Nuoding City (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

"Sir, we were wrong! We'll get lost right now and never dare cause trouble again! Spare us this once, sir! We'll never show our faces in Vast Sea City again!" Wang Gao pressed the Fat Man's and Skinny Man's heads down with both hands as the three of them continuously knelt and kowtowed.

Three trails of blood were left on the white stone slabs.

These three had always been arrogant and overbearing, and no one knew how many people they had offended. Whether they could withstand their enemies' revenge and survive afterward was hard to say.

Not wanting to look at them any longer, Ye Lan said directly, "You can get lost now."

After dismissing everyone, Ye Lan had dinner at the fisherman's home.

To thank Ye Lan, the fisherman brought out every good thing he had stored away at home to entertain him.

Ye Lan had the chance to try many things for the first time. Much of the seafood was indeed delicious, letting him experience the local cuisine of the Douluo Continent.

Over the following days, Ye Lan remained in Vast Sea City to deal with the aftermath.

Ye Lan learned about Wang Gao and the other two's backgrounds from his landlord, Lily. As he had expected, the three had no real backing.

Wang Gao had the best talent among them, possessing innate Level Five Soul Power. The three had been childhood playmates in Vast Sea City's western district, and ever since awakening their talents, they had been arrogant and domineering, only bullying ordinary families.

There were no Soul Masters in their families either. The three of them were the most talented members of their families in recent generations.

Now that Ye Lan had crippled their Soul Power and driven them out of Vast Sea City, they would not be able to stir up any more trouble.

"Old man, take this—my Soul Master badge. Once I return to Nuoding City and register, they'll give me a new one!" Ye Lan handed his golden badge to the old fisherman.

"Why are you giving this to me? It's your proof of identity," the fisherman asked in confusion.

"A Soul Master's real identification is the Soul Master Token. This is only for ordinary people to see conveniently. They don't check this when verifying your identity," Ye Lan explained.

"Keep it with you. If you run into any trouble in the future, you can take it out, and others won't dare offend you too much."

"Will it really be useful? Not many people know you!"

"Don't worry. In a few years, I'll be famous throughout Heaven Dou! By then, my badge will be something precious," Ye Lan said confidently.

The Old Fisherman believed Ye Lan could do it and burst into hearty laughter.

"Then I'll have Xiao Die keep it safe! If a Soul Master ever bullies Xiao Die, she can invoke your name!"

Xiao Die took the golden badge Grandpa handed her. Her face flushed red as she tightly clutched the badge engraved with Ye Lan's name on the back in both hands, as though it were the most precious treasure in the world.

Lastly, to prevent even the slightest possibility that Wang Gao and the other two might seek destructive revenge after losing their Soul Power—

Ye Lan had the old fisherman and Xiao Die move near a property owned by the Lily Family.

There were quite a few guards nearby, so protecting the two from being bullied would not be a problem.

Lily's family took this long-term tenant, a genius Soul Master, very seriously.

They had personally witnessed Ye Lan grow from a Level Eleven Soul Master into a Soul Grandmaster in just three and a half years, so they treated his request with utmost importance.

After handling everything in Vast Sea City, Ye Lan bid farewell to the Old Fisherman, Xiao Die, and Lily, then set off on the journey back to Nuoding City.

"Lord Soul Master, we've arrived at Nuoding City. Please watch your step getting down!" The coachman bent slightly and spoke respectfully.

"No need to be so polite. Here are fifteen Silver Soul Coins. Keep them." Ye Lan handed the coachman a bag containing the fare.

The carriage ride from Vast Sea City to Nuoding City took a week, and fifteen Silver Soul Coins were what the coachman deserved.

The coachman accepted the bulging money pouch without counting it, then happily bowed and thanked Ye Lan.

Ye Lan waved a hand and turned toward Nuoding City's gates.

"Purpose for entering the city?" A city guard stopped Ye Lan.

"Nuoding City's Martial Soul Branch Hall," Ye Lan answered.

"You're a Soul Master?" Hearing that someone was headed for Spirit Hall, the guard straightened up and sized Ye Lan up. The person before him possessed an extraordinary bearing, and the guard's tone became respectful.

"That's right. I have business with Soul Grandmaster Su Yuntao." A blade of Blue Silver Grass emerged from Ye Lan's palm.

When the guard saw the golden Blue Silver Vine, he immediately knew that the Blond Youth before him was no ordinary person.

His tone became even more respectful. "Lord Soul Master, please enter!"

Walking along Nuoding City's main avenue, Ye Lan quickened his pace. He needed to get his Soul Master badge processed as soon as possible.

Because he had given his Soul Master badge to the Old Fisherman, traveling had become somewhat inconvenient, forcing him to deal with these tedious matters.

Besides, his Soul Ring configuration could not be revealed in public, lest it cause another panic among the crowd.

As for why he had not applied for a Soul Grandmaster badge in Vast Sea City, it was because a Thousand-Year Soul Ring was too rare, and Ye Lan did not want to explain too much to an unfamiliar branch hall master.

If the master of Vast Sea City's Martial Soul Branch Hall took a liking to his talent, there would be another round of wrangling. It would be troublesome if they kept him in Vast Sea City and reported him to the higher-ranking Spirit Hall, telling Ye Lan to wait for news.

So Ye Lan simply chose to handle the procedures in Nuoding City. Grandpa Ma Xiunuo was familiar with him.

Pulling himself from his thoughts, Ye Lan arrived before the Gothic structure that had greatly awed him years ago.

After greeting the guards, Ye Lan headed straight for the Martial Soul Branch Hall's main hall.

Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo was reclining halfway in an ornate chair, holding a lavishly covered book in his hands and staring at it without blinking.

"Grandpa Ma Xiunuo!"

Ma Xiunuo focused his eyes. The blond youth before him had lost much of the childishness from his face, yet still looked very familiar. He searched his memories and found Ye Lan's image. "Xiao Lan?!"

"Yes, it was me!" Ye Lan nodded slightly.

"You came back from Vast Sea City so soon. Did you run into some trouble?" Ma Xiunuo recalled that Ye Lan had gone to Vast Sea City three years ago to train.

"Am I really that hopeless? Guess why I came back?" Ye Lan put on a mysterious act.

"Don't tell me you registered as a Soul Grandmaster?" Ma Xiunuo tossed out the guess casually, never believing that someone with Innate Level 3 Soul Power and Blue Silver Grass could become a Soul Grandmaster so quickly.

"Is the answer written all over my face?" Ye Lan scratched his head.

"What!? Really? Xiao Lan, you're a Soul Grandmaster?" Disbelief filled Ma Xiunuo's kindly, wrinkled face.

Ye Lan nodded.

"Xiao Lan, summon your Soul Rings! Don't just fool an old man like me to make me happy," Ma Xiunuo said, trying to believe Ye Lan.

One yellow and one purple Soul Ring rose from beneath Ye Lan's feet, while thick Blue Silver Grass coiled around his body.

Ma Xiunuo watched Ye Lan standing amid the Golden Blue Silver Grass as the purple halo flashed across his cloudy eyes.

At that moment, Ye Lan seemed like the king of all plants, radiating nobility from head to toe.

"A thousand years?!"

Ma Xiunuo instantly rose from his chair and approached Ye Lan. A thousand-year second Soul Ring was simply too unbelievable; it was the first time Ma Xiunuo had ever seen one.

"That's right, exactly one thousand years. You know how poor the quality of Blue Silver Grass martial souls is. For the sake of helping it grow better, I risked my life—and I never expected to succeed!"

"I also never expected Blue Silver Grass to change so much!" Ye Lan concealed the exact age of Ancient Beast's Touch, as well as the fact that his Blue Silver Grass had gradually evolved by absorbing sunlight.

Although revealing his second Soul Ring two years ago carried some risk, Azure God Prophet greatly boosted Ye Lan's combat strength, so there was no way he could go without using it.

"It must have been dangerous, right? As far as I know, every soul master who tried to absorb a thousand-year second Soul Ring died."

"A little. I nearly died. Luckily, that soul beast wasn't very strong, so the Soul Ring's energy wasn't too violent." Ye Lan described the process of absorbing the Soul Ring as a close call that had ultimately passed without incident.

After hearing Ye Lan's explanation, Ma Xiunuo wore an expression of realization.