Alfred turned and left.

The trio returned to their dorm rooms.

"Ray…" Raziel Phoenix grabbed Ray's arm tightly, still trembling. "I'm shaking. What just happened back there?"

Ray glanced at him. "Are you cold?"

Raziel Phoenix's eyes shone brightly. "No! I'm excited! I never knew Soul Masters could be this terrifying. Did you feel it? The moment the teacher drew his sword, it was like the world froze around him. That's a real expert. A true expert! If I could be that strong one day…"

Ray slapped his hand away.n "Then hurry up and cultivate. You're almost at rank twenty. Do you still not know how to work hard?"

Raziel Phoenix stared at him in disbelief. "Weren't you excited at all?"

Ray replied calmly, "Of course I was. But excitement won't make me stronger. The teacher reached this level step by step. The only thing we can do is train."

Raziel Phoenix rolled his eyes. "I'm completely defeated by you. Fine, you go meditate. I'll stay excited a bit longer."

Ray smiled helplessly and sat cross-legged on his bed.

How could he not be excited?

If anything, he was even more stirred than Raziel Phoenix. He simply buried it deep within his heart.

Grow stronger. I want to grow stronger.

Taking a deep breath, Ray focused his mind on the image of Alfred's sword strikes and entered meditation.

Those two strikes were simply too profound.

To others, the second sword strike had been the most shocking—the eruption of ice-cold sword energy that felt capable of shredding an entire bamboo forest. But to Ray, it was the first strike that left the deepest impression.

In that instant, it felt as though Alfred had become the center of the universe itself, wielding the world with a single sword.

When Alfred lifted his sword and casually pointed it toward the ground, the movement was gentle and unrestrained, without the slightest trace of force. At that moment, Ray hadn't been able to clearly see what happened next at all.

Yet when the Skyfrost Sword finally met Eren's fist, something unforgettable occurred.

A sorrowful dragon's roar exploded within Ray's mind.

The roar did not fade. It echoed again and again, heavy and anguished, as if a wounded dragon were howling in despair. With every metallic ding that rang out, Ray felt as though one of Eren's scales had been torn away. Each falling scale was accompanied by that painful roar, shaking Ray's consciousness to its core.

It felt as if Alfred's sword strike had not been aimed at Eren at all—but at Ray himself.

When the scales shattered, Ray could even sense the icy sword qi burrowing into Eren's body, tearing into his martial soul. That pain resonated directly within Ray's heart, sending a violent tremor through his spirit.

At that instant, another presence stirred deep inside him.

A furious, ancient voice seemed to awaken, and the scorching sensation he had felt when he was cut by Raziel Phoenix's Light Dragon Dagger surged forth once more. It was brief, fleeting, and did not trigger a physical transformation—but it still left Ray deeply shaken.

From the first time that strange power had appeared until now, its manifestations were becoming more frequent.

Ray suddenly realized something unsettling.

His body was hiding a secret. A terrifying one.

And this secret was very likely connected to the mutation of his Silverfalls Vine.

That realization made his heart restless. Normally, entering meditation was effortless for him, but tonight his thoughts refused to settle.

Lucius and Miel had already returned to the dormitory. Even Lucius, usually so calm, was animated as he excitedly discussed Alfred's two sword strikes with Miel and Raziel Phoenix, praising his overwhelming strength and charm.

Their voices drifted into Ray's ears.

The more he tried to meditate, the more chaotic his thoughts became. That lingering dragon's roar seemed to excite his blood, as if something within him were awakening, slowly and insistently.

Gradually, his consciousness blurred.

The roaring faded.

Darkness enveloped him.

It was absolute darkness, a void without sound or shape. Ray realized that he had entered a completely black world.

Then—

A golden light appeared in the distance.

It was dazzling beyond words, instantly drawing all of his attention. The golden radiance grew closer and closer, its sheer scale becoming more apparent with every passing moment.

When Ray finally saw it clearly, his breath caught.

A gigantic golden dragon.

It possessed five claws, its serpentine body covered in enormous golden scales. Twin horns rose proudly from its head. It had no wings—yet its presence alone dominated the heavens.

Why did he know it was a dragon?

It was clearly different from the dragons of the continent. No wings. Five claws beneath its body. And yet, without question, he knew—this was a dragon.

The golden light suddenly flared, radiating an overwhelming sense of dominion. Ray felt as though he were gazing down upon the world itself.

Lowering his head, he saw his own body.

It looked… unreal. Illusory.

He stood atop an azure-tiled floor inside an enormous hall. The golden dragon floated high above, coiled in the air like a living sun.

Only now did Ray notice the details.

The dragon was over a hundred meters long.

Around its body floated eighteen rings of light.

Each ring glowed with a clear, limpid blue radiance. For reasons he couldn't explain, when Ray saw that blue light, the first thing that came to mind was his own Silverfalls Vine.

"You have finally arrived."

A pure, cold voice echoed through the hall.

Golden radiance flooded the space, condensing at the center into a humanoid figure. The figure was translucent, its features indistinct, as though formed entirely from light and shadow.

"Who are you?" Ray asked instinctively. "Where is this place? Am I dreaming?"

"Perhaps," the golden figure replied softly. "I do not know who I am either. I am merely a thread of divine consciousness—one left behind to guide you. You may call this a dream, or you may call it a part of yourself."

Ray was only nine years old. His curiosity outweighed his fear.

"So… are you saying there's a dragon inside my body?" he asked.

The golden figure answered calmly, "Not merely a dragon. A Dragon King. More precisely, the soul of the Golden Dragon King."

Ray's eyes widened. "Is it my martial soul?"

"No," the golden figure said. "In truth, it is a calamity for you. The Golden Dragon King's energy is far too powerful. Your fragile body cannot withstand it. Should its power erupt unchecked, you will die."

Die.

The word struck Ray like a hammer.

He had never thought about death before—not really. He was still so young.

If he died… what about his parents? What about Vivienne?

"W-will I definitely die?" he asked blankly.

"If that were certain," the golden figure replied gently, "I would not be here. If you follow my guidance, you will have a chance to survive. But the path will be extremely difficult."

Ray bit his lip, gathering his courage. "Then… what do I need to do?"

The golden figure's voice grew solemn. "The fact that you have arrived here means you can already sense the Golden Dragon King's power and are being influenced by it. The Golden Dragon King is the embodiment of supreme physical strength. Naturally, its energy strengthens your body. That is why your strength surpasses that of ordinary people."

Ray nodded slowly. "Yes. I'm much stronger than others."

"That is the influence of the Golden Dragon King," the figure continued. "Its power is like a ticking time bomb inside you. Only the eighteen seals restraining its body are keeping you alive. To survive, you must rely on yourself."

"The Golden Dragon King's energy is sealed layer by layer. You must gradually release those seals and assimilate its power bit by bit. Only when you have completely absorbed its energy will you truly be safe."

"Assimilate?" Ray asked urgently. "How do I do that?"

The golden figure fell silent for a moment.

Then it spoke slowly, each word carrying tremendous weight.

"That… is the path you must discover with your own life." The golden radiance spoke calmly, yet its words carried crushing weight.

"Since you have reached this place, it proves that you already possess the foundation necessary to assimilate the power of the first seal. To absorb the soul of the Golden Dragon King, two conditions must be met. First, your physical body must be strong enough. Second, you will require external assistance."

It paused briefly before continuing.

"To break the first seal, you must obtain three items. These items will temper and strengthen your body. Once you have prepared all three and apply them simultaneously, I will help you weaken the first seal and begin the process of absorption."

Ray held his breath.

"You must remember this well," the golden light continued, its tone turning grave. "The soul of the Golden Dragon King is a double-edged blade. Absorbing it will strengthen you beyond imagination. But if you fail to absorb it in time, the seal will no longer be able to suppress its power."

"You will die… once you reach ten years of age."

Ray's heart nearly stopped.

Ten years old?

He was less than half a year away from his tenth birthday.

"W-what… what are those three items?" Ray asked urgently, his voice trembling.

"A hundred-year Ice Crystal Fruit. A hundred-year Scarlet Flame Fruit. And ten drops of blood from a hundred-year soul beast that possesses a dragon bloodline."

Just hearing the names made Ray's scalp tingle.

He had never even heard of those fruits before, let alone the blood of a dragon-type soul beast.

"B-but soul beasts are extinct!" Ray blurted out. "Where am I supposed to find something like that?"

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