White Tiger Duke Mansion's Lin Qing, and Huo Yuhao's Family?

The evening of the fifth day.

"Tsk, this is truly bizarre."

Lin Qing leaned against an ancient tree to rest, unable to help but complain.

"Why is it so difficult to find a thousand-year-old soul beast with a decent temperament and an ordinary bloodline?"

It felt just like when you don't want to see someone, they hover in front of your eyes every single day.

But the moment you actually want to find them, hey, you can't even catch a glimpse of their shadow!

Damn life—no, damn Star Dou Great Forest, it really needs some "discipline"!

Lin Qing grumbled silently to himself.

He weighed whether he should venture a bit deeper toward the edge of the mixed zone to try his luck.

But the risks there were much higher.

With Er Ni in tow, he had to weigh his options carefully.

"Ah Qing, the sky is getting dark."

"Mm, let's stop here for today."

Helpless, Lin Qing chose a relatively open clearing in the woods to serve as their temporary campsite.

A campfire was soon lit.

Dry branches crackled in the flames, dispelling the dampness of the forest and the unease brought by the darkness.

The two of them set up a simple, small tent.

Although crude, it was at least enough to keep the dew off.

Lin Qing also carefully sprinkled several circles of specially made insect and beast repellent powder around the campsite.

These powders emitted an odor that soul beasts detested, effectively scaring off most low-level soul beasts.

Not only that.

He also quietly set up several trigger-based Soul Tool devices he had crafted in hidden positions.

There were second-grade and third-grade ones, each with different functions.

Some could emit sharp, explosive sounds and bright light to deter and alert against those approaching.

Others could instantly launch metal nets with paralyzing effects.

There were even some that could simulate the aura of a soul beast's pressure once triggered.

These preparations were enough to make most ill-intentioned "visitors" retreat in the face of difficulty.

They would also buy them precious reaction time should real danger arrive.

"Er Ni, you go sleep in the tent first and get some good rest."

Lin Qing poked at the campfire to make the flames burn brighter.

Then he said to Er Ni, who was sitting beside him, "I'll take the night watch as usual."

Er Ni opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something.

Perhaps "I can keep you company" or "You should get some rest too."

But seeing the unquestionable look in Lin Qing's eyes, she swallowed her words.

After all, she had only recently stepped into the world of soul masters, and meditation could not yet fully replace sleep.

Having spent several days traveling and searching under high mental tension, she was indeed feeling visibly exhausted.

"Mm, then... Ah Qing, be careful."

"Go on and sleep."

Er Ni obediently crawled into the small tent.

Not long after, the sound of even, soft breathing drifted out; she was clearly exhausted and had fallen asleep quickly.

Lin Qing sat cross-legged by the campfire, not immediately beginning deep meditation.

He simply closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing, keeping his body and mind in a state that was both relaxed and alert.

His vast mental power, like invisible mercury, spread silently outward from him, covering a radius of nearly a hundred meters around the campsite.

Any rustle of wind or anomaly in soul power would find it difficult to escape his perception.

Time flowed slowly through the silent, danger-hidden night of the forest.

The light of the campfire danced, casting flickering shadows across Lin Qing's face.

From the distance, the occasional rustling of nocturnal soul beasts or the short, unknown cry of a bird could be heard.

It only made this campsite seem all the more peaceful.

The moon climbed to the center of the sky.

At the deepest hour of the night—

"Hum!"

A subtle tremor, extremely familiar and impossible to mistake, appeared in Lin Qing's perception without any warning.

And... it was right within reach!

"!!!"

Lin Qing snapped his eyes open, instantly entering a combat state as his soul power surged through his meridians.

However, when he saw the situation before him, he was completely stunned.

His tense body relaxed accordingly.

In its place was a look of utter bewilderment.

Right at the edge of the flickering campfire light, less than a meter from his toes—

A pitch-black, archaic-styled urn sat quietly on the ground.

The firelight flowed over its smooth surface, reflecting a faint, eerie glow.

In this desolate wilderness of the forest, it appeared exceptionally abrupt, even a little... horrifying.

[Ding! You have received the relic of "White Tiger Duke Mansion Lin Qing"!]

[Would you like to listen to the last words immediately?]

The system's prompt rang in his mind, as punctual as ever.

"???"

Lin Qing stared at the urn, stunned for a full three or four seconds before slowly blinking, confirming he wasn't hallucinating.

He looked at the urn.

Then he looked up at the pitch-black, tree-shadowed forest environment around him.

"This thing... can actually be re-delivered in the wild?"

He muttered to himself, quite surprised.

He had subconsciously assumed that the system's courier service for delivering "legacies of oneself from parallel worlds" was fixed-point delivery, limited to "residential addresses."

After all, the previous ones had all appeared in the "homes" where he resided.

He hadn't expected it to be able to perform a precision airdrop here in the Star Dou Great Forest as well.

"It seems the 'delivery' rules of this system are even more arbitrary than I imagined, or rather, pervasive."

Lin Qing rubbed his chin, analyzing quickly in his heart.

However, this was an unexpected joy, definitely a good thing.

It meant that no matter where he was in the future, he could potentially receive relics without having to rush back to a fixed residence.

"Just as well, I'm feeling annoyed from searching for a suitable soul beast, and I'm idle anyway."

He glanced at the quiet tent; Er Ni was fast asleep.

"Let's see what kind of story, or what good things, this brother from the 'White Tiger Duke Mansion' has brought me."

Adjusting his sitting posture to be more comfortable, Lin Qing recited in his heart:

"Listen to the last words."

[Ding! Playing last words!]

A familiar light screen unfolded before his eyes, dispelling some of the darkness beyond the reach of the campfire.

[I am called Lin Qing.]

The narrator's voice rang out, the tone calm and imbued with a sense of cool rationality, quite different from the previous "selves."

[I was reborn and transmigrated to the Douluo Continent.]

On the light screen.

An infant who looked like he had just been born lay in a room with decent furnishings, though it could definitely not be called luxurious and was even somewhat simple.

The room's decorations and utensils revealed the foundation of a noble mansion.

[At the age of six, I awakened my Martial Soul—"Heavenly Eye," with an Innate Soul Power of rank eight.]

The scene shifted to the site of the Martial Soul awakening ceremony.

When the crystal ball used to test soul power erupted with dazzling, eye-catching light in the hands of that thin but precocious-eyed youth.

The surrounding collateral clansmen were silent for a moment, then erupted into huge surprise and clamor.

"A genius! It's a child from our collateral branch, Innate Soul Power rank eight!"

"Great! Our branch has finally produced a decent sprout!"

"Quick! Go report this to the main family! Such a genius must be sent to the main family for key cultivation; he will surely become a powerful soul master in the future and bring glory to our lineage!"

In the scene, the young Lin Qing stood quietly in the center of the crowd.

His face remained devoid of any particular expression.

His gaze watched the agitated adults around him with calm.

Yet, upon closer observation, a trace of shock and suspicion could be detected deep within his eyes.

The narrator's voice rang out at the opportune moment, explaining his inner thoughts.

[Because I am from a branch family of the White Tiger Duke Mansion, I have not faced discrimination or cold shoulders just because my Martial Soul is not the "Evil Eye White Tiger."]

[On the contrary, innate rank eight spirit power is a symbol of genius anywhere, enough for me to gain importance and a tilt in resources within the family.]

[But what truly shook me to my core was—the place I am in is actually the White Tiger Duke Mansion.]

[This is the hometown of that future cheater Huo Yuhao from the Peerless Tang Sect era!!!]