To be honest, Su Mingyue had a pretty good impression of Tang Wulin, one of the protagonists of the Douluo series, during the early part of Legend of the Dragon King.
After all, he'd been adopted by a decent couple with a strong moral compass, and they'd raised him from childhood.
Though he'd also joined Shrek and become one of those damn Shrek Seven Monsters, at least he was better than that dog who was still worrying about whether Shrek's reputation would suffer even after blowing up Mingdu.
Tang Wulin had one of the most "tragic" endings of any protagonist beneath a certain God King.
Of course, this guy had been all right in the early part of the story, but he was still a transmigrator.
So Su Mingyue had always been clear about where he stood.
Just as he'd once said in a Simulation: good people had nothing to do with him, and he was the sort of man who'd stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
If Tang Wulin ever got in his way, well, sorry, but he'd have to die!
"Next, Su Mingyue."
As Su Mingyue mused, he heard his name being called from inside the Spirit Pagoda.
He snapped back to his senses, straightened his sleeves, and headed into the Spirit Pagoda.
At the doorway, he came face-to-face with Tang Wulin, who looked thoroughly dejected, a far cry from how full of energy he'd been when he first arrived.
Looks like it really is Blue Silver Grass. How interesting. His older sister has the Light Goddess Butterfly and the Clear Sky Hammer, but her younger brother only has mere Blue Silver Grass?
The same parents, Blue Silver Emperor and Soft Bone Rabbit, can produce two children who inherit completely different kinds of Martial Souls.
Could that so-called Light Goddess Butterfly be because Tang San went and hooked up with the Goddess of Light?
As he speculated about Tang San, Su Mingyue also looked down on this bastard's bloodline.
Without showing it, Su Mingyue slipped past Tang Wulin and went inside.
Only when the sound of the door closing reached him did the dejected Tang Wulin notice.
The boy who'd gone inside seemed to be the same one who'd stood behind him and his father just now.
He could still vaguely recall Su Mingyue's features—far more handsome than his own.
As if possessed, Tang Wulin stopped in the middle of leaving. Suddenly, he wanted to see whether the boy who was so much "prettier" than him would have a Martial Soul that surpassed his, too.
Su Mingyue had no idea Tang Wulin was going through all that. Now standing on the Martial Soul Awakening Platform, he calmly watched the Spirit Master.
Seeing the other man staring at him in a daze, Su Mingyue raised an eyebrow. "Spirit Master, shouldn't you help me awaken my Martial Soul?"
"Ah, oh! Sorry, my mind wandered for a moment. Let's get started on awakening your Martial Soul."
The Spirit Master rubbed his eyes unconsciously. Though he was puzzled by how at ease Su Mingyue seemed, as though he'd come home, he quickly returned to his duties.
"Now, get ready. I'm beginning."
As he gathered Soul Power, the Spirit Master activated one of the machines in the room as well.
As soon as he finished speaking, all the white light in the room converged on Su Mingyue.
The next moment, the Void Archives surfaced involuntarily in his left hand, while the form of Karma Demon slowly appeared as well.
"Gasp!"
"T-Twin Martial Souls!? Wait a moment—may I ask what your Martial Souls are called?"
The Spirit Master's expression had only just brightened with excitement when he suddenly froze. After quickly rubbing his eyes, he stared intently at the Void Archives that had appeared in Su Mingyue's left hand.
"Void Archives and Karma Demon." Su Mingyue answered at once.
Then he heard the Spirit Master cry out in shock. "Void Archives? Are you sure it's called the Void Archives?"
"?"
What was his problem with the Void Archives?
Twin Martial Souls were a rather eye-catching talent, sure, but the Spirit Master's reaction seemed a little too strange.
Could it be? No, that couldn't be it. Before the Simulation began, the Simulator had said it wouldn't affect reality at all!
Wait... No! What exactly had the Simulator said back then? I don't think I heard it clearly!
Well, well, well. No way, no way—could it really have made everything line up one-to-one with reality?
He wanted to call out to the Simulator and get a straight answer, but it happened to be idle while upgrading.
Countless alpacas stampeded through his mind. Su Mingyue's mouth twitched sharply twice.
"Sorry, my reaction was a little strange. My apologies, my apologies. Now, child, let's test your Soul Power."
So you knew your reaction was strange?
Su Mingyue stared pointedly at him, then followed his instructions.
A moment later, a crystal-like object lit up with a brilliant glow.
"I-Innate Full Soul Power! Hiss!" The Spirit Master drew in a sharp breath without thinking.
His expression promptly turned a little obsequious.
"May I ask your name, child?"
"Su Mingyue." Su Mingyue replied calmly, then scrutinized him.
"From the way you're acting, it seems you recognize my Martial Souls. And that reaction when you heard my name..."
"Are you—or, rather, are the higher-ups at the Spirit Pagoda—looking for me?"
Already fed up with the man's behavior, Su Mingyue decided to lay his cards on the table and ask outright.
"Ahaha, you really are a child of extraordinary talent." The Spirit Master gave a stiff laugh.
Then he cleared his throat twice. "Well, I'm not at liberty to reveal the details."
"In short, some of the higher-ups at headquarters did send a notice to all the Spirit Pagoda branches not long ago, telling them to keep an eye out for information related to your Martial Souls."
As he spoke, the Spirit Master's expression turned envious.
The higher-ups were specifically looking for him, and he had exceptional talent on top of Innate Full Soul Power!
Sure enough, there was no such thing as equality or fairness between people!
"The Spirit Pagoda... the higher-ups at headquarters..." Su Mingyue's mouth twitched sharply twice. A sudden heaviness settled over him.
That settled it. Now it was as good as confirmed!
Leng Yaozhu, Leng Yulai.
One was currently the Spirit Pagoda's vice tower master, a Level 99 Limit Douluo. The other was one of the Dark Four Heavenly Kings of the Holy Spirit Cult, either a Super Douluo or a Peak Douluo.
Well, well! So the Simulator had started me off with a freaking epic-difficulty dungeon, huh!
"I understand. Thank you."
Suppressing a storm of complaints, Su Mingyue nodded and turned away. He left the Awakening Room with a face full of gloom and utter despair.
But just after he stepped out of the Awakening Room and closed the door, a small hand suddenly reached for his shoulder.
"?"
Su Mingyue immediately dodged the hand reaching toward him and frowned at the person who'd approached.
"Hehe, are you all right, Su Mingyue?" Tang Wulin scratched his head and smiled at him sheepishly.
Thinking Su Mingyue had the same expression because he'd awakened a less-than-great Martial Soul, Tang Wulin had tried to comfort him.
He put on a reassuring expression. "Even if your Martial Soul and Soul Power aren't very good..."
"But you're so handsome. I'm sure you'll make something of yourself in the future."
"..." Su Mingyue stared at him silently for a moment, then gave a faint, wry smile. "We don't know each other."
"Why are you trying to comfort me—and why were you waiting here?"
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