"Who are you?" Jiang Nanchen asked in a low voice, secretly preparing for Martial Soul Possession.
Porcupinefish Douluo did not answer. He merely looked Jiang Nanchen up and down, his gaze lingering on the boy's golden hair as he struggled to regain his senses.
He looked too much like him. Wasn't this exactly what the young master had looked like as a child?
Could it be that the young master had a man outside?
Still, the Sacred Angel Martial Soul was not the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, so he had ruled that possibility out. Of course, there was another possibility: the young master's bloodline might not have been passed down to Jiang Nanchen, and he had instead inherited his father's bloodline.
Yes, that was quite possible.
They were not carved from the same mold, but they were close enough. It was not as if he had never seen the young master when he was six or seven.
This was more than simply bringing him back. He had to bring him back and raise him properly. Jiang Nanchen certainly could not be left wasting time at Nording Academy.
"Are you Jiang Nanchen? Did you awaken the Sacred Angel Martial Soul?" Porcupinefish Douluo asked blandly after coming back to himself.
Jiang Nanchen did not immediately admit it. He simply watched the other man quietly, rapidly calculating his origins.
For a powerhouse of this level to suddenly appear in Nuoding City, it was most likely connected to his Angel Martial Soul.
"I am. Who are you?" Jiang Nanchen asked in return.
"Who I am is not important. What matters is whether you have obtained a Soul Ring yet," Porcupinefish Douluo said.
"No. The teachers were all busy during the day, so I can only wait until tomorrow."
Using the faint starlight, Jiang Nanchen made out the newcomer's features, and his pupils contracted. Porcupinefish Douluo!
No wonder he had arrived so quickly. He had received the information reported by Su Yuntao; the message must have been intercepted.
Of course, with Porcupinefish Douluo here, he no longer needed to worry about soul beasts.
He could now head straight to Star Dou Forest to search for a soul beast. He had originally planned to make do with Soul Hunting Forest, but with a Titled Douluo as his bodyguard, Star Dou Forest was naturally the better choice.
The light-element soul beasts there were of higher quality and better suited to his Sacred Angel Martial Soul.
"Come on. I'll take you there."
Porcupinefish Douluo spoke.
"You'll take me?"
Putting on an expression of utter disgust, Jiang Nanchen said, "A dangerous uncle like you isn't planning to kidnap a child, is he?"
That expression!
He really felt as though the young master was looking down on him. Thankfully, the person before him was someone else, not the young master himself.
No matter what, Porcupinefish Douluo still had to explain himself.
"I am a Titled Douluo."
Porcupinefish Douluo released his Soul Rings. Two yellow, two purple, and five black Soul Rings appeared, and then he said, "See?"
"A Titled Douluo?" Jiang Nanchen said. "Then I'm even more curious. Why have you come?"
This brat was quite cautious. Forget it, he could not run away anyway. There was no harm in revealing his identity.
"I am an elder of Spirit Hall, Porcupinefish Douluo. I received word that you awakened an Angel Martial Soul. Though I do not know why you were able to awaken it, you must cultivate under my supervision, or you may be in danger!"
Porcupinefish Douluo bent down and deliberately emphasized the last part.
"The danger seems to be because of Spirit Hall, doesn't it?"
Porcupinefish Douluo was instantly taken aback and froze in place.
Why was this child so good with words? His mind turned far too quickly. An ordinary six-year-old would have long since panicked at the sight of a Titled Douluo, but this one actually dared to lay everything bare to his face.
He coughed twice and smoothly changed the subject.
"Let's not talk about that. In any case, you now know my identity. Follow me, and no one can hurt you. We'll go to Star Dou Forest now and hunt your first Soul Ring."
Jiang Nanchen raised a brow and did not press the issue further.
"Fine. How are we getting there?"
"I'll fly you over."
The moment Porcupinefish Douluo finished speaking, he reached out and grabbed Jiang Nanchen's arm. Soul Power surged, and his body shot into the air, turning into a dark blur that streaked across the night sky.
The wind howled beside his ears. Jiang Nanchen steadied himself and said, "I can fly myself too."
Porcupinefish Douluo glanced at him, his tone carrying a trace of disdain.
"By the time you fly to Star Dou Forest yourself, the cucumbers will have gone cold. With that little Soul Power of yours, you will need to rest before you get very far. Just follow me obediently."
Jiang Nanchen curled his lips but did not argue further. Having a Titled Douluo as free transportation was indeed much easier than flapping his own wings. Looking down at the rapidly retreating scenery below, he began calculating what age of light-element soul beast he should choose for his first Soul Ring.
Before long, they arrived at the outskirts of Star Dou Forest.
"We're here. This isn't a human town. Soul beasts run rampant here. You're not scared, are you?"
Porcupinefish Douluo looked at Jiang Nanchen as he spoke, expecting the boy to tremble in fright. Instead, Jiang Nanchen looked at him as though he were an idiot.
"Enough already. Hurry up and find a soul beast. I'm not scared!" Jiang Nanchen said.
"Fine."
Porcupinefish Douluo smiled helplessly.
This child was truly much steadier than the young master had been.
Back then, the young master had only been a child who loved to cry. Unfortunately, His Holiness the Pope had been far too cold, never giving the young master even a shred of warmth or motherly love.
Porcupinefish Douluo walked slowly through the forest, releasing his Soul Power to sweep the surrounding area for soul beast auras.
"Finding a suitable light-element soul beast for you will not be easy. Your Martial Soul is of high quality. Anything with too few years would be a complete waste of your talent, so we must choose carefully."
He turned his head to glance at Jiang Nanchen. Golden hair fell beside the boy's shoulders, and the lines of his profile were identical to those of the young master in his memories.
Porcupinefish Douluo felt dazed for a moment.
When he had first followed the young master to Heaven Dou City years ago, the young master had been about this age too—quiet and reserved, with few words.
Unlike this child before him, sharp-tongued and always ready to talk back. Yet he had an almost identical face, constantly giving Porcupinefish Douluo the illusion that the young master was looking down on him.
Fate truly played tricks on people. He sighed to himself.
Jiang Nanchen casually snapped off a branch and poked at the grass beside the path, his tone relaxed.
"Don't worry. It's just finding a soul beast. It isn't difficult."
"You make it sound easy." Porcupinefish Douluo withdrew his gaze and continued scouting ahead. "Light-element soul beasts are scarce to begin with, and good ones among the hundred-year range are even harder to find. Otherwise, we would not have come all the way to Star Dou Forest."
Jiang Nanchen smiled faintly.
"Anyway, it's hard for you, not me. You're a Titled Douluo. Don't tell me you can't even handle finding a first Soul Ring?"
Porcupinefish Douluo choked on his words and did not respond. He merely urged his Soul Power forward, expanding his search range even further.
Insects chirped throughout the forest, while moonlight filtered through the branches and leaves, scattering mottled shadows across the ground. Before long, he stopped, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Found one. Two li ahead, there's a Lightstripe Leopard around three hundred years old. It has a pure light attribute, with decent speed and aggression. It is perfect for your first Soul Ring."
Jiang Nanchen interrupted him.
"No. Its age is too low. I want a soul beast between six hundred and nine hundred years old!"
"What?" Porcupinefish Douluo thought he had misheard and widened his eyes. Six hundred to nine hundred years?
No Soul Master on the entire continent had ever exceeded five or six hundred years for a first Soul Ring, yet this brat wanted to choose one between six hundred and nine hundred years old?
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