After Old Jack left, Lin Jing turned around,
and headed down a village road in the opposite direction from Old Jack.
There was no helping it. As the village chief of Holy Soul Village, Old Jack lived in the center of the village, while Lin Jing lived at the very edge.
All because of this stupid system!
[Host...]
The Thunder System suddenly popped up, startling Lin Jing.
"System-chan, whether you're a person or a system, you shouldn't be so petty. I only said one thing about you!"
"There's no need to come out and argue with me."
"You won't get far acting like this."
System: [...] [Host, I just wanted to remind you that there's a rat watching you from the shadows.]
Lin Jing froze. A rat?
[Host, he's not just watching anymore. He's following you from the shadows.]
Now it was Lin Jing's turn to fall silent.
What kind of rat in Holy Soul Village could secretly follow him?
That rat must have been on the verge of becoming a spirit.
So, the only explanation for why the frog was always feeling your belly was—
The rat the system was talking about was Widowed Wife Douluo, the number-one rat on the Douluo Continent: Tang Hao!
Why was he following me?
Lin Jing was confused, but he quickly figured it out.
Tang San knows he awakened a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul and has Innate Full Soul Power. There's no way he wouldn't mention such a coincidence to Tang Hao.
And when Tang Hao heard that someone else had awakened a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul and had Innate Full Soul Power, he'd definitely come investigate.
No, "investigate" wasn't right. What the hell would he investigate for? He'd be torturing him for answers.
In the shadows, Tang Hao was concealed beneath a black robe, his eyes fixed on Lin Jing as he pondered.
"Someone awakening a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul with Innate Full Soul Power leaves only two possibilities: either Twin Martial Souls, or... the Blue Silver Emperor."
There were many conditions that could lead to Twin Martial Souls, Tang Hao thought.
Take Tang San, for example. The Blue Silver Emperor and the Clear Sky Hammer were similar in quality, so there was a chance of Twin Martial Souls.
As for this boy named Lin Jing, it was most likely the second possibility. The two Martial Souls were too far apart in quality.
Since he'd revealed the trash Martial Soul Blue Silver Grass, he must have another powerful Martial Soul.
Tang Hao didn't consider the possibility that it was the Blue Silver Emperor. Only one emperor could be born among the Blue Silver Grass Clan at a time.
And Ah Yin had sacrificed herself only six years ago. It was impossible for a new emperor to have been born already.
It was even less likely that the new emperor would be a human.
The one currently closest to the throne should be the Blue Silver King of the Blue Silver Forest, once a subject of Ah Yin's, with a cultivation base of eighty-five thousand years.
So Tang Hao believed Lin Jing's Martial Soul couldn't be the Blue Silver Emperor.
He truly hadn't expected such a tiny village to bring him such a tremendous surprise.
"What should I do?"
Lin Jing's pace quickened despite himself.
"Run?"
The thought had barely crossed his mind before he dismissed it.
"I definitely can't run. That would only arouse suspicion. With Tang Hao's temperament, he'd rather kill the wrong person than let the right one go."
He slowed his steps, forcing himself to stay calm and look as though nothing was wrong.
Instead of going home, he took a detour and wandered around the village.
Without a doubt, Holy Soul Village was the safest place right now. As long as he didn't leave the village or wander off alone to some secluded spot,
Tang Hao definitely wouldn't show himself.
He was taking a gamble: that Tang Hao didn't want to reveal his identity so soon.
That Tang Hao still wanted Tang San to grow up peacefully for a few more years.
He thought the odds were in his favor.
But... he'd been wrong from the very beginning.
Why did Tang Hao have to say he was Tang Hao?
So, just as Lin Jing rounded a corner and returned to the Spirit Awakening Hall...
A man in a black robe suddenly appeared, standing a short distance in front of him.
Lin Jing's heart clenched.
Just from the black robe, he could tell who this was without even thinking.
"Who are you!"
To avoid giving himself away, Lin Jing pretended to be calm and shouted at him.
"You're not from our village. Leave now, or I'll call for help!"
Lin Jing didn't know if that would scare Tang Hao off, but he had no other choice.
He couldn't just stand by and let Tang Hao take him away.
"I have some questions for you."
Tang Hao flashed forward, appeared in front of Lin Jing, grabbed him by the shoulder, and lifted him off the ground.
Then he flew toward the back mountain.
Lin Jing struggled desperately in the air, but he had no hope of escaping.
He was putting on an act for Tang Hao.
At the same time, he frantically called for help in his mind:
"System-chan, hurry up and show yourself! This isn't the time to play dead! If you keep playing dead, I really will die!"
Still not reassured, he added:
"This isn't the time to haggle, either. If you don't show up, you'll have to find another host!"
[Beep!] [Host, don't panic. This system is upgrading at full speed and working on a solution for you.]
The system was even more anxious than Lin Jing. The moment it sensed Tang Hao, it had already begun upgrading its program.
[Host, you must hold on! The upgrade is already at ninety percent. It'll be done any moment!]
Lin Jing could hear a hint of panic in the system's voice.
Bang!
They had reached their destination. Tang Hao threw Lin Jing to the ground.
Just as Lin Jing tried to stand, a crushing pressure, as heavy as a mountain, suddenly slammed down on him.
Heavy and vast.
He didn't try to get up again. There was no way a Soul Master like him could stand beneath the pressure of a Titled Douluo.
Especially not when that Titled Douluo was Tang Hao.
Why invite trouble?
"I ask. You answer."
Tang Hao's pressure came and went in an instant. As his low voice fell, the pressure vanished with it.
Lin Jing nodded and climbed to his feet, his eyes full of fear.
He'd tried his best to act like a child.
"What's your name?"
Tang Hao decided to start from the beginning, trying not to make Lin Jing suspect anyone from Holy Soul Village.
"Lin... Lin Jing."
Lin Jing stammered.
"What level is your Innate Soul Power?"
Tang Hao asked.
"Innate... Full Soul Power. Level ten."
Lin Jing lowered his head, not daring to look Tang Hao in the eye.
"Then what's your Martial Soul?"
Tang Hao had finally reached the heart of the matter. His eyes burned as he stared at Lin Jing.
"A trash Martial Soul... Blue Silver Grass."
Lin Jing's voice was as faint as a mosquito's. If Tang Hao hadn't been a Titled Douluo, he wouldn't have heard a word.
"Is that your only one?"
Tang Hao frowned, his voice turning cold.
"J-just that one."
Lin Jing's voice grew even softer, almost inaudible.
"You're not telling the truth!"
"Then I'll find out for myself."
Tang Hao gave a cold snort. A force as vast as mountains and seas burst from him again, pressing down on Lin Jing.
This time, he didn't unleash it all at once. Instead, he increased the pressure little by little.
Lin Jing knew things were bad. If Tang Hao kept increasing the pressure, sooner or later he'd force out his Vast Sea Glazed True Dragon Martial Soul!
If Tang Hao really stumbled onto the truth by accident, things would get troublesome.
"System-chan, can you hurry up?"
Lin Jing urged it. "If you don't hurry, I'm really done for!"
He deliberately made it sound more serious than it was. From the system's frantic tone earlier, he could guess that finding another host probably wasn't so easy.
After all, the system was so afraid he'd die that it hadn't even tried to bargain or lay down conditions with him. It had gone straight into upgrading instead.
Before you continue