Gu Yuena's Second Martial Soul?

After logging out of the Star Dou Battle Network and returning to the real world, Meng Xinghe opened his phone and sent Gu Yuena a message.

Meng Xinghe: The three-year deadline is here. Have you booked your ticket?

The other side replied almost instantly.

Gu Yuena: I booked it ages ago. The first flight tomorrow morning leaves from Shrek South City Airport and will arrive at East Sea Airport by noon.

Gu Yuena: One more thing: my Ladder Tournament rank has risen to Rank Four too!

Meng Xinghe: Rank Four? So you broke through?

Gu Yuena: Mm-hmm. To keep my combat strength within a reasonable range, I naturally had to break through before I could raise my rank to Rank Four. (jpg)

Looking at the image Gu Yuena had sent, Meng Xinghe tapped to view it:

ID: Elemental Little Silver Dragon

Rank: Rank Four (404)

Ten-Win Streak: Win ten consecutive matches without suffering a single defeat. (Currently on a forty-four-win streak. Win another fifty-six consecutive matches to activate the "Hundred-Win Streak" achievement.)

Undefeated Promotion · Rank One: Remain undefeated in every Rank One match, including the Promotion Tournament.

Undefeated Promotion · Rank Two: Remain undefeated in every Rank Two match, including the Promotion Tournament.

Undefeated Promotion · Rank Three: Remain undefeated in every Rank Three match, including the Promotion Tournament.

Legend of the Unbeaten · Three: Remain undefeated since entering the Ladder Tournament. (Keep it up. Advance to Rank Five with an invincible bearing to activate the "Legend of the Unbeaten · Four" achievement.)

Mm, the same rank, the same achievements. Only their points and winning streaks differed.

Because the Ladder Tournament followed a nearby matchmaking principle, and because Meng Xinghe was in Eastsea City in the east of the continent while Gu Yuena was in Shrek City in the continent's central region, they were separated by an enormous distance.

At such a distance, it was practically impossible for them to be matched against each other at their current rank.

When kings did not meet kings, their strength naturally allowed both of them to maintain undefeated records.

At the same time, the factors of nearby matchmaking and Gu Yuena's IP address being located in Shrek City meant that her undefeated record carried more weight than Meng Xinghe's.

It was an indisputable objective fact that the Soul Masters of the East Sea region were weaker than those in the continent's central region, where Shrek City was located.

Therefore, the average strength of Gu Yuena's opponents was far higher than that of Meng Xinghe's opponents.

Looking at Gu Yuena's ID, Meng Xinghe smiled and typed out a reply.

Meng Xinghe: Elemental Little Silver Dragon? Aren't you afraid people will connect it to your Silver Dragon identity based on that fabricated "Elementalist Martial Soul" of yours?

In a luxurious, classically decorated room, Gu Yuena reclined comfortably on the sofa. With her left hand, she casually picked up a peeled grape and placed it in her mouth.

Seeing Meng Xinghe's message, Gu Yuena smiled and swiftly typed out a response with one hand.

Gu Yuena: What am I afraid of? I'm not alone. So many people stand behind me. Even if I lost all my abilities, I wouldn't be afraid of anything.

Looking at the screen of his phone, Meng Xinghe smiled in relief.

Look at that. This was what a child raised in a loving family was like. Her mind and body had developed healthily. How cheerful, how optimistic.

With that thought, Meng Xinghe continued typing.

Meng Xinghe: Do you still remember the vacant slot for a second Martial Soul that I mentioned?

Gu Yuena: I remember. Before awakening my Martial Soul, you told me to reserve an unfixed slot for a second Martial Soul. I asked you why at the time, but you wouldn't tell me.

Meng Xinghe: That's right, but didn't you still do as I said even though I didn't tell you? Besides, it was supposed to be a surprise. If I'd told you then, could it still be called a surprise?

A surprise?

Gu Yuena's amethyst-like eyes brightened slightly.

Based on what she knew of Meng Xinghe, anything he called a surprise was definitely no ordinary thing.

However, that was not what she sent him.

Gu Yuena: What surprise? Don't build up my expectations only to disappoint me later.

Meng Xinghe: Don't worry. It'll definitely leave you both shocked and delighted.

On the balcony, Meng Xinghe put down his phone and picked up a bunch of amethyst grapes Gu Yuena had mailed him. He plucked one, peeled it, and placed it in his mouth, thinking:

That's right. An absolute surprise.

After all, that was the other half of the Dragon God...

"Brother Huo, I've got good news for you. I broke through."

In a tiny home, in a tiny room, on a tiny bed, Tang Wulin looked excited. Yet strangely, he had not spoken aloud, and there was no one else in the room.

"Good job, little Wulin."

Within Tang Wulin's Spiritual Sea, a blurry male figure manifested. His features could not be seen clearly, but his eyes shone with exceptional brilliance, as though they could peer straight into one's heart.

Tang Wulin's figure also manifested within the Spiritual Sea.

Logically, his spiritual power was not yet sufficient to accomplish this, but with Brother Huo around, nothing was a problem.

Brother Huo was a mysterious existence.

Ever since Tang Wulin could remember, Brother Huo had existed within his heart. Like a kind older brother, he had accompanied Tang Wulin as he gradually grew up alongside his parents.

Tang Wulin had not told his parents about Brother Huo's existence, because it was their little secret.

Heaven knew, and earth knew.

You knew, and I knew.

From a very young age, Tang Wulin had "played" in his family's not particularly large courtyard, which was filled with Blue Silver Grass.

Brother Huo had told him that his Martial Soul, which had yet to awaken, was Blue Silver Grass, and that doing so would benefit him greatly.

Sure enough, on Awakening Day when he was six years old, he awakened the renowned trash Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass.

According to Federation statistics, out of every ten thousand children who awakened the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, only one would awaken with innate Soul Power.

Fortunately, Tang Wulin was that one-in-ten-thousand lucky child.

Blue Silver Grass Soul Masters usually possessed between half a rank and three ranks of Innate Soul Power, but because Tang Wulin had practiced the method Brother Huo taught him from childhood, his Innate Soul Power reached as high as Rank Seven.

After Awakening Day, Tang Wulin became increasingly trusting and dependent on Brother Huo.

In his eyes, Brother Huo was mysterious, powerful, and immensely knowledgeable. He seemed to understand everything and be capable of anything. Even the meditation method Tang Wulin currently used had been taught to him by Brother Huo.

Because this meditation method had been created specifically for Blue Silver Grass Soul Masters, it was called the Blue Silver Meditation Method.

The sweat of diligence, the innate talent of Rank Seven, and the efficiency of the Blue Silver Meditation Method—combined, the three allowed Tang Wulin to break through to Rank Ten Soul Power before he was even seven years old.

Tang Wulin's outstanding talent allowed him to successfully apply for an interest-free loan for his first Soul Spirit. With that money, he purchased and formed a contract with a hundred-year Blue Silver Grass Soul Spirit at the Spirit Pagoda.

"Brother Huo, I'm truly so lucky to have met you."

Tang Wulin ran forward and gave the blurry Brother Huo a big hug, saying with a face full of gratitude:

"Without you, I wouldn't have awakened such high Innate Soul Power, wouldn't have met the requirements for an interest-free loan, my Martial Soul and Soul Spirit wouldn't have evolved on their own, and I certainly wouldn't have broken through to Soul Grandmaster at the age of nine."

Foolish child, I'm your brother-in-law. If I don't help you, who will I help? Brother Huo thought.

During the upheaval in the God Realm back then, the divine consciousness Tang San had left within Tang Wulin had been erased by him and replaced with his own divine consciousness.

Even now, this strand of Huo Yuhao's divine consciousness still remembered the expression Tang San had worn as he looked at him. How furious! How unbelievable!

That made sense. By the Douluo Plane's reckoning of time, Huo Yuhao had been summoned and ordered around by Tang San like a dog for thousands of years. He had been so lowly, so devoid of dignity.

So lowly that Tang San could not believe Huo Yuhao would betray him.

Betrayal?

Huo Yuhao sneered inwardly.

I never swore loyalty to Tang San. How could there be any betrayal?

Rather, Tang San, you turned my beloved Dong'er into Tang Wutong, a girl whose heart held only you, her father.

Now the wheel has turned. I'll make you taste the pain I endured!

But don't worry. I won't harm Wulin. I'll only raise him into someone with proper values, so that he can personally witness, through those proper values, everything you, Tang San, have done.

Tang San, this is the greatest difference between you and me!