A Hug on the Cruise Ship, the Body Sect's Trial

The cruise ship's engines rumbled low in the night, while the waves lapped rhythmically against the hull, like the lingering echoes of a dance floor after the music had faded.

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

She had just placed her dancing shoes on the carpet by the door when a light knock sounded behind her. She did not need to turn around to know who it was.

"Come in. The door's unlocked." Her voice remained calm, but it had lost some of its distance toward outsiders. Her fingertips unconsciously brushed the tassel patterns still on 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 still carried the crisp chill of the sea breeze. His tall figure stood straight, the loose strands of hair over his forehead slightly tousled by the wind. A faint blush from the ball still lingered on his face, but his eyes were bright and clear. When they fell on Gu Yue, they held undisguised cherishing. "I didn't disturb you, did I?" He casually shut the door behind him, speaking softly, as if afraid to disrupt the rare tranquility in the room.

Gu Yue turned around and leaned against the dressing table, folding her arms across her chest in a deliberate show of detachment. 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 shoulders beneath the lamplight, then over his tightening fingers—she knew him too well. Whenever he wanted to say something but felt awkward, 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, turning him back into the boy who clumsily tried to please her. "It's just... you left the deck in such a hurry." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "I wanted to ask if I did something wrong." He recalled the hand-kiss at the end of the dance. At the time, he had only thought it was proper etiquette, but when he saw her flushed ears and hurried retreat, doubts had begun to creep in.

At his words, Gu Yue's eyelashes trembled slightly. A complicated emotion flashed through her eyes—shyness, helplessness, and a trace of panic she was unwilling to admit even to herself. "No." She turned her face away to look at the pitch-black sea beyond the window. "You danced all right. You didn't embarrass me." The words were exactly the same as those she had left behind on the deck, but there was less awkwardness in her tone now and more softness.

Tang Wulin sighed in relief, and the smile on his lips deepened. He took two steps forward, drawing closer to her. He could smell the faint fragrance of grass and trees on her, a scent unique to her that inexplicably put him at ease. "That's good." Looking at her profile, he said seriously, "I actually don't really know how to dance. I was just following your rhythm. Luckily, I didn't step on your dress."

"If you dared to step on it, I'd have Jin Yu shock you." Gu Yue turned and glared at him, but there was no real anger in her eyes. Instead, there was a hint of coy reproach. Mentioning Jin Yu reminded her of the spirit soul 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 spoke with utter sincerity and without the slightest hesitation. In his heart, Gu Yue, Jin Yu, and his companions at Shrek were all family members he would protect with everything he had.

Those words seemed to strike the softest place in Gu Yue's heart, and much of the detachment on her face instantly crumbled away. She lowered her eyes to look at her fingertips, her voice growing softer. "Family..." She repeated the word quietly, with an almost imperceptible 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 the boy before her had shaken her time and again, making her yearn for a warmth that did not belong to her.

Tang Wulin sensed the change in her mood. The smile on his face faded slightly, and his tone became solemn. "Gu Yue, no matter what happens in the future, I'll protect you." His gaze was unwavering, carrying the responsibility that was uniquely his.

From forging at the age of six to help support his family, to later risking everything for his companions, his resolve 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 here."

Of course, Tang Wulin 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 protection and cherishing, like a beam of light illuminating the gloom in her heart that had been shrouded by her mission.

Her heart began pounding uncontrollably. Something seemed to break through the soil deep within her, wanting to shatter the shackles called "mission." But reason quickly gained the upper hand again. 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 eyes as gentle as ever. He knew how stubborn she was, and he knew she hid too much in her heart. He was not in a hurry. He was willing to wait. But when he saw her tightly pressed lips and trembling eyelashes, the heartache suppressed within him suddenly surged forth, making him take a step forward without realizing it.

Before Gu Yue could react, Tang Wulin had already stretched out his arms and gently pulled her into an embrace. His movements were light, carrying a cautious sense of testing, as though he were holding a fragile treasure. His chest was broad and warm, carrying a scent of sea breeze mixed with 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 noticeable tremble, "don't always carry everything alone, all right?"

Gu Yue's body instantly stiffened. Her soul power nearly erupted on instinct, rejecting this sudden closeness. But the warmth of Tang Wulin's embrace was too real, too comforting. That pure cherishing and heartache pierced her heart like countless fine needles, causing all her defenses to collapse in an instant. She could clearly hear his strong heartbeat through their thin clothes, gradually overlapping with her own chaotic pulse.

Her hands hovered 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 began to tremble slightly, and her previously taut body gradually relaxed. In the end, she unconsciously raised a hand and lightly grasped the corner of his clothing on his back, her fingertips clenching until they turned white.

Tang Wulin felt her response, and warmth filled his heart. His arms tightened slightly, holding her closer while still maintaining restraint and not overstepping in the slightest. He did not speak. He simply used this embrace to convey all his concern and protection. The room held only the sound of their mingled breaths and the rhythm of waves lapping against the hull outside, gentle and lingering.

After a long while, Gu Yue finally woke from her immersion in the moment. Reason poured down over her like cold water, instantly clearing her mind. She abruptly pushed Tang Wulin away and retreated half a step, her face filled with panic and the tips of her ears red enough to bleed. "Y-you... what are you doing?" Her voice carried a barely perceptible 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 delicate again. Gu Yue took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down, putting her icy mask back on. Yet the panic in her eyes could not be concealed. "If... if one day, I stood against you, what would you do?" She changed the subject, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly as if she were trying to escape the fluttering feelings brought on by that embrace.

The question came too suddenly, and Tang Wulin froze. He frowned 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 resolute.

"If that really happened, 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 caught in a dilemma."

His words were like a warm current, instantly wrapping around Gu Yue's heart. She knew his kindness, his sense of responsibility, and that he spoke from the bottom of his heart.

But the gears of fate had long begun to turn. Some things could not be avoided just because he wanted to avoid them. Her eyes grew slightly hot, but she forced back her tears. "You're always like this, carrying everything on your own." Her voice softened with a trace of heartache. "Who do you think you are? A savior?"

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

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

After a long time, Gu Yue finally steadied her emotions. She turned around, her face calm once more, though her eyes held a resolve Tang Wulin could not understand. "It's late. You should go back." She gave him a dismissal, and her tone regained some of its detachment. "We still have to travel tomorrow."

Tang Wulin looked at her and knew that she was deliberately pushing him away again. He did not press her, merely nodding. "All right. Get some rest early, then. 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 told you will always stand."

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

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

The struggle between mission and emotion quietly intensified that night. But what she did not know was that Tang Wulin had not left immediately. He leaned against the corridor wall outside, gazing at the stars beyond the window. His palm still retained the soft sensation of holding her, and he silently swore that no matter how many hardships and dangers lay ahead, he would protect her and everything they both cherished.

The waves continued to strike the hull, as though telling the story of this destined-to-be-turbulent yet incomparably sincere affection, quietly spreading through the night aboard the cruise ship.

The next day, the sea breeze on the deck carried a salty fishy scent. The noon sun was glaringly fierce, yet it could not disperse the smell of sweat hanging in one corner of the deck. Tang Wulin stood bare-chested, his bronze skin gleaming healthily beneath the sunlight. Every inch of muscle was tightly drawn, his veins slightly bulging with blood like green snakes hidden beneath his skin. Before him stood a refined iron post as thick as an adult's wrist. Beneath a sunshade not far away, Mu Ye, dressed in a white chef's uniform, leisurely wiped a gleaming kitchen knife. Yet his eagle-like eyes remained fixed on Tang Wulin without the slightest warmth.

"Use your fists. Break it." Mu Ye's voice was calm and flat, as casual as saying, "Today's fish is fresh." But to Tang Wulin's ears, it carried an undeniable pressure.

Tang Wulin took a deep breath. The sea breeze filled his lungs with a trace of chill, but it could not suppress the surging blood and qi within him. This was already his third trial of the day—before dawn, Mu Ye had thrown him into the freezing seawater and made him battle the undercurrents and harassment from low-level soul beasts amid the waves; in the morning, he had run laps around the entire cruise ship deck with thirty-pound lead weights tied to his legs, every step feeling as though he were walking on cotton while being forcibly dragged toward the ground. And now, Mu Ye wanted him to break this refined iron post, as hard as the defense of an ordinary soul master, with nothing but his physical strength.

He did not hesitate. He clenched both fists, the joints of his fingers turning white with force. The Golden Dragon King's blood and qi surged through his body, flowing along his meridians toward his fists. It brought wave after wave of burning pain, but also granted him endless strength. He recalled what Mu Ye had said that morning. "The Body Sect's trials have no flashy tricks. There is only squeezing—draining every last drop of your potential, turning your body into the sharpest weapon and the sturdiest shield."

Tang Wulin lowered his waist and assumed a horse stance, dropping his center of gravity. The muscles throughout his body instantly tensed to the limit. Then he suddenly roared, his fists shooting out like cannonballs from their barrels, tearing through the air as they smashed viciously into the refined iron post!

Bang!

The dull impact rang across the deck. The refined iron post did not move at all, not even gaining a scratch. The recoil spread from his fists through his entire body. Tang Wulin's hands went numb, and his bones felt as if they were about to crack. The pain made him frown deeply, and he had to retreat two steps before he could steady himself.

Under the sunshade, Mu Ye did not even raise his eyelids. His tone remained indifferent. "Not enough force. Not enough resolve. Tang Wulin, with this little ability of yours, do you think you deserve to be my, Mu Ye's, disciple? Do you deserve to speak of protection?"

The words stabbed into Tang Wulin's heart like thorns. 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 immediately surged within him. He shook out his numb hands and returned to the refined iron post. Taking a deep breath, he did not throw another punch right away. Instead, he closed his eyes and felt the flow of blood and qi within him, felt his muscles contracting and relaxing, cast aside every stray thought, and left himself with only one thought—break it!

The Golden Dragon King's energy circulated faster and faster within him, carrying a violent aura that he forcibly compressed between his fists. He could clearly feel that every wash of blood and qi made his muscle fibers tougher, while his bones were tempered amid faint tremors. This was the true meaning of the Body Sect's trials: not relying on soul skills, but awakening the most primitive and purest power of the body.

"Ha!"

With another roar, Tang Wulin's figure left an afterimage beneath the sunlight as his fists smashed into the refined iron post once more. This time, his power was greater and his punches faster, even carrying the faint dragon's might unique to the Golden Dragon King.

Crack!

A crisp sound of breaking rang out. The refined iron post that had seemed unbreakable actually split open with a crack down the middle!

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 broken is failure. Again!"

Without any chance to rest, Tang Wulin gritted his teeth and gathered his strength again despite the agonizing pain in his fists. Sweat slid down from his temples and dripped onto the deck, instantly evaporating beneath the sun. His arms had begun to tremble, his muscles aching so badly that they were nearly numb, but his eyes grew brighter and more resolute.

Once, twice, three times...

The sounds of impact continued to echo across the deck, shifting from dull to sharp, from weak to resounding. Tang Wulin's fists had become red and swollen, even seeping blood, but he did not stop or complain. He knew Mu Ye was forcing him—forcing him to break through 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 long it had been when Tang Wulin threw another punch for the countless time. A tremendous crash sounded—the refined iron post snapped in response, the break smooth and even enough to reveal how terrifying the force of that punch had been!

Tang Wulin could no longer hold himself up. His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the deck, gasping heavily as his chest rose and fell violently. His fists were mangled and bloody, and the pain drilled into his bones, yet a brilliant smile appeared on his face. It was the joy of surpassing his limits, the relief of conquering himself.

Mu Ye finally set down the kitchen knife in his hand and slowly walked over. Looking down at Tang Wulin, his eyes still held little warmth, but upon closer inspection, there was a trace of barely noticeable approval. "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. Tomorrow morning, come to the freezer at the stern."

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

Mu Ye did not respond and turned to leave. Halfway there, however, he stopped and spoke with his back to Tang Wulin. "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, his figure gradually disappearing at the end of the deck.

Tang Wulin sat on the deck, looking at his mangled fists and feeling the blood and qi still surging through his body. His heart was filled with strength. He knew the trials ahead would only become crueler and more dangerous, but he had no fear. To protect the people he cared about, to seize control of his own fate, and to break free of 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 again, carrying the scent of the waves as it brushed Tang Wulin's sweat-soaked face. 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.