Wu Zhangkong's Change of Heart

It was raining in the sky.

Wu Zhangkong stepped out of the dormitory building, letting the rain fall onto his face.

The rain soaked his long blue hair, adding a touch of poignant beauty to his appearance.

"Look, it's the cold and arrogant heartthrob!"

"So handsome!"

"I'm telling you, I dreamed of him yesterday."

Many female passersby stopped to watch as they saw Wu Zhangkong, whispering among themselves.

However, Wu Zhangkong did not care in the slightest; his heart had long since been frozen for Long Bing.

The distance from the dormitory building to the office was short, and in less than ten minutes, Wu Zhangkong had arrived at his office.

Pushing the door open to enter, his brows furrowed involuntarily.

A man was sitting in his office chair, his back turned to him, making it impossible to see the man's face.

Standing behind the man was a person whose face was shrouded in black clothing.

But from the person's curvaceous figure, it could generally be determined that it was a woman.

"Apologies, that appears to be my seat. May I ask what business you have with me?"

Wu Zhangkong said in a somewhat stiff and cold tone.

The chair slowly turned around, and a voice he would never be able to forget in this lifetime rang out.

"Little Changkong of the East Sea, do you still remember me?"

Upon seeing the person sitting in the seat, Wu Zhangkong immediately bowed to pay his respects.

"Wu Zhangkong pays his respects to the War God Temple Master."

"Why, looking at you like this, it seems you do not hold a grudge against me?"

Wu Zhangkong remained in his stiff manner and replied, "Everything that happened back then was caused by my own willfulness."

"I dare not hold the slightest bit of resentment toward the Temple Master; in fact, I should even thank the Temple Master for intervening to help me."

Having said this, Wu Zhangkong's voice paused, and he continued, "Everything was because I was useless."

"It was because I was too weak. The soul master world is a place where the strong prey on the weak; it was my failure to protect her."

As he said this, Wu Zhangkong's voice began to tremble slightly, though his body remained standing straight.

The woman beside Xie An trembled slightly as she saw Wu Zhangkong's state.

However, remembering the instructions of the War God Temple Master, she held back and did not let Wu Zhangkong notice.

"Changkong, do you hate your teachers and the others?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Zhangkong's body stiffened for a moment, but he ultimately replied.

"My teachers, they did nothing wrong."

"They knew she was a spy for the Evil Soul Masters and were upholding the law impartially."

"It was I who was foolish, failing to discover her issues and stop her in advance."

Xie An was not the least bit surprised to hear Wu Zhangkong's answer.

"But you still can't let go, can you?"

"According to my memory, when we last met, you had already broken through to the Soul Emperor level."

"Now, so many years have passed, and your soul power is still only at level 69, failing to break through."

"For others, it might be fine, but for you, a genius who was once pre-selected for the Inner Court..."

Xie An shook his head and did not continue.

Wu Zhangkong remained silent upon hearing Xie An's words.

"If you had a chance to start over, what would you do?"

"I would protect her well; I would even be willing to die in her place."

"I could do anything for her."

A flash of brilliance suddenly erupted in Wu Zhangkong's eyes, but it quickly dissipated.

An expression of decadence and self-reproach appeared in his gaze.

"Temple Master, please don't tease me."

"If there is anything you need, just give the order."

"As long as it is within my power, I will certainly do my best."

After hearing this, Xie An chuckled and nodded, saying, "You kid actually have a bit of a conscience today. There is nothing else today; I just wanted to give you a chance."

"Miss Long Bing, you two may acknowledge each other now."

Wu Zhangkong was somewhat dazed, not understanding what the War God Temple Master meant.

However, the woman beside Xie An burst into uncontrollable sobs.

She tore off the disguise covering her body.

She rushed directly toward Wu Zhangkong and pulled him into an embrace.

Wu Zhangkong had intended to use his soul power to protect himself, but upon seeing the face of the person before him, his emotions spiraled out of control, and tears began to stream down his face.

"Is... is it really you? Bing'er?"

"It's me, Zhangkong. I am your Long Bing."

Long Bing said, her voice trembling with tears.

The two embraced and wept.

It was at this moment that a powerful surge of soul power suddenly erupted from Wu Zhangkong's body.

Long Bing was pushed back by the soul power, looking at Wu Zhangkong with surprise and suspicion, before finally turning her gaze toward the War God Temple Master.

"Do not be nervous. He has simply unlocked a knot in his heart and is breaking through as a matter of course. This is a good thing."

Xie An sighed inwardly, thinking that he was truly worthy of being one of the most talented individuals of the last hundred years.

Time ticked by second by second, and six soul rings appeared around Wu Zhangkong, followed finally by the emergence of a seventh, black soul ring.

As his soul power gradually stabilized, Wu Zhangkong successfully broke through to the Soul Saint level.

Opening his eyes once more, these two people, who were not husband and wife but shared a bond deeper than any, poured their hearts out to each other again.

Xie An watched quietly; as the saying goes, a day as husband and wife leads to a hundred days of grace, and he was not so pressed for time that he couldn't spare a moment.

After a long while, Xie An clapped his hands.

"Alright, alright. Whatever you have to say, save it for when you go back."

Only then did the two remember that the War God Temple Master was still standing beside them.

They hurriedly adjusted their emotions, though tears still flowed uncontrollably down their faces.

In the end, it was Wu Zhangkong who regained his composure, his voice still slightly choked with sobs as he said, "What instructions does the Temple Master have? I am surely willing to go through fire and water for you."

Xie An felt as though someone had said this exact phrase to him just two days ago, but he didn't dwell on it and spoke up.

"What I want you to do is very simple."

"It will neither require you to betray your masters or ancestors, nor will it ask you to commit any atrocities."

"What I want you to do is teach a group of students."

Wu Zhangkong was visibly stunned upon hearing this.

He had expected the War God Temple Master to send him on some mission with zero chance of survival; he had even prepared himself for sacrifice.

"However, the group of students you are to teach is not so simple."

"Are you aware of the Skysea Alliance Tournament?"

Wu Zhangkong nodded and said, "It was just held two months ago."

Xie An smiled and nodded, continuing, "The next tournament, the one five years from now, will not be held in Skysea City."

"The tournament will be held in my hometown, Eastsea City, the very city we are currently in."

"When the time comes, I will invite Shrek Academy to participate."

"And what you must do is train a team capable of winning the championship to bring honor to my hometown."

Wu Zhangkong wanted to agree, but upon hearing the latter part, he said with a bitter smile, "Temple Master, it is not that I am unwilling to contribute."

"It is just that, to defeat Shrek, I fear a small place like Eastsea City does not have enough talent."

"You need not worry about that. In two years, a group of children with exceptional talent will come to you, and all you need to do is cultivate them well."

"You need not worry about resources, either."

"Once the task is complete, bring the children you have led to my War God Temple."

"Consider it your pledge of loyalty."

"Oh, right, I have already concealed Long Bing's aura. As long as she is not seen by an Evil Soul Master in person, there will be no issues."

Wu Zhangkong gave a bitter smile, but looking at Long Bing beside him, who wore a faint, happy smile on her face, he finally said in a deep voice, "I will surely do my utmost to fulfill the Temple Master's entrustment."