The scent of dust and aged wood greeted me as consciousness returned. I lay still, staring at the dark dormitory ceiling. Surreal. Like being trapped in an endless lucid dream.
A fleeting urge to close my eyes washed over me. I hoped that upon reopening them, I would see my boring room back on Earth. But the faint pulse of energy within this body confirmed reality. This was Dormitory 7 of Notting Academy. The place where legends began.
Beside me, soft breathing broke the silence. I turned my head. A girl with a long scorpion braid lay asleep. Dim moonlight illuminated her face. Beautiful, certainly—as expected of fantasy world standards. Unfortunately, a shiny trail of drool on her cheek marred the image.
Who would guess that this little girl sleeping with her mouth open was a hundred-thousand-year-old Spirit Beast? The incarnation of the Soft Bone Rabbit, Xiao Wu.
I suppressed a smile and poked her cheek. Warm and soft.
"Is this really real?" I whispered.
The girl's brows furrowed. Her hand swatted my finger away instinctively, then settled. Clearly, she was still deep in dreamland.
Withdrawing my hand, I returned my gaze to the ceiling. I focused and summoned my main interface.
"HUD."
A semi-transparent panel appeared, displaying the details of the build I had painstakingly constructed with The Company.
Choosing the Added Potential route instead of an instant Template was a massive gamble. A Template offered instant power, a safe framework, and certainty. But Added Potential? That was a blank canvas. Risky, but the sky was the limit. I wanted the freedom to shape my own power rather than be constrained by someone else's design.
Not that I was defenseless. Heritage Dragon guaranteed quality—practical immunity against anyone under level 80, provided I was willing to unleash my full dragon form. But that was a final trump card. Rampaging as a giant dragon wasn't a wise way to keep a low profile, at least until I became much stronger. My main issue right now was passive defense. Fortunately, the little rabbit beside me held the key to plugging that gap.
I closed my eyes, trying to sense Tang Hao. Detecting a Titled Douluo who wished to remain hidden was impossible. But logic dictated he wouldn't watch his son sleep every single second.
I exhaled and summoned Elemental Shroud.
Strands of blue-green energy crept out from the hem of my clothes, moving like living tendrils. With precise thought, I directed the Shroud to envelop Xiao Wu's petite body.
Two tense minutes. Finally, the notification flashed on the HUD:
[Obtained 128 Credits]
A thin smile etched onto my lips.
The Shroud wrapping Xiao Wu seeped into her pores, merging with her essence. For a moment, her body glowed dimly. The fabric of her clothes unraveled and reformed, while her physical structure underwent micro-optimization. Her skin became slightly brighter, her posture more upright—changes invisible to the naked eye, yet fundamental.
The girl shifted but didn't wake. A fresh trail of drool began to form at the corner of her lips again.
I looked back at the HUD. Under the Build tab, an image of adult Xiao Wu now appeared as a registered waifu. My credit balance grew. Without hesitation, I spent it immediately.
[Purchased: Mind Defense, Information Defense, Trace Defense, Body (Second Instance)]
A cold sensation crawled down my spine, then vanished. No explosion of power, but the paranoia haunting me receded. Now, my traces were safe from divination or spiritual tracking; hopefully, enough to withstand the gaze of God Asura.
With the remaining credits, I picked up Communication Talent and Performance Talent. To be Tang San was to be an obsessive, quiet child. But I needed top-tier acting skills to convince everyone in the early stages, especially Tang Hao.
Now that my tracks were safe, it was time to shift to the main priority: the foundation of my future power.
I sat cross-legged in the lotus position, ignoring the distractions. Memories of the Spirit World Core Formation Guide flooded in. This wasn't just an ordinary cultivation manual; it was a blueprint for building a universe inside the body. I had to argue fiercely with The Company to get this included in Added Potential. It was the key to surpassing the gods of this world and having fun simultaneously.
This world, Douluo Dalu, had annoying limitations. Its Divine Realm was a cosmic bureaucratic trap. I had no intention of becoming a rule-bound god.
First step: The Dantian. This point below the navel would become the singularity to attract energy.
I began circulating spirit power according to the Mysterious Heaven Technique. This Tang Sect technique was great, but flawed. It focused only on the 12 main meridians, ignoring the thousands of micro-pathways that formed the true web of life.
"Sorry, Tang San," I thought. "But your purple dawn qi has to go."
I started expelling the energy the original Tang San had gathered over the years. It felt like bleeding myself dry. My body shivered, cold sweat dripping. Profound weakness struck as my spirit level plummeted. Level 10... Level 8... Level 5.
It felt terrible. Empty. But a vessel must be emptied before it can be filled with the finest wine.
Now, the hard part. Opening the micro-meridians.
I summoned Elemental Shroud into my own body. The energy strands infiltrated, becoming drills within my flesh. The sensation... burned.
"Urgh..." I bit my lip, stifling a scream.
Thousands of fire ants crawled under my skin, digging new tunnels. I forced closed meridians open. My nerves screamed. If not for Dragon Heart (Life), Shroud Flora, and the vitality of Blue Silver Grass continuously pumping life energy, I might have fainted—or died from internal bleeding.
An hour felt like a century. Yet slowly, the network formed. Complex, intricate, and beautiful. A microcosmic star map within the human body.
Copper coated my tongue. I smirked. Now, the core.
Remaining spirit energy began to spin in the dantian, drawn by this new structure. From a calm river to a ferocious vortex. I compressed it, squeezing it to the critical point. Failed once. Failed twice.
Again.
I forced my will, fusing the essence into a single dense point.
Click.
Inaudible to the ear, but echoing in the soul. A small core, spinning stably, formed at the center of the dantian.
Pain vanished, replaced by a wave of intoxicating pleasure. The core pulled in ambient energy, refining it into proto-primordial qi, and pumping it back throughout my body. Cells cheered, muscles strengthened. No more manual cultivation; this was now a perpetual automatic machine. This was how to cultivate.
Power surged. Level 6... almost Level 7. Within a day, I would return to Level 10, but with energy quality far surpassing any Spirit Master on this continent.
"Tang San?"
A soft voice broke my meditation. I opened my eyes. Dawn light sneaked in, and a pair of worried rabbit eyes stared at me.
"Awake already?" I asked.
Xiao Wu stared, eyes wide. "You... what happened to you last night?" she whispered. "Your hair... you look different."
I touched my hair. The texture felt smoother, and I could see bluish strands at the edge of my vision.
"I'm fine," I replied. "Just a small breakthrough last night. I guess my bloodline is starting to awaken."
Not technically a lie. Dragon Heart had triggered the evolution of Blue Silver Grass into something more primal. Let's call it the Blue Silver Dragon Emperor.
Xiao Wu leaned closer, nose twitching. "You became... really handsome," she murmured, then sniffed my shoulder. "And you smell good. Like... a forest after rain?"
I chuckled, tapping her forehead with my index finger. "Don't sniff me like a dog, Little Rabbit. Let's get ready."
We got ready in silence. I noticed Xiao Wu occasionally checking herself in confusion. Her brighter skin, her body feeling lighter—side effects of the Shroud. She might not understand it yet, but her Spirit Beast aura was now masked. She was safe, and she was mine.
"Feel the difference?" I asked when we finished. "Later this afternoon, I have a secret to tell you."
Her face reddened, shy yet wary. "Hmph! Who cares about your secrets!" She looked away, but her reddening ears betrayed her.
"Boss! Tang San!"
Wang Sheng, the former, demoted dorm boss, approached. His eyes bulged at my appearance. "Eh? Tang San? Your hair turned blue... and you..." He swallowed, envy in his eyes.
"Just a small breakthrough, Wang Sheng," I cut in.
The boy nodded, not daring to press. The hierarchy of power in this world was absolute, even in this shabby dormitory. "A-Alright. Come with us to the cafeteria! I'll treat you as a welcome party. It's rare to have a new student and Boss!"
I smiled, taking Xiao Wu's hand. "Alright."
The girl flinched but didn't pull away. As we walked out following Wang Sheng, I could hear the whispers of other students. They must be wondering why I changed so much and why Xiao Wu had become so quiet.
Wang Sheng shook his head and led us out of the dormitory with the other work-study children.