"What is this…? What exactly is this?"
Dugu Bo stared at the dragon-headed hammer in Chen Ming's hands, utterly certain that the eyes of the dragon's head were not just for show—they gleamed with a cold, living light, as if silently observing him in return.
"Just a moment ago it was a shield… how did it suddenly turn into a hammer? Don't tell me you actually obtained a weapon-type Spirit Ability?"
"No," Chen Ming shook his head, though a trace of excitement flickered in his eyes. "This is still dragon transformation. I've just… found a slightly different way to use it."
Even though his calculations had already placed the success rate of this method above sixty-seven percent, seeing it work in reality still filled him with a quiet thrill.
"Senior, do you know what dragon transformation actually does?"
"It enhances all attributes, activates the Martial Soul, and can alter the form of Spirit Abilities…" Dugu Bo paused mid-sentence, his expression shifting. "Alter the form…? Change the form?"
He had seen members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan use dragon transformation before. He knew it was an extraordinarily powerful ability—but no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't reconcile that knowledge with the massive hammer in front of him.
"That's right," Chen Ming confirmed. "Beast-Soul Toolization is extremely dependent on innate talent. I can replicate it through acquired means, but it's still inferior to those who are born with it—the mental strain alone is significant when I maintain a weapon form like the shield."
"But now," he continued, his tone steady yet confident, "I've compensated for that weakness and expanded my abilities further."
"Dragon transformation enhances specific parts of the body, pushing them toward a draconic state. If that's the case, then I can also control which parts transform—and to what extent. That allows me to adjust the form of my Spirit Abilities to a certain degree."
"And since the weapon created through Beast-Soul Toolization is still fundamentally a part of my Martial Soul, it naturally benefits from both dragon transformation and Spirit Ability enhancements. Combined with my control, it becomes far more versatile."
He lifted the hammer slightly, as if testing its weight.
"Previously, maintaining a weapon form required constant mental effort. But now, I only need to expend a bit of energy during the transition. Once the form is established, I can sustain it through dragon transformation."
"Like this…"
Chen Ming glanced around for a suitable test target, but finding none, his gaze eventually settled on Dugu Bo.
"Senior, you know my first Spirit Ability is a support-type ability—it enhances defense and earth attributes while adding a protective shield."
"And now… I can use it like this."
His Spirit Power surged.
The first Spirit Ring flared brilliantly, then suddenly contracted, locking itself around the dragon-headed hammer. A yellowish glow spread outward, enveloping both the weapon and Chen Ming's hands, while a layer of golden energy gathered over the dragon's head.
"Senior—care to test it?"
"Gladly."
Dugu Bo nodded, a hint of curiosity in his eyes as he beckoned Chen Ming forward.
Without hesitation, Chen Ming swung the hammer down.
Dugu Bo didn't dodge. Instead, he summoned his Martial Soul and raised a hand to meet the strike head-on.
The moment their attacks collided—
A powerful shockwave erupted from the dragon-headed hammer, accompanied by a deep, resonant dragon's roar.
Caught off guard, Dugu Bo's expression shifted ever so slightly. His body involuntarily stepped back half a pace before he managed to steady himself and block the blow.
"…Impressive," he said after a moment, shaking out his slightly numb hand before giving Chen Ming an approving clap. "Very impressive. How did you pull that off?"
Chen Ming smiled faintly.
"It's actually quite simple. When my defensive enhancement is applied to my body, it increases durability. But when applied to the hammer, it makes the weapon itself harder. As for the earth attribute—it not only strengthens the Spirit Power but also increases the hammer's weight."
"And the protective shield?" He lifted the weapon slightly. "When used on my body, it acts as a barrier. But when applied to the hammer, I can detonate it deliberately—releasing a burst of force to amplify the impact of my strike."
He paused, then gestured toward the golden orb held within the dragon's jaws.
"And there's also this—the Land Dragon Golden Melon. My connection with it has deepened further. By channeling Spirit Power into it, I can activate some of its properties—like expanding its size, or increasing its weight through earth-attribute enhancement."
The hammer pulsed faintly as he spoke, as if responding to his will—alive, evolving, and far more than a simple weapon.
"…Is this really still a Spirit Master?"
Dugu Bo muttered, sounding almost resigned. "Forget it—I've asked that question more times than I can count, and every time you just say something like 'if it exists, it's reasonable.' Maybe this is just a matter of talent. Mine's clearly lacking, so it's no wonder I can't understand it."
He sighed, as if accepting his fate—but then something suddenly struck him as off. Narrowing his eyes, he raised a hand and pointed straight at the dragon head on the hammer.
"Wait. That thing… it's giving off mental fluctuations. Where did that come from? Don't tell me you've actually got a dragon soul attached to you?"
Chen Ming shook his head calmly.
"Not quite. I'm simply multitasking—splitting off a portion of my cognitive processing and combining it with the inherent beastly instincts of my Martial Soul to form a secondary 'mind.'"
He paused briefly, choosing his words.
"In essence, it's like giving myself an extra arm and an extra set of eyes… just with a slightly more aggressive emotional bias. But fundamentally, it's still me."
Chen Ming's innate talent allowed him to enter a state of absolute calm, much like an artificial intelligence—maximizing his computational ability and dividing his thoughts to achieve analytical capabilities far beyond normal limits.
However, due to the constraints of his physical body, he rarely had the opportunity—or need—to utilize all of that processing power in everyday situations.
Even while maintaining perfect recall, even while running constant background analysis, a significant portion of his mental capacity remained unused—reserved for emergencies.
Now, he had taken that surplus and deliberately partitioned it.
Like dividing a storage drive, he had carved out a dedicated "space"—a mental partition specifically assigned to Beast-Soul Toolization. Within it, he stored the "processes" responsible for weapon transformation and maintenance.
This allowed him to trigger pre-prepared sequences with nothing more than a single thought—like pressing a button—instantly shifting the state of his Martial Soul.
It wasn't truly instantaneous, but compared to the conventional method—where one had to consciously control and sustain every stage of the transformation—it was incomparably faster.
More importantly, because the weaponized portion was still fundamentally part of his Martial Soul, Chen Ming could accomplish something that defied common sense:
He could maintain the weapon form… even after releasing his Martial Soul possession.
This independent segment of Beast-Soul Toolization had already been assigned another purpose as well.
Chen Ming intended to use it to continuously envelop the Land Dragon Golden Melon, steadily digesting and refining its medicinal power. When the time came, he would simply reabsorb that stored energy back into his body after dismissing his Martial Soul.
As long as the weapon remained within a certain range of his body, this process was entirely feasible.
There was no dragon soul residing within him. His Martial Soul itself possessed no independent consciousness.
And yet—through deliberate partitioning of his own cognitive power, he had effectively created something akin to an "AI dragon soul," capable of sustaining and operating his Martial Soul on its own.
In the Douluo world, a phenomenon like this—where a Martial Soul could "cultivate" or maintain itself independently—was nearly impossible.
And yet, through sheer computational prowess and the aid of external forces, Chen Ming had achieved it.
But that wasn't the only change.
During the absorption of the Spirit Ring, by further channeling the medicinal power of the Land Dragon Golden Melon into his Martial Soul, Chen Ming had triggered a complete transformation.
His Martial Soul was no longer a Heavy-Armored Earth Dragon—nor even a mere mutated variant.
Its bloodline had been completed.
What was once an incomplete sub-dragon had leapt across the boundary… and become a true dragon.
Not a simple earth dragon, nor a mountain dragon said to embody the land itself and bear all things.
His evolution lay somewhere in between—yet beyond both.
If he had to give it a name…
There was only one that fit.
The "Sacred Earth Dragon."
...
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