By the time the painful transformation was complete, an entire night had quietly slipped away.
The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight poured into the cave, Lin Yu, who had passed out from exhaustion, suddenly opened his eyes and sat up abruptly.
"Did I succeed?"
As soon as he woke up, the events of the previous night flooded his mind—his merging with the Golden Dragon Source and consuming the Dragon Essence.
Focusing inward to sense his martial spirits, Lin Yu's expression lit up with joy. It worked! His second martial spirit had awakened!
"Golden Dragon spirit, come forth!"
Within the cave, at Lin Yu's command, a dazzling golden light flared up. A mighty dragon, its entire body clad in shimmering golden scales, wings outstretched, materialized behind him, its aura radiating dominance and majesty.
"So, this is the Golden Dragon spirit. As expected, it's truly awe-inspiring!"
"Though I have to say, that fool Yu Xiaogang was a total waste. Even with the Golden Dragon Source, his martial spirit still degenerated into a lousy Luo San Pao! What a joke!"
Satisfied with the appearance of the powerful dragon, Lin Yu couldn't help but shake his head at the thought of Yu Xiaogang's failure.
Next, he decided to test out spirit possession.
As the Golden Dragon spirit merged with his body, Lin Yu felt his entire form transform. His skin was now covered with incredibly tough golden dragon scales, his eyes had shifted to dragon-like golden pupils, and two magnificent dragon horns sprouted from his forehead.
In this spirit-possessed state, Lin Yu unleashed a full-force strike. Instantly, his punch blasted a hole the size of a basin into the wall of the cave, spiderweb-like cracks spreading from the impact point in every direction.
Judging from the power of this punch, Lin Yu estimated that it was on par with a full-power attack from a Spirit Ancestor-level assault-type spirit master!
After ending the spirit possession, Lin Yu tested his normal state as well.
The enhancement brought by the Dragon Essence was clear. Even without activating his martial spirit, a simple punch from Lin Yu could still leave a deep fist mark on the cave wall.
This strength was far beyond what any normal spirit master could achieve at his level!
"The power from the Dragon Essence is this terrifying?"
Lin Yu inhaled sharply.
Even without using his martial spirit, he could now deliver a punch that rivaled the strongest blows from advanced Spirit Masters. In his spirit-possessed form, combined with his abilities and skills, his power would likely match or even surpass that of Spirit Kings or higher!
He was confident now that he could probably absorb a ten-thousand-year spirit ring without issue.
Despite his newfound strength, Lin Yu didn't plan on adding spirit rings to his Golden Dragon spirit just yet. His immediate goal was to use this second spirit to infiltrate Nuoding Academy and gather the information he needed. He intended to keep the spirit's abilities hidden for now, using it only when necessary to avoid drawing unwanted attention, especially from Spirit Hall.
After all, the Golden Dragon was far too conspicuous. If exposed, it would attract the interest of powerful figures from Spirit Hall.
That said, given his current strength, Lin Yu was certain there wasn't anyone in Nuoding City who could force him to reveal his full abilities—besides, of course, avoiding the deadly clash between Tang Hao and Spirit Hall down the line.
"Time to set off!"
Now that he had successfully awakened the Golden Dragon spirit, Lin Yu activated his external spirit bone—the Wind Thunder Wings—and soared into the sky, lightning crackling in his wake as he flew swiftly toward Nuoding City.
Even though he had never been there before, Lin Yu had gathered all the necessary information about Nuoding City from the library, including a detailed map. Unlike Bibi Dong and her group, who were taking the slower path by carriage, Lin Yu was traveling in a straight line, cutting through the wilderness at top speed.
If not for his energy reserves depleting every so often, forcing him to walk and recover before taking off again, he could've made it to Nuoding City in a single day.
"This must be Nuoding City."
After three days, Lin Yu finally reached his destination. He glanced at the massive city walls, tall and imposing, but far inferior to those of Spirit City. Above the gate, three large characters read "Nuoding City."
With a relaxed smile, Lin Yu walked confidently toward the gate.
Once inside the city, Lin Yu wasted no time. He quickly gathered some information and made his way to Nuoding Academy. Initially, he had thought about wearing a mask to conceal his identity, but after absorbing the Golden Dragon Source and the Dragon Essence, his body and appearance had changed significantly.
Lin Yu's frame had grown taller and more muscular, and his face had become sharper and more striking. Even if someone who knew him from before, like Old Man Leo from the village, were to see him now, they probably wouldn't recognize him. With that realization, he dismissed the idea of using a disguise.
As he approached Nuoding Academy, Lin Yu took in the sight of its iron gates, the high granite walls, and the lush green vines that draped over the stonework. Although the academy lacked the grandeur of Spirit Hall's institutions, it had a charm of its own.
A smile tugged at Lin Yu's lips as he walked up to the gates.
Unlike Tang San's original experience, Lin Yu's fine clothing and handsome appearance immediately marked him as a noble in the eyes of the gatekeeper.
The guard, eager to please, quickly ran up to Lin Yu with a fawning smile.
"Greetings, young master. How may I assist you today?"
"I'm here to enroll in Nuoding Academy. Am I still able to sign up?"
Without missing a beat, Lin Yu asked his question directly, his tone calm and confident.
"Of course, of course!"
The guard bobbed his head enthusiastically.
At Nuoding Academy, the registration deadline was strict for working students, but nobles were a different story. As long as they had spirit power and were willing to pay, they could enroll at any time.
"If you're here to enroll, young master, please follow me this way!" The guard, still smiling obsequiously, gestured toward the academy.
"Alright, I will. But first, I have one more question," Lin Yu said thoughtfully as he glanced back at the guard.
"Have you had a new student this year by the name of Tang San?"
Note: If you are interested you can read up to chapter 108 at patreon.com/MythMosaic