Lin Qing's Belongings at Age 12, An Unexpected Turn of Events

A few days later.

At high noon.

The old village chief of Emperor Soul Village arrived trembling before Lin Qing's dilapidated wooden shack, leaning on his cane.

In his hand, he held a letter from the local branch of the Martial Soul Hall.

"Little Qing, I've managed to secure a work-study spot for you at Notting Academy. You can go and report whenever you're ready."

A kind smile graced the old village chief's face, and he looked exceptionally proud.

Their Emperor Soul Village had produced a fine seedling for a soul master.

"There is also an invitation letter from the Martial Soul Hall here; take a look and see what it's about yourself."

"Thank you, Grandpa Village Chief, sorry for the trouble."

Lin Qing took the letter and expressed his gratitude.

After seeing the old village chief off, he returned to the room to open the letter.

He knew in his heart that the moment of choice had arrived.

Should he go to Notting Academy and follow the path of Tang San from the original work?

Or should he choose to join the Martial Soul Hall and embark on an entirely different path?

Just then.

"Hum!"

A familiar sensation of vibration appeared without warning.

Lin Qing looked up abruptly.

He saw the air in the center of the room distort slightly.

A flash of white light!

A black urn appeared out of thin air on the floor.

It was exactly the same as the previous one.

Only the portrait on the lid seemed to have changed to a different person.

No, to be precise, it had changed to an image of himself at a different age.

The portrait was no longer his six-year-old self.

Instead, it was a more mature-looking youth, approximately twelve years old.

Black hair, blue eyes, with a hint of sharpness already visible between his brows.

Yet, one could still vaguely tell that it was Lin Qing.

Twelve-year-old Lin Qing!

[Ding! Please receive the relic of '12-year-old Lin Qing'!]

Lin Qing stared at the urn.

Another version of himself from a parallel world!

Another potentially different future!

He took a deep breath.

"The me who died at twelve? Tsk, a short-lived ghost in both lifetimes, truly impressive."

"Receive the relic."

[Ding! You have inherited the relic of '12-year-old Lin Qing'!]

The familiar system prompt exploded in his mind.

[Do you wish to listen to the last words immediately?]

"Listen immediately."

The next moment.

The light and shadows before his eyes shifted.

The familiar "movie perspective" unfolded once again.

[My name is Lin Qing.]

The narrator's voice rang out.

It was more mature than the six-year-old version, carrying the hoarseness characteristic of a boy's voice changing.

It seemed the narration was done in his voice at the time of death.

[At the age of six, I awakened the Martial Soul "Heavenly Eye" with an Innate Soul Power of level eight, and the invitation from the Martial Soul Hall arrived as scheduled.]

[But I chose to refuse.]

"Oh?"

In reality, Lin Qing raised an eyebrow.

"Refused Martial Soul Hall and went to Notting Academy?"

This was completely different from the choice made by the previous parallel Lin Qing.

"Interesting."

He perked up.

He was currently facing the same dilemma.

Notting Academy? Or Martial Soul Hall?

The experiences of this parallel world might provide him with a valuable reference.

The last words continued to play.

[After saying goodbye to the villagers, I left Emperor Soul Village and arrived at Notting Academy.]

The scene shifted.

In front of the ordinary academy gate, a young Lin Qing carried a simple knapsack, looking up at the plaque.

His eyes held both anticipation and caution.

[On the first day of school, I met Tang San, Xiao Wu, and the Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang.]

Three figures appeared on the screen.

The black-haired youth Tang San had steady eyes and wore simple clothing.

The girl with the scorpion braid, Xiao Wu, had large, bright eyes.

And the middle-aged man in robes, looking haggard and frail, was none other than the "Theory Master" Yu Xiaogang.

[The Grandmaster seemed very interested in my martial soul.]

Yu Xiaogang walked up to the young Lin Qing, crouched down, and examined him carefully.

"Child, I have seen your martial soul certificate. A third eye—your martial soul is very unique."

His voice was gentle, carrying the inquisitive nature typical of a scholar.

"My name is Yu Xiaogang. I am a teacher at this academy; you may also call me Grandmaster."

"If you are willing, I can take you as my disciple and help you specifically research 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 would like to try learning on my own first."

His voice was childish, but his refusal was firm.

[I refused him.]

The narrator's voice calmly recounted.

[Because I knew Tang Hao stood behind Tang San, and I didn't want to get too involved with Tang San. It was too dangerous.]

On screen.

The young Lin Qing walked alone on the academy's stone path, his back looking somewhat lonely.

[Therefore, I decided not to have any deep contact with them in the future.]

"Hmm."

The Lin Qing in reality nodded.

"That is a choice I would make."

Especially since this parallel Lin Qing did not seem to possess the golden finger of receiving relics like he did.

Under such circumstances, staying away from the protagonist and protecting oneself was the most rational choice.

After all, that guy Tang Hao... was the type to start swinging at the slightest disagreement.

The last words continued.

[However, things always develop beyond expectations.]

The narrator's voice carried a hint of helplessness.

[I only bumped into Xiao Wu by accident and helped her pick up a carrot she dropped on the ground.]

On screen, in the academy corridor.

The carrot in the pink-clad girl's hand rolled onto the floor.

The young Lin Qing happened to pass by, picked it up, and handed it back to her.

"Thanks!"

Xiao Wu's eyes curved into crescents, her smile radiant.

"What's your name? I'm Xiao Wu, the Wu of dancing!"

"Lin Qing."

"Lin Qing? Alright, I'll remember that! From now on, we're friends!"

The girl finished speaking and skipped away.

Lin Qing was left standing where he was, looking bewildered.

She just decided we were friends, just like that.

The narrator gave a wry smile.

From that moment on, I always felt a pair of terrifying eyes watching me from the shadows. I suspect it was Tang Hao.

The screen's color palette darkened.

In the corners of the academy, deep within the woods, and even outside the dormitory windows.

There was always a faint, lingering gaze, following him like a shadow.

It was cold and filled with a sense of oppression.

For a long time after that, I lived under that shadow.

In reality, Lin Qing frowned.

"Tang Hao..."

Aside from that Clear Sky Douluo, he couldn't think of anyone else who would do such a thing.

It was likely because the parallel Lin Qing had made contact with Xiao Wu, that hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast in human form.

Tang Hao had probably already earmarked her as a future hundred-thousand-year soul ring and soul bone package for his son, Tang San.

When I was nearly seven, I successfully broke through to level ten.

In the vision, the young boy sat cross-legged on his dormitory bed.

The soul power fluctuations around his body were noticeably stronger.

Led by the academy teachers, I headed to the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt for a soul ring.

The forest was gloomy, filled with towering ancient trees.

The roars of various soul beasts echoed from the depths.

I successfully absorbed a first soul ring of about three hundred and fifty years.

A pitch-black leopard-type soul beast lay on the ground as a yellow soul ring slowly rose.

It's a pity it wasn't a mental-type soul beast; after all, they are far too rare.

The narrator's voice carried a hint of regret.

In reality, Lin Qing fell into deep thought because of this.

"I suppose I'll have to consider this in advance as well."

Mental-type soul beasts were indeed hard to find.

If he truly couldn't find a suitable one when the time came, would he have to settle for a non-mental-type one just like the parallel Lin Qing?

That was a problem he needed to ponder carefully.