Na'er Had Left

After Tang Wulin returned home with Tang Ziran, he told his father everything that had happened while obtaining his soul spirit that day.

Tang Ziran was astonished. The Spirit Transmitter had clearly acted against regulations, but on second thought, his son had gained a hundred-year soul spirit out of nowhere. It could only be a tremendous help on his future path as a Soul Master, so he let the matter rest. The only thing he could not understand was why Tang Wulin had chosen a Blue Silver Grass soul spirit. What use could hundred-year Blue Silver Grass possibly have? Tang Ziran wondered.

Tang Wulin, by contrast, showed no disappointment whatsoever. He was delighted. He knew that his martial soul was not ordinary Blue Silver Grass, but the Blue Silver Emperor, which had yet to fully awaken. An ordinary Soul Master would indeed gain little from absorbing a Hundred-Year Blue Silver Grass Soul Spirit, but he was betting on his future. One day, this Blue Silver Grass would become infused with the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline within him and undergo a transformative evolution. Moreover, the Golden Dragon King Origin lay hidden within his body. With those two great bloodlines blending and complementing each other, no one could say what this unassuming Blue Silver Grass might ultimately become.

Tang Wulin turned and explained his first soul skill to Tang Ziran, Lang Yue, and Na'er. With a slight turn of his wrist, strands of Blue Silver Grass slowly unfurled from his palm, and a luminous, pale yellow hundred-year soul ring rose around him.

"First soul skill—Blue Silver Forest."

As his words fell, Tang Wulin unleashed his soul skill right there in the living room. Dense clusters of Blue Silver weeds instantly sprouted within a ten-meter radius around him. Beyond that, nothing unusual happened.

Tang Ziran's eyes had initially been full of anticipation, but once he saw the skill's effect, his expression dimmed, disappointment stirring in his heart.

Tang Wulin merely smiled. "Mom, Dad, look more closely."

He lightly snapped the fingers of his right hand. The slender grass vines covering the floor suddenly grew like mad, swelling into thick vines. Blue Silver tendrils swept in from every direction, instantly wrapping Tang Ziran and Lang Yue in layer upon layer until they resembled two tightly bound grass dumplings. He deliberately restrained his soul power, applying no force at all. He was only demonstrating the full effect of his soul skill.

When he gently closed his fingers, the vines covering the floor vanished like a receding tide.

Tang Ziran and Lang Yue stood frozen, their eyes filled with shock.

"This... how could mere hundred-year Blue Silver Grass possess an ability like this? I haven't seen much of the world, so don't you go fooling us."

Only then did Tang Ziran truly realize that his son had gained far more than a small bargain. He had stumbled upon an extraordinary stroke of fortune.

Tang Wulin was brimming with pride after fully demonstrating his first soul skill to his parents when crisp applause suddenly sounded behind him.

Startled, he slowly turned to look. A familiar figure stood quietly in the living room doorway. The man had a stubbly beard, and his simple, old-fashioned gray robe accentuated his upright frame. He carried the steady presence unique to a seasoned blacksmith. It was his forging teacher—Mang Tian.

"Uncle Mang Tian!" Tang Wulin hurriedly reined in his soul power and greeted him respectfully.

Mang Tian had actually arrived some time earlier. He knew well that soul power and soul skills directly determined a Soul Master's future potential in forging, and that absorbing a compatible soul spirit was a crucial step for a newly advanced Soul Master. Worried, he had come specifically to inspect the results of Tang Wulin's absorption. He had been standing quietly behind them, observing the boy's entire demonstration.

When he first saw the thin, scattered Blue Silver Grass covering the floor, a flicker of disappointment had crossed Mang Tian's eyes as well. Even if the skill came from a hundred-year soul spirit, if it could do nothing more than cover an area so unremarkably, then this Hundred-Year Blue Silver Grass Soul Spirit was little more than a chicken rib—barely worth keeping, yet a pity to throw away.

But when Tang Wulin snapped his fingers and the slender grass suddenly became thick, tough vines that bound Tang Ziran and his wife in an instant, Mang Tian's expression changed completely. Shock surged in his eyes, impossible to conceal.

Tang Wulin was only nine years old, with soul power at rank eleven. In terms of cultivation alone, he was not a supreme genius among Soul Masters his age. Yet the strength of his first soul skill was utterly outrageous. This single hundred-year control skill could suppress most of his peers, and its room for future growth was simply immeasurable.

With that thought, Mang Tian looked up at Tang Wulin and instructed him in a grave, earnest voice, "Wulin, come on. Unleash your soul skill at full strength and try attacking me."

Tang Wulin did not hesitate. He knew his forging teacher was a genuine Soul Ancestor, so he had no misgivings. He immediately mobilized all his soul power.

"First soul skill, Blue Silver Forest!"

The bright yellow hundred-year soul ring lit up around the boy once more. Dense Blue Silver Grass instantly covered the entire living room floor, and two vines, thicker and sturdier than before, shot through the air toward Mang Tian from either side. One wound tightly around his legs, fixing his lower body in place, while the other climbed upward and bound his arms and wrists.

Mang Tian instinctively exerted himself to break free, but his eyebrows lifted a moment later. He had not used any soul skills, relying solely on his body's basic strength, yet he could not immediately tear apart the vines before him.

He was a mighty Soul Ancestor, after all. His basic physical strength far surpassed that of Soul Grandmasters and Soul Elders, yet the first soul skill of a rank-eleven One-Ring Soul Master had trapped him firmly!

The next moment, four soul rings rose from beneath Mang Tian's feet in succession. White, yellow, yellow, and purple, their radiance illuminated the entire living room. Vast, powerful soul power erupted alongside the blacksmith's formidable bodily vitality, and violent force swept out from within him.

With a sharp crack, the Blue Silver Vines binding him were instantly shattered by his bloodline power, dissolving into specks of green soul power that faded into the air.

Even after breaking free, however, Mang Tian stared at Tang Wulin in disbelief. His voice was filled with astonishment and emotion. "Wulin, the toughness of your Blue Silver Grass is truly terrifying. I didn't use a soul skill just now, but even exerting all my bodily vitality, which far exceeds an ordinary Soul Grandmaster's, I couldn't break the restraints immediately..."

As he finished speaking, Mang Tian bent down and picked up a remaining length of Blue Silver Grass vine that had not yet fully dissipated. Gripping an end in each hand, he tensed his arm muscles and pulled hard, applying considerable strength.

Yet no matter how he exerted himself, the seemingly slender Blue Silver Vines remained unchanged. Their outer skin was incomparably tough, without even the slightest crack.

Towering waves surged through Mang Tian's heart. He increased his strength again, pouring all his immense physical power into his hands, but he could only stretch the vine slightly. He could not tear it apart.

The living room fell deathly silent. Tang Ziran and Lang Yue stared, dumbfounded. Even Na'er, nestled obediently beside them, watched the scene with her clear eyes wide in surprise.

The same question arose in everyone's mind: was this really the strength and toughness that ordinary Blue Silver Grass should possess, with an innate soul power of rank five and a martial soul universally regarded as the continent's most useless?

With low innate soul power and bottom-tier Blue Silver Grass as his martial soul, he should have stood at the very bottom among Soul Masters. Yet the powerful restraints and terrifying toughness he had just displayed overturned everything they thought they knew about Blue Silver Grass.

Mang Tian slowly loosened his hands. Looking at the undamaged vine, his expression grew thoroughly solemn, a firm answer already forming in his heart. He raised his eyes to Tang Wulin and said earnestly, emphasizing every word, "Wulin, your martial soul is definitely not ordinary Blue Silver Grass."

"Either your martial soul was born mutated, or it underwent an acquired mutation when it was bathed in soul power during the absorption of this hundred-year soul spirit. That mutation gave your Blue Silver Grass toughness and control abilities far beyond its kind, freeing it completely from the shackles of a trash martial soul."

Those words shook Tang Ziran and his wife even more deeply. They finally understood that their son's insistence on choosing a Hundred-Year Blue Silver Grass Soul Spirit had never been a momentary impulse.

Having confirmed the condition of Tang Wulin's soul skill and martial soul, and knowing that the boy had encountered remarkable fortune and possessed boundless potential, Mang Tian stayed no longer. He nodded to the family of three and offered a brief farewell. "Wulin, I understand your situation now. Work on stabilizing your soul power. I still have an unfinished forging commission, so I need to leave."

With that, Mang Tian turned and walked out, gently closing the door behind him.

Quiet returned to the house. The doubts weighing on their hearts had completely dissipated, leaving only joy. Tang Ziran let out a long breath, his smile relieved and proud. Lang Yue's eyes softened as she gently stroked Tang Wulin's head, her heart filled with happiness.

To celebrate Tang Wulin's successful absorption of a soul spirit that suited him—and, even more, the mutation of his trash martial soul and his extraordinary good fortune—the couple immediately decided to prepare a lavish, delicious dinner themselves and give him a proper celebration.

The comforting warmth of home filled their little house. Amid this unexpected martial soul mutation, the boy's path as a Soul Master had turned toward a brilliant future entirely different from the original story.

Late at night, all was quiet, and soft lamplight filled the room. Tang Wulin sat alone beside his bed. With a slight stir of his thoughts, the Hundred-Year Blue Silver Grass Soul Spirit he had absorbed that day slowly appeared in his palm.

The soul spirit looked no different from his own Blue Silver Grass martial soul, except that it was longer and sturdier, with a faint halo of pale green soul power surrounding it. Tang Wulin lowered his gaze to the Blue Silver Grass resting quietly in his palm and spoke softly, his voice utterly sincere. "Thank you for giving me such a perfect soul skill, one that suits me so well."

His first soul skill currently covered only ten meters and still had its limitations, but Tang Wulin had already planned ahead. As long as he kept increasing his soul ring's age and helped this Hundred-Year Blue Silver Grass Soul Spirit continue to evolve, his road ahead would surely broaden, allowing him to travel farther and reach greater heights.

Yet no matter how softly he spoke, the Blue Silver Grass in his palm remained motionless, offering no response.

Tang Wulin gave a faint, helpless smile. He understood. Hundred-year Blue Silver Grass had no intelligence. Even a thousand-year grass-type soul spirit would remain ignorant and unaware; only upon reaching the ten-thousand-year realm would it develop a faint trace of self-awareness. In the end, he was merely playing music to grass, sharing thoughts that no one could hear.

He closed his eyes and reflected carefully. In the original story from his previous life, he had absorbed a defective ten-year little grass snake soul spirit, making his beginnings difficult and full of hardships. In this life, he had taken an entirely different road, but he had never regretted it in the slightest.

He had resolved to pursue both control and support. The Blue Silver Emperor was one of the continent's finest plant martial souls, naturally suited to this path of cultivation and brimming with potential.

As his thoughts churned, drowsiness slowly overtook him. Tang Wulin stopped thinking, lay down, and gradually drifted into dreams beneath the tranquil night.

After a peaceful night's sleep, dawn broke, and the faint morning light spilled through the window lattice into the room.

Tang Wulin slowly awoke and instinctively turned toward the small bed nearby. Na'er, who had slept there every night, was nowhere to be seen. His heart sank sharply. He lifted her pillow, only to find that the letter he had written himself and tucked inside the pillowcase had vanished as well.

Na'er had left.

The boy sat beside his bed without a word, a faint air of silence and loneliness surrounding him. His heart felt hollow.

Only after a long while did he slowly rise, open the door, and walk into the living room.

A simple breakfast sat on the dining table. Tang Ziran and Lang Yue ate quietly, neither speaking a word. The atmosphere was oppressive and heavy, devoid of the usual laughter.

The night before, Tang Wulin had slept deeply, his breathing steady and slow, completely unaware that the person beside him was about to leave.

Na'er had sat beside her little bed, quietly watching the boy's sleeping profile, unable to bring herself to move. In the end, she had not found the courage to wake him. Her heart was filled with indescribable conflict and reluctance. She did not know how to say goodbye to Wulin herself, and she feared even more that if he opened his eyes and called her name, the resolve she had spent so long gathering would instantly crumble into dust.

After three and a half years together, day and night, this ordinary, warm little home had already left deep marks upon her heart.

She was the Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena, burdened with the great task of reviving the soul beasts and meant to seek vengeance against humanity. Yet during those quiet years, she had seen the simplest, most genuine side of ordinary humans with her own eyes. Tang Ziran and Lang Yue were merely two among the continent's countless ordinary people. They had neither great strength nor overwhelming power, but they were always gentle and kind, tending their little home with care and earnestly cherishing their ordinary lives.

This pure, warm human affection, offered without any thought of gain, had gradually softened the heart she had kept frozen for ten thousand years. The obsession with vengeance, rooted deep within her, had slowly faded and receded.

But her people's blood-deep vendetta stood before her, and the burden of reviving the soul beasts weighed upon her shoulders. She could not lose herself in this tenderness. Gu Yuena ruthlessly severed the soft feelings surging within her and forced down all her reluctance. Yet the bond born from three and a half years together had already taken deep root. Even if she deliberately cut it away, it would remain buried in her heart, never to disappear completely.

Unlike the original story, where she had departed alone in sorrow, this time Di Tian had come with Bi Ji. Presenting themselves as Na'er's elders, they had calmly arrived to take her home. The farewell held less lonely helplessness and a little more dignity.

Na'er had gone into the living room alone and softly explained herself to Tang Ziran and Lang Yue, whose faces showed understanding and aching concern: her long-lost family had finally found her, and they had come to take her away. Her adoptive parents had not tried hard to keep her. They had merely urged her gently to stay safe on her journey, and their acceptance made her emotions surge all the more.

Before leaving, she had specifically instructed Di Tian to prepare a golden Federation Card containing ten million Federation Credits, which she quietly handed to Tang Ziran.

Gu Yuena knew better than anyone how strapped this ordinary family was, barely able to cover its daily expenses. Once Tang Wulin embarked on his path as a Soul Master, soul power cultivation, forging materials, and Soul Master supplies would all require enormous sums. The family's finances simply could not support his future cultivation. This fortune would be enough to keep the Tang family comfortably fed and clothed for the rest of their lives, while completely clearing away the financial obstacles on the early stages of Tang Wulin's path.

After completing all of this, Na'er did not look back. She quietly left the little house filled with warm memories, following Di Tian and Bi Ji.

After Na'er departed, Tang Ziran and Lang Yue returned to their bedroom. Neither spoke, and the silence hung heavy in the air. They stood side by side before the table, silently gazing at the golden Federation Card with its cold sheen.

Na'er's elders had left it before departing. At first, the couple had firmly refused to accept it, but when they hurried outside with the card to return it, the entrance to the alley was already deserted. In the blink of an eye, Na'er and her family had vanished without a trace.

Their hearts jolted, and only then did they belatedly realize that Na'er had never been a little girl from an ordinary family, and her relatives were anything but ordinary. At that thought, the bitterness lodged in their chests from the farewell eased slightly.

"Na'er has found her family. We should be happy for her," Lang Yue said softly, breaking the room's silence.

"Yes, we should." Tang Ziran agreed, though his voice still carried a trace of melancholy. "After finally finding her relatives, she must be enjoying a lively reunion with them right now. It's just this card..."

"Should we tell Wulin about it? His cultivation will require money at every turn," Lang Yue asked quietly beside him.

Tang Ziran shook his head. "We can't tell him. Haven't you understood yet? Wulin is proud. He wants to rely on himself for everything. To pay for his first soul spirit, he quietly worked for three whole years before saving enough money, never saying a word to us from beginning to end. Both his hands are covered in thick calluses. If he finds out about this, it'll only hurt him. He might even mistakenly think Na'er's elders left the money because they wanted to cut all ties between the two children."

He shook his head and picked up the golden card, lightly brushing its smooth surface with his fingertips. "Let's keep it for now. Perhaps they'll meet again someday. When that happens, we'll return every bit of it to her. We never adopted Na'er for anything like this."

With that, he turned and carefully placed the golden card inside an old-fashioned metal box, putting it safely away. Ten million lay before them, yet neither felt the slightest greed. All that remained was their quiet concern for that little girl.

Dawn broke, and the boy awoke to nothing but an empty little bed and a missing letter.

Gu Yuena had completely severed every outward emotional tie binding her to this little home and to Tang Wulin. She turned toward the journey fate had laid out for her, embarking on the grand undertaking of reviving the soul beasts. Yet no one knew that the tenderness hidden in her heart, never entirely extinguished, would one day stir towering waves again.