Ah Yin: Every Man for Himself, or Heaven and Earth Will Destroy Him

"Could you tell me the story of my parents?" Nan Liujing asked casually on the way back.

Sun Kong did not refuse, his tone steady and unhurried as he began to recount the tale.

Nan Liujing listened intently. The blurred outlines of his parents, which had lingered in his memory, began to sharpen as the narrative unfolded.

"Speaking of which, you've reached the age to awaken your Martial Soul. I just don't know if you'll inherit your father's or your mother's."

The story came to a temporary pause, and Sun Kong took the opportunity to change the subject.

"If possible, I'd hope to inherit both," Nan Liujing said, half-joking and half-serious.

Sun Kong glanced at Nan Liujing from the corner of his eye and chuckled, "If that were really the case, I'm afraid you'd be scouted by Shrek Academy—or any top-tier academy—the moment you awakened your soul."

Nan Liujing asked, puzzled, "Why?"

Sun Kong explained, "Your father's Martial Soul is called the Dragon Subduing Staff, and it is a Dragon Subduing Staff imbued with a Dragon Soul. Your mother's Martial Soul is called Candy, which is a quite rare Food System Martial Soul in this era. Of course, if it were just a single Food System Martial Soul, it naturally wouldn't be so favored by Shrek Academy. But if it were a Twin Martial Soul, it would mean you would definitely have Innate Full Soul Power. In such a case, with full cultivation, you would be a guaranteed Nine-Ring Titled Douluo. And a Food System Titled Douluo hasn't appeared in over a decade."

A name and the silhouette of a rather stout figure quickly surfaced in Nan Liujing's mind.

Xu Lizhi, one of the Shrek Seven Devils from the same generation as Tang Wulin.

His Martial Soul was a Steamed Bun, and because he had Innate Full Soul Power, he was scouted by Shrek Academy at the age of ten, or perhaps even earlier.

It seemed that Food System Soul Masters were highly sought after in the era of the Legend of the Dragon King, especially those with powerful talent.

The only thing Nan Liujing hadn't expected was that his father's Martial Soul was actually the Dragon Subduing Staff. However, since his surname was Nan, he was clearly not from the Qian Gu family line.

"Uncle, is there anything special about the Dragon Soul carried by the Dragon Subduing Staff Martial Soul?" he continued to ask.

"I knew you'd be more interested in the Dragon Subduing Staff than the Candy Martial Soul," Sun Kong said with an expression that suggested he had seen right through him. He explained, "An ordinary Dragon Subduing Staff Martial Soul is merely between a low-grade and mid-grade Martial Soul. It doesn't possess a Dragon Soul itself; you can think of it as just a staff with decent attack power. Or rather, such a Martial Soul shouldn't even be called a Dragon Subduing Staff in the first place."

"But a Dragon Subduing Staff that is born with a Dragon Soul upon awakening is a completely different story. Dragon Souls are also categorized into different tiers. The lowest tier consists mainly of sub-dragon types, but even so, as long as there is a Dragon Soul, it is guaranteed to reach the level of a high-grade Tool Martial Soul."

"The next tier up is the True Dragon type. Your father's Dragon Subduing Staff Dragon Soul falls into this category; it's called the Thunder Dragon. You can think of it as a Dragon Soul version of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul. It counts as a top-tier Tool Martial Soul."

Nan Liujing frowned, wondering if a Thunder Dragon Soul could be countered.

Sun Kong didn't notice the change on his face. As he drove, he added, "The most top-tier Dragon Subduing Staff is the one inherited by the now-prestigious Qian Gu family. Their Dragon Soul is naturally born, an Evil Vanquishing Dragon Soul condensed from the righteous energy of heaven and earth."

"Those are the general types of Dragon Subduing Staffs."

Nan Liujing thought for a moment, then asked with the curiosity appropriate for his age, "Is there any possibility for the Dragon Soul attached to a Dragon Subduing Staff to evolve? For example, upgrading to an Evil Vanquishing Dragon Soul?"

He knew that the Evil Vanquishing Dragon Soul was not suppressed by the bloodlines of the Gold and Silver Dragon Kings.

Sun Kong stated bluntly, "Regardless of the type of Martial Soul, they should all theoretically have the opportunity for a second awakening. However, to this day, according to records, only the second awakening method for Body Martial Souls can be summarized into a theory and passed down, but such Martial Souls are far too rare. As for the Dragon Subduing Staff Martial Soul, a second awakening has never occurred. What has occurred, however, are mutations."

Nan Liujing fell silent.

The Dragon Subduing Staff Martial Soul imbued with the Lightning Dragon was indeed fierce, comparable to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, but to him, it was absolutely not enough.

In truth, he also knew that what Sun Kong said was not entirely accurate. The secondary awakening of a Martial Soul was not a theory exclusive to Body Martial Souls; it was a universal concept. A typical example was how Tang Wulin was thrown into the sea by the contemporary sect master of the Body Sect to be honed.

However, Tang Wulin possessed a powerful Golden Dragon King bloodline and managed to survive it through sheer willpower. Without that bloodline, a normal person would have been played to death nine times out of ten.

Seeing Nan Liujing fall silent, Sun Kong assumed he was digesting this information. "Get some good rest tonight. We have to return to Star Luo City tomorrow, and we can awaken your Martial Soul while we're there."

"Understood," Nan Liujing said respectfully.

The hovering Soul Guide Vehicle bypassed the road halfway up the mountain, and the skyscrapers of Shrek City gradually emerged in the distance. Nan Liujing's gaze grew profound as he watched.

Secondary awakening. Mutation.

His heart suddenly stirred. He thought of his own consciousness, or rather, the special lightning orb that existed within his Sea of Consciousness, and the voice that had startled him awake.

What could that be?

Was it his own fortuitous encounter?

In a space resembling chaos, strange and bizarre lights occasionally streaked by, and there was no way to distinguish between heaven and earth.

A massive hammer, like the peak of a giant god, stood suspended in the air. A terrifying, abyss-like aura constantly spread from it, as if it were suppressing something.

Sounds of unwilling roaring vibrated one after another, but under the aura spreading from the giant hammer, they could never form an effective force.

Everything seemed to have maintained its current state for a long time. However, at this moment, a figure sitting cross-legged atop the giant hammer seemed to sense something and slowly opened their eyes.

His pitch-black eyes seemed to pierce through space, sweeping across that vast world.

"Hao Ge, what is it?" A soft female voice rang out. In this chaotic world, a glimmer of green-gold light, possessing infinite vitality, lit up. It was a beautiful and peerless silhouette; even without seeing her specific features, her outline alone was enough to be stunning.

Tang Hao withdrew his divine sense and said in a deep voice, "I sensed two unfamiliar divine auras."

"Divine auras?" The female voice became surprised, then, thinking of something, she said solemnly, "Could it be that the Abyss Saint Monarch can no longer wait? But Xiao San said that in the Abyss Plane, only the Abyss Saint Monarch can barely be considered a deity."

Tang Hao shook his head. "It is not the Abyss Saint Monarch. Without absolute certainty, he would not rashly descend upon Douluo Star."

"Of the two divine auras I sensed, one of them feels somewhat similar to the Golden Dragon King, but it is very vague, making it difficult for me to distinguish between reality and illusion."

The silhouette said in surprise, "Similar to the Golden Dragon King? Could it be the one who disappeared many years ago..."

"I cannot be certain, but if it truly is, it would be a good opportunity," Tang Hao said in a deep voice. "Wu Lin is about to awaken his Martial Soul. You can secretly stimulate the Golden Dragon King bloodline within his body to awaken and merge with his Martial Soul. Perhaps we can use this opportunity to arrange a massive fortuitous encounter for Wu Lin."

"The Golden Dragon King and the Silver Dragon King are naturally attracted to each other. Even if I perceived it wrongly in the end, there will be no loss."

"Very well," the silhouette said solemnly.

"As for that other divine aura," Tang Hao frowned slightly, "I am certain I didn't sense it wrong, but this aura was very hidden, fleeting in an instant. Even I couldn't capture it precisely."

The elegant figure pondered, "Ever since Douluo Star connected with the Abyss Plane, the Spatial Nodes have been somewhat unstable. Perhaps you sensed the aura of a legacy left behind by some deity within a Small World."

"That is a possibility. I am only worried that the appearance of this aura will muddy Xiao San's ten-thousand-year plan."

"Rumble."

As Tang Hao was speaking, the world suddenly shook violently. Layer upon layer of ripples spread out like a tsunami, the vast majority of which converged and slammed frantically against the towering Giant Hammer beneath Tang Hao, as if trying to overturn it.

"Futile resistance." A flash of ferocity crossed Tang Hao's eyes. His heavy right hand slammed into the void, and in an instant, a vast and mighty divine power swept out. Upon striking the "tsunami," it immediately shattered it, turning it into billions of fragments.

After sustaining this blow, the "tsunami" seemed to lose its momentum and did not appear again.

Tang Hao snorted coldly, "Ah Yin, do as I say. I will be entering a deep slumber for a period of time to strengthen the seal and accelerate the refinement process."

"Alright." Ah Yin glanced at the faint, flickering light trapped beneath the Giant Hammer and shook her head gently.

If a man does not look out for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him.

If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being the Plane Spirit of Douluo Star.

Although it is a Dragon Subduing Staff, rest assured, the Male Protagonist will not be suppressed by bloodline.