Lin Nuo emerged from the Sea of Consciousness and returned to reality. He immediately noticed that something was off with Na'er beside him, and curiously opened his eyes to look at her. "What's wrong, Na'er?"
Na'er seemed startled by his words. She quickly came back to her senses and shook her head. "It's nothing, Brother."
Seeing her like this, how could Lin Nuo possibly believe that nothing was wrong? He followed her gaze from just a moment ago. One look, and he was stunned—he'd run into someone he knew.
That familiar appearance, those little braids, that cute little face, and... that little skirt???
No, wait.
Lin Nuo looked at the little... girl being led in by her parents and suddenly felt a little strange.
Tang Wulin really had looked like a little girly boy as a child, but that didn't mean he should show up in a little skirt to awaken his Martial Soul, did it?
Was he into cross-dressing?
Or... an absurd thought popped into Lin Nuo's head. Could that child actually be a girl?
Lin Nuo couldn't be sure, and curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to find out.
Tang Wuling happily held her parents' hands. She keenly sensed two gazes fixed on her, and curiously looked over. A big and a little one—probably a brother and sister—were scrutinizing her.
The sight left her a little bewildered. She tilted her head and studied them. Did she know them?
Tang Wuling's parents, Tang Ziran and Lang Yue, noticed their daughter's gaze too and curiously looked over. They saw a pair of siblings staring at their daughter.
The siblings were just as good-looking as their daughter, their beauty evenly matched.
Tang Ziran looked away and turned to his daughter. "Wuling, do you know them?"
Tang Wuling shook her head. She didn't know the siblings at all!
"Then should we go introduce ourselves?" Tang Ziran asked with a smile.
"Huh?" Tang Wuling hadn't expected her father to say that, and for a moment, she didn't know what to do.
Lang Yue smiled at the sight. "Wuling should make some friends too, shouldn't she?"
Encouraged by her mother, Tang Wuling finally nodded. "I understand, Mom."
And so, Tang Wuling went with her parents over to Lin Nuo and Na'er. Tang Ziran greeted them with a smile. "Hello there, you two."
Realizing that his gaze earlier had been rude, Lin Nuo immediately stood up. "Hello, Uncle and Auntie, and... little sister. I thought your daughter looked pretty, so I stared at her for a bit. Sorry."
Na'er slowly raised her head. Her gentle gaze instantly turned colder, tinged with displeasure. Like a little ball of fluff that had been riled up, she glared fiercely at her brother, cheeks puffed and lower lip pursed in unmistakable protest.
Tang Ziran and Lang Yue exchanged glances, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha... you two are very cute too. Wuling, why don't you get to know them?"
Tang Wuling grew a little shy at that. It was the first time a handsome little boy had complimented her, and she stammered, "I-I'm Tang... Tang Wuling."
"Hahahaha, look how shy she's gotten," Lang Yue teased her daughter. She hadn't expected her confident girl to get bashful too.
Hearing Tang Wuling introduce herself, Lin Nuo promptly stood up and introduced himself. "My name is Lin Nuo."
Then he introduced the younger girl beside him. "This is my little sister, Na'er."
And just like that, the Golden Dragon King and Silver Dragon King met again in this way. Lin Nuo couldn't help wondering if some shameless guy had been behind it all again.
"What a lovely name," Lang Yue praised, then asked curiously, "By the way, where are your parents?"
At that question, Lin Nuo and Na'er fell silent. Tang Ziran sensed that something was wrong and quickly stopped his wife, then stepped in to smooth things over and change the subject. "Where are your parents?"
Lin Nuo: "..."
Na'er: "..."
An awkward silence fell. Tang Ziran immediately realized he'd put his foot in it too, and hurried to apologize. "Sorry, sorry. We didn't mean to."
Lang Yue promptly joined in, apologizing as well.
Lin Nuo waved his hand. "It's okay, Uncle and Auntie."
"Um, which one of you is here to awaken your Martial Soul?" Tang Wuling realized her parents had made a mistake and understood that it was time for her to step in.
Lin Nuo nodded. "I am. My little sister will come next year."
"I see." Tang Wuling took the opportunity to start a conversation, asking curiously, "What kind of Martial Soul do you think you'll awaken?"
"I'm not sure. Martial Soul Awakening is always unpredictable."
"My dad says the same thing." Tang Wuling nodded in agreement, but couldn't help looking at Na'er beside Lin Nuo again. Why did this girl seem so familiar?
Na'er naturally noticed Tang Wuling's gaze too. She merely glanced at her before looking away. She knew all too well what would happen if she kept looking.
Lin Nuo noticed their little exchange, but didn't mind. The Dragon God had been split in two, one half the Silver Dragon King and the other the Golden Dragon King. The fact that the two of them had met without starting a fight was already good enough.
And they were both fiery-tempered women too. How interesting!
Just then, a Spirit Pagoda staff member came out and called, "Lin Nuo."
Hearing his name, Lin Nuo immediately stood up and turned to Tang Ziran and Lang Yue. "Uncle, Auntie, could you look after my little sister for me?"
"Of course," Tang Ziran and Lang Yue readily agreed.
Tang Wuling chimed in as well. "I'll take good care of your little sister."
Na'er: "..."
She could protest, honestly. For a moment there, she really wanted to eat this guy.
Lin Nuo nodded, then followed the staff member into the room where the Martial Soul Awakening would take place.
Several staff members stood inside the room. A middle-aged man in the center watched Lin Nuo walk in, then motioned for him to come over.
"Little One, don't be nervous. Awakening your Martial Soul is simple." The middle-aged man knew that children were always nervous or excited during Martial Soul Awakening. He had to reassure them beforehand, or some mishap might occur and delay the awakenings of the other children.
Lin Nuo calmly nodded.
Seeing how composed Lin Nuo was, the man grew interested. He wanted to see what kind of Martial Soul this child would awaken.
The middle-aged man began channeling Soul Power to awaken Lin Nuo's Martial Soul.
Lin Nuo felt the changes within his body and was just about to open his palm when the Throne of Time in his Sea of Consciousness suddenly lit up.
A wondrous scene unfolded. The entire room instantly froze, and everyone stood motionless. Only Lin Nuo could still move, but he remained still. Clock hands turned in his blue-green eyes, and golden Soul Power covered his body. A figure slowly took shape behind him.
He only needed one glance to understand what his Martial Soul was.
"Time, a Body-type Martial Soul!"
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