The Legend of the Dragon King

Tang Wulin smiled at Luo Guixing. “Hmm? You guys still aren’t convinced? Want another go at it?”

Luo Guixing shrugged. “We just want to see how much we’ve grown and you guys are the best opponents to compare our strength with. Even though we probably won’t win, we still want to try. We’ve been training our asses off to reach you guys.”

Tang Wulin nodded. “Alright. When?”

“How about tomorrow afternoon? We’ll have nothing to do tomorrow after the morning opening ceremony. The losers pay for the arena rental fee. What do you say?”

“Sounds good,” said Tang Wulin, a quirk to his lips. It was good to compare notes with his classmates, and he had absolute confidence in his comrades.

“Class President, you better not underestimate us! We’ve grown a lot stronger. Our teamwork has improved too. We won’t make the same mistake as last time.” A sheepish smile slid across Luo Guixing’s lips. “But how about you guys lay off that soul fusion skill? It’s just too overpowered. Plus, isn’t the backlash quite large?”

Tang Wulin chuckled, soft and low. “Guixing, the way you’re talking just shows how little confidence you got! You don’t have any chance of winning to begin with if you keep this up.” He saw right through Luo Guixing, his little plans and schemes. Luckily for his classmate, he didn’t plan on using the Dragon God Transformation anyway. Old Tang had advised him not to.

“Great. See ya tomorrow.” And off Luo Guixing went.

As soon as he was gone, Tang Wulin made his way to his workshop. He didn’t bother notifying his friends about the challenge. Despite having not forged for a while, he was surprised at how much better the hammers felt in his hands than before. He chalked it up to the improvement in his blood essence and senses, and having some time to settle down. His alloy forging success rate increased, as well as the quality of his products. After an afternoon of work, he produced a piece with a harmony rate of eighty-nine percent, which prompted a grin from Yuanen Yehui upon his delivery. By the time he finished and left for his dormitory, it was already evening.

Xie Xie wasn’t anywhere to be seen and Gu Yue had yet to return. Tang Wulin knitted his brows, concern tickling his heart. He pulled out his soul communicator and called Gu Yue.

“Wulin?” She picked up immediately. His body instantly relaxed at the sound of her voice.

“Yeah. It’s me. School starts tomorrow. How come you aren’t back yet? Where are you?”

“Hehe. I’m almost there. I’ve got you some tasty treats. Just wait a moment and I’ll see you.”

“I’ll meet you at the gates,” Tang Wulin blurted out. It surprised him, this impatience in his heart, and he hadn’t a clue why those words left his mouth.

“Okay!”

Tang Wulin leaped off his bed, threw on some shoes, and ran out of his room, the door slamming shut behind him. And Xu Lizhi had watched him leave, a wry smile forming on his lips.

During his sprint, Tang Wulin bumped into Xie Xie a soon as he was one step off the dormitory grounds.

“Woah! Boss, you’re back?” Xie Xie asked. Drenched in sweat and coated with dust, he cut quite the sorry figure. His hair was sticking to his face in a disheveled mess, his complexion a bit pale.

“What have you been up to? You’re a mess,” Tang Wulin said, looking Xie Xie up and down.

Xie Xie’s eyes lit up. “It’s a secret!”

“Fine fine.” Tang Wulin knew when not to pry. He waved Xie Xie goodbye and continued running toward the academy gates.

A few moments later, Xie Xie found himself in front of a sink. He washed his face of sweat and dust. Rinsed his hair. He turned off the sink and felt refreshed, the water still dripping from his face and hair.

It made him cringe to think about the training he put himself through. But he could only blame himself. If he hadn’t been so quick to ask Liang Xiaoyu for guidance that day, he wouldn’t have to endure such excruciating training.

But still, he persisted, excitedly even. Under Liang Xiaoyu’s watchful eye, he felt himself quickly growing stronger each day. He was discovering the potential hidden within his body and martial souls, the training drawing out more and more of it. Contrary to what he had first thought, he wasn’t weak or untalented. Xie Xie just hadn’t understood the essence of his martial souls yet, or what it meant to be an agility-type.

Naturally, after being under the man’s guidance, Xie Xie had learned of his identity. On the second day of training, Liang Xiaoyu had brought him to a specialized training facility. And it belonged to the Agility Hall of the Tang Sect’s three outer halls! The Rising Sun of the West Mountain, Liang Xiaoyu, was actually the master of the Agility Hall! He was tasked with intelligence gathering, public relations, and keeping tabs on the markets. The scope of his responsibilities was huge, countless bullet points needed to detail all of them.

The Agility Hall exclusively recruited agility-types, and Xie Xie had been scouted by Liang Xiaoyu. He was now an associate of the Agility Hall, and under Liang Xiangyu’s guidance, walking the true path of an agility-type.

The old Xie Xie wouldn’t have been able to endure such harsh training, but after the incident with Yuanen Yehui, a burning desire to grow stronger appeared within him. His tenacity astonished Liang Xiaoyu. He put his all into his training every day, not stopping until his body was spent and on the verge of collapse. He had always treated his opponents with a touch of ruthlessness, but now he was directing that merciless edge at himself. He didn’t allow himself to make any excuses. No matter what it took, he would achieve his goal to surpass Yuanen Yehui, defeat her, and marry her!

Everyone needed a goal. A goal to strive for, to struggle for. The greater it was, the harder the struggle. With a goal branded on his heart now, Xie Xie had nothing holding him back anymore. He embraced the pain and exhaustion, even if he was a husk of himself after training. These were all signs of growth.

As Xie Xie had washed up and ran through his thoughts, Yuanen Yehui stood at the edge of her window, peeking out through a crack in the curtains. Her gaze never left him.

She had been drawn to the window after hearing the voices of Tang Wulin and Xie Xie. Just where has that bastard been lately?

☀

Tang Wulin slowed his jog as he approached the gates, stopping just past them. He looked around, scanning for Gu Yue. But she wasn’t there yet.

It had been a month since he last saw her. Even so, he still remembered her face clearly. What’s going on with me? Why am I thinking about her so much?

As he was reflecting, a luxurious black car pulled up to the gates. The driver got out and opened the passenger door. Gu Yue stepped out of the car. Once she saw Tang Wulin, a dazzling smile blossomed on her face. She beckoned to him, then walked to the trunk of the car.

Tang Wulin jogged over. “Why are you back so late?”

“I had some stuff to do. I couldn’t come back until I finished it all. Here, look at what I got you,” Gu Yue said as she pulled out a few boxes from the trunk and handed them to Tang Wulin.

From the weight of the boxes, Tang Wulin could tell they were packed full. “What’s in them?”

“Open them and see for yourself. They should still be warm.”

Tang Wulin placed them on the car’s roof and lifted the lids. An appetizing aroma struck him. What is that? It’s smells delicious! He peered inside. There were nine large dishes of food split between the three boxes, in addition to twenty steamed buns.

“I didn’t want to make too many. I was afraid they’d get all messed up on the road. They should be enough to fill you up though. Have you eaten dinner yet?” They had walked into a nearby garden at this point, and Gu Yue placed the boxes over a stone table.

“Not yet,” Tang Wulin said. He followed behind her, his eyes glued to the boxes.

“Let’s eat first before heading back then.”

“Okay!” Unable to restrain himself any further, he grabbed a steamed bun and threw it into his mouth.

Amazing! So good! After years of gluttony, Tang Wulin was an expert on fine food. Yet to his surprise, the bun could stand its ground against the extremely nutritious black buns his grandteacher had fed him!

Huh, that’s a wild sea cucumber. It’s really nutritious. It’s pretty big too. Probably at least twenty years old. Tang Wulin examined the ingredients of the dishes as he ate. The other dishes weren’t quite as delicious as the buns, but the ingredients used were all treasures. He had nothing to complain about, a huge grin on his face as he gorged himself.