Xu Bai nodded, though he couldn't help thinking it was a bit absurd that Heaven Dou City's walls could withstand the impact of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
After all, that was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, one of the very strongest among Soul Beasts. Even a weaker Titled Douluo might meet their end on the spot if they encountered one.
But then he thought about how, in the original story, Jialing Pass had withstood a god-level strike. As the capital of the Tiandou Empire, it didn't seem impossible that Heaven Dou City's walls could withstand a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast's attack, either.
"By the way, kid, where's your family? Did you come here alone?"
The young man seemed to be asking out of politeness, but then he spoke again.
"Yeah, I came to visit relatives. I'll be leaving in a few days."
Xu Bai gave him a casual, made-up answer. Suddenly, he felt that this guy had no sense of boundaries at all.
We're total strangers, and you can see I'm barely answering you. How can you just keep chatting away to yourself...
The young man, however, clearly hadn't noticed. Instead, he started asking about other things:
"I see. You're impressive, kid. Your family must really trust you to let you visit relatives alone. You're a Soul Master, right? What level are you now? Can you tell big brother?"
Xu Bai: (￣ー￣)
"Soul Grandmaster..."
"So you really are a Soul Grandmaster."
The young man smiled, growing even more enthusiastic:
"You must work really hard at cultivation, little bro. What academy do you attend? Would you be interested in applying to Heaven Dou Royal Academy in the future? Although Heaven Dou Royal Academy is an aristocratic academy, it still recruits talented commoner Soul Masters. Of course, if you're a noble too, then forget I asked..."
Xu Bai: I hate people with no sense of boundaries...
Looking at the enthusiastic, incessantly chattering young man, Xu Bai felt that his fairly handsome face had somehow become utterly repulsive.
As time passed, just as Xu Bai's patience was about to run out and he was preparing to tell the young man a firm "No," he suddenly realized there was a serious problem.
"Wait, how did this guy get past my senses and show up beside me...?"
Xu Bai's cultivation might only be at the Soul Grandmaster level, but his spiritual power was already stronger than that of most Soul Ancestors. It could even rival that of some weaker Soul Kings.
Besides, when he'd been doing what he considered a bad thing just now, he'd been keeping an eye on his surroundings the whole time.
And yet this man had still managed to evade his senses and appear beside him.
Didn't that mean the man was at least a Soul Emperor, and maybe even higher...?
Hiss—
At least a Soul Emperor. Heaven Dou City really was the capital of an empire. Anyone he met at random was at that level.
If they fought, the other guy could probably treat him and his first Little Blue like wild monsters and farm them dozens of times over...
Thinking of this, Xu Bai kept a calm expression, but fell silent inside.
All right, a normal person couldn't turn down someone who was being friendly to them.
And Xu Bai felt that he was definitely a very normal person.
So, though he was already annoyed, he still patiently answered the young man's questions one by one.
Though hardly any of his answers were true...
The two of them chatted for quite a while.
Xu Bai, who was already growing numb from the conversation, finally heard the words that were like a lifeline.
"All right, little bro. I have things to do today, so I'll leave you to it."
The young man sighed faintly, seeming reluctant to end the conversation.
"Sure. Take care, big brother."
Xu Bai was overjoyed inside, though on the surface he wore a polite smile.
"You should be careful, too. Soul Grandmasters are already quite strong, but there are still plenty of even stronger bad people out there."
The young man gave him a serious warning, then turned to leave.
Watching him walk away, Xu Bai let out a long breath of relief.
But he didn't get to enjoy it for long. The young man, who'd already walked some distance away, turned back, nearly breaking Xu Bai's composure on the spot.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot something important. We've been chatting for so long, but I still don't know your name, little bro. Would you mind telling me?"
The young man asked gently.
"Xu Bai. My name is Xu Bai." Xu Bai hurriedly replied, afraid the man would start another one-sided conversation.
"Xu Bai. That's a nice name." The young man praised him, then smiled and said:
"Little Xu, my name is Qin Ming, and I'm a teacher at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. If you decide to apply to Heaven Dou Royal Academy in the future, come find me. I might even be able to make you my student."
"Got it, Brother Qin. I will!" Xu Bai replied perfunctorily, wanting nothing more than to get this boundaryless man to leave.
Only then was Qin Ming satisfied. Judging by the little brother's age, he couldn't be more than ten.
To be a Soul Grandmaster at that age—even if he'd only just reached the level—meant he counted as a genius.
If Little Xu was a support-type Soul Master, or could break through level thirty before he turned twelve, he might really be able to become Qin Ming's student.
Thinking this, Qin Ming didn't linger. He said goodbye to Xu Bai and hurried off.
After watching Qin Ming's retreating figure for a long while and making sure he wouldn't come back again, Xu Bai finally relaxed completely.
After that ordeal, he felt like he'd never speak to a stranger again for the rest of his life. It had been downright terrifying.
Xu Bai, his spirit wounded, walked quickly, as though afraid of running into another strange person.
Before long, he walked out of the city gate tunnel.
Then, everything opened up before him...
The streets within the city were wide and bustling, the buildings ornate, and there were all kinds of shops, restaurants, teahouses, and inns.
Just from this first glimpse, the city was beyond comparison with a medium-sized border city like Qinghe City, let alone a little place like Nuoding City.
Perhaps the lively scene gave Xu Bai a strong sense of security, because only now did the realization hit him:
"Wait, Qin Ming. That guy said his name was Qin Ming, didn't he?"
A young man, at least a Soul Emperor, and a teacher at Heaven Dou Royal Academy...
After going over all those details in his mind, Xu Bai felt there was an eighty percent chance that the man was the Qin Ming from the novel.
But was that right?
Wasn't Qin Ming in the original story supposed to be a refined, steady, and meticulous gentleman?
Why had the one Xu Bai met been a chatterbox with no sense of boundaries?
Could it be an act? Did he maintain a good image among people he knew, but reveal his true nature around strangers?
Thinking about it, Xu Bai felt he'd "seen through" the truth, and believed it completely.
So that's what you're really like, Qin Ming!
After thinking about Qin Ming, Xu Bai felt a worry rise in his heart for no apparent reason:
"I've only just arrived in Heaven Dou City, and I've already run into one of the important characters from the original story. It feels like this search for a beast to tame won't be simple..."
He rubbed his brow, pushing down the jumble of thoughts.
"Fine. If it won't be simple, it won't be simple. I just hope it's nothing bad..."
Temporarily setting aside that inexplicable worry, Xu Bai took a deep breath of Heaven Dou City's bustling air and decided to properly take in the prosperity of this greatest city in the empire.