Ling Xi's heart began to pound wildly, and the blood in her veins boiled.
She looked into the boy's eyes. It was as if they held a sky full of stars—and the future she had dreamed of!
She didn't hesitate.
Even if the person before her had appeared out of nowhere, even if this might be a trap from which there was no return, she couldn't afford to care.
She was already in hell. What did she have left to lose?
Ling Xi nodded fiercely, her small body trembling with excitement.
"I long for it!"
"I want to become strong! I don't want people calling me useless anymore!"
"As long as I can become strong, I'll do anything! No matter the price!"
The boy watched the resolve and all-or-nothing determination in her eyes. A satisfied glint flashed in his own.
Innate Level Nine Soul Power, a Blue Silver Grass Trash Martial Soul.
A clean background, with no ties holding her back.
A tenacious nature and an absolute thirst for power.
The perfect host for a Demon Fruit!
That was right. The boy was Ling Xiao.
After obtaining the Martial Soul Awakening records, he had noticed Ling Xi's name.
Innate Level Nine Soul Power, Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.
With talent and a disparity like hers, she was practically made to be the host of this Succubus Fruit.
He had spent two days secretly investigating the girl's past and temperament.
In the end, he had decided that she was the most suitable person to receive this first Demon Fruit.
Ling Xiao slowly raised his right hand.
A flash of light passed over his palm, and a crimson fruit appeared there.
Intricate, mysterious patterns covered its surface.
Beneath the moonlight, it shimmered with an unusual sheen.
Ling Xi realized that this fruit contained the power to change her fate.
"Then eat it."
Ling Xiao looked at her and held the fruit out to her.
His voice was calm, but to Ling Xi, it held a fatal allure.
"Once you eat it, your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul will be replaced."
"You'll gain one of the top Martial Souls on the Douluo Continent and talent far beyond that of ordinary people."
"Only then will your innate Level Nine Soul Power realize its full worth."
"In the future, becoming a Soul Master won't be the limit. Even a Soul Emperor, a Soul Saint, or perhaps even a Titled Douluo won't be beyond your reach."
"But every deal must be fair. The price is that your soul will bear my mark."
"From this day on, you must be loyal to me and obey every command I give. You won't even have the chance to betray me!"
"And I'll give you everything you want: power, status, and glory."
Ling Xi looked at the boy before her, then at the fruit in his palm. Tears fell once more.
She had thought she would be trapped by the shackles of Blue Silver Grass for the rest of her life, sinking into the abyss.
When she was at her most desperate, this boy had appeared before her, bringing hope that she could defy fate and change her life.
He was like a beam of light, cleaving through the endless darkness and granting her a new life.
Ling Xi didn't hesitate. She stretched out her trembling hand and accepted the crimson fruit.
Then she bowed deeply to Ling Xiao.
"Ling Xi is willing to serve you, my lord, for this life and the next, without the slightest disloyalty."
"If I break this oath, may my soul be utterly destroyed!"
With that, she raised her head and bit into the Demon Fruit in her hand without hesitation.
The fruit's taste was impossible to describe, but fortunately, it melted the moment it touched her tongue.
It became a warm current that surged through her limbs and body.
The fruit's power raced through her meridians and erupted in her spiritual sea.
Before this power, the frail Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul was utterly devoured and replaced.
The next moment, a crimson Succubus Phantom slowly unfolded behind her.
Her Soul Power rose from its former, stagnant Level Nine to the peak of Level Ten, making her a Soul Scholar.
With a suitable Soul Ring, she would be able to enter the ranks of true Soul Masters!
Deep within her soul, a demonic mark quietly appeared.
It bound her to Ling Xiao's Demon Fruit Tree.
Ling Xi slowly opened her eyes. A crimson glow flickered in their depths and vanished.
She could feel a power unlike anything she had known filling her body.
The useless Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul had disappeared completely.
She could clearly sense the aura of the boy before her.
She faintly sensed that everything about her was under his control.
She raised her head and looked at Ling Xiao.
Moonlight fell upon the boy, bathing him in a halo.
He stood there—the only hand that had reached for her when she fell into darkness, the only light in her life.
Ling Xi bent her knee again and knelt on one knee, her head bowed.
Her voice was respectful, buoyant with the joy of her new life.
"Master."
Ling Xiao looked at the girl kneeling before him and gave a slight nod.
"Get up."
Ling Xiao's voice was as calm as ever.
He looked at the kneeling Ling Xi and raised a hand slightly.
Gentle Soul Power supported Ling Xi's arm and helped her to her feet.
Only then did Ling Xiao get a clear look at Ling Xi after she had fused with the Succubus Fruit.
In a matter of moments, the girl had undergone a complete transformation.
Her once tiny, gaunt body had become slender and well-proportioned.
Even her coarse cloth dress couldn't hide her lively bearing.
Her eyes and brows tilted up slightly, giving her a natural, captivating allure.
And yet her gaze still held an innocent purity.
The two entirely different qualities blended together in striking contrast. She was still young, but one could already imagine the charm she would possess when she grew up.
No wonder it was the Mythical Zoan Succubus Form.
"Thank you, Master."
Ling Xi got to her feet, still keeping her head lowered and not daring to meet Ling Xiao's eyes.
"Don't call me Master."
Ling Xiao interrupted her.
"From now on, call me my lord in public."
"In private, just call me Boss."
Ling Xi paused.
She didn't understand why she should call him Boss, but she didn't hesitate.
She immediately corrected herself, her voice clear and bright:
"Yes, Boss."
"Good."
Ling Xiao nodded in satisfaction and continued.
"Starting today, you'll stay by my side."
"I'll arrange for you to enter Spirit Hall. Your public identity will be my personal maid."
"Publicly, I'll claim that you were a hidden gem, a genius I happened to discover, and that I brought you back to Spirit Hall for training."
"Remember that story."
"As for what happened tonight, don't ask about what you shouldn't ask about, don't say what you shouldn't say, and don't look at what you shouldn't look at."
"Can you do that?"
"Ling Xi understands!"
Ling Xi answered at once.
"Boss gave Ling Xi her future. Whatever Boss asks me to do, I'll do it."
"If I ever defy you, you may deal with me however you see fit."
She knew all too well how precious this opportunity was.
She had nothing now. The only thing she could offer was absolute loyalty and absolute obedience.
Ling Xiao nodded slightly. He hadn't misjudged her.
As long as he trained this girl well, she would surely become a capable assistant in the future.
"Come on. Follow me back to Spirit Hall."
Ling Xiao turned and headed toward the orphanage's exit.
Ling Xi hurried after him, walking close at his side.
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