Chapter 76

Only ten minutes after Tang Wulin was thawed out did the chill inside his body completely dissipate.

Now he fully understood why Mu En said that being careless would cause him to suffer a loss.

He dared say that in this battle he had not been the slightest bit careless, yet he was still completely suppressed by Huo Yutong from start to finish.

Whether it was that ice‑blue long sword or that soul‑impact strike, both were terrifying beyond measure, far exceeding his capacity to handle.

Of course, the most terrifying was that final palm strike that seemed utterly harmless; after being struck by it, Tang Wulin felt his qi and blood throughout his body freeze solid, and no matter how he tried to mobilize them, there was no reaction at all.

Could this really be an attack that a three‑ring Soul Elder could unleash? Tang Wulin had faced many Soul Elder‑rank opponents before, none of whom had ever defeated him, let alone completely overwhelmed him like Huo Yutong did.

As if seeing through his thoughts, Mu En said gently: 'You needn't be surprised; Huo Yutong's martial soul is of the same lineage as the Snow Emperor, ranked third among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts. The Snow Emperor's strength is considered top‑tier even among Limit Douluo; even if I hadn't suffered heavy injuries back then, I could not have defeated her. In short, this martial soul represents the pinnacle of ice‑system martial souls.'

'Oh, I see…'

After Mu En's explanation, Tang Wulin finally gained a fairly accurate understanding of the power of the Ice Sky Snow Girl martial soul.

His expression was somewhat complicated.

After obtaining this martial soul, Huo Yutong's frontal combat ability had completely surpassed his.

Thinking back to the girl who used to stand behind him every day, placing her wholehearted trust in him, now she had become stronger than him; he felt happy for her yet also a faint sense of loss.

Mu En smiled and said: 'In any case, you two talk first; I need to go inform the other Senior Elders of the Sea God's Pavilion about Huo Yutong's situation, so they'll no longer spout nonsense about her not being worthy to stay in the Sea God's Pavilion.'

Having said that, he turned his wheelchair and entered the Sea God's Pavilion.

He was very pleased with Huo Yutong's performance; although the origin of her power was unknown, the same could be said of Tang Wulin—if he could trust Tang Wulin, he could likewise trust Huo Yutong.

Moreover, after this past year he had come to know Huo Yutong's character inside out; as long as Tang Wulin did not actively abandon her, she would never leave him, and she also repaid kindness, remembering any good done to her—clearly not a bad child, so he felt completely at ease with her.

Of course, feeling reassured about her character did not mean he would stop investigating the truth behind her second martial soul; after some time he would still need to make another trip to the far north, believing the Snow Emperor would have some clues about her.

After Mu En left, the atmosphere between Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong instantly became a bit awkward.

Huo Yutong asked cautiously:

'Wulin, are you angry?'

Because her martial soul is of the spiritual type, her perception of emotions is extremely keen; Tang Wulin's current emotions are too complex for her to read, but she is certainly not very happy.

She couldn't help wondering if she had just been too harsh, causing Tang Wulin to become displeased.

Tang Wulin shook his head, speaking somewhat glumly: 'No, it's just that you've changed so much that I don't know how to face you right now.'

Huo Yutong tilted her head in puzzlement.

'I've changed that much?'

'Well, you suddenly became so much stronger, surpassing me and becoming someone I have to look up to; I always feel that the distance between us has grown distant, and I can't accept it all at once… Am I being unsightly?'

As Tang Wulin said this, he himself felt a bit ugly; while a friend becoming stronger is undoubtedly a good thing, he couldn't even sincerely feel happy for her.

Such a him, even if Huo Yutong came to despise him, would deserve it.

However, upon hearing him say that, Huo Yutong's expression softened at once.

She gently took Tang Wulin's hand.

"It's not the case, Wulin—you worrying that the distance between us will grow farther shows you really care about me; I'm happy beyond words—how could I not be happy?"

While saying that, she mobilized her soul power, merging it with Tang Wulin's soul power. Facing Tang Wulin's surprised gaze, she revealed a warm smile.

"Look, there's still a deeper connection between us; perhaps I have indeed changed a lot, but no matter how much I change, I am still your Huo Yutong, and I will never leave you."

Her tone was extremely gentle, just like a mother coaxing her own child, full of loving maternal affection.

"Yutong……"

Tang Wulin stared blankly at Huo Yutong, whose face was glowing with a happy smile, and couldn't help feeling his eye sockets turn a little red.

He couldn't help but hug her.

"Huh, Wu—Wulin?!"

Huo Yutong cried out in surprise, her face flushing with a shy red, yet she didn't push him away.

Tang Wulin felt the soft touch in his embrace and whispered, "Thank you, Yutong, and I'm sorry."

During this time, he had actually been in a very unstable state.

During the days Huo Yutong was missing, he suddenly realized that their relationship was far less close than he had previously imagined.

Over the past year, Huo Yutong had always been by his side, inseparable; the distance between them was really too close, to the point that he forgot she actually didn't belong to him.

After she went missing, he regretted his initial decision more than once; he obviously worried about Huo Yutong, so why didn't he forcibly keep her by his side or follow her? Why hadn't he considered that she might truly encounter danger?

Perhaps without realizing it, he had come to take her companionship for granted, thinking such days could last forever.

It is precisely because he became aware of this mistake that he feels so uneasy about her growth.

Because he realized that Huo Yutong is not his possession; she will have her own matters, her own secrets, her own life, and cannot always stay by his side.

Just like Na'er before—although their relationship was so close, she still vanished without a trace overnight.

It's also like his parents, who were originally a harmonious family, but suddenly left far away.

This feeling is really awful; Tang Wulin's life up to now has been a constant cycle of gaining and then losing—he has already lost enough, and truly does not want to lose Huo Yutong.

Huo Yutong's gentle words, although they couldn't completely dispel his anxiety, reassured him considerably.

The tightly stretched string finally relaxed, causing him to momentarily lose control of his emotions.

Huo Yutong felt Tang Wulin's body trembling slightly, and her gaze softened.

She imitated the mother from her memory, gently patting Tang Wulin's back to soothe his emotions.

Time seemed to slow its steps at this moment.

By the way, Lao Huo and Wulin are actually about the same in some sense.

Lao Huo's lack of love needs no explanation; otherwise he wouldn't have been so badly PUA'ed. In the early days of the Academy, they treated him like that, yet he still regarded Shrek Academy as home.

Wulin is actually quite fragile too; compared to Lao Huo's lack of love, he's more like lacking a sense of security—after all, Na'er and his parents left for unknown reasons, and he's terrified of the people around him leaving him. In the original work, chapter 150, Gu Yue personally commented on his fragility.

But this is also good; the two of them leaning on each other is not because they dislike each other due to similar personalities, but because they both crave warmth and thus cling closer.

Yutong and Wulin are clearly the latter.

(End of chapter)