Love, Death, and

Gu Yue carried her tray and stood quietly at his side, her expression indifferent, an icy aura of unapproachability surrounding her.

"Tang Wulin, is this the little brother you often mention?"

Gu Yue's tone was flat, devoid of the slightest emotion. Her acting was flawless, making her seem like a complete stranger hearing of him and meeting him for the first time.

Yet there was a faintly irresistible force in the way she looked at Chen An, silently signaling for him to sit down obediently.

Tang Wulin turned and saw her. Her eyes immediately curved into crescents, and her smile was especially warm. "It's you, Gu Yue! What a coincidence. I can't believe we ran into each other in the cafeteria."

With all three of them together, it was as though two entirely different plays were being performed on the same stage.

Chen An was supposed to pretend not to know Gu Yue, so he could only go through the motions of a first meeting.

"H-hello."

Chen An felt a little guilty, afraid he would fail to hold back his laughter and give himself away. He only wanted to end this fake first-meeting act as soon as possible, so he stood and spoke.

"I'm done eating, so I'll—"

Before he could finish, Gu Yue calmly sat down. She casually picked up a plump white steamed bun from her tray and gently placed it onto Chen An's empty plate, interrupting him in an indifferent tone.

"I can't finish it. It's for you. Don't waste it."

She had forcibly kept him there, yet her reason was so straightforward that he had no way to refuse.

The innocent Tang Wulin did not notice the subtle atmosphere between them at all and simply smiled.

"Gu Yue, the Class Advancement Tournament is in a few days. Are you confident?"

Gu Yue's expression did not change. Her answer was ambiguous as she casually brushed the matter aside. "I'll just do my best."

As soon as she finished speaking, her gaze shifted directly onto Chen An. Sounding casual, she asked, "Which class is your little brother in? What Martial Soul does he have?"

Chen An knew he could not escape this. He pressed his lips together and said nothing, deliberately putting on the appearance of an introverted, timid boy who was poor with words as he stared at the table.

This table was really clean.

Tang Wulin merely assumed that he was shy and socially awkward, so she hurriedly answered for him, her tone brimming with pride.

"My little brother is in Class One, and he's incredibly talented! He's just too introverted and doesn't like talking to strangers."

Upon hearing that, a trace of surprise flickered through Gu Yue's eyes before she calmly praised him.

"That's impressive. You have a good little brother."

As she spoke, she shifted slightly. Her shoulder seemed to brush against Chen An's shoulder by accident, but it landed with deliberate precision.

In an instant, the Roulette before Chen An's eyes began shaking violently. Countless sections frantically rearranged themselves, emerging layer upon layer.

On one side was the Golden Dragon King Bloodline, and on the other was the Silver Dragon King Origin. The close-range overlap of two supreme bloodlines brought an unprecedented enhancement.

Dozens of enhancement sections lit up at once. Even the faintest basic boosts were several times stronger than the meager enhancements brought by his upperclassmen.

The enhancements slowly flowed into his body, nourishing it soundlessly like spring rain.

Tang Wulin, sitting nearby, noticed nothing unusual. As she talked about her little brother, her eyes were filled with tenderness and pride.

"Chen An has always been especially sensible and studious. Back in Aolai City, he always got perfect scores in his theory classes. When he learned forging with me, his progress was shockingly fast."

"He looks smaller than children his age, but his strength is absurdly great."

"To be honest, I used to be very insecure about my Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul. A lot of my classmates mocked it as a useless Martial Soul, but after meeting Chen An, I gradually steadied myself."

The girl's voice was gentle yet firm, concealing the purest devotion and sense of responsibility.

"I keep telling myself that I have to work hard, become stronger, and be a responsible older sister.

"If I succeed in the future and gain the ability to protect my family and earn a living, then whether Xiao An ultimately achieves great fame or lives an ordinary life, I'll be able to support and protect him.

"If I fail, then I'll support him unconditionally and stay by his side.

"Xiao An is far more talented than I am. He can go farther than I ever could. As long as I give it everything I have, I'll have no regrets toward myself or him."

Chen An, who had only wanted to perfunctorily act along and wait for Gu Yue to leave, gradually grew solemn.

Gu Yue, who had remained indifferent and unmoved all this time, felt a faint tremor appear in her cold eyes for the first time as she looked directly at Tang Wulin's pure, untainted, sunlit smile.

Tang Wulin's gentle words gradually faded and blurred at her ears.

Gu Yue's consciousness suddenly withdrew, and the bustling cafeteria scene before her faded away entirely as the image abruptly shifted.

At the bottom of the dark, unfathomable Life Lake stood the vast and solemn hall where the Silver Dragon King dwelled.

The girl seated high upon the cold throne had long hair spilling over her shoulders.

It had not yet been tied into the distinctive high ponytail she wore at the academy.

At the entrance to the hall's shadowy corridor, Na'er stood quietly in a pure white dress, petite and ethereal.

"Gu Yue."

Na'er spoke softly, her clear voice echoing through the empty hall.

She had cast aside the playful mindset she had when fooling around with Chen An and became a little more rational.

"There are many things in the human world that we soul beasts will never truly understand—not just their rapidly advancing technology.

"The soul beasts' current plight on the verge of extinction was never caused by strength alone.

"Once, soul beasts dominated this continent and flourished in countless numbers, yet we were ultimately nothing more than a scattered mass.

"High-level soul beasts sat at the top, disregarding their weaker kin, plundering without restraint, fighting separately, and never possessing true unity or protection."

Na'er sighed softly, her gaze distant.

"What truly destroyed the soul beast race was the arrogance carved into our bones.

"Humans may have conflicts and internal strife, but they know how to huddle together for warmth and protect one another. The weaker humans are, the more they support each other and provide each other with a safety net."

Gu Yue did not understand. "Do you know what you're saying?"

Na'er did not argue. "I remember my mission. Try to understand humans, Gu Yue. You will understand."

After saying that, she turned and walked into the shadowy corridor.

A brief halo of pure white light suddenly lit up in the pitch-black passage before vanishing completely, leaving the hall dead silent once more.

Upon the throne, Gu Yue leaned back slightly and closed her eyes, remaining silent for a long time.

Her consciousness returned to the noisy cafeteria of Eastsea Academy.

Tang Wulin's bright, warm smile was still before her, and Gu Yue's fingers twitched faintly.

"To catch up to my little brother, I have to work even harder."

Is that so?

Gu Yue's tone softened slightly. "You really care about your little brother. I'm so jealous."

Chen An could not hear any jealousy in her voice.

Gu Yue cleared away her tray, then stood and glanced at each of them.

"I'm done eating. Take your time, Tang Wulin. And Chen An."

"Okay, see you tonight."

Tang Wulin smiled as she watched Gu Yue leave.

Once she left, Chen An relaxed considerably. But given Gu Yue's personality, she must have been observing the two of them for some time and had come with a purpose.

As soon as Gu Yue had gone farther away, Tang Wulin leaned over eagerly.

"She's the girl I told you about before—the one who enrolled late and can control several elements. So, what do you think?"

Chen An blinked. "What do you mean, what do I think?"

From Tang Wulin's perspective, it felt a little strange.

Gu Yue was cold by nature, the complete opposite extreme from Chen An. She would directly refuse to speak with anyone she did not want to talk to, yet just now—

"She's really unfriendly, but the first time she met you, she sat beside you without minding at all and even gave you a steamed bun."