Separate Paths

"You've gained quite a bit as well. Li Qi even transferred his primary celestial veins to you. With his years of insights and experiences merging with yours, along with the fusion of your wisdom, your strength is bound to surge," Long Chen laughed.

Song Mingyuan chuckled in response. Li Qi had handed over all the "assets" he had accumulated over the years to him, and he had indeed profited.

"Having obtained Li Qi's power, your path of cultivation needs to change," Long Chen pondered before speaking.

"How should it change?" Song Mingyuan was taken aback. His strength had reached such a level that everything had already solidified, making any change seem nearly impossible.

"If I recall correctly, your dragon soul is named 'Thick Earth Auspicious Dragon,' right?" Long Chen asked.

"Yes," Song Mingyuan affirmed.

"In mythology, the Thick Earth Auspicious Dragon is a symbol of auspiciousness. When cultivating within the Earth's veins, it carries its own luck. With the blessings of fortune, wherever it resides becomes a land of auspiciousness. The Auspicious Dragon represents prosperity and embodies the virtues of humility and carrying the weight of benevolence..."

As Long Chen spoke, Song Mingyuan's Fate Dragon Vein automatically manifested, unexpectedly drawn out by Long Chen's words. The three-foot-long miniature dragon incarnation of Song Mingyuan's Fate Dragon Vein appeared before Long Chen and affectionately nuzzled against his shoulder a few times.

"Damn it, even though he's my elder, seeing this makes me a bit jealous!" Unable to hold back, Song Mingyuan cursed upon seeing his own primary dragon soul getting so close to Long Chen.

From the moment they had forged their covenant, they were comrades bound by life and death, the closest of battle companions. Remember, the dragon souls within each Dragonblood Warrior are unique and communication between them is never established.

Now, his primary dragon soul was showing goodwill toward Long Chen, leaving Song Mingyuan feeling somewhat uneasy.

Long Chen gently stroked the dragon soul's head, and with a faint smile, he said, "It's not that my brother doesn't understand you, it's just that he can't. As the Commander of the Dragonblood Legion, he can't live for himself; he must live for all his brothers. Nobody likes killing, but in order to survive, we have no choice."

Upon hearing Long Chen's words, the dragon soul's eyes dimmed with a hint of melancholy. It slowly left Long Chen's shoulder and returned to Song Mingyuan's side, seemingly quite disappointed.

"But that was in the past. Things are different now, Mingyuan. You won't need to force yourselves into killing from now on," Long Chen continued.

At these words, the dragon soul's eyes instantly brightened, looking at Long Chen in disbelief.

Long Chen smiled and said, "Among the four Legion Commanders, three excel in offense. What's needed now is a Commander skilled in defense to control the pace of battle. In other words, they will handle the assault, while your responsibility will be defense. This way, the Dragonblood Legion can both attack and defend, with flexibility in advancing and retreating. Whether it's endurance in battles or safety, both will be greatly ensured."

A buzzing sound filled the air as the dragon soul emitted a radiant glow, its eyes showing a mix of disbelief.

"Of course, it's true," Long Chen chuckled.

Hearing Long Chen's response, the dragon soul couldn't contain its joy. It circled Long Chen a few times before returning to Song Mingyuan's body.

"Elder, do I really need to do this?" Song Mingyuan asked.

Long Chen nodded, "In the past, the Dragonblood Legion consisted entirely of fierce attackers. While their striking power was astonishing, their consumption was also incredibly high. If they couldn't finish off their enemies in one go, they would end up in a perilous situation. Furthermore, the formation of the Dragonblood Legion was completely dependent on the four of you, and all four Legion Commanders were indispensable."

"But things have changed now. Dragonblood Warriors have amassed combat experience and battle awareness, and their cooperation with each other is nearly impeccable. With Guo Ran and Xia Chen taking command, they can control the rhythm. In this scenario, the four Legion Commanders can freely engage in battle."

"Equipped with the power of Thick Earth and the auspicious energy of the Auspicious Dragon, your dragon soul dislikes killing. It's difficult for you to fully harness its power in combat. However, if you employ your power for defense and enjoy the blessings of the auspicious energy, it will become our Dragonblood Legion's greatest means of survival."

"Elder, I'm a bit confused by all this," Song Mingyuan said, his words leaving him bewildered.

Rolling his eyes, Long Chen retorted, "Our medical warriors are adept at Wood-element abilities. They are the backbone of our Dragonblood Legion. When someone gets injured, they need immediate treatment. But the Wood energy of medical warriors comes from their primary power. Once that's depleted, they lose their healing capabilities."

"Earth nurtures Wood. Now, you won't be required to fight. Your tasks include ensuring everyone's safety and providing Thick Earth power to the medical warriors. As long as your power remains constant, their Wood energy will be inexhaustible, especially with the blessings of the Auspicious Dragon's energy. Their healing effectiveness will multiply."

"As long as Dragonblood Warriors aren't instantly killed in one strike, with so many medical warriors around, they'll become virtually invincible. Do you get it now?"

Listening to Long Chen's explanation, Song Mingyuan finally comprehended Long Chen's intentions.

From now on, Song Mingyuan would no longer directly engage in front-line combat. His responsibility would be to handle defensive actions on the battlefield and protect the team in case of sudden emergencies. While killing conflicted with the essence of his dragon soul and the Auspicious Dragon's nature, using them for defense could maximize their potential. Additionally, the auspicious energy of the Auspicious Dragon had a significant enhancing effect on the medical warriors.

"Though it's a bit reluctant, I'll still follow your arrangements, Elder," Song Mingyuan said with a wry smile.

As the Commander of the Dragonblood Legion, going from charging into the thick of battle to becoming a battlefield guardian was a significant shift for him.

"Adversity makes a gentleman stronger, the terrain is yielding, a gentleman is grounded in virtue." Long Chen quoted, "This is your mission. Only when you cease the act of killing will your dragon soul truly grant you its full power. That's when you can harmonize perfectly with it. Treat it well!"

Across the entirety of the Dragonblood Legion, only Song Mingyuan's primary dragon soul disliked killing. The others were all battle enthusiasts. Guo Ran's hidden dragon was an exception, but it wasn't that it disliked combat; it was just more lazy.

Initially, when Long Chen saw the Blood Spirit Fruit, he was hesitant about who to give it to. It wasn't until he saw Song Mingyuan's actions just now that he knew the fruit belonged to Li Qi.

The power of the Auspicious Dragon was astonishing, but unfortunately, it didn't approve of Song Mingyuan's combat approach. Consequently, its power was virtually unusable by him. Only by changing their combat strategy could the power of the Auspicious Dragon and Song Mingyuan integrate and mutually enhance each other, rather than conflicting and weakening one another.

With this change, the future directions of Song Mingyuan and Li Qi became clear. Long Chen anticipated their performances going forward. He knew that from now on, the two of them would be the Dragonblood Legion's most powerful spear and shield, respectively.