Chapter 160 - 122: Martial Soul Awakens, True Dragon Opens Its Eyes

Chapter 160: Chapter 122: Martial Soul Awakens, True Dragon Opens Its Eyes

The confrontation between the two in the void once again sparked a clash between Nanling’s native cultivators and those who had ascended from the barren lands.

One side ruthlessly disparaged that figure in white, while the other fiercely defended him.

Obviously, this delicate antagonism wasn’t built in a day or two; it was the result of prejudices and silent rebellions accumulated over endless years. This was the drawback of the Nanling higher-ups injecting fresh blood into the region. Even with experts as powerful as the Nine Saints holding down the fort, they couldn’t dissolve such deep-rooted prejudice.

It wasn’t just simple prejudice, either. It involved far too many interconnected relationships, with conflicts of interest being one of the most intense manifestations. When the prodigies from the barren lands took root in this Holy Land, they undeniably encroached upon the resources and interests of the native cultivators. Over time, the tension had pushed them to the brink of eruption.

In recent years, especially, there had been multiple internal versus external conflicts across Nanling, resulting in considerable casualties. If not for the suppression of the Nine Saints, large-scale bloodshed might have already broken out.

Ultimately, the root cause was that although the prodigies from the barren lands had produced many peerless experts who now stood guard over Nanling, they were constantly consuming local resources without providing any resource-based returns to the various clans of Nanling.

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, when Nanling lacked powerful experts, the foreign prodigies at least served to deter outside threats. But in today’s Nanling, where experts were as common as trees in a forest, the relationship between the two factions naturally became delicate.

"The barren lands can never produce a true dragon. I’d like to see if you truly have the qualifications to tie for first place with us."

In the void, Feng Wuya, bathed in a radiant glow, casually glanced at Jiang Hao. His tone grew even more frivolous.

Hearing this, Jiang Hao finally gave a calm smile. "I have no intention of making enemies with anyone in Nanling. Since this is a fair competition, and Nanling has always maintained this rule, I have no reason to give up, do I?

"For us cultivators, life is all about the word ’strive’—striving against the heavens, striving against the earth, and striving against others.

"Since I have come to Nanling, I am half a member of Nanling myself. If Nanling can forge me, it’s not impossible for me to give back to Nanling in the future.

"The returns I can provide might not be inferior to anyone else’s."

Facing the other party’s subtle pressure, Jiang Hao met it head-on. Now, he thirsted for power more than anything. Since the Nanling higher-ups had no objections, he wouldn’t shrink back just because of a Saint Son’s coercion.

However, the moment Jiang Hao finished speaking, Feng Wuya burst into loud laughter.

"Good! In that case, I shall wait and see."

Dropping this seemingly dismissive remark, Feng Wuya immediately turned and tore through the sky, departing. But his words had reached everyone’s ears. How sharp was the hearing of a cultivator? In an instant, the entire Holy City boiled over.

"Hahaha, I’m dying of laughter! What did I just hear? Did he just compare himself to the Five Sons of Nanling?"

"What a joke. Throughout history, when has any generation of the Five Sons of Nanling not been comprised of utterly brilliant figures? Once they fully matured, the returns they brought to Nanling were terrifyingly unimaginable."

"He’s just a cultivator from an impoverished Earth Realm, yet he actually thinks that if he gets a spot in the Golden Scale Dao, his returns will be greater than Feng Wuya and the others’?"

"Does this guy think the strength of our Five Sons of Nanling is just empty boasting? He doesn’t seriously believe he’s more monstrous and powerful than they are, does he?"

"Confident, he’s certainly confident. I just hope he can still smile when he’s inside the Dragon Transformation Pool."

"Did tying for first place go to his head?"

"I think he’s completely lost his bearings. How dare he claim to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Five Sons of Nanling?"

Following the conversation, many native Nanling cultivators spoke bluntly and without reservation, as if they had just heard the biggest joke in the world. Even some of the native young lords and ladies near Jiang Hao couldn’t help but shake their heads. In their eyes, the Celestial List was ultimately just a preliminary screening. It did not represent true strength.

However, when Jiang Hao’s words reached the ears of the countless figures sitting cross-legged at the various supreme peaks of Nanling, many imposing figures gave slight, successive nods.

Today’s Nanling desperately needed such an unparalleled prodigy. As the combat masters of this Holy Land, even the Nine Saints were not omnipotent. The conflict between native and outsider cultivators desperately needed the returns of a peerless figure from the barren Earth Realms to silence the wagging tongues of the masses. Only if an unparalleled prodigy emerged from the barren Earth Realms and brought abundant returns to Nanling could the conflict, now teetering on the edge of eruption, be temporarily balanced.

Jiang Hao’s appearance gave them hope, though they didn’t hold excessively high expectations. After all, what that figure had displayed so far wasn’t enough to shake the entire upper echelon of Nanling.

Amidst the endless sea of people, only Gu Qingyan’s beautiful eyes were brimming with anticipation. She thought, "Once inside the Dragon Transformation Pool, everything will be laid bare—especially the potential of a Martial Soul. Jiang Hao, it’s about time you gave me a hint of just how terrifying your Martial Soul truly is."

The Dragon Transformation Pool was not merely a Holy Pool where countless prodigies attempted to achieve One Vein Many Transformations; it was a Demon-Revealing Mirror that stimulated a Martial Soul to its absolute limits. Once inside, all Martial Soul Power would be awakened, marking a true watershed moment between cultivators.

Just as the crowd was nervously awaiting this unparalleled spectacle, a majestic voice echoed throughout the entire Holy City. It commanded absolute reverence. Only the voice could be heard; the speaker remained unseen.

"Alright, the Dragon Transformation Pool is open. A golden scale is no mere fish; once it enters, it transforms into a dragon.

"Everyone, I wish you all success. May you soar into the sky within, transforming into true dragons from this day forth, capable of ascending to the heavens, descending to the earth, and soaring across the universe.

"I hereby announce that the Dragon Transformation Pool is officially open."

At the same time, a terrifying force instantly enveloped the world, swallowing everything in its path. Like the primordial energy of the universe, it poured into the dozens of massive Holy Pools.

In an instant, ancient grand formations erupted into the sky, tightly wrapping around every single Holy Pool. As boundless, dazzling Holy Light illuminated the formations, the strange stones held by Jiang Hao and the others resonated from afar, rising into the air one after another.

These stones were the mysterious items from the Celestial List selection. After floating upwards, the stones rippled with streaks of Holy Light, enveloping the prodigies and carrying them toward their corresponding Holy Pools.

"So the final ’key’ to entering the Dragon Transformation Pool was this stone from the Celestial List selection?" Mu Zhen watched in astonishment as the stone carried him toward one of the Holy Pools.

Jiang Hao was similarly carried away by his stone, flying toward the endless Holy Pools. For a moment, the entire Holy City looked as though countless celestial soldiers and generals were taking flight, blotting out the sky and covering the earth.

There were nearly a hundred Dragon Transformation Pools, arranged in a tiered, pyramid-like structure resembling terraced fields. At the very top were three equally massive Holy Pools, followed by six below them, and so on. The area just beneath the three supreme Holy Pools looked somewhat crowded; it was obvious that one of the pools had been forcibly added later.

Jiang Hao was carried by his stone toward that very pool.

Out of the dozens of Holy Pools, excluding the top nine, the rest saw countless figures flying into them. However, for the nine Dragon Transformation Pools perched at the highest points, only six figures tore through the air toward them, and Jiang Hao was one of them. Meanwhile, the three highest of the nine Holy Pools remained completely devoid of activity.

Clearly, only the unparalleled prodigies who had reached the very top of the Celestial List were qualified to monopolize a Dragon Transformation Pool all to themselves. For those who hadn’t reached the summit, the further down they went, the more crowded it became. The lowest Dragon Transformation Pool even had tens of thousands of prodigies entering at once.

At the South Mountain Peak, Yan Nantian watched the white-clad figure who was about to enter the Dragon Transformation Pool. Even as a generation’s Sword Saint, his gaze grew sharp.

Once inside the Dragon Transformation Pool, a Martial Soul’s potential would truly be stimulated. At that time, that figure’s upper limit would be revealed step by step. The true gap between prodigies would be determined today. No matter how exceptional one’s innate talent was, they could still be shackled by the grade of their Martial Soul. The so-called Dragon Transformation Pool was, in truth, a stage to test just how terrifying a prodigy’s Martial Soul really was.

BOOM!!!

The instant Jiang Hao stepped into his own Dragon Transformation Pool, this very point was magnified. The moment his body entered the perimeter of the Holy Pool, the True Dragon Martial Soul within him violently opened its eyes, as if sensing something.

It was like a slumbering true dragon that had finally awakened from its deep sleep on this day.