Mu Ye's Judgment

Tang Wulin watched the middle-aged man before him. Just moments ago, the man had been bristling with aggression, his face savage and violent. Now he stood hunched, not a trace of a powerful expert's edge remaining in his expression. There was only unease and restraint as he bowed his head and cautiously apologized to a junior. A jumble of emotions filled Tang Wulin's heart, leaving him momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond.

He had never been particularly magnanimous or quick to let things go. The mortal danger of that razor-thin brush with death was still clearly carved into his mind-the bone-chilling pressure, his consciousness on the verge of collapse, the terror of having his spiritual origin devoured. None of it had faded.

He truly had stood on the edge of life and death, one step away from eternal ruin. If not for the strand of pure divine power his father, Tang San, had left deep within his Sea of Consciousness quietly protecting him and resisting that overwhelming invasion, even if his body had somehow survived today, he would have been completely possessed. His own consciousness would have vanished, sinking into the darkness of an endless slumber, never to recover his sense of self.

Such deadly danger could not be brushed aside with a casually spoken "misunderstanding."

Still, he knew where to draw the line. This middle-aged man was a friend of Mu Chen's and possessed strength at least at the Soul Douluo level. Someone with such reserves and power was no ordinary figure.

After a moment's consideration, Tang Wulin suppressed the complicated emotions churning within him and stilled the turmoil in his eyes. Deliberately assuming an openhearted, magnanimous air of righteousness, he raised his gaze to the humble Mu Ye. His voice was calm and gentle, carrying not the slightest resentment.

"Senior, you needn't do this. It was only an accident."

He paused, his gaze clear and candid, then slowly continued, "My bloodline is unusual. Even I haven't fully understood its mysteries. You didn't know, Senior, and lost control for a moment. That's understandable."

As he finished, a faint smile curved his lips, adding a touch of relief. "Not only do I not blame you, I actually owe you my thanks. The extreme pressure of that desperate situation happened to force out my hidden soul power, breaking through a bottleneck that had held me back for a long time. My soul power has now surpassed level fifteen and firmly reached level sixteen!"

"This misfortune turned into a blessing, all thanks to you, Senior. I can hardly thank you enough. How could I possibly blame you?"

Rather than easing Mu Ye's mind, Tang Wulin's generous, candid words only made his guilt and regret surge more fiercely, weighing down on him layer upon layer.

He had nearly ended a boy's life and destroyed his future. Yet after enduring that brush with death, Tang Wulin showed neither resentment nor reproach. Instead, he gently comforted him, even openly explaining how the misfortune had become a blessing and allowed him to advance. The boy's clear, generous heart, set against Mu Ye's own reckless brutality and attack without first asking why, made a mighty expert like him seem all the narrower and more rash. Shame swept through his entire being.

Mu Ye took a deep breath and shed every trace of awkwardness. His expression became utterly solemn, his gaze fixed firmly on Tang Wulin. His voice was steady and resonant, filled with sincerity. "You're Tang Wulin, correct?"

Without waiting for Tang Wulin to answer, he solemnly introduced himself, enunciating every word. "My name is Mu Ye. What happened today was my failure of judgment and my reckless conduct. I acted far too rashly and nearly committed a terrible mistake, nearly destroying a gifted young talent like you."

The instant his words fell, Mu Ye's eyes sharpened. A faint glow of his martial soul suddenly rose around him, his soul power stirred slightly, and an invisible force of the world's laws seemed to quietly gather about him.

"I, Mu Ye, swear upon my own martial soul! As of today, I owe Tang Wulin a favor! From now on, whatever you ask of me, so long as it neither harms the innocent nor violates the righteous path, I will do everything in my power to help, no matter how difficult! This debt will stand for my entire life, never to be forgotten!"

His ringing oath landed with the weight of iron, without a trace of empty politeness.

Beside them, Mu Chen's and Zhen Hua's expressions changed abruptly. Shock and astonishment flashed through both pairs of eyes as they instinctively looked toward the solemn Mu Ye.

Familiar with the rules of the Douluo World, they knew better than anyone that on this continent, a martial soul oath was no trivial matter, much less a few words spoken for appearances.

A martial soul was the foundation of a Soul Master's existence, deeply bound to their divine soul, soul power, and innate fortune. An oath sworn upon it was therefore a pledge of one's heart made directly before the laws of heaven and earth. Once spoken, it would be branded into the martial soul origin and remain for a lifetime.

If the oath was later broken and the promise betrayed, the lighter consequences would be a tarnished martial soul and obstructed soul power, leaving the oathbreaker unable to advance again for the rest of their life. Their martial path would be severed, their cultivation forever flawed. In severe cases, the laws of heaven and earth would strike back, bringing inexplicable calamities and haunting inner demons, ending in the miserable ruin of a shattered martial soul and utterly destroyed cultivation.

Throughout the ages, countless vivid examples had stood before people's eyes. There was no room for disbelief.

Mu Ye was a supreme expert long renowned across the continent, a man of lofty standing, profound cultivation, and a bright future. Yet today, for a young junior, he had unhesitatingly sworn such a weighty martial soul oath, genuinely staking his martial foundation and a lifetime of cultivation to owe Tang Wulin an immense debt.

Tang Wulin stared at the middle-aged man's utterly solemn expression, briefly stunned. His mind felt muddled, and he failed to immediately grasp the weight of that oath.

He quietly studied Mu Ye's composed, serious face, turning the familiar name over in his mind. The next second, realization flashed through his thoughts, and countless pieces of information about the continent's supreme experts surged forth!

Mu Ye!

The current sect master of the Body Sect!

One of the continent's greatest Level Nine Mecha Masters, possessing an exceptionally rare Red Top-Level Mecha, with strength and renown that resounded throughout the entire Douluo Continent!

What shook him even more was his clear recollection that Mu Ye and Zhen Hua were friends who had entrusted their lives to each other!

Zhen Hua...

Tang Wulin knew that name all too well!

He was the only living God Craftsman on the Douluo Continent, the pinnacle of the entire forging world, an existence countless blacksmiths spent their lives looking up to!

At that thought, Tang Wulin's pupils contracted slightly, and he abruptly turned toward the man standing beside them with a smile. No wonder the man possessed such extraordinary bearing, calm and restrained. He was the legendary God Craftsman, Zhen Hua!

Seeing the boy's dawning realization, Mu Chen spoke at just the right moment to clear up all his doubts, a somewhat helpless sigh in his voice.

"Wulin, this is Mu Ye, the sect master of the Body Sect. His title is Body."

"The two of them came to help me study your unusual bloodline and the changes in your martial soul. None of us expected the power hidden in your bloodline to be so peculiar that it would trigger a misunderstanding and cause such a dangerous scene. It nearly ended in disaster."

With that, Mu Chen raised his hand and gestured toward the gentle-mannered Zhen Hua beside him, continuing the introduction solemnly. "And this is my senior brother, Zhen Hua."

"I imagine you've already heard his name-the only God Craftsman alive today! Of the precious Four-Word Battle Armors on the continent, the vast majority were made by my senior brother. He is a legendary figure who could be said to support the entire continent's high-level forging and supreme battle armor system."

Tang Wulin looked up, his heart filled with reverence.

The renowned Zhen Hua, the foremost God Craftsman of the age, appeared only in his thirties. His features were gentle and refined, his posture upright. Only a few strands of frost-white hair at his temples bore the marks of passing years and long devotion to forging. He was looking at Tang Wulin with a kind, gentle gaze, without any of the airs of a supreme expert or legendary God Craftsman. Instead, he looked like someone gazing at a promising junior of his own family, his eyes full of affection and expectation.

Upon learning that the man was his master's senior brother, Tang Wulin dared not show the slightest neglect. He quickly stepped forward, straightened himself, and bowed respectfully, his tone sincere. "Disciple Tang Wulin pays his respects to Senior Uncle!"

"Good, good, good! What a fine child. There's no need for such formality."

Zhen Hua repeated his praise three times, his warm, mellow voice brimming with approval. With a casual turn of his right hand and a flash of light, an elegant, antique-looking soul guidance storage ring appeared, resting quietly in his palm.

He slowly held the ring out to Tang Wulin, his gaze sincere and earnest. "I originally intended to give you rare metals, natural treasures, or other such material gifts. But I know that, as my junior brother's disciple, you have never lacked resources or treasures."

"What you lack most now has never been material things, but time to consolidate your foundation, and the experience and state of mind gained by walking the path of cultivation."

"There are no priceless treasures in this storage ring. It contains only everything I have accumulated throughout my life since first entering the path of forging: all my insights into forging, reflections on its methods, secrets of crafting, and lifelong understanding of the martial path, gathered through decades of tireless study and countless hammer blows."

Tang Wulin's heart jolted, and his expression instantly became deeply solemn.

He raised both hands high and accepted the seemingly ordinary storage ring with the utmost care and respect.

At that moment, he understood with perfect clarity. This was no mere soul tool ring. It was the accumulated legacy of the world's only God Craftsman, the inheritance of his heart and path!

It was as though a legend standing at the summit of the continent's forging world had passed on everything he had learned, understood, and studied throughout his life, holding nothing back.

This gift was worth ten thousand times more than any divine weapon or rare metal. It was a priceless foundation, an unparalleled opportunity that would light his future path in forging and battle armor!

Mu Ye watched the entire scene from the side. Seeing Zhen Hua unhesitatingly give away a storage ring carrying the essence of his lifelong forging achievements, his pupils abruptly contracted, his eyes filled with wonder and emotion.

He looked at his old, dear friend, unsure whether to laugh or cry, and silently marveled. As expected of Zhen Hua-when it came to a junior, he truly was willing to give away his cherished stores without reservation.

With that thought, Mu Ye no longer held anything back either. He reached into his own soul tool's storage space. Light flashed, and a strange fruit, crimson all over and wreathed in flowing radiance, slowly appeared in his palm.

The fruit was as vivid as blazing fire. Fine, intricate golden dragon patterns naturally wound across its skin, flowing ceaselessly and faintly emanating a vast, domineering pressure. Whenever a breeze passed, its surface trembled gently, releasing faint, far-reaching dragon cries, low and resonant. Wisps of draconic energy spread outward, making even the surrounding air feel warm and rich.

Holding the precious fruit, Mu Ye solemnly offered it to Tang Wulin and explained, "This is a Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon-Breath Fruit, one of the finest natural treasures of the dragon attribute in the world. It has an unparalleled nourishing effect on all dragon martial souls and Soul Masters with dragon blood."

"Ordinary cultivation resources can only aid the growth of soul power and temper the body. But this Dragon-Breath Fruit is different. It can nourish a dragon bloodline, condense dragon might, strengthen your foundation, and subtly raise the upper limits of your martial soul. A treasure like this is exceedingly rare. Ordinary organizations have no chance of even seeing one. Only the continent's very largest, most prestigious auction houses might occasionally offer one. It has a price, but no supply."

When Mu Chen saw the fruit, astonishment immediately flashed through his eyes. He hurriedly cast Tang Wulin a discreet look, signaling him to accept this tremendous opportunity at once.

This was a supreme treasure from the Body Sect's sect master's private collection, something ordinary people could never obtain-a genuine heaven-defying opportunity.

Tang Wulin dared not delay. He immediately stepped forward, holding both hands level, his manner respectful and solemn, and steadily accepted the Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon-Breath Fruit with its lingering dragon cries. He bowed deeply to Mu Ye. "Thank you for your generous gift, Senior Mu Ye!"

After a round of warm conversation, the atmosphere relaxed completely. Tang Wulin collected himself and carefully explained to the three men, in clear and orderly detail, the best ways to consume, refine, and absorb these three priceless gains: Zhen Hua's lifelong forging insights, his own opportunity for advancement, and the Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon-Breath Fruit. He was thorough and meticulous, holding nothing back.

Mu Ye listened quietly, nodding slightly from time to time. Within him, however, towering waves had already risen. He kept marveling inwardly, his gaze toward Tang Wulin growing ever deeper and more complicated.

In fact, after the misunderstanding had been cleared up and the turmoil had ended, he had used checking Tang Wulin's injuries as a pretext to quietly take a trace of his blood for close study.

At first glance, that trace of blood was no different from the blood of an ordinary human Soul Master. It was clear and translucent, with no unusual phenomena-utterly unremarkable, showing nothing special at all.

Yet with the profound cultivation of a Level Nine Mecha Master and the Body Sect's sect master, careful examination revealed its hidden mystery. Deep within this seemingly ordinary blood lingered a faint thread of pure dragon might, ancient and domineering.

It was so bizarre that it completely overturned everything considered normal among the continent's Soul Masters!

Across the Douluo Continent, martial souls were the outward manifestation of a Soul Master's innate talent, while bloodlines were the fundamental origin of the human body. The two complemented each other, yet remained clearly distinct. But the dragon attribute and dragon might within Tang Wulin had already fused completely with his flesh, divine soul, and fundamental bloodline, as though he had been born that way. It was utterly natural, without the slightest trace of later refinement or enhancement by external power.

There were countless Soul Masters with dragon-attribute bloodlines in the world; that was nothing unusual. But innate dragon might within a human Soul Master's bloodline was something rarely seen throughout all the ages!

Dragon might was a mark exclusive to supreme dragon Soul Beasts over a hundred thousand years old, an intrinsic pressure belonging to Ferocious Beasts and divine beasts. It should never have appeared in a human.

Countless thoughts churned wildly through Mu Ye's mind, and a bold, absurd, almost impossible conjecture emerged beyond his control.

Could Tang Wulin... be a supreme dragon Ferocious Beast that had taken human form?

The thought shook even Mu Ye himself, leaving him scarcely able to believe it.

By all ordinary reasoning, it was impossible! A Ferocious Beast taking human form defied heaven and was subject to severe constraints imposed by its laws. Such beings were exceedingly few, and it was even less possible for one to cultivate in such a purely human state, awakening a martial soul and cultivating soul power. None of it made sense.

Mu Ye stared at the fine trace of blood in his palm, which had long since settled, and did not look away for a long time.

He repeatedly worked through the possibilities, carefully distinguishing them and suppressing every implausible conjecture and shocking speculation one by one. The idea of a Ferocious Beast taking human form was too absurd, riddled with contradictions, and could not stand. Yet the more he eliminated every impossibility, the more real the shock in his heart became.

After a long while, he slowly withdrew his gaze and concealed every trace of doubt and uncertainty in his eyes. He looked up at Mu Chen beside him, his tone deeply grave, each word carrying crushing weight.

"Mu Chen, this disciple of yours is far from ordinary."

"What lies hidden within his bloodline is innate dragon might."

"It isn't an attribute enhancement that came with his martial soul awakening, nor was it acquired later through the refinement or influence of natural treasures, cultivation methods, or secret arts."

Here, Mu Ye paused slightly, his brows drawing tightly together as though he were considering the most fitting description. His expression grew even more incredulous.

"This aura..."

He pondered for a moment before finally voicing the most essential, most alarming conclusion-the one that most thoroughly overturned their understanding.

"It is like a human's own origin, present from birth."

"Like the intrinsic essence an infant possesses the moment it enters the world, born from the roots of the bloodline and taking shape alongside the divine soul."

As those words fell, the scene instantly sank into deathly silence.

Beside him, Zhen Hua's expression became utterly grave. Shock filled his gentle features, and his hands unconsciously tightened slightly.

Mu Chen's pupils contracted sharply, his entire body jolting as the doubts that had accumulated in his heart for so long were finally detonated.

Everyone knew the ironclad laws of cultivation that had remained unchanged through the ages.

A human Soul Master's dragon attribute always arose through their martial soul; dragon might was always the exclusive intrinsic essence of high-level dragon Soul Beasts.

Yet Tang Wulin had possessed dragon might hidden within his bloodline from birth!

That meant the very roots of his bloodline had carried an utterly pure imprint of the Dragon Clan's origin from the moment he came into existence.