A few days later.
At noon.
The old village chief of Emperor Soul Village came trembling to Lin Qing's ramshackle wooden house, leaning on his cane.
He held a letter from a Spirit Hall branch in his hand.
"Qing, I secured you a work-study student spot at Notting Academy. You can go register anytime."
The old village chief wore a kindly smile, looking especially proud.
Their Emperor Soul Village had produced such a promising young soul master.
"There's also an invitation from Spirit Hall. Take a look and see what it's about."
"Thank you, Grandpa Village Chief. Sorry for troubling you."
Lin Qing accepted the letters and thanked him.
After seeing the old village chief off, he returned inside and opened the letter.
He knew the moment of choice had arrived.
Should he go to Notting Academy and follow Tang San's path from the original story?
Or should he join Spirit Hall and embark on an entirely different road?
Just then.
Buzz!
A familiar tremor appeared without warning.
Lin Qing abruptly looked up.
The air in the center of the room twisted slightly.
A flash of white light!
A black Ash Urn appeared on the ground out of thin air.
It was exactly the same as the previous one.
Only, the portrait on its surface seemed to depict someone else.
No, more accurately, it was himself at a different stage of life.
The portrait was no longer of his six-year-old self.
Instead, it showed a more mature boy of around twelve.
Black hair, blue eyes, and a hint of sharpness between his brows.
Yet it was still clearly Lin Qing.
Twelve-year-old Lin Qing!
[ Ding! Please receive the relics of 'Twelve-Year-Old Lin Qing'! ]
Lin Qing stared at the Ash Urn.
Another version of himself from a Parallel World!
Another potentially different future!
He took a deep breath.
"Me, dead at twelve? Tsk, short-lived in both lives. That's really something."
"Receive the relics."
[ Ding! You have inherited the relics of 'Twelve-Year-Old Lin Qing'! ]
The familiar system notification exploded in his mind.
[ Would you like to listen to the final words immediately? ]
"Listen immediately."
The next moment.
The light and shadows before him shifted.
The familiar "movie perspective" unfolded once more.
[ My name is Lin Qing. ]
The narrator's voice rang out.
It was more mature than the six-year-old's, carrying the distinctive rasp of a boy going through puberty.
It seemed the self-narration used the voice from the time of death.
[ When I was six, I awakened the martial soul "Heavenly Eye." I had Innate Soul Power at rank eight, and Spirit Hall's invitation arrived as expected. ] [ But I chose to refuse it. ]
"Oh?"
Lin Qing raised an eyebrow in reality.
"He refused Spirit Hall and went to Notting Academy?"
That was completely different from the choice made by the previous parallel Lin Qing.
"Interesting."
His interest was piqued.
He was currently facing the very same choice.
Notting Academy, or Spirit Hall?
This Parallel World's experiences might provide him with valuable guidance.
The final words continued.
[ After bidding farewell to the villagers, I left Emperor Soul Village and came to Notting Academy. ]
The scene shifted.
Before the ordinary academy gates, the young Lin Qing carried a simple bundle of luggage and looked up at the signboard.
There was anticipation in his eyes, but also caution.
[ On my first day of enrollment, I met Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Master Yu Xiaogang. ]
Three figures appeared on-screen.
Tang San, a black-haired boy in plain clothes, had steady eyes.
Xiao Wu, the girl with the scorpion braid, had large, bright eyes.
And the haggard, weak-looking middle-aged man in a long robe was the "theory master," Yu Xiaogang.
[ Master seemed very interested in my martial soul. ]
Yu Xiaogang walked up to the young Lin Qing, crouched down, and carefully examined him.
"Child, I've seen your martial soul certificate. A third eye—your martial soul is very unusual."
His voice was gentle, carrying a scholar's distinctive thirst for inquiry.
"My name is Yu Xiaogang. I'm a teacher at this academy. You may also call me Master."
"If you're willing, I can take you as my disciple and help you study the characteristics of your martial soul."
The Lin Qing in the scene took half a step back and shook his head.
"Thank you, Teacher, but I want to try learning on my own first."
His voice was childish, but his refusal was decisive.
[ I refused him. ]
The narrator recounted it calmly.
[ Because I knew Tang Hao stood behind Tang San. I didn't want to get too entangled with Tang San. It was too dangerous. ]
In the scene.
The young Lin Qing walked alone along the academy's stone path, his back looking somewhat lonely.
[ So I decided not to have any deep contact with any of them in the future. ]
"Mm."
Lin Qing nodded in reality.
"That was the choice I would have made."
Especially since this parallel Lin Qing apparently did not possess a cheat like his that allowed him to receive relics.
Under those circumstances, staying away from the protagonist and protecting oneself was the most rational choice.
After all, Tang Hao... was the sort who would start swinging his hammer at the slightest disagreement.
The final words continued.
[ However, events always developed beyond expectation. ]
There was a trace of helplessness in the narrator's voice.
[ I merely bumped into Xiao Wu by accident and helped her pick up a carrot that had fallen to the ground. ]
In the scene, in the academy corridor.
The carrot in the pink-clad girl's hand rolled onto the ground.
The young Lin Qing happened to pass by, casually picked it up, and handed it back to her.
"Thank you!"
Xiao Wu's eyes curved into crescents, her smile radiant.
"What's your name? I'm Xiao Wu—the Wu from dancing!"
"Lin Qing."
"Lin Qing? Alright, I'll remember that! From now on, we're friends!"
After saying that, the girl skipped away.
Leaving Lin Qing standing there with a bewildered expression.
[ She simply decided I was her friend. ]
The narrator gave a bitter laugh.
[ From then on, I always felt a pair of terrifying eyes watching me from the shadows. I guessed it was Tang Hao. ]
The scene darkened.
In the academy's corners, deep within the woods, even outside the dormitory window.
A barely perceptible gaze was always there, following him like a shadow.
Cold and oppressive.
[ For a long time afterward, I lived under that shadow. ]
Lin Qing frowned in reality.
"Tang Hao..."
Other than that Clear Sky Douluo, he could not think of anyone else who would do such a thing.
It was probably because the parallel Lin Qing had come into contact with Xiao Wu, a 100,000-Year Soul Ring beast in human form.
Tang Hao had likely already marked her down as a future 100,000-Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone package for his son, Tang San.
[ At nearly seven years old, I successfully broke through to rank ten. ]
In the scene, the boy sat cross-legged on his dormitory bed.
The fluctuations of Soul Power around him had clearly grown much stronger.
[ Under the guidance of an academy teacher, I went to the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt a soul beast. ]
A gloomy forest filled with towering ancient trees.
The roars of all kinds of soul beasts came from its depths.
[ I successfully absorbed my first Soul Ring, one of roughly three hundred and fifty years. ]
A pitch-black leopard-like soul beast lay dead on the ground, while a yellow Soul Ring slowly rose above it.
[ Unfortunately, it wasn't a spiritual-type soul beast. Spiritual-type soul beasts were simply too rare. ]
The narrator's voice carried regret.
Lin Qing in reality also fell into thought.
"This is something I'll probably need to consider in advance as well."
Spiritual-type soul beasts truly were difficult to find.
If he could not find a suitable one when the time came, would he have to make do with a non-spiritual-type one first, like the parallel Lin Qing?
He needed to think this through carefully.
Before you continue