An Embrace on the Cruise Ship, the Body Sect's Trial

The cruise ship's engines rumbled softly through the night, while the waves lapped against its hull in a rhythm like the lingering echoes of the dance floor.

Only a warm yellow wall lamp was lit in Gu Yue's room, outlining the soft profile beneath her short hair. She seemed entirely different from the cool, aloof girl at the ball.

She had just placed her dancing shoes on the rug beside the door when a soft knock sounded behind her. Without turning around, she knew who it was.

"Come in. The door isn't locked." Her voice remained calm, but it lacked some of the distance she showed outsiders. Her fingers unconsciously brushed the tassel pattern still clinging to her sleeve—the spot Tang Wulin had gripped while they danced, as though it still retained the warmth of his palm.

When Tang Wulin pushed open the door, he carried the crisp scent of the sea breeze with him. He stood tall, his bangs slightly tousled by the wind, and a faint flush from the ball still lingered on his face. Yet his eyes were exceptionally clear, and when they fell on Gu Yue, they held undisguised cherishment. "I didn't disturb you, did I?" He closed the door behind him, keeping his voice low, as though afraid of disturbing the rare tranquility in the room.

Gu Yue turned around and leaned against the dressing table, crossing her arms as she deliberately put on an aloof posture. Yet the faint redness at the tips of her ears did not escape Tang Wulin's notice. "If you have something to say, say it. I'm tired." Her words were cold, but her gaze never left him. It swept over the golden fuzz on his shoulder under the lamplight, then over his clenched fingertips—she knew him too well. Whenever he wanted to say something but felt awkward about it, he always acted like this.

Tang Wulin scratched his head, revealing a slightly simple, honest smile. The composure he had displayed on the dance floor seemed to vanish in an instant, and he became that boy who clumsily tried to please her again. "It's just... you left too quickly on the deck earlier." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "I wanted to ask whether I did something wrong." He recalled the hand-kiss after the dance. At the time, he had only thought it was proper etiquette, but when he saw her reddened ears and hurried retreat, he could not help but wonder.

At his words, Gu Yue's eyelashes trembled lightly. A complicated emotion flashed through her eyes: embarrassment, helplessness, and a trace of panic she was unwilling to admit even to herself. "No." She turned her face aside and looked out at the pitch-black sea. "You danced well enough. You didn't embarrass me." It was exactly like what she had said on the deck, but there was less awkwardness in her tone now and more softness.

Tang Wulin breathed a sigh of relief, and the smile at his lips deepened. He stepped two paces closer, close enough to catch the faint scent of grass and trees on her body. It was her unique fragrance, and for some reason, it made him feel at ease. "That's good." Looking at her profile, he said earnestly, "I don't really know how to dance. I was just following your rhythm. Luckily, I didn't step on your dress."

"If you dared step on it, I'd have Jin Yu shock you." Gu Yue turned to glare at him, but there was no real anger in her eyes, only a hint of coquettish reproach. Mentioning Jin Yu reminded her of the soul spirit she had renamed, and she added, "It's listening to you more and more now. More than it listens to me."

Tang Wulin laughed, the lines at the corners of his eyes softening. "Because it knows we're all family." He said it with complete sincerity and without the slightest hesitation. In his heart, Gu Yue, Jin Yu, and all of his Shrek companions were family he would protect with all his strength.

Those words seemed to strike the softest place in Gu Yue's heart, and much of the distance on her face instantly crumbled away. She lowered her eyes to look at her fingertips, her voice growing quieter. "Family..." She softly repeated the word, with a trace of barely perceptible confusion in her tone. As the Silver Dragon King, she bore the mission of reviving the soul beasts and stood inherently opposed to humanity. Yet this boy before her had shaken her again and again, making her crave a warmth that did not belong to her.

Tang Wulin sensed the change in her mood. The smile on his face faded, and his tone grew solemn. "Gu Yue, no matter what happens in the future, I will protect you." His gaze was incomparably resolute, carrying his sense of responsibility.

From forging to help support his family at the age of six, to later throwing himself into danger for his companions, the determination to protect others had long been carved into his bones. "I know you have your own secrets. If you don't want to tell me, I won't force you. But as long as you need me, I'll always be there."

Tang Wulin naturally knew what her secret was. He just could not say it yet.

Gu Yue suddenly raised her head and met his deep eyes. There was no calculation or exploitation in them, only pure protectiveness and cherishment, like a beam of light illuminating the gloom in her heart that had been shrouded by her mission.

Her heart began to pound uncontrollably. Something seemed to break through the soil within her, trying to shatter the shackles called "mission." But reason quickly regained the upper hand. She abruptly looked away, her voice tightening. "Who needs your protection? I can handle my own affairs."

Tang Wulin did not argue. He merely looked at her quietly, his gaze still gentle. He knew how stubborn she was, and he knew there was too much hidden in her heart. He was not in a hurry. He was willing to wait. Yet when he saw her tightly pressed lips and trembling eyelashes, the heartache he had kept suppressed suddenly surged forth, prompting him to take a step closer.

Before Gu Yue could react, Tang Wulin had already stretched out his arms and gently pulled her into his embrace. His movements were light, carrying a cautious test, as though he were holding a fragile treasure. His chest was broad and warm, carrying the mingled scent of sea breeze and sunlight. It enveloped Gu Yue completely, shutting out all the disturbances of the outside world. "Gu Yue," he said beside her ear, his voice low and hoarse, with a barely perceptible tremor, "don't always bear everything alone, all right?"

Gu Yue's body instantly stiffened, and her Soul Power nearly erupted on instinct to reject this sudden intimacy. But the warmth of Tang Wulin's embrace was too real, too comforting. That pure cherishment and heartache pierced her heart like fine needles, and all her defenses collapsed in an instant. She could clearly hear his powerful heartbeat through their thin clothing, gradually overlapping with her own chaotic pulse.

Her hands hung in the air. She wanted to push him away, but she could not summon any strength. His unique scent lingered at the tip of her nose, inexplicably making her feel safe. The grievances and confusion she had accumulated for so long suddenly found an outlet. Her shoulders trembled slightly, and her originally tense body gradually relaxed. In the end, she unconsciously raised a hand and lightly grasped the corner of his clothes at his back, her fingertips clenching until they turned white.

Feeling her response, Tang Wulin's heart warmed. His arms tightened slightly, holding her closer while still maintaining proper restraint and not overstepping in the least. He did not speak. He simply used this embrace to convey all his concern and protectiveness. Only their intertwined breathing remained in the room, along with the rhythm of waves lapping against the hull outside—gentle and lingering.

After quite a while, Gu Yue finally woke from this indulgence. Reason poured over her like cold water, instantly clearing her mind. She abruptly pushed Tang Wulin away and retreated half a step, panic filling her face as the tips of her ears reddened so deeply they seemed ready to bleed. "You... what are you doing?" Her voice carried an almost imperceptible choke, and her gaze darted away, unable to meet his eyes again.

Seeing her reddened eyes and flustered expression, Tang Wulin felt both regretful and heartbroken. "I'm sorry," he hurriedly apologized, sounding at a loss. "I just... saw that you were unhappy, and I couldn't help myself."

The atmosphere in the room became subtle again. Gu Yue took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. The cold mask returned to her face, though she could not conceal the panic in her eyes. "If... if one day, I stand on the side opposing you, what will you do?" She changed the subject, her voice trembling faintly, as though trying to escape the fluttering feelings caused by that embrace.

The question came too suddenly, and Tang Wulin froze. He furrowed his brows and thought seriously for a moment before giving the answer from his previous life. "Then please kill me, so I can live in your heart." His tone was utterly certain.

"If that situation truly came to pass, I would find a way for both of us to survive. Whether soul beasts or humans, everyone has the right to live. I don't want either side to be hurt, and even less do I want to see you placed in a difficult position."

His words were like a warm current that instantly wrapped around Gu Yue's heart. She knew of his kindness, his sense of responsibility, and that he meant every word.

But the gears of fate had long since begun to turn. Some things could not be avoided simply because he wished to avoid them. Her eyes grew slightly hot, but she endured it and refused to let her tears fall. "You're always like this, carrying everything on yourself." Her voice softened with a hint of heartache. "Who do you think you are? A savior?"

"I'm not a savior." Tang Wulin looked at her with absolute sincerity. "I just don't want to lose the people I care about." He paused, then added, "Especially you."

Gu Yue's heart clenched sharply, and she could no longer maintain that cold facade. She turned her face away, her shoulders trembling slightly. Seeing this, Tang Wulin instinctively stretched out a hand to comfort her, but remembering how the previous embrace had flustered her so badly, he forcibly stopped himself.

After a long while, Gu Yue finally calmed down. She turned around, her expression restored to tranquility, though her eyes now held a determination Tang Wulin could not understand. "It's late. You should go back." She issued the dismissal, her tone growing distant again. "We still have to travel tomorrow."

Tang Wulin looked at her, knowing she was deliberately pushing him away again. He did not force the issue and merely nodded. "All right. Get some rest early. Call me anytime if you need anything." He walked to the door, then stopped and looked back at her. "Gu Yue, no matter what happens, everything I've said to you will always stand."

Gu Yue did not respond. She merely stood with her back to him, her shoulders still tense.

Tang Wulin gently closed the door, and silence returned to the room. Gu Yue slowly turned around and stared at the tightly shut door. At last, she could no longer hold back her tears. They slid down and fell onto the back of her hand, icy cold. She raised a hand to wipe them away, but her fingertips still retained the warmth she had felt during the embrace. Her gaze grew resolute once more, yet the place in her heart that warmth had touched could never return to its original coldness.

The struggle between mission and emotion quietly intensified that night. What she did not know was that Tang Wulin had not immediately left. He leaned against the corridor wall outside, looking at the starry sky through the window. The softness of her body still lingered in his palm, and he silently swore that no matter how many hardships lay ahead, he would protect her and everything they both cherished.

The waves continued to strike against the hull, as if telling the story of this feeling that was destined to be difficult yet incomparably sincere, quietly spreading through the night aboard the cruise ship.

The next day, the sea breeze on the ship's deck carried a salty stench. The noon sun was fiercely dazzling, yet it could not disperse the scent of sweat lingering in the corner of the deck. Tang Wulin stood bare-chested, his bronze skin gleaming with healthy radiance beneath the sunlight. Every inch of muscle was taut, and his veins bulged slightly from the rush of blood, like green snakes hidden beneath his skin. Before him stood a refined iron post as thick as an adult's wrist. Under a sunshade not far away, Mu Ye, dressed in a white chef's uniform, leisurely wiped a gleaming kitchen knife. Yet his hawk-like gaze remained fixed on Tang Wulin, devoid of warmth.

"Use your fists to smash it." Mu Ye's voice was calm and flat, as casual as if he were saying, "Today's fish is very fresh," but to Tang Wulin's ears, it carried unquestionable pressure.

Tang Wulin took a deep breath. The sea breeze filled his lungs with a trace of coolness, but it could not suppress the surging blood and vitality within him. This was already his third trial of the day—before dawn, Mu Ye had thrown him into the frigid seawater, forcing him to battle undercurrents and attacks from low-level soul beasts amid the waves; in the morning, he had run across the entire cruise ship deck with thirty-pound lead weights tied to his legs, every step feeling as though he were treading on cotton while being forcibly dragged toward the ground. And now, Mu Ye wanted him to use nothing but pure physical strength to shatter this refined iron post, whose hardness rivaled the defenses of an ordinary Soul Master.

He did not hesitate. He clenched both hands into fists, the joints of his fingers turning white with force. The Golden Dragon King's blood and vitality surged within him, flowing through his meridians toward his fists. It brought waves of scorching pain, but it also granted him a constant stream of strength. He recalled what Mu Ye had said that morning: "The Body Sect's trials have no flashy tricks. There is only squeezing you dry—draining every last bit of your potential until your body becomes the sharpest weapon and the strongest shield."

Tang Wulin lowered his waist into a horse stance, sinking his center of gravity as every muscle in his body instantly tightened to the limit. Then he let out a fierce roar, and his fists shot forward like cannonballs, carrying a piercing whistle as they slammed viciously into the refined iron post!

Bang!

The dull impact echoed across the deck. The refined iron post did not move in the slightest, not even bearing a scratch. The recoil surged from his fists through his entire body. Tang Wulin's hands went numb, and his bones felt as though they were about to split apart. Pain made him furrow his brows, and he had to stagger back two steps before steadying himself.

Mu Ye did not even lift his eyelids beneath the sunshade. His tone remained indifferent. "Your strength is insufficient, and your will is weak. Tang Wulin, with this little ability, do you think you deserve to be my, Mu Ye's, disciple? Do you deserve to talk about protection?"

Those words were like a thorn stabbing into Tang Wulin's heart. He thought of Gu Yue's cool gaze, the trusting eyes of his companions, and the hidden danger brought by the Golden Dragon King seal. A stubborn refusal to yield instantly rose in his heart. He shook his numb hands and stepped before the refined iron post again. This time, he did not strike immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes and felt the flow of blood and vitality within him, the contraction and relaxation of his muscles. He cast aside every distracting thought until only one remained—smash it!

The Golden Dragon King's energy spun faster and faster inside him, carrying a violent aura that he forcibly compressed between his fists. He could clearly feel each wash of blood and vitality making his muscle fibers tougher, while his bones were tempered through faint tremors. This was the true essence of the Body Sect's trials: not relying on soul skills, but awakening the body's most primal and purest strength.

"Hah!"

With another fierce roar, Tang Wulin's figure left an afterimage beneath the sunlight as his fists struck the refined iron post again. This time, his force was greater and his punches faster, even carrying a faint trace of the Golden Dragon King's distinctive Dragon Might.

Crack!

A crisp breaking sound rang out. A fissure split down the middle of the previously indestructible refined iron post!

A hint of joy flashed through Tang Wulin's eyes, but before he could catch his breath, Mu Ye's voice came again. "Not enough! Cracked but not shattered is failure. Again!"

Without the slightest chance to rest, Tang Wulin gritted his teeth and gathered his strength once more despite the agonizing pain in his fists. Sweat ran down from his temples and fell onto the deck, instantly evaporating beneath the sunlight. His arms had begun to tremble, and his muscles ached so badly they were nearly numb. Yet his eyes shone brighter and brighter, more and more resolute.

Once, twice, three times...

The sounds of impact echoed endlessly across the deck, changing from dull to crisp, from faint to thunderous. Tang Wulin's fists had swollen red, with even threads of blood seeping out, but he did not stop or complain. He knew Mu Ye was pushing him—forcing him beyond his limits, forcing him to adapt to this extreme pain. Only by struggling to survive through pain could he truly grow.

No one knew how much time had passed when Tang Wulin threw his fist for the umpteenth time. A tremendous crash resounded—the refined iron post broke apart in response, its fracture smooth and even, showing just how terrifying the force of that punch had been!

Tang Wulin could no longer hold himself up. His legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the deck, gasping heavily as his chest rose and fell violently. His fists were mangled and bloody, the pain piercing to the bone, but a brilliant smile appeared on his face. It was the joy of breaking through his limits, the relief of conquering himself.

At last, Mu Ye set down the kitchen knife in his hand and slowly walked over. He looked down at Tang Wulin, his gaze still lacking warmth, though a faint trace of approval could be found upon closer inspection. "You have some perseverance, at least." He crouched down, took a small porcelain bottle from his pocket, and tossed it to Tang Wulin. "This is the Body Sect's healing ointment. Apply it to your hands. Come to the cold storage at the stern early tomorrow morning."

Tang Wulin caught the porcelain bottle and hurriedly thanked him. "Thank you, Teacher Mu Ye!"

Mu Ye did not respond. He turned to leave, but halfway there, he stopped. With his back to Tang Wulin, he said, "Remember, the trials on this cruise ship are only the beginning. There are no shortcuts on the Body Sect's path—only life and death. If you want to give up, it's not too late."

Tang Wulin clenched the porcelain bottle in his hand and stared at Mu Ye's back with firm eyes. "I won't give up!"

Mu Ye did not turn around. He merely waved a hand, and his figure gradually vanished at the end of the deck.

Tang Wulin sat on the deck, looking at his mangled fists and feeling the blood and vitality still surging through his body. His heart was filled with strength. He knew the trials ahead would only become more brutal and more dangerous, but he was fearless. To protect those he cared about, to take control of his own fate, and to break free from the Golden Dragon King seal's restraints, he would press onward even through mountains of blades and seas of fire!

The sea breeze swept across the deck once again, carrying the scent of the waves as it brushed Tang Wulin's sweat-soaked cheeks. He slowly rose to his feet and gazed at the boundless ocean, unprecedented light shining in his eyes. The cruise ship sailed through the raging sea, while his path of body tempering had only just begun.