Soul Land:The Dragon King's God of Nature

That evening, Jing Shaoyu returned home from the Xu family estate, only to receive a message from Leng Yaozhu as he stepped through the door.

"Come to the Spirit Pagoda to see me tomorrow."

Looking at her message, Shaoyu's face lit up with joy. "Teacher is back! Great timing—I can have her take a look at the gift from the Xu family and advise me on how to make the most of it."

---

The Next Morning, Eastsea Spirit Pagoda

Shaoyu entered the lobby of the Spirit Pagoda, heading straight to the elevator and pressing the button for the top floor. When the elevator doors opened, he stepped out and called, "Teacher, I'm here."

"Come in." Leng Yaozhu's voice floated out from the pagoda master's office.

Shaoyu opened the door and stepped inside, spotting his teacher seated behind her desk. Beside her, facing away from him, stood a familiar figure. Recognizing the girl's silhouette, he was taken aback—could it really be her?

He moved closer, and as he drew alongside her, he glanced over to meet her gaze. She turned, and both were visibly surprised to see each other.

"Shaoyu, it's you?!" the girl gasped.

Her expression was a mix of panic, awkwardness, and confusion, as if she'd been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to. It was the first time Shaoyu had seen Gu Yue looking so flustered.

That's right, the girl standing in Leng Yaozhu's office was indeed Gu Yue.

Shaoyu couldn't help but smile at her reaction, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Isn't that my question to ask? What are you doing in my teacher's office?"

Leng Yaozhu spoke up, a hint of amusement in her voice. "A Yuan, Yue'er is my new disciple as of today. According to custom, she should call you senior brother."

With a playful smile, she added, "Yue'er, this is the A Yuan I mentioned. From now on, you'll address him as Senior Brother."

"Yue'er?" Shaoyu repeated with a teasing tone. "Yue'er, let's hear you say 'Senior Brother'!"

Hearing his playful tone, Gu Yue's cheeks flushed with a touch of annoyance. She bit her lip, and in an overly sweet, almost syrupy voice, she called out, "Yue'er greets Senior Brother!"

Shaoyu's playful grin quickly faded as he was taken aback by her tone, feeling goosebumps. "Alright, alright, I give in. Let's just talk normally!"

Gu Yue let out a satisfied hum, clearly pleased to see him retreat.

Leng Yaozhu smiled, observing their interaction. "It's good to see you two getting along," she remarked, but then she thought to herself that this was unnecessary; the closeness between these two was already apparent.

Indeed, part of her decision to accept Gu Yue as a disciple was due to her exceptional talent in spirit summoning and her insights. But it was also influenced by her close bond with Shaoyu. It was rare to find spirit masters with a fusion technique.

In fact, Leng Yaozhu had even considered bringing in Xu Xiaoyan as a disciple as well, though she hadn't acted on that idea quite yet.

"Teacher," Shaoyu said with a playful smile, taking Gu Yue's hand casually. "You make it sound as though Yue'er and I aren't already close."

Using her new nickname so naturally, he gently held her hand.

Though still blushing, Gu Yue didn't pull away. In truth, she was a bit embarrassed by the affectionate nickname, yet the warmth of Shaoyu's hand was reassuring. She allowed herself to accept it for now.

"Teacher, Senior Brother A Yuan is quite nice." Gu Yue added softly, echoing Leng Yaozhu's unique nickname for him.

Leng Yaozhu gave an approving nod. "Since you're both already well-acquainted, there's no need to stand on ceremony. A Yuan, hand over your Tianfeng Ring to me, and I'll restore it for you."

"Yes, Teacher!" Shaoyu said eagerly, slipping off the ring and handing it over. "I was going to ask you about it anyway. Your Tianfeng Truefire was amazing!"

"Of course!" Leng Yaozhu replied, not one to be modest about her abilities. "That evil spirit master Douluo learned the hard way. Dare to harm my disciple? I'd burn the Federation's chairman to ashes if it came to that!"

"Teacher, that's so cool!" Shaoyu cheered, impressed by her boldness.

"Enough flattery," she waved him off, smirking. "Now, is there anything else you need? If not, take Yue'er to the villa so she can get familiar with the place."

"Actually, yes, there is!" Shaoyu said quickly, retrieving the Tianfeng Ring from the desk and taking out a small wooden box. Placing it before her, he said, "Teacher, could you take a look at this spirit bone for me?"

"Spirit bone?" Leng Yaozhu's gaze sharpened as she looked at the box. Opening it, her eyes lit up with surprise. "It's a head bone—a ten-thousand-year spirit bone, no less!"

The mention of a spirit bone caught Gu Yue's attention too, and she moved a step closer, her gaze locked on the box.

Shaoyu wasn't particularly concerned about her curiosity. By revealing the bone so openly, he'd already decided he wouldn't hide things from Gu Yue. If he wanted to win her trust, he knew he had to be open as well.

"Where did you get this?" Leng Yaozhu asked, examining the bone. "A spirit bone of this quality isn't easy to come by."

"This is the 'Skull of the Phantom Sea,' from a seventy-thousand-year-old Phantom Sea Ghost Shark," Shaoyu explained. "It was a gift from the Xu family when I visited Xiaoyan's house yesterday."

Leng Yaozhu's eyes widened, staring at him in disbelief. Gu Yue, too, glanced over, visibly annoyed. Her reaction had less to do with the spirit bone and more to do with the fact that Shaoyu had visited Xu Xiaoyan's home. She was clearly unhappy about that.

If Shaoyu knew what she was thinking, he'd probably be exasperated. "Romance novels have really influenced her," he'd think.

"Explain everything," Leng Yaozhu said, catching herself from overreacting. Sitting back, she regained her calm and added, "I know of the Xu family in Eastsea City. They're descended from a branch of the Xu Dynasty's royal line, but they're barely a second-rate family now. For them to give you a spirit bone of this caliber on a first visit… that's suspicious. Are you planning on marrying into their family?"

"No way!" Gu Yue suddenly interjected, stepping closer. "I don't agree!"

"Uh…" Shaoyu was dumbfounded, his eyes rolling in frustration. "Teacher, come on. Do you really think I'd marry in exchange for a ten-thousand-year spirit bone? Am I that cheap?"

"My apologies, I misjudged the situation," Leng Yaozhu replied, chuckling. But then, as she registered his words, she couldn't resist teasing him. "Cheap? A ten-thousand-year spirit bone is hardly a small price. Do you know it wasn't until I reached Ultimate Douluo that I managed to gather all six spirit bones?"

"Is the point the spirit bone or me?" Shaoyu shrugged. "Am I really only worth a spirit bone?

"

"Fine, fine," Leng Yaozhu sighed, waving her hand. "Tell me more about this skull."

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