Tang Wulin returns to Shrek

Dawn was just breaking, and a thin mist shrouded the arena for Eastsea Academy's class promotion tournament. Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and Xie Xie stepped onto the field. Across from them, the Gu Brothers—Gu Tianri, Gu Tianyue, and Gu Tianming—were already in formation. The three looked identical, silver wings spread behind their backs and two white Soul Rings neatly aligned beneath each of them. The innate advantage of agility-type flying Soul Masters was plain to see in the morning light.

"Those three..." Xie Xie tilted his head back to watch their opponents hovering twenty meters overhead. A fine sweat seeped into the palm gripping his Light Dragon Dagger. He had only one ring. Against enemies with such an absolute height advantage, attacking—

Below the arena, Ye Yingrong, the teacher in charge of Class Three, wore a green dress, but her gaze was glued to Wu Changkong beside the judges' seats. Seeing the white-robed man's brow crease slightly, she felt a flicker of satisfaction. No matter how well you teach, Wu Changkong, students who cannot fly can only take a beating under the aerial suppression of flying Soul Masters.

"Begin!" Long Hengxu's voice sliced through the morning mist.

"Ascend!" Gu Tianri barked. The brothers beat their wings fiercely, shooting up to thirty meters in an instant. As their silver wings flapped, countless wind blades poured down like a torrential storm.

"Careful!" Gu Yue warned in a low voice. Silver light swirled in her purple eyes as she prepared to unleash lightning to defend them.

"Not yet." Tang Wulin reached out to stop her. Three Soul Rings suddenly lit up beneath him—yellow, yellow, purple? No! When the radiance faded, the entire crowd sucked in a cold breath. All three were a deep, blood-dark red!

Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings?! And three of them?! "First Soul Skill, Blue Silver Source!" Tang Wulin called in a low voice. The ground instantly became a blue ocean as countless strands of Blue Silver Grass grew wildly, weaving into a vast blue carpet that protected the three of them. The wind blades struck the leaves, only to vanish like clay oxen sinking into the sea, neutralized in an instant.

More astonishing still, a crystalline blue droplet formed in Tang Wulin's palm. With a light flick, he sent it into Xie Xie's body. Xie Xie felt warmth surge through him, instantly settling the breathing that nervousness had thrown into disarray. Even his vitality seemed to grow stronger.

"That's... a Life-Prolonging Pearl?!" Ye Yingrong shrieked, recognizing the legendary, heaven-defying power of the Blue Silver Emperor.

Tang Wulin ignored everyone's shock. With a thought, he activated his Life Domain. Within a kilometer, every blade of Blue Silver Grass became his eyes. He could clearly "see" an old injury in the joint of Gu Tianyue's left wing high overhead, and a slight sluggishness in Gu Tianri's Soul Power circulation.

"Xie Xie, three o'clock! The old injury on Gu Tianyue's left wing!" Tang Wulin suddenly said.

Though startled, Xie Xie trusted Tang Wulin instinctively. He activated Gale Step, and his Light Dragon Dagger flashed with golden light as he stabbed precisely at that weak point.

"Aah!" Gu Tianyue screamed. A bloody gash opened across his left wing, and he immediately lost his balance.

"Second Soul Skill, Blue Silver Redemption!" The second blood-red ring around Tang Wulin lit up. Gentle blue light rippled like water, instantly enveloping the entire arena. Xie Xie's depleted Soul Power was replenished at once, and even Gu Yue's slightly pale face regained its rosy color. More astonishingly, armor woven from Blue Silver Grass appeared on all three of them simultaneously, instantly raising their defense by thirty percent!

"He... he's healing his opponents?!" Ye Yingrong cried out, staring at the scene in disbelief.

"He isn't healing his opponents," Wu Changkong's icy voice suddenly rang out. "He's stripping them of their power."

Before his words had faded, a cold smile curled Tang Wulin's lips. "Blue Silver Absorption!"

Countless Blue Silver Grass vines shot out like nimble snakes. Ignoring the distance entirely, they wrapped directly around the Gu Brothers in midair. The three brothers' Soul Power poured wildly into Tang Wulin like water bursting through a broken dam.

"Third Soul Skill, Blue Silver Light!" Tang Wulin's third blood-red ring erupted with blinding radiance. All negative conditions were instantly cleared. Xie Xie and Gu Yue felt their spirits lift as they returned to peak condition. Even Tang Wulin himself seemed to have been injected with a shot of adrenaline, his strength and speed surging!

"Blue Silver Armor, equip!" Tang Wulin shouted. Countless strands of Blue Silver Grass condensed into golden armor that covered his body.

"Now it's my turn." Tang Wulin stamped down, cracking the ground. Using the springiness of the Blue Silver Grass, he shot into the sky like a cannonball!

"Impossible! How could a ground-based Soul Master jump that high?!" Gu Tianri shouted in terror.

"Nothing is impossible." Tang Wulin's voice rang out in the air. The Blue Silver Grass vines in his hand became a long whip, lashing viciously at Gu Tianri.

"Entanglement!"

The vines cinched around Gu Tianri like iron bands. Using him for leverage, Tang Wulin vaulted higher again and kicked at Gu Tianming.

Boom!

Gu Tianming fell like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily onto the edge of the arena. With their Soul Power drained, Gu Tianri and Gu Tianyue were already utterly weakened, and Xie Xie and Gu Yue finished them off easily.

"The match is decided." Long Hengxu's voice held a slight tremor. He watched Tang Wulin slowly descend from the air as though looking at a monster.

Ye Yingrong's face was deathly pale as she looked at Wu Changkong. In the white-robed man's eyes, she saw a rare trace of gratification.

"Teacher Wu..." Ye Yingrong gritted her teeth, her voice trembling. "What a fine student you've taught."

Wu Changkong did not spare her a glance. He merely said evenly, "The truly strong never fear a difference in height. Their strength comes from the earth, and from life itself."

Tang Wulin withdrew his Martial Soul, and the blood-red Soul Rings slowly faded. Looking at the Blue Silver Grass in his hand, he silently told himself, This is the Blue Silver Emperor's gift, and the strength I will use to protect my companions.

The afternoon sunlight fell gently upon Shrek Academy's bronze gates, a symbol of its glory. Tang Wulin took a deep breath of air scented with flowers and grass, his eyes filled with the warmth of coming home. He had barely entered the academy grounds when two familiar figures appeared in his field of vision like gusts of wind.

"Wulin!"

"Little Lin!"

With two delighted cries, Tang Wutong and Jiang Nannan rushed up to him, one on either side.

On his left, Jiang Nannan was as radiant and lovely as ever, her long, wavy golden hair lifting gently in the breeze. Her beautiful eyes shone like those of a mother cat reunited with a long-lost kitten. Without ceremony, she grabbed Tang Wulin's arm and shook it hard, chiding him, "Well, look who's back! Our busy little man has finally found it in his heart to visit his two lonely, helpless big sisters?"

Somewhat helpless under her shaking, Tang Wulin hurriedly said with a smile, "Big Sister Nannan! Gently, gently! I'm too old for you to shake me around like this." Despite his words, warmth filled his heart. He had always both respected and feared this gentle senior with her slightly bossy streak.

Before he could recover, Tang Wutong eagerly leaned in from his right. As his biological older sister, she had completely abandoned her usual aloof Goddess of Light demeanor, her eyes brimming with affection and concern. She circled Tang Wulin, inspecting him from head to toe as she muttered, "You're thinner, and a little darker, too. You must have suffered quite a bit out there."

As she spoke, she opened her arms and pulled Tang Wulin into a tight hug. Then, like a kitten demanding affection, she nuzzled against him and took a deep breath, sighing contentedly. "Mm... that's my little brother's scent. So sweet! You smell even better than my cat!"

Seeing this, Jiang Nannan refused to be left behind. She leaned closer, intending to follow suit and take a deep sniff of Tang Wulin's cheek. Tang Wulin reacted swiftly, dodging as he called out, torn between laughter and tears, "Big Sister Nannan! Sis! Stop messing around! I'm too old for you to keep sniffing me like a cat!"

"To your big sister, you'll always be the little one who needs our love." Tang Wutong let go and poked her brother's forehead with a finger, her eyes full of laughter.

Jiang Nannan also seized the chance to pinch Tang Wulin's cheek, remarking fondly, "Exactly! You still feel so nice and soft. I really want to pick you up and take a great big sniff."

Looking at these two sisters who cared so deeply for him—one his sister by blood, the other a senior who treated him as her own—Tang Wulin felt an indescribable happiness well up within him. He knew that no matter what he experienced outside, Shrek Academy would always be his shelter from the storm, and they would always be his staunchest support.

"All right, all right. Now that you're back, you have to spend some proper time with us today. No excuses!" Tang Wutong linked arms with her brother, and Jiang Nannan smoothly took his other arm. The three walked side by side deeper into the academy. Sunlight stretched their shadows long, intertwining them as though they had returned to those carefree days of youth.

Passing along Shrek Academy's tree-lined path carpeted with golden fallen leaves, Tang Wutong and Jiang Nannan flanked Tang Wulin as they brought him to a quiet chamber attached to the Sea God Pavilion. The heavy wooden door opened, and a breath of herbal fragrance mingled with faint Soul Power fluctuations washed over them.

Quite a few people were already standing inside. As the three entered, every gaze turned toward Tang Wulin.

"Wulin's here." "Little junior brother."

Greetings rose one after another. Bei Bei, standing at the front, patted Tang Wulin's shoulder, his eyes full of an older brother's concern. Beside him, Tang Ya smiled and handed over a freshly washed piece of fruit before stepping back to link arms with Bei Bei again. Xu Sanshi exchanged a glance with Jiang Nannan and gave an earnest smile. A little farther back, Xiaoxiao and He Caitou were quietly discussing something. When Tang Wulin looked their way, both smiled and nodded.

Amid the crowd, Yun Ming stood with his hands behind his back, as composed as a still abyss and an unmoving mountain. He inclined his head slightly, and an invisible, reassuring force instantly enveloped Tang Wulin. Ya Li stood beside Yun Ming, smiling gently. Behind these central figures, Shrek's elders and powerhouses, including Long Yeyue, Zhuo Shi, Cai Yue'er, and Feng Wuyu, all nodded with smiles, their gazes holding scrutiny and anticipation.

"Wulin, don't be nervous." Tang Wutong stepped forward. At some point, a translucent jade box and a small bronze cauldron radiating an ancient aura had appeared in her hands.

The room instantly fell silent, every gaze focusing on those two objects.

"These two fruits..." Tang Wutong opened the jade box, and a rush of cold and a wave of heat immediately rose, intertwining. "They're a Century-Old Ice Crystal Fruit and a Century-Old Scarlet Flame Fruit. Their ages may not be heaven-defying, but their ability to harmonize yin and yang is precisely the key to unlocking the seal within you." She pointed to the bronze cauldron beside her. It was half-filled with dark golden liquid, from which faint dragon cries emerged. "And this is ten drops of century-old dragon soul beast blood essence that Senior Yun Ming and the elders went to great lengths to collect for you. It's already been prepared."

Tang Wulin looked at the wondrous mingling of ice and fire, then at the dragon blood containing such tremendous energy, and warmth welled up in his heart. He knew how much these pillars of Shrek had given for his growth.

"Drink it." Tang Wutong dropped the two fruits from the jade box into the cauldron. A loud sizzling immediately arose as the ice and fire fruits melted, blending perfectly with the dragon blood to form a cauldron of steaming medicinal liquid streaked with gold and red.

She turned to Tang Wulin, her expression becoming solemn as she instructed him, "Wulin, remember: this medicine contains the two ultimate attributes of ice and fire, along with the violent power of dragon blood. The instant you drink it, you'll feel ice and fire tempering your body at the same time. That pain is beyond what a human can endure. But you must hold on and use this power to open your meridians, preparing to unlock the Golden Dragon King's first seal!"

"Yes!" Tang Wulin nodded firmly, without the slightest hesitation. He knew this was a chance that came once in a thousand years, and a path he had to take to grow stronger.

He stepped forward and lifted the heavy bronze cauldron in both hands. Its scalding heat burned his palms, while its frigid aura stung his skin, but he did not budge.

Drawing a deep breath, Tang Wulin tilted his head back and drained the medicinal liquid in a single gulp!

In an instant, the forces of the two extremes, ice and fire, exploded in his belly. Then came the raging torrent formed by the ten drops of dragon blood, charging madly through every limb and bone like ten mighty dragons. Agony swept through his entire body, as though he were about to be torn apart, melted, and solidified anew.

"Aah—!"

Tang Wulin could not help letting out a low roar. White mist instantly rose from his body, then turned into red light as the forces of ice and fire rampaged within him.

"Steady your mind!" Yun Ming's voice boomed like a great bronze bell, exploding directly inside his head.

Tang Wulin clenched his teeth, struggling to preserve his final thread of clarity amid the agony. Guiding that violent power, he began the arduous work of tempering his body. He knew that beyond this pain lay a rebirth that would transform him to the bone, and that the Golden Dragon King's first seal would find its chance to loosen at this very moment. Around him, everyone watched him closely, ready to help the instant he could no longer hold on.