Na'er sat upright in Elder Zhuang's arms while he drank tea and told her a story. Just as the story reached its climax, Na'er spotted Mu Changqing outside the gate.
Na'er jumped down from Elder Zhuang's arms, landed firmly on both feet, and called out to Mu Changqing as she threw herself into his arms.
"Have you been good and listened to Elder Zhuang these past few days?"
"Of course! Na'er has been very good!"
Mu Changqing held Na'er tightly in both arms, and she clung to him just as tightly. Her head rested against his chest as she greedily inhaled the blood Qi from his body.
"Changqing, help Na'er awaken her Martial Soul after a little more time! She's lived with you for a year, and her constitution is quite good!"
Elder Zhuang set down his teacup and gently closed the half-open book in his hand, a smile appearing on his kindly face.
"My Martial Soul? Big brother, do you think Na'er's Martial Soul will be as powerful as yours?"
"What if Na'er's Martial Soul isn't powerful? Will you stop wanting Na'er?"
Na'er raised her head, questions filling her large, limpid eyes. Uneasy at heart, she clutched Mu Changqing's clothes.
After spending this year together, Na'er had become completely dependent on Mu Changqing, relying not only on her Golden Dragon King bloodline, but even more on his affection.
"No, Na'er! No matter what happens, I'll always be your big brother!"
"If anyone wants to separate us, it'll have to be over my dead body!"
"Big brother, saying that is bad luck!"
Na'er covered Mu Changqing's big mouth with her pale palm. His words also soothed her unruffled heart.
After bidding Elder Zhuang farewell, Mu Changqing and Na'er headed toward their home hand in hand.
"Big brother, why are there three more little soul beasts in the courtyard?"
The moment Na'er stepped through the gate, she saw Da Huang playing with the three little ones. Da Huang clearly regarded the three little Darkgold Terrorclaw Bears as its own children.
Na'er released Mu Changqing's tightly clasped hand and quickly trotted over to Da Huang.
"Slow down, Na'er! Don't fall!"
"I happened to adopt these three Darkgold Terrorclaw Bears in the Star Dou Great Forest!"
Mu Changqing explained where the three Darkgold Terrorclaw Bear cubs had come from as he walked. Na'er crouched down and gazed at the three little bears, unconsciously giving off the presence of the Silver Dragon King.
Na'er's eyes suddenly turned into silvery-white dragon eyes. The Silver Dragon King within her saw this scene of a human and soul beasts coexisting, and did not know what had come over her heart.
Mu Changqing crouched beside Na'er. The instant the Silver Dragon King's presence appeared, the Golden Dragon King bloodline within him stirred restlessly, and his will was submerged in an instant.
"Big brother! You're hurting Na'er!"
Na'er's aggrieved voice suddenly reached Na'er's ears. Under the influence of that voice, Mu Changqing's will returned completely.
At some point, Mu Changqing's right hand had transformed into a Golden Dragon claw and clamped tightly around Na'er's left arm. His strength could hurt Na'er, and Mu Changqing felt that the Golden Dragon King bloodline within him had nearly turned against him.
"Na... er! I'm sorry! Big brother didn't mean to!"
Mu Changqing immediately gathered Na'er into his arms to soothe her. Na'er shed little pearls of tears in his embrace, but before long, the two were fine.
"Na'er! Stay home for now. Big brother has something to take care of!"
"All right! Come back soon!"
Na'er threw herself into Da Huang's arms, urging Mu Changqing to hurry back as she waved both hands.
Mu Changqing took a flying Soul Tool out of his storage Soul Tool. It mounted onto his back and released a burst of power that propelled his entire body into the air.
Mu Changqing arrived at the Soul Tool Department and strode into its core teaching building, quickly contacting Fan Yu through the front desk.
"Changqing! Long time no see!"
"The gravity Soul Tool and gravity Soul Tool chamber are almost complete. Once they're ready, we can introduce them throughout the academy!"
"Then Soul Tools will be able to become fully integrated into everyday life."
Fan Yu stood before Mu Changqing, wearing a white lab coat. His hair was a mess, his dark circles rivaled a giant panda's, and his face was covered in whiskers.
"Uncle Fan Yu, you've really worked hard these past nine months!"
"Open up a high-grade cultivation room for me!"
Mu Changqing gave Fan Yu a thumbs-up, admiration filling his heart. Researchers really were all madmen.
"All right, come upstairs with me! Aren't you going to see Bei Bei?"
"His Soul Power is almost at rank twenty, too. Before long, he'll be able to take the class-two soul engineer assessment!"
"Bei Bei? As long as he works hard himself, that's enough!"
Mu Changqing and Fan Yu stepped into the Soul Tool elevator, chatting intermittently about everyday matters.
"Oh! Also, Bei Bei seems to have had a falling-out with Zhang Lexuan lately!"
"In the past, whenever Bei Bei studied Soul Tool theory in the classroom, Zhang Lexuan would always watch over him from the back! Since last month, she's been coming less often!"
Something suddenly stirred in Fan Yu's mind, as though he had remembered something, and he turned his face toward Mu Changqing.
"It's probably temporary! Oh, right, Uncle Fan Yu, after I enter the cultivation room, please ask Sister Lexuan to look after Na'er for me!"
"I might cultivate for quite a while this time. I won't be coming out for ten days or half a month!"
Mu Changqing paid little attention to the matter between Bei Bei and Zhang Lexuan, believing they would reconcile after some time.
"All right! Focus on your secluded cultivation without worrying!"
The two walked side by side out of the Soul Tool elevator and into the high-grade cultivation room area. Mu Changqing strode into a high-grade cultivation room.
The high-grade cultivation room was utterly silent. Mu Changqing sat cross-legged and set the dantian within his body in motion. Like a bottomless pit, his dantian greedily absorbed the heaven and earth origin Qi in the room.
The Golden Dragon King bloodline within Mu Changqing began to boil. The Golden Dragon King's will tried to break through the third and fourth seals, attempting to turn against Mu Changqing.
Mu Changqing's Martial Soul possessed him automatically, covering his upper body in Golden Dragon scales. His eyes filled with bloodshot veins, and sweat fell from his forehead like rain, striking the floor with echoing drips.
Mu Changqing braced one Golden Dragon claw firmly against the floor while his other hand pressed tightly over the left side of his chest. The veins on his forehead bulged.
Driven by the Golden Dragon King bloodline, Mu Changqing's heart pounded fiercely, as though it were trying to break free.
"Since I've already reincarnated on the Douluo Continent, how could I let the will of a Golden Dragon King like you affect me!"
Mu Changqing immediately bit his tongue, blood spilling from his mouth. The intense pain made his will even firmer.
Mu Changqing immediately sat cross-legged, two purple Soul Rings circling before him. He firmly suppressed the Golden Dragon King's will as the blood Qi within him surged ceaselessly.
"Roar-"
The phantom of the Golden Dragon King behind Mu Changqing let out a defiant growl, as though warning him not to let it find an opportunity.
Mu Changqing's clothes were stretched to shreds, leaving him completely naked. Golden dragon scales covered his upper body, and blood Qi continuously burst out from within him, gradually shrouding the area around him.
In this form, Mu Changqing entered deep meditation, and the third seal within his body gradually loosened.