Time flashed by like a white colt through a crack; days and months flowed past like falling blossoms on running water. In the blink of an eye, two years had vanished.
Ever since Tang Wulin broke the First Seal, her forging ability had improved enormously. She could reportedly complete Thousand Forging on her own now.
A week earlier, Tang Wulin's Soul Power had reached Level 18. Apart from Tang Li, she now had the highest cultivation at Red Mountain Academy.
Because of the Golden Dragon King, Tang Wulin had also grown rapidly over the past two years. She stood half a head taller than Tang Li, and no one would have guessed she was only nine.
The Golden-Backed Earth Dragon had grown just as quickly. Even without the Spirit Ascension Platform to increase its age, every one of its attributes had reached the level of a Millennium Soul Beast.
Most absurdly, even the Clear Sky Hammer, which had nothing to do with dragons, had been affected by Tang Wulin. The dark-gold Clear Sky Hammer she had inherited from Buddha Tang had turned pure gold, patterned with streaks of blood red.
Dragon markings and scales covered the entire hammer. Its original appearance was completely gone, but its quality had improved tremendously.
Na'er, on the other hand, had not changed at all. She looked just as she had two years ago, as though time had lost its hold on her and left no trace.
She was still the youngest in the family. Over those two years, Tang Li and Tang Wulin often made little toys for her and took her out to play.
A year earlier, their father, Tang Ziran, had begun shifting his work to Eastsea City. Things there were far more complicated than in Aolai City, and the trouble had cost him plenty of hair.
But with a son like Tang Li, whose fortune reached the heavens, the great hand of fate had brought Tang Ziran an opportunity.
By now, the workshop Tang Ziran and his wife ran had found its footing in Eastsea City. They were only waiting for Tang Li and the others to graduate from Red Mountain Academy before the whole family moved there.
Their mother, Lang Yue, had already gone to the house in Eastsea City. It had been left unfinished as a place for Tang Ziran to rest while working there.
Lang Yue had gone ahead to find someone to renovate it and tidy it up.
As for Tang Li, he had probably changed the most.
Though he was half a head shorter than Tang Wulin, their physical strength was nearly the same. After all, Tang Wulin had not necessarily absorbed more of the Golden Dragon King's power than he had.
In Soul Power, Tang Li's cultivation speed had left everyone else eating dust, with Tang Wulin far behind.
He had become a rank thirty-one Soul Elder at nine years old. Across the entire Skysea Alliance, few could compare.
And the quality of his Soul Power was astonishing. When Elder Ling's Spiritual Body had come to see Tang Li, even he had been startled.
Once Elder Ling learned that Tang Li could obtain Immortal Spirit Qi from the Spirit Pagoda, he understood why. He said it was wonderful stuff, and that improving Soul Power was the least of its benefits.
He did not tell Tang Li what else it could do, though. He only told him to try it for himself.
Tang Li's Spiritual Power had not risen as quickly as his Soul Power cultivation. When tested at the Spirit Pagoda, it had measured four hundred points—already a frightening figure. An ordinary Five-Ring Control System Soul Wang might have only that much.
Tang Li's Third Soul Skill was an auxiliary enhancement skill called Yun. It let him channel the spiritual energy within the Pot World to strengthen himself or others.
Tang Li had even devised an amusing way to use it, one that had left Tang Wulin thoroughly exasperated.
Once students in the Spirit Master Class reached rank ten and acquired a Soul Spirit, they could graduate from Red Mountain Academy. Tang Li and Tang Wulin had both met those requirements and received letters recommending them for Intermediate Academy.
With those letters, they could attend East Sea Soul Master Academy.
Ordinary students like Na'er had no such hurdles. Tang Ziran had already arranged her transfer and planned to take her to school in Eastsea City with Tang Li.
But Tang Li noticed that Na'er had grown increasingly distracted over the past few days. She did not even seem to enjoy her meals as much as before.
Tang Wulin thought Na'er had lost her appetite because their mother was away and her own cooking did not suit Na'er's tastes.
Tang Li thought so at first, too. But he could sense the increasingly strong fluctuations of Spiritual Power around Na'er. It seemed she was resisting something.
There was only one likely explanation: Gu Yue, who held most of the Silver Dragon King's power, had found Na'er and was preparing to send someone to take her away.
A few days later, Na'er stopped resisting with her Spiritual Power. She seemed to have accepted her fate...
That day, Na'er returned to her usual cheerful self. She took Tang Li and Tang Wulin by the hands and asked them to take her to see the beach once more.
Beneath the setting sun, the three walked along the sand. Tang Wulin laughed as she shared amusing stories from her forging lessons, while Tang Li occasionally chimed in about the problems he had encountered studying Soul Tools.
In the blink of an eye, the sun set and the sky darkened. Tang Ziran came home and told them they would leave for Eastsea City in two days.
Tang Wulin was delighted, of course. She had not seen their mother, Lang Yue, in some time...
Late that night, Tang Wulin slept soundly, unusually not pressed against Tang Li.
Tang Li sat cross-legged on the bed, but he was not cultivating through Meditation. His Spiritual Power remained alert, his attention fixed on Na'er.
Sure enough, when the moonlight was at its brightest in the early hours, Na'er opened her eyes. Its pale, mournful light fell across her lustrous silver hair, making each all the more beautiful.
Na'er climbed quietly out of bed. She clearly did not want to wake Tang Wulin or Tang Li.
But Tang Li sensed it all. Once Na'er left the room, he climbed straight out the window.
He knew that, with her memories restored, Na'er could not be held back by the doors of their home.
He did not want to wake Tang Wulin either. His sister cared deeply for those close to her; if she learned Na'er was leaving, she would never agree to it.
So he would have to follow Na'er and say goodbye alone. After all their years together, he was reluctant to part with her.
As for whether he might run into the Ferocious Beasts from the Star Dou Great Forest, Tang Li could not bring himself to care.
With that thought, he quickened his pace and waited for Na'er outside the door.
To his surprise, Na'er lingered inside for a while longer. About five minutes later, she tore open space and passed through a spatial tunnel directly to the doorstep.
Because of the Demon-Sealing Pot's unusual nature, Na'er could see through the concealment Elder Ling had placed over Tang Li's Qi Luck and sense that wisp of Chaotic Residual Flame, but she could not see through the pot's power. As long as Tang Li wrapped himself in its energy, Na'er would not detect him.
The instant Na'er appeared, believing she had slipped away unnoticed, she found Tang Li waiting at the door with the Demon-Sealing Pot balanced on his head.
The moment she saw him, tears blurred Na'er's eyes. "Brother Xiao Li..."
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