Lin Yi's Radiance

On the third floor of the Sea God Pavilion, Lin Yi found his master.

"You're here. Sit."

Lin Yi obediently sat down, looking every bit the model student.

Mu En smiled. "Earlier, you said you wanted to become a Support System Soul Master. Has that changed?"

After pondering for a moment, Lin Yi slowly nodded. "Yes."

"Let me hear it."

"This disciple believes that I can now be called a Freedom System Soul Master—or perhaps an Omni System Soul Master."

Mu En chuckled. "You certainly are confident."

"But that is indeed the case. With your Soul Skill configuration and your comprehension, even I cannot think of any shortcomings you might have."

A trace of pride appeared in Lin Yi's eyes.

Mu En said, "Since you understand this yourself, I won't belabor the point. Let's begin."

"As for origin, there is actually not much I can teach you. Everyone's path is different. Even with the same Martial Soul, different Soul Masters will walk different paths depending on their personal understanding."

"You possess four attributes now. You truly have been blessed by the heavens. This naturally gives you combat strength far beyond those of the same rank, but correspondingly, it also demands far more effort than it would from others. If your comprehension were not exceptional, I would truly have a headache on my hands."

Faced with Mu En's praise, Lin Yi merely smiled bashfully without denying it. With memories from two lifetimes, his comprehension truly was extraordinary.

"We can discuss the rest later. My Martial Soul is the Light Holy Dragon, and my understanding of Radiance is the deepest. So let me first explain what Radiance is."

Realizing that the main lesson was about to begin, Lin Yi's expression turned serious.

"Xiao Yi, what do you think Radiance is?"

It was something Lin Yi had never considered before. After frowning in thought for a moment, he answered uncertainly, "Brightness?"

Mu En immediately burst into laughter, leaving Lin Yi somewhat embarrassed.

Mu En said, "Actually, you aren't wrong."

Lin Yi's eyes immediately lit up.

But Mu En continued, "However, you are not entirely right."

"..."

Seeing Lin Yi at a loss for words, Mu En laughed again.

"Xiao Yi, you must understand that Radiance is a very broad concept. 'Brightness' is only one part of it."

Lin Yi fell into thought at those words.

"It is like Soul Masters whose Martial Souls share the Light Attribute. Every person has a different understanding of Radiance."

"For instance, what I have comprehended is Radiance's vastness, dominance, and majesty. Shaozhe—your Senior Brother Yan—inherited my teachings, and his understanding of Radiance is somewhat similar to mine. He likewise possesses vastness and majesty. Yet his personality differs from the Radiance he has comprehended. His heart does not follow his will, and his body naturally cannot follow his heart. That is why he has been stuck at the threshold of Super Douluo for decades without making any progress."

Lin Yi seemed to gain some insight.

"Do you know what your mother's Radiance is?"

"Mother's understanding of Radiance?" Lin Yi thought about it, then shook his head. He had never seen his mother truly fight, so he had no idea what her Radiance was.

Mu En chuckled. "I already gave you a hint. A Soul Master's temperament will be influenced by their Martial Soul."

"In truth, Soul Masters and Martial Souls influence each other. A Soul Master's temperament affects their comprehension, and likewise, their comprehension will subtly influence their temperament."

"Your mother has an outgoing and straightforward personality, and so is her understanding of Radiance."

"She takes the meaning of Radiance's Purification and destruction of evil. It suited her straightforward nature best, but it also made her hate evil with a passion. That is why she never thought highly of your Senior Brother Yan."

Lin Yi froze. "Did Senior Brother Yan do something evil?"

Mu En smiled awkwardly. As a teacher, it was inappropriate to speak ill of his disciple behind his back, but he could not let his youngest disciple misunderstand his senior brother either. He could only explain, "It was not exactly evil. It is just that, when your Senior Brother Yan was young, he was rather promiscuous and once hurt a woman who had sincerely cared for him. When your mother learned of it, she was deeply displeased by such behavior."

"Otherwise, since Shaozhe and your mother both possessed the Bright Phoenix Martial Soul, he should have been the most suitable teacher for her."

Lin Yi finally understood why his mother's eyes had always been filled with dislike—even disgust—whenever Yan Shaozhe was mentioned. So this was the root of it. And now that Yan Shaozhe's embarrassing history from his youth had been exposed to a student, there was no way for him to retaliate. In the end, he could only avoid Lin Yi and seek peace by staying out of sight.

Having gotten some juicy gossip, Lin Yi was instantly delighted. He was gaining knowledge while enjoying himself too. Teaching through entertainment—his master was truly amazing. Back in the Otherworld, he would have at least earned the title of master teacher.

Mu En coughed lightly a few times. Though there was a reason for it, recounting his eldest disciple's youthful foolishness behind his back was truly awkward, so he hurriedly changed the subject.

"Xiao Yi, I imagine you now have some understanding of Radiance as well. Then you need to ask yourself: what is your Radiance?"

Lin Yi fell silent at those words. Mu En did not disturb him and simply waited quietly for him to think.

Lin Yi recalled everything in his memories...

At the age of three, he had awakened his Otherworld Memories. That peaceful and harmonious world had filled the young Lin Yi with boundless yearning. Sometimes, Lin Yi himself could not understand whether he had awakened the Past Life Wisdom of a previous life or whether the soul from that Otherworld had traveled here.

Having possessed Otherworld Memories from a young age, Lin Yi's thoughts and way of thinking had gradually come to resemble those of the Otherworld. The peace and vibrant splendor of that world had captivated him deeply.

After arriving in this world, Shrek City was peaceful, yet this world's extraordinary powers had always left Lin Yi feeling somewhat powerless and uneasy. It was not until later, when he underwent Martial Soul Awakening, became the disciple of a Limit Douluo, and joined the greatest academy in the world, that he finally gained some peace of mind.

Yet the fact that his father had been injured by Evil Soul Masters, which he learned on the day of his Martial Soul Awakening, along with the state of the continent he had observed, all seemed to indicate that this world was not truly peaceful. Neither Shrek nor Mu En was invincible beneath the heavens.

Possessing Otherworld Memories, Lin Yi had always known that he was special. Especially after being chosen by the Golden Ancient Tree, becoming a Child of the Plane, and gaining a god who had laid out a ten-thousand-year plan as an enemy—such protagonist treatment made Lin Yi even more certain that he was extraordinary.

Influenced by the ideas of the Otherworld, Lin Yi vaguely came to an understanding...

Since he was destined to be extraordinary, since he was destined to achieve great things, and since he had already decided to become the strongest, then why not take it one step further?

At that thought, Lin Yi suddenly felt enlightened. The Golden Tree Spirit emerged on its own, and Extreme Light erupted with an unprecedented brilliance. Outside, the Golden Ancient Tree seemed to sense something. Its leaves gently swayed, their rustling sounding as though they were congratulating Lin Yi on his realization.

Mu En watched the scene with gratification. As a teacher, nothing delighted him more than seeing his disciple grow into greatness.

The aura of Radiance gathered, raising Lin Yi's Soul Power from Rank 33 to Rank 34. After the seventy-thousand-year Soul Ring had directly granted Lin Yi three ranks of Soul Power, Radiance had now raised his Soul Power by another rank.

And only one day had passed since Lin Yi advanced to Soul Elder.

Remembering how he had just told Lin Yi that cultivation speed would greatly decrease for those with Extreme Attributes after becoming a Soul Elder, Mu En suddenly felt rather awkward. That slap in the face had come far too quickly.

After a long while, the fluctuations of Lin Yi's Soul Power gradually settled, and the Golden Tree Spirit withdrew.

Mu En looked at Lin Yi and asked, "What did you comprehend?"

"Master, I understand what my Radiance is now."

"The books say that when poor, one should cultivate oneself; when successful, one should aid the world. Since I will stand at great heights, punishing evil, promoting good, saving the world, and loving others are what I must do. I will become this world's light."

"My Radiance is hope. I will become the embodiment of justice and protect all corners of the world."

Mu En quietly listened to Lin Yi's words. He was not stirred by the spirit in them; more than two hundred years of hardship had long since carried Mu En past the age of hot-blooded passion.

Still, seeing his disciple take the world upon his shoulders brought a measure of comfort to Mu En's heart. After all, the fervor of youth always made one recall their own vanished youth.

With a soft chuckle, Mu En said, "If that is what you wish, then go and do it."

"Yes!"

Afterward, Mu En continued explaining all sorts of Martial Soul knowledge to Lin Yi.

Three days later, the cafeteria supervisor delivered the Spirit Pattern Rice seeds to Lin Yi. And so...

Beneath the Golden Ancient Tree, Beibei and Lin Yi worked with tremendous enthusiasm.

"This is clearly something you wanted to do, so why am I the one doing all the heavy labor?"

Holding a shovel, Beibei loosened the soil, dug holes, and buried seeds, all while grumbling nonstop.

In the face of Beibei's accusations, Lin Yi merely scattered the seeds in his hand into the soil and said casually, "This Spirit Pattern Rice is meant to treat Master's injuries. What is wrong with you, as his great-grandson, putting in a little effort?"

As he spoke, Lin Yi was also surprised inwardly. Though Spirit Pattern Rice was called rice, its planting method was completely different from that of the Otherworld. No special techniques were needed. One merely had to bury it in the soil. As long as the place where it was planted had sufficient heaven and earth energy, it did not even need tending. It was quite effortless.

Beibei's expression changed when he heard that. "I may not have read much, but don't lie to me. This Spirit Pattern Rice can treat injuries?"

"It isn't certain yet. Aren't we planting it to find out?"

Seeing that Beibei was about to say more, Lin Yi cut him off. "Why do you have so many complaints over a little work? As your elder, can't I order you around anymore?"

Beibei was nearly numb to Lin Yi taking advantage of him every day. "A Yi, Great-Grandfather already said that the two of us are of the same generation."

"What did you say? The wind was too loud just now, I didn't hear you..."

"Lin Yi!"