Second Soul Skill: **A Beauty's Handsome Youth**

Second Soul Skill: A Beauty's Handsome Youth

With the intention of observing Su Yuntian, Lin Mengzhui sat opposite him with her knees pressed together.

She suddenly realized that Su Yuntian's face... was actually rather handsome.

But Lin Mengzhui did not like that, because her mother had told her that handsome men were all fickle playboys and could not be trusted.

Time passed second by second. Just as Lin Mengzhui's thoughts began to wander, Su Yuntian slowly opened his eyes.

The moment she saw those soul-stirring red pupils, Lin Mengzhui suddenly felt as though she could not breathe.

At that moment, her entire field of vision was filled with this handsome golden-haired, red-eyed youth.

Every smile and frown of his seemed to tug at her heartbeat, filling Lin Mengzhui with a flustered feeling she had never experienced before.

...What's wrong with me?

...What exactly is this feeling?

...Why is it that when I see his handsome face, I no longer feel repulsed, but am instead starting to like him?

For some unknown reason, Lin Mengzhui blushed.

Fortunately, that heart-fluttering sensation did not last long.

Su Yuntian's eyes soon returned to normal, and Lin Mengzhui also broke free from that strange state.

Lu Renjia began applauding from the side. "Congratulations, Sir Yuntian!"

He had seen it clearly. Su Yuntian had successfully absorbed his second Soul Ring and obtained a Soul Skill similar to "Charm."

When Su Yuntian had opened his eyes just now, he had unconsciously used that Soul Skill, causing Lin Mengzhui, who sat opposite him, to be charmed.

The charm lasted only about five seconds.

Lu Renjia had noticed every detail, including Lin Mengzhui's blush.

At that moment, his heart was utterly calm, and he even felt like laughing... because Lin Mengzhui's reaction just now had been far too amusing.

...You could tell at a glance that she'd never been in a relationship. No doubt about it.

As one of the parties involved, Su Yuntian reacted even faster than Lin Mengzhui. Realizing that he had accidentally unleashed his second Soul Skill, he hurriedly said, "Sorry."

Lin Mengzhui finally understood what had happened, and a burst of inexplicable anger shot through her heart. "You... you charmed me!"

Embarrassed and furious, she was practically incoherent.

Su Yuntian nodded, admitting it. "I just learned my second Soul Skill. I lost control and released it. Sorry."

Slap!

Lin Mengzhui's right hand struck Su Yuntian's left cheek.

After slapping him, the girl turned and left, her steps hurried and resolute.

Lu Renjia called after her, "Want to head back together?"

However, his question received no response. Without a word, Lin Mengzhui walked into the depths of the forest and vanished from the two men's sight.

Su Yuntian rubbed his burning left cheek, sighed, then sat up from the snow and stretched. "I've obtained my second Soul Ring. Thank you, Brother Lu, for standing guard for me."

Lu Renjia said with a grin, "I think that Lin Mengzhui might be a little interested in you."

Su Yuntian frowned. "She's not my type."

Lu Renjia continued smiling. "Feelings can be cultivated slowly. That little girl isn't very old either, probably twelve or thirteen, about the same age as you. She's already level 28, and her talent is quite good. Aren't you going to consider developing things with her?"

Su Yuntian glared at Lu Renjia. "You want to recruit her into your Imperial City Guard Army, don't you?"

This time, Lu Renjia's intentions had been exposed. He laughed awkwardly. "Brother Yuntian, you're really clever!"

"If you want to recruit her, do it yourself. I'm not interested."

Su Yuntian shook the snow grit clinging to his clothes and started toward the exit of the Soul Hunting Forest.

Lu Renjia hurried after him and asked ingratiatingly, "Brother Yuntian, how did this Over-level Soul Ring Absorption feel? Was your Soul Power brimming? How many levels did you gain?"

When asked that, Su Yuntian's voice finally carried a hint of pride. "Don't let it scare you to death. I'm level 23 now."

Lu Renjia's steps faltered.

He had risen directly from level 20 to level 23?

If Su Yuntian had followed the usual course and found a seven-hundred-year Soul Beast to absorb, rising to level 21 or 22 would have been perfectly reasonable. However, thousand-year Soul Beasts, whether in terms of Soul Power or the boost they gave Soul Masters, far surpassed hundred-year Soul Beasts.

Su Yuntian had broken through directly to level 23 by relying on the immense Soul Power of that seventeen-hundred-year Snow Fox.

This young man by His Highness the Crown Prince's side was truly remarkable.

Lu Renjia felt nothing but admiration and respect for Su Yuntian, because not everyone had the courage to attempt Over-level Soul Ring Absorption.

Take Lu Renjia himself. His four Soul Rings were two yellow and two purple, an arrangement widely recognized as optimal, yet he still did not dare attempt Over-level Soul Ring Absorption.

If one failed to absorb a Soul Ring and suffered backlash from the Soul Beast's resentment, the best-case scenario was severe injury. The worst-case scenario... was death.

That was precisely why he so admired Su Yuntian's courage and resolve. It was the mindset of a strong person, something Lu Renjia himself had never possessed.

Each lost in his own thoughts, the two finally arrived at the market by the forest's edge late that night.

Lu Renjia was flush with money and rented two rooms at the same inn. However, unlike last time, he did not come to invite Su Yuntian for a drink. Instead, he hurried into the market to look for someone.

After Su Yuntian absorbed his Soul Ring, Lin Mengzhui had run off.

Lu Renjia hoped that she had returned to this camp, but after making two rounds through the market, he still did not see that sign reading, "Auxiliary Soul Hunting, 20 Gold Soul Coins."

Where had Lin Mengzhui gone?

With no other choice, Lu Renjia returned to his room to rest.

Before going to sleep, he took a look at Su Yuntian's room on the way and discovered that Su Yuntian was not there either, which left him even more depressed.

Su Yuntian had not left the inn. He had merely gone up to the rooftop terrace, where he stood in the wind and watched the stars.

It was already the latter half of the night. Everything was silent, save for the occasional Soul Master returning from the forest near the camp entrance. The sky overhead glittered with stars, but although they shone brilliantly, they were not the sky Su Yuntian knew.

Yes, the world of Douluo Continent was not his original world.

Although this sky also had one sun and one moon, the stars were different.

There was no Orion, the brightest constellation of winter. No Big Dipper or Polaris. There was not even Venus.

Whenever he gazed at the starry sky on lonely nights, Su Yuntian felt even more out of place in this universe.

Where do I belong in this world?

Brother... you've been gone for more than two years. Will I ever see you again?

He thought of his elder brother Su Yuntao, whom he had not seen in a long time; of the golden-haired girl he had glimpsed two years ago; and finally of Qian Renxue and her maid Da Xue at the Crown Prince's Mansion in Heaven Dou City.

If his brother had truly already met with misfortune, then the only family he had left in this world would be Da Xue and "Xiao Xue."

At that moment, Su Yuntian suddenly wanted to return to the Crown Prince's Mansion in Heaven Dou City as soon as possible.

Perhaps... this is what it feels like to have a home?