Lin Tian and Lin Yan

Deep in the night on Douluo Continent, inside a Martial Soul Hall branch in Suotuo City.

An old man with white whiskers stood alone in the library, searching for books before a row of dusty, antiquated shelves. "As expected, this era doesn't place much value on theoretical knowledge. No wonder Yu Xiaogang could become a Grandmaster."

The old man pulled out a copy of Soul Beast Knowledge and tucked it into his bag, followed by several others. However, he paused after picking up another volume: Ten Core Theories of Soul Masters by Yu Xiaogang. Looking at the book, the old man felt as if his eyes had been tainted and tossed it directly onto the floor.

"What kind of trash is this? Why would anyone even collect such a thing?" The old man grumbled as he continued his search. Soon, he was drawn to a book titled Hundred Types of Herbs, authored by Yue Guan. He immediately picked it up and flipped through a few pages; though the book was covered in dust, the text remained perfectly intact. "I didn't expect to strike gold."

He immediately placed the book in his bag. After checking a few more, he found nothing else of value and left with his haul.

Just as he stepped out, other deacons working the night shift at the branch spotted the old man and immediately greeted him: "Old Lin, you're so old, yet you still love reading so much?"

Everyone present had noticed the old man's bag stuffed full of books, assuming that this veteran of the branch was once again trying to imitate that so-called Grandmaster, researching theories on martial souls and Soul Beast Knowledge.

The old man chuckled in response: "I'm old, and since I've got nothing but time, I might as well read a bit. You all carry on."

Watching the old man's retreating back, the other deacons exchanged glances and said nothing more. The books in the library were ancient, and the younger generation had no interest in entering that place; only a group of old fogies enjoyed studying such things.

In a luxury hotel in Suotuo City, a young man was meditating. Suddenly, the door clicked open. He ended his meditation, looked up at the old man who walked in, and raised an eyebrow: "So fast?"

The old man dropped his heavy bag onto the marble table of the luxury suite with a dull thud.

He flicked his finger, and the crisp sound of the snap echoed clearly in the quiet room. In the next second, the crisscrossing wrinkles on his face faded away like a receding tide. His sagging skin instantly became firm and radiant, and his white hair lost its frost, transforming into a dazzling cascade of ice-blue locks that fell to his shoulders.

In the blink of an eye, the white-whiskered old man had turned into a youth of stunning appearance, his eyes carrying a hint of casual laziness. It was none other than Lin Tian.

He turned to look at Lin Yan, who was watching with curiosity and surprise, a playful smile curling his lips. His tone was as relaxed as if he were discussing a trivial matter: "This era holds soul master theory in even lower regard than I anticipated. Getting these books was effortless."

As he spoke, he pulled the Hundred Types of Herbs from his bag and looked at Lin Yan: "Guess who wrote this."

Upon seeing the four characters, Lin Yan seemed to guess the author quickly: "Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan."

"Correct." Lin Tian tossed his blue hair. "I didn't expect to strike gold while scavenging for books. Truly a cause for celebration."

In this timeline of Douluo Continent, aside from Tang San, the person most knowledgeable about antidotes was naturally Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan of Martial Soul Hall.

It was just a pity that no matter how knowledgeable Yue Guan was, he lacked Tang San's good fortune in finding the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, meaning his knowledge had no place to be put to use.

The contents of this book might contain exactly what they needed.

"A solid harvest indeed." Lin Yan nodded in agreement. Suddenly, he sensed something, immediately looked up at Lin Tian—who was still smugly showing off his find—and said: "Guard me. The main body is calling for me."

Hearing this, Lin Tian immediately shed his arrogance and nodded: "Go ahead."

Lin Yan nodded and closed his eyes. Though Lin Tian could be a bit narcissistic, he was remarkably reliable.

Watching Lin Yan enter his state, Lin Tian immediately locked the windows and the door, then sat at the table, took out the books, and began to study. They had learned that the first Soul Ring could be a thousand-year ring, but since they had already absorbed hundred-year rings, they had to be much more careful in choosing their second Soul Ring.

And then, there was Dugu Bo's herb garden.

Lin Tian's first soul skill was related to intelligence. It wasn't an offensive skill, but rather one that developed his own potential—an enhancement of brain function that allowed him to enter a state of peak focus, whether for work or combat.

In the era of the Dragon King, Lin Nuo slowly opened his eyes. He could temporarily merge with Lin Yan, transmitting his five senses to the other, allowing him to experience and learn from the sensations of the forging strikes.

Lin Nuo could also learn at double the speed; it was similar to borrowing strength, but with a more severe drawback: the other body would enter a dormant state, making it extremely dangerous if there was no one to protect it.

Whenever he used this ability, he would always ask if the other person had someone to guard them.

These were his own soul fragments, after all; if they were lost, they were truly gone.

Na'er, sitting beside Lin Nuo, noticed the change in her brother's aura and stared at him with curious eyes: "Brother, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Lin Nuo felt the curiosity in Na'er's violet-gem eyes. He shook his head to indicate he was fine, then cast his gaze toward the distance, where Tang Wuling was undergoing her forging trial. Possessing the bloodline of the Golden Dragon King, her strength was astonishing.

The moment Tang Wuling picked up the hammer, Mang Tian stopped looking down on the little girl who only had Innate Soul Power of level three; instead, he watched her with gravity and curiosity.

Seeing that her brother didn't want to elaborate, Na'er didn't press him. Everyone had secrets; her brother had his, and she had hers.

She watched as Tang Wuling picked up the hammer to forge, her eyes filled with complexity. Although this little monster's Golden Dragon King bloodline hadn't awakened yet, her strength was already terrifying.

At this moment, Lin Nuo used his spiritual power to share his senses. Lin Yan asked: "How is it? Between your strength and hers, who is greater?"

"Naturally, it is I," Lin Yan replied with a hint of arrogance.

"So confident?"

"Main body, the power and the authority are all here." Lin Yan's voice was filled with extreme seriousness, laced with an indisputable pride: "No matter how she awakens in the future, she will always belong to us!"

"I understand." Lin Nuo crossed his arms and continued to watch. He had already accepted Lin Yan's words. With the resources of three eras, he, Lin Nuo, would eventually stand above the heavens!

Tang Wuling struck a total of 1,000 hammers with both hands, successfully completing the basic hundred-refinement. This caused Mang Tian to completely change his attitude, fully acknowledging the young girl: "I take back what I said earlier. You are indeed extraordinary. Just as that young man said, I underestimated you."

Hearing this, Tang Wuling bowed to Mang Tian, who had acknowledged her: "Thank you for your guidance."

Mang Tian nodded and cast his gaze toward Lin Nuo in the distance: "Kid, it's your turn."