What He Sought Came Without the Search!

The night wind was cool against Ling Xuqing's cheek, carrying the forest's fresh, damp air.

He stood quietly where he was, feeling the unprecedented surge of power inside him. He couldn't hide the smile tugging at his lips.

"Level twenty..."

Ling Xuqing silently calculated.

Six years old, at the peak of level twenty! Looking across the history of the Douluo Continent, aside from Qian Renxue, who had awakened the god-level Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, who else could have achieved this?

Even Sea God Tang San, who would later shake the world with his fame, had only possessed Innate Full Soul Power—level ten—when he awakened his Martial Soul at six.

"And this is only after absorbing Ah Yin's origin and Spirit Bone. If I add the Golden Dragon King's reserves of origin power, my actual fighting strength has probably already surpassed that of an ordinary Soul Grandmaster. I might even be able to match a high-rank Soul Elder!"

However, after his brief excitement, Ling Xuqing quickly calmed down.

"But where should I look for my second Soul Ring?"

Ling Xuqing furrowed his brow slightly and fell into thought.

With his Soul Power now at the peak of level twenty, he had to absorb a second Soul Ring to break through and become a true Soul Grandmaster.

But an ordinary Hundred-Year Soul Ring would be a complete waste on a body fused with the Golden Dragon King's origin. It wouldn't temper him at all.

What he needed was a thousand-year Soul Ring, or even one from a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast!

"Or should I find some Whale Rubber first, strengthen my body further, and only then think about my second Soul Ring?"

Ling Xuqing stroked his chin, rapidly weighing the pros and cons.

Just then, a name suddenly flashed through his mind.

"Xiao Wu!"

Ling Xuqing's eyes lit up.

He clearly remembered that a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was hiding near Nuoding City—the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit, Xiao Wu, who had taken human form!

If he could get his hands on Xiao Wu, wouldn't his second Soul Ring be settled?

A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring! It was a treasure that countless Soul Masters wouldn't even dare dream of!

But then Ling Xuqing shook his head helplessly.

"No. I don't know where Xiao Wu is right now. The Star Dou Great Forest is enormous, and after taking human form, she's wandering around the human world. Where am I supposed to look for her?"

"Besides, I urgently need Whale Rubber to temper my body. I don't have time to search for her."

"Forget it. I'll leave it to fate."

Ling Xuqing drew a deep breath and temporarily pushed aside those tangled thoughts. "I'll head back to the village first, then go register in Nuoding City tomorrow. I can think about the second Soul Ring after that."

With his mind made up, Ling Xuqing didn't hesitate any longer.

He darted through the dense woods on the back hill like a ghost, racing toward Wuxi Village.

The mountain forest was quiet and deep at night. The occasional hoot of a night owl only made it seem more mysterious.

With the extraordinary perception granted by the Golden Dragon King's origin, Ling Xuqing moved through the darkness as easily as if he were walking on level ground.

But just as he was about to leave the back hill and reach a familiar fork in the road, he abruptly stopped.

"Hm?"

Ling Xuqing raised an eyebrow. His soul perception, far keener than an ordinary person's, had picked up an extremely faint fluctuation of Soul Power.

"Someone?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Ling Xuqing instantly drew in all his presence and slipped silently into a thick patch of bushes beside the fork.

He held his breath, reducing his presence to the barest minimum as he waited in silence.

A moment later, a petite figure darted past among the trees in the distance.

The figure was incredibly fast, as light as a rabbit, leaving a faint afterimage beneath the moonlight.

But who was Ling Xuqing? He was a monster fused with the Golden Dragon King's origin! His dynamic vision was terrifying. Even in the dim night, he saw the figure's face clearly.

It was a little girl of about six or seven, with her trademark scorpion braid and pink clothes. She clutched a red carrot tightly in one hand.

"Xiao Wu?!"

The instant he recognized her, Ling Xuqing's eyes flew wide. An indescribable rush of joy surged through him.

"I searched high and low, and there you are without me even having to lift a finger!"

Ling Xuqing marveled inwardly, a wicked smile curling his lips.

"You've come right to me!"

He lay quietly in the grass and watched Xiao Wu's bouncing figure gradually recede, his mind racing.

"She's carrying a red carrot, and she's headed toward Nuoding City... Looks like she's planning to enroll at the Nuoding City Junior Spirit Master Academy!"

Ling Xuqing immediately understood. Everything matched the plot of the original story.

"She's traveling under cover of night to avoid drawing attention."

"She only took human form recently. Though she can perfectly conceal her Soul Beast aura, if she ran into a Soul Douluo—or even a Titled Douluo—on the road and they saw through her disguise, she'd be finished."

"But now..."

Ling Xuqing's gaze grew dark and dangerous. A low, suppressed laugh rumbled in his throat.

"Heh heh heh..."

"Since you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Ling Xuqing didn't hesitate. At a thought, he drew in the Golden Dragon King's Bloodline Power until it vanished from his body. He seemed to merge with the night itself.

Like a leopard stalking its prey, he silently followed Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu's light-footed movement was indeed impressive. She sped through the woods, but she had no idea that a monster a hundred times more terrifying than her was following close behind.

Thanks to his familiarity with the terrain and the boost from the Golden Dragon King's origin, Ling Xuqing kept a steady distance from Xiao Wu without making the slightest sound.

Moonlight slipped through the gaps in the canopy, scattering dappled shadows across the ground.

As she hurried along, Xiao Wu warily scanned her surroundings. But her young, inexperienced senses couldn't detect Ling Xuqing lurking in the dark.

Second by second, Xiao Wu's figure continued to dart through the night.

Following behind her, Ling Xuqing waited patiently for the perfect moment to strike.

At last, when Xiao Wu reached a secluded path through dense trees, far from any sign of people, Ling Xuqing's eyes narrowed slightly.

"This is the place!"

He drew a deep breath, and the Golden Dragon King's Bloodline Power erupted from within him!

Boom!

Ling Xuqing's figure shot forward like a streak of dark-gold lightning, tearing through the night as he lunged straight at Xiao Wu!

He was moving so fast that the air didn't even have time to whistle.

But Xiao Wu, a Soul Beast who had taken human form as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit, had extraordinarily keen instincts.

The instant Ling Xuqing attacked, she sensed something. The hairs on her body stood on end as a powerful sense of danger surged from the depths of her heart.

"Who?!"

Xiao Wu spun around. Her bright eyes were full of shock and wariness, and a faint glow of Soul Power had somehow already gathered in her hand.

But before she could finish speaking, the dark-gold figure was already right in front of her!