A Gradually Transforming Mindset

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Jarvis was dragged by the members of his mercenary group for more than twenty miles before they finally stopped.

Seeing that Jarvis remained unconscious, none of his men dared to wake him.

They waited until nightfall before Jarvis slowly came to.

Looking around, Jarvis asked blankly, "What happened? Why did I..."

Then, Jarvis suddenly remembered!

Li Tianlan had knocked him out with a single punch!

A child of seven or eight, without using any soul skill, had taken out him—a Soul Grandmaster—with one punch?

What kind of joke was that?

The humiliation surged through him, and Jarvis completely lost it!

"Bastard!" Jarvis slammed his fist into the ground and roared, "That little brat, I'll definitely get revenge! And that soul bone—I'll definitely get my hands on it!"

Seeing their leader so enraged, the mercenaries around him immediately fell silent.

"Boss, forget it."

Fear flashed through one mercenary's eyes as he said loudly, "That kid obviously came from some major sect. There might be an expert secretly protecting him."

"Yeah, Boss. Our lives matter more!"

"I think we should forget it. That kid's a little monster. What seven- or eight-year-old can defeat a Soul Grandmaster?"

The mercenaries all chimed in, utterly frightened out of their wits and not daring to fight Li Tianlan at all.

Seeing his subordinates like this, Jarvis frowned slightly. No matter how unwilling he was, he had to admit one thing: he was no match for Li Tianlan.

He could only seek other help!

"Hmph, an expert? I have one too." Jarvis rose from the ground and said coldly, "Come on. We're going back to find my brother."

Jarvis's older brother, Javita, was a Soul King—a Level 58 Battle Soul Master!

He was also a power-type Soul Master. No matter how strong Li Tianlan was, he could not be Javita's match.

At that thought, the mercenaries' hearts burned with excitement.

That was a Soul King!

If he made a move, getting the soul bone would be a sure thing.

Then... wouldn't they be able to live in luxury and wealth for the rest of their lives?

At this moment, Li Tianlan had no idea that Jarvis had set his sights on him.

He was trying to suppress his desires and focus wholeheartedly on practicing how to control the Heavenly Flames.

There was no helping it. With Bena beside him, he simply could not calm down.

Nor could he sleep!

Although Li Tianlan looked about the same age as a child on the outside, his mind was that of an adult.

Xiao Yan's voice sounded. "Kid, stop for a moment."

"What is it, Teacher?"

Li Tianlan froze, thinking there was something wrong with his cultivation.

Xiao Yan smiled. "Simple. Some friends have come from afar. One Soul King, three Soul Grand Masters, and the rest are Soul Masters. I'll leave them to you. Consider it training."

"A Soul King?"

Li Tianlan raised an eyebrow and said somewhat hesitantly, "Teacher, with my current strength... I shouldn't be a Soul King's match, right?"

"You won't know until you fight." Xiao Yan smiled faintly and continued, "No matter how much you practice the Heavenly Flames normally, you can only become more proficient. True practice requires a real battle."

By then, Bena had also been awakened.

She slowly sat up and looked at Li Tianlan, who seemed ready to leave, in surprise. "Li Tianlan, where are you going?"

"Someone's coming this way. One Soul King, three Soul Grand Masters, and some cannon fodder."

Li Tianlan smiled faintly and said with absolute confidence, "Go back to sleep. I'll deal with them."

"A Soul King?" Bena's voice rose slightly as she hurriedly put on her armor. "Why are we still talking about fighting when there's a Soul King? Hurry up and run!"

To be honest, Bena simply could not believe that a seven- or eight-year-old child could take down a Soul King.

If he really could do that, he would not be human—he would be a monster!

"Big Sister Bena, can't you have a little faith in me?" Li Tianlan asked helplessly, blinking. "You should stay here. The battle ahead will be bloody. It's not suitable for you to watch."

Bloody?

Bena's face darkened!

What was her profession?

She was a mercenary. Was she afraid of that?

She immediately said to Li Tianlan, "Enough. Let's get out of here. A Soul King isn't someone we can provoke."

Li Tianlan fell silent. He knew that Bena's impression of a Soul King's strength was deeply ingrained.

So he stopped explaining and rose to charge toward Jarvis's group.

When Bena saw Li Tianlan rush straight over, she hesitated for a moment before following him.

Elsewhere, Jarvis and his group cautiously made their way through the forest.

Javita, the only Soul King among them, wore a suit of white battle armor.

Following behind Jarvis, he asked, "Jarvis, are you sure that little brat is up ahead?"

"Brother, you don't believe me?" Jarvis sneered. "I can already smell Bena's scent. That bitch dared to oppose me—I'll definitely make her regret it!"

Javita frowned and said calmly, "Let's make this clear first. I want the soul bone. As for you, I'll compensate you with ten thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

"That's more than enough." Jarvis nodded forcefully.

Without Javita's help, they would not get a single coin.

The mercenaries present understood that perfectly well!

Their faces lit up with delight. They were going to get rich this time!

Meanwhile, from within the tree canopy, Li Tianlan looked down at the group below and said gloomily, "Teacher, I don't understand. Why are those guys still coming to kill me after I already spared them once?"

"That's perfectly normal. I once had the same thought." Xiao Yan's tone was filled with nostalgia as he said slowly, "Some people's horizons go only that far. Even if you give them a chance, they will never cherish it. If you don't wipe them out completely, there will be future trouble! Remember this lesson well."

Li Tianlan nodded slightly, then asked, "Teacher, how do I tell people like that apart?"

"I don't know!" Xiao Yan thought for a moment and muttered, "Maybe... intuition?"

"Intuition?" Li Tianlan froze, even more confused.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan smiled. "Once you've met enough people like that, you'll naturally understand. All right, be careful."

"Yes, Teacher!"

Li Tianlan nodded slightly, adjusted his mindset, and entered a battle-ready state.

Considering the difference in numbers, Li Tianlan chose to defeat them one by one.

His first target was naturally one of the Soul Grand Masters at the rear of the group. He had Level 26 Soul Power and was fairly strong.

As one of the mercenary group's only three Soul Grand Masters, he was responsible for guarding the rear against harassment and sneak attacks by soul beasts.

He even possessed a detection-type soul skill.

Unfortunately, his opponent was Li Tianlan.

Li Tianlan looked over the entire group, and his heart stirred slightly as a sharp blade appeared in his hand!

Then, silver-white lightning flickered beneath his feet.