Yun Ming Arrives

Yun Mu looked down at the lingering warmth on his wrist and smiled softly, his fingers unconsciously brushing the spot where he had just held Gu Yue's wrist.

When he picked up the forging hammer again, even the rhythm of its strikes became lighter. The originally dull thuds of bang, bang seemed to carry a faint, scattered cheerfulness, while the patterns on the Mysterious Iron spread ever more smoothly beneath the hammer.

Meanwhile, Gu Yue, who had just left the forging room, stopped beneath the shadows of the trees by the door. Biting her lower lip, she repeatedly rubbed the silver-threaded bell around her wrist, her thoughts in a mess. The bracelet he gave me just now looks like the one I've always wanted... Did he recognize me?

But then she quickly shook her head. Impossible. I look different now. How could he recognize me?

She raised a hand and patted her burning cheeks, trying to suppress the panic in her heart, then turned and ran toward the school. If she stayed any longer, someone might notice something was off.

Yet as she ran, her pace gradually slowed, and an indescribable sadness welled up within her. She and Yun Mu—one was the Silver Dragon King, while the other was a descendant of the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life. Their identities and positions stood between them. Even if they could get along like ordinary friends now, could they truly end up together in the future?

She also thought of the Goddess of Life and the God of Destruction. Given those two's personalities, they would probably find it difficult to accept her, the "Silver Dragon King," wouldn't they?

But she immediately dismissed the thought. The Douluo God Realm had disappeared, after all. Perhaps those two had also...

Yet that earth-shaking power that had appeared between heaven and earth last time was clearly something only gods could wield. They should still be somewhere out there, right?

These thoughts tangled together like a knotted mess, making her chest feel stifled. Only after she returned to the dormitory did she barely manage to calm herself.

The days passed one by one. Gu Yue still often went to see Yun Mu—sometimes bringing freshly made pastries, sometimes asking questions about cultivation, and occasionally lingering outside the forging room to watch him swing his hammer.

She had clearly sensed the familiar Golden Dragon King bloodline within Tang Wulin, yet deep down, she still preferred being close to Yun Mu. Perhaps it was because they both possessed "special" powers, or perhaps because Yun Mu always quietly helped her out whenever she panicked.

She also gradually let go of the idea of becoming the Dragon God. After all, even the Dragon God had gone mad back then. If she truly fused with the Golden Dragon King's power, would she become like that too?

It would be better to cultivate properly using her own Silver Dragon King bloodline. At the very least, that way, she could still protect the people she wanted to protect.

Moreover, she could feel that every time she absorbed the Power of Creation from Yun Mu, her bloodline seemed to evolve further.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for the final exams. The members of Class Zero had just taken their seats in the classroom when Wu Changkong walked in holding an assessment form.

"Your first exam will be to complete an assigned mission in the rampaging Spirit Ascension Platform."

He paused, his gaze falling on Yun Mu. "Yun Mu, you do not need to take the first exam. You only need to take the second. Does anyone have any objections?"

"No!" Everyone except Yun Mu shook their heads in unison.

They all knew that although the academy had given them plenty of resources and their cultivation had progressed quickly, they were still far behind Yun Mu. There was no point objecting—the difference in strength was right there.

Take their current ranks, for example. Gu Yue had already reached the peak of Rank 19 and was only a step away from entering Rank 20. Tang Wulin was even more impressive, at the peak of Rank 27, only one step away from Rank 28.

Xie Xie had also reached around Rank 23. But what about Yun Mu?

He had long since broken through Rank 40 and become a Soul Ancestor. That speed was simply beyond what a normal person could compare to.

In truth, Yun Mu had not originally advanced this quickly. A few days earlier, Yun Ming had specifically come to see him and brought a treasure with him.

That day, Yun Ming personally led Yun Mu back to his dormitory. He took an exquisite wooden box from his Storage Soul Tool and opened it, revealing a completely black seed that glimmered with faint purple light. It looked like a small stone, yet it faintly emitted a tyrannical energy.

"This is a special seed, transported from a very special place." Yun Ming handed the wooden box to Yun Mu, rubbed his head, and said with a smile, "When your cultivation is high enough, I'll take you there. That place will probably be very important to you."

Yun Mu took the wooden box. The instant his fingertips touched the seed, he felt a familiar Power of Destruction. Pretending to be curious, he asked, "Master, around what rank will I be able to go?"

"When you reach Rank 60 and become a Soul Emperor." Yun Ming considered it, his eyes full of anticipation. "With your cultivation speed, I estimate you'll reach it by seventeen or eighteen."

"Then why do you say that place is related to me?" Yun Mu asked again, though he already had a guess in his heart.

"Because that place's attribute is exactly the same as yours, and even its energy level is not too different." Yun Ming nodded. "This seed with the Destruction Attribute was taken from there. I brought it back specifically for you."

After hearing that, Yun Mu asked no further questions. He slowly released his Second Martial Soul—the Tree of Destruction, several meters tall, with purple-gold lightning winding through its branches. It instantly appeared in the room.

He gently placed the seed against the Tree of Destruction's trunk. The moment it made contact, the seed seemed to come alive, rapidly spreading along the trunk before quickly merging with the Tree of Destruction.

Immediately afterward, a dense purple radiance burst forth from where they had fused, slowly seeping into the Tree of Destruction's branches.

At that moment, the Life Energy Yun Mu had previously absorbed from the Life Ancient Tree suddenly erupted without warning. Pale green Life Force surged through his meridians, intertwining with the Tree of Destruction's purple-gold energy and spinning into a Taiji-like vortex in the air.

Even more strangely, a layer of silver light slowly appeared between the two energies, spreading from the Tree of Destruction's roots all the way to its crown.

The three purple Soul Rings around Yun Mu's body also gradually deepened in color under the nourishment of this energy, until they all turned pure black—the color possessed only by ten-thousand-year Soul Rings!

Before Yun Mu could react, a warm sensation suddenly rose from his Dantian. His fourth Soul Ring slowly emerged as well. It was also pure black, only even deeper in color than the first three. It spun gently in the air, exuding an awe-inspiring aura.

Both Martial Souls continued spinning in the air. Two extremely faint figures seemed to glance lightly at Yun Ming.

Yun Mu felt his mind growing somewhat weary, and he fell asleep just like that.

Yun Ming slowly carried Yun Mu to the bed. Looking at the two figures beside him, he slowly bowed.

The next moment, the two figures slowly returned to Yun Mu's body.