Was It Possible That You Were Also Starchasm Nyx?

Meanwhile, in Aolai City, thousands of miles away.

Tang Ziran stood at the entrance to the Spirit Pagoda's front hall and lowered his head to glance at the card clutched in his hand.

It was the card Tang Wulin had borrowed from Mo Yuan. It contained two hundred and fifty thousand Federation credits.

Together with the more than seven hundred thousand Tang Wulin had saved over the years, it was just enough to cover the price of a Century Soul Spirit.

He handed the card back to Tang Wulin without saying anything, merely patting his son's shoulder.

"Let's go."

Tang Wulin nodded firmly and followed his father through the entrance of the Spirit Pagoda.

The Soul Spirit Master who received them was still a young one, but he was even younger than Su Yutao had been three years ago. He looked as though he had only recently joined the staff, but his attitude was respectful.

After Tang Ziran explained their purpose, the Soul Spirit Master immediately led them to the Soul Spirit exhibition hall.

"If your budget is sufficient, then you're in luck. We've recently received a new batch of Soul Spirits, so there are quite a few Century Soul Spirit options. Your Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass, right? Based on my professional recommendation, a plant-type Century Soul Spirit would be the safest match. It has high affinity, low fusion difficulty, and a very well-established path of development. For example, this Golden Thread Vine is one hundred and twenty-nine years old. It has excellent control and resilience, along with vitality no weaker than Azure Vine. This Bloodthorn Vine is more attack-oriented and has decent explosive power, but it's somewhat more difficult to control. And this one..."

Tang Wulin leaned against the transparent barrier in front of the row of Soul Spirit spheres, his eyes dazzled by the multicolored plant Soul Spirits.

To be honest, he wanted every one of them. After all, to someone who had possessed only Blue Silver Grass since childhood, any named Martial Soul seemed incredibly powerful.

But he remembered something Mo Yuan had once told him: "Choosing a Soul Spirit isn't about picking the coolest one. It's about choosing the one that suits you."

In the end, he pointed at the Golden Thread Vine. "I want this one. Is that okay?"

The Soul Spirit Master nodded and glanced at the price. "One million Federation credits. This is a one-hundred-and-twelve-year-old Golden Thread Vine. Your budget is sufficient. I'll retrieve it for you right away."

Tang Ziran stood beside him, his face expressionless, but his fingers had been clutching the seam of his pants the entire time.

When Tang Wulin took out the card and handed it over, he subtly turned his gaze away.

The Soul Spirit Master then led Tang Wulin directly to the fusion room in the Spirit Pagoda.

This room was considerably smaller than the previous one.

Aside from a metal bed and a ring of auxiliary arrays around it, there was nothing else.

The Soul Spirit Master placed the Soul Spirit sphere into the fusion device, gave him a few more instructions, and then withdrew.

As gentle green light surged in from all directions, the Soul Spirit sphere gradually opened, revealing the vine inside, covered in golden threadlike patterns.

Tang Wulin reached out and touched the vine. In an instant, it swelled violently as though caught in a storm, wrapping his entire body within it.

"Relax. Don't resist. Let it enter your body and simply follow its flow."

Recalling the Soul Spirit Master's instructions, Tang Wulin closed his eyes.

He could feel a warm force seeping in through his chest and slowly spreading along his meridians like flowing water.

The sensation was far more comfortable than he had imagined, like soaking in water at exactly the right temperature.

As the Golden Thread Vine's Soul Spirit entered his body, it gradually revealed a supple, resilient sensation and began resonating with his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

The fusion proceeded smoothly.

The green light lasted for roughly seven or eight minutes before gradually fading.

Tang Wulin felt that something extra had appeared inside his body. It was heavy, but not uncomfortable, like a small warm lake had formed beside his heart.

As the Soul Conduction Array went out, the Soul Spirit Master walked back in. He nodded and was just about to say, "Congratulations—"

Tang Wulin suddenly felt his right palm grow intensely hot.

The heat came and went quickly, lasting less than two seconds from beginning to end.

He instinctively opened his hand and saw a very fine, faint golden glimmer flash among the lines of his palm. It was like a thread briefly ignited before quickly dimming and vanishing beneath his normal skin tone.

He blinked, thinking he must have seen it wrong. But his right hand was indeed a little warmer than before, and there was a faint, swollen ache in his palm.

The Soul Spirit Master did not notice this detail. He had already turned to the operating console to record the data.

Tang Wulin silently clenched his fist. The swelling had already faded, but he vaguely felt that his right hand was stronger than before—and it was not a psychological effect. He could genuinely feel the taut strength in his grip.

The fusion was complete. Tang Wulin got off the bed and walked over to Tang Ziran, who was waiting at the door. He grinned. "Dad, I did it!"

Tang Ziran pulled him into his arms and hugged him tightly.

Tang Wulin was squeezed until he could barely breathe, but he did not push his father away. He could feel his father's shoulders trembling slightly.

"Linlin, once you have the ability, you must remember to pay your friend back as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, Dad. I remember." Tang Wulin smiled. "I'm already a blacksmith now. I'm sure I'll be able to earn money faster and faster in the future."

Poor child. He still had no idea that his good big brother had already backstabbed his repayment plans.

Hopefully, his progress in blacksmithing could keep up with the progress of technology.

At the same time.

Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, beside the Lake of Life.

Na'er sat on a flat boulder with her feet immersed in the cool lake water, both hands cupping the necklace around her neck.

The pendant at the end of the necklace refracted scattered silver flecks beneath the slanting rays of the setting sun. Reflected in her silver eyes, they looked like two tiny stars.

She could still recall what Mo Yuan had said while fighting Di Tian that night, as well as the final words he had spoken to her.

"Temporary separation does not mean eternal farewell. It symbolizes an even better reunion."

She had cried then, but now she was much calmer.

Every evening, she simply sat by the lake in a daze for a while, gently rubbing the necklace between her palms.

Di Tian stood atop the crown of a giant tree some distance away. His back was to her, and he did not make a sound to disturb her.

Ever since returning to the Star Dou Great Forest, Na'er had discovered something very strange: the consciousness of the "Silver Dragon King" within her was awakening more and more, but she herself—the "Na'er" from Mo Yuan's family—felt no sense of being swallowed or suppressed at all.

Instead, she felt that it was becoming easier and easier to find a balance between the two.

The Silver Dragon King's wisdom and memories still existed, but whenever she made a decision, she always felt that she still had room to choose.

She did not really understand why, but instinctively, she felt that it was related to the black feather her brother had sent into the space between her brows at the end that day.

"...Brother, have you been protecting me all along?" She pressed the necklace to her lips and called out very softly.

The necklace showed no reaction. She knew that Mo Yuan might be busy with something right now and unable to hear her, but she still could not help saying, "Brother, Na'er misses you so much."

The surface of the necklace grew imperceptibly warmer.

The change in temperature lasted only an instant, so faint that it could have been an illusion, but Na'er felt it clearly.

She froze for a moment, then the corners of her mouth curved upward. She gripped the necklace in her palm again, raised her head to look at the golden sunset on the surface of the Lake of Life, and gently swung her feet.

Rings of fine light rippled across the lake.

Just then, a slightly irritable voice suddenly rang out in her mind.

"Brother this, brother that. Aren't you getting annoying?"

"Heehee, what's wrong? Are you jealous because I have a brother and you don't?"

Na'er covered her mouth and giggled.

"You're driving me crazy! I'm telling you, today's time is up. We should go back, shouldn't we?"

"Hmm, can't we stay a little longer? It's not as though you have anything to do anyway."

"Do you have anything to do, then? Even when I let you stay outside, you keep thinking about that Mo Yuan brother of yours. If you're not sick of the noise, I am!"

"Na'er's" eyes blinked. When they opened for the final time, however, they had already turned the color of amethyst.