Mu En: Tang An, I beg you to be the Vice Pavilion Master

At dusk, Tang An sat on the edge of the bed, guiding Huo Yutong through several key points for practicing the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

Huo Yutong listened with great focus, practicing so diligently she forgot to eat or sleep. By the time Tang An finished his shower and came out, she was still sitting cross-legged on the bed, eyes tightly shut, with faint fluctuations of soul power swirling around her.

Tang An was wrapped only in a bath towel.

His long, toned physique was clearly defined in the dim light, with a few undried water droplets clinging to his chest, sliding slowly down the lines of his muscles.

Huo Yutong happened to finish a cycle and opened her eyes.

She froze completely. Her face turned bright red at a speed visible to the naked eye, and her heart began to pound.

Brother Tang An's body is so good... No, no, what am I thinking!

In the Sea of Consciousness, the Silver Fox beauty's eyes lit up as well. Her nine tails emerged, and she licked her lips: "What a perfect body. These muscle lines, these proportions, tsk tsk tsk."

Huo Yutong snapped back to reality and protested loudly in her mind: "Sister Silver Fox! You aren't allowed to look! He's mine!"

The Silver Fox let out a meaningful chuckle: "Oh, getting possessive already? Starting to stake your claim on the very first day, are we?"

"I... I just said you aren't allowed to look!" Huo Yutong stomped her feet in her mind.

Huo Yutong was so embarrassed she wanted to crawl into a hole, but she forced herself not to look away.

Tang An took in her reaction, a wicked smile playing on his lips: "Yutong, stop practicing. Go wash up and get some sleep."

As if granted an amnesty, Huo Yutong sprang from the bed, grabbed her change of clothes, and fled into the bathroom.

When she emerged, she was wearing simple pajamas, her hair still dripping slightly, her face flushed pink from the steam.

Tang An leaned against the headboard, his gaze sweeping over Huo Yutong before he suddenly said, "Little sister Yutong, my soul power has been feeling a bit blocked lately. Come help me clear the channels."

Huo Yutong blinked, looking completely clueless: "How do I clear them?"

"Just use your hands and feet to massage a few acupoints."

Huo Yutong nodded and was about to climb onto the bed to massage Tang An.

An aged voice suddenly echoed in Tang An's Sea of Consciousness: "Young friend, the elders of Sea God Island have gathered at the Sea God Pavilion. This old man is coming to fetch you now."

Tang An paused, maintaining a gentle expression on his face while cursing inwardly.

It couldn't have come at a worse time.

Suppressing his internal grumbling, Tang An turned to Huo Yutong: "Yutong, I have to go out for a moment. You go ahead and rest; don't wait for me."

Huo Yutong nodded obediently. Watching Tang An put on his outer coat and walk out the door, she curled up with her quilt and rolled on the bed, burying her burning face into the pillow.

In the Sea of Consciousness, the Silver Fox let out a meaningful, low laugh.

Tang An walked out of the dormitory building, where Mu En was already waiting under the moonlight.

The Mu En standing there now was a far cry from the sleepy old man at the guard station. He stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering without a breeze, exuding an aura as steady as an abyss and as towering as a mountain.

Tang An's gaze lingered on Mu En for a moment, and he understood—this was not his physical body, but a manifestation of spiritual power.

Tang An stepped forward, bowed slightly, and praised, "Mu En's spiritual projection is truly remarkable, as solid as a real body. If not for my decent spiritual power, I fear I wouldn't have noticed a thing."

Mu En paused, turning his head to look at him with surprise in his eyes: "You can see through this spiritual projection? Even an ordinary Soul Douluo would find it difficult to discern. Your spiritual power is not simple."

Tang An didn't offer much explanation. With his Spirit Abyss Realm peak spiritual power, coupled with the blessing of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's million-year spiritual origin, his sensory perception had long surpassed that of ordinary people.

Recalling the temperaments of the elders in the Sea God Pavilion from the original story, Tang An asked casually, "Mu En, what was the result of the elders' discussion?"

Mu En looked at Tang An, his gaze profound: "The result of the discussion is that they want you to serve as the next Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion."

This result was within Tang An's expectations.

Mu En continued, "I proposed this, and none of the elders objected. However, some are curious about the capabilities of the Sea God's successor and wish to witness them firsthand."

Tang An nodded: "That is only right. May I ask which elder wishes to test this junior?"

Mu En looked at Tang An deeply: "You will know when the time comes."

As they spoke, the two crossed the Sea God Lake to the Sea God Pavilion on the island in the center. The ancient pavilion was brightly lit. Mu En led Tang An inside, where seven or eight elders were already seated around a round table, their gazes fixed squarely on Tang An.

Tang An scanned the room: Yan Shaozhe, Cai Mei'er, Xian Lin'er, Qian Duoduo, and several senior elders.

Among them sat Xuan Zi, his messy, graying hair disheveled, holding a wine gourd and squinting at Tang An.

Mu En sat in the main seat and signaled for Tang An to stand beside him: "Elders, this is the Tang An I mentioned earlier—the Young Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect and the successor of the Sea God Tang San."

As soon as he finished speaking, several elders chimed in.

"Truly a talent, a dragon among men."

"At nine years old, he already has twenty-nine levels of cultivation. The Sea God's successor lives up to his reputation."

"His bearing is somewhat reminiscent of that Tang Sect ancestor from ten thousand years ago."

Tang An returned the salute, his attitude neither humble nor arrogant, though he grumbled inwardly. These old fellows were polite with their words, but their gazes were sharper than knives—especially the one who was the Supreme Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult: Xuan Zi.

Sure enough, as soon as the pleasantries ended, Xuan Zi set down his wine gourd and stood up.

He walked over to Tang An, his tall frame reeking of alcohol, his voice rough and boisterous: "I've lived for over two hundred years, and this is the first time I've heard of a Sea God's successor. Little friend, would you mind letting me see what skills this successor possesses?"

In the original story, although Xuan Zi had a fiery temper, he wasn't one to stir up trouble without cause. If there was no one behind this sudden provocation, it would be strange indeed.

Tang An sneered inwardly, but his face remained impassive: "If Xuan Zi wishes to see, this junior will naturally oblige."

Tang An raised his left hand, and emerald green light bloomed from his palm as the phantom of the Immortal Scythe emerged.

The golden million-year soul ring at the hilt rotated slowly, and an aura of life as vast as the sea instantly filled the entire Sea God Pavilion.

The expressions of everyone present changed simultaneously.

"A golden soul ring?" Qian Duoduo's eyes widened sharply.

"This aura is far stronger than a hundred-thousand-year soul ring!" Yan Shaozhe stood up abruptly, his face full of shock.

Mu En stared at the golden soul ring and said in a deep voice, "Tang An, what is the origin of this soul ring?"

Tang An pondered slightly; the origin of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was too complex, involving the Far North, the Ice Empress, and the Snow Empress, so there was no need to reveal everything right now.

Tang An said proudly, "A God-Bestowed Soul Ring, one million years."

"A million-year soul ring!"

"A God-Bestowed Soul Ring—a soul ring that can only be condensed by a deity personally!"

"The Sea God's handiwork is truly extraordinary!"

The elders present gasped almost in unison; a God-Bestowed Soul Ring was already a legend, and a million-year one was unheard of.

Yan Shaozhe was the first to recover, looking at Tang An with burning eyes: "Tang An, what is the soul skill of this million-year soul ring? Could you let us witness it?"

The other elders echoed him, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Tang An nodded and snapped his fingers, and a pale golden mental halo spread out from him as the center, instantly enveloping everyone present.

First soul skill, Life Perception Resonance.

"This perception... the range covers at least the entire Sea God Island!"

"It can even precisely capture the subtle stagnation of soul power flowing within my body; during battle, teammates could achieve a meeting of minds, coordinating without a single gap."

"Not only that, but this soul skill can also perceive the target's emotional fluctuations and vital signs; it is also a powerful tool for negotiations and interrogations."

Suddenly, Yan Shaozhe opened his eyes wide, his face full of disbelief: "I have an old injury in the meridians of my left arm, left over from a battle with an evil soul master years ago, which hasn't healed in decades. Just now, when that aura of life swept over, there was actually a faint sign of relief!"

The elders present checked themselves one after another, all of them looking shaken; although the degree of relief was minimal, the fact that it could loosen decades-old hidden injuries was in itself a heaven-defying support ability.

Mu En was silent for a long time before speaking slowly: "With my cultivation, several old injuries in my body also reacted just now. A million-year God-Bestowed Soul Ring—it lives up to its reputation. I am convinced."

When the exclamations of the crowd subsided, Mu En stood up and pressed his hands down to silence the discussion: "Everyone, I propose appointing Tang An as the Deputy Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion, with a status equal to my own."

As soon as these words were spoken, the pavilion fell silent instantly.

Yan Shaozhe was the first to stand up and cup his hands: "Shao-zhe seconds this." Cai Mei'er followed closely behind.

Xian Lin'er stood up with a smile, her gaze lingering on Tang An: "I second it. Little Deputy Pavilion Master, please take care of your big sister in the future."

One by one, all the elders present stood up to second the motion, passing it unanimously.

Mu En looked at Tang An: "Tang An, are you willing to accept this appointment?"