Luan Yu Returns

Before they knew it, nearly a year had passed since Liu Xing and Firefly arrived at the Earthly Dragon Gate. The two of them were already five years old, with one year left until their Martial Soul Awakening. Nan Qiuqiu was nearing seven, and her soul power had reached level fifteen, having risen four levels in a year. That was only thanks to Firefly's stimulation; otherwise, with her playful nature, it would likely have taken her quite some time to reach this level.

With Nan Qiuqiu's Innate level-nine soul power talent and the Earthly Dragon Gate's resources, she had a chance of reaching the Soul Elder rank before turning twelve.

A twelve-year-old Soul Elder was already considered a genius. If Nan Qiuqiu's playful temperament had not been so difficult to change, she might have progressed even faster. After all, her talent was not lacking, and she had an entire sect supporting her.

Over the past year, Liu Xing had also met the Heavenly Dragon Gate's genius young sect master, Yu Tianlong. Yu Tianlong truly lived up to being the owner of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul. Despite his young age, he was already tall and burly. Once he grew up, he would probably stand over two meters tall—the kind of muscular build Liu Xing could only dream of.

Unfortunately, Liu Xing's body template was Firefly. Even if he grew in the future, reaching two meters would probably be impossible.

His dream of becoming a hulking brute had died before it even began. Still, being a stylish man was not unacceptable.

Yu Tianlong possessed Innate Full Soul Power and cultivated with great diligence, leaving Nan Qiuqiu far behind. Though he was the same age as her, he was already a level-seventeen Soul Scholar. It was not hard to see that his First Soul Ring had a higher age than Nan Qiuqiu's. After all, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon had once been the continent's number-one Beast Spirit Soul. Its enhancement to physical constitution was not something a mage-type Rouge Dragon could compare to.

With Yu Tianlong's talent, advancing to the Soul Elder rank before the age of twelve was practically guaranteed. He even had a strong chance of reaching the Spirit Emperor rank before twenty. On Douluo Continent, it was widely acknowledged that anyone who advanced to Spirit Emperor before the age of twenty had an almost certain chance of breaking through to become a Titled Douluo.

Yu Tianlong was the Heavenly Dragon Gate's most promising genius for becoming a Titled Douluo. Compared to the Heavenly Dragon Gate, the Earthly Dragon Gate's most gifted disciple was its young sect master, Nan Qiuqiu. With Nan Qiuqiu's aptitude, she originally had a chance of fighting for the possibility of reaching Spirit Emperor before twenty.

But unfortunately, Nan Qiuqiu was simply too playful. She cultivated for three days, then slacked off for two, and Nan Shui Shui could not bear to be too harsh with her.

Because of the traditions between the Heavenly Dragon Gate and the Earthly Dragon Gate, Nan Qiuqiu often led Xu Shenshu and the others to challenge Yu Tianlong's group. Unfortunately, they had never won even once.

Nan Shui Shui also forbade Nan Qiuqiu from bringing Firefly along and had instructed Firefly to avoid fighting outside whenever possible.

Every time Nan Qiuqiu lost to Yu Tianlong and the others, she would work hard for a while. Yet before long, she would lose all momentum again, her enthusiasm lasting only three minutes.

It made Nan Shui Shui sigh again and again.

Over the past year, Liu Xing and Firefly had also worried about Luan Yu. Nan Shui Shui had sent Earthly Dragon Gate disciples to inquire about her whereabouts, but according to Soul Hunting Squads that had gone to the outskirts of the Far North to search for Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, someone resembling Luan Yu had crossed the outer region of the Far North and entered its central region—a place that Soul Hunting Squads did not dare approach at all.

The central region of the Far North bordered its inner reaches. Not only was the environment even harsher, but one could also encounter ice-attributed soul beasts that were over ten thousand years old. Without the strength of a Soul Saint or above, entering it was simply courting death.

Those Soul Hunting Squads lived with their lives on the line and were all extraordinarily bold, yet none dared enter the central region. That alone showed how dangerous the Far North was.

However, according to Nan Shui Shui, with Luan Yu's cultivation, as long as she did not enter the inner reaches of the Far North and did not have the misfortune of encountering the Far North Three Kings or other Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, escaping with her life should not be a problem. Only then did Liu Xing and Firefly feel somewhat relieved.

Luan Yu had also said before leaving that she would likely need a year before returning. Otherwise, Firefly might already have transformed into SAM and charged into the Far North.

She did not care about the Far North Three Kings. To her, there was nothing her flames could not burn.

That day, Nan Qiuqiu once again returned in dejection with Xu Shenshu and the others, looking thoroughly battered. Clearly, they had lost to the Heavenly Dragon Gate's group again.

In Liu Xing's view, it would be difficult for Nan Qiuqiu and the others to defeat the Heavenly Dragon Gate children their age. Besides Yu Tianlong, the Heavenly Dragon Gate also had another Innate Full Soul Power genius: Xing Yan, whose Martial Soul was the Crimson Dragon. He too had a chance of advancing to Spirit Emperor before twenty and was another potential Titled Douluo.

Whether in one-on-one fights or group brawls, Nan Qiuqiu's group was no match for Yu Tianlong and Xing Yan. Still, both sides exercised restraint. Although Nan Qiuqiu and the others returned injured every time, Liu Xing could tell that they were merely superficial wounds—the kind that would heal in a day or two after applying some medicine.

In fact, many times Nan Qiuqiu did not even suffer superficial wounds. Xu Shenshu and the others were the ones who got hurt. Yu Tianlong's group knew their limits, and they only beat up Xu Shenshu and the others, rarely laying a hand on Nan Qiuqiu.

It was fortunate that they knew their limits. Otherwise, Firefly would not have been so polite. Even with Nan Shui Shui's instructions, Firefly would have stepped in to help Nan Qiuqiu vent her anger.

Even so, Firefly planned to help Nan Qiuqiu get some payback before leaving the Earthly Dragon Gate by beating up Yu Tianlong, Xing Yan, and the rest.

"What happened? Who dared bully our Qiuqiu?"

At the Earthly Dragon Gate's entrance, Nan Qiuqiu and the others had just suffered defeat and were hanging their heads as they prepared to enter when a surprised voice sounded from behind them.

Nan Qiuqiu found the voice somewhat familiar. She turned around and saw a woman in her thirties with long Ice Blue hair walking slowly toward them.

Nan Qiuqiu froze for a moment, then recognized her and cried out happily, "Aunt, you're back!"

Luan Yu walked up to Nan Qiuqiu, rubbed her little head, and smiled. "Yes, I'm back. What happened to you all? Where are Liu Xing and Firefly?"

Nan Qiuqiu pursed her lips. "Nothing. We lost a fight, that's all. Liu Xing and Firefly are inside. I'll take you to them."

Nan Qiuqiu had grown used to losing, but she never accepted defeat. Otherwise, she would not have challenged them again every so often, fighting on despite repeated losses.

This was something that greatly comforted Nan Shui Shui. At least her daughter was not someone who retreated in the face of difficulty; she still had plenty of fighting spirit. Of course, in Liu Xing's eyes, she was just stubbornly thick-headed.

Very soon, news of Luan Yu's return reached Nan Shui Shui. By the time she arrived at Liu Xing and Firefly's residence, Luan Yu was already there.

"Little sister, you've finally returned. If you had stayed away any longer, these two little ones would have charged into the Far North to look for you."

Nan Shui Shui's face was full of smiles. She was also delighted that Luan Yu had returned safely. Though the two had not known each other long, as powerful women, they had felt a mutual appreciation from the first moment they met. They had even begun calling each other sisters. Otherwise, Luan Yu would never have felt comfortable entrusting Liu Xing and Firefly to Nan Shui Shui's care.