Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, inside the Dean's office.
Meng Hongchen's voice, tinged with inquiry and suspicion, was like a sudden clap of thunder, sending waves of shock through the once silent room.
Jing Hongchen's round old face froze completely at this moment, and his small, wise eyes saw his pupils suddenly contract to the size of needlepoints.
Beside him, Xiao Hongchen was so startled that he jumped straight out of his chair, his signature white hair appearing a bit messy due to the sheer shock.
"You... what did you say? Looks like Liu Yuan?"
Xiao Hongchen snapped his head around, staring intently at the emerald dragon shadow that blotted out the distant sky.
He hadn't thought in that direction before, but with Meng Hongchen's reminder, the divine dragon's signature long golden whiskers, its metallic black abdominal shell, and those cold, noble golden eyes began to overlap bit by bit with the image of Liu Yuan after his Martial Soul Possession in his memory.
"Not to mention..." Xiao Hongchen swallowed dryly, his voice carrying a tremor he himself found absurd.
"Now that Meng mentions it, I also feel... it really is a bit similar. Even that sense of Bloodline suppression that makes one want to kneel is exactly the same..."
The more Xiao Hongchen spoke, the more alarmed he felt. If that really was Liu Yuan, it would be too exaggerated.
However, after his initial daze, Jing Hongchen slowly shook his head.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the absurd guess in his heart, his gaze becoming deep and rational.
"No, it's impossible," Jing Hongchen spoke decisively, his tone steady.
"Meng, Xiao, you're overthinking it. It's normal for the form after Martial Soul Possession to resemble certain Spirit Beasts; after all, there are many such cases on the Douluo Continent. Moreover, that dragon's strength is too great."
Jing Hongchen pointed at the collapsing space in the distance and the aftershocks of the Gigantamax Moves that were enough to tear heaven and earth apart, analyzing in a low voice: "That place is the Border Sub-altar."
"For fluctuations of this magnitude to reach here, its strength must be at least Level 98, or even very likely the Level 99 Limit Douluo Realm!"
"No matter how outstanding Liu Yuan is, he can't be that outstanding. Otherwise, I would truly have to wonder if this world has gone mad."
Hearing Jing Hongchen's reasoned analysis, Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen's pounding hearts gradually calmed down.
Indeed, Jing Hongchen was right.
In this world that emphasized the accumulation of spirit power and the stacking of resources, a seventeen-year-old Limit Douluo? That was a preposterous story even myths wouldn't dare to write.
"I guess it really is a coincidence." Meng Hongchen lowered her eyes in some disappointment, but her gaze still lingered on that dragon shadow for a long time.
"It's probably some kind of ancient Spirit Beast. Its Bloodline just happens to share the same origin as Brother Liu Yuan's Spirit."
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
The core area of the Star Dou Great Forest, the Lake of Life.
Beneath the calm surface of the water, the Void Realm that had been silent for tens of thousands of years fluctuated slightly.
Deep within the jewel-like depths of the lake, a silver silhouette slowly opened her purple eyes, which were as deep as the starry sky.
The Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena.
As the co-lord of Spirit Beasts, her sensitivity to dragon auras far exceeded any living being in this world.
At this moment, although her main body had not yet fully recovered, that Primordial Fluctuation belonging to "Mega Rayquaza" from tens of thousands of miles away still accurately stung her perception.
Gu Yuena rose to her full height, her long silver hair cascading down like a waterfall. Her peerless face was now filled with unprecedented solemnity.
"This fluctuation... compared to a year ago, it has become even stronger." Gu Yuena's voice was cold and pleasant, yet it carried a trace of deep wariness.
Behind her, Vicious Beasts like Di Tian and Xiong Jun were already kneeling on the ground, trembling with fear.
"My Lord, that is..." Beads of sweat covered Di Tian's forehead. As the Golden Eyed Black Dragon King, when he felt that aura, the Bloodline within his body actually wailed uncontrollably.
"Although that aura carries the turbidity of a human Spirit, the source of that Bloodline... is inconceivable." Gu Yuena gazed toward the north, light and shadow shifting in her purple eyes.
"How many secrets does that human named Liu Yuan have? Who exactly is he?"
This rate of growth had completely surpassed Gu Yuena's understanding.
"My Lord, should we go take a look?" Di Tian asked in a low voice.
Gu Yuena shook her head: "That direction is the core area of the Sun Moon Empire. If an existence of my scale appears, it will definitely trigger a decisive battle for the entire continent. We are not ready yet."
Just as Gu Yuena hesitated, a petite and agile golden figure suddenly jumped in front of her.
It was the Auspicious Beast whose injuries had long since healed and whose cultivation had even advanced a step further—the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
"My Lord, let me go!" The Auspicious Beast looked up, her eyes flashing with a nearly persistent hope.
"I want to go and understand that guy."
"He is my benefactor, and I must go and figure out that mist of fate on him that even I can't see through. I... I can transform into human form."
Gu Yuena was slightly taken aback and looked at the Auspicious Beast with some hesitation: "You want to infiltrate the human world?"
"My Lord, the Auspicious Beast possesses the special blessing of the Eye of Destiny, which can perfectly conceal its Spirit Beast aura," the Auspicious Beast said urgently.
"As long as I don't expose myself, even a Limit Douluo won't be able to see through my true form. Let me go; this is the best opportunity to understand that human."
Gu Yuena fell into deep thought.
After a moment, she slowly spoke: "It's fine to let you go..."
"But My Lord!" Di Tian hurriedly intervened from the side. "The Auspicious Beast is the Fate Cornerstone of our Star Dou Great Forest. If anything goes wrong, we wouldn't be able to redeem ourselves even with ten thousand deaths!"
The Auspicious Beast curled her lip and looked at Di Tian: "I'll be careful."
"Worst case... Di Tian, you can give me a Outrage to protect myself. With the defense of the Black Dragon's Outrage and my fate perception, who on this Douluo Continent can harm me?"
Gu Yuena looked at the Auspicious Beast's face, which was full of Spiritual Qi, and finally nodded.
She truly desired to know the truth hidden behind Liu Yuan, and if an existence like Liu Yuan could be recruited, the future of the Spirit Beast race would be limitless.
"Very well. Auspicious Beast, you represent my Star Dou Great Forest on this trip; be careful in everything. Di Tian, give her a Outrage."
Although Di Tian was extremely reluctant, he could only obey.
He gritted his teeth and plucked a scale shimmering with ultimate dark divine light from his heart, solemnly handing it to the Auspicious Beast.
"Take it. If you encounter danger, I will immediately cross the Void Realm to reach you."
"I know!" The Auspicious Beast happily took the Outrage, and a brilliant golden light suddenly erupted from her body.
In that holy light, the originally elegant Three-Eyed Golden Lion gradually shrank, finally transforming into a specific appearance.
It was a girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old.
She had long golden hair as dazzling as the sun, and her heterochromatic eyes were bright and lively. Most striking was a red vertical mark hidden among the strands of hair on her forehead, appearing both noble and mysterious.
"Liu Yuan, we meet again."
The girl changed into a set of neat human martial attire, her lips curving into a cunning and expectant arc. Then, with a light tap of her toes, she turned into a streak of golden light and charged out of the forest.
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