Douluo: A Fake God in Peerless

Su Luoheng turned the lamb leg as he spoke, the firelight reflecting off his flushed, youthful face.

"This..."

Ran Yuming was momentarily speechless.

Upon closer reflection, he felt that what his student said actually made a lot of sense.

It was just... why did it feel like something was off?

As he pondered, he took a bite of the dry rations in his hand.

Was his student just good at enjoying life, or was he simply failing to keep up with the times?

Ran Yuming fell into deep thought.

Eh?

Why did this sugar pancake taste like mutton?

He silently lowered his head to look at the dry rations in his hand, then glanced at the sizzling, oil-dripping roasted lamb leg. Compared to the fragrant, roasting meat, the sugar pancake that had tasted decent moments ago now felt like chewing wax.

This lamb leg really smelled quite good.

The thought suddenly popped into Ran Yuming's mind.

While he was lost in his daze, the roasted lamb leg had already been carved and placed onto a plate.

Without waiting for Ran Yuming to speak, Su Luoheng handed him a slice of the carved meat—steaming hot, golden in color, and mouth-wateringly fragrant.

"Teacher, let's eat together."

Facing the invitation, Ran Yuming did not refuse.

After all, his student wasn't an outsider, and compared to cold, hard sugar pancakes, the steaming roasted lamb leg was clearly much more appealing!

Ran Yuming picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.

It was soft and crispy upon entry, bursting with juices, and a rich, savory aroma filled his mouth.

"Teacher, how is your student's cooking?"

"Very good!"

Ran Yuming nodded in approval.

By comparison, the sugar pancakes were absolutely pathetic!

He decided that in the future, when he went out, he should also keep up with the times.

Being able to eat a steaming hot meal in the Soul Beast Forest—there was nothing more satisfying than this.

Seeing this, Su Luoheng's smile widened, and he picked up a piece of lamb for himself.

As they talked, he prepared some side dishes.

Roasted lamb leg, toasted buns, grilled vegetables, and a pot of vegetable soup made for a rather sumptuous dinner for the master and student, Su Luoheng and Ran Yuming.

"Huu..."

After finishing dinner, Su Luoheng looked content and satisfied.

He lay on the grass with his arms behind his head, gazing up at the starry night sky while snacking on a candied hawthorn stick to aid his digestion.

Candied hawthorn was truly magical.

Before a meal: it whetted the appetite.

Usually: it was a snack.

After a meal: it aided digestion.

In any case, he could always find a suitable reason to eat it.

To summarize it in one sentence: as long as Su Luoheng wanted to eat, there was never an inappropriate time!

Su Luoheng figured that Teacher Ran, being an older man, probably wouldn't like sweet and sour treats, so he didn't share. It was definitely not because he didn't have many candied hawthorn sticks left.

"..."

With their bellies full, the master and student were still wide awake.

So, they sat before the campfire, chatting idly.

"..."

Recalling Su Luoheng's performance when they first entered the Jingyang Mountain Range, Ran Yuming said, "Luoheng, you adapted to the Soul Beast Forest quite quickly."

"I spent some time training in a Soul Beast Forest with my father before," Su Luoheng said, casually tossing more wood into the fire. "Although this isn't the one near my home, Soul Beast Forests are generally all the same."

"As long as you take precautions and stay vigilant, there's nothing to worry about."

A flicker of nostalgia passed through his eyes at the mention of home.

Since arriving on the Douluo Continent, this was the first time he had been away from home for so long. Although he hadn't shown it in his daily life, he was still concerned deep down.

He wondered how his parents were doing now.

Was there anyone thinking of him, just as he was thinking of them?

"..."

If they knew he had broken through to level twenty and was already a second-level soul master, they would surely be proud, right?

At this thought, he grew nostalgic for the home-cooked meals back home; though they weren't as nutritious or delicious as the academy cafeteria's, they carried the taste of his mother.

Su Luoheng thought to himself: Once the holidays arrive this year, I must make a trip home.

"So that's how it is."

Ran Yuming nodded in sudden realization, followed by an unavoidable sigh.

To have begun training in the spirit beast forest at such a young age—no wonder he possessed such rich combat experience.

He found himself becoming curious about Su Luoheng's father.

"..."

The master and disciple chatted idly, back and forth.

By chance, Su Luoheng recalled his previous curiosity regarding his teacher's true strength and seized the opportunity to voice the doubt in his heart.

"Teacher, what is your actual strength?"

Ran Yuming paused for a moment, then smiled faintly. "What other strength could there be? Haven't you already seen my seventh-level soul master badge?"

"But I always feel that you should be more than just a seventh-level soul master." Su Luoheng shook his head in denial.

"Why?"

"I've seen you talking with Director Lin before, and I've also attended courses by other seventh-level soul masters—they simply don't compare to you."

"And also..."

Over the past half-year of being together, he had become increasingly certain that his teacher was absolutely extraordinary: had anyone ever seen an eighth-level soul master treat a seventh-level soul master, who was lower in rank than them, with such respect?

"You have a sharp eye, kid."

"Hehe."

Hearing this, Ran Yuming was slightly surprised; he opened his broad palm and laughingly ruffled Su Luoheng's hair.

"Teacher, you're messing up my hair!"

Su Luoheng dodged the hand, overwhelmed, and while smoothing his hair back into place, he grumbled, "Teacher, can you please break this bad habit? I'm not a little kid anymore, and constant head-patting will stunt my growth!"

Ran Yuming stroked his long beard and laughed.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop. Then what level soul master do you think your teacher is?"

"At least eighth-level!" Su Luoheng said with conviction.

Hearing this, Ran Yuming shook his head, a complex expression flashing through his deep eyes. "You guessed wrong. In truth, I am just a seventh-level soul master."

"Then why are you so much stronger than all of them?"

Su Luoheng sat cross-legged, resting his chin in his hands, his eyes full of confusion.

Ran Yuming sighed softly and began to recount the events of the past.

In truth, Su Luoheng hadn't been entirely wrong; when it came to research on soul devices, let alone seventh or eighth-level soul masters, even a ninth-level soul master might not be his equal.

However, in terms of official soul master rank, he was indeed a seventh-level soul master.

Eighty years ago.

Ran Yuming, who had just turned eighteen, was already a sixth-level soul master. He was hailed as the greatest genius of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy since Kong Deming and had even been accepted as Kong Deming's personal student. Back then, he was infinitely glorious, a super-genius sought after by everyone wherever he went.

And he had lived up to the expectations.

In just two years, he advanced from a sixth-level to a seventh-level soul master. His future was limitless, and he was regarded as one of the future leaders of the Sun Moon Empire's soul master world. No one would have believed that this twenty-year-old prodigy would one day be trapped at the seventh level, unable to break through.

But some things are simply fated.

Three years after he became a seventh-level soul master, he suffered the greatest blow of his life.

During a test of a fixed-shell soul ammunition, an assistant's improper operation caused a premature detonation, instantly swallowing the entire laboratory in flames. Of the soul masters participating in the experiment, nine died and three were injured. Although Ran Yuming survived thanks to the protection of a ninth-level soul device, he was still severely wounded.

The physical injuries were manageable, but his spiritual power had suffered grave damage as a result.

At first, Ran Yuming optimistically searched for a cure, but reality dealt him a heavy blow: no matter what method he used, his spiritual power could not improve by even a fraction from that day forward.

He disappeared for a long time after that, only reappearing five years later as an academy teacher.

Although his path as a soul master had come to a halt due to his spiritual power, Ran Yuming did not sink into despair or give up. Instead, he threw himself into researching the theoretical knowledge of soul devices. Over the years, he had summarized a vast amount of literature and had achieved quite a bit in the field of soul device theory.

He even held a small reputation within the circle of soul masters.

In fact, most ninth-level soul masters were inferior to Ran Yuming when it came to theory alone.

The only thing he lacked was spiritual power.

Most people felt that if his spiritual power could be restored, he would undoubtedly become a ninth-level soul master in a short time.

However, despite this, many still felt pity for him; no matter how good his theoretical research was, he could only stop there.

As time passed, he gradually trained many students from Mingde Hall and was granted the title of honorary teacher at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, which became how most people perceived him. As for the genius who had once been held in such high regard, he was thoroughly buried in the memories of the past, gradually forgotten by everyone.

If anyone did happen to recall him, it was nothing more than a fleeting sigh.

"That is why I am only a seventh-level soul master."

Ran Yuming sighed languidly. Although much time had passed, the weight in his heart remained heavy whenever the subject was raised.

"Teacher..."

Su Luoheng opened his mouth, but he did not know how to begin.

He felt a pang of regret now.

Perhaps he should not have brought up this topic, tearing open a scar his teacher had kept sealed for decades.

"It is alright."

Ran Yuming smiled nonchalantly, his hand pausing for a moment before coming to rest on Su Luoheng's shoulder. "So many years have passed; your teacher has long since let it go. In truth, teaching and nurturing students here at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, watching you all grow step by step, is quite fulfilling."

Yet, despite his words, a flicker of desolation still crossed his eyes.

A dream held for years destroyed in an instant—how could such a thing be easily cast aside?

If it were possible, who would not want to stand at the pinnacle of the soul master path and see what the scenery looked like from up there?

Unfortunately...

He could no longer reach it.

The path of a soul master placed exceptionally strict demands on mental power, and even the current Sun Moon Empire had no way to heal injuries of the mind.

Ran Yuming could only stop here.

"..."

A moment of silence followed.