Changes in the World

Seeing the situation ahead of the car, Xiao Ming couldn't help but frown. "What's going on?"

"A bunch of thugs. What are they doing?" Xiao Mu looked at the road leading out of the city, his eyes cold.

Xiao Ming pushed open the car door, and the sea breeze rushed in, carrying a damp, salty scent.

The last corner of the setting sun sank below the horizon, and the daylight was fading rapidly.

The thugs turned their heads, their gazes sweeping over the father and son before finally settling on Xiao Ming's trench coat.

"Yo, a rich guy." The yellow-haired leader grinned, revealing a missing front tooth. "This is none of your business, old man. I suggest you don't meddle. Once I sell this thing, I'll be rich too."

Xiao Ming gave a disdainful smile, a glint of light igniting in his eyes. "Someone who doesn't even qualify as a Spirit Master—who gave you the courage to speak to a Spirit Master like that?"

The next instant, a wave of spirit pressure crashed down, equivalent to level twenty.

Generally speaking, when a low-level Spirit Master endures the direct spirit power pressure of a higher-level one, it is considered quite impressive if they can withstand pressure equal to two-thirds of their own level.

These thugs, who weren't even Spirit Masters, were suppressed to the point of foaming at the mouth and suffering internal organ damage.

"Grandma once said that children are precious treasures, and the most unforgivable thing in the world is to harm those treasures."

Xiao Mu stood behind him, pointing a finger toward the sky as he stepped forward slowly. A hundred-year spirit ring pulsed beneath his feet, suddenly bursting into light.

The next moment, the thugs felt as if they were struggling to breathe, as if all the oxygen had been sucked away.

He used his ability to make these people lose things they didn't need.

"What's... happening... I... can't... breathe." The yellow-haired man tried to speak, but his throat felt as if it were being tightly throttled by something.

He gasped desperately, but his lungs couldn't draw in a single breath. His face turned deep red, his eyes bulged, and his knuckles turned white as he clawed at his own neck.

"Hah... hah..." Someone collapsed to the ground, ten fingers digging into the sand until their nails split and blood seeped into the dirt.

The air was flowing, yet it bypassed them entirely.

Unable to endure such torture, the thugs simply passed out, falling into a sleep as deep as an infant's.

Xiao Ming glanced at his son. Has this kid ever even met his grandmother? How come I don't recall my mother ever saying that?

Could it have been a dream?

The two looked at the unconscious group, then turned their gaze toward the white figure in the center of the circle.

It was a little girl who looked to be about six years old.

Xiao Mu frowned slightly. What was going on here?

Silver hair, silver eyes—this wasn't right. Did the Silver Dragon King look like this?

Shouldn't she have silver hair and purple eyes?

Had the world undergone changes he wasn't aware of?

Damn it, he had even wanted to ask the element-controlling Silver Dragon King for a periodic table.

Even though she couldn't actually do it.

The young girl was currently feeling dizzy and lightheaded, as if her head had been struck hard, leaving her unable to remember anything.

It felt as if she had just fallen out of something.

"Dad, the tide is coming in..." Xiao Mu said euphemistically. Although he wasn't sure what changes had occurred in this world, since these thugs dared to kidnap a child, he would find an excuse to deal with them.

"I know that, of course." Xiao Ming smiled faintly, but his gaze remained solemn as he looked at the silver-haired girl; she clearly had an extraordinary background.

How did she end up in such a state?

Could it be internal strife within some family?

After all, the struggle for succession had always been like this.

Xiao Mu walked forward, crouched down, and looked the girl in the eye.

"Little sister, don't be afraid. The bad guys have been driven away," he comforted her gently.

"Mm..." The girl still seemed frightened.

"Where are your mom and dad?"

"Do you know where you live?"

She didn't know anything, only shaking her head.

"Then what is your name?"

This question finally yielded an answer. "Na'er..."

"Na'er?" Xiao Mu repeated, feeling as if he were being played by some grand design.

"Do you remember anything else?"

The girl shook her head, her brows furrowed tightly as if trying to dig something out of a blank memory, but in the end, she only revealed a look of confusion.

"Don't be afraid. Come with big brother first, and I'll take you to find your family."

Xiao Mu stood up and looked at Xiao Ming. The father and son exchanged a glance, and Xiao Ming felt even more hatred toward the thugs.

They had actually beaten the poor girl into amnesia!

Before long, the sea breeze picked up, carrying the distant roar of the tides and dispersing the lingering scent of blood.

The sky had turned completely dark, and the streetlights cast a dim, golden halo over the girl's short, silver-white hair.

"Get in the car first; we'll report this tomorrow," Xiao Ming said, his voice calm, as if everything that had just happened were of no consequence.

Xiao Mu, meanwhile, was lost in thought, marveling at how his old man's flair for dramatic entrances actually surpassed his own.

With a phantom of a black sun looming behind him, he had looked like a reaper walking the mortal realm.

He had reduced everything he touched to dust.

In the future, he would have to manifest a great sun above his own head; he couldn't let his style be any less impressive than his father's.

The car engine roared to life, its taillights carving two red arcs into the night.

The vehicle gradually vanished into the darkness.

From the horizon, a woman's voice drifted across the void, tinged with helplessness: "Hao, how could you make such a massive mistake? What about Xiao San's ten-thousand-year plan?"

"Ah Yin, I'm not sure myself," another voice replied, hoarse and deep. "Not only did I use too much force, but the spatial teleportation was also off-target."

Two figures flickered in and out of existence within the void. The man was burly with wild, grass-like hair, his eyes harboring the weariness of long years.

The woman wore a blue dress, her hair cascading like a waterfall, her expression gentle yet her brows tightly knit.

These two were Tang Hao and Ah Yin.

They had already exhausted their power once. For a long time to come, they could no longer interfere with the Douluo Continent. Ah Yin still had to contend with the Golden Ancient Tree, which already left her with little room to maneuver.

If Tang Hao were to use his power again so soon, he risked being discovered by the Abyss.

"What do we do now?" Ah Yin asked, her voice like wind rustling through leaves. "Na'er has fallen into that child's hands. Xiao San's plan..."

"We can only take it one step at a time," Tang Hao interrupted, his gaze piercing the void to land on the car fading into the distance. "Were we beaten to the punch? Fortunately, Wulin will be coming to East Sea City; it won't be too late to meet then."

Hearing this, Ah Yin stood alone in the distorted space, silent for a long time.

Then, she vanished without a trace, like a drop of water merging into the sea, leaving nothing behind.

The sports car turned onto the winding mountain road as the moon began to rise.

The villa appeared at the end of the horizon, entirely white with fluid, layered lines that stretched out like a spacecraft docked on a mountain peak. It hung over the cliffside, its infinity pool shimmering with a ghostly light. The helipad looked like a flattened slab of metal, surrounded by a few palm trees that swayed gently in the night breeze.

Xiao Ming parked the car, and Xiao Mu stepped out first, reaching in to help Na'er. The little girl remained shy, her eyes filled with curiosity.

As they entered the foyer, Ye Ran looked at her husband, then at her son, and finally, her gaze settled on the small, silver-haired figure.

"This is..."

"Found her on the road. She was almost sold by some thugs."

"What?"

"Mom, her name is Na'er. She only remembers her name; she doesn't remember anything else. Let's report it tomorrow."

Na'er looked up, meeting Ye Ran's gaze. The woman's eyes were calm, as if she were appraising the girl.

Ye Ran crouched down and patted Na'er's small head. "Don't be afraid. Tomorrow, I'll take you to find your family."

She stood up and took Na'er's hand. "Come, let's go upstairs to wash up, and I'll get you some clean clothes."

As the two walked away, Xiao Mu turned and headed toward the villa's basement—his own personal domain.

The incandescent lights flickered on one by one, illuminating walls covered in blueprints and shelves neatly lined with metal blocks.

In the corner, various ores were piled high—black gold, sunken silver, and refined iron—all casting a cold, dull luster under the lights.

Xiao Mu walked to his workbench, picked up a piece of sunken silver, and his first soul ring lit up beneath his feet.

The entire block of sunken silver began to tremble, feeling the pressure of force converging from all directions. Silver veins twisted and contracted on its surface, and its volume shrank at a rate visible to the naked eye.

However, once the volume was compressed to a certain point, Xiao Mu could no longer exert enough force.

"My soul power is still too weak," he thought, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

He pondered for a moment, then turned his attention to researching his soul skill.

Changing the direction of gravity, reversing gravity to fly.

He could barely manipulate air currents...

Xiao Mu smiled. "This ability... it feels more like vector manipulation, but I'm just too weak right now."

He thought about it and decided that in the future, he would find a way to achieve a second awakening of his martial soul. With his body-type martial soul, Mu Ye surely wouldn't refuse him.