Ya Li's gaze was still fixed on the window, but she unconsciously responded with a sound:
"Hmm, this aura is rather interesting...?"
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly snapped back to reality and turned to look at Yun Ming.
Yun Ming was gazing at that window, his admiration undisguised.
It was a kind of almost greedy admiration that she rarely saw on his face.
Alarm bells rang in Ya Li's mind, and an inexplicable sense of crisis shot from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.
Bad! Bad! Bad!
She quickly raised her hands and covered Yun Ming's eyes.
With my palm pressed against his eyelids, I could feel his eyelashes fluttering gently.
Yun Ming's body stiffened slightly, and he turned his head to look at her.
Ya Li puffed out her cheeks, her purple eyes wide open, and her lips pressed into a thin line.
Her pouty expression was exactly the same as when she first met him decades ago.
"What's wrong? How old are you?"
Yun Ming's voice carried a hint of helplessness and indulgence, and a smile spread from the corners of his mouth to the depths of his eyes.
Ya Li continued to stare at him, showing no intention of letting go.
Yun Ming waited a moment, and seeing that she was still covering her mouth, he finally couldn't help but laugh.
He reached out and grasped her wrist, gently pulling it down, his voice tinged with amusement.
"Okay, okay, stop fooling around."
He released Ya Li's hand, turned around and looked back at the window, his voice no longer carrying the mockery of before.
"Didn't you see the child's natural, untainted aura?"
Ya Li followed his gaze and stared intently at the boy's figure in the window.
A moment later, her pupils contracted slightly.
The reason she hadn't noticed it before was because the aura was hidden so deeply that even she, a Holy Spirit Douluo, almost overlooked it.
That aura was so well concealed that it was impossible to detect unless one was at the level of Limit Douluo.
"He... understood the meaning at such a young age?"
Ya Li's voice was a little hoarse.
"Yes."
Yun Ming nodded, her voice carrying a kind of emotion she rarely heard.
"He's a genius among geniuses."
"I have to admit one thing. At the same age, my cultivation and state of mind are far inferior to his."
He paused, his gaze becoming even more profound.
"Moreover, I have never seen his intentions."
Ya Li opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found herself at a loss for words.
Yun Ming withdrew his gaze, the smile still lingering on his lips.
"That's why I said that child's glory shines brighter than all of Shrek's combined."
Ya Li stood beside him, her gaze lingering on the window for a long time.
She still couldn't figure out what that meaning was.
But she finally understood.
Yun Ming valued not only Bai Yuan's talent, but also the unfathomable intent within him.
"You saw his previous tests; several different kinds of intents actually appeared within his body."
"Destruction, and two other inexplicable meanings."
Yun Ming shook his head, a hint of regret in his voice.
"What a pity, they're not students of Shrek."
Ya Li nodded:
"Yes, at least they don't seem interested in Shrek, and even seem somewhat resistant."
She paused.
"Let him be. Geniuses always have some temper; it's normal."
"As long as Shrek isn't harmed, let him stay here."
Yun Ming did not respond, his gaze remaining fixed on the distance.
Ya Li was silent for a moment, then spoke again.
"Brother Ming, it seems like Sister Yue has some feelings for him."
Yun Ming's brows twitched slightly.
"Oh?"
"Especially Cai Yue'er, one of her subordinates, who's always causing trouble."
Ya Li's voice carried a hint of displeasure.
"Hmph, find a reason to remove her when you have time."
"What will the Spirit Pagoda do if something happens to this child?"
"You know, right? We Shrek have no need to fall out with the Spirit Pagoda."
Yun Ming remained silent for a moment.
The wind rustled through the treetops, making the golden leaves whisper in the breeze.
"Let's talk about it later." Yun
Ming withdrew his gaze.
That child won't get into trouble so easily, and Cai Yue'er won't succeed so easily either. Let's wait until something really happens before we talk about it."
Ya Li looked at him, opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.
Two hours later, Yun Ming was still standing in the same spot.
Ya Li stood beside him, looking at the boy's profile, a complex emotion welling up inside her that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
What exactly is he looking at?
He spoke of glory, but she only saw a fog.
A genius among geniuses, several different meanings.
She couldn't understand the boy, nor could she understand why her husband cared so much about him.
Let's go.
Yun Ming finally withdrew his gaze and turned to walk towards the forest path.
"We've been standing here too long, it's time to go back."
Bai Yuan opened his eyes from his meditation, his brows furrowing slightly.
That feeling is back.
Someone stood at a distance watching him, and watched for a long time.
The Core Flame within him flickered slightly—not a warning, but a reminder.
Someone had approached his perception range; that person was very strong.
So powerful that the current Core Flame can only issue him this faint warning.
Bai Yuan got up, walked to the window, and looked in that direction.
The forest path was deserted, with only the wind rustling through the treetops and the golden leaves whispering.
He stared at the path for a long time, a name popping into his mind.
Yun Ming.
The Sea God Pavilion Master, the Sky Pillar Douluo, the true Sea God Shrek Academy.
Only when a powerful being of this caliber approaches will the Core Flame emit such a faint reaction.
Because the opponent was too strong, so strong that even the Core Flame could not accurately capture it.
This has exceeded the current perception limit of the Core Flame.
Bai Yuan leaned against the window, his brows slightly furrowed.
What's he doing here? Did he expose himself?
He glanced down at the Core Flame in his palm; the golden and black flames burned quietly.
No, that's impossible.
Even Leng Yaozhu couldn't see through the power of the Core Flame. Although Yun Ming was strong, he probably hadn't reached the point where he could see through the essence of the Core Flame.
So what was he there for? To test the waters? Or simply out of curiosity?
Bai Yuan withdrew his gaze, turned away from the window, and walked back to the bed to sit down.
Instead of thinking about these useless things, we should think about how to deal with them.
Whether Yun Ming came to test him or to observe him, he must not lose his composure.
He should cultivate when he needs to, attend classes when he needs to, and keep a low profile when he needs to. As long as he doesn't reveal any flaws, Yun Ming won't be able to see anything.
Bai Yuan closed his eyes, suppressing his chaotic thoughts, and his Soul Power flowed slowly through his meridians, while the Core Flame burned quietly deep within his dantian.
What's meant to come will come, and what's not meant to come is useless to think about.
He just needs to do his job well, and leave the rest to time.
Bai Yuan's breathing stopped for a moment.
The Core Flame flickered wildly in his palm, the golden-black mark burning hot as if it were iron just pulled from a furnace.
He stared at the engraving, the scorching light stinging his eyes, yet he couldn't bear to blink.
There were things, sounds, and images in that light.
He saw it deep within that light.
The golden wheat field rippled in the breeze, and a handsome young man with a gentle smile played on his lips.
Xiao Bai!
Bai Yuan's consciousness was pulled into that beam of light in that instant.
His consciousness began to blur, the scene before his eyes began to distort, and even the surrounding environment was being absorbed into the Core Flame.
The cracks in the ceiling began to rotate, and the light and shadow on the walls began to distort, turning into countless points of light.
The clock overhead started ticking.
Reincarnation begins.