Gu Yue had left because she had no other choice. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been in so much pain before. Senior Disciple Sister Xu Mi'er was right. He wasn't able to keep her because he was too weak.

He reflexively tightened his grasp around the silver scale in his hand, and he felt its sharp edges, he took a deep breath. Power was now his number one pursuit.

Gu Yue, wait for me! No matter how many obstacles stand in our way, we'll overcome them together. Wait for me to become more powerful! 

With that in mind, Tang Wulin pulled out his soul communicator before dialing a number.

"Xinglan, can you come over to my place for a bit? Also, tell everyone there's no need to keep looking. I've searched through every place she could possibly be during the past few days. She's intentionally avoiding us, so there's no way that we can find her."

……

A vast expanse of white mist lay in the distance.

Gu Yue stood in silence on a platform that was hovering in mid-air. Behind her stood the majestic Spirit Pagoda.

This was the highest point of the Spirit Pagoda headquarters, and it was known as the Cloud-scaling Platform.

She had been standing there for a very long time, and her right hand remained in front of her chest the entire time, as if she were holding something to herself.

"It hurts so much, but why do I enjoy this kind of pain? Is this what love is?"

At this moment, she'd reverted back to her original appearance with black hair and black eyes. She wore a long white dress, and it was quite apparent from the golden patterns running along the edge of the dress, as well as the badge on her chest, that she'd already become an extremely important figure in the Spirit Pagoda.

She slowly spread open her hand to reveal a shimmering golden rhomboid scale sitting atop her palm. The scale was connected to a thin golden chain, and four layers of vibrant patterns stacked on top of one another could be seen on the surface of the scale. One side of the scale was curved inward, thereby making it resemble a miniature shield.

She carefully strung the necklace around her own neck, and it trailed down her chest behind the collar of her dress.

She cast her gaze toward the distance in the direction that Shrek Academy stood.

"Are you still unwilling to part with him?" A gentle voice sounded from behind her.

Gu Yue hurriedly turned around, and she didn't even have to look to know who had arrived behind her. She immediately extended a respectful bow, and greeted, "Teacher."

Heavenly Phoenix Douluo Leng Yaozhu slowly made her way over to her. "Shrek Academy is indeed a place that's full of allure, but seeing as you've chosen to leave, you shouldn't second-guess your decision. Are you unwilling to part with the academy or someone attending the academy?"

Gu Yue shuddered upon hearing this. "How did you know?"

Leng Yaozhu smiled, and said, "How could I not know? It's the Sea God Fate Match-making Convention! In the past, I also..."

Her voice suddenly trailed off there as a hint of sorrow appeared in her eyes.

"I just don't understand why you chose to leave. A man who can catch your eye naturally has to be extremely exceptional. I've met him before, and he is indeed a brilliant talent. You can try convincing him to join us."

Gu Yue shook her head with a wry smile on her face. "I don't want to place him in a difficult position. He's already a member of the Tang Sect; if I hadn't left, there's probably a greater chance that he would've convinced me to join the Tang Sect than vice versa. You know my aspirations, Teacher; I can't allow myself to be shackled by relationships."

A hint of approval intermingled with melancholy flashed through Leng Yaozhu's eyes. "You carry far too heavy of a burden, child. I'm very glad to see that you're so driven and determined, but for your sake, I have to remind you that it's very likely that love only comes once. If you miss it, that may be your only chance at love squandered. Also, if we continue to progress according to our plan, you'll continue to enjoy a meteoric rise. Perhaps when you find yourself at the pinnacle of the continent someday, you'll look down to discover that there's an insurmountable gulf between the two of you. In that case, it'll be even more impossible for the two of you to be together. You're still young, so even if you choose to spend some more time with him, I won't blame you."

Gu Yue suddenly shook her head in an urgent manner. "There's no need for that. I'm not as determined as you think I am, Teacher. If I continue to be with him, it'll be very difficult for me to strengthen my resolve later on."

Leng Yaozhu heaved a faint sigh. "Alright then. In that case, everything will progress according to our plan. You'll be facing a total of four opponents, all of which are the top prodigies of the Spirit Pagoda. Defeat them, and you'll become the number one successor to the chairman. For every loss that you take, your ranking in that hierarchy will slip by one position. During the upcoming period of time, I'm going to be exerting more pressure on you to stimulate your latent potential. I believe that you're the best. After all, you're the only one in the history of the Spirit Pagoda to have reached the pinnacle of the Spirit Abyss realm at below 20 years of age. Once you make a breakthrough, the world will be your oyster. You'll be assured to become a Titled Douluo prior to turning 30."

……

Tang Wulin looked at the shimmering golden pieces of armor laid out on the table before him, and he turned to Ye Xinglan with an expression of genuine gratitude. "Thank you."

All of his friends were here with him.

During these past few days, they'd also been doing everything they could to search for Gu Yue.

Xie Xie laid a hand on Tang Wulin's shoulder. "Don't be sad, Boss. Gu Yue must have her reasons for doing this; she'll be back for sure."

"I know that she'll definitely come back, which is why I must become more powerful. Otherwise, if I get left too far behind by her, how will I be able to progress by her side?" Tang Wulin wore a faint smile on his face, and at the very least, his friends were unable to sense anything amiss about him.

Yuanen Yehui heaved a faint sigh. "You're always so strong, and you always come back stronger following setbacks. This is where I lose to you."

Ye Xinglan said, "I presume you'll need to prime yourself before undergoing the fusion process, right?"

Tang Wulin shook his head in response. "There's no need for that; I'm not that fragile. If I have trouble even fusing with this suit of one-word battle armor, then how can I continue to call myself your captain?"

That's right, all of the pieces of armor on the table were the remaining components of his suit of one-word battle armor. Ye Xinglan had created these pieces of armor for him in person during the past few years, and all that was left now was for him to fuse with these pieces of armor.

After that, he would become a one-word battle armor master. This was something that he'd once thought would only happen in his wildest dreams, but at this moment, he only wore a faint smile on his face that was completely devoid of excitement.

Tang Wulin picked up the breastplate as he spoke. The breastplate was the largest piece of armor, as well as the core for the entire suit of battle armor. The design of the breastplate was simplistic yet refined. It was constructed from two rectangular pieces of armor, and it was to be put on as a complete single piece of armor.

The piece of armor was quite heavy, and Tang Wulin said, "Get back a little."

Everyone hurriedly retreated to give him a wide berth.

In the next instant, Tang Wulin's eyes began to glow with bright golden light. Powerful blood essence fluctuations then erupted from his body like a substantial wave.

Xie Xie was the one who displayed the biggest reaction among everyone present. He let loose a muffled groan as he took an involuntary step backward, and his face abruptly paled as he sat onto the ground. He immediately activated his suit of battle armor, which quickly encapsulated his entire body, and only then did his complexion improve slightly. However, he was still quite stunned by that abrupt development.

Everyone else had also been affected to different extents. They all felt a peerlessly powerful burst of aura erupt from Tang Wulin's body, and they were all struck by a sense of oppression, as if they were in the presence of a vastly superior being. As dense golden mist began to surge forth from his body, that feeling only became even more pronounced.

Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan were the least affected by this, yet both of them were forced to take a backward step. In contrast, everyone else backed away at least two more steps. 

Everyone wore astonished expressions on their faces.

One had to realize that objectively, all of them were more powerful than Tang Wulin. They were all five-ring Soul Kings, as well as one-word battle armor masters, but even so, the bloodline aura erupting from Tang Wulin's body was forcing them into submission almost in an irresistible manner.

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