longer. "Let's go find Teacher Wu now."

The teachers' dormitories were all in the same building, and for the convenience of management, the homeroom teachers usually lived on the floor corresponding to their own classes. So the two of them didn't have to go far at all; they simply walked through the corridor and arrived at Wu Changkong's door.

"Bang, bang."

Xie Xie raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" came Wu Changkong's icy voice, as always.

"Teacher Wu, it's me, Xie Xie." Xie Xie quickly replied, "Wu Lin and I have something we'd like to ask you."

"Come in."

The door opened.

Wu Changkong stood inside the doorway, dressed in a moon-white nightgown. The loose nightgown did not diminish his coldness; on the contrary, it accentuated his aloof and upright demeanor.

When Tang Wulin and Xie Xie saw him, the first thing that came to mind was the terrible things they had experienced during the past few months of special training.

Wu Changkong's dormitory was much larger than theirs. It had a separate bathroom, dressing room, and bedroom, as well as a small living room outside. It was very tidy and had almost no unnecessary decorations.

Xie Xie stuck out his tongue.

"Teacher Wu, did I disturb your cultivation?"

Wu Changkong shook his head.

"Just say it, what is it?"

Xie Xie nudged Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin took a deep breath and recounted the entire story of his two appearances of the golden scales as clearly as possible. He didn't hide anything, including the first time in the dormitory, the second time in the snack street, and the judgment he and Xie Xie had just reached.

The more Wu Changkong listened, the deeper his brows furrowed.

After Tang Wulin finished speaking, the room fell silent for a few moments.

"Golden Scales..." Wu Changkong repeated softly, a hint of contemplation in his eyes.

He had never witnessed such a situation before.

Logically speaking, Xie Xie's judgment wasn't wrong. It was either a hidden second martial soul, or some extremely rare and special compatibility. But either way, it was anything but ordinary.

He raised his head and looked at Xie Xie.

"Try again."

Xie Xie was taken aback: "Now?"

"Now," Wu Changkong said calmly, "use your Light Dragon Dagger to slash him again."

Xie Xie's eyes suddenly looked a little strange.

He released the Light Dragon Dagger and looked at Tang Wulin with a grin.

"Wu Lin, where do you think would be the best place to stab this time?"

Wu Changkong gave him a cold glance.

"Stop talking nonsense."

"Yes." Xie Xie immediately became obedient.

Tang Wulin had already extended his arm.

Xie Xie moved slowly and carefully this time. The sharp Light Dragon Dagger lightly grazed Tang Wulin's arm, leaving only a shallow cut.

Almost the instant his skin was broken, Tang Wulin's body trembled slightly.

This time, he felt clearer than the previous two times.

When the Light Dragon Dagger cut through his skin, it seemed as if a faint, extremely fine wisp of power from the dagger seeped into the wound.

Then--

That familiar burning sensation instantly surged up from my tailbone.

Tang Wulin took a deep breath, his body tensing. A surge of heat instantly spread throughout his body, and his right arm felt as if it had been set ablaze, with golden scales rapidly emerging from under his skin and covering his entire arm in the blink of an eye.

Wu Changkong raised his hand and waved.

A sharp gust of air swept past, and Tang Wulin's clothes instantly turned into fragments, which floated down lightly.

Xie Xie stared, his eyes wide with amazement.

The golden scales spread upwards from his right forearm, covering his entire arm. The scales were rhomboid in shape, with sharp edges and a bright, gleaming color, exuding an indescribable sense of nobility and oppression. At the same time, his right hand was also changing; his fingers tightened, and golden claws, about an inch long, gradually emerged from his fingertips.

That's not something that can be faked by projecting soul power.

That was a real change.

Wu Changkong's eyes narrowed, and he stepped forward, directly grasping Tang Wulin's right hand.

"Give it your strength," he said in a deep voice.

Knowing he couldn't hurt his teacher, Tang Wulin immediately exerted force with his right hand and clenched his fist tightly.