Eight Years at Last—I Finally Had a Powerful Backer!!

In fact, he had noticed something was off long ago. Although his Soul Power Cultivation was not particularly high, he was a seasoned hunter who had spent years hunting in the Sunset Great Forest.

His senses were exceptionally sharp. Under normal circumstances, ordinary people could not possibly evade his perception.

Yet whenever Village Chief Duke appeared or disappeared, Li Yuan found it difficult to notice. That alone was highly unusual.

Now that Duke had taken out a Soul Tool and given it to him, Li Yuan could finally confirm his earlier suspicion.

Ordinary people could not possibly obtain something like a Soul Tool. Village Chief Duke had to be a Soul Master. As for his exact cultivation, Li Yuan could not tell.

But he was certainly much stronger than Li Yuan!

"You guessed correctly. When I was young, your grandpa here really was a Soul Master. Of course, that was a long time ago. Now, I'm just an ordinary old man," Duke admitted openly without denying it.

"I can't use that Soul Tool anymore, so it's just right to give it to you as a gift."

After a pause, Duke said sorrowfully, "Xiao Yuan, if you have time in the future, remember to come back to the village and visit Grandpa!"

"Then how about I don't leave? I'll stay in the village with you and take care of you until the end."

The moment he said that, even Duke, who had been working himself into an emotional mood, froze. For a long while, he had no idea how to continue.

He had only been exchanging pleasantries with this brat Li Yuan. Surely the kid had not taken him seriously? If he really stayed, how was Duke supposed to live out his future days?

Besides, he was still young! He still had a glorious youth to squander! Taking care of him until the end? Wasn't that basically cursing him?

"Ahem, Xiao Yuan, Grandpa can't bear to see you leave, but heaven bestows great responsibilities upon those destined for them, and they must first toil their bodies and bones. You were born extraordinary. Some things are simply destined for you to face. Grandpa does feel for you, but for the sake of all living beings, you must go!" Duke racked his brains for a speech, trying to send Li Yuan away.

"Then how about this? If I really have to leave, village chief, can you grant me one request?"

Li Yuan had no choice but to settle for the next best thing.

"Go ahead." Duke looked utterly listless, but in order to get Li Yuan out of the village, he could only let him have his way.

"Well, village chief, you're getting up there in years. You'll probably only be able to retire in the village from now on."

"So, village chief, do you have any other treasures? You won't be needing them in the future anyway, so why not give them all to me? I'll help you carry on their legacy and definitely won't tarnish your great reputation."

Li Yuan wore a shy smile, doing his best to look adorably innocent!

"Dream on." Duke stared at Li Yuan expressionlessly.

Listen to that—was that even something a person would say? Saying he would not need them in the future? Who said he would not need them? He was not dead yet! And what did he mean by carrying on Duke's legacy? Couldn't Duke do that himself?

"Get lost already!" Duke's face darkened as he blurted out those words.

"Alright, alright. Then, Village Chief Grandpa, I'm really leaving!"

Li Yuan had not truly expected Village Chief Duke to give him anything else. A person had to know when to be content. Getting a Soul Tool was already pretty good, and Li Yuan was very satisfied.

Still, if Village Chief Duke could give him a few more treasures for protection, that would be even better. A person had to have dreams, after all. Maybe Village Chief Duke really would give them to him.

There was no harm in trying, and it did not cost anything. If it worked, would he not strike it rich?

"Xiao Yuan, make sure you take good care of yourself in the future!"

"Once you're out there, be careful."

"If you run into someone you can't handle, run immediately. Don't blindly compete or fight!"

"And if you meet people from Spirit Hall, don't get into conflict with them. That bunch is the most shameless."

"Be cautious, be careful, be steady. Understand?"

"If there's an enemy you truly can't defeat, come back to the village and let Grandpa stand up for you!"

"Mm, any Soul Master below a Titled Douluo is no problem. But if you provoke a Titled Douluo, then you're on your own!"

Seeing that Li Yuan was about to leave, Village Chief Duke finally became serious and solemnly gave Li Yuan his instructions.

"Mm, Village Chief Grandpa, I understand." Li Yuan no longer teased Duke and nodded seriously.

Especially after hearing the village chief say that he could defeat any Soul Master below a Titled Douluo, Li Yuan's expression became more serious than ever.

Holy shit. He had known the village chief was an expert, but he had not expected this expert to be such a towering one!

Wait, hadn't they said Douhun Village had once produced a Titled Douluo? Could they have been talking about the village chief?

That explained it. Since the village chief said enemies below the level of Titled Douluo were no problem, he was most likely a Titled Douluo himself. Otherwise, with the village chief's cautious personality, he would never make such a promise.

Li Yuan's mood became better than ever, and he nearly cried. He had been transported to the Douluo Continent for eight years, and he had finally found a powerful backer.

With Village Chief Grandpa around, as long as he did not provoke a Titled Douluo or anyone from the Protagonist Group, would he not be able to strut sideways across the Douluo Continent from now on?

"Village Chief Grandpa, don't worry. If I run into danger in the future, I'll definitely give them your name."

"Oh, right, Village Chief Grandpa, is Duke your real name? I don't mean anything by it. I just wanted to ask. What if I got it wrong? Wouldn't that tarnish your great reputation?"

"It is..." Duke opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but after thinking for a long time, he still did not know what to say.

So he could only watch helplessly as Li Yuan left the village.

In the end, he did not call Li Yuan back.

"I have a feeling I might have done something wrong today. Say, this brat isn't really going to bring some huge trouble down on me, is he?"

"Maybe I should go out and lie low for a while." The thought surfaced uncontrollably in Duke's mind.

A moment later, Duke hurried home, packed his things, then somehow pulled out another belt identical to the one he had given Li Yuan earlier.

He stuffed everything into the Soul Tool, then left the village and disappeared to who knew where.

Meanwhile, Li Yuan had no idea that shortly after he left, his powerful backer—the great village chief of Douhun Village, an unknown Titled Douluo, a cautious and sensible powerhouse, Grandpa Duke—had also left the village, his destination unknown.

By then, Li Yuan had already entered the outskirts of the Sunset Great Forest. Of course, the area he was currently in did not even count as the outer perimeter of the Sunset Great Forest. Even if Soul Beasts appeared here, they would not be more than a hundred years old. It was considered a relatively safe area of the Sunset Great Forest.