Wait for it, Golden Tree

"Actually, I..."

"Yurong, come here, it's time to go home."

"..."

Before Ning Yurong could finish her sentence, the familiar voice of her father, Ye Pi'an, rang out from behind her.

After a moment of silence, Ning Yurong slowly turned her head to look at Ye Pi'an, who was smiling gently behind her.

Looking at the familiar, gentle smile on Ye Pi'an's face, Ning Yurong suddenly felt that her father's head was incredibly bright—the kind of bright that was blinding.

Closing her eyes for a brief moment, Ning Yurong turned back to Xue Mingqing and offered a gentle smile.

"It seems it's time to say goodbye, little Mingqing."

Hearing this, the smile on Xue Mingqing's face faded slightly. He glanced at Mu En and Ye Pi'an standing outside the pavilion, then gave a light nod.

"Yeah, well... see you next time."

Watching Xue Mingqing standing tall in the sunset, his slender figure radiating an infinite sense of calm, Ning Yurong's eyes shifted, and she spoke with a hint of probing.

"By the way... you've already decided to join Shrek Academy, right?"

At the sound of this, Xue Mingqing was startled, then nodded, answering honestly: "I'm not yet ten, the minimum age for enrollment, so my teacher is letting me stay on Sea God Island to train with him for a few years until I'm old enough."

Hearing this, Ning Yurong raised an eyebrow, and a beautiful, mischievous glint curled the corners of her lips.

"Good~ Then, let me tell you something: I'll be ten next year and enrolling in Shrek Academy. By then, you'll have to call me Senior Sister~"

With that, Ning Yurong gave Xue Mingqing a playful wink. Before the stunned boy could recover, she leaped nimbly toward Ye Pi'an.

"Father, let's go."

Seeing this, Ye Pi'an's mouth twitched uncontrollably. Having watched the entire exchange, he seemed to have realized something.

He cast a strange look at Xue Mingqing across from them, suddenly feeling, for no apparent reason, that the boy was a bit of an eyesore.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Pi'an decided that if the opportunity arose, he would definitely give Xue Mingqing a beating!

After casting one last deep look at Xue Mingqing in the pavilion, Ye Pi'an grabbed Ning Yurong's wrist.

With a tap of his feet, the two transformed into a streak of jade-green light, shooting into the orange-red sky!

Xue Mingqing remained standing there, staring blankly in the direction they had vanished.

Watching Xue Mingqing's dazed expression, Mu En couldn't help but shake his head and smile.

Enveloping his wheelchair with soul power, he flew over to Xue Mingqing's side and flicked him right on the back of the head!

Thwack!

"Ouch! Teacher, what was that for?!"

The sound of the strike was accompanied by Xue Mingqing's aggrieved cry as he snapped back to reality.

Seeing him recover, Mu En chuckled. "Alright, your focus right now should be on cultivation, not on romance. Do you understand?"

Xue Mingqing scratched his head, coughing twice to hide his embarrassment, then held out his small hands and took the initiative.

"Cough, cough... Cultivation is a must, of course, but—what about the reward you promised me, Teacher? I beat Bei Bei, you know. He might still be asleep on the Soul Fighting Platform right now."

As soon as these words left his mouth, it was Mu En's turn for his mouth to twitch.

He felt a sense of indignity, as if his own grandson had been beaten, and now he had to go out of his way to hand over a reward to the victor.

But there was no helping it; Xue Mingqing's talent was so monstrous that he had already become the hope of all Shrek.

At least, that was how Mu En saw it.

Closing his eyes, Mu En let out a long, weary sigh.

With a flick of his finger, a storage ring inlaid with a starlight sapphire flew into Xue Mingqing's arms.

"Count the items inside yourself. Also, you'll be staying in the first room on the third floor of the Sea God Pavilion."

Having said that, Mu En turned his wheelchair and used his soul power to propel himself away.

Seeing this, Xue Mingqing happily put on the ring and leaned in, fawning over him. "Where are you going, Teacher? Do you want me to push your wheelchair?"

As he spoke, Xue Mingqing reached out to grab the handles.

Mu En turned his head and gave him a blank, expressionless stare.

"I'm going to go fetch my sleeping grandson."

Hearing this, Xue Mingqing pulled back his hand, his playful expression instantly shifting to one of professional seriousness.

"Cough, cough... Then please take care. I'll head to my room to cultivate now. I won't keep you any longer!"

With that, Xue Mingqing turned and ran toward the Golden Tree of the Sea God Pavilion as if fleeing for his life.

Watching the boy's retreating figure under the setting sun, the expressionless Mu En finally couldn't help but let his lips curl upward once more.

With a soft chuckle, he shook his head and headed alone toward the Soul Fighting District.

Back at the spot.

Under the sunset-drenched pavilion, only his light sigh continued to echo.

"So young..."

On the other side, the Sea God Pavilion—

This was a grand structure built directly inside the Golden Tree.

Do not assume that just because Xue Mingqing lived here, anyone could enter.

In fact, aside from the Pavilion Master of each generation and the Elder Sages who could reside here permanently, even Sea God Pavilion members like Yan Shaozhe and Qian Duoduo had no qualifications to live inside.

Throughout history, the only person who was neither a Pavilion Master nor an Elder Sage, yet could reside in the Sea God Pavilion, was Xue Mingqing alone!

As for why this place was so special, it was entirely due to the Golden Tree.

The Golden Tree was the source of life for the Douluo Continent, and its very existence possessed the ability to draw in and gather the elemental energy of heaven and earth.

If ordinary people stayed near it for long periods, bathing in the radiance of the Golden Tree, they would reap many indescribable benefits.

For instance, accelerating cultivation progress, subtly enhancing mental power levels, and so on.

And this was the root cause of why it was so difficult to gain residence in the Sea God Pavilion and the Shrek Inner Court.

However...

Standing before the Sea God Pavilion, looking at the Golden Tree emitting a shimmering golden light before him, Xue Mingqing felt only a wave of sorrow.

Simply because—

As a transmigrator, he knew that this seemingly glorious and beautiful Golden Tree would soon die.

Not a death on the level of physical life, but on the level of consciousness.

As for why, one must mention a certain "pure, clean, bright, and magnificent" Great God King, Tang San.

In order to turn the entire Douluo Continent into his Tang Family Continent, he not only established the law that no one could become a god unless they were of the Tang family, but he also laid his hands on the plane consciousness and the life essence of the Douluo Continent.

He directed his father, Tang Hao, to possess the Douluo plane consciousness, and arranged for his mother, A Yin, to possess the consciousness of the Golden Tree.

This was why Xue Mingqing said the Golden Tree was dying; in fact, the plane consciousness of the Douluo Continent was also nearing its end.

Closing his eyes, he felt the intense negative emotions of sorrow and fear radiating from the Golden Tree toward him.

Xue Mingqing clenched his fists. He took a deep look at the Golden Tree, yet he said nothing and revealed nothing.

He did not know why the Golden Tree would seek his help, but—

He was still too weak at this moment; even if he wanted to help, there was nothing he could do.

However...

He patted the trunk of the Golden Tree, his gaze gentle yet indifferent.

Wait for me, Golden Tree. I, Xue Mingqing, will surely save you from this fire and water, if for no other reason—

Simply because...

I want to become a god, and I refuse to be manipulated by him...

Exhaling a long, heavy breath, Xue Mingqing suppressed the burning heat in his heart. For now, he could only lie low.

He had to develop stealthily and strengthen himself before Tang San discovered him as a variable.

Only when he truly became strong could he wrestle with Tang San, but for now—

He still needed to grow stronger.

Lifting his feet, his will firm, he headed toward the interior of the Golden Tree, toward the Sea God Pavilion room that belonged solely to him.