Douluo Continent III Haotian Wulin

"If I leave one day, will you miss me?"

The sea breeze ruffled Na'er's short silver hair. She looked up, her large purple eyes shining brightly in the starlight and moonlight. When she spoke those words, her voice was so soft it was almost drowned out by the sound of the waves.

Tang Wulin was taken aback for a moment.

"Why are you leaving?" he asked instinctively.

Na'er puffed out her cheeks slightly, as if she was a little annoyed that he hadn't understood her.

"I was just saying, if."

Tang Wulin looked at her, thought for a moment, and answered very seriously.

"Of course I want to," he said. "I really, really want to."

At this point, he couldn't help but add:

"You're my only sister."

He wanted to say something more, but when he looked closely by the moonlight, he suddenly opened his eyes wide in surprise.

"Hey, Na'er, have you grown a little taller?" He subconsciously held up his hand to compare. "You used to only reach me, but now you're almost up to my nose."

Na'er didn't respond to that, she just looked at him quietly.

After a moment, she said softly:

"I'll miss you too. Especially, especially."

When she said this, her eyes seemed to be covered with a very thin layer of mist, as if it would be blown away by the sea breeze at any moment.

Tang Wulin felt inexplicably annoyed by her appearance, so he subconsciously raised his hand and gently put his arm around her shoulder.

"Why are you saying such strange things today?" He smiled deliberately, trying to lighten the mood. "We're together every day, what else is there to think about? When I go to the intermediate academy, I'll talk to Mom and Dad and see if you can come with me. Anyway, no matter where you are, your brother will protect you."

He spoke with such confidence, as if he were making a promise that was perfectly natural.

Na'er didn't answer immediately, but simply rested her head gently on his shoulder, following his movement.

Tang Wulin paused for a moment, but didn't dodge. He just subconsciously put his shoulders more firmly, as if he was really afraid that she would be uncomfortable leaning against him.

The sea breeze was cool at night, and the moonlight was bright.

In the distance, waves crashed onto the shore in layers, leaving wet marks on the pebble beach. The two stood there in the sea breeze for a while, neither of them speaking.

For some reason, Tang Wulin felt a strange, indescribable feeling welling up inside him.

……

The next morning, Tang Wulin woke up exceptionally early.

To be precise, he didn't actually sleep very soundly.

The thought of going to the Spirit Pagoda to choose a soul spirit today kept him in a state of mixed excitement and tension. As soon as dawn broke, he couldn't sleep anymore, so he simply got up to wash and dress, barely eating his favorite breakfast.

"You're surprisingly eating less today." Tang Ziran smiled as she looked at the half-eaten bowl of porridge left in her son's bowl. "Looks like you're really not calm this time."

Tang Wulin sat at the table and immediately looked up at his father upon hearing this, his eyes filled with barely suppressed urgency.

"Dad, what kind of spirit do you think I'll get today?" he asked. "There are so many kinds of white ten-year spirits, will none of them be suitable for me?"

Tang Ziran looked at her son with tenderness in her eyes.

"Well, Dad really can't say for sure," he said. "The spirit doesn't just look at what you want; it also looks at whether your martial spirit is suitable for you, your body, and your own feelings."

"However—" He paused, his tone becoming more serious, "No matter what you choose today, you are no longer the child who had just awakened your martial spirit three years ago. You got here on your own. For that alone, Dad is already proud of you."

Tang Wulin felt a surge of warmth in his heart upon hearing this and immediately nodded vigorously.

"Um!"

Na'er, sitting to the side, remained quiet as usual today.

She kept her head down, sipping her porridge slowly, her eyelashes drooping low, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking. She only looked up when Tang Wulin got up to leave.

"elder brother."

"Hmm?" Tang Wulin looked at her.

"Your day will go smoothly," she said softly.

He said it very softly, but very seriously.

Tang Wulin was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"Of course," he said. "When I come back, I'll be a full-fledged first-ring Soul Master."

After saying that, he subconsciously raised his hand and ruffled Na'er's hair.

"By then, my brother will be even more amazing."

Na'er didn't dodge, but just looked at him quietly. In her purple eyes, there seemed to be some indescribable emotion flickering slightly.

……

After leaving the house, Tang Wulin walked ahead almost the entire way.

"Dad, hurry up!"

"Dad, the Spirit Pagoda should be open by now, right?"

"Dad, among the white-grade ten-year soul spirits, are there any that are particularly suitable for hammer-type weapon soul spirits?"

He kept asking questions along the way, yet his steps were as light as if he were walking on springs. If Tang Ziran hadn't known that this child had become much more mature than his peers over the past few years, she probably would have thought he had turned back into the little boy who had just awakened his martial spirit at the age of six.

But in the end, they are still different.

The excitement at that time came from seeing the road.

And today's excitement comes from the fact that he has personally walked this path to the doorstep.

Tang Ziran followed behind her son, her steps neither hurried nor slow, but a faint worry lingered deep in her eyes.

It's not regret.

It's not that I'm unhappy.

Rather, he understood better than Tang Wulin that choosing a soul spirit was never a matter of "having enough money to guarantee the most suitable one." Even though they had raised 70,000 Federal Credits and were qualified to choose from ordinary ten-year soul spirits, whether it was "suitable" or not was still something no one could guarantee in advance.

The greater the hope, the more painful the disappointment.

This is something only adults would think of in advance.

Children, on the other hand, always believe that there will be the best outcome.

The Spirit Pagoda is located in the center of Aolai City.

This seaside town is not large to begin with, so even though the Spirit Pagoda is only a three-story branch of the lowest level, it is already one of the most conspicuous and tallest buildings in Aolai City. It is a standard octagonal tower structure with a calm exterior color, which appears solemn and cold in the morning light, completely out of place with the low houses in the surrounding commoner area.

For most ordinary people in Aolai City, this place is more like a place that only exists in legends and stories.

But for Tang Wulin, this place was half a sacred place in his heart.

The other half is Shrek Academy.

It wasn't until he actually reached the entrance of the Spirit Pagoda that he suddenly realized he was so nervous that his palms were sweating.

Tang Ziran seemed to sense his emotions and gently patted his shoulder.

"Go in."

Tang Wulin took a deep breath before nodding vigorously.

The father and son entered the Spirit Pagoda one after the other.

Upon entering, a cool breeze carrying a faint metallic and medicinal scent greets you. The hall is quite spacious, with marble floors bearing the Spirit Tower's insignia. Eight doors, each leading to a different area, are neatly arranged around the perimeter. The entire space is quiet and almost empty, except for a reception desk-like area at the front, behind which stands a Spirit Master in a gray robe.

Hearing footsteps, the spirit medium looked up.

"What's the matter?"

The tone wasn't particularly warm, nor was it too cold; it was just a businesslike manner typical of someone accustomed to receiving visitors.

Tang Ziran immediately stepped forward, her attitude respectful.

"Hello, Spirit Master. I brought my son to buy a Soul Spirit. He's already level 10, and we'd like to see the White Ten-Year Soul Spirit today."

Upon hearing the words "White Ten-Year Soul Spirit," the spirit medium's previously indifferent expression shifted slightly.

If it were just the cheapest random soul spirit, he probably wouldn't even bother asking a single question. But since the other party explicitly stated it was a white ten-year soul spirit, it at least shows that this commoner father and son weren't just here to try their luck.

"What about the child's martial spirit?" the spirit master asked.

Tang Wulin immediately stepped forward, raised his right hand, and with a flash of dark light, the Sinking Star Hammer quietly appeared in his palm.

The gray-robed spirit medium glanced at it, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Hammer-type weapon spirits are not uncommon.

But this one in front of me is far too ordinary.

It was jet black, short, and blunt, lacking any of the sharpness and imposing presence that a top-tier weapon spirit should possess. It looked like an inconspicuous old object. But for some reason, after only a brief glance, the spirit master felt a strange, inexplicable feeling—this hammer was too heavy, so heavy that the light around it seemed to be more oppressive than elsewhere.

He didn't show any sign of this unusual behavior, and simply nodded slightly.

"A hammer-type weapon spirit. So your arrival wasn't entirely reckless," he said. "At the Aolai City branch tower, there are seventy-three types of ordinary ten-year spirit spirits available for targeted selection, and even more random spirit spirits. If you're just buying random spirit spirits, 30,000 Federal Credits will be enough. But white ten-year spirit spirits are targeted selections, and the price is 70,000."

As he said this, his gaze swept over the father and son, as if to make sure they had heard the number clearly.

Before Tang Ziran could speak, Tang Wulin had already taken out the prepared cloth bag from his pocket.

He didn't say anything, but simply placed the stack of money, which he had already counted countless times, steadily on the counter.

"We've brought enough," he said.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was very steady.

The gray-robed spirit master glanced down, then looked up again at the nine-year-old boy before him. The boy was not short, with bright black eyes, and his expression lacked the obvious timidity and panic that ordinary children often showed when they first entered the Spirit Tower. Instead, he possessed a calmness that seemed incongruous with his age.

The spirit medium's gaze lingered for a moment on the old cloth bag and in the boy's hands.

Those hands weren't fair and delicate; the palms and knuckles were covered with a thin layer of calluses, clearly indicating they weren't from a pampered child.

He had seen many families come to buy white soul spirits, and most of them were parents who prepared everything for their children, leaving the children only to be excited and expectant. But the temperament of this child was different; it was as if most of the weight of those 70,000 Federal Credits was truly pressing down on his own bones.

The spirit medium's tone softened slightly as a result.

"In that case, register your information first," he said. "Then I'll take you to the white spirit selection area. However, there's one thing you need to understand beforehand: targeted selection doesn't mean you can just pick any name and take it away. Whether you can ultimately fuse with it depends on the compatibility between the spirit and you."

Tang Ziran nodded immediately.

"Understood, understood. Thank you for your help."

The spirit master took out a registration form from behind the counter, then gestured for Tang Wulin to light up his martial soul again, while having the auxiliary soul guidance instrument next to him reconfirm his soul power level.

After a moment, the faint white light stabilized in the test ball.

Level 10.

The gray-robed spirit master looked at the number, and his expression finally became more serious than before.

Level 10 isn't unusual, but for a nine-year-old child to come with a clear direction and enough money to choose the first Soul Spirit is quite rare in a place like Aolai City.

"Come with me," he said.

He turned and walked out of the counter, leading Tang Ziran and Tang Wulin through the hall to a heavy metal door leading to the inner side. Behind the door was a long corridor that was much quieter than the outside. The floor and walls were engraved with very faint soul guidance patterns, and the fluctuations of arrays and restrictions could be vaguely felt.

As Tang Wulin walked beside his father, his heart began to beat faster and faster.

He knew that after passing through this long corridor, he would finally meet the spirits belonging to the Spirit Pagoda.

What would that look like?

Could there really be one that's perfect for me, waiting ahead of me?

Or perhaps, one doesn't actually know what they truly need?

Various thoughts flashed through his mind, but when he subconsciously clenched his fist, the familiar heaviness deep in his palm suddenly calmed him down.

The Sinking Star Hammer is still there.

It is very quiet.

But that silence seemed to be telling him: keep moving forward.

At the end of the corridor, the grey-robed spirit medium stopped and placed his hand on the sensor by the door. With a low hum, the door in front of him slowly opened.

An aura completely different from the outside gently emanated from within.

It smells like a mixture of grass, soil, metal, and the breath of some living creature.

The spirit medium turned to the side and said calmly:

"Go in."

"This is the selection area for the souls of the White Decade."