I Refuse to Accept This

"Oh?" Yue Guan's slender brows rose slightly, and the amusement in his eyes deepened. With a light leap, he floated down from a branch seven or eight meters high as though weightless. His red robes fluttered, yet he landed without a sound, stopping several meters in front of Chen Li.

"A member of the Dust Family from the Star Luo Empire... You know me?"

With the distance between them shortened, Chen Li could better sense the other man's unique aura—an elusive fragrance that seemed to blend the rich scent of a hundred flowers with an unusual medicinal aroma—as well as the intangible pressure that remained as deep and imposing as an abyssal pool and towering mountain even when deliberately restrained.

He steadied himself and answered calmly, "Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, a worshiper of Spirit Hall's Hall of Elders. Even though I come from the Star Luo Empire, I have heard of Your Excellency's deeds. That is not strange, is it?"

Chen Li had deliberately mentioned his status as a worshiper of the Hall of Elders and his far-reaching reputation. It showed that he knew the man's true standing within Spirit Hall, while also offering a modest yet neither servile nor overbearing compliment. At the very least, there was nothing to criticize about his attitude.

"Heh, you certainly know how to talk." Yue Guan chuckled, his voice carrying a hint of magnetism. "But, little brat, this is not one of the prosperous, peaceful cities of the Star Luo Empire. This is the Horag Mountain Range on the border between the two nations, where Soul Beasts roam and danger lurks everywhere.

"Your Dust Family is one of Star Luo's great clans, after all. How could they let a child who had only just awakened his martial soul run off alone to a place like this? Where are your guards?"

His gaze swept over Chen Li's somewhat meager luggage and his surroundings. There was indeed no sign of anyone lying in wait to protect him, which did not fit the style of those great families at all.

Chen Li fell silent for a moment. Then the corners of his lips curled into a faint, almost self-mocking smile as he said frankly, "Because... I was abandoned, Your Excellency.

"As you saw just now, although my martial soul awakening caused quite a stir and my Innate Soul Power was also level ten, I simply cannot absorb any Soul Ring.

"You saw the result with that Thunder Saber-toothed Tiger's Soul Ring as well. A genius destined to remain a level-ten Soul Master forever is nothing but a useless burden that adds to the family's ridicule.

"When the three-month deadline came, I left on my own." His tone was flat, as though he were recounting something unrelated to himself. Yet deep in those black eyes, a sharp glint flashed by, carrying both unwillingness and resolve.

"Unable to absorb Soul Rings... Tsk, tsk, tsk." Yue Guan circled Chen Li slowly for half a round, studying him as though examining an unusual plant. "Innate Full Soul Power, yet stopped by the hurdle of Soul Rings. I have lived for many years and seen all kinds of strange martial souls and constitutions, but a case like yours is truly the first I have ever heard of."

He stopped in front of Chen Li and slowly raised his right hand. In an instant, an unusual fragrance spread through the air. Light and shadow rippled behind him, and the phantom of an incomparably magnificent and peculiar plant quietly blossomed.

Its purple petals were thick and silky as velvet, fragrant yet naturally noble. At its center stood golden stamens more than half a foot tall, their radiance flowing. It was his martial soul—an immortal-grade treasure, the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum!

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black.

Nine Soul Rings in perfect proportions emerged one after another, slowly pulsing around the strange chrysanthemum. Though only a trace of a Titled Douluo's vast aura leaked out, it was enough to make the surrounding air turn thick and heavy. The insects in the forest fell silent at once.

Yue Guan did not release any pressure. He merely placed his jade-like palm lightly atop Chen Li's head. "Let me see what exactly is going on with you, little one."

A gentle yet oceanic torrent of Soul Power flowed into Chen Li's body through the Baihui acupoint at the crown of his head, like the finest spring water.

This Soul Power seemed balanced and peaceful in nature, yet it carried the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum's distinctive clarity and probing qualities. It swiftly circulated through Chen Li's limbs, bones, meridians, and acupoints, carefully examining every part of his body, especially the crucial nodes connected to the origin of his martial soul.

Chen Li relaxed his body as instructed and allowed the Soul Power to flow through him. He could sense that Yue Guan's examination was extremely meticulous. It was not a crude invasion, but more like a masterful diagnosis.

Soon, the Soul Power was nearly done completing a full circuit, yet Yue Guan's brows furrowed slightly. His earlier examination had indeed confirmed Chen Li's words: his bodily foundation was solid, his meridians unobstructed, the origin of his martial soul active and powerful, and its connection to his body completely smooth. From every conventional perspective, he fully possessed the conditions to absorb a Soul Ring.

However, just as his Soul Power was about to finish its examination and reach deeper toward the scorching, violent lightning origin deep within Chen Li's dantian sea of qi...

Crackle! Snap!

A sudden change erupted!

That mass of lightning origin seemed to have been offended or provoked. It abruptly contracted on its own, then erupted with intense resistance!

A pure, domineering force of lightning filled with rejection surged out from Chen Li's body in retaliation. It was not an attack, but more like a proud expulsion!

The strand of probing Soul Power Yue Guan had sent in was forcibly blasted out of Chen Li's meridians by that sudden lightning force!

"Hmm?!" Yue Guan's palm trembled slightly as he withdrew it. An astonishing gleam burst from his eyes, filled with the feverish excitement of someone discovering a rare treasure. "Interesting! Truly interesting!"

Rather than becoming angry at having his Soul Power blocked, he clapped his hands and laughed softly. His gaze at Chen Li was full of interest. "Little brat, there is indeed nothing wrong with your body or the origin of your martial soul. In fact... it is exceptionally good!

"That lightning power is pure and domineering. It is not weak or incomplete. On the contrary, it is so powerful that... it disdains allowing foreign Soul Power to probe too deeply into its core, and it looks down even more upon the impure energy of Soul Beast Soul Rings!

"This is absolutely not the spiritual nature an ordinary top-tier martial soul could possess! Boy, your martial soul may be even more extraordinary than we imagined!"

Chen Li's blood and qi churned slightly from the earlier impact. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. Upon hearing Yue Guan's judgment, he inwardly thought, Just as expected.

With a bitter smile, he said, "Your Excellency has keen eyes. But no matter how extraordinary it may be, if I cannot absorb Soul Rings or advance, then it is ultimately an Illusion—utterly useless." He spread his hands, his expression carrying the frustration and helplessness appropriate for his age.

Yet Yue Guan seemed to think otherwise. He gave Chen Li a meaningful look and abruptly changed the subject. "Beyond this mountain range lies the Heaven Dou Empire.

"You are just a child, yet you have traveled thousands of miles to Heaven Dou. What are you planning to do? Seek refuge with relatives? Or do you have another opportunity in mind?" Though his question sounded casual, he was actually further evaluating Chen Li's character, goals, and worth.

Chen Li raised his head, his gaze passing through layer upon layer of treetops, as though looking toward distant Heaven Dou—or perhaps merely staring into empty space.

He was silent for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was soft, yet it carried an unyielding stubbornness and the sharp edge unique to youth:

"I refuse to accept this."

Those three simple words made Yue Guan's brow twitch slightly...