...
The next morning.
After a night of tempering in ice and fire, and with the aid and harmonization of the magical Silver Dragon Martial Soul, Xuan Hao did not suffer as much as Tang San in the original story.
Instead, he completed a complete transformation of his body while half asleep and half awake.
As the first rays of dawn pierced through the clouds and shone into the valley, Xuan Hao suddenly opened his eyes, his crimson-gold vertical pupils flashing with a sharp light.
"call..."
He exhaled a long breath, feeling refreshed and invigorated, every cell in his body seemed to be rejoicing.
He paddled through the water with both hands and feet, like a fish, until he reached the shore.
"Old Poisoner—"
Xuan Hao was about to call out to Dugu Bo to see if the old man had been guarding the shore all night when he suddenly noticed a small figure lying on the grass.
"Na'er?!"
Xuan Hao was startled and quickly climbed ashore.
Na'er was lying quietly on the grass, breathing steadily, as if she were asleep.
Around her body, the originally violent and restless ice and fire elements became like docile pets, jumping and swirling happily, even vying to get close to her.
A faint silver glow emanated from her body.
It was the exquisite and majestic phantom of a small silver dragon, coiled around her, exuding an aura of supreme power.
"Silver Dragon Martial Soul..."
Xuan Hao squatted down, looking at the small silver dragon with a furrowed brow.
"Something's not right..."
If Na'er is merely a fragment of the Silver Dragon King's consciousness or an incarnation, then she should have awakened a companion artifact like the Silver Dragon Spear.
How could he directly possess the Silver Dragon King's true form martial soul?
Having a true martial soul means... she is the Silver Dragon King himself?
Xuan Hao felt increasingly overwhelmed by the thought.
Also, this valley is so high, surrounded by poisonous miasma, how did this little girl get down here?
And how can she sleep so soundly here, completely unaffected by the extreme environment around her?
"Na'er? Na'er?"
Xuan Hao gently nudged her and called her name a few times, but the girl seemed to be in a deep sleep and did not respond at all.
"Forget it, if I can't figure it out, I won't think about it anymore."
Xuan Hao checked her over and confirmed that Na'er was just sleeping and not in danger, so he stopped worrying about it.
He stood up and took out an exquisite flowerpot from his Qiankun Ring, in which was planted the somewhat wilted Blue Silver Emperor—A-Yin.
"Sister Ayin, let me find you a better place."
Xuan Hao carefully transplanted Ah Yin into a fertile patch of soil next to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
The abundant spiritual energy here, coupled with the nourishment of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, made it a paradise for plant-type soul beasts.
After doing all this, Xuan Hao took a deep breath and took out another soul bone emitting a soft blue light from his soul tool.
Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone!
He always carried this soul bone with him, because absorbing a soul bone requires an absolutely safe environment and enough time, so he never dared to act rashly.
"It's time."
Xuan Hao glanced at Na'er, who was still fast asleep, and then at A Yin, who was swaying in the wind.
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
The Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone transformed into a stream of light and instantly merged into his right leg.
"Buzz—"
A cool yet powerful life force instantly swept through my body.
Just to be on the safe side, Xuan Hao did not linger on the shore, but instead leaped again, jumping into the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well with a "plop".
With the suppression and cover of the Ice and Fire Spring, he can better absorb this soul bone, and at the same time, he can use the soul bone's repair ability to further consolidate his Ice and Fire Golden Body.
...
Three days later.
When Xuan Hao woke up again, he felt completely refreshed.
The Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone not only granted him powerful regenerative abilities, but also opened up and widened all the meridians in his body, and even made his soul power more refined.
More importantly, the Silver Dragon Martial Soul's perception of elements was enhanced several times over under the combined effect of the Soul Bone and the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well!
Just as Xuan Hao was about to go ashore.
Sudden.
An unparalleled, terrifying suction force emanated from the depths of the spring, instantly enveloping his body!
"Holy crap?!"
Xuan Hao was shocked and tried to struggle, but found that the surrounding space seemed to have frozen, and he could not even teleport.
He was dragged like a weight towards the bottom of a bottomless abyss!
Descent...and more and more...
Until the surrounding light completely disappeared, replaced by a strange light curtain interwoven with red and blue.
"Buzz—"
Two immense, ocean-like pressures descended instantly.
Xuan Hao struggled to open his eyes, his pupils dilating instantly.
Before him, two enormous dragon souls, obscuring the sky and covering the sun, were slowly circling.
The one on the left is entirely ice blue, and its whiskers seem to freeze the very space around it as they flutter.
The one on the right is fiery red, and its scales seem to flow with lava as they open and close.
Ice Dragon King! Fire Dragon King!
"Humans..."
"No, a boy with the bloodline of a true dragon."
Two majestic voices exploded in Xuan Hao's mind.
Immediately afterwards, two enormous dragon souls, one blue and one red, rose from the dragon bones and hovered around Xuan Hao, their huge dragon eyes staring intently at him.
"We are the ancient Ice Dragon King and Fire Dragon King."
"He suffered a great calamity and tragically perished here, leaving only his remnant soul to eke out a living."
The Ice Dragon King brought its massive head close to Xuan Hao, its tone carrying a deliberate air of "appreciation" and "admiration":
"Ten thousand years..."
"We have slumbered here for ten thousand years, and finally we have met a peerless genius who possesses two true dragon martial souls!"
"Young man, your talent is astonishing."
"We've got our eyes on you!"
"If you are willing to inherit our mantle, we are willing to pass on all our dragon bones, dragon soul, and even our understanding of the elements to you!"
Xuan Hao: "..."
He floated in mid-air, watching the two perform with such passion, completely bewildered.
You've got your eye on me?
no...
Na'er is up there!
Whether she is an avatar or the true form of the Silver Dragon King, the aura of the Silver Dragon King emanating from her is undeniable!
He is your supreme ruler!
He is your leader!
Why do you ignore the real boss above and come down to me, a mixed-race person with only a little bit of blood, and say you've taken a liking to me?
Is this reasonable?
"that..."
Xuan Hao swallowed hard and asked tentatively, "Two Dragon Kings, are you... mistaken about something?"
"There's a little girl up there too, she also..."
"Shut up!"
The Fire Dragon King suddenly shouted, interrupting Xuan Hao's words, his tone revealing a hint of guilty urgency:
"What little girl? You're all we see!"
"Your Golden Dragon Martial Soul is the progenitor of power, and your Silver Dragon Martial Soul is the master of elements!
You are the dragon race's hope, a once-in-ten-thousand-years talent!"
"Enough with the nonsense!
You have to accept this inheritance whether you like it or not!"
Xuan Hao: "???"
Is this inheritance or kidnapping?!
"Since you two seniors are so hospitable, wouldn't it be rude of me to refuse?"
Xuan Hao looked at the two dragon kings eager to offer him this opportunity.
Although he still felt something was off, he thought, "Only a fool wouldn't take advantage of a good deal."
Only a fool would refuse such a windfall.
"but..."
Xuan Hao blinked and said innocently, "The two seniors just said they would pass on their mantle.
Does that mean I can directly inherit divine power and become an unparalleled expert right now?"
"Dream on!"
The Fire Dragon King snorted coldly, and a wave of heat emanated from its massive dragon nose, making Xuan Hao's hair dance wildly.
"You have to eat one bite at a time, and walk one step at a time.
Our power is immense; if we were to force it all on you now, your little body would instantly explode into a bloody mist!"
"Although we admire your talent, the Dragon King's legacy is no child's play."
"From today onward, we will reside within you, guide you, observe you, and even test you.
Only when we are certain that your character and perseverance are worthy of this power will we pass on the true core inheritance to you."
"This power..." The Fire Dragon King paused, his tone becoming extremely solemn, "is enough to help you break through the limits of mortals and ascend to the realm of gods!"
Seeing that Xuan Hao looked like he understood but not quite, shocked but not completely dumbfounded.
"Splash—"
The Ice Dragon King's enormous dragon soul phantom suddenly shattered, transforming into countless ice crystals.
These ice crystals then converged before Xuan Hao, coalescing into the figure of a woman in an ice-blue dress, possessing unparalleled beauty yet exuding a cool and noble aura.
She walked barefoot through the void, each step leaving faint traces of frost in the air.
She approached Xuan Hao, her beautiful, icy blue eyes staring directly into his.
"Little one, you probably don't realize what this means yet."
"The so-called titled Douluo of humans, even the peerless Douluo, are nothing more than slightly stronger ants in front of true gods, utterly vulnerable."
"For humans to transcend the mortal realm, take that step, and reach the divine realm, they need immense opportunities, and even the favor and blessing of the gods."
"But we are different."
The Ice Dragon King extended his slender finger and gently tapped Xuan Hao's forehead:
"The Fire Dragon King and I were once the most powerful deities in the divine realm.
We can help you take that step directly without any divine testing."
"However, the path to godhood is not something that can be achieved overnight.
Your current talent is indeed surprising, but whether you can truly reach that point depends on your future performance."
"clear."
Xuan Hao nodded, his face showing no sign of the fervor ignited by the "pie in the sky," but instead spoke with unusual calm:
"It's just like a gambling table."
"Even if my current hand looks like a straight flush, it still depends on what the last hole card is.
If you have a good hand at the beginning and you go all in right away, but I play terribly later, then you'll really lose everything."
"Therefore, it's only right to observe and play it safe."
"..."
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