Di Tian.
The master of the Star Dou Great Forest, the publicly acknowledged king of soul beasts, a ferocious beast at the level of a Limit Douluo.
Mu En stopped in his tracks.
The two stood ten steps apart, their eyes locked.
The air was thick with the scent of imminent conflict.
Di Tian spoke first, his golden eyes resting calmly on Mu En.
His voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it carried an unquestionable pressure.
"Bright Sacred Dragon, let this end here. Take another step forward, and you will be breaking the agreement between us."
Mu En paused. Before he could speak, a gray shadow darted out from behind him.
"Bullshit!" Xuan Zi's face reddened as he pointed at Di Tian's nose and cursed. "The ferocious beasts of Star Dou snatched our child away, and you still have the nerve to mention an agreement?"
"Di Tian, if you don't hand him over today, I—"
Before he could finish.
Di Tian did not even raise an eyelid. He merely turned his head and glanced at Xuan Zi.
From his golden pupils, an invisible aura crashed down with tangible force.
Xuan Zi only felt an overwhelming force slam into him head-on, forcibly choking off the words in his throat.
His body staggered back three steps out of control, crushing several rocks beneath his feet before he barely managed to steady himself.
His face was flushed crimson, veins bulging at his temples, yet he could not say a single word.
Mu En reached out to stop Xuan Zi from charging forward again. He shifted slightly, shielding Xuan Zi behind him, then cupped his hands toward Di Tian.
"Di Tian, my junior nephew is hot-tempered and has offended you." The old man's voice was neither servile nor overbearing, calm with a trace of coldness. "But he was right. My great-grandson was brought into the Great Fierce Land today. As his great-grandfather, I had no choice but to come."
"He is with me," Di Tian said indifferently. "And he was not carried here. He is a guest invited by the little fellow himself."
Mu En's brows twitched slightly.
Di Tian offered no further explanation. He casually raised a hand and slashed through the air at his side.
Space tore open again, and a pitch-black rift silently appeared.
Beyond the rift, the emerald-green waters of the Lake of Life could be vaguely seen.
A figure was lifted out of the rift by a gentle force and set steadily on the ground.
Mu Tianyi blinked. Seeing Mu En and Xuan Zi standing before him, his mind had yet to catch up.
"Great-grandfather?"
Mu En looked his great-grandson up and down.
His clothes were intact, there were no wounds on him, and he even looked to be in decent condition.
The old man's expression finally eased somewhat.
"My apologies. This was a serious matter, and this old man was a little too hasty." Mu En cupped his hands again.
Di Tian waved a hand, his tone flat. "Star Dou was the one that acted rashly this time. This child was frightened, so we can call it even."
"Leave quickly, before I change my mind."
Mu En said nothing more and bowed deeply.
With one hand, he grabbed Mu Tianyi by the back of his collar. With the other, he seized Xuan Zi, who was still wearing a dark expression. Pale golden Soul Power wrapped around the three of them as they transformed into a streak of light and shot out of the Great Fierce Land.
The wind howled.
Hanging from his great-grandfather's hand, Mu Tianyi turned to look at the forest receding behind them.
In a daze, he seemed to see a golden figure sitting by the Lake of Life, gazing from afar in the direction he was leaving.
That vertical eye shone as brightly as a star.
Mu En was incredibly fast.
From the Great Fierce Land to Sea God Island, a distance of a thousand li, the old man completed the round trip in just half the time it took an incense stick to burn.
Only when they landed did Mu En truly let out a sigh of relief.
After confirming that Mu Tianyi was uninjured, that his Soul Power was circulating normally, and that he was in good mental condition.
The old man slowly straightened up, and the tension on his face finally eased somewhat.
"It's good that you're all right."
Mu En's voice was a little hoarse. He reached out and pressed a hand atop Mu Tianyi's head, his palm warm and heavy.
Mu Tianyi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but when he saw the lingering fear in his great-grandfather's eyes, he swallowed the words that had reached his lips.
Beside them, Xuan Zi stood three steps away with his head lowered, like a child who had done something wrong, hardly daring to breathe.
Mu En turned, his gaze falling on Xuan Zi.
There was no rage in that gaze, no rebuke, not even any intense emotion.
Yet it was precisely that calmness that made cold sweat pour down Xuan Zi's back in waves.
"Come." Leaning on his cane, Mu En spoke quietly. "Go ring the bell with me."
Xuan Zi's body stiffened slightly. His lips moved twice, but in the end, he said nothing and silently followed.
Dong, dong, dong.
The bell rang, signaling the reconvening of the Sea God Pavilion meeting.
By the time Mu Tianyi returned to the small courtyard, the sky had already darkened.
He stood outside the courtyard gate for a while, looking at the familiar wooden door. Suddenly, he felt as though the events of the day had been some absurd dream.
Being hauled around by three beings at the Limit Douluo level in a single day was certainly a rare life experience.
Mu Tianyi shook his head, pushed open the door, and began cultivating.
Before he knew it, the moon outside the window had risen high overhead.
Mu Tianyi opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.
The day's exhaustion was washed away by more than half in that instant.
Although he had not eaten, after his Soul Power was replenished, his body actually felt more energetic than it had during the day.
He rolled his shoulders and was about to get up to wash when he suddenly heard movement outside the door.
It drew nearer and nearer, paused briefly at the entrance, and then came the sound of the doorknob turning.
The corners of Mu Tianyi's mouth lifted unconsciously. He rose to his feet and walked toward the entryway.
He knew Zhang Lexuan had returned.
Over these past days, he had grown used to it.
Their return times were never fixed. Perhaps he would be back first today, while she might return first tomorrow.
But whoever returned first would always go to the door to greet the other.
That feeling of being awaited, of being remembered, gave the once quiet and lonely courtyard an indescribable warmth.
When Mu Tianyi reached the entryway, the door was pushed open.
Zhang Lexuan stood at the door.
Today, she wore the academy's standard uniform: a dark green top paired with a dark green skirt.
Her hair was casually tied with a ribbon, and several loose strands had been tousled by the night breeze.
The instant she saw Mu Tianyi, the tense expression on her face abruptly relaxed.
It was as though the stone weighing on her heart all day had finally fallen away.
"Tianyi."
She called softly, her voice carrying a faint, barely perceptible tremble.
Then she quickly stepped forward. Before Mu Tianyi could react, she reached out and pulled him into her arms.
Mu Tianyi's entire body froze.
Zhang Lexuan's embrace was soft and warm, carrying a faint fragrance like gardenias blooming beneath moonlight.
Her arms circled his shoulders and back, holding him tightly, as if she were afraid he might run away.
And Mu Tianyi's face...
He froze there.
He felt the tip of his nose and his lips pressed against an exceedingly soft place.
It felt as light and soft as clouds. Even through the thin fabric of her academy uniform, he could sense the softer contours beneath it.
Mu Tianyi's mind buzzed, turning completely blank.
After the transformation of the Yin-Yang Divine Dragon Transformation, he had grown much taller than others his age.
But Zhang Lexuan was several years older than him. Her girlish figure had already begun to fill out, and standing before him, she was still half a head taller.
Thus, the result of this embrace was...
Mu Tianyi's face was buried squarely against Zhang Lexuan's towering peaks.
Soft. Warm. Carrying the faint fragrance of a young girl.
Mu Tianyi could even feel the slightly raised curve beneath the fabric pressing against his face.
His ears reddened at a visible speed.
The flush spread from his eartips to the roots of his ears, and his entire face looked as if it had been roasted over a fire.
"L-Lexuan..."
Mu Tianyi's voice was muffled.
With his face buried there, even his words came out slurred.
He wanted to retreat, but Zhang Lexuan was holding him too tightly. He could not break free at all.
Zhang Lexuan seemed not to realize there was anything wrong with the posture of their embrace.
She simply held him, gently resting her chin atop his head. Closing her eyes, she let out a long breath.
"I heard what happened to you."
Her voice was very soft, as though she was afraid of disturbing something.
Zhang Lexuan's voice paused slightly, and the arms around Mu Tianyi unconsciously tightened a little more.
Mu Tianyi felt her chin against the top of his head, and a faint tremble traveled from her body.
"I worried all day."
Mu Tianyi fell silent for a moment.
He had wanted to joke, "Aren't I fine?" But when the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back.
He merely stayed quietly in her embrace, neither struggling nor trying to retreat again.
Only after a long while did Zhang Lexuan slowly release him. Lowering her head, she looked at her little fiancé, whose face had turned bright red, and paused slightly.
"Why is your face so red?"
Mu Tianyi coughed dryly and looked away.
"Maybe it's too hot tonight."
Zhang Lexuan tilted her head, seemingly unconvinced, but she did not press the matter.
She raised a hand and gently brushed aside the messy strands of hair over Mu Tianyi's forehead with her fingers.
"Anyway, it's truly wonderful that you're all right."
Before you continue