Xiao Hongchen, I Am Ashamed to Be Associated with You

Xu Tinglan looked at the Soul Tool before him.

It was a Class 9 Soul Tool named Moon God Radiance.

It required no Soul Power to activate. Moonlight alone could fully charge it, enough to withstand three attacks from a Super Douluo.

If faced with a lethal threat, it could also trigger Silver Moon Shuttle and teleport its user twenty kilometers away.

It was his godfather's proud creation.

Xu Tinglan's throat felt a little dry.

"Godfather."

Kong Deming rose to his feet and gazed into the distance.

"A thirteen-year-old Soul Ancestor with the divine beast Black Tortoise Bloodline, a future master of both yin and yang, and someone with plenty of ideas about Soul Tools."

His eyes gleamed.

"Most importantly, you possess the ambition to unite the continent."

"Unlike those old fossils, I say what I mean. There is no need for us to second-guess each other's thoughts."

"Child."

"I have only one goal: to gather the strength of the entire continent and, within my lifetime, use Soul Tools to fly beyond Douluo Planet."

"Are you willing to lend your godfather a hand?"

Xu Tinglan stood up, his expression solemn.

"I will certainly give it my all and never fail the trust you have placed in me, Godfather."

He had never expected that his godfather's sights were not set on the petty struggles before them, but on the brilliant stars of outer space.

No wonder the former emperor had died.

It was because Kong Deming had been unable to see even the slightest hope in the former emperor's faction.

Now, he could also understand why his godfather had invested so much effort in him.

From the silver-haired elder's account,

in the future, elite Soul Masters would only need to wear Spirit Tool Armor and equip Linked Soul Tool Arrays to airdrop into any region and crush the royal family's diehards.

There would not even be any need for the schemes of the old era. The iterative advancement of Soul Tools alone would deliver a crushing blow across dimensions.

That was his arrangement for the future.

During the holiday,

Kong Deming arranged a special kind of training for the youth.

He witnessed criminals being executed firsthand, watching Soul Guidance Beams blow open the heads of condemned prisoners as red and white matter spilled across the ground.

It was utterly nauseating.

The visual impact far exceeded anything ordinary people could imagine.

Xu Tinglan saw that scene.

His stomach churned violently, and he retched without end.

But...

Kong Deming truly was a kind godfather. He immediately made frantic arrangements for others to treat him.

The effects came quickly.

Xu Tinglan soon stopped vomiting.

That was only because Kong Deming brought him along to personally watch hundreds of executions, and in the end, even arranged for the youth to serve as an executioner once.

"Congratulations on overcoming yourself." Kong Deming clapped his hands in applause.

He could see the change in the youth's eyes.

The childishness had gradually given way to true maturity. He understood what life truly was and what attitude he should take toward it.

Xu Tinglan could understand his godfather's actions.

Only by overcoming his fear and instinctive reaction to death could he remain more clear-headed and calm in the face of danger in the future.

He was only thirteen that year.

As his godfather put it,

those who wanted to kill you would never show mercy just because of your age.

His holiday training came to an end.

Xu Tinglan returned to Sun Moon Academy.

At the cafeteria, he ordered a rich Snow Wing Bird soup and stewed Black Armor Ox meat.

The soup was thick and the meat tender, its rich aroma mingling with the crisp fragrance of Half Moon Orchid, Bright Luo Branch, and other herbs, drifting in delicate strands into his nose.

The meat was richly fragrant, while the plants were fresh and clean.

It whetted one's appetite and left one lingering over the flavor.

After witnessing the execution of those condemned prisoners, he had kept his distance from meat. It was only during the previous week that he had begun to recover.

Thinking of the werewolf that had tried to assassinate him,

Xu Tinglan could not understand it.

How could the Star Luo Empire's dog-training techniques be so impressive? They had clearly struck first, yet they could still righteously blame others.

He could kill me, but I could not fight back.

If I fought back, that meant he had shown remarkable foresight.

What a goddamn genius.

He did some calculations.

Huo Yuhao's mother should be dying soon as well.

After going through all that, he had already been too lazy to meddle in other people's affairs. Now, he was even less inclined to do so.

Huo Yuhao was that sort of person deep down. In the end, he would forgive the Duke's Mansion anyway, so why the hell should Xu Tinglan get involved?

He might even end up covered in trouble.

Xu Tinglan casually stirred his soup with his spoon.

The corners of his mouth curled upward.

Huo Yuhao and his mother had been bullied time and again, all the way until Huo Yun'er died.

Dai Yueheng at Shrek knew about it, Dai Huabin knew about it, and Dai Luoli's mother understood it too, but only the White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao, did "not" know?

How interesting.

A girl in an icy blue dress walked beside the youth.

"Hey!"

"How do I use this?"

A fair hand extended beside him, slender fingers holding a black card with a Sun Moon design as its background.

Her skin was practically flawless.

Xu Tinglan raised his head and froze instinctively, astonished by the girl's breathtaking beauty.

Calling her capable of toppling a nation would not be an exaggeration.

She was even more beautiful than Jiang Nannan.

The girl had long snow-white hair and clear, ethereal sky-blue eyes.

Her white dress had not the slightest decoration, yet she seemed pure and peerless, like a fairy stepping out from ice and snow. Her aura was cold and detached, transcendent beyond the mundane world.

"Who are you?"

The girl lifted her chin, her crisp voice carrying an innate indifference. "I ask, you answer!"

Xu Tinglan stood up with his tray in hand.

"Not happening. If you cannot learn how to speak properly, go back and find your parents."

Where had this person crawled out from?

How could she have so little manners?

I ask, you answer?

Who the hell are you?

Without the slightest hesitation, the girl said coldly, "I have had no parents since the day I was born. I wish I did have parents."

"I want to know what this world is really like."

Xu Tinglan paused for a moment.

So she was an orphan.

No wonder.

He then strode toward the cafeteria exit.

A silver-haired youth ran swiftly over from the cafeteria entrance.

He moved like the wind.

Pointing at Xu Tinglan, he wore a stern expression. "What's wrong with you, classmate? How could a fine man bully a girl? You had better apologize to her!"

This world never lacked enthusiastic youths overflowing with hormones.

But upon hearing that familiar voice, Xu Tinglan only felt a wave of absurdity and revulsion.

Because the newcomer was Xiao Hongchen, his roommate!

Outside the girl's line of sight, Xiao Hongchen's expression shifted constantly, his face practically twitching with exaggerated signals.

Over the past year of living together,

Xu Tinglan had actually learned what he was saying through those expressions.

Dad, for the sake of how we fought side by side in Mingyue Forest, you have to help your son out. I'm begging you.

The silver-haired youth took off his hat and pressed it against his chest, bowing slightly.

"The handsome gentleman Xiao Hongchen is at your service, beautiful young lady."

"May I know your name?"

The breathtaking girl turned her back on him. Her red lips parted, and her words were icy. "You disgust me. Stay away from me."

Xiao Hongchen stood there in a daze.

The hat in his hand fell to the floor, rolled once, then landed over Xu Tinglan's foot.

The girl turned and walked out the door, her silver hair fluttering behind her without a single backward glance.

Xiao Hongchen sat in his seat.

He held up a cup of water, his face full of melancholy.

"My dear Xu, I think I have been heartbroken."

Xu Tinglan covered his forehead with one hand.

"Didn't you treat beauties as skeletons and metal as beauties? Why were you acting like such a pathetic simp just now? Xiao Hongchen, you have disappointed me greatly."

"I am ashamed to be associated with you."

"And!"

"Let me remind you: you have never even been in love. You do not deserve to use the words 'heartbroken.'"