Evolution Begins!

Bai Lan looked at the note, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

Mu En knew he wouldn't be able to resist trying to evolve tonight.

Mu En also knew how serious the consequences could be if the evolution was interrupted.

So he had someone specially deliver a paper crane to warn him.

"Understood." Bai Lan spoke softly, folded the note, and tucked it away.

He didn't summon the Contract Book again. Instead, he stood and walked to the window.

Outside, the lake was calm as a mirror beneath the moonlight.

Sea God Pavilion stood on the island in the middle of the lake. Its lights were out, leaving only a hazy silhouette.

Bai Lan looked in that direction, a complicated feeling welling up inside him.

Mu En had struck tonight and wiped out five Evil Soul Masters.

Those five weren't weak by any means.

But in the face of a Peerless Douluo, they couldn't withstand even one move.

"When will I reach that level..." he murmured.

No one answered him.

Only the night breeze stirred his hair as it passed.

Bai Lan stood there for a while, then turned and returned to the bed, sitting down cross-legged.

If he couldn't evolve, then he would cultivate.

Even gaining the slightest bit of Soul Power was better than wasting the whole night.

He closed his eyes and circulated his Soul Power.

The room fell silent once more.

At the same time, he was thinking about something.

The group of Evil Soul Masters he'd encountered today.

He could actually have counterattacked by relying on his fifty-thousand-year-old Void Butterfly King.

After all, by human standards,

a fifty-thousand-year-old Void Butterfly King was equivalent to a Soul Saint.

So it would have been more than enough to deal with those Evil Soul Masters.

Unfortunately, just as he was about to act,

Mu En had appeared.

So he hadn't continued.

There would definitely be another chance later.

And there would be plenty of chances.

Meanwhile,

at Sea God Pavilion,

Mu En sat by the window, holding a cup of tea that had gone cold.

He hadn't drunk it. He was simply gazing out the window in silence.

His gaze was fixed on the Junior Class dormitory.

"Teacher." Yan Shaozhe's voice came from behind him. "You're still awake?"

Mu En didn't turn around. "You're awake too, aren't you?"

Yan Shaozhe walked over beside him and followed his gaze.

"Bai Lan?"

Mu En nodded. "I just sent him a paper crane and asked him to come by tomorrow morning."

Yan Shaozhe fell silent for a second, then asked, "Teacher, are you really going to take him to Shadow Valley yourself?"

Mu En turned to look at him. "What, do you have an objection?"

"No." Yan Shaozhe shook his head. "I'm just worried about your health..."

"My health?" Mu En laughed, his voice tinged with self-mockery. "Shaozhe, how much longer do you think I can hold out?"

Yan Shaozhe didn't answer.

Mu En looked out the window again.

"A year? Two years? Three at most."

"I don't know whether that's enough time for him to grow."

"But I do know that if I do nothing, he definitely won't grow."

His voice was calm, as if he were talking about someone else.

Yan Shaozhe lowered his head. "Teacher..."

"All right." Mu En waved a hand, cutting him off. "Don't get sentimental. I'm not dead yet."

He stood and walked to the window, opening it.

The night breeze blew in, cool with the scent of the lake.

"When he comes tomorrow morning, you should be there too," Mu En said. "Two Contract Beasts evolving at the same time, with one of them likely reaching the Hundred-Thousand-Year level—that's something no one has ever seen, or even heard of. Don't you want to witness it for yourself?"

Yan Shaozhe raised his head, a glint flashing in his eyes.

Two Contract Beasts evolving at the same time, with one reaching a hundred thousand years?

That had to be the fifty-thousand-year-old Void Butterfly King.

He wanted to see it.

He wanted to see it more than anything.

He wanted to witness the birth of this miracle with his own eyes!

Then he could die without regrets!

"Yes, Teacher." He bowed solemnly.

Mu En nodded and said nothing more.

Beneath the moonlight, the two men stood side by side at the window, gazing in the same direction.

There, a six-year-old boy was preparing for tomorrow's evolution.

The following morning,

sunlight streamed through the window and fell across Bai Lan's face.

He opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.

After a night of cultivation, his Soul Power had barely increased, but his spirits had returned to their peak.

He stood, washed up quickly, and changed into clean clothes.

Then he opened the door and left the dormitory.

Shrek Academy was quiet in the early morning.

A few students hurried past now and then, casting curious glances at him, but no one came over to speak.

Bai Lan didn't mind. He walked straight through the Outer Courtyard and reached the lakeside.

The covered walkway leading to Sea God Pavilion glimmered faintly in the sunlight.

He took a deep breath and stepped onto it.

Halfway across, hurried footsteps sounded behind him.

"Bai Lan!"

Bai Lan turned around and saw Bei Bei hurrying toward him, with Tang Ya and Xu Sanshi following behind.

All three had bandages wrapped around them, and traces of the previous night's battle still lingered on their faces, but they seemed to be in good spirits.

"What brings you here?" Bai Lan asked, surprised.

Bei Bei came up to him and smiled. "Mu En told us to come."

Bai Lan blinked.

"He said... he wanted us to see it for ourselves," Tang Ya added, her eyes shining. "To see your Contract Beasts evolve."

Xu Sanshi folded his arms and turned his head away, but his ears were clearly perked up.

Bai Lan fell silent for a second, then smiled.

"Then let's go together."

The four of them crossed the walkway side by side and arrived in front of Sea God Pavilion.

The door was already open.

Mu En stood just inside, with Yan Shaozhe behind him.

"You're all here?" Mu En looked at the four of them, his gaze sweeping over Bei Bei and the others. "Come in."

The four walked into the pavilion.

The interior of Sea God Pavilion looked even more ancient than the outside.

Wooden walls, simple furnishings, several bookshelves, a long table, and a few chairs.

The most conspicuous feature was an empty space in the center, covered with thick, soft hides of some unknown beast.

"Stand there." Mu En pointed to the hides.

Bai Lan walked over and took his place.

Mu En looked at him, his gaze deep. "Are you ready?"

Bai Lan nodded. "I'm ready."

"Then let's begin." Mu En stepped back a few paces and stood beside Yan Shaozhe. "We'll protect you. Don't worry about a thing."

Bai Lan took a deep breath and raised his hand.

The Contract Book appeared in his palm.

He opened it.

The mark of the Arrow Bamboo on the first page glowed green.

On the second page, the silver silhouette of the Void Butterfly King's wings trembled slightly.

Bai Lan looked at the two marks, an indescribable feeling welling up inside him.

Starting today, they would cross that threshold.

A hundred thousand years.

What did a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast mean on the Douluo Continent?

It meant they had surpassed the ranks of ordinary Soul Beasts, gained intelligence approaching that of humans, and could even transform into human form.

It meant their strength was enough to rival a Titled Douluo.

It meant the Soul Rings they possessed were treasures countless Soul Masters dreamed of.

And now, he was going to personally send both of his Contract Beasts to that level.

"Let's begin," he said softly.

He focused his mind.

First evolution confirmation—no, that wasn't right.

It was the third evolution.

Arrow Bamboo, third evolution, confirmed!

Void Butterfly King, third evolution, confirmed!