Soul Land 3: Legend Of The Dragon King

He really was beginning to like his new identity as Old Man Chen the sweeper. At the very least, he didn't have any burdens! He didn't have to think about anything, and nothing that was happening in the outside world had anything to do with him. The first thing that he did after coming here was stomp his own soul communicator into pieces. Regardless of what was happening outside, he was just a sweeper.

Finally, Chen Xinjie finished sweeping the drill ground at around noon, and at this point, the drill ground had become quite lively and bustling. After tipping everything he had swept up into the bin, Chen Xinjie prepared to return to his room.

All of a sudden, he stopped in his tracks, and a displeased look appeared on his face. "I already told you not to come and find me here."

Yuanen Zhentian chuckled, "It's alright, all of the kids are in their classrooms, so no one can see. By the way, did Elder Long just come to see you?"

An exasperated look appeared on Chen Xinjie's face. "How is a Limit Douluo like you so into gossip?"

Yuanen Zhentian chuckled, "You're one to talk! You're also a Limit Douluo, yet you've become a yard sweeper, haven't you? So? How did it go?"

Chen Xinjie rolled his eyes, and replied, "Let's go talk at my place."

He sped up as he spoke and made his way toward one of the nearby buildings.

Chen Xinjie's room wasn't very large. Tang Wulin had wanted to organize better lodging for him, but he stubbornly refused. However, his room received very good sun exposure, especially in the mornings, where most of the room was bathed in sunlight.

After entering the room, Chen Xinjie boiled some water and made two cups of tea.

Yuanen Zhentian immediately made himself comfortable, taking a cup of tea before sitting down on the wooden sofa. "Your room is a really good place to sunbathe."

Chen Xinjie offered no response and began to drink his tea.

"So what happened?" Yuanen Zhentian asked in an eager manner.

Chen Xinjie snapped, "What do you think happened? If she could forgive me just like that, do you think I would be sweeping the yard here? I'll just have to take things slow. I know her very well; there's a soft heart beneath that hard exterior of hers, so I'll get through to her eventually."

Yuanen Zhentian raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "I think that's going to be very difficult."

"What would you know?" Chen Xinjie grumbled.

Yuanen Zhentian replied, "She harbors too much resentment toward you; I don't think you have much of a chance no matter how soft her heart is. At her age, it's very difficult for you to do anything that could move her so deeply that she would forgive you. You ruined her youth; how is she supposed to forgive you?"

"If you're here just to rub salt into my wounds, then get out! Don't waste my tea!" Chen Xinjie snapped.

Yuanen Zhentian chuckled, "Hey, don't get mad; I'm here to offer you some ideas. How about this? Disable your own martial soul so you become a normal old man; that'll surely be enough to move her!"

Chen Xinjie almost dropped his cup of tea upon hearing this. "Piss off! What kind of terrible idea is that? Do you not know how old I am? Without my martial soul to support me, I'll drop dead on the spot! I won't even be able to wait until she decides to forgive me!"

"Er, that's a valid concern. I guess there's a slight issue with that plan."

"It's not a slight issue; it's a huge issue! If you don't have any useful ideas, then keep your mouth shut," Chen Xinjie said before taking a sip of his tea.

Yuanen Zhentian gave a resigned shrug and also began to drink his tea in silence.

After a while, Chen Xinjie suddenly said, "How about this? I pretend to disable my martial soul, and that convinces her to forgive me, so she stops me right at the last moment."

Yuanen Zhentian's lips twitched slightly upon hearing this. "I think you've read too many corny novels. What if she just looks at you and tells you to go ahead? Will you actually do it? If you don't, then you'll have lied to her, and she'll be even less willing to forgive you."

Chen Xinjie's face immediately fell upon hearing this. "You're right, there doesn't seem to be anything I can do. So be it, I'll just continue living like this. At the very least, I was able to meet her today, and that means she's always been keeping tabs on me. As long as I continue to persist, my efforts will bear fruit someday."

Yuanen Zhentian smiled, and said, "That's the spirit. This isn't a bad situation; just take it slow and enjoy life."

Chen Xinjie nodded in response. "Now that I've been freed from all my duties and responsibilities, I'm seeing the world in an entirely new way."

Yuanen Zhentian replied, "It's about time you took a rest."

He never discussed the state of the continent or the Battle God Hall with Chen Xinjie. As a quasigod himself, he was well aware of how painful it had to have been for Chen Xinjie to give up so much. As such, there was no need to mention subjects that would only sour the mood.

...... 

Upon returning to her room, the serious look on Long Yeyue's face immediately faded.

In all honesty, she wasn't entirely unmoved by Chen Xinjie's decision to give up everything and assist Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect in obtaining Eternal Heaven.

The loftier one's status, the more they valued their positions, so the fact that Chen Xijie had given up so much for her was already sufficient proof of his repentance.

However, just as Yuanen Zhentian had said, she had harbored resentment toward him for so many years, and she simply couldn't bring herself to forgive him right away.

Despite this, she was suffering greatly from watching him sweep the yard every day. Her man was supposed to be a mighty figure who could carry the weight of the world on his shoulders; how could he be reduced to a sweeper?

Unbeknownst to Chen Xinjie, his newly adopted role had a very big impact on Long Yeyue. She couldn't chase him away as he refused to leave, but she couldn't just continue to watch him sweep the yard like this, either.

With that in mind, she dialed Tang Wulin's number. He was the only one she could turn to.

"Elder Long." Tang Wulin's voice rang out from the other end.

"What's going on with you, Wulin? You're just going to let that old bastard sweep the yard every day? Don't you find that embarrassing? Get him to leave! He can do whatever he wants; just stop making an embarrassment of himself!"

Tang Wulin was rather startled by Long Yeyue's heated words, and a wry smile appeared on his face as he replied, "I'm sure you know what the Boundless Ocean Douluo's personality is like, Elder Long; I've tried to persuade him on many occasions, but he refuses to listen to me. Also, he did assist us immensely in securing Eternal Heaven, and as a junior, I can't force him to do anything."

After venting her frustrations, Long Yeyue had also regained some mental clarity, and she gave a cold harrumph before ending the call.

Indeed, as the current leader of the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy, Tang Wulin couldn't just enforce his will on a Limit Douluo who had assisted both of the powers that he represented.

Thus, Long Yeyue could only pace back and forth in her room in a rare display of discomposure.

After the call was cut off, Tang Wulin could only remove his soul communicator in a resigned manner.

He was about to begin forging now, and heavenly refinement required absolute quiet and concentration, so he would always cut off all contact with the outside world during his forging sessions.

After returning from the Battle God Hall, he had gone into seclusion for an entire month before continuing in his forging.

After that one month, Tang Wulin didn't appear to have undergone any noticeable changes, but only he was aware of just how important that month had been for himself.

The attainment of spear essence had not only evolved his understanding of the spear to a higher level, it had opened up a new world to him, and many of the things he had failed to understand in the past became clear to him.

The guidance provided to Tang Wulin by Guan Yue was extremely important; it essentially paved the way for his progression to the Limit Douluo level and allowed him to truly understand what was required to get there.

During his seclusion, Tang Wulin discovered that in order to become a Limit Douluo, he had to make himself more mellow and well-rounded. All those who had reached the Limit Douluo level in the past were all individuals who had been able to fully understand and integrate their abilities.