Parting Ways

Two years passed in the blink of an eye.

Yun Mu had now reached level 35 Soul Elder, though he publicly claimed to be only level 31.

Even so, it was enough to leave people astonished. Red Mountain Academy practically worshipped him like an ancestor.

So even though Na'er had failed to awaken a Martial Soul back then, no one dared to bully her.

The little fatty who used to always circle around Tang Wulin said, "Hey, Wulin, did you know? That Zhou Shaolong broke through level ten. What level are you at now? I remember you said you seemed to be level nineteen before. When will you break through level twenty?"

"I already have." Tang Wulin answered with an honest smile.

"Does your brother go to the same school as you? It feels like your brother would be fine even at an advanced academy." the little fatty asked.

"If I don't stay with my little brother, where else would I go?" Yun Mu rolled his eyes as he walked over.

"Where are you planning to go?"

"I don't know either. Who knows where the school will assign me?" the little fatty said with a smile.

"I don't know where we'll be going either." Yun Mu smiled. "Wulin, let's go pick up Na'er."

With that, Yun Mu headed for the classroom door. As for whether class was over?

That was no longer something Yun Mu and Tang Wulin cared about.

"Brother, wait for me." Tang Wulin hurried after him from behind. "Brother, you care more about girls than your little brother."

Yun Mu arrived at the ordinary class and stood by the door for a while. Soon, many people gathered around him.

Yet most of them did not dare approach. On one hand, it was because of Yun Mu's powerful cultivation; on the other, because of his exceptional looks.

Yun Mu had always shut out the noise around him. The only one he cared about was the silver-haired figure rushing toward him.

"Brother, I want ice cream." Na'er grabbed Yun Mu's arm and said with a smile.

"Alright. Let's buy some."

"Brother, I want some too." Tang Wulin stood behind Yun Mu, looking indignant. As he spoke, he shot Na'er a glare.

Ever since Na'er came to their home, she had always competed with him for affection. Though he liked this younger sister very much, he still got upset whenever he saw her competing with him.

Yun Mu looked at Tang Wulin helplessly. "Alright, I'll get you some too."

He really had neglected Tang Wulin somewhat lately, mainly because he knew Na'er was about to leave.

When they met again, she would be Gu Yue. So he had unconsciously cared for Na'er more.

The three of them chatted and laughed as they headed toward the school gate.

Several peaceful days passed like that. Then one day, Na'er suddenly said, "Brother Wulin, Brother Yun Mu, can you come play at the beach with me after dinner?"

The moment Yun Mu heard that, he froze. He knew the day had finally come.

Yun Mu and Tang Wulin looked toward Tang Ziran.

Tang Ziran nodded and said with a smile, "Go ahead, but come back early."

Not long after leaving the house, they could see the beach. Unlike in the original story, they lived in a wealthy district; it was simply an ocean-view home.

The beach here was much better than the neighboring one, with fine sand, though it still had gravel and dead shells scattered across it.

Yun Mu looked at the silent ocean. If Tang San had not taken away the Ocean Law back then, would Douluo Continent be in a better state now?

The sea was still beautiful that night. Every time the ocean breeze blew past him, Yun Mu felt his heart and mind gradually open up.

He spread his arms and smiled. "Na'er, Wulin, many people say the sea became what it is today because humans hunted the Soul Beasts within it too severely, provoking nature's wrath."

"Isn't that the case?" Na'er asked, pretending to be puzzled.

Yun Mu looked deeply at Na'er. He knew the person before him was no longer the innocent Na'er. She was Gu Yuena.

"Perhaps the problems on the continent were caused by humanity provoking Heavenly Wrath, but that definitely wasn't the case in the ocean." Yun Mu smiled. "It was because of someone everyone knows."

"Someone connected to the ocean... Sea God Tang San?" Tang Wulin thought for a moment before speaking.

"That's right, Tang San. In another version of the story I heard, after becoming a god, he chose to take the Ocean Law to the God Realm, causing the plane core of Douluo Continent to lose control over the ocean."

"Even then, this Sea God Tang San was still not satisfied. I heard that the Star Dou Great Forest should not have ended up as it is today. It was because of the death of the auspicious beast. And all of that was still this man's scheme."

"That is indeed possible. We learned in history class that there are records saying Peerless Douluo from twenty thousand years ago could live for a thousand years. After that Sea God became a god, Limit Douluo could only live for a few hundred years." Na'er said pensively.

Na'er glanced at Tang Wulin, then looked at Yun Mu. She seemed to understand his intention, so she followed his words and revealed a portion of what she knew.

Yun Mu lightly brushed his hand through the sea breeze and looked at Na'er. He smiled. "Wulin, I know you admire Tang San because your Martial Soul is the same as his. You both have Blue Silver Grass and the Clear Sky Hammer. But your brother... I don't like him."

Without even thinking, Tang Wulin blurted out, "If Brother hates him, then I hate him too. I believe Brother. If Brother doesn't like him, then he definitely isn't a good person."

Old Tang inside Tang Wulin stammered and struggled, yet could not break free from his restraints.

Na'er looked at Yun Mu, her expression somewhat sorrowful. Facing the sea, she smiled and said, "There are so many stars tonight."

"Maybe they're blessing us and wishing us bright futures." Tang Wulin said with a smile.

Na'er looked sadly at Tang Wulin and sighed helplessly. "Brother Yun Mu, if I leave one day, will you miss me?"

Yun Mu looked at Na'er and nodded. "Of course. But I hope you never leave."

Yet Yun Mu knew Na'er would definitely leave. She had things she needed to do. He hoped she could spread her wings and soar, rather than remain trapped in the warm shelter of love or family, unwilling to fly.

Na'er looked at Yun Mu. "I'll miss you too. Very, very much." A mist of tears clouded Na'er's eyes.

In truth, judging by their appearances alone, Na'er and Yun Mu really did look quite alike.

The brown in Yun Mu's hair was growing less and less, becoming increasingly silver.

Yun Mu gently hugged Na'er. "Na'er, whether we are by your side or not, the one thing you must do is never let yourself be hurt or sad. Understand?"

"Brother, I never said I was definitely leaving." Na'er gave a bitter smile.

"Na'er, are you leaving? I-I don't dislike you. Before... before, I was only joking. I just didn't want you clinging to Brother all the time." Tang Wulin seemed to sense that something was wrong with the atmosphere and spoke nervously.