Six Years Later (Trial Run, Please Keep Reading)

Six years later.

Autumn in Nuoding City remained the same. The ginkgo trees lining the streets turned yellow, then green, then yellow again.

But people had changed.

Lin Chen stood before the dormitory mirror, looking at his reflection.

The twelve-year-old boy had shot up to 1.75 meters tall, nearly a head taller than his peers. Six years had passed, and the baby fat that once lingered on his face had completely faded.

His jawline was clean and sharp, his nose high and straight, his brow deep-set. His black eyes resembled ink jade washed in water, calm and bright.

His skin was not particularly fair, but it carried the healthy glow unique to youth, making him look spirited and heroic.

His tousled black hair hung over his forehead. With a casual sweep of his hand, he pushed it aside, revealing his full forehead. He turned his face slightly toward the mirror, the corner of his lips lifting in a faint smile.

Handsome.

Even he had to admit that these five years of growth had not disappointed him.

In his previous life, he had envied those handsome protagonists. Now that he had become one himself, it really did feel pretty good.

He raised his right hand, palm upward, and a gray mark emerged.

Five nine-colored spirit rings slowly rose, revolving around his body.

Each spirit ring emitted a faint glow, its colors shifting endlessly, as though a rainbow had been crushed apart and fused within.

First spirit ring: control over the Law of Five Elements. Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth flowed freely between his fingertips, generating and restraining one another in an endless cycle. With a single breath, he could refine a stone into fine steel, or make a flower bloom in the colors of all four seasons.

Second spirit ring: control over the Law of Yin and Yang. The balance of yin and yang within all things was clearly visible to him. He could sense the circulation of a person's blood and energy, see whether someone was flourishing or depleted, and even pinpoint an opponent's weak spot in battle before shattering it with a single strike.

Third spirit ring: control over the Law of Destruction. It was pure destructive power. He had tested it once in the depths of Spirit Hunting Forest. With one palm strike, every trace of life within a ten-meter radius had been extinguished. The earth was scorched black, and not a blade of grass remained. After that, he had not dared use it lightly. Its destructive force was too great and too easily lost control of.

Fourth spirit ring: control over the Law of Life, a power opposite to destruction. He could stimulate plant growth, heal injuries, and even restore vitality to dying spirit beasts. Xiao Wu had once been injured, and when he treated her with the Law of Life, the effect had been better than any healing medicine.

As for the fifth spirit ring, the Law of Reincarnation...

Lin Chen frowned slightly.

He had yet to completely master this law. The Law of Reincarnation involved power on the level of the soul. It was mysterious and profound. At present, he could only barely activate it. He still had a long way to go before he could wield it skillfully.

Still, overall, his progress over the past six years had far exceeded his expectations.

Level fifty-five Spirit King.

If word of that cultivation spread, the entire continent would likely be shaken.

A twelve-year-old Spirit King had never existed in history. Even those Title Douluo had been nowhere near this level at his age.

Lin Chen withdrew his martial soul and adjusted his collar in the mirror.

"Brother Chen! Are you done yet?" Xiao Wu's impatient voice came from outside the door. "You're dawdling like some big girl!"

"Coming, coming."

Lin Chen pulled open the door. Xiao Wu was leaning against a corridor pillar, her arms folded as she tilted her head to look at him.

Five years had passed, and the little girl who once wore a scorpion braid had completely changed.

Twelve-year-old Xiao Wu now reached Lin Chen's chin, standing just over 1.6 meters tall.

She wore a light pink short shirt, its collar slightly open to reveal a delicate stretch of collarbone.

Below that were white trousers, with a red belt tied around her waist and cinched around her slender figure. She wore a pair of low-cut cloth shoes.

Her figure had begun to develop, curved where it should be and full where it should be, already carrying the beginnings of a young girl's form.

Her long black hair was loosely tied behind her head with a red cord, a few stray strands hanging by her ears and making her palm-sized face appear even more delicate.

Most striking of all were her eyes. They were large and dark, like two clear springs, their outer corners slightly upturned with a natural hint of allure.

Her lashes were long and curled, fluttering like two tiny fans whenever she blinked. Her skin was as white as a freshly peeled egg, carrying a faint sheen beneath the morning light without the slightest blemish.

After six years, this little rabbit had fully grown into a tender, juicy cabbage.

"What are you looking at?" Xiao Wu felt a little uneasy under his gaze, her cheeks flushing faintly. "Never seen a beauty before?"

"I have," Lin Chen said with a smile. "But I've never seen one this beautiful."

"Smooth talker." Xiao Wu spat at him, though the corners of her mouth could not stop curving upward. She walked over and naturally linked her arm through his. "Come on, come on. Didn't you say we had something important to do today?"

"Mm. Let's go."

The two walked side by side out of the academy gates.

Six years were enough to change many things.

With Lin Chen's help, Xiao Wu's cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds. She was now a level fifty-one Spirit King.

Though she could not compare to a freak like Lin Chen, she was already an exceptionally rare talent among her peers. Her use of soft skills had become far more refined, and her combat strength had increased by an unknown number of times compared to five years ago.

Their relationship had also quietly changed over the years.

At some point, Xiao Wu had stopped calling him "Brother Chen" and begun calling him directly by his name, Lin Chen.

At some point, she had begun naturally linking her arm through his, stuffing half-eaten candied hawthorn sticks into his mouth, squeezing beneath the same umbrella with him on rainy days, and staying beside his bed all night whenever he fell ill.

Everyone at the academy said they were a couple.

Lin Chen did not deny it, and neither did Xiao Wu.

So, they became a couple.

Although it sounded a little early for two twelve-year-olds to be dating, in a world like Douluo Continent, where everyone matured early, it was not all that outrageous.

Besides, Lin Chen's soul had never truly been that of a child. Mentally, he had long since become an adult. Only his body was still growing.

"Lin Chen, where exactly are we going today?" Xiao Wu asked as she walked beside him, looking up at him.

Morning light fell across her face, gilding her thick lashes with a layer of gold. She blinked up at him, looking so sweet and soft that it made one want to rub her head.

"The border between Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire."

"What are we going there for?"

"To save someone."

"Save who?"

"A girl."

Xiao Wu's steps paused as she narrowed her eyes at him. "A girl?"

Her bright black eyes narrowed slightly, like those of an alert little cat. Though her tone remained fairly calm, the hand wrapped around his arm unconsciously tightened.

Seeing how wary she looked, Lin Chen could not help smiling. "Jealous?"

"Who's jealous?" Xiao Wu snorted and turned her head away. "I'm just curious what kind of girl is worth you going so far to save."

"Zhu Zhuqing, from Star Luo Empire's Zhu Clan," Lin Chen explained. "Her older sister, Zhu Zhuyun, is hunting her down. If no one intervenes, she won't survive this month."

Xiao Wu frowned. "How do you know that?"

"I have my own sources of information."

Lin Chen said no more. He could hardly tell her that he knew the plot from novels he had read in his previous life.

Xiao Wu stared at him for several seconds, seemingly judging whether he was lying. In the end, she curled her lips. "Fine. We're saving someone, so I'll go with you."

"Not jealous anymore?"

"I said I wasn't jealous!" Xiao Wu glared at him, then muttered softly, "Besides, you can't get away anyway."

Her voice was very quiet, but Lin Chen heard every word clearly. He smiled without exposing her.

The two left the city gates and headed southeast along the official road. Vast farmland stretched along both sides. The rice had already been harvested, leaving only bare stubble behind. Cooking smoke curled up in the distance, and the villages appeared quiet and peaceful beneath the morning sunlight.

Lin Chen took Xiao Wu's hand.

Her hand was soft and warm, just as it had been when he first held it five years ago.

Only now, it was no longer as chubby as it had been when she was little. Her fingers had grown longer, her joints more defined, carrying the delicate slenderness unique to a young girl.

He tightened his grip slightly. Xiao Wu did not pull away. Instead, she tightened her grip around his hand as well.

She turned to glance at him, a smile hidden at the corner of her lips, though she said, "Holding hands in broad daylight—what does that look like?"

"What are you afraid of? No one here knows us."

"What if someone sees?"

"Then let them see." Lin Chen spoke as though it were only natural. "I'm holding my girlfriend's hand. Is that against the law?"

Xiao Wu's face turned bright red as she pinched the back of his hand hard. "Who's your girlfriend?!"

"You are."

"I'm not!"

"Then why are you letting me hold your hand?"

"That's because... because you insisted on holding it!"

"Then you could have shaken me off."

Xiao Wu opened her mouth but could not find a response. Finally, red-faced with embarrassment, she kicked him. "Shut up! Walk!"

Lin Chen took the kick with a smile and did not dodge.

Autumn sunlight spilled over them, drawing two long shadows across the ground. The shadows overlapped, impossible to distinguish from one another.

The official road stretched ahead, leading into the unknown.

And several hundred miles away, a pursuit was underway.

A black figure raced through the dense forest, several relentless shadows chasing behind her.

The figure was small, appearing to be only around ten years old. She was covered in injuries, blood staining half her clothes red.

But she did not stop.

She could not stop.

Stopping meant death.