Yun Ming was carefully sensing the lingering scent in the air.
He noticed a detail that surprised him.
Elder Jin's power has decreased somewhat compared to before.
It wasn't an illusion, but for the spirit of the Golden Ancient Tree that had lived for ten thousand years.
Even the slightest change in power is enough to tell a story.
Elder Jin looked at him:
"You felt it?"
Yun Ming did not hide anything:
"Yes."
Elder Jin was silent for a moment:
"It cannot be asked."
"Don't make things difficult for him; try your best to befriend him."
"This is a reminder for you."
His voice sounded even older than before as he finished speaking.
His figure slowly became transparent in the candlelight, gradually dissipating into the air.
Yun Ming was the only one left in the empty room.
Yun Ming stood still, looking in the direction where Elder Jin had disappeared.
After a long while, he turned around, pushed open the golden wooden door, and walked out.
Ya Li stood outside the door waiting for him:
"How about it?"
Yun Ming did not answer immediately:
"Elder Jin has confirmed it."
"The Golden Ancient Tree has indeed chosen him."
"Elder Jin also gave him a wisp of power and reminded me."
"Don't make things difficult for him; try your best to befriend him."
Ya Li looked at him, and after a short while, she asked softly:
What do you think?
Yun Ming didn't speak, but looked up at the outline of the Golden Ancient Tree in the distance.
Ya Li followed his gaze.
The ancient tree, thousands of years old, gleamed with a faint golden luster under the moonlight.
"He was the turning point in my destiny."
Yun Ming's voice was very soft, Ya Li turned her head to look at him.
She reached out and gently took his hand:
"Then don't tie him up."
"Genius needs closeness, not ropes."
The more you push him, the further he gets from Shrek.
Yun Ming looked down at the hand that was holding his.
He finally nodded slightly.
"Knew."
Ya Li withdrew her hand:
"Go find Sister Yue and tell her about this."
"My advice is not to listen to her, but I can't not talk to her at all."
"She could sense it too; it couldn't be hidden."
Yun Ming was silent for a moment, then nodded again.
Long Yeyue's room was located in an inconspicuous courtyard deep within the Shrek Academy, with the gate ajar.
Yun Ming stood silently outside the door for a moment, then raised his hand and knocked twice.
A voice came from inside the door:
"Come in."
Yun Ming pushed open the door and entered.
The room was small and simply furnished.
Lacking the solemnity one would expect from the Sea God Pavilion, there was only a wooden table, a few chairs, and a Soul Guidance Desk Lamp.
Long Yeyue sat by the window, her gray hair gleaming faintly silver in the candlelight, her face aged but showing no signs of decline.
She glanced at Yun Ming, a rare hint of curiosity in her voice:
"It's rare for you to come see me in person."
Without exchanging pleasantries, Yun Ming recounted the entire incident from beginning to end.
Long Yeyue listened, her expression gradually changed from easygoing to serious.
Finally, when he heard that "Elder Jin had bestowed upon him a portion of his power,"
Her fingers, holding the teacup, paused slightly.
"I never imagined this was actually true."
Long Yeyue put down her teacup, her gaze falling on the Golden Ancient Tree that was faintly visible outside the window. Her voice carried a hint of emotion that she herself didn't realize.
"I always thought it was fake."
"Elder Jin rarely comes out to meet people. In all my years, I've only seen him twice."
"For him to personally show up, that child must possess something extraordinary."
Yun Ming stood by the window, saying nothing more.
Long Yeyue turned her gaze from the window and placed it on him:
"What did Ya Li say?"
She said, "Geniuses should be approached, not bound."
Long Yeyue remained silent for a moment, then a slight twitch appeared at the corner of her mouth:
"That girl sees things very clearly."
She paused, then said in a low voice:
"Since Elder Jin has spoken, let's do it."
"Don't tie him too tightly, let him walk on his own."
"But Shrek must be spared!"
"He received the power of our Golden Tree, and he thinks he can just leave without giving anything in return to Shrek?"
"There's no such thing as a free lunch."
"If the Spirit Pagoda doesn't release them then, I don't mind causing a scene again."
"Leng Yaozhu?"
"Just a mere Vice Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda. I've tried to Spirit Pagoda master before!"
Yun Ming nodded and didn't say anything more.
He bowed slightly to Long Yeyue, then turned and walked towards the door.
As I reached the door, Long Yeyue's voice came from behind me:
"Yun Ming."
He stopped walking, but didn't turn around.
"The omen you mentioned might not be a bad thing."
Yun Ming remained silent for a moment, then pushed open the door and walked out without answering.
He stood outside the courtyard gate, gazing at the silhouette of the Golden Ancient Tree in the distance.
That premonition had been lingering in his mind for a long time.
He will disappear from Shrek one day, as if he had never been there.
That child was perhaps the destined variable in his life.
He took a deep breath, suppressing those chaotic thoughts.
I started walking towards the Sea God Pavilion.
Yun Ming pushed open the door and went inside.
Ya Li was sitting at the table, watching him come in:
"What did Sister Yue say?"
Yun Ming was silent for a moment:
"She said, 'Since Elder Jin has spoken, let's do it.'"
Ya Li looked at him:
"So what do you think?"
Yun Ming sat down at the table:
"What Sister Yue means is... it would be best to keep Bai Yuan at Shrek."
Ya Li couldn't help but laugh, and after laughing, she sighed softly:
"I knew it. She definitely wouldn't let him leave Shrek."
"Brother Ming, Sister Yue's temper..."
"Sigh! What if the Spirit Pagoda really goes to war with Shrek?"
Yun Ming gave a wry smile.
The two exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with helplessness.
Long Yeyue is the widow of the previous Sea God Pavilion Heavenly Favored Douluo.
He is also the most senior member of the Shrek Academy.
Everyone would give her face.
Once she's made up her mind about something, it's very difficult for anyone to change her mind.
Ya Li continued:
"Listen to me, don't listen to her."
"He's not the kind of person who can be chained up."
"If you push him too hard, he'll leave."
Yun Ming nodded:
"Then let nature take its course."
"If we don't tie him up, perhaps we can still leave a deep connection between Shrek and him."
"Once such a person matures, they will soar to great heights in the future."
"If we forcibly lock him in Shrek, the moment he breaks free in the future, it will actually cause huge trouble for Shrek."
Ya Li looked at him, a hint of relief in her eyes:
"It's good that you've figured it out."
Yun Ming didn't reply, his gaze passing through the window and landing on the ancient golden tree.
On the other side, Bai Yuan and Gu Yuena returned to the dormitory building.
Gu Yuena stopped at the door and glanced at him sideways:
"You go in first, I'll go to sleep later."
Bai Yuan looked at her but didn't ask any further questions.
"Okay, goodnight."
Bai Yuan withdrew his gaze, pushed open the dormitory door, and went inside.
He sat quietly for a while, then spread out his left hand.
Core Flame appeared in his palm, and a golden flame burned quietly in the darkness.
He sensed a fluctuation emanating from the depths of the Core Flame, as if something was taking shape.
He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the depths of the Core Flame, arriving in that familiar space.
The sapling had grown much taller than when I first saw it, and the golden veins on its leaves were much clearer.
And on its thickest branch hung a golden bead.
Bai Yuan stared at the bead, wondering what kind of changes it would bring.
But he could feel that power slowly seeping into his body.
It is gradually seeping into every inch of the land around him.
He sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.
Sink your mind into your body and quietly extend it in the direction of that energy flow.
The golden light of the Core Flame seeped out from around him and merged into the void.
Bai Yuan opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the golden bead, quietly observing it.
The golden light of the Core Flame seeped out from around him and merged into the space.
The bead still hung quietly on the branch, like a seed waiting to be hatched.
Bathed in the firelight, it showed no signs of sprouting.
Just as Bai Yuan was about to look away, he suddenly sensed something unusual.
The bead still had a faint glow on its surface.
But this time, something is different.
A new energy is awakening deep within the Core Flame.
"This power??"
"Is it the power of space?"
"Could it be her??"