Half a year passed in the blink of an eye, and only two days remained until the start of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
Although the competition was approaching, the Royal Fighting Team continued training as usual, without feeling any urgency or panic.
As one of the two seeded teams of the Heaven Dou Empire, the Royal Fighting Team did not need to participate in the preliminaries or promotion rounds. They entered directly into the finals.
Now, there were still more than three months until the start of the finals in Spirit City, so there was no need to worry about the competition schedule at all.
In the past, the Royal Fighting Team was considered the weakest of the three major seeded teams (Spirit Hall, Star Luo Empire, Heaven Dou Empire). Not to mention dealing with the Spirit Hall team, they even struggled to deal with the top contenders from the Five Elemental Academies.
However, the Royal Fighting Team had now been completely transformed and possessed the strength to contend with, and potentially defeat, the Spirit Hall team.
Since they had a direct spot to the finals, Lin Mu naturally would not waste it. Forcing the team to participate in the preliminaries would be completely unnecessary and tactically unsound.
Moreover, for the current Royal Fighting Team, participating in the preliminaries and promotion rounds would not have much positive effect.
After Lin Mu's repeated refinement and rigorous training, the Royal Fighting Team's overall strength had skyrocketed. Even with a few substitute players, just sending out one of their three core members was enough to crush most teams in the preliminary rounds.
The three core members were Tang San, Ye Lingling, and the Shi brothers (with their Martial Soul Fusion Skill).
Tang San's soul power had now reached Level 52, making him stronger than the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall were at the start of the original timeline. He was capable of rivaling Soul Emperors and strong enough to contend with the Martial Soul Fusion, Demon Charm of Xie Yue and Hu Liena.
Ye Lingling's soul power was second only to Tang San, reaching Level 48, three levels higher than Yu Tianheng.
With her evolved Nine Heart Begonia martial soul, Ye Lingling was undoubtedly the team's absolute guarantee of survival. As long as Ye Lingling wasn't eliminated, her teammates would receive continuous, near-instantaneous healing.
As for the Shi brothers' Martial Soul Fusion Skill, while not as individually powerful as the previous two, it was still a key strategic asset, enough to wall off or suppress Soul King-level experts.
Therefore, as long as any one of these core members was on the field, they could crush most teams in the preliminaries effortlessly. Only powerful teams like Godwind Academy and Sky Water Academy (Tian Shui Academy) could barely hold out for a while.
In Lin Mu's view, participating in the preliminaries and promotion rounds did more harm than good. It would expose their tactics and strength to Spirit Hall prematurely.
To put it another way, Lin Mu's goal was simply to win the championship; he had no intention of slowly leveling up the team through experience they no longer needed.
Sunset Forest, Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
That morning, Lin Mu took Tang San into the Sunset Forest and flew above the valley.
Soon, the two saw a huge blue-gold plant dominating the center of the garden.
This plant was none other than the Blue Silver Emperor, Ah Yin.
In just half a year, she had grown from an extremely weak sprout of Blue Silver Grass to her current majestic form.
Looking down from above, she was simply a behemoth.
Occupying an area of dozens of square meters, each blade of grass was two feet wide, its clear golden veins shimmering in the sunlight.
Under the influence of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well's intense life energy, Ah Yin's recovery was excellent. Coupled with the "nutrient solution" refined by Lin Mu from rare herbs, her resurrection time was being drastically reduced.
Suddenly, a gentle and quiet voice came from the center of the Blue Silver Emperor. The ethereal voice was tinged with a sob.
"Little San... is it Little San?"
As soon as the words fell, blue-gold light bloomed from each blade of grass, condensing into a faint phantom in the air.
This phantom was Ah Yin. She looked to be around thirty years old, with unparalleled beauty and a gentle demeanor.
"Mom—!"
Looking at the phantom before him, whom he had never seen before yet felt so familiar in his soul, Tang San's heart trembled. He immediately knelt down, calling out with tears in his eyes.
"Don't cry, child... don't cry."
The phantom Ah Yin made an embracing gesture, but her illusory body could not stray too far from her true form.
So, she could only urge the broad blades of grass to surround Tang San's body, tightly enveloping him, trying to give her son some physical warmth.
At this moment, Tang San slowly raised his head, looking at the illusory figure floating in mid-air. This was the first time he had seen his mother's true face.
Although it was just an illusion projected by her spirit, he looked at it with exceptional care, memorizing every detail.
Although he had never spent time with his mother, the inclusiveness and unconditional care of maternal love made him feel a warmth completely different from the respect he held for his master.
Gradually, Tang San could no longer control his emotions, and a tear slid down his cheek, wetting the blades of the Blue Silver Emperor.
Seeing this, Ah Yin's eyes were filled with tenderness. She gently waved a blade of grass to wipe away Tang San's tears.
Seeing the scene of mother and son reunited, Lin Mu did not interfere. He stood quietly to the side, a strange, thoughtful light flashing in his eyes.
After a long while, Tang San finally controlled his emotions and quickly walked closer to the main body of the Blue Silver Emperor, asking, "Mom, how do you feel here?"
"Child, the environment here suits me very well... much better than the previous cave."
As she said the last sentence, complex emotions flickered in Ah Yin's eyes. Although she had lost all her cultivation, she still retained a sliver of consciousness during those dark years.
She didn't understand why Tang Hao had placed her in that cold, dark cave. But she didn't dwell on it, assuming Tang Hao must have had his reasons, perhaps he was being hunted.
"That's good."
Hearing that his mother liked the environment, Tang San immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, he turned to Lin Mu and solemnly introduced him. "Mom, this is my Master, Lin Mu. It was my Master who rescued you from that dark and damp cave."
Hearing this, Ah Yin immediately focused her attention on Lin Mu. She smiled slightly at him and softly said, "Thank you for your life-saving grace, Benefactor."
For some time before this reunion, Lin Mu had been giving her nutrient solutions, which greatly helped her growth. Her smooth recovery was inseparable from Lin Mu's help; it was truly a life-saving grace.
"It was nothing. Little San is my disciple; you don't need to be so polite."
Lin Mu waved his hand dismissively at Ah Yin's gratitude. After all, Ah Yin was Little San's mother, and as his teacher, he naturally couldn't ignore her well-being.
At this moment, Tang San's gaze kept shifting between his Master and his mother, a subtle, calculating glint flashing in his eyes.
'Since Tang Hao didn't cherish Mother... it would be better to entrust her to Master's care permanently. This way, they could become even closer, and I could indirectly repay Master's kindness by giving him a companion.'
"Ahem~"
Lin Mu coughed twice, sensing Tang San's stare. He looked at Tang San and instructed, "Little San, you chat with your mother for a while. I have other things to check on nearby."
With that, Lin Mu disappeared in the blink of an eye to give them privacy.
After Lin Mu left, Ah Yin's eyes flashed with urgency as she asked, "Little San... where's your father? How is he?"
Hearing this, Tang San frowned slightly, feeling even more sorry for his mother.
His mother had sacrificed all her cultivation for Tang Hao, yet he abandoned her in that dark, damp cave, leaving her to fend for herself, treated worse than a weed.
But upon regaining consciousness, her first concern was still for Tang Hao's condition.
The difference in their devotion was immense!