The Goddess of Life

At that moment, one of the intelligence officers walked in, trembling as he said:

"Duke, we've searched every channel, but we haven't found a single clue about the killer..."

Hearing this, Dai Hao's body, rigid with fury, slowly relaxed.

In the end, all his anger and unwillingness turned into a heavy sigh.

"Pass on my orders..."

Dai Hao's voice was hoarse and weak.

"Tell the public that Dai Huabin was out training when he unfortunately encountered a powerful Soul Beast and died in an accident. Give him a proper burial... Also, prepare a generous gift and send it to Shrek Academy in my name. Say... that I failed to discipline my son properly and caused the academy trouble."

"Duke!"

His subordinate and the steward beside him both stared at him in shock.

"Do as I said!"

Dai Hao closed his eyes and waved a hand, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

"This ends here. No one is to bring it up again."

He knew his son was dead, and had died in the most foolish and disgraceful way possible.

Not only could he not avenge him, he had to swallow his pride and apologize to the other party.

Because that other party was absolutely someone the White Tiger Duke Mansion... could not afford to provoke.

The night was as still as water.

The dormitory district at Shrek Academy had long since gone dark.

Inside the dormitory, Wang Dong was already fast asleep, her breathing steady and unhurried.

Her rosy face looked especially delicate in the moonlight, and her long eyelashes fluttered lightly like butterfly wings as she seemed to lose herself in a beautiful dream.

Ji Jing sat quietly on the edge of his bed, gazing gently at Wang Dong's sleeping face.

The cold, almost demonic air he'd carried during the day had vanished, replaced by a restrained warmth.

He rose and walked to Wang Dong's bed, gently pulling up her quilt and tucking it around her to make sure she wouldn't catch cold.

"Sweet dreams."

He whispered the words so softly that only he could hear them, then turned and walked to the window.

Through the glass, he looked up at the vast night sky, scattered with countless stars, his gaze growing profound.

Beyond that starry sky was his true home.

"Third Uncle,"

he called softly, his voice seeming to merge with the night breeze.

"Bring me up for a bit."

As soon as he finished speaking, a golden pillar of light silently descended from the heavens and precisely enveloped Ji Jing.

The golden light flashed and vanished. Ji Jing was gone from beside the window.

Neither the sleeping Wang Dong nor the powerful elders within Shrek Academy noticed a thing.

Within the magnificent Sea God Temple, divine power shimmered through the air, and golden splendor filled the halls.

Ji Jing's figure appeared soundlessly in the center of the temple. He was still wearing his Shrek Academy uniform, which looked a little out of place in the sacred, solemn surroundings.

On the throne sat Sea God Tang San, clad in blue divine armor and holding the Golden Trident. His handsome face bore a hint of helplessness and exasperation.

"What are you up to this time, you brat?"

Tang San's voice was full of complaint.

"Third Uncle, I want to learn forging."

Ji Jing got straight to the point.

"Foraging?"

Tang San paused, then looked him up and down in confusion.

"You don't even have a hammer-type Martial Soul. Why learn forging? You'd be better off spending that time comprehending your divine position."

A glint flashed in Ji Jing's eyes.

"I want to make some incredibly powerful Soul Tool creations."

At the words "Soul Tool creations," Tang San's face darkened instantly.

He rose from his throne and frowned.

"Don't be ridiculous! What's there to study about those lumps of metal? Their potential is nowhere near that of my Tang Sect Hidden Weapons. They're nothing but clever tricks. What's the point of studying them?"

Ji Jing glanced at him and calmly retorted:

"Even if Hidden Weapons have tremendous potential, how many people can make something like the Buddha Fury Tang Lotus? And how many can match your skill with Hidden Weapons?"

"Ordinary people can't learn this craft. Even if they do, they can't make the weapons, and even if they make them, they can't use them well. Soul Tools are different. They're far more accessible."

He paused, then continued:

"Besides, the two aren't mutually exclusive. One more tool means one more option. Future battlefields won't be limited to Soul Master duels."

Tang San was at a loss for words.

He had to admit that the brat had a point.

Although he had absolute faith in the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons he'd crafted himself, he couldn't deny that the threshold for learning and making them was indeed extremely high.

In the end, Tang San could only give an unwilling snort, conceding.

"Fine, I'll teach you!"

He waved a hand irritably.

"But to do a good job, you need the right tools. If you're going to learn forging, you'll need a hammer that suits you."

Tang San's gaze suddenly grew profound, as if it pierced through time and space to look toward some distant place.

"Come with me."

He waved his hand. The space inside the Sea God Temple twisted in an instant, and he disappeared with Ji Jing.

Golden light flashed, and space shifted.

When Ji Jing's feet touched solid ground again, he had arrived inside an enormous ancient tree teeming with life.

Looking at the familiar, welcoming surroundings, Ji Jing turned to Tang San in confusion.

"Third Uncle, we're supposed to find a hammer. Why are we here to see Auntie Green?"

"Who says we can't find a hammer here?"

Tang San stood with his hands behind his back, looking inscrutable.

"Forging isn't just about hammering metal. It's about giving metal life and a soul."

"Ordinary iron, even the metals of the Divine Realm, will eventually be insufficient for you."

"So I plan to ask the Goddess of Life to forge a pair of one-of-a-kind divine hammers for you."

"Divine hammers?"

Ji Jing's eyes lit up, but then he frowned.

"Why would Auntie Green forge divine artifacts for me? I'm not important enough for that."

Tang San glanced sideways at him as if the answer were obvious.

"If she won't, why don't you ask her? Then you'll owe her a favor."

Ji Jing: "?"

Ji Jing was speechless. He'd thought Tang San would have some clever little trick to get him a forging hammer.

So it had nothing to do with him after all...

In the end, Ji Jing said nothing.

He silently weighed it over.

Fine, I can owe Auntie Green a favor. That's still better than owing Biesan one.

Once he'd made up his mind, Ji Jing felt much more at ease.

Just then, a gentle, tender voice drifted from the heart of the Life Ancient Tree.

"Sea God, why have you brought Jing'er here?"

As the voice sounded, a soft green light descended from the ancient tree and gathered into the form of a woman in a jade-green gown. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with a gentle, jade-like bearing.

Her bare feet hovered above the ground, and her eyes brimmed with kindness and vitality.

She was none other than the Goddess of Life, one of the Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm.