Foundation and Beginning

Dai Tianling glanced at En Ci standing beside her and whispered, "Teacher, we...?"

"Your Majesty's decision is fine."

... A room Titled Douluo, how am I supposed to get a word in edgewise?

What can I decide?

In the current situation, I might get slapped if I even open my mouth to speak.

He glanced furtively at Yun Ming and found him staring at him.

Dai Tianling's fingers twitched inside his sleeve, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he was just about to say something.

Yun Jingheng looked up at Zhao Yu'an and the others, "I understand, I... will stop him."

Dai Tianling: "..."

Forget it, I'd better just stay put. As for what they're talking about—becoming a god... I'd better not ask.

"So what should we do now?" Ye Xinglan, who had been quietly standing behind Ya Li, asked.

She didn't stop Yun Jingheng when he disappeared, but she didn't want to miss him again when Yun Jingheng returned.

Yun Jingheng turned to look at her, at the injuries on her face, the bandages on her arms, and her red, wet eyes, as if they had been soaking in water for a long time. His heart felt as if it had been struck by something, and it ached terribly.

"Xing Lan..."

"Don't speak."

Ye Xinglan interrupted him, her voice a little hoarse, "Tell me first, what can we do after that God Servant arrives?"

"Your Soul Power hasn't recovered, and your injuries haven't fully healed. In your current state, you can't even beat me, let alone a God Servant."

"The injury is a minor matter. Soul Power can be quickly restored through meditation. With so many Titled Douluo like us, how could we possibly be unable to deal with a mere God Servant?" Yun Ming sneered.

"Students should just quietly be students; you don't need to worry about anything else."

Ye Xinglan's lips moved several times.

She wanted to say, "I'm not an ordinary student," "I'm also Five-Ring Soul King," and "I can fight too."

But her gaze fell on Yun Jingheng's face—his pale, tired face, yet with a faint smile still lingering at the corners of his mouth.

The smile was so faint, as light as a thin layer of frost, falling on a leaf and melting away as soon as the sun came out.

She had known Yun Jingheng for a long time. She had seen his indifference when he defeated his opponent on the competition stage, his helplessness when Cai Yue'er scolded him until he was covered in dust on the training field, and his awkwardness when he stared at Xie Xie's sweet and sour pork ribs on the canteen for a long time before silently pushing his own vegetables over to him.

She had never seen him smile like that before; it was to hide his worry from her, to say, "I'm fine."

Ye Xinglan swallowed those words back.

She looked down at her hands; her fingers were still wrapped in bandages, which had loosened and curled up at the edges, revealing a scabbed wound underneath.

She stared at the wound for a long time.

Then she raised her head, looked at Yun Jingheng, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

She compromised.

"Then let's go back and recover properly, and get ready."

Yun Jingheng's smile widened.

"Good."

Ya Li stepped out from behind Yun Ming, walked to Yun Jingheng's side, and reached out to touch his cheek; her palm was very hot.

"You've lost so much weight. Let's go back first. I've cooked some porridge. Drink it and take a nap. We can talk about it when you're awake."

Yun Jingheng nodded.

Ya Li took his hand and walked towards the entrance of the hall.

Her hands were warm, and she held them tightly, as if afraid he would let go, get lost, or disappear again.

Cai Yue'er followed behind her, took two steps, stopped, and looked back at Yun Ming.

Are you leaving or not?

Yun Ming shook his head.

"I have something to attend to, you guys go back first."

Cai Yue'er's gaze lingered on his face for a moment before shifting to Zhao Yu'an.

Zhao Yu'an was still standing there, clutching the folded papers in his hand, his knuckles white.

His gaze remained fixed on Yun Jingheng's retreating figure, watching the black coat disappear into the morning light at the entrance of the hall.

Cai Yue'er withdrew her gaze, turned around, and followed Ya Li.

Zhuo Shi stopped at the door without looking back.

"Pavilion Master, please don't stay too long, we're still waiting for you."

Then he left.

Soon only three people remained in the council chamber.

Yun Ming stood by the window, the morning light shining on him and casting a long, long shadow on the ground.

Zhao Yu'an stood in the center of the hall, clutching the few sheets of paper in his hand, his knuckles turning white.

Dai Tianling sat on the Dragon Throne, looking at the two people, unsure whether he should leave or stay.

He hesitated for a moment, then stood up from the Dragon Throne, straightened his clothes, and tiptoed toward the side door.

He stopped at the door without looking back.

"Your Sky-Piercing Crown, there is tea in the Imperial Study. I have it prepared." Then he left.

Yun Ming didn't look at him.

He stared at Zhao Yu'an, at this young man who had escaped from the Moon Domain, had lived in hiding in the Star Luo Empire for three years, and had just entrusted his life and future to a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy. He stared at him for a long time.

"What do you mean by sacrifice, fragments, and becoming a god?"

Zhao Yu'an's fingers twitched slightly on the paper.

His lips moved several times before he finally uttered the words: "Our origin is Godhead Fragment."

"If the Yue Shen Goddess's successor actively absorbs us, our essence will merge into his Godhood, becoming a part of him. Our consciousness will dissipate, but our essence will remain forever in his Godhood."

He will remember us.

Yun Ming fell silent.

Morning light streamed in through the window, falling on him and illuminating half of his face in shadow. "You mean... he'll become a god?"

Zhao Yu'an nodded, then shook his head. "Yes and no. The Yue Shen's Godhood split in two. One half remained in Dragon Valley, and the other half formed the Moon Domain. Yun Jingheng returned through Dragon Valley, and half of the Yue Shen God's Godhood has already been integrated into his body."

Yun Ming's tone was filled with deep worry, "If that half of the Godhead Fragment in the Moon Domain doesn't acknowledge Jing Heng's identity, or tries to usurp his place, what if he...?"

"No, even if that were the case, we would make sacrifices, increasing the proportion of Godhead Fragment, and he would obtain the Godhood."

"Is there no other way?" Yun Ming stepped forward.

Zhao Yu'an shook his head with a smile, "A thousand years ago... wasn't the person who possessed this Martial Soul named Zhao Yunhong?"

"Yes."

"Then that's it."

Yun Ming frowned. "What do you mean it's correct?"

Zhao Yu'an smiled happily, "He came to the Moon Domain and left a wound on the God Servant that could never heal. When he left, he told the teacher: 'The next person to possess this Martial Soul will surely become the Yue Shen.'"

"Yun Jingheng will win, I guarantee it."

Yun Ming sighed softly, "Child... you..."

"Your Majesty, there are no gods in the world now, and Yun Jingheng is the beginning of a new era."

Yun Ming stared at Zhao Yu'an's eyes, which shone brilliantly in the morning light, and remained silent for a long time.

Those eyes were bloodshot, bruised, and showed signs of not having closed them for a long time, but there was no fear, no regret, no struggle in them.

There was only one thing in those eyes—unwavering certainty.

Yun Ming suddenly remembered his youth, when he also believed that one person could change the world, that justice could overcome evil, and that a promise was more important than life itself.

At that time, he had not yet become the Sea God Pavilion Master, nor had he become the Limit Douluo, and he had not yet experienced so much loss and separation.

At that time, he was just an ordinary student at the Shrek Academy, sweating profusely on the training field every day, dreaming of one day becoming Titled Douluo and being able to protect the people he wanted to protect.

Looking at Zhao Yu'an, he suddenly felt that this young man was very much like himself when he was young.

They share the same stubbornness, the same obstinacy, and the same willingness to entrust their lives to someone they trust.

He reached out and pressed on Zhao Yu'an's shoulder, the pressure neither too light nor too heavy.

"How old are you?"

Zhao Yu'an was taken aback, clearly not expecting Yun Ming to ask this.

His mouth opened and closed, closed and opened again.

"I've lived in the Moon Domain for a very long time, countless years. After escaping from the Moon Domain, according to the Star Luo Empire's calendar, I'm twenty-four this year."

Twenty-four.

Yun Ming repeated the number, his voice very soft, "When I was twenty-four, I was still a teacher at the Shrek Academy."

"Every day I teach students, grade their homework, and lead them in training sessions where they sweat it out."

"Back then, I thought I would be a teacher for the rest of my life, and I never imagined that I would become the Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion."

"Back then, I was just like you are now. I didn't know if I would live or die tomorrow, I didn't know what I could accomplish in my life, and I didn't know if I could live up to the expectations of those who believed in me."

He looked into Zhao Yu'an's eyes, those black eyes that were exactly the same as Yun Jingheng's, and there was something deep and heavy in them.

"But I know one thing: you can't be wrong to trust the people you believe in."

He took his hand off Zhao Yu'an's shoulder and let it hang at his side.

"I don't know when the new era you're talking about will come, what it will look like, or whether I'll live to see it."

"But if my son is the beginning of a new era, then I am the cornerstone of that new era. He stands in front, and I stand behind him. He moves forward, and I shield him from the knives coming from behind."

Zhao Yu'an smiled and said, "Then please rest well, Your Majesty. When the God Servant descends, Yun Jingheng will sense it. I need to take my leave now; I have to go and find all the hidden fragments."

Yun Ming watched him leave, then turned and walked towards the Imperial Study.