The End of the Advanced Soul Master Tournament, the Beginning of the Dragon Valley Mission

As the referee declared, "Shrek Academy wins," the Star Luo Empire Soul Master Tournament arena was instantly drowned beneath tidal waves of cheers. Tang Wulin felt his blood boiling throughout his body. The searing pain left by the Golden Dragon Claw still lingered from the fierce battle that had just ended, but all fatigue was swept away by wild joy. He spun around abruptly, his gaze locking precisely onto the figure in simple white combat attire amid the crowd. Gu Yue's cheeks were still flushed from battle, wisps of hair at her forehead damp with sweat. In those eyes that held countless elements, an unprecedented brilliance was shining.

"Gu Yue! We won!" Tang Wulin's voice pierced through the clamor. He strode toward her, and before anyone could react, he pulled Gu Yue tightly into his embrace. Her body was slender yet straight, carrying a faint, familiar scent of elemental energy that put him at ease. Tang Wulin's arms tightened, as if he wanted to carve both the joy of victory and the person he cherished into their lives forever. He clearly felt the slight tremor of the person in his arms. Then, a pair of cool hands gently rested against his back. Their strength was light, yet carried an unspoken understanding. Gu Yue pressed her cheek to his chest, hearing his powerful, drumlike heartbeat mixed with the boy's heavy breathing. The defenses she had deliberately built because of her "soul beast mission" quietly crumbled at that moment, and an uncontrollable yet genuine smile touched her lips.

"Captain! Aren't you playing favorites a little too much?" Xie Xie called teasingly as he flashed to their side, followed by the panting Xu Xiaoyan and Yue Zhengyu. Xie Xie patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder. "You only hug Gu Yue after winning and forget all of us heroes?" Xu Xiaoyan covered her mouth and giggled, her light-blue eyes curving into crescents. "Exactly, Brother Wulin. If I hadn't used the Starwheel Ice Disk to trap the opponent at the end, how could you have won so easily?" A faint glow still lingered around her Starwheel Ice Disk martial soul, clearly showing that the battle had drained her considerably.

Yue Zhengyu pushed up his glasses, wearing a somewhat reservedly proud expression. "Hmph, this young master's Divine Flame wasn't burned for nothing. I deserve plenty of credit for purifying the opponent's soul skills." Before he could finish, Xu Lizhi gave him a hard slap on the back. Xu Lizhi was still holding half a soul power bun, his cheeks puffed out as he said, "Stop bragging! If I hadn't replenished everyone's soul power, you wouldn't have lasted!" His honest face was full of pride, and waves of food fragrance drifted from the soul tool at his waist. They were his specialty snacks, specially prepared to celebrate their victory.

"Stop arguing," Ye Xinglan said as she approached slowly with the Star God Sword in hand. The blade still retained the warmth of battle. Her cool gaze swept over everyone, though a rare curve appeared at her lips. "Winning this match was everyone's achievement." Yuanen Yehui beside her nodded. The aura of the Mighty Vajra Bear had yet to fully recede, and she said brightly, "That's right! The Star Luo Empire's opponents were indeed formidable, but we Shrek Seven Monsters have never had any reason to lose!"

Only then did Tang Wulin release Gu Yue, though he still held her hand tightly. The boy's palm was warm and strong, and Gu Yue instinctively did not pull away. He looked at the companions who had fought beside him. Every face was filled with the vigor of youth and the glory of victory, their eyes holding bonds that had only deepened through hardship. "That's right, we won together!" Tang Wulin's voice rang with strength as the aura of his Golden Dragon Bloodline faintly circulated around him. "From Eastsea Academy to Shrek Academy, from the Class Advancement Tournament to the Continental Soul Master Tournament, and now to the Star Luo arena, we have always been together. This honor belongs to every one of us!"

Gu Yue looked at the spirited profile of the boy beside her, at the tips of his hair rimmed in gold by the sunlight, and the gloom brought by fate quietly faded from her heart. She remembered how he had been gravely injured protecting her during the Tianhai Alliance Grand Tournament, how she had ultimately been unable to strike when he fell unconscious in Dragon Valley, and the dazzling radiance of their martial soul fusion skill, Dragon God Transformation, bursting forth in battle time and again. She gave his hand a slight tug, not to pull free, but to clasp Tang Wulin's hand in return. "Mm, we won together." Those simple words carried an unprecedented softness. Warmth filled Tang Wulin's heart as he turned to meet the starlight in her eyes, feeling that this victory was all the more complete because of the person beside him.

Seeing this, Xie Xie immediately began to tease her. "Oh? Gu Yue, why aren't you being cold today? Were you conquered by the captain's charm?" Xu Xiaoyan nodded along. "Definitely! You didn't even resist when Brother Wulin hugged you just now!" A faint blush spread across Gu Yue's cheeks, but unlike usual, she did not retort. She merely turned her head slightly, the smile at her lips deepening.

Xu Lizhi had already taken out a huge spread of carefully prepared food from his soul tool. Soul power sausages, jade buns, and energy biscuits covered a makeshift stone table. "Everyone, hurry and try some! I made these especially to celebrate our victory. They're super effective at replenishing soul power!" Yue Zhengyu was the first to grab an energy biscuit. It melted in his mouth, and rich energy immediately flowed through his body. He could not help but praise him. "Lizhi, your cooking keeps getting better!" Ye Xinglan and Yuanen Yehui also took food without ceremony. After days of tense battles, everyone had long been starving.

Tang Wulin picked up a jade bun and handed it to Gu Yue, his eyes full of tenderness as he watched her take a small bite. Sunlight spilled across the arena and shone upon the seven young men and women. Some sat while others stood, sharing food and discussing the details of the battle. At times, they laughed heartily over a brilliant moment; at times, they still felt lingering fear over a close call; and at times, they looked forward to the path of cultivation ahead.

Gu Yue quietly listened to everyone's laughter, feeling the warmth in her palm and the vibrant presence of her companions. A thought suddenly surfaced in her heart: perhaps fate and duty did not offer only one cold path. The time spent with these people, this bond that transcended race and division, might be the most precious gift in life. She raised her head and looked toward the clear blue sky in the distance. A relieved smile appeared on her lips, and her eyes held unprecedented brightness and resolve.

Tang Wulin seemed to sense her change. He turned and gave her a radiant smile, warm as spring sunlight, dispersing all gloom and illuminating the path of fate that was destined to entwine them. The cheers from the arena still echoed in their ears, while the legend of the Shrek Seven Monsters continued to write new chapters.

At dawn in Shrek Academy, the morning light pierced through the thin mist and fell upon the willow branches by Sea God Lake, where crystal-clear dewdrops clung. Tang Wulin wore combat attire specially made by the Tang Sect, with the Golden Dragon Spear slung across his back. Shrouded in the morning mist, its shaft glimmered faintly with golden light. He stood beneath an old banyan tree by the lake, looking toward the familiar figures on the training grounds not far away, his heart filled with reluctance.

"Captain! Are you really going alone?" Xie Xie's voice broke the silence. He flashed over like a ghost, the faint auras of the Shadow Blade and Light Dragon Dagger circulating around him. Though his iconic short daggers remained sheathed, they still exuded sharpness, fully displaying the swift traits of an agility-attack soul master. Yet his tone carried undisguised concern. Behind him, Xu Xiaoyan, Yue Zhengyu, Xu Lizhi, Ye Xinglan, and Yuanen Yehui approached one after another. The last to stop was Gu Yue, dressed in a simple white gown.

Tang Wulin turned around with his familiar gentle smile, though a trace of gravity lay hidden in his eyes. "Elder Wu said that the Dragon Valley Minor Plane is extremely dangerous, with severe soul power suppression. Too many people would only make it easier to expose our target. I have the Golden Dragon King bloodline in my body, and the Bluesilver Emperor can communicate with all living things. I'm the most suitable choice." He raised a hand and patted Xie Xie on the shoulder. "I'll have to trouble you all to look after the academy and Tang Sect affairs."

Xie Xie curled his lips, still refusing to soften his words. "Who needs to look after anything? Just come back early! Otherwise, in the next team match, even if we win without you as our backbone, it won't feel satisfying." Despite his words, he took out a black token carved with crossed blade patterns from his soul tool. Its edges shone with faint silver radiance. It was a special token infused with the power of the Light Dragon Dagger. He shoved it into Tang Wulin's hand. "This is the Shadowlight Token passed down through my Xie family. Inject soul power into it when you encounter danger, and it can trigger both Shadow Escape and a Light Shield for protection. It can't deal with a Titled Douluo, but it can buy you time to get away!"

Tang Wulin remembered how, in his previous life, he had entered the Dragon Valley Secret Realm for Tang Wen's reward mission, and later experienced the Thousand-Day Dragon Burial in the Dragon Valley Small World. He was filled with emotion. At the same time, he remembered encountering Gu Yuena in Dragon Valley in his previous life, only for himself to be unconscious.

Several days later, Tang Wulin and Dai Yun'er entered the depths of Dragon Valley. The gravity there grew increasingly oppressive, making their bones tremble faintly. Even their martial souls seemed gripped by invisible hands, unable to muster the slightest bit of soul power.

Tang Wulin raised a hand and pushed aside the ancient vines hanging before him, their surfaces stained with the faint gleam of dragon saliva. Beneath the leaves, dragon energy so dense it could not dissipate rolled like mist, glimmering with cold gold and dark blue light. A single breath made his lungs feel steeped in ancient majesty.

Dai Yun'er paused slightly beside him, her fingers clutching her skirt. Fear hid in her eyes, yet she forced herself to keep up. "This place... is far too quiet."

Silence was the most terrifying undertone of Dragon Valley's depths. There were no insects chirping, no howling winds. Only the wind passing through jagged dragon bones wailed like the final groans of dragons from ten thousand years ago, echoing through the empty ravines. The rocky soil beneath their feet was nearly black, soaked through with countless years of dragon blood. It felt faintly cool and damp underfoot. Occasionally, they kicked up rounded fragments of dragon crystals that rippled with scattered light amid the dragon energy.

Everywhere they looked were bones so massive they were terrifying. Dragon vertebrae large enough for several people to wrap their arms around lay across the ground like sleeping mountain ranges, ancient blurred patterns carved into their chalk-white surfaces—the totems of the dragon race. Broken dragon wing bones jutted diagonally from the rocky earth, with several dark-purple strange herbs growing between their gaps. Crystal-clear droplets condensed along the leaves' edges, spiritual plants nourished by dragon energy. Farther away, an enormous dragon skull had rolled onto the ground, its empty eye sockets facing the surging dragon clouds as though gazing upon this eternal resting place of dragons.

The sky overhead was obscured by dense, multicolored dragon clouds. Gold, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, and lightning—the seven-colored clouds layered over one another, slowly rolling with the faint fluctuations of the dragon souls below. The light filtering through was not the brightness of a clear sky, but shattered seven-colored halos. Falling upon the dragon bones, they coated the cold remains in hazy, gentle light, only making this world feel even more desolate and solemn.

Tang Wulin furrowed his brow slightly. The Golden Dragon King bloodline within him stirred faintly, drawn to the dragon energy around them, and he seemed to hear fragmented whispers from dragon souls by his ears. He slowed his pace and raised an arm protectively in front of Dai Yun'er. "Stay close to me. Don't touch any bones. The dragon souls here still retain their instinctive vigilance."

As his words fell, the dragon energy ahead suddenly surged violently. A faint golden dragon soul phantom swept past a complete golden dragon skeleton. Though the phantom was dim, it carried a domineering pressure that seemed to look down upon the world, making both of their hearts tremble. Dai Yun'er instinctively clutched Tang Wulin's sleeve and looked ahead. In the depths of that dragon energy, bones were piled layer upon layer to form a valley. At its center, denser dragon energy vaguely rose upward, and even the seven-colored dragon clouds swirled more rapidly there, as though the deepest secret of Dragon Valley lay hidden within.

Tang Wulin took a deep breath. The golden dragon markings in his palm glowed faintly, merging with the surrounding dragon energy and suppressing the frightening pressure. He stepped toward the depths of the bone-filled valley. With every step, faint tremors seemed to answer from beneath the rocky soil, as if this ancient dragon graveyard had finally sensed the Golden Dragon King's return.

The wind rose again, and its wailing grew stronger, though it seemed to carry faint anticipation now. In the depths of Dragon Valley, where seven-colored halos intertwined, it drifted alongside the two advancing figures toward the end of the piled bones.

Just like in his previous life, he encountered the Dragon God Core after entering the gorge. Heh heh! To protect Dai Yun'er, Tang Wulin sent her out of the Dragon Valley Small World.

In the depths of Dragon Valley, dragon energy surged like a golden sea. Tang Wulin gripped the Golden Dragon Spear, its tip piercing into the Dragon God Core. The Golden Dragon King bloodline roared wildly through him as a golden dragon phantom circled his body, resonating fiercely with the Dragon God's Soul. Suddenly, all elements between heaven and earth fell silent. The dragon energy froze, and every dragon soul fell quiet and lay dormant. A silver-white figure emerged from the mist—silver hair trailing to her ankles, a plain white gown, and purple eyes as clear as cold stars. It was Gu Yuena. She released no soul power, yet the elements automatically opened a path for her, while the dragon energy of Dragon Valley actually submitted to her.

"Stop!"

The cold voice fell, and Gu Yuena struck the Dragon God Core with her palm. Vast elemental power knocked away the Golden Dragon Spear, severing Tang Wulin's connection with the Dragon God's Soul. Tang Wulin felt an immense force rush toward him. His Golden Dragon King bloodline stirred beyond his control, drawn toward her Silver Dragon King origin. His body shook violently as a terrifying suction force dragged him toward her.

"Hmm?" Gu Yuena's purple eyes narrowed slightly. The Silver Dragon King origin erupted abruptly, breaking free of the pull, and she kicked Tang Wulin in the chest. "Pfft—" Tang Wulin flew away like a kite with its string cut, crashing against the Dragon Valley rock wall. The Golden Dragon Spear left his hand as the seventh and eighth Golden Dragon King seals exploded. Golden dragon power poured frantically from his body, and the agony nearly made him lose consciousness.

Dragon energy, dense as solidified gold, clogged every gap within the forest of dragon bones. The dull echo of Tang Wulin striking the rock wall had barely faded when droplets of blood from his chest fell onto the black rocky soil, spreading pale red stains. He braced himself against the ground and raised his head with difficulty. His gaze pierced through the rolling dragon mist, locking tightly onto that silver-white figure. His hoarse voice trembled with disbelief. "Gu Yue... it's you, isn't it?"

That name, "Gu Yue," was like a stone cast into a frozen lake, catching Gu Yuena off guard and shattering the cold aura around her.

The elemental power flowing around her abruptly stalled. The ancient, unchanging chill in her purple eyes instantly cracked open by the slightest sliver. At this moment, she had yet to reveal her feelings during Sea God's Fate. The Silver Dragon King's mission was branded deep into her soul. Though Gu Yue's personality had already developed unusual feelings for Tang Wulin, they had always been tightly suppressed by the responsibility of being the ruler of soul beasts—she had come to stop him from touching the Dragon God's power, to carry out the "opposition" bestowed by fate, not to reminisce with him.

Yet he had still recognized her. What he recognized was not the Silver Dragon King, not the ruler of soul beasts, but Gu Yue—the girl who had teamed up with him at Eastsea Academy, cultivated alongside him at Shrek Academy, and secretly grew jealous whenever he came into contact with other girls. The concern hidden beneath her cold exterior, something even she refused to acknowledge, had been exposed by him so easily.

The Silver Dragon King origin churned within her. It wanted to respond to the pull of his Golden Dragon King bloodline, yet it was fiercely bound by the conviction that she could not form bonds with humans. She looked at the stubbornness and pain in his eyes, at the blood still wet on the corner of his lips, at the gaze he refused to turn away despite the unbearable agony. Somewhere in a sealed corner of her heart, it felt as though Dragon Valley's wind had gently brushed past, stirring a fine, piercing ache. This pain was unfamiliar. It was the vulnerability unique to Gu Yue's personality, utterly incompatible with the Silver Dragon King's decisiveness in battle.

She could not admit it.

Sea God's Fate had not yet arrived. Between them lay the vast chasm of humans and soul beasts, as well as the racial hatred accumulated over countless millennia. Admitting, I am Gu Yue, would mean yielding to feelings that should not exist, and betraying the hopes of the entire soul beast race. She suddenly steadied her mind and forcibly suppressed that forbidden softness. The elemental power around her became sharp in an instant, and her voice was as cold as the ice in Dragon Valley's depths. "Tang Wulin, you have the wrong person."

The instant those words left her lips, she clearly saw the light in his eyes dim for a moment, like a candle snuffed out by a violent wind. But she could not soften—any softness now would only make their future opposition more painful; any warmth now would only become shackles on the road of their fate. She was Gu Yue. She was the Silver Dragon King. From the moment of her birth, she had never been qualified to possess the love between human men and women.

She watched him slowly rise while bracing himself against the rock wall. The Golden Dragon King bloodline surged crazily inside him, golden dragon markings crawling across his cheeks. Yet he still looked at her stubbornly, as if he intended to find some trace of Gu Yue within her cold eyes. At that moment, intense irritation and helplessness suddenly rose within Gu Yuena—she could easily sever his connection with the Dragon God's Soul and easily injure his body, but she could not sever his obsession with Gu Yue, nor the bond that had long since taken root in her own heart.

The wind passed through the gaps in the bones, its wailing carrying the mourning cries of dragon souls. She turned around and no longer looked into those eyes that unsettled her. Her silver-white skirt swept over fragments of dragon crystals on the ground, leaving soft, scattered sounds. "Live well," she said, her voice revealing no emotion. Only she knew that at the instant she turned away, Gu Yue's personality struggled silently—how much she wanted to tell him that she remembered the Class Advancement Tournament at Eastsea Academy, remembered their everyday cultivation at Shrek Academy, remembered his resolve whenever he shielded her from attacks. But none of it could be spoken.

The dragon mist gradually closed in, hiding her figure, but it could not hide the turmoil and pain within her. As Gu Yue, she quietly cared about everything concerning him; as the Silver Dragon King, she had to push him away with her own hands. This torment of loving yet not daring to admit it, of longing yet being unable to speak, clung tightly around her like Dragon Valley's dragon energy, becoming her heaviest secret before Sea God's Fate.