“This time it’ll be different,” said Tang Wulin, smiling as he attempted to soothe Na’er’s worries. “We both have soul communicators now, so just give me a call whenever you miss me. You can come out and visit me too. I won’t be able to travel here to see you though. The only reason I was at Sea God’s Island to begin with was because of special circumstances.” He ruffled her hair. “I stay at the outer court’s working students dormitory. You can find me there.”


  “Okay.” Na’er threw herself into Tang Wulin’s arms, locking him in a tight embrace. “Big Brother, no matter what challenges you face, do your best for me. You have to become strong. I’ll be waiting for you here.”


  “Of course. I’ll step foot on Sea God’s Island with my own qualifications next time!” Tang Wulin declared, youthful passion flaring.

  With their goodbyes said, Tang Wulin wasted no more time and left. Minutes after his figure had disappeared, Na’er still stood there, glued to the floor, looking in the direction he had departed. Her eyes betrayed a deep sorrow.

  “How are you doing? Your brother left?” The voice, though gentle, snapped Na’er out of her daze. She responded with a nod. From the corner of her eye, she could make out a fair white hand landing on her shoulder.

  “You’re both still young.” A squeeze. “You have plenty of time in the future. You foolish girl, your teacher is going to get jealous if you show so much attachment to him.”


  Na’er looked up, pouting. “Mistress, I really like you and Teacher too!”


  Had Tang Wulin been present, he would have been shocked out of his wits. The woman beside Na’er was the Vice-Master of Sea God’s Pavilion, the kindest woman on the continent, Holy Douluo Yali!

  Yali responded by wrapping her arms around Na’er. “I like you too. Your teacher and I don’t have any children of our own, so we see you as our own daughter. Don’t worry. Your big brother is an excellent student. He’ll definitely enter the inner court one day.”


  “Alright. Thank you, Mistress. But can’t you just let him into the inner court right now? I think Big Brother is strong enough,” Na’er said, hope in her eyes.

  Yali sighed and shook her head. “Now isn’t the right moment. He’s still an unpolished gem. He needs more time to refine himself first. He won’t be able to do that here. For that same reason, your teacher and I have been preparing to send you out to gain experience. Spending all of your time cultivating here will stunt your future growth. Wait another year. Then we’ll send you out.”


  “No! I don’t want to leave you and Teacher!” Her cheeks puffed up as she returned Yali’s hug, squeezing tighter for good measure.

  ☀

  By the time Tang Wulin reached the working students dormitory, Xu Lizhi had already returned.

  “Lizhi!” Tang Wulin smiled as he approached his friend. “Where did you and Xinglan go? How come I didn’t see either of you the entire break?”


  Xu Lizhi chuckled. “Big Sis Xinglan was cultivating in a place well suited for her, and since I can cultivate my martial soul anywhere I want, I followed her. Both of us just got back actually. Now then, Captain, it looks like you broke through again!”


  Xu Lizhi could tell that something about Tang Wulin was different. The changes were minute, and most people would have missed them, but Xu Lizhi possessed keen senses. Tang Wulin was a bit taller, sturdier too. And his aura seemed strangely subdued.

  “You’re right.” Tang Wulin grinned. “It’s just a minor breakthrough though. Nothing special. I’ve been focusing completely on cultivating lately.”


  “Nice. I never thought there would be so much pressure even in the outer court. We’ve got quite a few four-ringed people in our class already. We gotta keep up.”


  “Are Xiaoyan and Gu Yue back yet? And where’s Xie Xie?”


  Xu Lizhi shrugged. “I haven’t seen Xiaoyan or Gu Yue. Xie Xie ran out early in the morning and I’ve yet to see him since. Yue Zhengyu’s back in his room though. And Yuanen too, I think.”


  “Got it. I’ll go pay them a visit then.” Tang Wulin still had his promise to Yuanen Yehui to fulfill.

  Yuanen Yehui’s door was shut tight. Ever since Xie Xie had peeped on her, she had secluded herself in her room. She wouldn’t even open the curtains during the day.

  Tang Wulin knocked on the door. “Yuanen, you in?”


  A beat later the door swung open. She watched him like a hawk through the doorway. “Back so soon?”


  Tang Wulin nodded. “I’m planning on forging the metal for you now. Nothing changed about the requirements?”


  She shook her head. “No. But the higher the quality, the better.”


  Tang Wulin smiled wryly. “I’ll do my best. It’s been a while since I’ve forged, so I’ll need some time to get back into the groove of things.”


  “No rush. If there isn’t anything else, I’m going back to cultivating.”


  Before she could usher him out, Tang Wulin asked, “Do you know where Xie Xie went?”


  Her face went cold. “I don’t know. You guys are roommates. What are you asking me for?”


  Tang Wulin averted his eyes sheepishly. “I’m sorry about what happened last time. But it was a misunderstanding and we’re all classmates, so you—”


  Yuanen Yehui slammed the door on him.

  Tang Wulin rubbed his nose, aware of just how close he came to having it broken. Whatever. I’ll just go forge first. It’s been a while since I touched my hammers. I can’t wait. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. The image of Feng Wuyu, proud as he stormed Zhuo Shi’s home, still flashed vividly in his mind.

  Feng Wuyu wasn’t supervising Tang Wulin’s blacksmithing at the moment. All of his teachers told him the same thing: he needed to increase his soul power. That was his greatest weakness.

  Right before he left for the workshop, he received a call with good news. From Mo Lan’s husband.

  After the call ended, Tang Wulin practically leaped into the air cheering. “Big Sis Mo Lan is awake! Yes!”


  Besides still missing some of her mental faculties, she recognized all of her loved ones. This was fantastic considering the condition she was in. The Holy Spirit Douluo was also informed and would be paying her a visit sometime soon. It looked like Mo Lan would make a full recovery.

  “Captain, what’s got you so happy?” Xu Xiaoyan asked as she walked onto dormitory grounds, inquisitive.

  Tang Wulin beamed. “One of my friends recovered, so I’m happy for her.”


  Xu Xiaoyan felt herself smiling as well. “That’s great. I’m going to put away my things first then.”


  A month had passed, and while none of them had changed drastically, Tang Wulin could tell that Xu Xiaoyan held herself with more confidence than before. Her bearing had elevated ever since her martial soul evolved. Her sense of inferiority had been slowly washed away. With her three stellar soul skills, her crowd control abilities were absolute. A force that could turn the tide of battle.

  They were all maturing rapidly. There was no other choice in Shrek Academy. They couldn’t afford to waste a single moment. Such a competitive environment would drive anyone into having tunnel vision, bent on self-improvement.

  The moment Tang Wulin walked out the dormitory’s gates, he ran into another acquaintance. Luo Guixing.

  “Hello, Class President,” Luo Guixing said.

  “Guixing, what are you doing here? Are you applying to become a working student too?” Tang Wulin asked, a quirk of a smile on his lips.

  Ever since Tang Wulin and his team defeated the five rankers in his class, his prestige had skyrocketed. And it didn’t stop there. After their victory against the second grade there wasn’t anyone left who could shake his position as the class president. His relationship with the rankers had improved as well. In the end, they were still classmates. There was no need to burn bridges over a class competition.

  “I wanted to invite you to have a friendly match with us. It is a new semester after all, and we’ve been cultivating at Shrek for a year now. It’s a good opportunity to practice. What do you say?” Luo Guixing said, a friendly smile on his face.