Regret? Selfish Love

The delicacies were dazzling, ranging from steamed, fried, stir-fried, and boiled dishes to even cold dishes.

This was the day Tang Wulin had eaten the most since he awakened his Martial Soul three years ago.

These refined and high-grade food items transformed into streams of heat within his body, expanding into every inch of his being.

The somatic cells that had fallen into dormancy due to malnutrition over the past three years were fully revived under the irrigation of this hearty meal.

Tang Wulin even had a subjective feeling: it was as if he had grown taller and bigger after just this one dinner.

Half a pot of rice and most of the dishes on the table had all gone into his big stomach.

Even a rough man like Mang Tian was dumbfounded by this appetite, and the look he cast toward Tang Ziran and Lang Yue carried a hint of admiration.

Seeing this, Long Zijin couldn't help but smile faintly, as the first step of his plan to disrupt the God King Tang's schemes had been successfully implemented.

He glanced at Na'er, who was intermittently lost in a daze, watching the two distinct ideologies clashing in her eyes...

He did not intervene, but instead finished the last half-sip of Purple Brew, stood up, and said, "Please enjoy, it is getting late, I shall return to the Spirit Pagoda first."

With that, Long Zijin set down his wine glass and led Di Guangming toward the outside of the house...

Although Lang Yue was amazed by the other party's deep background—being able to easily procure ingredients of a level usually reserved for the celebration banquets she enjoyed during her scientific breakthroughs in her early years—she did not forget to pat her son on the shoulder and lower her voice. "Linlin, go and see them off."

"Okay!" Tang Wulin put down the plate he had been licking clean and scrambled out after them.

The evening breeze was gentle, and the traffic flowed incessantly.

Soul Tool Vehicles whistled past beneath the overpass.

Long Zijin paced slowly, appreciating the dim lights and the slow pace of the small human city.

Tang Wulin followed by his side, not knowing how to start a conversation, until he finally managed to squeeze out, "Thank you, Brother Long."

"Thank me for what?" Long Zijin turned his face to ask.

Tang Wulin hurriedly replied, "Of course, thank you for lending me sixty thousand Federal Coins this noon, and for agreeing to sponsor my further education."

"Although Mom and Dad don't say it, I know that the cost of living in Proud Arrival City is far less than in big cities, so they must be working even harder just so I don't go hungry."

"Even if they don't say it, I know... I have almost become a burden this family can no longer afford."

As he spoke, Tang Wulin gripped the hem of his shirt, and a layer of mist reappeared in his beautiful eyes.

But soon, he clenched his fists and strengthened himself, saying, "But please rest assured, I will soon be able to perform Thousand Refinement independently and become a Rank 2 Blacksmith; this is what Teacher Mang Tian told me himself."

"Once I can take on part-time work, I will earn a lot, lot of money and pay you back!"

Listening to this impassioned outpouring of his heart, Long Zijin walked on quietly without making any statement.

It wasn't until Tang Wulin felt his own footsteps were about to tangle that Long Zijin suddenly asked, "It's been three years; have you ever regretted choosing the path of a Soul Master?"

Tang Wulin lowered his head in silence...

Indeed, perhaps it was his own bad luck.

Ever since he awakened his Martial Soul and decided to become a Soul Master, he hadn't received a single piece of good news in three years.

A trash Martial Soul Blue Silver Grass, a defective Soul Spirit, the mutation of his Martial Soul taking a toll on his body and causing his family to go broke, the disdain of his teacher and the mockery of his classmates, the calluses on his hands growing thicker and thicker...

"I've been frustrated, but I don't regret it." Tang Wulin suddenly lifted his lowered head.

But Long Zijin's way of questioning was always so unique: "Do you love your teacher? That Rank 6 Blacksmith."

"Teacher Mang Tian?" Tang Wulin nodded subconsciously. "I do, of course I do."

"My forging techniques were all taught to me by Teacher Mang Tian. Aside from Mom, Dad, and Na'er, he is the person I respect and love the most."

"Then do you think he loves you back?" Long Zijin spoke like a Goddess of Love pointing out human emotions.

Tang Wulin continued to rub the hem of his shirt, whispering uncertainly, "Well... he should, right?"

"True love is mutual and bidirectional." Long Zijin suddenly stood still.

He turned to face him squarely. "He has ulterior motives toward you; his love is very selfish."

"He wants you to make progress in your Soul Power cultivation, but he doesn't want you to go too far on the path of a Soul Master. He wants to keep you on the path of forging to realize the regrets he never managed to fulfill himself."

"Ah? Why do you say that?" Tang Wulin scratched his head.

Although he was precocious, in terms of comprehension, he was still, after all, a nine-year-old child.

Long Zijin spoke candidly, "He is a Rank 6 Grandmaster who only came to this small city to live in seclusion because he felt his future was hopeless. To him, one million Federal Coins is nothing, unless he doesn't love you, or..."

"He doesn't want you to split your focus on being a Soul Master while on the path of forging."

A purple glint flashed through his Pure Gold Eyes as Long Zijin turned his body and continued, "Although Soul Power cultivation is essential to becoming a top-tier blacksmith, a person's energy and lifespan are always limited."

"No one can be perfect at everything. Perhaps your great dream of being a Soul Master and his great dream of being a Divine Blacksmith have, to some extent, diverged."

"Now, with your family in distress and no support from your teacher, will you still persist on the path of a Soul Master?"

"This, I..." Tang Wulin was at a loss for words.

"You don't have to answer me now. Take these few days to ask yourself properly—ask the real you." Long Zijin turned and walked down the overpass.

"Right."

Under the overpass, he suddenly turned his head, his voice drifting from afar: "If you still can't get enough to eat in the coming days, come find me at the Spirit Pagoda."

"The meals will be just like tonight's."

By the time Tang Wulin snapped out of his daze and wanted to chase after him to continue expressing his thanks, that cluster of Amethyst Flowing Cloud had already walked into the dim lights in the distance.

He was left standing alone on the overpass, stunned.

Not far behind Tang Wulin.

Na'er was also standing at the doorway of their home, lost in thought.

Over the past two days, her moments of bewilderment had become increasingly frequent.

Deep down, she knew that the day she would have to bid farewell to this small home and fulfill her duties as the Sovereign of Soul Beasts was drawing near.

Looking back, her adoptive parents were clearing the dishes and utensils, huddled together in the kitchen whispering, seemingly discussing some secret matter.

Suddenly, Na'er felt her hair being stroked, a sensation that felt incredibly comforting.

When she turned around, Tang Wulin had already returned, a brilliant smile on his face, still that same cheerful youth.

"Brother!"

The Holy Dragon King no longer used the Time-Traveling Dragon.

He was accompanying the Dragon Emperor, walking on foot along the fringes of the mortal world.

Suddenly, he felt compelled to venture a remark: "Your Majesty, you have become complex."

Long Zijin remained silent for two seconds, unsure if he was asking back or questioning himself: "Is that so?"

"Perhaps the version of me that chose to fulfill A-Jin before dying was making a mistake."

"That is why I am very curious to see, when faced with the same choice, if a different soul were to receive the proper guidance, would they make the correct decision?"