Everything seemed to make sense now!
Although he and Kong Ling were twins, an older brother and younger sister, he had failed to awaken a sun or moon Martial Soul precisely because he had transmigrated and occupied this body.
And for some unknown reason, Yun Ming had transmigrated along with him, causing him to possess Yun Ming's Atlas Spear Martial Soul.
Kong Xuan kept searching his mind for things he had said over the years, including no shortage of disparaging remarks about Shrek Academy.
He watched Yun Ming's expression, hoping to gauge what this Shrek big shot was thinking.
But the other man's expression seemed unchanged, which left Kong Xuan feeling rather uneasy.
Still, remembering how Yun Ming had sacrificed himself for the academy, Kong Xuan felt he probably wasn't the petty sort!
"So you really do know!"
Yun Ming's words made Kong Xuan wonder whether his earlier remarks had been a bluff to sound him out.
But this also confirmed the other man's identity. He was indeed Yun Ming.
"Senior, what exactly is going on? Why did the Atlas Spear become my Martial Soul?"
Kong Xuan couldn't help asking. Curiosity was one reason; probing Yun Ming's likes and dislikes was another.
Yun Ming raised his head slightly, a thoughtful, reminiscing look on his face, then said, "As I said earlier, the two of us crossed the boundary between worlds at the same time. You occupied this body, which had just died, and gained another life, while I survived by relying on your Sea of Consciousness."
Yun Ming withdrew his gaze and looked down at Kong Xuan. "As for why you awakened my Atlas Spear Martial Soul, I don't know the reason either. But it seems the two of us have already become deeply bound."
Confusion crossed Kong Xuan's face. What did "deeply bound" mean?
With a complicated expression, Yun Ming explained, "Not only has my Martial Soul now become yours, but my Soul Rings and Soul Skills will also become your Soul Rings and Soul Skills. In other words, you won't need to hunt Soul Beasts to obtain Soul Rings. I will grant you the Soul Rings and Soul Skills that originally belonged to me."
Put that way, Kong Xuan understood. Yun Ming had become his portable grandpa.
But this was all Yun Ming's side of the story, and he still couldn't tell whether it was true. Kong Xuan silently reminded himself not to let his guard down.
As though seeing through Kong Xuan's thoughts, Yun Ming snorted. "Brat, there's no need for all those little schemes. I wouldn't stoop to deceiving you. If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't have needed to wait until now."
Kong Xuan inwardly nodded. That was fair enough. Yun Ming's character should be trustworthy.
"Then, Senior, what exactly did you summon me here for?"
Yun Ming raised his right hand and held up one finger. "First, you've already awakened your Martial Soul, so it's time you learned the whole story. After all, we're bound to meet during your future cultivation."
Yun Ming held up a second finger, his expression noticeably more serious this time. "Second, I want to ask just what this ten-thousand-year plan you mentioned before is."
Yun Ming's earlier claim that he knew every detail of Kong Xuan's past six years had been pure nonsense.
Even as a soul, he couldn't possibly go without a moment's rest.
Yun Ming had only learned from Kong Xuan's scattered remarks that this so-called ten-thousand-year plan involved the Douluo Continent's planar will and Life Core, and seemed deeply connected to Shrek Academy as well. That was why he had paid particular attention.
Faced with Yun Ming, who had been Shrek's Sea God Pavilion Master in the future, Kong Xuan hesitated over whether to reveal the truth.
But he hesitated only briefly before making up his mind.
From the look of things, he was now bound to Yun Ming. Given his plans, he would probably have to face God King Tang sooner or later.
So this was also an opportunity-an opportunity to get Yun Ming on his side.
Kong Xuan took a deep breath and slowly began, "To explain this ten-thousand-year plan, we have to start with the Sea God from ten thousand years ago..."
In Kong Xuan's account, after Sea God Tang San became a god, he violated the Divine Realm Convention and repeatedly interfered in the affairs of the lower realm.
Under his arrangements, his father would replace Douluo Star's planar will, become the Plane Master, and ascend to godhood to gain eternal life.
His mother, meanwhile, merged into Shrek Academy's Golden Tree and used Blue Silver Grass's innate ability to devour it, becoming Douluo Star's Life Core and likewise gaining the eternal life of a god.
Since he would be facing Tang San, Kong Xuan made liberal use of a historian's loaded brush. In his telling, God King Tang became a selfish god king who coveted power and seized authority!
After all, even if Tang San's true goal was to resist the Abyss Plane and upgrade Douluo Star, it remained an indisputable fact that his ten-thousand-year plan had caused countless deaths and injuries on the Douluo Continent.
Besides, having his parents seize the planar will and Life Core hardly looked like something a good person would do, no matter how one viewed it.
Even in the Sea of Consciousness, Kong Xuan felt his mouth and tongue drying out from all the talking.
As his listener, Yun Ming's expression kept changing. Even with his experience, he seemed to struggle to accept such "facts"!
Only after a while did Yun Ming say gravely, "Ten thousand years ago, it was under Sea God Tang San's leadership that Spirit Hall's plot was thwarted. Shrek Academy's subsequent glory was also thanks to their generation of the Shrek Seven Devils."
Kong Xuan asked, "Senior, does that mean you don't believe Tang San could do such things?"
Yun Ming didn't answer, but judging by his expression, that was exactly what he thought.
Kong Xuan cleared his throat and said, "Senior, you're from ten thousand years in the future. You should know that unification is the tide of history. It's simply that the Sun Moon Federation succeeded, while Spirit Hall failed ten thousand years ago!"
"So there's no need to hold up Tang San's achievements just because he stopped Spirit Hall from unifying the continent. It was merely a difference in interests. The forces he represented back then stood against Spirit Hall. That had little to do with his character."
"Besides, did people's lives improve after Spirit Hall was destroyed? They didn't, did they?"
"Before that, Soul Masters could collect an income from Spirit Hall every month."
"And Spirit Hall also awakened Martial Souls for commoner Soul Masters free of charge. Now, many commoners like me no longer have the chance to awaken their Martial Souls and change their fate..."
Kong Xuan's words were clear and well reasoned. With every sentence, Yun Ming's expression grew a shade uglier. Clearly, he had already accepted his argument.
After a while, Yun Ming's expression settled back into calm. He looked at Kong Xuan and said, "Brat, take me as your master!"
Yun Ming's sudden declaration truly threw Kong Xuan off balance.
He even wondered whether he had missed something, whether there were words he hadn't heard. Why was Yun Ming suddenly asking him to become his disciple?!
Seeing Kong Xuan's expression, Yun Ming snorted. "Brat, you're using my Martial Soul, my Soul Rings, and my Soul Skills, and now you're unwilling even to take me as your master?"
Of course Kong Xuan was willing. Yun Ming was the Sea God Pavilion Master from ten thousand years in the future, and his own Martial Soul had once been Yun Ming's.
With Yun Ming's guidance, he would definitely be able to rise faster.
But Kong Xuan was all the more reluctant to take a master lightly. After all, there was no such thing as a free lunch.
If Yun Ming later pressed down on his head and made him call Tang San his ancestor, he certainly wouldn't agree.
Kong Xuan asked tentatively, "Senior, I won't be joining Shrek Academy. Are you still willing to accept me as your disciple?"
Yun Ming glanced at him. "I already told you there's no need for all those little schemes in front of me. But it seems you won't take me as your master unless I make things clear."
A trace of helplessness appeared on Yun Ming's face. He had never expected that accepting a disciple would one day prove so troublesome.
His expression grew solemn. "I will earnestly teach you how to cultivate, and I won't interfere with any of your actions."
Seeing Kong Xuan's plainly skeptical expression, Yun Ming added, "But I hope that, when you're capable of doing so, you'll verify whether what you told me earlier is true!"
Hearing this request, Kong Xuan felt that this was more like it!
It wouldn't be difficult for him. Later, he only needed to visit Shrek Academy and investigate the Golden Tree.
When that time came, Yun Ming would have no choice but to believe what he had said.
Besides, in this era, God King Tang had no shortage of outrageous tricks. They would definitely be enough to reshape Yun Ming's worldview!
Kong Xuan immediately bent into a deep, ninety-degree bow to Yun Ming. "Master, please accept your disciple's bow!"
He didn't drop to both knees and kowtow three times like God King Tang, saying something about "a teacher for a day, a father for life."
In the end, God King Tang hadn't made his teacher Yu Xiaogang a god either. It seemed there was still a difference between a master and one's own father.