The Legend of the Dragon King

Xu Xiaoyan raised her radiant Starwheel Ice Staff high into the air. Starlight burst out it, bathing the entire arena in its brilliance.

The bamboo leaves dispersed into nothingness under the starlight, leaving only the seven golden leaves hovering in the air motionlessly.

The wave of starlight washed over Xiao Tiantian, Ye Zishu, Han Yuchang, and Gu Tianming, who was tied up by Goldsong, calling out a golden glow from their bodies.

They all fell to the ground, their strength completely drained.

Suddenly, the world was dyed gold.

Xu Xiaoyan stood up straight, starlight dancing around her as if she was a descended goddess. Specks of starlight twinkling all over her body. A brand similar to her starwheel appeared on her forehead.

The starlight dancing around settled into a gentle glow. They had found their master. She floated into the air as the starlight rushed into her.

All of the circuits of the observatory flared, the stars in the sky shining brighter than ever. They all rushed to bestow their stellar energy on her.

Tang Wulin uncurled from his ball form and stood up to take in the spectacle. He gaped at what he was seeing, joying flooding his heart. Even in his amazement, he didn’t forget to take a few steps forward and finish restraining Xiao Tiantian, throwing a strand of bluesilver grass to catch the falling Ye Zishu as well.

Xie Xie separated from the falling Han Yuchang before they crashed into the ground, then landed with a roll to prevent injury. He stood up and stared at Xu Xiaoyan, awed by the magical sight of her.

Everyone could tell from her aura that she was transforming on a fundamental level. This was a martial soul evolution! Only a soul evolution could produce such powerful energy fluctuations and such a sight. From what they could tell as well, this was an evolution for the better.

Li Zhilong stared in shock, utterly dumbfounded. He never imagined such a thing would happen.

In reality, even if Xu Xiaoyan hadn’t acted, victory would have been theirs. Neither Xiao Tiantian’s attacks or Han Yuchang’s spiritual attacks could pose a threat to Tang Wulin. In terms of ability to take a beating, Tang Wulin was undoubtedly the best of them all. After taking on Yuanen Yehui’s attack directly, this was nothing.

The Skyorder Star Ocean Academy team was filled with excellent and powerful students all with four soul rings, but they were nothing compared with Yuanen Yehui. The difference between them wasn’t something as small as a single level. If she were present, she would be able to defeat their entire team by herself.

Tang Wulin had only ever been cautious about the observatory itself. He hadn’t imagined that it would actually help them out instead, and even evolve Xu Xiaoyan’s martial soul.

Ye Xinglan reappeared in the air in a flash of light. A golden glow emanating from her as well as she basked in the starlight, her Stargod Sword shining brilliantly. She was absorbing the stellar energy as well. Compared to Xu Xiaoyan, however, she was absorbing far less.

She gently descended to the ground then immediately sat down cross-legged and began meditating. Opportunity only knocks once, and as a student of Shrek Academy, she knew not to let opportunities slip out of her hands.

The golden aura of the Skyorder Star Ocean Academy students gradually dissipated and their abilities returned to normal. They all stared in shock at the scene before them. They all understood that there was no need to continue fighting. The victors had long since been determined.

Tang Wulin walked over to Li Zhilong with swift steps, and said in a hushed voice, “Senior, what do you think?”

Li Zhilong snapped out of his daze. “Does her martial soul have some connection with stars?”

Tang Wulin nodded.

Li Zhilong took in a deep breath to calm himself. “I have never seen anyone with such a strong connection to stellar energy before. It’s really just…” He wanted to say that it would have been fantastic if she were part of his academy, but held his tongue. After all his years at Skyorder Star Ocean Academy, he had gained a profound understanding of the observatory. It was clear that Xu Xiaoyan would grow stronger by leaps and bounds thanks to this baptism of starlight. She couldn’t be anything but a genius! If she were one of his students, then Skyorder Star Ocean Academy could progress to the next level!

Unfortunately for him, she was from Shrek Academy.

“Senior, can I request that you don’t turn off the observatory? Xiaoyan, she’s—” Tang Wulin’s words trailed off as he glanced back at Xu Xiaoyan.

“Of course!” Li Zhilong interrupted. “She might not be a student of my academy, but what she’s experiencing right now is also valuable data for us. We’ll record what’s happening for further research on how stellar energy can be used. Don’t worry. Stellar energy is infinite. There’s no harm in letting her absorb as much as she wants.”

He turned to his six students. “You better pay attention and focus on sensing what’s happening with the stellar energy. Do your best to understand its secrets.”

“Yes!” Xiao Tiantian answered in place of his teammates. After their defeat, they weren’t in the best condition.

As the geniuses of the next generation at Skyorder Star Ocean Academy, they were a proud bunch. They were sure to reach six rings by the time they turned twenty, and three of them were expert control-types. They dominated all of the tournaments and competitions in the vicinity of Skyorder City. Xiao Tiantian shined especially bright with his mighty Demon King martial soul.

Yet today they had lost to kids from Shrek Academy who had weaker cultivation bases than them and not a single flying-type. It was a crushing defeat. The gap between them was on such a fundamental level that it couldn’t be bridged. Their pride had taken a major it.

Xu Xiaoyan continued absorbing stellar energy for a little over an hour before she slowly descended to the ground. Her entire body was covered in specks of light. Tang Wulin counted them up, 365 in total.

Xu Xiaoyan sat down cross-legged. She circulated her soul power according to the Mysterious Heaven Method. The 365 twinkling specks of light faintly pulsed with life as her staff hovered upright in the air. It transformed from blue to gold, the starwheel at the peak emptying out to become a brand reminiscent of the stars. Simply looking at it felt like peering into the vast expanse of the starry heavens.

Her martial soul had evolved, the starwheel aspect strengthening. Her soul power fluctuations hadn’t grown much stronger, but they had grown in purity. The starlight had penetrated her body, purifying and refining it.

Xu Xiaoyan had always been the weakest member of her team, only able to contribute in a significant way at night with her Starwheel Shackles. But she was different now.

As the stars in the observatory gradually dimmed and returned to normal, Xu Xiaoyan finished absorbing the rest of the starlight lingering around her. Her pretty face now had an enchanting luster to it, almost to the point of sparkling.

Taking a deep breath in, she slowly opened her eyes. When everyone’s curious stares greeted her, she immediately blushed crimson.