Chapter 195: with translation of chapter title

Soaking in the scarlet liquid, Tang Wulin felt as if all the blood in his body were boiling and roaring, yet, unexpectedly, he felt no pain.

He had a strange sensation: under the influence of the scarlet liquid, scorching energy was constantly being absorbed by his blood vessels, strengthening his blood-and-Qi power.

The energy contained in the essence blood of ten‑thousand‑year soul beasts is terrifying, let alone this red liquid made from the essence blood of dozens of such beasts; what Tang Wulin did not know is that even the cloud‑filled ranks of Shirak would need nearly two hundred years to gather a pool of this liquid, and its effect would be hardly inferior to that of ten‑hundred‑thousand‑year soul‑beast essence blood.

Mu En did not lie to him; even Tang Wulin can only enjoy this treatment once, because after he uses it up, Shirak's stock will be insufficient for another use in the short term, and it will take more than ten years to gather enough again.

Feeling the changes within his body, Tang Wulin pondered Mu En's words to him.

Finding his own path—what exactly the road he should take is—? As Mu En said, strong attack, control, agile attack, support are merely the most superficial choices; after spending so long with Mu En, he could hear that Mu En actually wanted him to discover the goal and direction of becoming stronger.

So why does he want to become stronger, and what kind of person does he wish to become? As the scarlet liquid rose and fell, Tang Wulin contemplated this question.

After a while, as the scarlet in the liquid gradually faded and finally turned into a pool of clear water, Tang Wulin opened his eyes.

The instant he opened his eyes, a flash of golden light seemed to pass through his pupils, and a faint dragon's roar sounded.

He inhaled deeply, leapt out of the pool, and kicked a leg into the air.

With a 'Boom—', the air rang with an explosion; Tang Wulin clenched his fist and couldn't help but show a look of delight.

This cultivation session brought a truly all‑round boost: his soul power became more condensed, and more importantly, his physique and blood‑Qi were greatly strengthened; even without counting the Golden Dragon Overlord Body blood‑soul ring, the improvement in those two aspects even surpasses the fourth seal of the Golden Dragon King.

That's remarkable—each time he breaks a Golden Dragon King seal he needs many herbs and must endure immense pain, yet this time he obtained such a massive boost so calmly, making him feel as if a pie had fallen from the sky.

However, the liquid before him, now indistinguishable from ordinary water, tells him this isn't a sky‑fallen pie; clearly, such an enhancement cannot be used frequently.

Mu En's gentle voice sounded at that moment.

"Awake? Then come out and tell me what path you've chosen."

"Yes."

Tang Wulin pushed open the door, walked through the long corridor, and arrived before Mu En.

Mu En opened his previously squinting eyes and asked with a smile:

"Seeing your determined expression, you must have an answer about the road you'll take; will you tell the old man?"

Tang Wulin said earnestly:

"The name of the path I choose is Protection."

"Oh?" Mu En raised an eyebrow slyly, "Do you mean you want to become a defense type?"

"No." Tang Wulin shook his head. "For me, the development direction isn't something I can decide much, because my fighting style is dominated by the power of the Golden Dragon King, and the power of the Golden Dragon King inside me will gradually be released over time; the awakened blood‑soul ring isn't something I can choose. Therefore, for me, understanding the meaning of becoming stronger is more important than deciding a future direction, so I can truly ensure I won't go astray."

"I see, that makes sense."

Mu En smiled.

"Then can you specifically tell me why you concluded that the meaning of your strength is Protection?"

"Because I don't want to lose anyone else." Tang Wulin clenched his fists. "I lost many important people in my past life; that's my greatest regret. Now I have important people again, and I won't lose them again."

First Nà'ér, then his parents, and finally everyone he knew in this era—Tang Wulin's past life was a cycle of gaining and then losing.

Yet in this era he has regained many things: respected teachers, friendly seniors, reliable companions, and someone he loves. The past cannot be reclaimed; he can only and must focus on the present, striving to become stronger so he won't lose what's before him again.

"I see…" Mu En nodded thoughtfully and said, "It's a pity Huo Yutong isn't here now."

"What does this have to do with Huo Yutong?"

Seeing Mu En's meaning‑laden gaze, Tang Wulin suddenly stammered.

"Hehe, yeah, what does it have to do with her?"

Mu En merely chuckled, gave no further explanation, and watched Tang Wulin's uneasy expression, sighing inwardly at the beauty of youth.

Tang Wulin coughed twice and said, "Right, teacher, speaking of Yutong, where is she?"

"She hasn't awakened yet." Mu En said with a smile. "Your bloodline is indeed powerful; in terms of absorption difficulty, the elixirs you absorbed are the hardest, yet your emergence speed is the fastest. The others haven't awakened yet."

"I see."

Hearing Mu En say that, Tang Wulin felt slightly sad.

That meant he would have to spend this period alone again.

Seeing his somewhat lonely expression, Mu En smiled and suddenly said, "Alright, Wulin, tomorrow go with Long Dragon back to the Star Dou Great Forest; you should obtain the third soul ring, and when you return, Huo Yutong will be about ready to awaken."

Tang Wulin blinked, then suddenly understood.

"Yes, I understand, teacher."

Huo Yutong had only just become a Soul Elder, and because the Ultimate Soul's cultivation speed slows after becoming a Soul Elder, she does not need to hunt for a soul ring now.

Although it isn't impossible to let her go with him, that would waste her time, and Tang Wulin does not want to do that.

Therefore, Mu En's arrangement for him to hunt for a soul ring during Huo Yutong's seclusion, in a sense, shortens the time they are apart.

Watching Tang Wulin's somewhat delighted figure depart, Mu En chuckled and shook his head.

These two kids are tied together too tightly; it's hard to say whether that's good or bad.

From the Academy's perspective, this is naturally a good thing, since controlling one allows control of the other.

But for Mu En, he still hopes the two children can develop independently.

"Never mind, as they age they will naturally grow."

Mu En leaned on the bench, his gaze drifting toward the direction of the Heavenly Soul Empire, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

Come to think of it, those guys from the Main Body Sect should be arriving soon.

Off‑topic, Huo Yutong will obtain the Eye of Fate before heading to the Sun and Moon, and when she gets it, Wulin will not be accompanying her.

Because when the Eye of Fate is obtained, Emperor Tian will be nearby, and if he discovers it, she would truly be captured to be used as synthesis material.

(End of chapter)