A chilling cold spread through his entire body. At this moment, Lu Yun seemed completely unconscious—within an instant, he had lost all his vitality, spirit, and essence, as if the blood-red mysterious blade had completely siphoned them away. Now, Lu Yun appeared like a lifeless corpse, his eyes hollow, his face expressionless. Were it not for the slight tremors in his body, one would truly believe he had expired. Yet, even with mind and spirit utterly clear, his body remained utterly unresponsive. He longed to roar skyward, to vent his fury, but despite countless attempts, he could never manage it. Let alone throw aside the crimson, eerie blade held in his hands. Ah—struggling nearly to his limits, Lu Yun finally let out a loud cry. Yet, just as he thought he had regained control over his body, a sudden dizziness struck him—his head as though struck hard by a heavy object—his feet gave way, and if not for the blood-colored strange blade he held pressing against the ground, he would have collapsed completely. Man, what in the world is going on? Is this thing really going to take my life? Wu-Suo-Long! You're supposed to be a five-clawed green dragon, even more magnificent than the five-clawed golden dragon, right? Now I'm about to die, and you're not even showing up to save me? With the last remnants of consciousness, Lu Yun found himself thinking of Wu-Suo-Long. After all, this was a true dragon, and they were connected at the roots. If Lu Yun fell, Wu-Suo-Long would follow. He simply didn’t believe that, in such a critical moment, Wu-Suo-Long would remain passive. Moreover, given Lu Yun's current condition, no matter how strong his determination, he simply cannot withstand the strange assault brought by the blood-colored, eerie blade. His only hope lies with the Dull Dragon. Even if the Dull Dragon forcibly charges into his dreams, tearing his head apart into a mess of blood, it would still be preferable to this ongoing torment. "Dull Dragon!" Shaking his head, throbbing and clouded with pain, Lu Yun tried to summon the Dull Dragon with his mind. His last hope—Dull Dragon, don't let me down! There was no response. As if after Lu Yun had finished speaking his final words, the Dull Dragon had simply fallen into a deep sleep. Lu Yun was growing increasingly frustrated, feeling he could no longer hold on. Yet, as Lu Yun was about to give up, a familiar voice suddenly rang out in his mind: "You brat, what's all the fuss about? Almost cost Dragon Grandmaster his life. Just stay put—hold on as long as you can. As long as the crimson spectral blade’s river of blood doesn’t disrupt your mind, Dragon Grandmaster will surely save your life." With that, the voice faded away. Though the words were few, they brought sudden clarity to Lu Yun, whose mind and consciousness had been swirling in chaos—like the roar of a Buddhist lion’s voice—finally lifting him out of the state where he had longed to die. He would persevere. He would absolutely persevere—for his uncle and aunt, for Xiao Ying, Xiao Yu, and the others. He would see this through. Lu Yun, his mind now clear once again, resisted the encroachment of the blood river while silently thinking: What on earth is going on with me? I've always sensed a rather unimpressive dragon dwelling within my body. Then, during my conversations with Ning Jie in the sky, I learned about the existence of the merpeople. That confirmed to me that dragons truly exist—now, I can even connect this to various folk tales and mythical beings, even to the stories of the *Liaozhai*! Indeed, the vast world is full of wonders. If I survive this ordeal, I'm certain I'll have good fortune. For a young man of my age, I've personally experienced things that ordinary people simply never encounter—this is truly a remarkable phenomenon. Many phenomena that science has long dismissed now seem utterly absurd to me. If dragons and merpeople exist, then surely the existence of ghosts, demons, and other supernatural beings must also be real. With this realization, a slight relaxation settled in his tense nerves, allowing the river of blood on the crimson ghost blade to seep in, causing a sharp, needle-like pain in Lu Yun's head. Startled, the young man quickly held his breath and focused intently, refusing to let his attention drift. The old monk sat motionless, as if in meditation. Lu Yun concentrated solely on repelling the relentless tide of blood flooding into his consciousness, no longer daring to dwell on the strange, fragmented thoughts that arose. Time passed slowly—how long it had been, he could no longer tell—until, when he was nearly numb, the intense assault from the crimson ghost blade suddenly ceased. Worn out both mentally and physically, Lu Yun finally gave way, collapsing to the ground with a soft thud. At the same moment, the crimson ghost blade, which had been tightly adhering to his palm, silently slipped from his grasp and gently fell to the ground. The surging river of blood within the blade surged vigorously, as though unwilling to part, yet after a brief moment, it settled into stillness, calmly resting upon the blade's surface. "Good heavens, this kid is really calm. Dragon Grandpa went through a lot of effort, and this kid just fell asleep right away. You've only really encountered Dragon Grandpa, haven't you? If it were any other being, you'd eventually sink into the path of magic and doom." The voice of the humble dragon suddenly rose, unheard by the sleeping Lu Yun. "Cloud Brother!" A familiar voice suddenly echoed in Lu Yun's ears. Having tossed and turned all night in his dream, Lu Yun couldn't open his eyes. He mumbled a response, then waved a hand to push aside the person beside him, saying, "Just let me sleep a bit longer." "Cloud Brother, you can't sleep any longer—class is about to start. If we leave now, we still have time. Otherwise, you'll be late. Today it's the homeroom teacher's class. You already skipped yesterday's class. If you skip this one too, Old Wobbly Burnt Chicken will definitely give you a stern dressing-down." The voice returned, now filled with growing anxiety. Lu Yun's head ached fiercely. Upon hearing this, he strained to open his eyes and glanced at Lei, who looked worried. "Lei, please help me take a leave of absence. I'm feeling terribly unwell." "Cloud Brother!" Lei looked around the dorm and saw that no one was there, hesitated, then paused.