Chapter Fourteen: The Four-Colored Soul Light

  When he came, he was worried about the safety of Xiao Tianlang and didn't feel anything. At this time, when he hurried back on the road, Helianuo couldn't help but sigh that the location of the Jade Phoenix Tree was too secretive. Not to mention the countless vines along the way that were airtight, even the many forks in between were enough to make people headache. If it wasn't for Xiao Tianlang's accidental discovery, he might not have found this place in his lifetime, and he wouldn't have met that little girl either. Thinking of that little girl who seemed to be angered by himself, Helianuo couldn't help but feel a headache, and quickly quickened his pace. Although this place was easy to get lost, fortunately, there was still Xiao Tianlang who could barely find the correct road with his animal instincts, and he wasn't afraid of not being able to return to the Wolf's Den.

  After a long time, Helian and Xiao Lang finally returned to the Tianlang Cave. Even with Helian's extraordinary endurance, he was already exhausted from the half-day of running around. From afar, they saw Helian sitting on a large, smooth boulder in front of the cave, eyes closed and meditating. Helian had once suspected that this boulder was not ordinary, thinking that even if it couldn't enhance his powers, sitting on it would be as comfortable as a sofa. Otherwise, why did Helian love it so much? Curiosity was perhaps Helian's biggest weakness. One day, when Helian went out to hunt, he took the opportunity to climb onto the boulder and prepare to enjoy himself thoroughly. However, after just a short while, he couldn't bear it anymore and jumped down. It turned out that the boulder was cold and hard, and sitting on it for a while only made his waist ache and back hurt. He couldn't understand why Helian loved this habit so much, and could only attribute it to one of his many quirks.

  At this moment, Hélène, who had something on her mind, didn't have the interest to be curious about Hélène's quirks anymore. She hastily greeted Hélène and rushed towards the cave without stopping. In the corner, she dug out a fine steel dagger that Hélène wouldn't allow herself to use casually. Just as she was about to rush out of the Tianlang Cave, she bumped into Hélène's icy chest. By her ear, she also heard Hélène's icy voice devoid of any emotion: "Arno, have you finished today's homework?"

  "Little uncle, I...", originally Helian Luo meant to call him master, as Helian Shang had always taught him the art of physical fitness and they had a real master-disciple relationship. However, Helian Shang insisted on not being called that, so Helian Luo could only address him by their familial title "little uncle". For some reason, Helian Luo, who was normally fearless, became like a mouse seeing a cat when he saw Helian Shang, speaking with humility and unable to utter a single false word. Standing in front of Helian Shang at this moment, he couldn't even say half a lie.

  Seeing He Lian's dejected appearance, He Lian was heartbroken but surprisingly didn't scold or punish himself as usual. Instead, he said calmly: "You're still young and prone to mischief, so it's not right to expect too much from you. However, you must understand that you are a descendant of the He Lian family. Although our family head voluntarily died for loyalty, how can we, as members of the He Lian clan, let off scot-free the main culprit, Tian Shuang? As for whether or not I, He Lian, can clear my name and return to Tian Shuang, it's up to you, He Lian Nu."

  When Helian Shang mentioned the incident seven years ago, Helian Nuo also put aside his complicated thoughts and clenched his fists tightly. Due to Nan Huangyue's relationship, Helian Nuo's hatred for Tian Shuangjun was no less than Helian Shang's.

  Seeing Helian'nuo's reaction, Helian Shou couldn't help but nod in satisfaction and continued: "Alright, I know you've long been tired of the dullness of strengthening your body, but you must understand that no matter what you do, laying a good foundation is the most important thing. A towering building rises from flat ground, it's just this principle. For four years, I've been urging you to lay a foundation every day, hoping that your future path to cultivating your soul would be more stable and less prone to major mistakes. Now it seems there have been some good results. Alright, starting today, I'll teach you some basic knowledge about cultivating your soul. I don't have powerful soul techniques to give you, as for the method of cultivating your heart's intent, if fate permits, I believe that when Tian Lang returns, things will become clearer. What I can do now is let you avoid taking a few detours on the path to cultivating your soul. I know I'm not capable of being your teacher, so I don't dare to exchange the rituals of master and disciple with you. In the future, when the time is right, I'll send you to find someone who has the ability to teach you. If in the future you want to resent me for being too strict on you these few years, I have nothing to say. But I want you to remember, you are Helian's hope!

  Today, Helian Shang spoke more words than usual, which made Helian Nuo slightly surprised. He raised his head and met Helian Shang's eyes, which were still cold but flashed with a hint of warmth. Helian Nuo felt a warmth in his heart, knowing that this younger uncle was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and had given everything to him without seeking anything in return. He said word by word: "Uncle, whether you have the ability to teach me or not, I know it better than anyone else. I also know that the stricter you are with me, the more you care about me. Although you don't want to accept this master-disciple relationship, I have long regarded you as my first and most important teacher in life. However, there is one thing you said that I dare not agree with: Helian's hope is not just me, but also you!" After finishing his words, he bowed down and paid respects to Helian Shang with a master-disciple ceremony.

  He Lian Shang stared at He Lian Nu as he suddenly bowed to him, and his composure was instantly disrupted. He hastily helped He Lian Nu up, muttering "it's not necessary, it's not necessary". He Lian Nu looked at He Lian Shang, who normally wouldn't bat an eye even if the sky fell, but now was flustered and almost disheveled due to his words. He Lian Nu felt both moved and amused, knowing that if he didn't speak up first, He Lian Shang would probably take half a day to find a topic to ease the current atmosphere. So, he continued, "Young uncle, but I don't know how to start learning soul cultivation."

  Upon hearing Helian Nu's inquiry, Helian Shou finally calmed down and suppressed the excitement in his heart, saying: "Right, right, soul refinement. The most important thing about soul refinement is to determine your direction of soul refinement, which means choosing the most suitable soul core for you to cultivate. A person doesn't necessarily have to cultivate only one type of soul core; in principle, anyone can cultivate any system's soul core, but choosing a suitable one will always bring twice the result with half the effort. For example, I'm introverted and gloomy by nature, so I mainly cultivated the ice soul core that's traditional to the Helian family and the dark soul core that suits me. My family has been dominated by ice system soul masters for generations, and you should have also primarily cultivated ice system soul techniques... but..."

  "What's going on?", seeing He Lian Shang seemed to have some unspoken words, He Lian Nu couldn't help but anxiously ask, after all, this concerned her own future prospects of refining her soul.

  "You were originally a direct descendant of the He Lian family, and you should have had an excellent talent for cultivating ice. However, your mother's Nan Huang family is a talented family that cultivates fire, and water and fire are incompatible - this is an unchanging principle since ancient times. This was also the fundamental reason why the families were initially unwilling to let them be together. But in the end, they couldn't resist your father's determination, even if it meant death. Your mother was a wonderful person, but I don't know whether you inherited the He Lian family's talent for ice or the Nan Huang family's talent for fire. Of course, having both would be the best result.

  Let's not talk about this anymore. I have a Soul Testing Stone here that can measure a person's talent in the soul system. No matter what the result is, you must remember that talent is only one factor that determines success - it's far from everything. In the history of You Yue, there are countless people with mediocre qualifications who achieved great martial arts accomplishments, while those who relied solely on their talent often ended up achieving nothing.

  Alright, Ano, put your hand on the Soul Testing Stone!" He said, pulling out a palm-sized transparent round stone from his sleeve and slowly handing it over to He Lian No.

  Khalina carefully placed her hand on the Soulstone, and at first, it was silent for a while. Then, a dazzling purple light burst out, with silver snake-like lightning flashing within. The lightning danced erratically, as if containing an extremely powerful force. Next, the purple color dissipated, and the entire Soulstone turned deep blue with rapidly spinning whirlpools. However, the changes in the Soulstone were not over yet. After the blue color faded, the left half of the Soulstone emitted a blue halo, while the right half flashed red light, each occupying half of the sphere without interfering with each other. After a while, all the lights dimmed, and the Soulstone returned to its original dull and dark state.

  "What's going on here?"