Could You Have a Three Lives Martial Soul?

Wu Changkong brought news that perked everyone up at once.

"We're skipping combat practice tonight. I'm going to test your physical abilities in every area." Wu Changkong looked pointedly at Yun Mu. "You don't need to be tested. I took you through it recently."

"Okay, Teacher Wu." Yun Mu knew exactly why Wu Changkong had exempted him. Shrek Academy already had plenty of enemies. If outsiders learned about a talent like him before he even entered Shrek Academy, they would surely try to get rid of him.

Tang Wulin, meanwhile, felt a little disappointed. He could clearly feel that the harder he trained with Teacher Wu, the faster he absorbed the Golden Dragon King bloodline. And the more he fought, the more adept he became at controlling the Golden Dragon King's Claw.

Yun Mu had noticed something too. Stimulated by the Golden Dragon King's power, his Destruction Attribute seemed to be steadily growing stronger. Fortunately, he had absorbed plenty of Life Energy from the Life Ancient Tree, enough to offset it. He could also clearly feel his Soul Power surging upward.

Before long, they arrived at a high-tech room whose walls and floor were entirely covered in silver metal panels. One glance told Yun Mu that the equipment here was less advanced than the Tang Sect's. From a distance, he could even make out a small line of text beside one machine: Made by the Tang Sect.

No wonder the Federation later moved to destroy the Tang Sect's headquarters. Everywhere he looked, almost anything related to technology seemed to have been made by the Tang Sect. How could the Federation tolerate that? Besides, the Tang Sect never dealt with the Federation and had always sided with Shrek Academy. It would have been stranger if the Federation hadn't looked for a chance to suppress it.

"We'll test Spiritual Power first. Come up one at a time. Yun Mu, help me record the results." Wu Changkong handed him a record sheet.

"Xie Xie, Spiritual Power: 49. Not bad. That's two points higher than last time," Wu Changkong said evenly.

"Wang Jinxi, 41. Keep training hard. You should be able to break through the Spirit Origin Realm within a year."

"Zhang Yangzi, 43."

"Tang Wulin, 97."

Yun Mu paused mid-entry and looked up at Tang Wulin. That Spiritual Power was much higher than he remembered from the original story. On second thought, though, it made sense. He soon lowered his head and kept writing.

Everyone else was stunned. Ninety-seven! Just three points short of a hundred!

"Gu Yue, 180!" Wu Changkong's voice rose noticeably. Gu Yue's Spiritual Power was still nowhere near Yun Mu's six hundred-plus, but for an ordinary person, it was extraordinary.

Yun Mu had a good idea what Gu Yue was doing. She had deliberately scored far above Tang Wulin, probably as a sly way of saying that she, the Silver Dragon King, was smarter than the Golden Dragon King.

Next came the strength, speed, and reaction tests.

The results made one thing clear: except for Tang Wulin, none of them came close to Yun Mu's numbers.

Even Tang Wulin did not surpass Yun Mu in strength without using the Golden Dragon King's Claw.

Once Tang Wulin used the Golden Dragon King's Claw, however, his strength clearly exceeded Yun Mu's by nearly a thousand kilograms.

"That's enough testing for today." Wu Changkong put away the record sheet and glanced over the group. "What we tested was mainly physical ability. It doesn't tell the whole story. Martial Souls are just as important to Soul Masters, so some of you shouldn't be discouraged. Dismissed."

He paused, then added, "Yun Mu, Tang Wulin, you two come with me." With that, he turned and walked off, as crisp and composed as ever.

Tang Wulin hurried after him without daring to slow down. Yun Mu did not move right away. He turned, patted Zhang Yangzi on the shoulder, and teased him with a smile. "Don't look so glum. No need to lose heart."

Only then did he stride after Wu Changkong, leaving Zhang Yangzi behind with a vein nearly throbbing on his forehead while Wang Jinxi quietly tried to calm him down.

Gu Yue and Xie Xie had not left yet. Xie Xie poked Gu Yue's arm and said, suppressing a laugh, "I didn't know Brother Mu could be that mean."

"When is he not mean?" Gu Yue rolled her eyes, sounding a little unimpressed with Xie Xie's memory. "If he weren't, would he have suddenly healed us all back when training had left us sprawled on the ground?"

"Wasn't that Teacher Wu's idea..." Xie Xie was about to nod, then remembered the incident. But when he turned, Gu Yue was already walking away.

Yun Mu was already far off, and Gu Yue saw no point in staying. She headed toward the dormitory.

As she walked, Gu Yue was surprised to realize something. The Golden Dragon King bloodline did not attract her nearly as strongly as before. She no longer felt quite so driven to absorb it into her body and become the Dragon God.

In Wu Changkong's office, he pointed to the chairs beside him. "Have a seat, both of you."

"I won't enter your results separately, Yun Mu." Then he turned to Tang Wulin.

"First, why have you changed so much lately? And that dragon claw that suddenly appeared—don't tell me you have a Three Lives Martial Soul?"

Tang Wulin scratched his head and said, a little embarrassed, "I don't think so. I can tell that the dragon claw can't absorb a Soul Ring."

Wu Changkong frowned and considered it for a moment before speaking slowly. "In that case, it might just be a bloodline reaction. Or perhaps your body can't withstand three Martial Souls, so one of them is manifesting as a bloodline instead."

He sounded as though he were recalling something he had learned long ago—or trying to find an explanation that made sense.

"But I don't think I've ever heard of anything like that. At least, no one in recorded history has ever truly had a Three Lives Martial Soul. There's only one person mentioned in the rumors: Huo Yuhao."

At that, Wu Changkong's expression shifted. He was no longer quite so calm.

Could the legend be true? Does someone become a god every twenty thousand years? Could the Children of Destiny of this generation be these two students of mine?

If they really could become gods... would there be a way to bring Dragon Ice back?

The thought had barely surfaced before Wu Changkong forced it down.

No. I can't think like that. They're my students. Whether or not they become gods or achieve great things, I need to focus on what's in front of me and do what I can to keep them safe.

He steadied himself and said seriously to Tang Wulin, "Your Martial Soul may continue to change. That could put you in danger, because your body will have to withstand the transformation. So the next time something feels wrong, come to me immediately. And bring Yun Mu with you. The two of us can watch over you during the transformation and keep the risks as low as possible."