Three long hours dragged by in the secluded courtyard. The sun climbed higher, casting shifting shadows, but Bai Feng and Wu Mao remained rooted to their spots, their gazes fixed on the pulsing golden cocoon. The initial shock had faded into a tense, anxious vigil. Every slight flicker of the cocoon's light sent jolts of hope and fear through Bai Feng. Wu Mao, though outwardly calmer, kept a hand near his pouch of pills, his brow furrowed in deep concentration, sensing the profound changes occurring within the golden shell.
Then, a sound – sharp and distinct, cutting through the quiet hum of the courtyard – a crack.
Both men snapped to attention. A thin, hairline fracture appeared on the smooth surface of the golden cocoon, near the top. It glowed brighter for a moment before another crack spiderwebbed from it. More cracks followed in rapid succession, spreading across the golden shell like lightning forks. The light emanating from within grew almost blindingly intense.
With a final, resonant CRACK, the golden cocoon didn't just break; it exploded outwards in a shower of harmless, glittering golden particles that slowly dissipated into the air.
Where the cocoon had been, Bai Yu stood.
But it was a Bai Yu transformed.
Gone was the slightly gaunt look born of years of overexertion and frustration. His distinctive white hair remained, but it now cascaded down his back, impossibly long, smooth, and possessing a subtle, silvery sheen, like moonlight on snow. His face, previously sharp but ordinary, was now strikingly handsome, almost ethereal, with pale, flawless skin. His eyebrows were sharp and defined, like twin swords, adding an air of inherent authority.
But the most startling change was his eyes. The familiar, sharp black irises were gone. In their place, his eyes now blazed with a pure, molten gold hue – the very same color as the ancient dragon's eyes he had faced in the mindscape. They held a depth and ancient wisdom that seemed incongruous with his sixteen years.
And emanating from him, subtle yet undeniable, was an aura. It wasn't the oppressive might of his father, but something different – an ancient, noble pressure, tinged with the majesty and power of a Dragon. It felt primal, regal, and utterly profound. There was no trace of the defeated beast soul, only harmonious fusion.
Bai Yu had completely fused with the bloodline and the remnant Soul of the Primal Genesis Dragon. The essence of Ao Tian, stripped of its hostile consciousness in their life-or-death struggle, had integrated with his own being.
Bai Feng stared, his breath caught in his throat. The relief that his son was alive warred with the sheer shock of the transformation. This figure before him felt familiar, yet fundamentally different, radiating a presence that sent shivers down the spine of even a Martial Grandmaster.
"Bai Yu...?" Bai Feng breathed, his voice rough with emotion, hardly daring to believe it. "Is it... is it truly you?"
The golden eyes blinked, the ancient light within softening as they focused on Bai Feng. Recognition dawned, followed by a flood of raw, human emotion. The regal aura flickered, replaced by the vulnerability of a son who had faced death and returned.
"Father!" Bai Yu cried out, his voice clear and stronger than before, yet thick with unshed tears. He stumbled forward, exhaustion momentarily overwhelming his transformed body, and ran into his father's waiting arms.
Bai Feng crushed him in a fierce hug, heedless of the dried bloodstains on Bai Yu's clothes. Relief, potent and overwhelming, finally broke through his stoic facade. Tears streamed down the face as he held his son tight, feeling the steady beat of his heart, the impossible warmth of his survival. "You're alive... You're alive!"
Wu Mao watched the reunion with a gentle smile, allowing the father and son their moment before stepping closer, bowing respectfully. "Congratulations, Young Master Bai," he said, his voice filled with genuine admiration. "I can feel it from your aura... the presence you integrated with... it belonged to an exceptionally high-ranking Magical Beast. The power signature is immense, ancient."
Bai Yu pulled back slightly from his father's embrace, wiping his golden eyes, though his hand still rested on Bai Feng's arm. He looked at Wu Mao and nodded, a newfound confidence settling into his bearing. "Yes," he confirmed, his voice steady. "It was a Dragon."
The word hung in the air.
Bai Feng and Wu Mao both gasped, their eyes widening in unison. "A Dragon?!" they exclaimed simultaneously.
Wu Mao, the learned Alchemist, looked utterly stunned. He stared at Bai Yu as if seeing him for the first time, comprehending the full magnitude of what had occurred. "A... a true Dragon?" he stammered, his mind racing through ancient texts and legends. "Impossible... Patriarch, Young Master, if it really was a Dragon soul he faced and fused with... then his future martial talent... it will be simply monstrous! Unprecedented!"
He shook his head in disbelief. "I have only heard vague legends, fragments in forbidden scrolls, of individuals who survived merging with magical beast souls! And those were always lesser beasts – spirit foxes, wind wolves, maybe a minor flood serpent! Creatures whose soul remnants might grant an elemental affinity or enhanced physique. But a Dragon? A Primal Genesis Dragon, judging by the ancient quality of this aura? The potential... it's..." Wu Mao trailed off, unable to find words adequate to describe the boundless horizon that had just opened before Bai Yu.