Life Douluo Mu Qingtian [Seeking Follow-up Reads]

"Elder Mu, Yi'er has missed you so much."

Cheng Duoyi happily embraced Life Douluo. Now that his Seven-Colored Bloodline had awakened, Cheng Duoyi's perception of things was far sharper, and he discovered that the vitality within Life Douluo was no longer at its peak.

After all, Life Douluo's martial soul was the Ancient Life Tree; logically, the vitality within him should remain at its peak at all times.

Unless there was a special circumstance, that is...

The life force within Life Douluo was no longer sufficient to sustain himself!

For a moment, tears welled up in Cheng Duoyi's eyes as he looked at Life Douluo, his voice choking with emotion: "Elder Mu, why is the life force within you so weak? Are you hurt?"

"Godmother, what is wrong with Elder Mu? Are you two hiding something from me?" Cheng Duoyi turned to look at Leng Yaozhu, wanting her to tell him the truth.

Leng Yaozhu's look of astonishment faded into indifference: "Old Mu's physical condition is checked every year; there are no problems. As for hiding anything from you, that is even more impossible."

Opposite Leng Yaozhu, Life Douluo had hair the same color as Cheng Duoyi's—pure white—and his aged face was covered in wrinkles.

Only his eyes remained bright, not clouded in the slightest.

He patted his chest as Cheng Duoyi looked toward him.

Seeing this, Life Douluo asked in surprise: "Yi'er, who told you that there was a problem with the life force inside your Elder Mu? Yaozhu just said it too; she takes me for a check-up every year. My body is in tip-top shape. If someone told you my health was failing, you must have been lied to. You tell me who it is, and I'll go reason with them. To think someone would curse me—how detestable!"

After speaking, Life Douluo cast a furtive glance at Leng Yaozhu.

Facing Life Douluo's questioning gaze, Leng Yaozhu shook her head slightly, signaling that she had not told Yi'er anything.

Life Douluo trusted Leng Yaozhu; she had no reason to lie to him.

If that was the case, how did Yi'er know about his condition?

With tears in his eyes, Cheng Duoyi shook his head: "Elder Mu, you can't fool me. I can feel that the life force inside you isn't very strong right now. I sensed this myself; it has nothing to do with anyone else. Elder Mu, is your life force fading so quickly because you saved me?"

Cheng Duoyi considered a possibility: for the past three years, Life Douluo had frequently brewed medicine for him to replenish the life force leaking from his body, and for a moment, he found it hard to accept.

He had initially thought the precious herbs were purchased by Leng Yaozhu and merely brewed by Life Douluo, but now it seemed that was not the case at all!

Life Douluo did not answer Cheng Duoyi's question, instead changing the subject and asking in surprise: "You say you can perceive the life force inside others? Does that mean the vitality inside you is no longer being devoured? That's a good thing! Let Elder Mu check you."

Life Douluo placed two fingers on Cheng Duoyi's pulse. A faint, emerald-green light appeared as he carefully examined Cheng Duoyi's physical condition, and Cheng Duoyi let him do as he pleased.

"Yi'er, your body really has recovered; this is a joyous occasion!" Life Douluo's face lit up with happiness, and he continued: "Could it be that your martial soul has undergone a second awakening? Otherwise, this situation wouldn't be possible. Tell Elder Mu, what happened during this time? How did you recover so soon after going out?"

Cheng Duoyi understood that Life Douluo was simply trying to keep him from worrying.

Although he was only nine years old, he understood many things in his heart. In some of his fragmented memories, he knew that when people faced problems, they often didn't want their closest loved ones to know.

When Cheng Duoyi was still a child, just after being adopted by Leng Yaozhu, he had been ignorant and naive.

But one day, he awakened fragments of memories from a past life—memories that were scattered, both clear and blurry, as if he had lived through a dream.

In those memory fragments, he was also named Cheng Duoyi, a dan actor in Peking Opera who spent his entire life playing a character named Lin Daiyu, until one performance when the lights above the stage came loose and crashed onto his head, leading to his tragic death.

In those same memory fragments, his teacher—his master—had passed away from cancer, never telling him about his condition before he died, all so that he could carry on the tradition during an important performance.

As these memories surfaced, Cheng Duoyi realized that the way Life Douluo looked at him now was exactly the same as his master in those fragmented memories.

For a moment, Cheng Duoyi found it even harder to accept. Tears streamed down his face; the memory fragments might have been fake, but the fact that Life Douluo was in trouble was real!

"Yi'er, Elder Mu is really fine. Look, aren't I perfectly healthy? Why are you crying..."

Life Douluo had not expected that Cheng Duoyi would not only keenly perceive his physical state but also be so heartbroken out of concern for him.

Life Douluo thought to himself: It seems my efforts over these three years were not in vain...

He wore a gratified expression, his rough palm gently wiping the tears from Cheng Duoyi's cheeks, his tone gentle: "Yi'er, people will eventually part ways one day. I am merely an insignificant passerby in your life..."

Cheng Duoyi grew anxious: "Elder Mu..."

How could you be a passerby in my life?

How could you be insignificant in my journey?

You are more than a grandfather to me; you are my true grandfather!

Before Cheng Duoyi could finish his sentence.

Life Douluo smiled and interrupted: "Yi'er, listen to me finish first."

Cheng Duoyi stopped speaking, staring at Life Douluo, listening very earnestly.

Seeing this, Life Douluo nodded with satisfaction and smiled: "Yi'er, you are not the first person I have saved, nor will you be the last."

"If everyone I saved were like you, would these old bones of mine ever have a moment of peace? I have lived my whole life without children or family; I am already content to have lived to this age. For the time I have left, I only want to live in peace..."

Life Douluo changed his tone, looking at Cheng Duoyi with kindness.

"But you are different. You are still very young and have a bright future to enjoy. I don't ask for you to become a powerful soul master; I only hope that you will be safe and healthy in the future. That would be enough to satisfy my heart."

"Also, the fact that you keep my help in your heart makes me very happy. It shows that our Yi'er is a good child, and good children shouldn't cry. Don't you know that a real man sheds blood, not tears?"

"If others saw our little man crying, they would surely say Yi'er is a little crybaby..."

Life Douluo's tone also grew strained, his nose sounding congested.

Clearly, he knew his own situation, and he realized that seeing Cheng Duoyi in the future would be a difficult wish to fulfill.

Cheng Duoyi shook his head, but he could not stop the tears from falling.

He wept as he said, "Elder Mu, I want to acknowledge you as my own grandfather. Can I take care of you in your old age? I will also work hard to find a way to cure you. Please don't abandon me; I don't want to leave you."

Life Douluo was taken aback. In truth, after learning of Cheng Duoyi's physical condition, he had intended to leave this place and spend his remaining days living a quiet, peaceful life—a kind of tranquility he had never truly experienced.

Now that Cheng Duoyi had somehow sensed his thoughts, Life Douluo was at a loss for what to do, especially regarding the request to be acknowledged as a grandfather. Was this something he could really agree to?

"Yi'er, you mustn't say such things," Life Douluo hurriedly cautioned.

Although Life Douluo was immensely powerful and renowned in the field of healing, he was nowhere near the level of Leng Yaozhu; their statuses were simply not in the same league.

But at that moment, Leng Yaozhu spoke up: "Old Mu, since Yi'er wants to acknowledge you as his grandfather, you should just agree. Didn't you always say you regretted never having held a grandson in your life? Even if Yi'er isn't your biological grandson, he will surely treat you as one. Who knows, you might even get to hold a great-grandson in the future."

Life Douluo looked at Leng Yaozhu in surprise. She smiled and said, "Yi'er is the only son I have. Although he isn't my biological child, he is my life. Since you have saved him so many times, I am happy that he wants to acknowledge you as his grandfather. It just shows how lovable he is."

Life Douluo's expression shifted; this was a situation he had never anticipated.

"Elder Mu, my godmother has already agreed. Do you really dislike me that much? Do you not want to be my grandfather?" Cheng Duoyi asked urgently.

Life Douluo took a deep breath and finally nodded. "Very well. Since Yi'er has put it this way, if I refuse, I don't know how heartbroken he might be. Yi'er, your grandfather's name is Mu Qingtian, a ninety-fourth-rank Title Douluo known as Life Douluo. In the future, if you run into trouble while out and about, you can mention your grandfather's name; people will generally show some respect."

"Mm, Elder Mu, I'll remember that," Cheng Duoyi smiled.

Mu Qingtian gently stroked Cheng Duoyi's head with his large hand, smiling without a word, his thoughts unreadable.

"Godmother, since I've acknowledged Elder Mu as my grandfather, and I've always called you godmother, how about I call you 'Mom' from now on? As for your relationship with Elder Mu, you two can handle that yourselves; it has nothing to do with me." Cheng Duoyi looked at Leng Yaozhu with anticipation.

Leng Yaozhu was slightly stunned, then laughed. "You little rascal. Old Mu's seniority is higher than mine; he was already famous across the continent when I was still a child. Your mother here is truly a junior to him."

Mu Qingtian quickly replied, "Tower Master Leng, you are too kind."

Leng Yaozhu shook her head with a smile. "There is no Tower Master Leng here. You should just call me Yaozhu as you did before. I don't lose anything by having you as an elder. Please keep an eye on Yi'er if any issues arise in the future."

Mu Qingtian breathed a sigh of relief. "I will check on Yi'er regularly to ensure no further accidents occur."

Tang Wuling and the other three had finished reading the contract provided by Leng Xue'er, which stated that joining the Spirit Pagoda meant they could not join any other organizations.

None of the four had any objections, so they signed, stamped, and pressed their fingerprints on the documents.

"Congratulations. From today on, you are Spirit Masters of the Spirit Pagoda," Leng Xue'er said calmly. "Although you are only entry-level Primary Spirit Masters, your monthly benefits include 10,000 Federation Coin that can be collected at any Spirit Pagoda on the continent. Furthermore, every six months, you will have the opportunity to participate in a group study of ten-year soul beast gene sequences and the cultivation of ten-year spirit souls. In the future, when you reach a bottleneck, you will enjoy a five percent discount on purchasing spirit souls, and there will be specialized spirit soul evaluators to provide you with guidance..."

"Alright, that covers your current benefits. I will arrange for your Spirit Master badges to be made shortly. Is there anything else you wish to know?"

Leng Xue'er had said a lot, and Tang Wuling, Xie Xie, and Yun Xiao were all quite astonished.

Tang Wuling asked, "Sister Xue'er, what does 'ten-year soul beast gene sequence' and 'cultivating ten-year spirit souls' mean?"

Xie Xie and Yun Xiao were also curious about this question, as they had never heard of or understood these concepts before.

Only Gu Yue revealed a complex expression, a trace of loneliness hidden in the depths of her eyes.

However, it was only for a fleeting moment; her expression recovered, and a flame of hope ignited within her.

Leng Xue'er was clearly well-versed in this topic and explained: "Soul beast gene sequences are related to the secrets of spirit souls. The Spirit Pagoda has been built for ten thousand years, and the Spirit Ascension Platform also has a history of several thousand years. The progression from the initial Primary Spirit Ascension Platform to the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform and the Advanced Spirit Ascension Platform did not happen overnight."

"Because the Spirit Ascension Platform is not stable at all times, it requires regular inspection and maintenance. This is because the spirit souls within the platform are real existences. Large-scale casualties or mass breeding can affect the platform, and for the spirit souls, the Spirit Ascension Platform is a real, small world!"

"What? The Spirit Ascension Platform is a real, small world?"

Tang Wuling, Xie Xie, and Yun Xiao were shocked.

Gu Yue looked surprised; she truly admired the capabilities of humans.

"That's right," Leng Xue'er said. "The question you just asked is closely related to the Spirit Ascension Platform. A small portion of the spirit souls in the platform are created by extracting gene sequences from the remains of ancient soul beasts or from the remains of soul beasts currently in the Star Dou Great Forest. We allow spirit souls that match these gene sequences to breed, eventually giving birth to soul beasts—or more accurately, spirit souls."

"Because these processes must be realized within the Spirit Ascension Platform, when the spirit souls there produce offspring, these offspring die just like normal soul beasts and drop soul rings. However, these soul rings cannot be absorbed by you normally; they can only be converted into energy and injected into your own soul rings, increasing the age of your soul rings at a ratio of ten to one."

Tang Wuling, Xie Xie, and Yun Xiao suddenly realized the truth.

Xie Xie pursued the topic: "Sister Xue'er, do ancient spirit souls also exist in the Spirit Ascension Platform? Are they very strong?"

Xie Xie had some background and knew a bit about ancient soul beasts, such as many spirit souls that had already disappeared. He wondered if they existed in the platform.

Leng Xue'er said, "That's right, some ancient spirit souls do exist within the Spirit Pagoda, but they are few and far between, and all of them are in the Advanced Spirit Ascension Platform. Their strength is also immense. No soul master can force them to submit; those who attempt to forcibly fuse with them often suffer brain death because they cannot withstand the massive energy."

Yun Xiao discovered a question and asked, "Sister Xue'er, if we enter the Spirit Ascension Platform during a bottleneck period, find a suitable spirit soul, and persuade it, can it become our spirit soul?"