The Language of Genius Flowers, Abyss Plane!

"Alright, you rest for a while. It's too hot in here; I'm going outside to catch some air."

Dong Zi'an suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, his resolve regarding that certain idea growing firmer by the moment.

"Uncle, how should I address you?"

Just as Dong Zi'an turned to leave, Jiang Xiu asked in a soft voice.

"I am Dong Zi'an. You can just call me Uncle Dong."

Dong Zi'an paused, left those words behind, then opened the soul-guided door and strode away with long, purposeful strides.

"Dong Zi'an? The Fierce Wolf Douluo!"

Hearing this, Jiang Xiu's purple eyes flickered. He whispered to himself as memories of Dong Zi'an surfaced.

Dong Zi'an, Commander of the Western Legion and a God-rank mecha master, held a status in the military second only to the Divine Pen Douluo Yu Guanzhi and the Shrek Academy janitor Chen Xinjie. He was one of the representative figures of the Federation's hawkish faction.

But what impressed Jiang Xiu most was not his status, but the man himself. Dong Zi'an was not from a great family; he was a commoner whose very martial soul was the most ordinary Green-Faced Wolf.

Yet, relying on his own grit, Dong Zi'an had fought his way out of the bottom of the military ranks, step by step, to become a Limit Douluo and a Legion Commander.

The words once spoken by a certain master—"There are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters"—seemed to have been proven true by Dong Zi'an.

Most importantly, even after reaching such a position and wielding such power, Dong Zi'an remained willing to live and die alongside the soldiers of the Western Legion, always leading the charge during the final stand against the Abyss Plane.

"A truly fierce warrior."

Jiang Xiu couldn't help but sigh with admiration. It was a pity that, in the end, Dong Zi'an had been sabotaged by a mole from the Spirit Pagoda, leaving an indelible stain on his record.

"So, General Dong, what choice will you make?"

A faint smile touched the corners of Jiang Xiu's mouth as he gazed at the howling wind outside the window.

Outside the soul-guided emergency center.

"Commander, the investigation is complete. Jiang Xiu's parents were both members of the Blood God Legion and died in battle four years ago. His mother, Xu Ruoxi, possessed the Silver Moon martial soul..."

Seeing Dong Zi'an emerge, Li Jie hurried forward to report the information he had gathered.

"Alright, I am already aware of all that."

Dong Zi'an waved his hand to cut him off. "Send someone to Snow City now and retrieve those two medals. The sooner, the better."

"Understood!"

Li Jie nodded and immediately sent a message to the soldiers stationed in Snow City. After doing so, he looked at his commander's contemplative expression and couldn't help but ask.

"Commander, Jiang Xiu's talent is immense. Are you thinking of taking him as your disciple?"

Li Jie knew well that his commander had never married. He had spent his entire life in the military, and aside from slaying abyssal creatures, his only passion was cultivating and promoting talented individuals.

Furthermore, Jiang Xiu's parents were both from the Blood God Legion; his background was clean.

"You brat, you really are the worm in my belly—you know me better than I know myself. I do have the intention, but I fear I might not be able to teach him properly."

Dong Zi'an laughed and scolded him, then looked into the distance and sighed wistfully.

"You're joking, sir. Is there anyone you couldn't teach?"

Li Jie simply assumed his commander was being modest.

"Jiang Xiu doesn't just have the Purple Imperial Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon martial soul; he is a twin martial soul user, and both are ultimate-grade."

"Are you kidding me!"

Li Jie said in disbelief, but seeing Dong Zi'an's calm expression, he knew his commander was not joking.

The air fell silent, and even the cold wind seemed to soften.

Seeing his commander show a rare look of hesitation, Li Jie gritted his teeth and spoke up.

"Commander, do you know the flower language of a genius?"

"What is it?"

Dong Zi'an raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

"If you're slow, it's gone!"

Li Jie said from the bottom of his heart, "Think about it, sir. He is the descendant of our brother legion—in other words, he is the descendant of our own legion. Since his talent is so high, if you say you might not be able to teach him, who else in this world is better than you?"

"Are you really willing to hand him over to some unknown 'so-and-so'?"

Seeing his commander's gaze grow firmer, Li Jie cleared his throat, preparing to add the final spark.

"What if his future teacher turns out to be as unreliable as that Sea God Pavilion elder from ten thousand years ago who loved eating chicken legs? What if..."

"Stop. Why don't you say he'll be kidnapped by an evil soul master into the Holy Spirit Cult the moment he steps out? Enough, stop pestering me. I have already decided."

Hearing Li Jie's increasingly absurd remarks, Dong Zi'an waved his hand to cut him off, but he had already made his decision.

"You're going to take Jiang Xiu as your disciple?"

Li Jie smiled, mission accomplished.

"Yes, but it cannot be just me. Professional matters should be left to the professionals."

Dong Zi'an nodded slightly, a flicker of indifference crossing his eyes as he spoke in a haunting tone.

He then took out his soul guidance communication device, his fingers sliding across the screen until they stopped on a contact labeled "Chef," and dialed.

"Hello? Who is this? I'm in the middle of cooking, don't bother me unless it's important... watch me add this ladle of sauce."

A voice came through the device, full of vigor, accompanied by the faint sound of a spatula scraping against a pan.

"Old Mu, I've discovered a genius with a Body Martial Soul here, and it has an Ultimate Attribute. Since you're busy, I'll just go look for someone else. Hanging up now..."

Dong Zi'an sighed with feigned regret, then, as if anticipating what would happen, held the communication device away from his ear.

"What! Don't hang up!"

The next moment, a thunderous roar erupted from the device.

"What's wrong? Aren't you busy?"

Dong Zi'an was full of smiles, speaking as if he had everything under control.

"Oh, it's you, Old Dong. I thought it was someone else. You said you found a genius with an Ultimate Attribute Body Martial Soul? Where? I'm flying over there right now."

The voice sounded again, clearly unable to contain its impatience.

"Aren't you cooking? There's no rush for this. Sigh, it's just a pity; the child actually has twin Ultimate Martial Souls. But it doesn't matter, I'll just find someone else, it's all the same."

Dong Zi'an spoke with a mix of nonchalance and feigned regret.

"What cooking? Don't you know our sect is withering away, practically on the verge of extinction? Stop joking around with me. Don't forget, I had a hand in building that God-tier mecha of yours. Tell me the address immediately, or I'll grab my kitchen knife and chop you up like a vegetable! I'm quite skilled at that, you know."

Dong Zi'an could practically see the man on the other end fuming in frustration through the device. Knowing the time was right, he said slowly, "Snow City. Get here fast, or I won't wait."

"Wait for me, I'll be there in a flash... Oh no! It's burning!"

"Beep, beep, beep..."

Following a startled cry, the connection cut off.

"It seems you really are invested in Jiang Xiu, but his Purple Imperial Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon Martial Soul..." Li Jie chuckled as he watched the scene, but as if remembering something, a hint of worry appeared in his eyes.

"Hmph, that matter happened ten thousand years ago; it's time to turn the page. If anyone doesn't want to turn it, This Seat will help them turn it." A fierce glint flashed in Dong Zi'an's eyes, and an invisible, murderous aura began to permeate the air.

Inside the Soul Guidance Emergency Center.

"Is my shadow really gone?" Jiang Xiu looked down at his feet, summoning the Shadow Monarch once more to investigate carefully.

Suddenly, Jiang Xiu felt something. Within the Shadow Monarch Martial Soul, something seemed to be pulling at him, giving him a sudden flash of inspiration.

After a moment of deliberation, Jiang Xiu slowly sank his consciousness into the Shadow Monarch Martial Soul. Instantly, his vision went dark, and it felt as if his soul had left his body.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle!"

A faint sound arose. Jiang Xiu felt as if countless ants were crawling past his ears. He slowly opened his eyes.

But the next moment, Jiang Xiu froze, because there were indeed countless ants crawling around him.

These ants were dark purple, the size of calves, with a golden stripe on their bodies, and they radiated an aura of devouring.

Jiang Xiu looked out; the area was densely packed with these ants. The sky was completely empty, devoid of sun, moon, or clouds, while the ground beneath his feet was black soil, and the air was thick with the scent of gunpowder.

"No way, where did you bring me? Is this even the Douluo Continent?!"