"Tower Master Leng, Lingli, please come in."
"I didn't expect you to visit, so I haven't prepared anything. Please don't mind, Tower Master..."
Jiang Luochuan seated the two of them in the living room. He picked up the teapot and poured tea for his guest with respect.
"Not at all, Mr. Jiang. You're too kind."
"I came here for one person: this little fellow."
Leng Yaozhu smiled and shook her head. Her tone was gentle, but her gaze did not linger on him for even a moment.
There was only one person she truly cared about.
"Little fellow, I heard from Tower Master Jiang that you awakened a Dragon King Martial Soul with nine elements, including Ultimate Fire. Would you let me see it?"
She smiled warmly, her attention fixed on Jiang Yan. Anticipation lit her face, and her beautiful eyes gleamed.
A nine-element Dragon King!
If the video of the little fellow's Deep Meditation had not caught her attention, and if he had not possessed Innate Full Soul Power, she would never have believed it, no matter how firmly the two of them insisted.
A Martial Soul like that...
Was it truly possible for one to exist on the Douluo Continent?
Over tens of thousands of years, the Douluo Continent had seen no shortage of Elemental Dragon Martial Souls. They had always stood at the forefront of their eras.
Awakening a dragon Martial Soul already put someone ahead from the start. The strongest among them were the Light Sacred Dragon and the Dark Sacred Dragon, True Dragon bloodlines possessing Ultimate Light and ultimate darkness respectively.
Awakening either one promised the potential to reach the pinnacle. The person who had awakened both as twin Martial Souls had become Shrek's second-greatest figure.
If this child truly possessed such a Martial Soul...
She would give everything she had to take this peerlessly gifted little fellow as her disciple.
She...
She wanted him as her disciple!
"Of course."
Jiang Yan answered with a smile and released his Martial Soul without a moment's hesitation.
As he raised his hand, dazzling light shot into the sky.
In an instant, nine brilliant lights flashed into being—blue, red, yellow, cyan, gold, black, silver, green, and purple! They vied with one another, yet existed in perfect harmony.
Behind Jiang Yan, the phantom of the Dragon God, shimmering with nine-colored radiance, appeared with an aura of absolute dominion.
The nine-colored Dragon God was without equal!
"This is my Martial Soul."
"The Holy Dragon King."
Jiang Yan spoke plainly.
"Yan'er, you—"
Jiang Lingli's eyes widened. Jiang Yan had still been meditating when he arrived earlier; this was the first time he had seen the little fellow's Martial Soul.
He had already heard from his uncle how powerful Jiang Yan's Martial Soul was. Only now, faced with it himself, did he grasp just how terrifying that power was.
His own Martial Soul was also a dragon—the Tyrant Dragon, strongest of the lesser dragon species. Yet beneath that immense draconic pressure, even as a level 91 Titled Douluo, he felt pitifully small.
What kind of exalted existence was this?
Its power made him... want to kneel!
"Nine elements..."
At the side, Leng Yaozhu could no longer tear her gaze away.
She possessed Ultimate Fire herself. How could she fail to recognize the purity of the fire element flowing through his body?
"Pure" did not even begin to describe it.
He was only a child who had just awakened his Martial Soul, yet the Ultimate Fire within him was even more potent than hers.
And it was not just fire. Ice, fire, earth, wind, light, darkness, space, life, and destruction—every one of those powers had reached its ultimate form.
"Your Martial Soul..."
"It may astonish everyone in the world."
Leng Yaozhu looked at Jiang Yan. This went beyond a top-tier Martial Soul. Perhaps only a God Rank Martial Soul could possess such might!
And this little fellow...
How could she possibly let him slip away?
"Jiang Yan."
"Your Martial Soul and bloodline are the greatest gifts I've seen since joining the Spirit Pagoda. Mr. Jiang has already told me you'll be joining us. What I don't know is..."
"Would you... let me be your teacher?"
Leng Yaozhu smiled tenderly, her voice soft.
Brilliant young talents like him never lacked powerful people eager to guide them. Wasn't that why she had come, despite all her reservations?
To seize this very chance.
To secure that future?
"..."
Gazing at her beautiful face, Jiang Yan blinked, momentarily dazed. The way she asked whether he was willing made it sound awfully heartfelt.
But setting that thought aside, he saw the hope in her eyes. He smiled, stepped forward, and bowed.
"Disciple Jiang Yan greets his teacher."
Once he had ruled out Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect, only Qian Gu and Tianfeng remained as potential teachers.
And his choice...
Hadn't it been clear from the start?
"Good! From this day forward, Yan'er, you'll be my one and only disciple!"
Delighted by Jiang Yan's answer, Leng Yaozhu smiled even more brightly. She had never taken a disciple and had thought she would never find the right opportunity in this lifetime. But now...
That opportunity had arrived today.
He was not only exceptionally gifted but handsome and talented as well. A genius like him would define any era he was born into. To have such a disciple...
She was the lucky one.
[Disciple successfully accepted by a master. Milestone task "Master and Disciple, Seek Excellence Through Apprenticeship" complete.] [Congratulations on becoming Heavenly Phoenix Douluo Leng Yaozhu's disciple and completing the life achievement "Winning Over a Beauty."] [Congratulations! You have received one million Federation Coins.]
*?*
Hearing the voice quietly sound in his mind, Jiang Yan fell silent. "Winning Over a Beauty"? What an evil system...
Don't sully the bond between my teacher and me!
At that moment, no one was more excited than Jiang Luochuan and his nephew, who had been holding their breath nearby.
"Tower Master, please look after Yan'er from now on."
The two exchanged a glance and spoke in unison.
The esteemed Tianfeng had taken a disciple!
Both Jiang Luochuan and Jiang Lingli had suspected her intentions from the moment she arrived. But actually witnessing it still left them trembling with excitement.
Innate Full Soul Power, a Martial Soul comparable to God Rank, and a level 98 Super Douluo as his teacher—what did that mean? Their gifted Yan'er...
He lacked nothing now!
"You're both too kind, Mr. Jiang and Tower Master Jiang. Until Yan'er comes into his own, I'll protect him."
Leng Yaozhu smiled as she spoke. She would have only one disciple, and she would keep him safe.
"But first..."
"Yan'er, it's time to absorb your first Soul Spirit."
She turned to the little fellow beside her and stroked his hair.
As she spoke, light flashed from a sphere in her hand, and a three-meter-tall dragon appeared.
It was none other than the Tyrant Dragon Soul Spirit, one of the mightiest lesser dragons on record, known for both its formidable offense and defense.
"Roar—"
The moment it appeared, it swept an aloof gaze over everyone present, looking as though it feared nothing in the world.
But when it saw Leng Yaozhu, it lowered its head with a tremble, not daring to act up.
"This century-old Tyrant Dragon is the only century-old dragon Soul Spirit at headquarters."
"It's just right for you."
Leng Yaozhu patted the Tyrant Dragon and smiled.
"That's actually..."
"A Tyrant Dragon Soul Spirit?"
Jiang Luochuan froze at the sight. The Tyrant Dragon Soul Spirit was the very model of an Unyielding Soul Spirit.
Every dragon-type Soul Master dreamed of having one, yet bonding with one was nearly impossible. Not even his nephew had a Tyrant Dragon among his nine Soul Rings.
For one thing, the Soul Beast dated back to ancient times, and genetic samples were scarce. Creating each Soul Spirit cost a fortune.
For another, even if one could be found, a Soul Spirit this rare would ordinarily be too old for a novice Soul Master to use.
Finding a century-old Tyrant Dragon Soul Spirit showed just how much care the Heavenly Phoenix Pagoda Master had put into this.
"Absorb it here. The two tower masters and I will stand guard beside you."
Leng Yaozhu smiled at Jiang Yan.
"Yes, Teacher."
Jiang Yan did not refuse. He looked at the Tyrant Dragon Soul Spirit, anticipation brightening his eyes.
His first Soul Skill...
What would it be?
"Roar! Roar, roar, roar—"
Seeing Jiang Yan approach, the Tyrant Dragon immediately reacted. It had no intention of yielding easily and bared its ferocity.
But the instant their eyes met, that supreme aura bore down on it. The Tyrant Dragon went still. The coldness vanished from its eyes, replaced by eager expectation.
Then, under Leng Yaozhu's puzzled gaze, it took a step forward and knelt obediently.
"Rrr..."
It was loyalty itself.
"Hm?"
"Looks like you're a good little dragon."
Jiang Yan smiled. Under the Dragon God Bloodline's influence, no dragon could remain unaffected in his presence.
Least of all a little Tyrant Dragon.
In that case, he would gladly take this first Soul Spirit.
Jiang Yan put aside all other thoughts and sat cross-legged beside the Tyrant Dragon. The power of his Martial Soul flowed toward it as he began absorbing it.
"..."
In just two and a half minutes, the Tyrant Dragon Soul Spirit's energy faded bit by bit before Leng Yaozhu's increasingly astonished eyes.
"Th-that fast?"
Leng Yaozhu frowned.
"Mr. Jiang, what's Yan'er's spiritual power?"
She turned back to ask.
"Tower Master Leng, it was 107 at his last test."
Jiang Luochuan answered after a pause.
"Only a hundred, and he's this fast?"
Leng Yaozhu was even more surprised. No matter how exalted his Martial Soul was, absorption should not be this quick.
"Well... Yan'er went straight back to meditate after awakening his Martial Soul. Then he entered Deep Meditation, so we haven't tested him as of this morning. The last test was a year ago."
Jiang Luochuan drew a deep breath and quietly added the explanation.
*?*
Leng Yaozhu fell silent. How could they forget something as important as testing her Yan'er's spiritual power?
She had also brought a Radiant Spirit Dragon with a True Dragon bloodline, aged fifteen hundred years. But its age was ultimately too high, and she did not want him to take the risk.
Never mind. His first Soul Spirit could continue growing. For now, she would see what Soul Skill Yan'er gained.
There were also Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Spirits in the Soul Beast Tower that Yan'er could use later.
"..."
As Leng Yaozhu and the others waited, a yellow Soul Ring soon appeared beside Jiang Yan. His cultivation was plain to see—
A level 12 Battle Soul Master with one Soul Ring.
At that moment, the system's voice sounded quietly:
[Congratulations! You have successfully absorbed your first Soul Spirit and entered the Soul Master realm. Every breakthrough is guaranteed to raise your cultivation by one level. Current cultivation: level 12.] [Congratulations! You have obtained your first Soul Skill: Dragon Descends Upon the World.] [Soul Skill effect: Increases all your attributes by 100%. Within range, reduces all attributes of Beast Martial Soul users by 30%. Tool Martial Souls that possess a soul also suffer a 30% reduction to all attributes.] [Current range: 100 meters.] [Can stack with domain abilities.]
"Hm?"
Reading the skill description in his mind, Jiang Yan opened his eyes, looking a little uncertain. What did it mean...
His very first Soul Skill was a domain-type skill?
System, are you still cheating?
"..."
System: Yes! Turn the tables!
Jiang Yan: You mean me, born a god? He hesitated.
System: Yes!
Before you continue