First Arrival at Martial Soul City

"..."

"Elder Xiongyue, if you intend to use this matter to claim credit from me, there is no need to be so impatient. It would not be too late to decide once the orders from the Second Worship arrive."

"After all, as you said, that soul beast is merely a soul master of the teens; she cannot escape."

Luo Chen spoke languidly, thinking to himself that if Xiongyue Douluo wanted to court death, he should not drag him along.

With Xiongyue Douluo's level 92 cultivation, he could not possibly be a match for Tang Hao. If something were to happen, he would be the one caught in the crossfire.

He valued his life too much, but he had said all he could.

If Xiongyue Douluo followed his orders, he could naturally remain safe and sound.

If he did not...

He could not simply tell Xiongyue Douluo not to go, because Tang Hao, a great enemy of Martial Soul Hall, was in the vicinity.

For a six-year-old child to say such a thing would be impossible to explain; it lacked any shred of rationality.

Therefore, if Xiongyue Douluo insisted on proceeding, he would have to consider making his own escape.

Upon hearing Luo Chen's resolute words, Xiongyue Douluo was clearly hesitant.

The excitement and urgency to claim credit gradually subsided, and he looked at Luo Chen with a complex expression.

"Then, Young Master, should I report this to the Second Worship and the others now?"

He was a man who knew when to yield. He was serving Luo Chen, and if he continued after Luo Chen had spoken, it would be counterproductive and offend him.

He was merely eager for merit, not a fool.

Moreover, thinking it over, Luo Chen was right. The Soft Bone Rabbit could not run away, and since Luo Chen had spoken, it proved that the Young Master acknowledged this as his contribution. There was truly no need to rush.

"Everything shall be as the Young Master arranges."

With that thought, Xiongyue Douluo hurriedly cupped his hands toward Luo Chen and added this.

In short, Xiao Wu was already considered a possession of Martial Soul Hall in his eyes. Since Luo Chen wanted her, it made no difference whether it happened sooner or later.

"Wait. I will speak of this personally later."

Luo Chen waved his hand lightly. As long as he wasn't implicated right now, he didn't care much about the rest.

Hearing this, Xiongyue Douluo nodded obediently, bowed, and retreated, once again hiding in the shadows.

Luo Chen said nothing more, turned around, and left with Xiongyue Douluo.

Not long after they departed, a middle-aged man wearing tattered, foul-smelling black robes appeared where they had just been standing.

This person was none other than Tang Hao.

He had been tracking Xiongyue Douluo ever since he first appeared near Xiao Wu, and only lowered his guard once Luo Chen led him away.

However, because he had kept his distance—fearing that as a fellow Title Douluo, he might be detected if he got too close—Tang Hao had not heard their conversation.

He merely assumed it was an ancestor from one of the seven great sects out training a talented junior.

He didn't think much of it; if a mere level 92 dared to interfere, he would simply reveal his hundred-thousand-year soul ring to scare them off.

Soon, Luo Chen returned to his residence with Xiongyue Douluo.

Neither mentioned Xiao Wu again. Without Luo Chen's orders, Xiongyue Douluo did not reveal himself, and so the time passed until the next day.

Early in the morning, as soon as Luo Chen stepped out of his room, he found Xiongyue Douluo sitting on the living room sofa, waiting for him.

"Morning, Elder Xiongyue. Is there something the matter so early?"

Luo Chen smiled slightly, greeting him in a casual manner.

Seeing Luo Chen emerge, Xiongyue Douluo stood up and offered a smile in return.

"Good morning, Young Master."

"After you rested last night, I received a letter from the Second Worship."

As he spoke, Xiongyue Douluo produced an already-opened letter and handed it to Luo Chen.

Luo Chen raised an eyebrow but did not reach out to take it.

"This is for the Elder to read, is it not?"

Xiongyue Douluo did not deny it and nodded.

"What does the Second Worship say?"

Luo Chen maintained his smile.

"The Second Worship has ordered me to bring you back to Martial Soul Hall."

Luo Chen: "..."

"When does the Elder intend to depart?"

He had expected this day to come; he had known it since the day he first met Xiongyue Douluo.

This was a matter of leaving it to fate; it was a high-stakes gamble.

If the gamble paid off, his future path of cultivation would be smooth, and he would never lack resources again.

If he gambled wrong, Luo Chen couldn't even imagine what would happen.

But there likely wouldn't be any "afterward" to speak of.

Upon seeing Luo Chen like this, Xiongyue Douluo did not say much more; he simply tucked the letter away and gestured toward Luo Chen.

"Judging by your intentions, Young Master, today will suffice."

"Then let us set off in a while."

Luo Chen said no more. After they finished breakfast, the two of them boarded a carriage leaving the city.

Nuoding City was quite a distance from Martial Soul City, where Martial Soul Hall was located; even for a Titled Douluo like Xiongyue Douluo, a round trip would take several days.

After leaving the city and traveling by carriage for the better part of a day, the two of them changed their mode of transport.

Xiongyue Douluo took Luo Chen directly into the air, flying to significantly increase their speed toward Martial Soul City.

Five days later.

Martial Soul City.

Even though he had already learned about it from the original work, Luo Chen was still hit with a wave of shock upon arriving for the first time.

It was so prosperous that it couldn't be compared to Nuoding City at all.

In this vast, thriving metropolis that felt like an imperial capital, Nuoding City seemed as desolate as a small, rural village; they were simply not on the same level.

"Young Master, we can take our time before going to meet the various Worships."

Seeming to notice Luo Chen's shock, Xiongyue Douluo chuckled as he spoke to him.

He was not surprised by Luo Chen's expression; having come from humble roots himself, he understood this sense of awe all too well.

Luo Chen might have learned many things from Qian Renxue, but those were surely matters within Martial Soul Hall; he assumed Young Master Luo Chen knew nothing about Martial Soul City itself.

This was his speculation from a few days ago, as he had long since attributed the source of Luo Chen's knowledge about Martial Soul Hall to Qian Renxue.

After all, Second Worship had told him that Qian Renxue had come to see Luo Chen some time ago.

Conversely, upon hearing Xiongyue Douluo's words, Luo Chen felt a flicker of temptation, but ultimately shook his head with restraint.

"Those things are secondary. We are both sensible people, Elder Xiongyue; let us not beat around the bush. It won't be too late to experience these things after my identity is verified."

Xiongyue Douluo fell silent for a moment before nodding.

"The Young Master is right, but do not be too anxious. The Young Lady should have already told you much about the specific details of this matter, so I shall say no more."