Lin Ze'an had Little Sprout force a mouthful of herbs into him. Coughing, he still managed to mumble, "Wha... are you trying to kill me...?"
But soon, the bitter herbs dissolved in his mouth, and the Soul Power within him quickly surged back.
"Cough, cough... Little Sprout..." Lin Ze'an finally swallowed the last mouthful of herbs and looked at Little Sprout in surprise.
Although they had gone down a little hard, the herbs Little Sprout had just fed him were all meant to replenish Soul Power. How clever was that?
Little Sprout patted its chest, then pointed at Lin Ze'an, gazing at him smugly.
Lin Ze'an smiled helplessly and reached out to rub Little Sprout's head.
Then, Little Sprout hopped over to the pile of herbs and began munching away.
"Fine, fine, you're the best. Go ahead and eat." Lin Ze'an muttered under his breath, then stood up and stretched.
Thanks to Little Sprout and the herbs, he felt completely refreshed.
The Soul Power within him was full and steady, and even his mind, which had been hazy from exhaustion, had cleared.
Lin Ze'an happily went to take a bath and tidied up his hair, which had been singed in the explosion.
Once he had changed into clean clothes and combed his hair neatly, he stood in the courtyard looking entirely refreshed.
Little Sprout had just finished eating too, and was contentedly licking its leaf-shaped little hands.
By now, however, it was already evening, almost time for the meeting he had arranged with Yan.
"Come on, Little Sprout." He crouched down and held out his hand to it. "We're setting out."
Little Sprout nodded and leaped straight into the necklace.
Lin Ze'an smiled. But as soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, he nearly ran into three familiar figures.
Hu Liena, Yan, and Xie Yue were walking toward him side by side.
"Senior Yan, Senior Xie Yue, Senior Hu Liena!" Lin Ze'an's eyes lit up. He immediately put on a bright smile and greeted them obediently.
Hu Liena had unusually changed into a light-colored outfit fit for travel today, which made her skin look as white as snow and her beauty all the more striking.
When she saw Lin Ze'an, a hint of surprise flickered in her alluring eyes, then she smiled. "You're right on time, little junior."
Yan clapped Lin Ze'an on the shoulder. "We're planning to grab a meal in the city first, then head out for our training."
"There'll be fewer people around at night, so leaving Spirit City won't draw much attention. That way, we won't have to worry about some nosy fools tailing us."
After all, their enemies wouldn't be intimidated just because they were the Golden Generation. If anything, they'd do everything they could to snuff out these still-growing geniuses.
Only when your strength was sufficient could you make others fear you.
Lin Ze'an nodded. "All right. This is my first time going out for training, so I'll follow your lead, seniors."
After giving Lin Ze'an a few reminders and making sure he hadn't forgotten anything, they headed for a place to eat.
The four of them entered a restaurant, and Yan led them straight to a private room on the third floor.
Before long, the table was laden with dishes.
"Senior, seniors." Holding a steaming bowl of mushroom soup, Lin Ze'an asked quietly, "What exactly are we going to do on this trip to Sunset Forest?"
Hu Liena stirred the soup in her bowl and said thoughtfully, "The main goal is training. Our teacher hopes we'll learn to work together while I hunt for my fourth Soul Ring."
"Lord Chrysanthemum Douluo and Lord Ghost Douluo will follow us in secret, but they won't intervene unless our lives are in danger."
"We'll try first. You can easily run into Soul Beasts over ten thousand years old in Sunset Forest, too. If we really can't manage, we'll ask the two of them to step in."
But why had their teacher sent Lin Ze'an straight out on a training trip with them?
Certainly, his talent was exceptional, but he was only six years old, after all.
Even if the goal was to hone their coordination and teamwork, shouldn't they have started by working together in the Soul Fighting Arena?
Xie Yue nodded and looked at Lin Ze'an. "Safety comes first. Lin Ze'an, just support us from the rear. Don't push yourself."
Yan cheerfully poured everyone a glass of juice. "Come on, let's raise a glass! Here's to a triumphant first outing!"
After a few rounds of juice, Hu Liena suddenly turned her head and asked, belatedly, "Little junior, what does your Martial Soul do?"
Lin Ze'an was busy eating. He thought for a moment before answering, "My Martial Soul is Mo Ruier. It's plant-type, but you probably haven't heard of it."
"As for what it can do for you, it mainly provides buffs and dispels negative effects."
But effects like the lifesteal from his first Soul Skill could only affect himself, not other people.
The others nodded and didn't think much of it. Since they hadn't heard of it, they assumed it was a Martial Soul similar to the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda.
Before long, the sky outside the window had grown completely dark.
Hu Liena glanced out the window. "It's about time. Let's go."
Once they left, they soon reached the carriage they had prepared in advance.
Yan strode to the front and leaped up to the driver's seat.
Hu Liena opened the carriage door and winked at Lin Ze'an. "Hop in, little junior."
Before long, the carriage rolled out of Spirit City and headed toward Sunset Forest.
Lin Ze'an leaned against the soft wall of the carriage, lightly rubbing the necklace around his neck as he listened to the wheels crunch over the gravel.
Suddenly, he looked up. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Senior, after we've hunted for the Soul Ring, could we stop by my home?"
He had been away for some time now. He had no idea how his father was managing on his own.
The carriage fell quiet for a moment.
Hu Liena was reading a book about Soul Beasts. At his words, her hands paused slightly, and she turned to look at Lin Ze'an, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
She chuckled, teasing him. "You've been in Spirit City for a while now, little junior. Are you missing home?"
Lin Ze'an scratched his head and admitted, a little embarrassed, "Yeah."
His teacher treated him very well, but that didn't mean he could simply forget his father.
He wasn't sure whether it was because he had been reborn in another world, but even after living two lives, his temperament still seemed to shift along with his age, little by little.
Xie Yue, who had been sitting in the corner with his eyes closed, opened them at that.
He glanced at Lin Ze'an and said calmly, "You can go after we finish. First, complete the training mission assigned by His Holiness the Pope."
Behind the carriage, two figures followed silently through the darkness.
They were Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei, traveling with them in secret.
Yue Guan's gaze swept over several figures skulking in the distance, and a cold smile curled his lips.
"Looks like we've got plenty of tails." Yue Guan spoke to the shadow beside him. "Old Ghost, take out the ones with high Soul Power Levels. Leave a few whose strength is close to the children's."
At that, Gui Mei gave a cold snort. His figure instantly turned into a cloud of black mist and vanished silently into the night.
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