A Twelve-Year-Old Soul King

Yang Jian set down the letter, leaned back in his chair, and stared out the window in a daze.

Six years had passed.

Over those six years, his schedule had been packed. During the day, he went to the library to read, occasionally cultivating under Yue Guan's guidance. At night, without fail, he circulated the Eight-Nine Mysteries.

Day after day, he had hardly slacked off for a single day.

His strength had improved markedly, but accordingly, Yang Jian had not returned to Weihai City or seen his brother and sister in six years.

It's time to go back and see them.

Having made up his mind, Yang Jian carefully stored the two letters in the ring on his hand. It was a storage soul tool Yue Guan had given him, with thirty cubic meters of space inside.

He picked up his bowl and chopsticks and began eating breakfast.

He ate quickly, sweeping all the food off the table in just a few bites.

Setting down his chopsticks, he stood up and prepared to find Bibi Dong.

Although Bibi Dong had barely taught him personally over the past six years, leaving Yue Guan in charge of his cultivation all along.

She was, after all, his teacher in name.

Since he was leaving Spirit Hall, it was only proper that he let her know.

He had just reached the door.

Before he could open it.

The courtyard gate was pushed open.

"Yang Jian!" A crisp voice called out, carrying a trace of delight.

Hu Liena stood at the courtyard entrance. Her light purple dress outlined her graceful figure perfectly, while her chestnut hair cascaded over her shoulders, its slightly curled ends swaying gently with her movements.

Eighteen-year-old Hu Liena had shed her girlish innocence and gained some of the charm of a mature woman.

Her features had always been exquisite, and now that she had fully grown into them, her beauty was breathtaking.

Her skin was as fair as snow, delicate enough to seem breakable at a touch. A smile lingered on her lips, lending her an innate seductive charm. Her entire being radiated a fatal allure.

Ever since Bibi Dong had asked Yue Guan to teach Yang Jian and brought Hu Liena along as well.

The two of them had spent nearly every day together.

They cultivated together, read together, and sparred together at the training grounds.

After six years of constant companionship, their relationship had long surpassed that of ordinary fellow disciples.

More than friends, but not yet lovers.

That was probably the state they were in.

"Are you free today? Come shopping with me." Hu Liena walked into the courtyard with a smile and naturally took her place beside Yang Jian. "A new shop opened in the west of the city. I heard it has quite a few good things."

"Not today." Yang Jian shook his head. "I need to see Teacher."

Hu Liena blinked, and the smile on her face faded slightly, revealing a hint of disappointment.

"Oh..." She suddenly thought of something, and her eyes lit up again. "Are you going to ask Teacher to help you hunt your fifth soul ring?"

She looked at Yang Jian, her tone carrying mixed emotions.

Yang Jian had broken through to level fifty some time ago. She knew about that.

A twelve-year-old Soul King—just saying it aloud sounded absurd.

Six years ago, when Yang Jian had first arrived at Spirit Hall, she had been level thirty-two, far ahead of him.

But now, she was level forty-six, while Yang Jian was level fifty.

He had overtaken her outright.

Hu Liena looked at the boy before her, who was six years younger than she was.

A strange emotion flickered in her eyes.

She was not jealous. She simply felt something she could neither explain nor name.

Over the past six years, she had watched Yang Jian grow step by step, from that skinny, sallow little child into the extraordinary young man he was now.

She had witnessed every breakthrough and every increase in strength.

"That's right."

Yang Jian nodded without denying it. "I do intend to obtain my fifth soul ring."

His second, third, and fourth soul rings had all been ten-thousand-year rings.

And every one of them had come from the Titan Giant Ape clan.

His fourth soul ring, in particular, had come from a Titan Giant Ape that was ninety-nine thousand nine hundred years old.

For his fifth soul ring, he naturally had to choose a hundred-thousand-year one.

Er Ming in the Star Dou Forest was naturally the most suitable target.

But after giving it some thought.

Yang Jian felt that he could set his sights on something else first.

Xiao Wu.

That hundred-thousand-year soul beast who had taken human form.

If he controlled her, he could not only steal Tang San's major opportunity ahead of time, but also use her to threaten Da Ming and Er Ming, making it easier to obtain his fifth soul ring.

More importantly, Xiao Wu's soul bone skills suited his needs exceptionally well.

Especially teleportation.

Combined with the Three-Point Double-Edged Saber's attack power.

It would bring a qualitative leap in his mobility during battle.

As for Xiao Wu's hundred-thousand-year soul ring.

He could give that to the Howling Celestial Dog.

Yang Jian withdrew from his thoughts and looked at Hu Liena, who had been staring at his face the whole time. "I'll go see Teacher first. I'll take you shopping another day."

Hu Liena nodded and watched him walk out of the courtyard. Then she suddenly called out from behind him.

"Yang Jian."

"Hmm?" Yang Jian turned back in confusion.

Hu Liena hesitated for a moment, then merely smiled and waved her hand.

"It's nothing. Go early and come back early."

Yang Jian found it baffling, but turned and continued toward the Papal Hall.

Hu Liena remained where she was, watching his figure gradually disappear. Only after a long while did she look away and softly sigh, a trace of affection flashing through her eyes that even she herself had not noticed.

After bidding Hu Liena farewell, Yang Jian walked along the bluestone path toward the Papal Hall.

Spirit Hall was quiet and solemn in the early morning. Occasionally, a few patrolling guards passed by, respectfully nodding to him in greeting when they saw him.

Yang Jian returned their nods slightly, but his mind was occupied with another matter.

If the plot had not changed.

Tang San and Xiao Wu should have already joined Shrek Academy.

According to the original timeline, Tang San seemed to have obtained the Eight Spider Lances about a month after joining Shrek Academy, when he hunted a Man-Faced Demon Spider.

Although he had no use for the Eight Spider Lances himself, he could not leave them to Tang San.

So he had to seize them first as well.

Besides that, there were the immortal herbs at the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well, the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone... All of those opportunities had to be seized before Tang San got to them.

Yang Jian's gaze gradually sharpened.

To be honest, Tang San had never provoked him.

Since transmigrating here, he had not even met Tang San once.

But that was not important.

He was now a member of Spirit Hall, while Tang San was destined to become Spirit Hall's gravedigger, destroy Spirit Hall, establish the Tang Clan, and ultimately ascend as a god.

From beginning to end, Yang Jian had never considered Spirit Hall a villain.

At the very least, in the eyes of ordinary commoners, Spirit Hall had done well enough.

It awakened martial souls for commoners free of charge, issued soul master subsidies, and cleared out the fallen... These tangible benefits were things no other faction had ever provided.

One had to know that ten thousand years later, during the era of the Peerless Tang Clan, it was harder for commoners to awaken martial souls than to ascend to heaven. Countless people went their entire lives without knowing whether they even had the qualifications to become soul masters.

Why was that?

Because Spirit Hall had been destroyed by Tang San.

And because Tang San had personally destroyed Slaughter City, the fallen—namely, evil soul masters—lost their restraints and ran rampant across the continent, leaving devastation in their wake.

If Spirit Hall truly had anything wrong with it...

Bibi Dong's figure surfaced in Yang Jian's mind.

His teacher in name was obsessive in her actions. If she truly unified the continent in the future, there was no telling what she might do.

But that was a matter for the future.

At least for now, Yang Jian chose to stand with Spirit Hall.

As he thought this, he arrived at the Papal Hall.

Yang Jian stopped, looked up at the magnificent building, took a deep breath, and stepped inside.