Three days had passed since Tianyu's encounter with the golden dragon in his dream. After experiencing that dream, nothing strange had happened to him. Unable to figure out the reason, the six-year-old boy returned to his daily training routine.
On a bright morning outside the city, young Tianyu diligently carried out his physical training. It was an unusual sight—a small child walking around the city with full concentration while lifting a massive boulder.
Since awakening his Martial Soul, Tianyu's physical strength had drastically increased. If he could previously only lift a 400-kilogram stone, on the first day after awakening, he could already lift 500 kilograms. His rate of physical growth had also accelerated. In a single day, he could gain two or even three times the results compared to before his Martial Soul awakened.
As a result, the stone he lifted today weighed 600 kilograms. That was a hundred kilograms more than the 500-kilogram boulder on the first day.
After walking several laps around the city, Tianyu suddenly stopped in his tracks—the massive stone on his shoulders suddenly felt... light.
"This is strange," he thought, frowning. His palms, which normally sweated, now felt hot and dry, as if a small flame was burning beneath his skin. He gently set the boulder down, his fingers trembling not from fatigue—but from something else.
Golden lines began to appear on his wrists, spreading like tiny rivers beneath his skin. The world seemed to change in his vision—everything became brighter, sharper. He could see dust motes in the air that had been invisible before.
His heart pounded rapidly, as though something wanted to burst out from within him. An unfamiliar heat surged from the center of his chest, spreading like a stream through every limb. With each breath, he exhaled a thin golden mist.
"What... what's happening to me?" Tianyu murmured, clenching his fists. His hands trembled, not from exhaustion, but from the foreign energy suddenly flooding every cell in his body.
In the sea of his consciousness, a golden crystal the size of his palm hovered in the void. The crystal was presented in a diamond shape, leading the intersection, like the scale of the dragon Tianyu had seen in his dream.
That golden crystal, which had previously floated calmly, began to emit a wave of energy that spread through Tianyu's entire body.
From within, he felt an unusual heat gathering in the center of his chest, then spreading like a river through every part of him. Strangely, he could see the changes happening inside his body. His once-red blood now shimmered like molten gold, flowing fiercely through his veins. Only in certain vital organs did it remain a reddish hue.
The transformation wasn't limited to his blood. Tianyu felt his young bones hardening, as if coated in precious metal. His internal organs pulsed with a new rhythm—stronger, more stable than before. Every muscle, every fiber of his body was being strengthened, as though being forged into something greater.
Tianyu screamed in pain as his bones cracked and shifted. On his back, a golden tattoo in the shape of a dragon slowly emerged. He could also feel his body temperature rise drastically—even his sweat evaporated instantly due to the heat radiating from him.
Tianyu collapsed to the ground, his hands clawing into the dirt, unaware that his nails had lengthened and hardened like a dragon's claws. His breathing was ragged, each exhale releasing bursts of hot steam into the cold morning air.
On his back, the golden dragon tattoo became more defined, its scales moving like a living creature.
A golden aura began to form the silhouette of a dragon behind him. The pressure in the surrounding area increased drastically, making the air tremble.
The energy within a radius of hundreds of meters gathered toward him and was absorbed into Tianyu's body.
Suddenly—
Boom! A wave of golden energy exploded in all directions. The surrounding trees shook violently, the ground cracked beneath his feet. Birds scattered in panic from the trees, and the air suddenly turned silent—as if the whole world was holding its breath. Above Tianyu's head, his first golden soul ring began to spin slowly.
Tianyu knelt in the midst of the swirling golden energy, his small body trembling violently. The soul ring above his head spun faster and faster, radiating a blinding light.
His body gradually began to calm, though his breathing remained heavy and labored. Hot steam continued to rise from every pore, creating the illusion that his body was burning from the inside.
Tianyu slowly opened his eyes, his small frame still trembling after undergoing such an extraordinary transformation. The morning air felt fresh in his lungs, but this time he could sense every particle of spiritual energy contained within it. His still-small hands were now laced with tiny golden veins, gleaming under the morning sunlight.
With slow movements, Tianyu stood up. His still-small body now felt light yet filled with strength. He tried to stand fully upright and was surprised to realize how light his body had become. He raised his hand, inspecting the changes. His fingernails, which had turned into small golden claws, gradually returned to normal, though the traces of that power remained.
Tianyu looked over his entire body—he had grown a few centimeters taller, his small muscles more defined, and his skin emitted a faint glow as if dusted with gold.
The golden soul ring above his head spun steadily, radiating a warm aura that made him feel protected.
He clenched his small fists, feeling the new energy surge through every fiber of his muscles. "I... I feel really strong," he murmured in awe, his small voice trembling with wonder.
Suddenly, a loud rumble echoed from his stomach. Startled, Tianyu touched his belly, which growled furiously—it felt like a wild beast was rampaging inside, desperately hungry for a massive amount of food.
"Is this the effect of that transformation?" he thought as he swallowed, his throat dry and sore. His gaze swept the surroundings before he finally decided, 'I'd better head home. Mom has probably made breakfast.'
Tianyu quickly prepared to return home. Meanwhile, back in the quiet house, Na'er—who usually slept soundly in the morning—began to stir restlessly. The little girl pressed her lips tightly together, both hands clutching her temples as a sudden, throbbing pain pierced through her head. Her usually peaceful face was now contorted in discomfort from the sharp stabs in her mind.
"Ugh...!" she groaned softly, a sound barely audible in the silent room. Her tiny fingers gripped the blanket tightly, her nails unconsciously digging into the fabric. When her eyes flew open, what she saw was no longer the familiar bedroom ceiling, but fragments of shimmering images like broken glass, filling her vision.
Na'er reached out into the empty air with trembling hands, as if trying to grasp those mysterious shadows. In her blurred sight, a mighty silver dragon lay weakly at the bottom of a crystal lake. Surrounding the lake stood giant soul beasts, all showing respectful stances. Suddenly, the dragon rose, roaring with fury that shook the forest floor. Its thunderous cry shattered nearby trees. After its rage subsided, the silver dragon whispered something to a black dragon before vanishing into the forest's edge.
Na'er jolted awake, coughing harshly as if she had just surfaced after drowning. Her chest heaved uncontrollably, gasping for breath like someone who had been suffocating. Her eyelids fluttered rapidly, adjusting to the morning light that streamed in through the window. Cold sweat poured down her temples, soaking the small pillow she always slept with. The once-comforting blanket now felt unfamiliar and suffocating, dampened by the sweat seeping from her pores.
Na'er sat upright in bed, her breathing ragged, her eyes wide with a fear she still didn't understand. Her small hand clenched tightly over her pounding chest, her gaze blank—still haunted by the image of the silver dragon that refused to fade from her mind.
"What... was that just now...?" she whispered, her tiny voice barely audible in the silent room.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the next chapters, I really appreciate your opinions and feedback! Please leave a comment and give your rating!
If you enjoyed this chapter and want to see more, don't forget to give your power stones! Your feedback means a lot and helps the development of the story moving forward. Thank you for reading!