Determining the Timeline in Notting City

Shen Lian then saw a small mountain of Gold Soul Coins gleaming temptingly beneath the candlelight. He swiftly stored all one hundred thousand of them in his Storage Soul Tool.

Just then, the sound of iron chains dragging came from outside the door.

"Thief!"

The clang of a bronze gong tore through the night sky as dozens of Soul Power fluctuations surged in from every direction.

Purple light flashed in Shen Lian's eyes. Vermilion Bird Wings unfurled behind him, and as he smashed through the window lattice, he caught sight of the tokens at his pursuers' waists—they bore the unmistakable emblem of Spirit Hall.

The next morning, Shen Lian slipped out of the city among a grain-transporting merchant caravan.

The Douluo Continent Map in his arms had been soaked with sweat, and the words Star Dou Great Forest that he had deliberately circled stood out clearly.

Shen Lian then prepared to find Notting City on the map.

Because he first needed to determine how far the current timeline had progressed.

Shen Lian spread his dark-purple Vermilion Bird Wings and darted through the clouds.

Across the vast plains below, scattered villages and winding rivers formed a magnificent landscape, while his gaze remained fixed on the red dot labeled "Notting City" on the map.

With every beat of his soul wings, faint ripples spread through space. A barely visible purple trail lingered behind him, startling flocks of birds from the forests below.

Seven days later, the outline of Notting City finally came into clear view.

The towering city walls carried an ancient bluish-gray hue. At the city gates, crowds bustled like colonies of ants, while merchants' cries and the rumble of carriage wheels mixed with Soul Power fluctuations rushing toward him.

Shen Lian retracted his wings, turned into a dark shadow, swept over the city wall, and headed straight for Notting Junior Spirit Master Academy.

Inside the academy, crisp shouts from Martial Soul training mingled with children's laughter and play. In the center of the training grounds, several youths were controlling their Martial Souls in sparring practice, kicking up dust that danced beneath the sunlight.

Shen Lian flashed into the shadows beneath a wisteria trellis in a corner of the academy, where purple flower clusters swayed gently among the vines.

His gaze swept over the laughing students in the distance before locking onto the ponytailed girl—Xiao Xue.

The girl was speaking with her companions, the ends of her hair swaying softly with her movements.

"Excuse me."

Shen Lian called out, his deep, magnetic voice carrying a distinctive force that cut through the noise.

Xiao Xue turned at the sound, nearly dropping the textbook in her hands.

The youth before her stood straight as a pine. His dark-purple fitted clothes outlined his slender frame, while beneath swordlike brows lay eyes as deep as an abyss. The purple Mark of Destruction between his brows shimmered with mysterious light beneath the sun, as though flames danced within it.

She felt her heartbeat suddenly quicken. Her feet carried her toward Shen Lian of their own accord, and a blush rose to her cheeks.

"Handsome, why did you call me?"

"I'd like to ask about someone."

Shen Lian leaned slightly closer, scrutiny in his gaze, before continuing to Xiao Xue.

"Is there someone named Tang San at your academy?"

Shen Lian deliberately lowered his voice. The Mark of Destruction glimmered faintly of its own accord, seeming to sense the surrounding Soul Power fluctuations.

Xiao Xue swallowed and tried her best to remain calm.

"Handsome, there is someone named Tang San at our academy, but I heard he'll be graduating soon. He should be with his teacher, Yu Xiaogang, right now. Are you looking for him? I can take you there."

She secretly studied Shen Lian's expression, eagerly hoping for an answer.

Shen Lian secretly breathed a sigh of relief and unconsciously rubbed the Storage Soul Tool at his waist with his fingertips.

If he missed the timeline, those resources from his memories would end up in Little Scoundrel's hands.

"No need. I was just asking."

Shen Lian spoke indifferently and casually tossed out a Gold Soul Coin.

The Gold Soul Coin traced an arc through the air and landed in Xiao Xue's palm. Then Shen Lian said to her,

"Thanks for the trouble."

Watching Shen Lian's retreating figure, Xiao Xue stood frozen where she was, the Gold Soul Coin in her hand still warm.

The hem of the youth's robe fluttered in the wind, and his dark-purple afterimage lingered in her mind for a long while.

After leaving the academy, Shen Lian blended into the bustling streets.

He stopped before a teahouse and listened to the patrons chatting.

"Holy Soul Village? It's northwest of Notting City, but it's only a tiny village. I heard a child with Innate Full Soul Power appeared there a few years ago, though his Martial Soul was just Blue Silver Grass."

The tea patron's words drew a cold sneer from Shen Lian.

He looked toward the northwestern sky, his eyes gleaming with determination.

No matter what, Tang San's biological mother's Spirit Bone behind the waterfall could not be allowed to fall into Little Scoundrel's hands in the end.

Dark-purple Soul Power condensed beneath Shen Lian's feet into wind blades, propelling him northwest like an arrow released from its bow.

The mountains and forests he passed whipped up roaring gusts, startling countless birds from the woods.

An hour later, the low thatched cottages of Holy Soul Village finally appeared in his sight. Wisps of cooking smoke rose into the air, weaving together with the rolling green mountains in the distance to form a peaceful pastoral scene.

But Shen Lian did not stop. His gaze locked firmly onto the mist-shrouded mountain behind the village.

That was where the purpose of his journey lay hidden.

Shen Lian moved along the mountain wall in a roundabout path, his keen senses constantly alert to the surrounding Soul Power fluctuations.

After passing through a patch of thorn-covered brush, the deafening roar of rushing water suddenly erupted.

A silver-white waterfall cascaded from a height of hundreds of meters like the Milky Way pouring down, its spray refracting a brilliant rainbow beneath the sunlight.

But Shen Lian had no time to admire the view. His pupils narrowed slightly as he stared hard at the faint shadow behind the waterfall.

"Huang Tian!"

In an instant, the void twisted, and a colossal figure that blotted out the sky slowly emerged from within.

Huang Tian, the Purple Imperial Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon, stretched out his hundred-meter dragon body. His scales gleamed with an eerie purple light beneath the sun, and cold flames burned in his enormous vertical pupils. Wherever he passed, the air burst with explosions under unbearable pressure.

"Why did you suddenly summon me?"

Huang Tian's voice boomed like thunder, shaking loose stones from the surrounding mountains.

Shen Lian warily scanned the area.

"There may be a troublesome man hiding here. His name is Tang Hao. Back then, he severely injured three Title Douluo by himself. His strength is unfathomable. If he's nearby, then with my current strength..."

Shen Lian clenched his fist as dark-purple Soul Power churned in his palm.

Upon hearing this, Huang Tian let out earthshaking laughter. With a casual sweep of his dragon claw, a massive boulder beside him instantly crumbled to dust.

"Relax. With me here, even if Tang Hao comes, I'll make sure he never leaves! I'd like to see just how capable he really is!"

With Huang Tian's assurance, Shen Lian took a deep breath and leaped forward, plunging into the waterfall like a streak of purple lightning.

The icy current battered his body, but a shield formed from his powerful Soul Power allowed him to pass through the curtain of water without a scratch.

The cave behind the waterfall was pitch-black. A damp, moldy smell mixed with the scent of soil and rushed at him.

Shen Lian circulated his Soul Power, and dark-purple radiance burst from his palm, illuminating the scene inside the cave.

Moss covered the cave walls, the ground was slick with moisture, and droplets occasionally fell from overhead.