Every time Gu You absorbs the Golden Dragon King's seal, the gains for his body are immense.
A purple-gold glow flows around him, and the scales on his left arm have already passed his elbow and are slowly moving downward. Gu You tries his best to stay calm, but the excitement and restlessness are unavoidable.
Finally, the scales reach his wrist and continue their determined descent. Gu You suddenly feels a sharp pain in his entire left arm. His bones begin to creak, making a grinding sound that makes one's teeth hurt, and his palm starts to grow larger as his meridians begin to expand.
An enhancement to the left arm's dragon claw?
Gu You is momentarily stunned. What use is it to just increase the size of one arm? But then he remembers the "shattering" characteristic. In the original story, the shattering attribute was something granted by the seal, and it only applies to the right arm's dragon claw.
But why, then, are both of his dragon claws able to use the shattering characteristic? Gu You doesn't fully understand. There are too many enhancements, and once he absorbs this seal completely, he'll check it out. He hasn't paid much attention to the claws under the added dragon scales or their special power effects.
Finally, the pain stops, followed by a tingling sensation. Gu You vaguely feels that the left-hand dragon claw and the right-hand dragon claw are slightly different.
Outside, the sky is dark, and it's already past midnight.
Gu You clenches his left hand, and an overwhelming sense of power surges.
What exactly has been enhanced?
Still confused, he walks to the wall, activates his blood flow, and the scales cover both his hands.
It is immediately apparent that the scales on his left hand are larger than those on his right hand's dragon claw. The left claw is significantly larger.
From the outside, both dragon claws look the same, with purple-gold light shimmering from their tips. But when the right hand's dragon claw activates the "Purple Emperor Fearsome Claw," it becomes as large as the left claw.
Gu You instinctively presses the left-hand dragon claw lightly against the wall.
If it were his right-hand dragon claw, the wall would instantly turn to dust upon contact, and the destruction would quickly spread outwards due to the shattering characteristic.
However, as soon as Gu You's left-hand dragon claw touches the wall, an astonishing sight unfolds. Cracks rapidly spread out from where the claw touches the wall, and in just one breath, the entire wall becomes covered in large cracks.
What is this?
Gu You quickly retracts his dragon claw and immediately understands.
The left-hand dragon claw's special feature is tearing!
Yes, it's tearing. A closer look reveals that the tip of the right-hand dragon claw is cone-shaped, while the tip of the left-hand dragon claw has cutting edges, almost like the teeth of a tiger.
Both claws appear the same on the surface, but their internal effects are completely different.
Shattering and tearing are different effects, yet both are incredibly powerful. If these two forces were to strike someone at the same time without using destructive power, the person would undoubtedly suffer excruciating pain—double the agony. Shattering doesn't immediately destroy someone, but instead, it slowly tears them apart from within, making them experience the pain of having their internal organs crushed before dying.
And not to mention tearing, which also causes bleeding. Those who have been bitten by a tiger understand this pain.
Pain! The pain is unbearable!
When the two dragon claws touch each other in front of him, a crisp "ding" sound rings out. Strangely, a circle of purple-gold light bursts forth. That clear collision sound clears Gu You's mind, and the scales on his body all stand up, the diamond-shaped tips facing outward, incredibly sharp.
At this moment, Gu You finally understands the full extent of the power enhancement provided by the Golden Dragon King's fifth seal.
The left-hand dragon claw becomes more powerful, with an added tearing effect.
When both dragon claws collide, a crisp sound rings out and a circle of purple-gold light appears, clearing the mind and enhancing focus. Simply put, this significantly boosts his temporary mental strength.
...
Back to campus life, from Monday to Friday, Gu You studies, and on weekends, he learns alloy formulas with Feng Wuyu.
He also linked the previous formulas for the three and combined alloys to the official Federation website for alloy formulas. As expected, they are classified as rare.
What worries Gu You the most right now is the 300 billion he owes. He doesn't want to use the Federation's money because that would create a huge debt of gratitude.
The Federation's annual military budget is only about 800 billion, and if he spends this amount, it would account for more than a third of the Federation's military budget for the year.
Although there are no official IOUs, it is a debt of personal favor. With his teacher watching over him, he's bound to have to repay it.
Three hundred years might be enough, but it's still a headache.
He even feels somewhat thankful that the ancient East Wind stopped him in time. If he had absorbed all ten hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, how much would he owe then?
"It's been a month since the semester started. I believe everyone has gained something. Our first-year strongest class will be engaging in an exchange activity with the sixth-year class. The theme of the activity is an all-around competition, including forging, mecha design, manufacturing, repairs, and more. There will also be a practical combat competition," Shen Yi stood at the front of the classroom and spoke to the students.
Sixth-year?
"Teacher, are you sure? Some of the sixth-year students already have battle armor!"
Shen Yi shot a cold look at the student who spoke. "That's correct. They will suppress their cultivation to below rank five and will not use battle armor. As for second professions, only a select few will participate."
"In order to increase everyone's participation, for this competition, you can form your own teams and sign up with me. Each team cannot have more than seven members, and there must be at least three members. The class representatives will be representing our class in forging, design, manufacturing, and repair competitions against the second-year class. Be prepared. For fairness, there's also an advantage. When our class competes, any team from the sixth-year class will need to reduce one member from their team. That is, if we send out a team of three, they can only send out two. We will first hold an internal selection to determine the strongest team to compete against them."
What?
At this moment, everyone felt that Shrek's teaching pressure was too high—going directly against a team five years their senior.
By the end of the class, some students were frustrated, while others, who were truly talented soul masters, were excited. Competing against the sixth-year class was a great opportunity. This kind of competition had extra credit, and credits were crucial for graduation and entry into the inner academy.
Xie Xie nudged Gu You, "How should we form a team?"
"Just gather up people you know. Seven people is enough," Gu You casually said.
"Boss, since I was little, I've always trusted you!" Xie Xie grinned.
"Shut up," Gu You rolled his eyes.
At this moment, Shen Yi, who had just left, came back, and she wasn't alone—two people followed her into the classroom.
When Gu You saw the two, a smile spread across his face...
(End of Chapter)