Na'er?

As that Soul Power entered Xu Mengqing's body, it began circulating through his meridians.

One portion was absorbed by his body, while the other entered his dantian. Xu Mengqing could feel the Soul Power within him gradually becoming more abundant.

However, perhaps because of his Innate Soul Power, the Soul Power in Xu Mengqing's body grew very slowly.

As time passed second by second.

Xu Mengqing ended his cultivation, slowly opened his eyes, and let out a deep breath.

Sure enough, his Innate Soul Power was still too weak. He could only think of a solution later.

Xu Mengqing could tell that although his comprehension was decent and he had learned it quickly, this was ultimately just an elementary academy meditation technique. Its effects were naturally terrible. Combined with his two equally terrible Martial Souls, his cultivation efficiency was beyond awful.

"Class is over, children. You may all go home now. Of course, if you want to continue meditating, you may stay in the classroom."

Another half hour passed, and it was already five in the afternoon. Lin Ximeng finished her guidance and informed the children that school was over.

Xu Mengqing packed up his things, said goodbye to Tang Wulin, and left Red Mountain Academy.

As he walked down the street, Xu Mengqing quietly observed his surroundings, deepening his understanding of the Douluo World. Suddenly, he felt a pull in the darkness, as if something were guiding him in a certain direction!

Following that strange sensation, Xu Mengqing arrived beside an alley! He abruptly stopped in his tracks.

His gaze was immediately drawn to a small figure curled up by the corner of the wall.

It was a girl who looked even younger than Xu Mengqing, wearing a set of old, slightly dirty clothes that clearly did not fit her.

What drew the most attention was her soft, short silver hair, which glimmered faintly beneath the lingering light of the setting sun.

She seemed somewhat frightened, hugging her knees and burying her face in them. But when Xu Mengqing's footsteps startled her and she slightly raised her head—

Xu Mengqing met a pair of eyes.

What kind of eyes were those? They were so pure that not a trace of impurity could be found in them. Their color was neither the usual black nor brown, but a deep, mysterious, and incomparably gorgeous purple, like carefully carved violet gemstones.

In the dim alley, they seemed to shine on their own, carrying a breathtaking beauty, along with a faint hint of confusion and helplessness that was difficult to detect.

Xu Mengqing's heart skipped a beat despite itself.

No way! What a coincidence?

If Xu Mengqing had guessed correctly, this had to be Na'er. Silver hair, purple eyes—every trait matched!

But that wasn't right! If Xu Mengqing remembered correctly, Tang Wulin did not take this route either!

And there was that strange feeling.

Nothing about this was normal. It was as though someone wanted him to take Na'er away.

"Should I steal her out from under him?"

Xu Mengqing immediately hesitated.

What if this girl recovered her memories and simply chopped him to pieces? He did not have the Golden Dragon King as a death-defying trump card.

Besides, what if Tang Hao was secretly watching?

A voice in Xu Mengqing's heart seemed to be telling him to take Na'er away. In the end, he gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

I trust my instincts. Besides, Na'er might not necessarily leave with me. After all, I don't have the Golden Dragon King Bloodline. Still, I'll try first.

Just as Xu Mengqing was lost in thought, someone else noticed Na'er as well.

Several discordant voices rang out.

"Little girl, where are your parents?"

Xu Mengqing came back to his senses and immediately looked toward the source of the voices. Several young men in jackets, looking like street punks, were walking over. They were immediately attracted by her silver hair. Reaching the little girl, they asked with sleazy smiles, but she pretended not to see them and lowered her head again.

"Silver hair like that is really rare! Maybe she's from one of the other two continents. And her eyes are so unique too! Boss, how about we sell her to the underground black market? We might get a good price for her."

As they looked at the little girl, the youths exchanged glances. One of them made the suggestion.

"That makes sense. The underground black market will definitely like someone like her. Let's do it."

Hearing the young man's words, the leader nodded. He then leaned close to the little girl.

"Little girl, are you hungry? Big brother can take you to a restaurant for something delicious. What do you say?"

The young man spoke with undisguised falsehood in his eyes.

Hearing him, the little girl shook her head forcefully, disdain showing in her eyes.

"Hmph, refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit. Don't blame me, then."

Seeing the little girl's reaction, the young man's eyes filled with malice. He reached out to forcibly grab her arm and drag her away, while the other youths covered for him.

"Stop right there!"

At that moment, Xu Mengqing suddenly shouted, leaving the people opposite him somewhat at a loss.

Xu Mengqing stepped forward and blocked their path.

The next second, upon hearing Xu Mengqing's voice, they saw a little boy around one meter thirty-four tall. The youths' faces immediately showed anger.

"Kid, get lost. Don't ruin our business, or you'll regret it."

One of the youths looked at Xu Mengqing with a vicious expression and raised his right foot to kick him.

Seeing the kick coming at him, Xu Mengqing quickly sidestepped. His movement was clean and swift, and he narrowly avoided the vicious kick.

The youth's kick missed, throwing off his balance. He staggered several steps forward and nearly fell flat on his face, looking utterly pathetic.

"Kid, you dared dodge?! Are you looking to die!"

"You little bastard!"

The youth flew into a rage from humiliation and glared viciously back at Xu Mengqing. The other thugs immediately surrounded them, blocking Xu Mengqing and Na'er in the corner of the alley, their faces full of menace.

Xu Mengqing silently stepped half a pace forward, shielding Na'er behind him as his gaze turned cold.

He moved quickly, raising his right hand. A pale blue glow flickered as Blue Silver Grass emerged from his palm, accompanied by a faint ripple of energy.

What could three levels of Soul Power do? At most, it made one a little stronger than children of the same age. Without the support of a Spirit Soul or Spirit Ring, a Martial Soul was still far from capable of combat. This was why one had to cultivate to ten levels of Soul Power before advancing from the lowest-ranked Soul Scholar into the realm of Spirit Masters.

The youth froze for a moment, and the companion beside him tugged at him.

"Boss, this kid has Soul Power!"

If he had merely been an ordinary child, then even if they did something to him, they might be fine as long as they covered their tracks properly. But a child with Soul Power was different. Such children were specially recorded by the authorities and were even registered with the Spirit Pagoda. If something happened to a child like that, the Federal Government would certainly spare no effort in investigating the cause. That would be a huge problem. Besides, quite a few people had already seen them here.

"Damn it!" The leading youth snorted angrily, his face full of unwillingness, then fled in disgrace with his companions.