Chapter 486 - The Silver-haired Beauty
The moment Tang Wulin set foot on Sea God’s Island the sharp edge of his determination, while still present, slightly dulled, calmed by his surroundings. He felt invigorated, the air thick with energy. His bluesilver grass perked up, tendrils uncoiling and stretching to take it all in. Giant mulberry trees towered over the heavens. Their trunks were thick and weathered by time, their branches holding up a shield of leaves that protected Sea God’s Island from weather, be it rain or thunder.
It was Tang Wulin’s second time here. Still, his experience was different from the last; he could peer deeper into the mysteries of the island. Perhaps it was because he had reached the Spirit Sea realm and his perception abilities increased.
Tang Wulin followed Wu Zhangkong into the heart of the island. As his eyes wandered around, he noticed another boat approaching the shore. A girl stood in the boat, her silver hair waving in the wind. She looked about thirteen or fourteen years old, dressed in red uniform. As a stronger breeze picked up the bottom of her dress and her flowing hair, his breath was taken away.
She’s pretty! If Tang Wulin had to admit it, he was quite easy on the eyes himself. And his teacher, Wu Zhangkong, was the definition of an icy prince. When he laid eyes on this girl, however, any sort of immunity to beauty he might have carried withered into ash, and he found himself lost in a heat of infatuation toward her. Gentle silver eyes. Slender legs. Simply too charming, a fairy of the lake. Not a single flaw could be found in her features, as if her face had been carefully sculpted by the greatest artist in the world. Despite her youthful appearance, she had the makings of a woman already, curves rounding out her figure, an elegant air around her. Tang Wulin could hardly piece together thoughts at the sight of the girl, let alone speak.
Red was the color of the inner court, her uniform marking her as a member of those elites. But didn’t Xu Lizhi and Ye Xinglan get booted out for not being battle armor masters? Is she actually a one-word battle armor master already? No way!
“Hm?” Because the footsteps behind Wu Zhangkong went quiet, he paused in his steps and looked back. For his efforts, he was given the unseemly image of Tang Wulin’s dumbstruck face. He moved to Tang Wulin’s side in a flash, hand chopping his student’s head.
Tang Wulin yelped, waking from his stupor. “Teacher Wu.”
Wu Zhangkong followed Tang Wulin’s gaze to the silver-haired girl, then angled his gaze back to his student. “What are you staring for?”
“I-is she an inner court disciple?”
Wu Zhangkong nodded.
Disbelief colored Tang Wulin’s face. “But… doesn’t the inner court only accept battle armor masters? That rule was just implemented, right? Does that mean she’s a one-word battle armor master?”
Wu Zhangkong shot a look at him. “She isn’t. She’s special.”
“How come?”
“She’s the Pavilion Master’s only direct disciple. Of course she’s special. There’s no need to doubt her potential. She will be one of the continent’s powerhouses in the future, so the Pavilion Master decided to take her in and nurture her.”
Tang Wulin’s eyes went wide. Naturally, he knew what the Sea God’s Pavilion was. It was the organization that stood at the very top of Shrek Academy, administering the academy’s laws and choosing its direction! He had heard many rumors about what sort of person the Pavilion Master was, but not once had he received a concrete answer. The identity of the Pavilion Master was shrouded in secrecy. Not even Wu Zhangkong mentioned the Pavilion Master save for this time. Yet despite not knowing anything about this illustrious figure, Tang Wulin still harbored deep reverence for them. There was no doubt in his mind that anyone who could hold such a position was powerful and worthy of respect.
“Let’s go,” said Wu Zhangkong. He spun on his heel and continued onward.
The girl’s boat docked off in the distance and she made her way into the island on another path. Her figure quickly shrank into the horizon, disappearing with her long strides.
I don’t know why, but she seems familiar. Tang Wulin furrowed his brow, bothered by a strange feeling he couldn’t place, an incessant nagging in his inner thoughts. But in the end, he hurried after Wu Zhangkong.
When Tang Wulin caught up to him, he asked, “Teacher Wu, what’s the name of that inner court disciple?”
Wu Zhangkong glanced at him. “And just how old are you again? You’re too young to get distracted by such things. Focus on cultivating.”
Tang Wulin pouted. “Teacher Wu, I’m not like Xie Xie. She just seemed familiar. Maybe I’ve seen her somewhere before.”
“All men think a pretty girl looks familiar when they first lay eyes on them.” Wu Zhangkong wasn’t willing to entertain Tang Wulin, cutting off any advancement of the inquiry, his voice clipped. Discouraged, Tang Wulin could only follow in silence until they arrived at Zhuo Shi’s small house.
Shen Yi was meditating cross-legged on a stone bench in the front courtyard. Tang Wulin could vaguely make out dark green streams of air converging around her. Her soul power fluctuations thrummed with steady power. Yet Tang Wulin also found a sense of comfort in it. He felt an affinity for her since they both possessed plant-type martial souls.
Since Shen Yi rarely revealed her strength, the only thing that Tang Wulin could pick out was that her martial soul was in some way related to vines. But he did know that she wasn’t one to be taken lightly. She couldn’t be. She was a teacher at Shrek Academy. At the very least, she was a two-word battle armor master.
Wu Zhangkong led Tang Wulin into the house. To Tang Wulin’s surprise, Zhuo Shi was sitting in the living room.
Zhuo Shi’s face lit up the moment he saw Tang Wulin, a warm smile forming on his lips. He beckoned for Tang Wulin to come over.
Tang Wulin advanced with quick steps and bent into a slight bow for his grandteacher.
“Enough with that. No need to be so polite. You’ve shown enough respect already.” Zhuo Shi was pleased with his granddiscple. He had watched Tang Wulin’s team’s match against the Imperial Sun Moon Soul Engineering Academy and had only words of praise for how the team handled the match. More specifically, how they handled facing two soul fusion skills and sealed their own victory. That had been no easy feat. But his feelings of approval didn’t end there. A few days earlier, the Holy Spirit Douluo had informed him of how much she liked Tang Wulin’s personality. That was when Zhuo Shi knew for certain his granddisciple was a treasure, a youth with a kind heart and a sound mind on how to show respect.
“Thank you for the praise, Grandteacher.” Tang Wulin smiled. “You taught me Dragon Shocks the Heavens last time. I’ve mastered it, so may you teach me another skill now?”
Tang Wulin clasped his hands together, trying to calm his fidgeting fingers. He was eager to learn more. Dragon Shocks the Heavens helped him so much in the past, and he knew for a fact it would continue to help him in the future. In fact, it was only second to the Mysterious Heaven Method in terms of effectiveness. He had high expectations for what he would gain from the next skill.
Zhuo Shi nodded. “No need to rush. Of course I have more to teach you. But first, show me your Dragon Shocks the Heavens. Let’s move to the courtyard.”
Tang Wulin had no complaints, obediently following Zhuo Shi out. This was a good chance to test how much stronger he grew after breaking the fourth seal as well. Zhuo Shi walked to the center of the courtyard and beckoned to Tang Wulin. “Come. Give me your best Dragon Shocks the Heavens.”
“Yes.”
Tang Wulin positioned himself ten meters from Zhuo Shi. Spectating from the side were Wu Zhangkong and Shen Yi, who had awoken by the time the granddisciple and grandteacher pair stepped foot into the courtyard. The two teachers understood Tang Wulin’s strength well. They had watched him mature with their own eyes since his arrival at Shrek Academy. They had witnessed his explosive growth after breaking the third seal. Although his soul power was hardly special, his combat prowess and leadership skills could be summed up in one word: exceptional.