Ice Phoenix Douluo

"Elder Sister, the senior didn't do it on purpose. Stop cursing, stop cursing!"

Liu Xing, caught between laughter and tears, stopped the Blue-Haired Woman's tirade. He was genuinely afraid that if this kind-hearted Elder Sister kept cursing, a bolt of Extinction Divine Lightning would fall from the sky and physically silence her for good.

Generally speaking, real-life trolls never came to a good end!

"You're such a sensible child."

The Blue-Haired Woman stroked Liu Xing's little head, her face full of emotion. He had clearly been abandoned in this wilderness, yet he did not complain at all. Instead, he even spoke up for someone else. He was so sensible that it made her heart ache.

With that thought, the Blue-Haired Woman carefully examined Liu Xing and Firefly. The more she looked, the more she liked them. A golden boy and jade girl with silver hair and blue-pink eyes, delicate and adorable as carved dolls, and so sensible besides—the Blue-Haired Woman's girlish heart was practically coming back to life.

The Blue-Haired Woman crouched down and pulled Liu Xing and Firefly into her arms. Like an obsessed fan, she rubbed her cheeks against theirs and said blissfully, "Oh my, how can you two little ones be this adorable?"

Liu Xing stared up at the sky in utter despair. But what could he do? He was just a little boy now. Firefly clenched her tiny pink fists, then slowly loosened them. If the Blue-Haired Woman had not meant them any harm, she would have already punched her.

"I've decided. I'm going to adopt you two."

"Hm?"

Liu Xing and Firefly froze, then looked at the Blue-Haired Woman together.

The Blue-Haired Woman smiled. "Neither of you has any family left. And who knows whether that irresponsible person will ever come back? I can't just leave you here and ignore you. You're still so young—how are you supposed to survive? Elder Sister likes you two very much. I wasn't planning to marry or have children anyway, so I'll be relying on you two little ones to support me in my old age."

Liu Xing and Firefly exchanged a glance. She really was a good person. Their luck was not bad. Then they both looked at the Blue-Haired Woman and called out sincerely, "Elder Sister."

This time, they meant it from the bottom of their hearts. Though they had concealed many things, and this blue-haired Elder Sister had likely noticed some of them, she was still willing to adopt them. That alone had earned Liu Xing and Firefly's approval.

Their thoughts were simple. Having just arrived in this world, it was important to have an identity that would let them fit in. Having a local guide them and help them understand this world was even more like timely aid in a snowstorm.

For Liu Xing, having someone guide him would make it much easier to quickly come into contact with this world's Soul Power cultivation system. He did not have the treatment of a protagonist, stealing the peerless cultivation technique of some sect from his past life right at the start. He had no Mysterious Heaven Skill or anything like that.

He had only been an ordinary person in his previous life, while Firefly was an artificial human whose power came from Propagation. Neither of them had any cultivation techniques to speak of.

The Blue-Haired Woman gave Liu Xing and Firefly each a hard kiss on the cheek and said excitedly, "From now on, we're family."

Liu Xing and Firefly were stunned. The words "family" held special meaning for both of them. Liu Xing had been an orphan in his previous life, while Firefly had had no family from the moment she was born.

The two exchanged glances and smiled knowingly.

Seeing this, the Blue-Haired Woman also revealed a gentle smile. She had not completely believed Liu Xing's explanation, but upon seeing their expressions now, she believed them.

Because a liar could not wear such a pure smile.

"Elder Sister is called Luan Yu. I'm a Rank 9 Spirit Tool Master, and my title is Ice Phoenix. What are your names, little ones?"

Luan Yu spoke with a proud expression, clearly hoping to see the admiration in the two children's eyes.

"Elder Sister, my name is Liu Xing."

Liu Xing was speechless. Showing off in front of children—she really was old at heart. Ah, no, Elder Sister isn't old at all. Liu Xing quickly tossed that thought out of his mind before it could get his backside blossoming.

But a Rank 9 Spirit Tool Master? Ice Phoenix Douluo? It seemed this was not the timeline of the first part. Spirit Tool Masters... could this be the second part?

Liu Xing pondered silently. He had indeed seen online discussions about the plot of the second part, but not much. All he knew was that the protagonist of the second part had it rough—despite having a heaven-defying cheat, he suffered the most brutal beatings, and was even trained into a dog in the end. It could be said that he was the most miserable of all the many protagonists in this world.

He did not know much about the second part's plot. He had only absorbed scattered information online, so he could only take things one step at a time. Liu Xing sighed inwardly.

If this had been the timeline of the first part, he would have had far more room to maneuver.

"Elder Sister, my name is Firefly. What is a Rank 9 Spirit Tool Master? Is it very impressive?"

Firefly tilted her head in confusion.

Having gained Liu Xing's memories, Firefly had learned a great deal of knowledge. Without anyone teaching her, she had instinctively learned how to act cute.

Luan Yu's expression stiffened, but she immediately acted as though nothing had happened. "Ahahaha, Liu Xing and Firefly? Both are wonderful names!"

"Elder Sister, what is a Spirit Tool Master? Is Rank 9 very impressive?"

Firefly persistently pressed on.

Firefly had also realized what was going on. She had picked out many key terms and was now gathering information.

Luan Feng felt like crying inside. Her attempt to show off had failed. Helplessly, she said, "You'll understand when you're older. You must be hungry, right? Elder Sister will take you to Dragon City for something delicious."

Firefly secretly winked at Liu Xing. Liu Xing looked up at the sky speechlessly. Firefly had gone bad too. Which bastard ruined my innocent Ying Bao?

Then Liu Xing came to his senses. It was me! Then it's fine.

Luan Yu took the two little ones and flew toward Dragon City. She was from the Sun Moon Empire, a true-blooded Rank 9 Spirit Tool Master of the Sun Moon Empire. As for why she had appeared in the Heaven Dou Empire, it was merely a coincidence. Her Martial Soul was the Ice Phoenix Sword, an ice-element weapon Martial Soul, and what she excelled at most was crafting ice-element Soul Tools. Dragon City was only a temporary stop for her; her destination was the Far North beyond the city.

The Far North was rich in ice-element Spirit Beasts, ice-element ores, and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. Though its climate was frigid and it was a forbidden zone for humans, she was a Titled Douluo.

Dragon City stood in the northeastern corner of the Heaven Dou Empire, separated from the Far North by only a single mountain ridge. The cold wind swept through the city like blades. Snow filled the sky, as though eternal winter had frozen in place here. The city walls were thick and majestic, like witnesses to history, every brick and stone engraved with the marks of time.

When they were still more than ten kilometers away from Dragon City, Luan Yu descended from the sky with Liu Xing and Firefly. After all, she was from the Sun Moon Empire, so she had to keep a lower profile in the Heaven Dou Empire.

On Douluo Continent, the relationship between the Original Douluo Three Kingdoms and the Sun Moon Empire, where Luan Yu came from, was extremely tense. Small-scale conflicts frequently broke out along the border, and it would not have been strange if all-out war erupted any day. As a Rank 9 Spirit Tool Master of the Sun Moon Empire, she was unwilling to get involved due to her personality, but the mark of the Sun Moon Empire upon her could not be washed away. Thus, when she was on the territory of the Original Douluo Three Kingdoms, she generally kept a low profile.