This fight had just begun.
BWOOOM!
The chaotic energy wave from my kick still reverberated in the air, shaking the cave walls. The massive and majestic Golden Dragon, Huanglong Zun, staggered backward, its golden scales scraping against the rocks, creating a deafening "Thud! Thud!" sound. Large cracks spread across the cave wall where its body collided, and rocks crumbled with a deafening "Crash! Crash!", filling the air with dust.
However, the effect of the "Arhat Shadow Kick" did not last long. Immediately after the strange energy wave subsided, the numbness in my body vanished, replaced by a burning pain, a thousand times worse than before. Every muscle screamed, every bone felt crushed, and blood gushed from my mouth again, soaking my coarse robe. I staggered, my knees weak, and I almost collapsed back to the floor.
[Ding! Warning: System Emergency Mode will end soon. Extreme Qi exhaustion detected. Temporary meridian damage detected. Current Strangeness Points: 44.]
Damn it! My Strangeness Points are drained! And this exhaustion... it feels like all my energy has been sucked out, leaving an empty shell. I couldn't even stand straight. This was the price of that absurd borrowed power.
Huanglong Zun, after staggering a few steps, finally stabilized itself. Its blazing red eyes, which had been wide with disbelief, now narrowed sharply, radiating an anger far more terrifying than before. Thick smoke billowed from its nostrils, and a dense killing aura enveloped the entire cave, making the air feel cold and suffocating.
"Lowly mortal... how dare you... how dare you push me?!" Huanglong Zun's voice, the Roar of Heavenly Thunder, sounded lower, deeper, and full of burning wrath, as if it was holding back a volcanic eruption. "You... you made me stagger?! This is an unforgivable insult! I, Huanglong Zun, have never been humiliated by a lowly creature like you! You will die with unimaginable suffering!"
The dragon no longer snorted. It roared, a roar more devastating than before, ROOOOAAARRRR! The entire cave trembled violently, and this time, large cracks appeared in the ceiling, dropping massive boulders with deafening "Boom! Crash!" sounds. The Golden Dragon Spiritual Pool churned violently, its water splashing everywhere, and the Sky Essence Ice Flower flickered frantically, as if fearing the coming destruction.
I coughed again, tasting the bitter blood in my mouth. My body trembled uncontrollably, not just from cold or fear, but from overwhelming exhaustion. My Strangeness Points were only 33. Not enough to activate Emergency Mode again. I was truly alone.
Damn it! Die again? After all this? After gaining strange power, after finding a magical flower, after seeing a dragon stone... I'm going to die at the hands of an angry dragon because I kicked it?! This is a death more ridiculous than chewing gum!
Far away on the Tian Xuan Continent, on the peak of Sky Sword Mountain, the Sect Master of Eternal Sky, who had been calm, now stood from his meditation cushion. His eyes radiated a brighter golden light, piercing through the clouds.
"What is this aura?!" he mumbled, his voice trembling, no longer calm. "Golden Dragon energy! And... there's another very strange aura, mixed with it! An aura I've never felt before! This... this is from Golden Dragon Peak! Huanglong Zun's Roar of Heavenly Thunder... it even reached here!"
In Hidden Flower Valley, an elegant woman in a green silk dress, the Mistress of Jade Flower Valley, who was tending to rare spiritual flowers, suddenly tensed again. The petals of the flower in her hand withered instantly, and the entire flower garden trembled. She looked up at the sky, her eyes radiating deep concern.
"This vibration... Huanglong Zun's power is raging! But... there's a very disturbing energy wave, like ripples in a calm pond that have now turned into a storm! Who dares to provoke the Guardian this far? And that strange power... what is it? His Roar of Heavenly Thunder is so strong it's disturbing the Qi flow in my valley again!"
Back in the cave, Huanglong Zun now hovered slightly, its body radiating a burning golden aura, illuminating the entire cave with blinding light. Its eyes were fixed on me, full of hatred.
"Mortal! You have touched the limits of my patience! Receive your end!" Its Roar of Heavenly Thunder vibrated in my mind, almost making me faint.
The dragon opened its jaws wide, and this time, not a Qi wave, but a dense golden energy orb began to form between its sharp fangs. The orb pulsed with terrifying power, absorbing the surrounding light, making the air crackle with a "Zzzzzzt!" sound. This was a much stronger attack, an attack that could shatter mountains!
I coughed, blood filling my mouth again. My body was unable to move. I stared at the deadly energy orb, then at the faintly flickering system panel. My Strangeness Points weren't enough. No more cheat codes. I was going to die.
No! It can't be like this! I refuse!
Though my body was paralyzed, my mind screamed. I couldn't die ridiculously again like this! Not after all I've been through! I don't care if this is a cosmic joke, I don't care if this system is just a hallucination! I will fight! I closed my eyes, gathering the last remnants of strength I had, even if it was just pure will. I imagined myself standing, swinging my fists, performing the Shaolin movements I had learned, as if it were the only real thing left.
[Ding! Detection: User's Strong Will reached extreme threshold. Activating Emergency Ability Level Two: Awakening!]
[Warning: Awakening will drastically drain all remaining Strangeness Points. Risk: Fatal Qi exhaustion, permanent meridian damage, possible spiritual coma.]
[Gathering Strangeness Points for Awakening activation...]
[-33 Strangeness Points.]
[Awakening Active! Channeling Pure Strangeness Essence to User!]
Instantly, a strange sensation, like an invisible shockwave, swept through my entire body. The pain from the dragon's attack suddenly vanished completely, replaced by a strange burst of energy, unlike ordinary Qi. My eyes, which had been blurry, now opened wide again, and a dazzling white light emanated from my pupils, illuminating the entire cave with an almost blinding flash. My "beautiful" face now radiated an astonishing sacred aura, yet also full of burning determination, as if the deity itself had awakened within me.
Grrrrummm!
Outside the cave, on Golden Dragon Peak, the aura of spiritual energy exploding from within the cave felt so strong that it pierced through the mist. The sky, which had been clear, suddenly churned violently, clouds swirling into a terrifying giant lightning vortex above the peak. Golden lightning danced among the dark clouds, and thunder roared incessantly. Ancient trees on the mountain slopes creaked, some even falling with a "Thud!" due to the unbearable energy pressure, as if nature itself was responding.
Far away on the Tian Xuan Continent, on the peak of Sky Sword Mountain, inside a sect hall shrouded in clouds, the Sect Master of Eternal Sky, who was meditating on a jade stone cushion, suddenly opened his eyes for the second time. His sharp eyes radiated a flash of golden light, full of shock.
"Why is this aura stronger than before?!" he mumbled, his voice trembling, no longer calm. "Golden Dragon energy! And... there's another very strange aura, mixed with it, getting stronger! An aura I've never felt in my life is now stronger than before! This... this is from Golden Dragon Peak! Huanglong Zun's Roar of Heavenly Thunder... It's also getting stronger now, who provoked him to this extent!"
In Hidden Flower Valley, an elegant woman in a green silk dress, the Mistress of Jade Flower Valley, who was tending to rare spiritual flowers, suddenly tensed again. The petals of the flower in her hand withered instantly and the surrounding flowers withered even more. She looked up at the sky, her eyes radiating deep concern.
"This vibration... Huanglong Zun's power is raging! But... there's an unexpected aura of chaos mixed with it, now getting stronger. Who dares to provoke the Guardian? And that strange aura... It's even stronger than before! His Roar of Heavenly Thunder is so strong it's disturbing the Qi flow in my valley again!"
Back in the cave, my body felt like a vessel forced to contain too much energy. My Strangeness Points had been drastically drained, but in return, a power I had never imagined flowed within me. I didn't know how long this effect would last, or what the consequences would be. But right now, I had a chance.
The Golden Dragon lowered its claw, the golden energy orb in its jaws growing larger, ready to strike me. Its eyes radiated triumph.
"Die, mortal!" Its Roar of Heavenly Thunder vibrated throughout the cave, as if wanting to tear my soul apart.
However, a faint smile, full of resignation yet also madness, was etched on my face. I raised my trembling hand, but it was now filled with strange energy.
"Forgive me, Your Excellency Dragon Huanglong Zun," I whispered, my voice somehow clear and calm, even amidst the dragon's roar. "But... I will not die ridiculously for the third time! And this time, I'll use something... a little more classic!"
[Activating Emergency Ability: Heaven-Opening Punch (Shaolin)!]
I didn't know what "Heaven-Opening Punch" was, but the System had activated it, and memories of the Shaolin movements I had learned flooded my mind. With the remaining strength I had, I swung my fist, not with an elegant cultivation technique, but with a basic Shaolin punch that monks once taught, but now empowered by Strangeness Essence. The punch was simple, yet strangely, it felt incredibly fast and precise, as if transcending space and time.
Whoosh! BOOM! CRACK!
A wave of strange energy, not golden like the dragon's, not pure like spiritual, but a chaotic yet powerful vortex of energy, shot from my fist, hitting directly in the center of the Golden Dragon's golden energy orb. The energy orb, which was supposed to shatter mountains, suddenly trembled, spun uncontrollably, then... exploded inwards! Not a destructive explosion, but an explosion that disrupted and confused.
The Golden Dragon, Huanglong Zun, gasped, its eyes wide with disbelief. The chaotic energy wave did not destroy its physical body, but struck its Qi core, disrupting its energy circulation, making it feel dizzy and nauseous. Huanglong Zun, for the first time in thousands of years, lost full control of its Qi. Its massive body staggered backward with a deafening "Thud! Thud!", hitting the cave wall, creating large cracks and making rocks crumble with a "Crash! Crash!".
Huanglong Zun collapsed to the cave floor, its body trembling violently, its scales scraping with a "Creak! Creak!" sound. It wasn't dead, but clearly shocked and disoriented. Thick smoke billowed from its nostrils, no longer from anger, but from confusion and a pain it had never felt before. Its blazing red eyes stared at me, no longer with wrath, but with a mixture of disbelief, bewilderment, and a hint of... fear.
My body collapsed instantly, fatal Qi exhaustion setting in, and excruciating pain returned, making me faint on the spot.
However, before darkness swallowed me, an even stranger miracle occurred. As my body collapsed, a faint golden essence, almost invisible, floated out from Huanglong Zun's staggering body, drawn by my strange aura. That essence, pure and ancient, penetrated my injured skin, seeping inward.
The burning pain in my meridians, which had been shattered by the dragon's attack and the drain of Strangeness Energy, suddenly subsided. I felt a strange tingling sensation, followed by a spreading warmth, as if something was rebuilding every energy channel within me. My meridians, which should have been destroyed, now felt stronger, more robust, and strangely... slightly scaly, emitting a faint aura similar to a dragon's.
These were no longer ordinary human meridians. These were Half-Dragon Meridians, an unexpected transformation!
[Ding! Initial Mission: Survive on Golden Dragon Peak for 1 day. Status: Complete!]
[Congratulations! User has successfully survived and defeated a Guardian-level Spiritual Creature with a highly unorthodox method!]
[Detection: User's Meridians have undergone a unique transformation into Half-Dragon Meridians. Cultivation Potential: Greatly Increased!]
[Gathering Strangeness Points from impossible victory and transformation...]
[+100 Strangeness Points!]
[Mission Reward: System Starter Pack has been activated!]
And darkness swallowed me. I didn't know what would happen next, or how long I would be unconscious. However, one thing was certain: I, Chen Ming, the ridiculous reincarnation, had won an impossible fight, and now possessed meridians that were no longer entirely human. I would be in a coma, perhaps for a very long time. Perhaps... up to ten years.