Xu Wei

Lin Li frowned, but quickly concealed herself with Spiritual Power.

She stood quietly on a tree branch, calmly studying the youth below and the man behind him, whose Spirit possessed an exceptionally dazzling crown.

She recognized that Spirit as the Star Crown Spirit. The man's six Spirit Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black—slowly emerged, equally resplendent.

For some reason, the moment Lin Li saw that youth, her heart suddenly stirred. It was as though the youth was not a stranger, but her father, Lin Yan.

Lin Li gently rubbed her slightly stinging eyes and said softly, "Dad, what are you trying to tell me?"

At that instant, Lin Li's aura was exposed. The man called Uncle Xu immediately became vigilant. The chains that had tightly bound the Star Moon Spirit Vine loosened somewhat, instead circling the youth and firmly protecting him.

"What is the point of hiding, Your Excellency? Why not show yourself?"

His voice carried Soul Power as it spread through their surroundings. Hearing him, the youth unconsciously circulated his Soul Power. The Star Ring Spirit hidden beneath his hair emerged, lending him an even more noble air.

After hearing the man's words, Lin Li simply stopped concealing herself with Spiritual Power. She leaned lazily against the branch, her Phoenix Eyes half-lidded as she spoke indifferently.

"He's merely absorbing a Second Spirit Ring. That vine is only a hundred years old and is of no use to me. Rest assured, I have no reason to attack you."

As she spoke, her aura surged forth, like an unsealed demonic blade finally revealing its peerless edge.

Neither of them had initially spotted Lin Li. Upon hearing her voice, they followed it with their eyes.

They saw a girl in a black gown leaning lazily against a branch, her eyes slightly narrowed, her gaze resting on her pale, slender fingers.

Her ink-black hair swayed in the breeze, adding a touch of cold detachment to her whole figure. She seemed like a fairy descending beneath the moon, too sacred to be profaned.

The Middle-aged Man coldly said to the girl above, "Then we'll take you at your word. But secretly watching us is hardly polite!"

The Star Crown Spirit radiated dazzling starlight, as though he would strike the next moment if she failed to give a satisfactory answer.

Lin Li lazily yawned. She had not feared a Spirit King even when she had only three rings. Now, facing a Spirit Emperor with a weakness to exploit, to put it bluntly, she was not afraid of him.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple—four Spirit Rings shot into the air. A clear Phoenix Cry rang throughout the forest.

An unreadable darkness flickered in Lin Li's eyes as her indifferent voice sounded.

"If I had intended anything, the youth beside you would already be dead. Enough with the dithering. This Spirit Ring doesn't suit me anyway. I was only here because I was curious about someone entering the outskirts in the middle of the night."

With that, the Blood Fiend Demonic Phoenix suddenly beat its wings, stirring up a distorted, bone-chilling wave of extreme heat. The heat wave seemed to twist space itself.

The youth beside the Middle-aged Man could not help frowning. His Level Twenty body could not withstand the pressure she had released.

Xu Changde hurriedly used Soul Power to shield the youth. He glared at the girl on the branch, who was idly rubbing her fingers, and coldly rebuked, "Your Excellency is being far too overbearing."

Lin Li abruptly withdrew her gaze from her fingers, turned to look at him, and said calmly, "I consider my temper rather good."

After saying that, she withdrew her aura, though her Spirit remained manifested, ready to strike at any moment.

Seeing her actions, Xu Chang also relaxed somewhat and said loudly, "May I ask how much longer Your Excellency intends to remain here? I am a member of the Xu Family of the Star Crown Sect in the Star Luo Empire. I ask that Your Excellency grant us this convenience."

A look of confirmation flashed through Lin Li's eyes when she heard that. She said lightly, "Oh, so you are from the Xu Family of the Star Luo Empire. Naturally, I must show the Star Crown Sect some respect."

After speaking, her Phoenix Eyes gave the youth one deep look. With a light beat of her phoenix wings, she vanished from where she stood.

That glance made the youth's scalp tingle. He said in confusion, "Uncle Xu, why didn't you keep her here? She was far too presumptuous."

Xu Chang sighed softly at the youth's words. "That girl is already a Four-Ring Spirit Elder at such a young age. Wei'er, I can sense that she is not much older than you."

Xu Wei frowned. "Uncle Chang, have you lost your mind? How could anyone cultivate to four rings before the age of thirteen?"

Xu Chang sighed again. "I don't know either. I just have a vague feeling. Forget it. Wei'er, quickly kill this Star Moon Spirit Vine. Don't let any further complications arise."

Xu Wei nodded. With one slash of his blade, he severed the roots of the Star Moon Spirit Stone Vine, and a yellow Spirit Ring appeared.

Once the Spirit Ring appeared, Xu Wei did not dare waste any time. He immediately began absorbing it. After completing the absorption, he exchanged a glance with Xu Chang and swiftly left the forest.

What they did not know was that ten minutes after they left, a figure in a black gown emerged from the shadows, her narrowed eyes filled with an unreadable darkness.

"System, do those two have a bloodline connection with me?"

The system immediately replied, "The older one has an extremely faint bloodline connection to the Host. However, based on the youth's aura, one of the Host's parents must share the same clan and bloodline as one of his parents."

A look of confirmation flashed through Lin Li's eyes. She had already known then that she was connected to the Xu Family of the Star Luo Empire, perhaps only through a branch family.

But according to the system, Lin Yan's identity was likely far more complicated than she had imagined, because she could tell from the youth's clothes alone whether he was a direct descendant.

Clothes woven from Hundred-Year Green Feather Silk were impervious to water and fire, with exceptionally rich, vibrant colors.

Moreover, brocade woven from Hundred-Year Green Feather Silk was priceless and almost impossible to purchase. It truly lived up to the saying: an inch of brocade, an inch of gold.

Lin Li then put away the "corpse" of the completely dead Star Moon Spirit Vine. No matter what kind they were, hundred-year Plant-type Spirit Beasts could be used as medicine.

Just like poison—used properly, it saved lives; used improperly, it harmed them.

Lin Li's pretense of leaving had merely been to determine whether the two had any connection to her. Now that she knew, she did not linger.

The Profound Nether Phoenix Wings spread open, and her figure swiftly left the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

By the time she returned to Soul Town Village, dawn had broken. Lin Li went home, took a bath, then picked up a book and began reading.

The book she was reading was a Record of Strange Tales. It documented many bizarre places across Douluo Continent, and Lin Li suspected that these places contained traces of Divine Inheritance.

One such place was the Place of Observation: evil aura filled the air, and ominous miasma spread everywhere. The city walls had collapsed, broken bricks and tiles piled high; the streets and alleys lay desolate, overgrown with weeds and thorny brambles...

Wasn't that description of the City of Slaughter, the inheritance ground of the Asura God?

So she continued studying these books. As for Sea God Island, she would definitely make a trip there. If she still could not find a Divine Inheritance before turning seventeen—

Then she would truly have to clash with the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. That was not something she wanted to see.