The first-ranked Martial Soul was none other than Yuan'en Yehui's Fallen Angel Martial Soul.
"So it's not the original version. No wonder it's ranked first."
Gu An's gaze fell on the illustration of the Martial Soul, and his pupils widened slightly.
It was a twelve-winged Fallen Angel Martial Soul, with almost ten of its wings pure black.
The remaining two wings had a faint golden sheen along their edges, giving them a distinctly sacred aura.
The fallen aspect was dominant, but the sacred was there, too.
A line of small text floated beneath the illustration: Contaminated by the Abyssal origin and divine power, resulting in an unknown mutation.
Did he even need to choose?
Gu An immediately locked in this Martial Soul.
His gaze shifted downward.
The second-ranked entry was neither the Golden Dragon King Martial Soul nor the Silver Dragon King Martial Soul.
It was a flute.
Gu An froze for a moment.
A flute?
He looked again, making sure he hadn't misread it.
The illustration showed a flute of pearly white, with golden patterns winding around both ends. Faint Dragon-Phoenix Phantoms flowed across its body.
What could have been fused into this thing to let a flute rank second?
Gu An was just about to tap it and inspect the details when his mother's voice suddenly reached his ears.
"Xiao An? Xiao An!"
Mother Gu's voice was unmistakably anxious.
Gu An gathered his thoughts and, without further hesitation, selected both the first- and second-ranked Martial Souls.
Their rankings alone were proof of their strength.
Besides, his mother's Martial Soul was also a flute—a Magic Flute.
He was in the middle of awakening his Martial Soul. Surely he couldn't have inherited neither of his parents' Martial Souls.
Twin Martial Souls were impressive in Douluo I, but only so-so in Douluo II.
The real overpowered ones came later. He was still relatively ordinary.
He told himself not to get too excited, then prepared to return to his senses.
As for choosing a bodyguard, he would decide after his Martial Souls had fully awakened.
Gu An opened his eyes. The light of the six-pointed star array beneath his feet was slowly fading.
Mother Gu stood before him, bent over, her hands clenched together so tightly that her knuckles had gone white. Her eyes were full of worry.
Gu An looked at her and spoke.
"Mother, my Martial Soul is the same as yours. It's a flute."
At his words, Mother Gu's shoulders visibly relaxed.
Her Martial Soul wasn't weak, but it wasn't strong enough to avenge her, either.
Awakening the same Martial Soul as her meant her son wouldn't have to walk that blood-soaked path, with a blade's edge beneath every step.
She crouched down and pulled Gu An into her arms. At last, tears spilled from her eyes.
"As long as you're safe. As long as you're safe."
"I didn't name you that for nothing."
"We'll live our lives together, you and me. We'll be all right."
Her voice trembled, and warm tears fell onto Gu An's neck.
Gu An felt the warmth of his mother's embrace and the faint tremors of her body as she cried.
He sighed inwardly.
In this world, peace wasn't something you could have just because you wanted it.
Douluo II had more than Shrek Academy, that damn troublemaker. There were also those truly deranged Evil Soul Masters.
Could he really stay safe for the rest of his life just by hiding in this little village?
Impossible.
Strength was the only thing that could put his mind at ease.
Gu An raised a hand and patted Mother Gu's back gently, like a little adult.
"Mom, my Martial Soul is a flute, but it seems a little different from yours."
As he spoke, he revealed his Martial Soul.
Mother Gu froze, released him, and looked down.
A flute appeared in Gu An's small hand.
It really was different.
Mother Gu's pupils contracted sharply.
Her own Martial Soul was a Magic Flute, pitch-black all over, with only a few simple patterns.
The flute in Gu An's hand, by contrast, was as white as jade. Dragon and phoenix phantoms wound and wheeled across its body, vivid and breathtakingly beautiful.
She only needed one glance to feel her mind drawn in, as if she couldn't look away.
After a few seconds, her eyes began to ache and swell. It was even somewhat uncomfortable, and an inexplicable irritation welled up in her mind.
Mother Gu quickly looked away.
She was a Soul Master. Though she had been injured, her basic discernment remained.
This was a Mutated Martial Soul.
And it was far, far stronger than her own—not even in the same league.
Mother Gu stood rooted to the spot, her mouth slightly agape, eyes staring straight ahead.
Gu An tilted his head as he looked at his mother's expression. For a moment, he almost thought she'd gone stupid.
Then he spoke again.
"Mom, I think I have another Martial Soul."
He couldn't tell other people, but he could tell his mother.
Gu An had felt Mother Gu's love ever since he was little, all the selfless care she had given him. There was no need to hide this from her.
Mother Gu's neck turned stiffly as she looked at Gu An's other hand.
An Angel Martial Soul appeared in the small hand.
Twelve wings spread wide. Ten were as black as ink, while two glowed with a faint golden light.
The two entirely different auras of holiness and corruption coexisted, intertwined and wound around each other.
Mother Gu couldn't tell exactly what this Martial Soul was.
But she knew at a glance that it was incredibly powerful.
The pressure rolling over her made even her, a former Soul Emperor, feel short of breath.
She looked at Gu An's face again.
His bright eyes were still the same as before, clear and pure, with a calmness beyond his years.
He looked the same, too—the child she had watched grow up.
But these two Martial Souls...
Big tears welled in Mother Gu's eyes and rolled down one after another.
She pulled Gu An into her arms and burst into tears.
"Mom has let you down!"
"Mom wasn't strong enough!"
"Mom didn't want you to suffer so much!"
"It's all Mom's fault!"
Gu An's nose stung, and his eyes reddened, too.
He drew a deep breath, then slowly let it out, keeping his voice as even as he could.
"Mom, it's all right. Strength comes first."
"If I want to protect you, I can only work hard to become stronger."
"I'll avenge you."
Mother Gu didn't answer. She only cried harder.
She buried her face against Gu An's small shoulder, her sobs muffled in her throat as her whole body trembled.
After a long while, Mother Gu finally cried herself out.
She was already injured and weak. After such an emotional upheaval, her whole body had gone limp.
Gu An helped her to the bed, laid her down, then pulled up the covers and tucked her in.
Mother Gu's eyes were swollen and red. She clung to Gu An's hand and refused to let go, but at last exhaustion overcame her, and she sank into a deep sleep.
Gu An stood beside the bed, looking down at his sleeping mother's face, still marked with tear tracks.
He gently slipped his hand free, went to the other side of the room, and sat down cross-legged.
Now it was time to take a good look at this Douluo Planet from Legend of the Dragon King.
His consciousness sank into his body once more. The gray-white planet still hung there in silence.
Gu An murmured to himself.
"I wonder if there's still a chance to snatch Huo Yuhao's cheat."
After all, they'd be enemies in the future.
He didn't think he could change Huo Yuhao.
He wasn't as good at training dogs as Tang San.
After thinking it over, Gu An sighed again.
He remembered the other ability Douluo Planet's consciousness had left behind before falling asleep: he could choose a powerful figure from Douluo III to serve as his bodyguard.
His mother was so weak now that she might as well have no strength at all. This family really needed someone who could fight.
Just like the Martial Soul list, the bodyguards were ranked and divided into categories.
Gu An's gaze skipped over every option from Shrek Academy.
Douluo Planet's consciousness hadn't explained exactly what these bodyguards were.
If he chose someone from Shrek, what if they not only refused to help him fight, but turned around and sold him out? That would be a real joke.
Evil Soul Masters were out of the question, too. He wouldn't even consider them.
After a long series of filters, his gaze settled on a name.
The Spirit Pagoda's Leng Yaozhu.
She was powerful, a woman, and neither from Shrek Academy nor an Evil Soul Master.
Gu An tapped the choice with his finger in his consciousness.
A translucent panel immediately appeared before him, with two options.
Option One: Leng Yaozhu with all her original memories.
Option Two: Completely loyal Leng Yaozhu.
Gu An's teeth began to ache when he saw the two options.
He regretted it.
If he'd known, he would have chosen Yun Ming instead.
That guy was the strongest.
Oh, well.
Gu An tapped Option Two.
Leng Yaozhu was great, too. Big sisters were the best—easy on the eyes and good in a fight.
The panel disappeared.
A light shone before Gu An. When it faded, a woman stood there.
She was tall, with an elegant figure and long hair falling to her waist. Her features were flawless.
As expected of the Spirit Pagoda's number one beauty—she really was beautiful.
Gu An gave his verdict inwardly.
Leng Yaozhu looked down at Gu An, then raised a hand and clenched her fist. She lowered her head to examine her body.
"So this is Douluo Continent ten thousand years ago."
She spoke in a cool voice, tinged with a hint of scrutiny.
Gu An froze.
Wasn't she supposed to be the version without memories?
Why did it feel like she knew everything?
Leng Yaozhu seemed to have seen what he was thinking and tilted her head slightly.
"I have all my normal memories and abilities."
"But I have no feelings toward the people in my memories."
"I am completely loyal to you."
When she finished, she placed one hand over her chest, bent slightly, and gave a proper salute.
Gu An looked at her, the corners of his mouth slowly curling upward.