First Soul Skill, True Light

A soul ring slowly lit up.

Dark yellow with faint purple patterns, the soul ring attached itself to Luo Qing's left hand.

He could feel his soul power increasing bit by bit. Though the gains were tiny, this accumulation never stopped.

This effect came from his first soul skill, True Light.

Though this skill had no direct offensive power, for Luo Qing, who did not need to fight on the field right now, it was nothing short of a godly skill.

Its effect was continuous. Through White Stone's ability to store radiance, it absorbed and stored the surrounding soul power, while also cleansing his body.

This skill would grow stronger alongside the growth of his soul power and physical body.

Once it became stronger, it would in turn allow his soul power and body to grow faster and more powerfully.

Though this absurd skill of stepping on its own foot to ascend to heaven could not compare to those monstrous seniors whose first soul ring was a million years old—

A soul skill that was practically automatic cultivation was simply the skill of every soul master's dreams.

Luo Qing could sense the soul power in the air continuously pouring into him. Though the process within his body was minuscule and slow, it was undoubtedly strengthening his foundation and cleansing his body at every moment.

Moreover, because it actively gathered soul power, this automatically activated soul skill did not consume any additional soul power.

It could even provide him with endurance in future battles.

Luo Qing was practically beaming.

"So I finally get to experience automatic cultivation too. My cultivation is growing all by itself!"

That said, Luo Qing had no intention of loudly announcing this skill.

If word of a skill like this got out, he could very well become some special lab rat.

Never mind the value of his martial soul—just this one skill alone, if its operating principles became understood, would it not bring revolutionary change to every major power?

Luo Qing could only silently rein in the skill and reduce its intensity to the weakest setting.

Absorption at this level would not attract anyone's attention, yet it could still slowly strengthen him.

He could speed it up when no one was around. That would ensure his safety as well.

As Luo Qing lay on his bed, lost in thought, someone suddenly knocked on his door.

"Little Luo? Time to get ready for school!"

Only then did Luo Qing realize that today was the opening day of Red Mountain Elementary School.

Grandma Mary knew that he did not want to become famous too early, nor did he want to join a faction too soon.

That was why she had specifically chosen this inconspicuous school.

Luo Qing naturally intended to first see what kind of person this era's chosen child of destiny truly was.

Although he had learned about her long ago in the book, who could guarantee there would not be differences?

If he wanted to shatter the Tang family's gold-farming service dream, intelligence was indispensable.

He knew very well that Tang Wulin had contingencies left behind by Tang San.

Luo Qing packed his schoolbag and sat in the back seat of the car, waiting for school to begin.

In class, the teacher first introduced herself.

Then she had all the children below introduce their names.

Luo Qing was seated somewhere in the middle, but he had not noticed a particularly good-looking boy at all.

He had clearly confirmed that he was supposed to be in the same class as the original Tang Wulin!

But soon, a childish voice introducing herself jolted him awake.

"H-Hello, everyone! My name is Tang Wulin."

Looking at the timid little girl standing before him, who seemed somewhat afraid of strangers—

Luo Qing's eyes widened enormously.

Was this a joke?

Tang Wulin—had turned into a girl?

The young master and future prince of Douluo Star whom Tang San had chosen had become a princess?

Wouldn't the future storyline then be as tangled as a ball of yarn clawed apart by a cat, a complete mess?

Luo Qing's mind turned to mush.

Over these past few years, he had seen all sorts of things shake his worldview.

But this was the first time something had shocked him into crashing.

After introducing herself awkwardly, Tang Wulin quickly returned to her seat as though fleeing.

Her little face was flushed red, and she seemed exceptionally embarrassed.

This was Tang Wulin's first time attending elementary school.

The children around her were all strangers, yet for some reason, one boy was inexplicably drawing her attention.

Tang Wulin sniffed the air and caught a faint minty scent.

It came from the boy seated ahead and to her right.

And mixed within that minty scent was something else.

It was a kind of radiance. Tang Wulin did not know why she could smell the scent of light.

But she could. It was something warm and gentle, something that drew her in.

The closest comparison was a quilt that had been warmed by the sun, making one unable to resist sinking into it.

Luo Qing glanced from the corner of his eye at Tang Wulin, who was secretly peeking at him from behind, and felt his scalp prickle.

"Is Tang Buddha's curse already working this quickly?"

"She's already got her eyes on me?"

Luo Qing sat through the class on edge, then bolted from the classroom the instant the bell rang.

Tang Wulin, who had finally worked up the courage to talk to him, was left standing there in a daze.

Her little face was full of confusion.

"Was he in that much of a hurry to use the bathroom?"

In the boys' restroom, Luo Qing turned on the tap.

Cool water flowed over his hands as he splashed his face.

He calmed his panicked heart.

He admitted it—he was afraid. Even if Tang Wulin had become a girl, Love-Brain Continent's curse still came to mind.

Would he end up getting involved in some nonsensical thing like the Haodong Three Absolutes too?

And before he had left, he had seen it with that final glance.

Tang Wulin had been planning to come talk to him.

He did not dare say whether the girl before him was a normal person, or whether she had suffered like her sister and been split into several fragments.

All he could say was that Tang Buddha was still far too outrageous when it came to his biological daughters.

He treated his daughter like a dog leash.

Luo Qing had no desire to be tied up.

Luo Qing made up his mind to draw a clear line between himself and that girl.

No matter how cute or kind she was, he would absolutely remain hard-hearted.

The next afternoon.

"Here. You look like you didn't get enough to eat."

Luo Qing hurriedly pushed his own portion of food in front of Tang Wulin, who had been staring at him the entire time.

After realizing that he had been deliberately avoiding her, this foolish girl had continued sticking to him like a stubborn plaster.

He had tried many ways to hide.

But Tang Wulin, with her keen sense of smell, always found him right away.

"Luo Qing, don't you like playing hide-and-seek?"

Tang Wulin had not noticed in the slightest that he disliked her.

As she spoke, she shoveled food into her mouth with a spoon.

The speed at which she ate was staggering.

Even the cafeteria aunt beside them suspiciously looked at her large serving spoon.

"Did I give her too little? Should I get this child some more?"

Hearing that, Luo Qing slapped a hand over his forehead.

"Girl, do you think there's a possibility—"

"We weren't playing hide-and-seek outside before. You just kept following me."

Only then did Tang Wulin react, a beat too late.

"Huh? So that's what it was."

"But I like playing it—"

Looking at the airheaded girl before him, Luo Qing had no idea whether she was genuinely naïve or doing it on purpose.

At the very least, he was not good at dealing with this child...