Princess Xue Ke, Born with a Disability

Su Yan first went to look around the area, making sure no Soul Beasts would suddenly pop out, then used his own martial soul, Blue Silver Grass, to tie it around tree trunks as a warning.

If any Soul Beast passed by and broke the Blue Silver Grass, he would immediately sense it.

Tang Chi went to gather a good amount of firewood and stoked the fire.

In the wild, fire was one of the most important things; ordinary Soul Beasts would think twice when they saw flames.

Zhu Zhuqing ran to the riverbank, fetched some water, and also picked a few familiar wild fruits along the way.

Once everything was ready, there was still a good while until sunset, so the four of them sat around the campfire chatting.

"Ah Ke, what's your martial soul?" Tang Chi asked.

Xue Ke lowered her head a little sheepishly: "My martial soul is really poor. Father, Mother, and my brothers and sisters all dislike it."

Su Yan rubbed his chin and nudged Zhu Zhuqing with his elbow: "Do you know what the Heavenly Dou Royal Family's martial soul is?"

"I do." Zhu Zhuqing curled her lip. "A completely useless martial soul with neither looks nor combat power—the White Swan. I really don't understand why the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family still exists."

Hearing this, Xue Ke's head drooped even lower.

Zhu Zhuqing wasn't wrong; the Heavenly Dou Royal Family's martial soul was indeed the White Swan, an utterly ordinary White Swan.

"A White Swan doesn't seem very strong," Tang Chi murmured. But the evening in the Soul Hunting Forest was quiet, and the crackling of the fire couldn't drown out Tang Chi's voice.

Xue Ke's face flushed red with shame.

Zhu Zhuqing's cold eyes fixed tightly on Xue Ke. She was from the family of the Star Luo Empire's prince consort, while Xue Ke was the daughter of the legitimate Heavenly Dou Royal Family.

Two people who would only ever meet on a battlefield were now both stranded outside, warming themselves at the same fire.

She slowly moved closer to Xue Ke and whispered, "Sorry."

Night fell, the moon hung high in the sky, and silver light spilled across the earth, adding a touch of chill to the forest.

Su Yan stretched lazily: "It's getting late. You all go rest. I'll keep watch tonight."

The three of them lay down on the ground covered with dead leaves, treating it as a bed, and drifted into a light sleep.

Su Yan, bored out of his mind, picked up a twig and poked at the firewood pile.

Before long, a gentle breeze passed, and a delicate wooden wheelchair suddenly appeared on the flat ground, along with two wooden boxes.

Inside the boxes was Golden Wound Ointment.

Su Yan took a little out and applied it to his arm; the burning wound instantly calmed down.

His master was indeed protecting them from the shadows.

Judging by this, it seemed she intended for them to take Xue Ke along for wilderness survival.

This difficulty was a bit too much.

The three of them could barely handle some ten-year-level small Soul Beasts, and now they had to protect one more person.

They would have to be even more cautious.

"Owww!"

The Soul Hunting Forest at night was a hunting ground for Soul Beasts.

The dark forest was filled with mist, as if some mysterious force was devouring one's will.

On the first night without his master, even though he knew she was watching over them in secret, Su Yan's nerves remained taut.

Throughout the night, it wasn't just the wailing and howling; even the slightest rustle of wind or grass made Su Yan jolt to full alertness.

Time dragged on so slowly, but they finally made it through the first night without incident.

The sun had just peeked over the mountaintop when it cast down a golden blanket, covering everyone.

Su Yan went to pick some wild vegetables nearby, boiled a plain soup, and paired it with reheated roasted meat. That was breakfast taken care of.

"Princess Xue Ke, we really don't have a map back. It's relatively safer for you to move with us." Su Yan took a brand-new wheelchair from his belt and pushed it over. "I found that the belt my master gave me actually had a wheelchair inside. It's just right for you."

Su Yan could see Xue Ke's joy written all over her face.

He wasn't sure if she was happy about the new wheelchair or about being able to wander through the forest with the three of them.

Either way, she was very, very happy.

She didn't seem to take the dangers of the Soul Hunting Forest seriously at all.

The group lifted Xue Ke into the wheelchair, restoring a sliver of mobility to her.

Tang Chi asked, "Where are we going now? Are we just staying here waiting for the Saintess Instructor to pick us up?"

"No need to wait for my master. We have to complete the training objective." Su Yan took out the sheepskin scroll and spread it on the ground, pointing at an X drawn on it. "Here—this is the place my master gave us a year to reach."

"That's so far!" Tang Chi exclaimed. "Can we really make it there?"

"We still have plenty of time. Let's get acclimated here first." Su Yan stood up, dusted off the dirt, and said, "Time to go hunting. Bring Xue Ke along. Let's move."

--

Main Martial Soul Hall, training grounds. Holy Dragon Douluo Yu Xiaogang looked at the three children before him and said, "Have you all been training properly lately?"

"Of course, Master!" said the little girl in the red robe. "I'm almost at level 15 already!"

To her left, a young boy in blue training clothes, bearing the emblem of the Clear Sky Sect, coiled his black hair and said coldly, "I'm already at Level 16."

To her right, a young boy in black training clothes said, "I'm at Level 16 too!"

"Very good, very good, both of you are doing well." Yu Xiaogang said. "There's some news. Saint Bibi Dong is leading a team to challenge us, scheduled for the Martial Soul Hall Junior Soul Master Competition six years from now."

The young boy in black training clothes changed expression, as if recalling something unpleasant, his entire body trembling violently.

The young boy in blue training clothes showed a flicker of interest: "Saint Bibi Dong's disciples?"

Yu Xiaogang nodded.

The blue-clad boy curled his lip dismissively. "A match with no suspense. Talk to me when they can break through to the main hall for the finals."

"Tang San, pride goes before a fall. Bibi Dong's team also has some talented seedlings. Be careful not to capsize in a ditch." Yu Xiaogang warned, then turned to the black-clad boy. "Xie Yue, the best way to overcome fear is to face it. Tomorrow I'll take you to the Ant Nest. Strive to conquer your fear as soon as possible."

"Yes, Master." Xie Yue took a deep breath, his hands clenched into fists, still trembling.

The little girl found it amusing and asked, "Master, so do we also need seven people to participate in the team competition?"

"Exactly. There will also be a selection at the Main Martial Soul Hall soon. If you have any friends with good compatibility, you can introduce them."

"Master, Master, I do!" The little girl grinned. "Can Xiao Wu join? She's a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast transformed into human form, and her talent is super strong!"

"If you can convince her to join, of course." Yu Xiaogang said with a gentle smile, warm as a spring breeze.

Just then, a woman dressed in luxurious, gold-glinting clothes walked in from outside: "Master, Father wants to see you for a moment."

"Alright, I'll go right away." Yu Xiaogang replied, then gave a final instruction. "Don't underestimate the enemy. I have a feeling that Bibi Dong's team will become your destined rivals."

With that, he hurriedly followed the woman away.

Leaving only the three children in the training ground.

"Hmph, destined rivals." Tang San snorted coldly, his expression proud, and left the training ground without looking back.

"Third Brother, where are you going? Let's go together!"

The little girl hopped and skipped after the blue-clad boy, but was stopped by Xie Yue: "Hu Lie Na, come back."

"Brother, why won't you let me go find Third Brother?"

"Tang San has exceptional talent. He's the third person in history with Twin Martial Souls. If you want to play with him, you'll have to spend more time on training."

"Oh, you're so annoying." Hu Lie Na pouted.

So annoying!