Chrysanthemum Douluo's Thoughts

Hearing his son's steady greeting, Lin Gang snapped back to reality, realizing his own lack of composure.

He hurriedly suppressed the turbulent waves in his heart, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully: "Lin Gang pays his respects to the two Your Excellencies."

Chrysanthemum Douluo waved his hand dismissively, his attention entirely captured by Lin Ze'an; clearly, he had no interest in such empty formalities: "No need for such courtesies."

He then approached Lin Ze'an, bent down, and began to examine him closely, as if admiring a flawless work of art.

"Hmm, clear bones and distinct features, abundant blood and qi; this innate foundation is laid quite solidly..."

As he muttered to himself, he unceremoniously reached out to gently knead Lin Ze'an's arms and shoulders, feeling the density of his bones and the resilience of his muscles.

Next, he extended two fingers and placed them lightly on Lin Ze'an's wrist, a trace of extremely subtle and gentle soul power probing inward to determine his soul power level and bone age.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." The expression on Chrysanthemum Douluo's face grew increasingly satisfied, and he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration: "Indeed, barely six years old, and already level twenty..."

The more he looked, the more delighted he became. This child before him possessed not only terrifying talent but also a level of composure and courage far beyond his peers.

Ordinary people couldn't even speak in his presence, yet this child remained calm and collected.

Combined with such outstanding bone structure, it was simply perfect.

Aside from the Young Lady, was there anyone else on the entire Douluo Continent with innate full soul power of level twenty?

He straightened up and looked at Ghost Douluo beside him: "Old Ghost, we've struck gold this time."

Ghost Douluo nodded and spoke to Lin Ze'an: "Kid, release your martial soul and let us see."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ze'an held his breath, focused his mind, and shifted his thoughts.

In an instant, an incomparably pure, warm, and majestic life force began to permeate outward from him as the center.

Emerald-green light spots gathered like fireflies, slowly condensing into shape behind him.

Chrysanthemum Douluo stared at Mo Ruier, feeling the life force rushing toward him.

"This... this is..."

This martial soul possessed a life force even richer than that of the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor from back then.

However, the next second, the Strange Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum martial soul within his own body seemed to be under some invisible influence, and it involuntarily manifested.

The incredibly arrogant Strange Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum now acted as if a subject had encountered a monarch, retracting its own radiance to express submission.

Chrysanthemum Douluo was completely stunned.

His martial soul, the Strange Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, was a top-tier immortal herb and a hegemon among all plants on the continent; when had it ever been suppressed to the point of submission?

Feeling the sudden, heavy pressure emanating from the two Title Douluo, Lin Ze'an subconsciously shifted his thoughts and retracted his martial soul.

As Mo Ruier vanished, the restless and oppressed Strange Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum within Chrysanthemum Douluo finally calmed down and returned to silence.

He slowly raised his head, and when his gaze fell upon Lin Ze'an again, it had completely changed.

It was no longer the look one gave a promising young genius, but rather...

Lin Ze'an felt quite uncomfortable under that gaze.

If his intuition was correct, he had just become a piece of succulent meat exuding an enticing aroma.

And Chrysanthemum Douluo's expression was like that of a... well, a powerful dog that had seen a meaty bone after starving for three days?

Ghost Douluo looked at Chrysanthemum Douluo speechlessly, seemingly dissatisfied with his companion's lack of composure, and reminded him in a hoarse voice: "Yue Guan."

Called by name, Chrysanthemum Douluo jolted, seemingly realizing he had frightened his treasure.

He hurriedly blinked his eyes,收敛ing the overly scorching light in his gaze: "Cough... Xiao An, is it? Don't be afraid, don't be afraid!"

"I'm just too happy! Yes, too happy!" He rubbed his hands together, wanting to speak, but suddenly remembering something, he swallowed his words.

Watching the almost green-glowing eyes of Chrysanthemum Douluo, Lin Ze'an understood immediately.

He naturally knew what Chrysanthemum Douluo was thinking.

It was nothing more than seeing his astonishing talent and the fact that his martial soul happened to be a top-tier plant type—well, at least by the standards of the Douluo Continent.

He was essentially a successor fallen from the heavens, so naturally, he was delighted to the extreme and wanted to take him as a disciple.

But the words had reached his lips before he remembered Bibi Dong, causing him to choke them back.

However, at the mere thought of Bibi Dong, a strong sense of resistance rose in Lin Ze'an's heart.

Not to mention that she already had Hu Liena, a direct disciple into whom she had poured massive amounts of effort, resources, and connections.

More importantly, Bibi Dong was a complete lunatic.

Her psyche had been thoroughly twisted after being harmed by Qian Xunji, and she was filled with hatred for the world. While one couldn't blame her, Lin Ze'an had no desire to deal with her.

In her eyes, he would likely be nothing more than a valuable tool to realize her ambitions.

Besides, he was a boy; to take her as a master? If she went crazy one day... Lin Ze'an felt a chill just thinking about it.

He wanted to become stronger and protect those he cared about, but he had no intention of becoming a stepping stone for another lunatic's ambitions, nor did he want to be drawn into the center of a vortex destined for tragedy.

In an instant, Lin Ze'an made his decision.

On the other side, the two Title Douluo were also communicating in silence.

Ghost Douluo said helplessly: "Chrysanthemum Guan, keep your thoughts in check."

"This child has already been reported; in the end, he will inevitably be taken as a personal disciple by His Holiness the Pope."

"Do you really think you can snatch someone away from His Holiness the Pope?"

Upon hearing this, the excitement in Chrysanthemum Douluo's heart was like being doused with a basin of ice water, instantly turning into dejection.

Indeed, with a child of such shocking talent, how could His Holiness the Pope ever let him go to anyone else?

After a moment of silence, it finally dissolved into a soft sigh.

He looked at Lin Ze'an and said with some frustration, "Kid, your talent is rare in this world. Staying in this small place will only waste your potential, and it might even invite a fatal disaster."

"Come back to Spirit City with us; that is the place most suited for your growth."

Having said that, Chrysanthemum Douluo did not look at Lin Ze'an's instantly pale face, turning instead to look at Lin Gang, whose expression had changed drastically.

With a flick of his wrist, a heavy, bulging money bag appeared in his hand, which he then tossed casually to Lin Gang.

The money bag landed in Lin Gang's hands with the dull clinking of gold coins; it was incredibly heavy, far exceeding all the wealth he had ever seen in his life.

"This money is enough for you to live a life of comfort for the rest of your days."

"As for your son..." He paused, "He will enter the core of Spirit Hall to receive the best training, though he may occasionally return to see you."

This sounded like a consolation, but the implication was all too clear.

Using money to sever the daily bond between father and son, and binding Lin Ze'an's future completely to Spirit Hall.

The so-called occasional return, under the strict system of Spirit Hall and the heavy responsibilities of the future, was likely nothing more than an empty promise.

Lin Gang clutched the heavy bag of Gold Soul Coins, feeling as if he were holding a red-hot branding iron that seared his heart with pain.

But what else could he do? He certainly couldn't stand in the way of his son's future...