Though You've Lost Your Father, You Still Have Me!

"That is only its surface function. Its true purpose has always been passed down from one Sea God Pavilion Master to the next!"

A flicker of pride appeared in his eyes. As this generation's Sea God Pavilion Master, Elder Bei—the Heaven-Gifted Douluo, who was already close to reaching the threshold of Rank 100—was proud!

But after Ming Yue's Soul Cannon bombardment had swept the ground, he had become a fish on the chopping board.

So he quickly recovered from his thoughts of Shrek's glory and lowered his eyes in dejection as he continued:

"Starting with the previous two Tower Masters, Lord Sea God Tang San personally descended in their dreams to deliver divine revelations."

"That so-called Golden Ancient Tree is actually the heart of nature across the entire Douluo Continent. It is also the Tree of Life of the entire Douluo Planet!"

At this point, he seemed a little puzzled by the term "Douluo Planet," and paused briefly.

But under Ming Yue's gaze, he quickly composed himself and continued:

"Moreover, the life force it possesses is the purest essence of power on the Douluo Continent!"

"In other words, the stronger its source of life, the more powerfully it naturally nourishes the continent."

"That is everything there is to know about the Golden Ancient Tree."

As he finished speaking, a look of self-reproach unconsciously appeared on his face. His already aged body seemed to stoop even further.

"The source of Douluo Planet? I see, I see!" No wonder she had sensed that kind of energy fluctuation while observing this place just now.

No wonder this tree, after withstanding repeated city-destroying blasts of energy just moments ago, was now slowly regenerating.

In fact, while listening to Elder Bei's explanation, Ming Yue had sensed another faint ripple of life force, similar to that of Blue Silver Grass!

It seemed the mighty senior who had transplanted the Golden Ancient Tree through some supreme means was undoubtedly Tang San himself!

And judging by a barely perceptible "line" Xiao Ya had observed, there seemed to be quite a few stories surrounding this Golden Ancient Tree.

Now that her questions had been answered, Ming Yue felt as though everything had suddenly become clear.

"Elder Bei! Elder Gu! (Teacher!)" The group cried out in unison.

Just then, more than ten young men and women finally opened the barrier and rushed over, shouting excitedly.

"Teacher, you're badly hurt! Take this pill, quickly!"

"Elder Gu, you too! Hurry and take this pill!"

"..."

One worried voice after another rang out, making the place feel rather noisy.

But at the sight of this, Ming Yue's lips curled with interest.

"That's quite a good glare. You must be Chen Zeyu, the one who's been so active these past two years—and especially fond of getting in my Spirit Pagoda's face, right?"

His sudden, deep yet gentle voice interrupted Shrek's touching display of kindness between teacher and students.

Everyone's hands froze in unison.

"Qian! Gu! Ming! Yue!!!" Faced with Ming Yue's words, Chen Zeyu couldn't help shouting her name.

Looking at her gentle, faintly smiling expression, he found it especially false and grating!

"Ah, here we go again. Why do all of you like shouting my name whenever you run into me?"

"Is my name really that irresistible?"

Ming Yue raised a hand to his forehead in feigned exasperation, then let a wicked smile spread across his face!

He snapped his fingers. Chen Xinjie's face was still intact, and there wasn't the slightest trace of Soul Power. His perfectly preserved Martial Soul Avatar, specially reduced by Ming Yue to the size of a single person, suddenly dropped from the air and landed at Ming Yue's feet.

"Father!?" Staring at the scene in shock and disbelief, Chen Zeyu's eyes instantly turned blood-red. "It was you! It really was you! I knew it!"

"You murderer who slaughtered my family! Qian! Gu! Ming! Yue!!!"

Endless hatred surged through his mind, and Chen Zeyu roared as he charged at Ming Yue.

But Yun Ming, standing beside him, suddenly moved and grabbed him before he could get far.

"...I know this sounds like a bastard thing to say right now, but you need to calm down, Zeyu!"

"Don't forget the position we're in!"

Gripping Chen Zeyu's shoulders tightly, Yun Ming met his eyes and spoke in a grave voice.

"You expect me to stay calm?! That was my father! My family!"

"The real culprit is right in front of me, acting so brazenly, and you're telling me to calm down! How am I supposed to calm down?!"

The more he spoke, the wetter his eyes grew. By the end, his impassioned words had turned into furious roars, mingling with the bloody tears spilling from his eyes!

"Smack!"

Seeing this, Yun Ming didn't hesitate any longer. He raised his hands and slapped Chen Zeyu twice, one on each cheek.

Then he spoke gently. "The more things are like this, the more important it is not to let hatred blind you!"

"I believe in you, Zeyu. You can calm down, can't you?"

The burning sting on his face left Chen Zeyu momentarily dazed. He met Yun Ming's eyes, and the light returned to his own.

Then he nodded firmly.

At this sight, Ming Yue's brows lifted slightly, and murderous intent toward Yun Ming stirred in his heart.

"Chen Zeyu, right?" Ming Yue then planted a foot on Chen Xinjie's face.

"You!" Chen Zeyu's eyes flew wide.

Ming Yue merely smiled as he ground his boot into the face. "I actually quite respect the strength of the Vast Sea Douluo."

"But it's a pity he couldn't be of use to me, and instead chose to be Little Scumbag's dog and block my way."

"When faced with an obstacle, this Tower Master had no choice but to remove it."

As he spoke, he stamped down and crushed Chen Xinjie's head.

Kicking aside the now worthless specimen, Ming Yue walked slowly toward Chen Zeyu.

"How should I put this? You've spent the past two years doing things that really rubbed me the wrong way, but I still admire your abilities."

As he spoke, Ming Yue slowly opened his arms. "I'm sorry about your father."

"Though I killed him, it was because he didn't know what was good for him."

"And you, my child—I can tell from the way you conduct yourself that you have more 'potential' than he did."

"So, though you've lost your father, you still have me! I can absolutely guide you through life, just like I've nurtured all those renowned geniuses in the Spirit Pagoda. Don't you agree?"

Having finished speaking, Ming Yue stopped and gazed at him with complete sincerity.

"...!" The group gasped in unison.

The scene fell utterly silent. Ming Yue's words were made up of perfectly understandable individual characters.

But put together, they left Chen Zeyu momentarily unable to process what he'd heard.

His mouth fell open without him realizing it. The fury on his face froze, replaced by blank confusion and shock.

The two streaks of bloody tears still on his face made him look comically absurd.

And it wasn't just Chen Zeyu who was stunned. Everyone else present stared at Ming Yue in utter shock and bewilderment!

New year, new beginnings!

Wishing all the handsome men and beautiful women who read my book a prosperous Year of the Dragon!

You've probably heard all the usual New Year's wishes already, so let me wish you this instead:

May you find the best possible state of mind to face life in the new year—whether through reading, traveling, or perhaps finding a good job!

Whatever it may be, I sincerely hope you'll find the emotional fulfillment you seek in all kinds of experiences!

And finally, I can't leave out the most classic wish of all: Happy New Year, everyone!