"Are you finally back, kid?"
Jin's voice resounded in his head. Tang Wulin didn't speak. Simply nodded.
He could feel a maddening rage was surging into his mind.
Ne needs to get away from here.
He walked down the Arena. His friends were waiting for him. As he reached then,
"We are leaving", that was all he said. But the team understood and complied.
"We are leaving!", Guess Yue informed the judge who was overseeing the match, who finally snapped out of his daze.
He glanced at the students who were slowly walking away from the arena.
Then he glanced at his own students who were lying on the arena.
The match was over.
Victory was decided, even if he didn't announce it. But it was his responsibility to inform them.
"Shrek Team wins!"
There was no applause from the crowd. They were too stunned.
Who would they clap their hands to?
The winners have already left the arena before they could even hear the result.
No, they didn't bother waiting for the official announcement. All they care about was winning. They won, now they are gone.
But this was true only for the those from Sun and Moon Academy. Students of Shrek, current and former, everyone who watched the match were applauding like crazy.
In Shrek city, screams of applause resounded everywhere.
But the cause of all this commotion were walking away, u bothered by all this.
Tang Wulin stayed at the middle while the rest surrounded him. Gu Yue stood at the front and shooed away all the annoying reporter.
"Shrek students, what do you have to say about today's victory?"
"Captain of Shrek team, why were you late? Were you sure you could have won even if you arrived late?"
"Vice captain of the Shrek team, was the statement about you holding back true?"
The barrage of questions rained down on them. The reporters even assumed Gu Yue as the Vice captain. Not that anyone could blame them.
The six students didn't bother replying to any of this.
Xie Xie wanted to speak but Xiaoyan pulled him away.
.
.
.
Currently, the six were on their way back in a soul car Xie Xie rented.
Xie Xie was the driver, Xu Lizhi sat at the front too.
The girls stuffed together at the back. With Ye Xinglan at the window side and Xu Xiaoyan on her lap.
Gu Yue sat next to them, followed by Tang Wulin, who was currently meditating.
Since the moment he entered the car, he had his eyes closed. The rest of the team didn't speak so as to not disturb him.
.
.
.
With his spiritual sea, the raging dragon was finally tied down.
The loosened up sixth seal was back in place.
The madness was also cleared from his mind.
"Kid, you almost killed those girls", Jin said.
"I long my temper", Tang Wulin said apologetically.
"Wulin, I can see where your anger comes from, and I understand", Old Tang spoke. "But you must not give into your temper like you did now.
"The Golden Dragon King resonates with your rage. The angrier you get, the more agitated the dragon gets. It's madness will corrupt you all the more faster"
"I understand Old Tang", Tang Wulin said.
"And I suggest you make preparations for breaking through sixth seal as fast as possible. You breaking out the Golden Dragon Spear has left a crack in the sixth seal. It will break any day. So it's better to prepare for it quickly", Old Tang informed.
Tang Wulin had been breaking through seals at a faster pace than he did in his previous life. And this time it was harder than he did last time because the madness of the Golden Dragon was filling him up easily.
.
.
.
Tang Wulin finals opened his eyes.
His soul power has broken through level 38 in the previous battle.
Although it was risky, his gain wasn't small by any means.
He leaned back in his seat to relax.
"Are fine Now?", Gu Yue asked.
"Yeah", he replied.
"Captain. When did you get this strong? The way you took down the dragon dude was too badass!", Xie Xie praised.
"Yeah captain. Is your martial soul evolution really that strong? You wiped out their entire team", Xu Lizhi said.
"And that dragon skills of yours were also stronger than when I last saw them", Xu Xiaoyan said.
"I am simply getting more familiar with my power", Tang Wulin smiled.
"Tang Wulin. Rushing your breakthrough in cultivation can lead to dead or irreversible damage. Keep that in mind", Ye Xinglan warned him.
"Can we not talk about cultivation for a while? We finally got a chance to relax", Tang Wulin said. "Let's talk about something else"
"Wow, captain has really changed", Xie Xie laughed. "Otherwise he would be talking about his plans for us to get stronger or getting to the inn-".
*crackle*
Xie Xie stopped mid sentence after he heard the sound of Tang Wulin's fingers cracking. He understood the warning.
"Let's talk about our ambitions", Tang Wulin said.
This was something he said in his previous life when they were on their way to wreak havoc in the Spirit Pagoda.
Was it to relive the past, he didn't know. He felt like he wanted to talk about it again. To experience a sense of security he felt in the past, no matter how false he knew it was
"You go first, Xinglan"
After a moment of silence, Ye Xinglan opened her mouth. "I want to stay at Shrek. I want to stay there forever and never leave. I may have been demoted to the outer court, but I'm certain I will return to the inner court one day. Once that happens, I'll work hard to become a battle armor master and one of the Academy's guardians."
"You prefer the peace and tranquility Shrek has to offer more than to return to your clan", Tang Wulin said and Ye Xinglan nodded in response.
Xie Xie couldn't help but say, "So you basically want to live the life of a quiet young lady?"
Ye Xinglan groaned. "You understand."
"Dude, that mouth of yours is gonna get you beaten up really bad one of these days", Tang Wulin laughed then turned to Xu Xiaoyan, "What about you, Xiaoyan?"
"Eh? Me? I don't really know! I just want to find a nice guy to marry when I grow up. Then I'll become a housewife. I get what Xinglan's thinking. I don't want to be involved with my clan's politics either. I just want to keep living as an idle princess. It would have been great if my martial soul weren't the starlight variant."
"No ambition, huh!" Xie Xie snorted. "I'm aiming way higher than you are. I want to become one of this generation's Shrek Seven Monsters. A new generation is only selected to replace the old one every fifty years, and I heard that the next generation of the Shrek Seven Monsters will be chosen in four! Any student of Shrek Academy twenty-five or younger can compete for a spot. I'll definitely make it in."
"I'm guessing you heard about this from Yuanen Yehui?", Tang Wulin asked, though he already knew it for certain.
"Yup!"
Hm…" Everyone apart from him hummed thoughtfully.
"You guys!" Xie Xie glared at them in embarrassment. As he did, the car drifted to the side. It nearly hit the railing, but he managed turn his attention back to the road and frantically swerve away.The sharp turn caught the others unaware. Gu Yue, in particular, was thrown toward Tang Wulin. She fell upon him, but Tang Wulin quickly supported her by the shoulder.
As for Xu Xiaoyan, she was now lying on Gu Yue's lap.
"Watch the road!" she shouted. "You're responsible for six lives here!"
Tang Wulin laughed at this while helping Gu Yue sit properly
Xie Xie grumbled, "Who told you guys to make such a strange noise?"
Once the situation grew calm once more, Xu Xiaoyan sat on Gu Yue's lap and leaned forward. "So, are you putting in all that effort to become one of the Shrek Seven Monsters and catch up to Yuanen Yehui?"
"Yeah. She's so strong. Doesn't she make a good goal to strive for?" Xie Xie quibbled.
"I also aim to be one of the Shrek seven monsters", Ye Xinglan admitted.
Tang Wulin smiled warmly at this
before turning to Xu Lizhi. "Hey, Lizhi, what about you?"
Xu Lizhi snapped out at the question and said. "I want to stay at Shrek too. I'm really lazy and Shrek suits me, but making it into the Shrek Seven Monsters is a pipe dream for me. As long as I can stay there, I'll be content."
"Why is that a pipe dream?" Tang Wulin asked. He recited the same words he said to Xu Lizhi in the, now rewritten past. "There was a food-type soul master in the first generation of the Shrek Seven Monsters, and he even ascended to godhood in the end! If he could, why not you?"
Xu Lizhi sat up straight in his chair and turned to look at Tang Wulin with excitement in his eyes. "Wulin, do you really think I can do it? You're talking about Big Sausage Uncle Oscar, right?"
Tang Wulin nodded. "I read that he worked as hard as he could and managed to develop combat strength. Then he cultivated his sausage to the pinnacle and even gained a godly resurrection soul skill. Let's do our best together. Lizhi. I'm certain we can do it as a team!"
"Alright! Want a bun?" Xu Lizhi showed his gratitude in a simple way.
Tang Wulin accepted the bun and quickly devoured it in a couple of bites. After he finished, he glanced at Gu Yue. "How about you? What do you want to do?"
"Marry you."
The entire car descended into silence. Gu Yue hadn't been the one to speak. Xie Xie had imitated Gu Yue's voice.
"Hey, Xie Xie, I didn't know you were looking to die today." Gu Yue's words carried a cold edge to them.
Xie Xie quickly put on a fearful smile. "Sister-in-law, I made a mistake! I talked about what's in your heart. Don't forget that I'm driving right now! Remember what Xiaoyan said? There are six lives in this car! Don't kill me!"
"Xie Xie, both me and Gu Yue can teleport. So you don't have to worry about us five even if you die", Tang Wulin joked.
"Big brother Tang Wulin, I was wrong! I will shut up"
Satisfied, Tang Wulin turned to Gu Yue, "So, what's your ambition?"
After a moment of silence, Gu Yue spoke up. "I don't want to lie to you guys, so I won't tell you."
Everyone was astonished by her answer. They heard the gloom in her voice.
"Okay," Tang Wulin smiled warmly. "That's fine. Everyone has their secrets. You don't have to tell us"
Gu Yue looked at him. "It's your turn now."
At this, Tang Wulin fell into thoughts. Last time, he simply wanted to join the military. But now, his goals didn't stop at mere military power. He couldn't afford to.
"I wanna become a God", Tang Wulin said resolutely.
Everyone in the car fell silent. They expected him to say he wished to become one of the Shrek Seven Monsters but this was completely an unimaginable answer.
"Man, here I thought my goals were lofty", Xie Xie laughed.
"Captain, in the last time 10,000 years, no one is recorded of becoming a God", Xu Xiaoyan informed.
"I know. But I will still aim for it"
"Is there any particular reason?", Gu Yue asked.
"It's the best way for me to reunite with my family and to keep all of us safe and together", Tang Wulin said. His face turned a bit sad but he kept his smile. When he said family, he meant both his adopted parents who were currently missing and his real parents who were drifting through space.
"You never talk about your parents, Wulin. Are they missing?", Ye Xinglan asked.
"Yes"
"To find them, you can just be a Limit Doulou. Why try being a God? And to keep us safe and together? As long as we are in Shrek, why would you have to worry about that?", Xie Xie laughed.
To this, Tang Wulin didn't reply. He just smiled slightly and laid back in his seat and turned face the city view that shimmered beautifully under the night sky.
'I will make sure of it'