Seven orbs of light swirled and rose, slowly condensing into a seven-colored halo above Gu Yuena's head. After a long while, the halo's colors gradually became transparent, then began to undergo the same transformation as Xiao Wu's soul ring had earlier.
Gu Chen also sat cross-legged, preparing to condense his soul ring.
Ding!
"Detected host's current situation. Activating mission selection:"
Mission A: Stop condensing the soul ring and assist Tang San in hunting a hundred-year-old Mandala Snake 3,500 meters southeast.Reward: Spirit Power +1000 points, Tri-edged Army Spike ×1.
Mission B: Unlock the first seal and condense a soul ring over 1,000 years old.
Reward: Spirit Power +900 points, Soul Power Boost Card ×1 (Unconditionally increases one level for Soul Kings and below, cannot be used on oneself).
At that moment, the system's voice rang in Gu Chen's mind.
"Accept Mission B." Gu Chen murmured.
Not to mention that he had no intention of assisting in hunting soul beasts—even if he did, he wouldn't make it in time. By the time he arrived, Tang San would likely have already slain the Mandala Snake.
Besides, Mission B was something he could easily accomplish. Although it provided 100 fewer points of the spirit power he needed most, 900 points were still substantial.
Gu Chen closed his eyes. The phantom of the Golden Dragon King slowly emerged behind him, its razor-sharp claws gleaming ominously, striking fear into anyone who beheld them.
Crack! Crack!
A shattering sound echoed. The first seal broke under Gu Chen's mental control. The immense energy from the Golden Dragon King's bloodline instantly surged through his internal organs.
At the same time, a golden light rose from his palm, transforming into a golden soul ring. After a while, the golden ring turned transparent.
The process mirrored Xiao Wu's soul ring condensation, but when it reached the hundred-year mark, the ring did not directly merge into Gu Chen's body.
As a result, the soul ring continued to draw soul power from Gu Chen's body while exerting immense pressure on him. However, how could the Golden Dragon King's physique be compared to that of an ordinary soul master?
Even with multiple seals suppressing it, Gu Chen's body remained far superior to that of normal soul masters.
The deep yellow soul ring gradually shifted to a light purple hue. After another hour, its color settled into a deep purple, representing an 8,000-year-old soul ring.
As the soul ring fused into his body, Gu Chen opened his eyes.
Not far away, Gu Yuena had already condensed her first soul ring—hers was a light purple.
Although Gu Yuena also possessed a powerful dragon body, she primarily governed elemental control. Her spiritual power was incomparably strong, but her physical strength was somewhat weaker than Gu Chen's.
Gu Chen examined the seals within his body. The only advantage of his self-imposed seals over forced ones was that he could unlock them at will without suffering backlash.
But Gu Chen wasn't foolish enough to directly release all the seals. His strength as the Golden Dragon King ultimately stemmed from the Dragon God. If he didn't start from scratch and cultivate step by step, he would never truly surpass the Dragon God.
"Since we've finished condensing our soul rings, let's hurry back to Nuoding Academy," Gu Yuena said softly.
Gu Chen nodded. The trio captured three flying soul beasts in the Soul-Hunting Forest and rode them swiftly toward the entrance.
Looking back, the three flying soul beasts still knelt in reverence, worshipping Gu Chen and Gu Yuena. Gu Chen merely chuckled before exiting the forest.
Upon leaving, Xiao Wu parted ways with them—she went to the Spirit Hall to register as a soul master, while Gu Chen took Gu Yuena straight back to the academy.
The reason the two didn't register as soul masters was, first, because they had no intention of joining the Spirit Hall for now. With their thousand-year soul rings, they would undoubtedly be recruited again, and Gu Chen found that troublesome.
Second, Gu Chen had plenty of gold soul coins and had no need for the meager stipend.
Upon returning to their dormitory, the two immediately began cultivating on their beds. They continued until Xiao Wu, Wang Sheng, and the others returned noisily.
"Boss Gu! Those senior students are too much! They bullied us right in our dorm! That bastard who calls himself 'Boss Xiao' wants to make me his pet rabbit! If I tolerate this, I'm not Xiao Wu!"
Gu Chen opened his eyes and saw Xiao Wu lying in front of him, pouting and complaining.
Gu Chen vaguely remembered this part of the story. He stopped cultivating, clapped his hands, and said, "Alright, let's go. These senior students are getting out of hand. They need a proper lesson. You guys don't disturb Gu Yuena's cultivation—I'm enough to handle this alone."
Xiao Wu nodded and motioned for Wang Sheng and the others to stay quiet. The group then quietly left the dormitory.
"Boss Xiao and his gang are in the woods behind the academy. Let's hurry over!" Wang Sheng urged.
Gu Chen glanced at him sideways. "Are you teaching me how to do things?"
"No, no! I wouldn't dare!" Wang Sheng immediately backed down.
When they arrived at the woods, they saw a group of senior students standing in front. The leader was a tall but youthful-looking student, his sneering expression ruining what might have been a decent face.
This was none other than the leader of Nuoding Academy's senior students—Boss Xiao.
"Little girl, you still have time to regret this. Of course, I don't mind having another pet rabbit. Your martial soul is a rabbit, isn't it?" Boss Xiao sneered upon seeing Xiao Wu.
At that moment, Gu Chen stepped forward.
Ding-dong! Your friend 'Trash Talker Gu Chen' is now online!
"Kid, I really admire your skin—it's so thick! Almost as thick as your mother's ashes!" Gu Chen taunted immediately.
Since trash talk was inevitable before a fight, why not escalate it?
"Who the hell are you? Who said you could speak?!" Boss Xiao roared.
As expected of an uneducated brute—so easy to provoke.
"Nothing much, just a fortune teller. Tell me, what exactly are you?" Gu Chen replied without a single curse word.
"I'm not—wait, what? You're the thing!" Boss Xiao stammered.
Gu Chen remained unfazed and continued, "You must be God's rough draft—a truly creative design!"
Behind him, Wang Sheng and the others wore expressions of admiration, as if they had just learned something valuable.
"F*ck this! Are we fighting or not? I won't bully you—there are eleven of us here, so you can also send out eleven people. One-on-one battles, winners stay until all members of one side lose." Boss Xiao, now completely agitated, set the rules.
Seeing that Boss Xiao was done with the trash talk, Gu Chen smirked and stepped forward. "No need to make it complicated! You can all come at me together. If any of you beat me, you win!"
Turning to Wang Sheng and the others, he said, "Don't interfere. These insects aren't worth your time—I alone am enough."
"Boss Gu, you—" Wang Sheng hesitated.
"Wang Sheng, Boss Gu is really strong. Believe in him!" Xiao Wu interjected.
Damn, what brand of trash bag are you? You're really good at pretending!
Boss Xiao was momentarily stunned before regaining his senses. Afraid Gu Chen might change his mind, he quickly ordered, "Then it's settled! Liu Long, you go first!"
A senior student stepped forward. Yellow light flared in Liu Long's hands as a two-meter-long staff materialized. His martial soul resembled the one Gu Chen had crushed outside the cafeteria earlier.
"Brat, you talk big. If I don't beat you down today, I won't be called Liu!" Liu Long declared.
"Then if you lose, you can call yourself 'Wilted Flower Liu' instead!" Xiao Wu countered before Gu Chen could respond. Clearly, she had learned a lot from him.
Liu Long's expression darkened. Without another word, he stepped forward, swinging his staff overhead to strike Gu Chen.
Gu Chen didn't even summon his martial soul—he merely raised his palm lightly toward Liu Long's chest.
Seeing this, Liu Long was enraged. Taking it as a sign of disdain, he put even more force into his swing.
Xiao Wu and the others had already seen Gu Chen's combat prowess outside the cafeteria. Seeing Liu Long ignore his attack, they silently mourned for him.
Pa!
Gu Chen's palm landed on Liu Long's chest first, causing it to cave inward slightly. Liu Long was sent flying nearly ten meters, landing unconscious with blood trickling from his mouth.
...
Boss Xiao and his gang were utterly dumbfounded.