The Great Fortune Takes Shape

The sky was clear and bright. Even the sun seemed willing to oblige, spilling gentle light across the continent.

"Mu En, is that a Soul Beast?"

Tang Wulin stood beside Mu En, studying the rabbit lying on the ground nearby with open curiosity.

"That's right. It's a thousand-year Lightning Rabbit."

Mu En thought nothing of Tang Wulin's curiosity. He was a divine son; wasn't it only natural that he had never seen a Soul Beast?

"A Lightning Rabbit?"

Tang Wulin repeated the Soul Beast's name, then fell silent. He had not even started school yet and knew next to nothing about the subject.

"That's right. Go on, kill it and obtain your First Soul Ring."

Mu En raised a hand toward the Lightning Rabbit and spoke gently.

Tang San had told him to let Tang Wulin cultivate his Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul first. Mu En knew the path Tang San had once taken, so he had Gong Changlong bring a Lightning Rabbit from the Beast Pen. This kind of Soul Beast generally yielded a Soul Skill that boosted speed.

As the saying went, speed was strength. Mu En had seen Tang Wulin's strength for himself. If the boy made up for his lack of speed, the power behind that tremendous strength would grow even greater.

"Kill it?"

Tang Wulin hesitated. He had never killed a small animal in his life.

"That's right. In the future, you'll fight all kinds of Soul Beasts and people. I'm not asking you to learn to kill people yet, Wulin, but you need to learn to steel your heart against Soul Beasts."

Mu En encouraged Tang Wulin. He knew the boy was kind but resolute; he only needed a little push.

"Once you've killed it, I'll have someone roast the rabbit for you."

"I'm going!"

Tang Wulin cried out and hurried over to the Lightning Rabbit. It had already been knocked unconscious.

"Dragon Transformation!"

Tang Wulin spoke softly. Fine golden dragon scales slowly spread across his right arm, and his five fingers became claws that gleamed beneath the sun.

He did not hesitate.

With a speed that gave no time to cover one's ears against thunder, Tang Wulin drove his Golden Dragon Claw into the Lightning Rabbit's head, sparing it any pain.

Wulin is a good child.

Mu En understood what Tang Wulin had intended. He quietly moved to the boy's side, ready to protect him while he absorbed the Soul Ring.

The Golden Dragon Claw's power shattered the Lightning Rabbit's head, leaving Tang Wulin with a pang of regret. It seemed spicy rabbit head was off the menu.

Its life force swiftly faded. A hazy stream of light rose from the Lightning Rabbit's corpse, contracting and solidifying until it formed a pale-purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring in the air.

Tang Wulin sat cross-legged as Mu En had taught him and drew the Soul Ring toward himself with Soul Power and Spiritual Power.

A torrent of scalding energy rampaged through Tang Wulin's meridians, forcing out his Martial Soul. Rabbit ears appeared atop his head once more.

Tang Wulin gritted his teeth and tried to wrap his Soul Power around that vast energy and refine it, but it elbowed its way free again and again. Its strength was gradually waning as his grew, so he would succeed eventually, but it would take a great deal of effort.

Suddenly, an enraged dragon's roar erupted from deep within Tang Wulin. The energy that had been racing about instantly settled down and obediently let him refine it.

From outside, Mu En saw only Tang Wulin's brow furrow. A faint draconic pressure flashed past, and his brow relaxed. Before long, he had successfully absorbed the Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

Dad, Mom, I've become a Soul Master.

Father, I absorbed it successfully.

"Thank you for protecting me, Mu En."

Tang Wulin bowed slightly to Mu En in thanks.

Something about Tang Wulin's politeness left Mu En vaguely uncomfortable, as though it kept them at a distance. Still, a polite child was a lovable one, and Mu En could hardly complain.

"It was nothing. You're the one who absorbed the Soul Ring, after all. No one has ever had a thousand-year First Soul Ring before you."

Mu En gave him a thumbs-up. With a thousand years on his First Soul Ring, Mu En hardly dared imagine how old the later ones might be.

"Heh heh."

Tang Wulin scratched his head and smiled bashfully, then explained the effects of his first thousand-year Soul Skill.

"The effects are simple. After I use it, my speed increases by fifty percent for half an hour. I can also teleport without restriction."

"What did you say? Teleport without restriction?"

Mu En raised his voice without meaning to, clicking his tongue in astonishment.

"That's right. Once I've practiced, I should be able to see Spatial Nodes within my Spiritual Power Range and teleport anywhere inside it. If a place is outside that range, though, I can only keep going in one direction into the dark."

Tang Wulin grinned. He clearly recognized how valuable this Soul Skill was to him: it would let him make the most of the strength granted by his Golden Dragon King Bloodline.

"Like this."

The Thousand-Year Soul Ring around Tang Wulin flashed faintly. The next instant, he appeared behind Mu En. Another flash took him into the air, and he landed lightly on the ground.

"Judging by the look of you, it doesn't consume much Soul Power either?"

Mu En was at a loss for words. It was outrageous enough for teleportation to appear as a First Soul Ring skill. Tang Wulin was not even flushed or short of breath; who knew how many times he could use it in a single fight?

One teleport was one chance to turn the tide of battle. Tang Wulin had a whole handful of chances.

Comparisons could drive a person mad. Mu En decided not to dwell on it. If Tang Wulin grew stronger, Mu En's own burden would only grow lighter.

"For me, the cost isn't very high."

The Goddess of Life's divine power had transformed Tang Wulin's body. It was brimming with vitality, his ability to heal had improved dramatically, and even his Soul Power had been naturally compressed severalfold. His reserves far surpassed those of others at his level. It was an attack from an entirely different dimension.

Tang Wulin had already planned how to combine his Soul Skills in battle: teleport straight into his opponent's face, then slap them with the Golden Dragon Claw. Simple and brutal, a violent beauty built on mechanics and raw numbers.

"Ahem. Now that you've obtained your First Soul Ring, Lord Sea God wants you to study reading and writing with a theory teacher from the Inner Court. Then, in a month, you'll enroll alongside this year's new students."

Mu En cleared his throat and briefly laid out what came next for Tang Wulin. He did not know why Tang San wanted the boy to start in the Outer Court. Was it to remind him of hardship amid comfort?

"All right, Mu En."

Tang Wulin accepted the plan eagerly, looking forward to his future studies so much that he forgot to ask the question he had been holding onto: why could he understand the Douluo Language?

"Mu En, I'm hungry again."

Tang Wulin's stomach rumbled, drawing a wry smile from him. Perhaps because he had opened two seals at once, his appetite had soared these past few days, and he grew hungry with remarkable ease.

"Come on. Let's get you something to eat."

Mu En smiled. For a Soul Master like Tang Wulin, who needed to cultivate the power of his blood and body, a hearty appetite was a blessing. Shrek Academy would give him its full support. The Inner Court dining hall was stocked with piles of Soul Beast meat and Spirit Treasures, all prepared for Tang Wulin.

"Heh heh."

A radiant smile spread across Tang Wulin's fair, tender face as he followed Mu En toward the dining hall. Gentle sunlight drifted down, wrapping the two figures in its warmth.

Meanwhile, Yan Shaozhe gazed at the ethereal Cloud Sea above the mountains and could not help but marvel.

"Truly, when the clouds run deep, none knows where to find it."