"Elder Mu, Yi'er missed you so much."
Cheng Duoyi happily threw his arms around Life Douluo. Now that the Seven-Colored Bloodline had awakened within him, his senses had grown sharper. He could tell that the vitality inside Life Douluo was no longer at its peak.
After all, Life Douluo's Martial Soul was the Ancient Life Tree. By all rights, the vitality within him should have remained at its peak at all times.
Unless there were special circumstances. That would mean...
Life Douluo didn't have enough life force to sustain himself!
At once, tears welled in Cheng Duoyi's eyes. He looked at Life Douluo and asked in a choked voice, "Elder Mu, why is your life force so weak? Are you injured?"
"Godmother, what's wrong with Elder Mu? Are you hiding something from me?" Cheng Duoyi turned to Leng Yaozhu, wanting her to tell him the truth.
Leng Yaozhu's startled expression faded into calm. "Old Mu's health is checked every year. There can't be anything wrong. And it's even more impossible that we'd be hiding something from you."
Life Douluo, standing across from Leng Yaozhu, had the same white hair as Cheng Duoyi. Age had left his old face covered in wrinkles.
Only his eyes remained bright, not clouded.
He patted his chest, and Cheng Duoyi looked at him.
Seeing this, Life Douluo asked in surprise, "Yi'er, who told you there was something wrong with the life force inside me? As Yaozhu just said, she takes me for a checkup every year. I'm in excellent health. If someone told you there was something wrong with me, they must have tricked you. Tell me who it was, and I'll go argue with them. How dare anyone curse me? The nerve!"
After saying this, Life Douluo secretly glanced at Leng Yaozhu.
Faced with Life Douluo's question, Leng Yaozhu shook her head slightly, signaling that she hadn't told Yi'er anything.
Life Douluo believed her. She had no reason to lie to him.
If so, how did Yi'er know what was happening to him?
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 is weak. I sensed it myself; no one else told me. Elder Mu, did your life force drain away so quickly because you saved me?"
Cheng Duoyi thought of one possibility. For the past three years, Life Douluo had often brewed medicine for him to replenish the life force draining from his body. The thought was difficult for him to accept.
At first, he'd thought they were precious herbs Leng Yaozhu had bought and Life Douluo had brewed for him. Now he realized that couldn't be the case at all!
Life Douluo didn't answer Cheng Duoyi's question. Instead, he changed the subject and asked in surprise, "You said you can sense the life force inside other people? You mean the vitality inside you really isn't being devoured anymore? That's wonderful! Let me check."
Life Douluo pressed two fingers to Cheng Duoyi's pulse. A faint, jade-green glow appeared as he carefully checked Cheng Duoyi's condition. Cheng Duoyi let him examine him.
"Yi'er, you're truly healthy again. This is wonderful news!" Life Douluo's face brightened with joy. Then he asked, "Could it be that your Martial Soul underwent a Second Awakening? Nothing else could explain this. Tell me, what's happened to you lately? How did you get better so soon after leaving?"
Cheng Duoyi understood. Life Douluo didn't want him to worry.
Though he was only nine, he understood a lot of things. In some of his fragmented memories, people who were in trouble often didn't want those closest to them to find out.
When Cheng Duoyi was little, Leng Yaozhu had just adopted him. Back then, he'd been an innocent, ignorant child.
But one day, fragments of his past-life memories awakened. They were scattered, both clear and blurry, like a dream.
In those memory fragments, he was also called Cheng Duoyi. He had been a Peking opera actress, spending his entire life playing a character named Lin Daiyu. Then, during one performance, not long after he'd stepped onto the stage, a loose light overhead came crashing down on him, killing him instantly.
And in those memory fragments, his teacher—his mentor—had died of cancer without ever telling him about his condition, all so that he could carry on the tradition in an important performance.
As those memories resurfaced, Cheng Duoyi realized that the way Life Douluo looked at him now was exactly like the way his mentor had looked in those memory fragments.
It was even harder for Cheng Duoyi to accept. Tears spilled from his eyes. The memories might have been false, but Life Douluo really was in trouble!
"Yi'er, I'm really fine. Look, I'm perfectly all right. Why are you crying..."
Life Douluo hadn't expected Cheng Duoyi not only to keenly sense the state of his health, but to cry out of concern for him.
It seems all my efforts over these past three years weren't in vain...
A look of comfort crossed his face. He gently wiped the tears from Cheng Duoyi's cheeks with his rough palm and said warmly, "Yi'er, sooner or later, everyone has to part ways. I'm just an insignificant passerby in your life..."
Cheng Duoyi panicked. "Elder Mu..."
How could you be a passerby in my life?
How could you be insignificant in my life?
You may not be my grandfather by blood, but you're closer to me than one. You are my grandfather!
Cheng Duoyi hadn't finished speaking.
Life Douluo smiled and gently cut him off. "Yi'er, let me finish first."
Cheng Duoyi fell silent. He obediently watched Life Douluo, listening with complete attention.
Seeing this, Life Douluo nodded in satisfaction and smiled. "Yi'er, you're not the first person I've saved, and you won't be the last."
"If everyone I saved were like you, would this old body of mine ever get a moment's peace? I've lived my whole life without a wife or children. I'm already content to have lived this long. For the time I have left, I just want to live quietly..."
Life Douluo's tone shifted. He looked at Cheng Duoyi kindly.
"But you're different. You're still young, with so many good years ahead of you. I'm not asking you to become a powerful Soul Master. I only hope you'll live a safe, healthy life. That would be enough to satisfy me."
"And besides, I'm happy just knowing you remember my help. It shows our Yi'er is a good boy, and good boys don't cry. Haven't you heard? A real man bleeds but doesn't shed tears?"
"If other people saw our little man crying, they'd surely call Yi'er a crybaby..."
Life Douluo's voice sounded a little strained too. His breathing had grown heavy.
Clearly, he knew his own condition. He wanted to see Cheng Duoyi again someday, but that would be difficult.
Cheng Duoyi shook his head, but he still couldn't stop the tears from falling.
Crying, he said, "Grandpa Mu, I want to make you my real grandfather. I'll take care of you when you're old, all right? I'll work hard to find a way to save you too. Please don't leave me. I don't want to be separated from you."
Life Douluo was taken aback. After learning about Cheng Duoyi's condition, he had planned to leave and spend the rest of his days in peace. He'd never truly experienced a quiet life.
Now Cheng Duoyi had somehow seen through his thoughts. Life Douluo didn't know what to do, especially when Cheng Duoyi had asked to make him his real grandfather. Could he really agree to that?
"Yi'er, you can't say things like that." Life Douluo hurriedly stopped him.
Life Douluo was powerful and famous for his healing abilities, but compared with Leng Yaozhu, he was nowhere near her level. Their positions were worlds apart.
Just then, Leng Yaozhu said, "Old Mu, Yi'er wants you to be his real grandfather. Just agree. Didn't you once say you regretted never getting to hold a grandchild? Yi'er may not be your grandson by blood, but he'll treat you like his real grandfather. You might even get to hold a great-grandchild someday."
Life Douluo looked at Leng Yaozhu in surprise. She smiled. "Yi'er is my only son. Though he isn't my biological child, he's my life. You've saved him so many times, and I'm happy for him to make you his grandfather. It shows what a lovable boy Yi'er is."
Life Douluo's expression shifted. This was the last thing he'd expected.
"Grandpa Mu, Godmother agrees too. Do you really dislike Yi'er that much? Do you not want to be my grandfather?" Cheng Duoyi asked urgently.
Life Douluo took a deep breath and finally nodded. "All right. Since Yi'er wants this so badly, if I still refused, I don't know how heartbroken you'd be. Yi'er, your grandfather's name is Mu Qingtian. I'm a ninety-fourth-level Titled Douluo, and my title is Life Douluo. If you ever get into trouble with someone while you're out, give them my name. They'll show you some respect."
"Mm-hmm, Elder Mu. I'll remember," Cheng Duoyi said with a smile.
Mu Qingtian gently stroked Cheng Duoyi's head with his large hand. He smiled without saying anything, his thoughts hidden.
"Godmother, now that I've made Elder Mu my grandfather, I've kept calling you Godmother. From now on, can I call you Mom? Whatever your relationship with Elder Mu is, you can work it out yourselves. It has nothing to do with me." Cheng Duoyi looked at Leng Yaozhu expectantly.
Leng Yaozhu paused, then smiled. "You little rascal, always acting older than your years. Old Mu is senior to me. He was already famous across the continent when I was a little girl. Your mother really is his junior."
Mu Qingtian hurriedly said, "Pagoda Master Leng, you flatter me."
Leng Yaozhu smiled and shook her head. "There's no need to call me Pagoda Master Leng here. Call me Yaozhu like you used to. I don't mind you being my elder. And if anything happens to Yi'er in the future, I hope you'll keep an eye on him."
Mu Qingtian breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll check Yi'er regularly to make sure nothing unexpected happens again."
Tang Wuling and the others had finished reading the contract Leng Xue'er gave them. It stated that anyone who joined the Spirit Pagoda couldn't join any other organization.
Tang Wuling and the other three had no objections. They signed their names, stamped the contract, and pressed their fingerprints.
"Congratulations. From today onward, you're Spirit Masters of the Spirit Pagoda." Leng Xue'er spoke calmly. "You may be the lowest rank, Junior Spirit Masters, but each month you can collect 10,000 Federation Coins from any Spirit Pagoda on the continent. In addition, every six months, you'll have the opportunity to join a group studying the Ten-Year Soul Beast Genetic Sequence and cultivating Ten-Year Soul Spirits. When you reach a bottleneck, you'll get a five-percent discount when buying a Soul Spirit, and you'll also have dedicated Soul Spirit evaluators to explain them to you..."
"That's all for your current benefits. I'll arrange to have your Spirit Master badges made shortly. Is there anything else you'd like to know?"
Leng Xue'er had explained a lot, leaving Tang Wuling, Xie Xie, and Yun Xiao very surprised.
Tang Wuling asked, "Sister Xue'er, what do you mean by studying the Ten-Year Soul Beast Genetic Sequence and cultivating Ten-Year Soul Spirits?"
Xie Xie and Yun Xiao were curious about this too. They'd never heard of it or learned anything about it.
Only Gu Yue wore a complicated expression, with a trace of sadness in her eyes.
But the look lasted only an instant. Her expression soon returned to normal, and a flame of hope flickered to life within her.
Leng Xue'er clearly knew all about the question. She explained, "The Soul Beast Genetic Sequence is connected to the secrets of Soul Spirits. The Spirit Pagoda began construction ten thousand years ago, and it's been around for ten thousand years now. The Spirit Ascension Platform has a history of several thousand years as well. It wasn't built all at once, from the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform to the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform and the Advanced Spirit Ascension Platform."
"That's because the Spirit Ascension Platform can't remain stable at all times. It needs regular inspections and maintenance. That's because the Soul Spirits inside the Spirit Ascension Platform are real. Large-scale deaths or births can both affect the platform. To the Soul Spirits, the Spirit Ascension Platform is a real, miniature world!"
"What? The Spirit Ascension Platform is a real, miniature world?"
Tang Wuling, Xie Xie, and Yun Xiao were stunned.
Gu Yue looked surprised too. She truly admired what humans were capable of.
"That's right," Leng Xue'er said. "The question you just asked is closely connected to the Spirit Ascension Platform. A small portion of the Soul Spirits inside it are cultivated using genetic sequences extracted from the bodies of ancient Soul Beasts or from the bodies of Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest. Soul Spirits compatible with those genetic sequences are allowed to reproduce, eventually giving birth to Soul Beasts—or, more accurately, Soul Spirits."
"Since all this takes place inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, the Soul Spirits there reproduce, and their offspring die just like normal Soul Beasts, dropping Spirit Rings. But you can't absorb those Spirit Rings normally. They can only be converted into energy and injected into your own Spirit Rings, increasing their age at a ratio of ten to one."
Tang Wuling, Xie Xie, and Yun Xiao looked enlightened.
Xie Xie pressed on. "Sister Xue'er, do ancient Soul Spirits also exist inside the Spirit Ascension Platform? Are they very powerful?"
Xie Xie came from a family with some connections, so he knew a little about ancient Soul Beasts. For instance, did Soul Spirits that had long since disappeared still exist inside the Spirit Ascension Platform?
Leng Xue'er said, "That's right. Some ancient Soul Spirits exist within the Spirit Pagoda, but they're exceedingly rare. They're all in the Advanced Spirit Ascension Platform, and they're incredibly powerful. No Soul Master can make them submit. Anyone who tries to force a fusion with them usually suffers brain death because they can't withstand the immense energy."
Yun Xiao had noticed an issue and followed up with a question. "Sister Xue'er, if we enter the Spirit Ascension Platform while we're at a bottleneck, find a suitable Soul Spirit, and persuade it, can it become our Soul Spirit?"
Before you continue