Caring for a Centenarian

When he returned to the dormitory at noon, he saw the gray-clad old man on the lounge chair by the entrance again, as though he were forever basking in the sun.

After several days of greeting each other whenever he came and went, they had become familiar faces.

Xue Lingyun felt the time was about right.

He walked over and said as usual, "Old Grandpa, enjoying the sun?"

Mu En lifted his eyelids slightly, his cloudy gaze falling on him. He gave a slow "Mm."

Xue Lingyun did not leave right away. Instead, he crouched down and casually asked, "Old Grandpa, I've noticed your back... It seems to have been bothering you for a while. Is it an old injury?"

A nearly imperceptible flicker passed through Mu En's eyes, but his voice remained hoarse and calm. "An old ailment. It's been many years."

"How about... letting me try?" Xue Lingyun said sincerely. "I know a little massage. Maybe it'll make you feel better."

Mu En was silent for several seconds, seemingly studying him.

The young man before him had clear eyes and a natural manner. He did not seem to have ulterior motives.

Even the old men of the Sea God Pavilion, himself included, were helpless against his injury. What could a child possibly do?

But... the certainty in those eyes stirred a faint trace of curiosity in him.

"...All right." Mu En slowly sat up straighter and turned his slightly hunched back toward Xue Lingyun.

Xue Lingyun extended both hands and gently pressed them against Mu En's back through the thin gray cloth.

The muscles beneath his palms were stiff as iron, and a bone-deep chill and violent aura lay entrenched there. An ordinary person would likely suffer backlash from merely touching it.

He focused his mind, and the pure vital energy cultivated through the Dharma Cleansing Marrow and Changing Tendons Scripture naturally flowed from his palms, seeping in thread by thread through the acupoints.

Mu En had initially only intended to give it a casual try, but the instant those hands pressed against him, his hunched body gave an almost imperceptible shudder!

A gentle energy, warm, pure, and brimming with vitality, slowly seeped into his meridians and bones, which had long been riddled with damage and stiffened by the erosion of dark power, like a stream thawing in early spring!

The energy was so weak that, given his cultivation, it was practically negligible. Yet its nature was extraordinarily special.

Not only did it contain powerful life force, it also carried a trace of... indescribable majesty originating from the Origin of Life!

More importantly, when this energy came into contact with the pure violent aura inside him—an aura that had entangled him for decades and originated from that light-attributed White Dragon—that wild aura, which even he himself had been unable to fully dissolve, actually... shrank back slightly?

The reaction was exceedingly faint, but Mu En's senses were incredibly sharp. He could not possibly be mistaken!

How could this be?

That violent aura had come from a true dragon-level Holy Light Dragon. It was pure and domineering.

For it to instinctively feel even a hint of "wariness"... could it be that the Dragon Clan bloodline pressure within the energy this youth had transmitted surpassed that White Dragon's?

But wasn't this child's Martial Soul the Body Martial Soul and an Extreme Ice Martial Soul?

Could it be...

Countless thoughts flashed through Mu En's mind in an instant, yet he remained outwardly calm and even narrowed his eyes in comfort.

On the day this child had first stepped into the Dormitory Building, he had faintly sensed an extremely weak trace of Dragon's Might, though he had not dared to confirm it then.

Now, after this test, that vague sensation had not only been confirmed, but firmly established.

And the quality of his bloodline was likely even greater than Mu En had initially guessed.

Xue Lingyun massaged him attentively for around fifteen minutes, until a fine sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He stopped at the right moment, with just the right touch of regret in his voice. "Old Grandpa, your injury... seems quite troublesome. My little bit of ability probably won't do much in one or two sessions. But from now on, whenever I have time, I'll come massage you every day. Little by little, you'll surely feel better."

Mu En slowly turned around. In the sunlight, his seemingly cloudy old eyes clearly reflected Xue Lingyun's image.

He nodded, and a sincere smile appeared on his face as he patted Xue Lingyun's hand. "Good child, that's very thoughtful of you. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Xue Lingyun smiled, rose to take his leave, and walked into the Dormitory Building.

Mu En leaned back against the lounge chair again, watching the youth's upright figure disappear through the door as his fingers lightly tapped the armrest.

Able to ease the White Dragon's violent aura... higher-level Dragon's Might contained within pure life energy... Twin Martial Souls... a Body Martial Soul heart and Extreme Ice?

No, perhaps that ice-attributed Martial Soul was, in essence...

If it truly was a dragon-type Martial Soul with a bloodline potent enough to suppress a Holy Light Dragon, then this child... was a treasure Shrek had not seen in a thousand years.

No matter what, he had to be nurtured with all their strength.

But before that, his character and resolve still needed to be carefully observed.

Xue Lingyun returned to Room 106 and closed the door. The gentle smile on his face slowly faded.

His reason for massaging Mu En was simple.

He was quite interested in Ruling the World and the Dragon Pill.

It was necessary to get acquainted with him in advance and lay down a few hints.

He had even deliberately controlled the vital energy he sent in, allowing a faint trace of the Ice Prison Dragon King's origin aura to leak out.

Not much—just enough to make someone of Mu En's level, someone deeply troubled by dragon-type power, begin drawing connections.

An appropriate investment might yield generous returns.

Mu En, this old man, was like certain top-grade heavenly treasures. You could accept that he would eventually be depleted and disappear, but you could not let him silently "expire."

At the very least, before he "expired," he had to drop the "gold coins" he was supposed to drop.

Better yet, like a certain Qingtian Douluo, he could turn into a dazzling firework and "explode" a few things that deserved exploding.