Commerce (Revised)

Just as Yu Chen had not finished admiring himself, his heart suddenly jolted, and a vast surge of Soul Power began raging wildly within his body!

He did not dare delay. He immediately sat cross-legged on the spot and calmed his mind, steadying his aura.

A white Soul Ring slowly condensed above his head first!

The white ring flashed for a moment before it began advancing at a frantic pace!

Pure white turned bright yellow, yellow faded into deep purple, and the color deepened layer by layer until it finally stabilized—

His first Soul Ring had firmly reached the purple limit, with an age of over four thousand years!

Before he could even react, a second Soul Ring rose into the air and condensed after it!

It advanced at the same speed as the first ring, transforming from white to yellow to purple. The purple color became incredibly dense, and even a faint black glow lingered around its edges.

There was no need to guess how terrifying its age was. It was over eight thousand years!

After absorbing the two Soul Rings, Yu Chen slowly rose to his feet, both shocked and delighted.

He had never expected that he could condense Soul Rings out of thin air. On second thought, though, it was normal. Many Soul Beasts that took human form did not need to hunt other Soul Beasts for their early Soul Rings; they could condense them through their own origins. Only after the seventh Soul Ring did most still have to rely on hunting.

But his situation was completely different.

Similar to Lan Xuanyu from Ultimate Douluo, he could condense his own Soul Rings through his bloodline from the first ring all the way to the ninth. There was no need to hunt Soul Beasts everywhere.

What was even more outrageous was that these Soul Rings could grow alongside his cultivation. Once his physical body and Soul Power were strong enough in the future to bear hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings, every Soul Ring on his body would evolve together, all transforming into genuine hundred-thousand-year rings.

After all of them advanced to the hundred-thousand-year level, they could continue evolving upward, gradually reaching the million-year tier. Once his cultivation touched the threshold of godhood, all his Soul Rings could undergo another sublimation and become exclusive Divine Rings.

At that point, the abilities attached to his Soul Rings would no longer be ordinary soul skills. They would all evolve into terrifying divine skills.

He brushed the dust from his body and did not linger any longer, setting off toward the town.

As he walked, Yu Chen suddenly came to his senses.

Oh no.

He did not have a single copper coin on him. How was he supposed to live after entering the city?

"Right, I can go hunting. Soul Beast meat is valuable too."

He turned and headed toward Star Dou Forest. The nearest Soul Beast gathering place was Star Dou Forest. As for the Far North—it would take who knew how many months to walk there, and even flying there in his true form would take quite some time.

In an empty corner, he switched to his true form—a fifty-thousand-year Golden Dragon. With a beat of his wings, he shot into the sky.

Not long after, Star Dou Forest.

Yu Chen dove down, kicking up clouds of dust when he landed.

Near a small stream in the distance, a group of Bipedal Unicorn Dragons were drinking with their heads lowered, the single horns on their foreheads glimmering faintly under the sunlight.

The dragon herd felt that overwhelming pressure and instantly scattered in panic, fleeing like mad.

Trying to run?

Yu Chen switched back to human form. The Golden Dragon Spear swept from his hand, pinning three Bipedal Unicorn Dragons directly to tree trunks. The rest had already vanished without a trace.

Forget it. He would let them go.

Those three were already dead—not from being pierced, but from fright. Their cultivation was only around a thousand years. If he had slapped them with his true form, they would have been reduced to meat paste.

Three thousand-year Soul Beasts should be enough.

Azure City lay in the west of the Star Luo Empire.

A rather novel sight appeared on its streets—a young man swaggered into the city with three Soul Beasts slung over his shoulder.

It was Yu Chen. To avoid drawing attention, he had transformed himself into the appearance of a man in his twenties.

He carried the three Soul Beasts into a merchant association. The owner froze when he saw him. "Little brother, this..."

Yu Chen smiled. "High-grade Soul Beast meat, thousand-year level. Do you take it here?"

The moment he heard the words "thousand-year," the owner's eyes lit up. "Of course we do! Why wouldn't we?"

Still, he examined them carefully before confirming, "From the looks of them... these are Bipedal Unicorn Dragons, right? Their cultivation should be between one and two thousand years. I'll give you five hundred Gold Soul Coins for them. How about it?"

"Fine."

"Great! Let me deal with the meat first."

Before long, the owner efficiently finished processing them, took out a money pouch, and handed it over. "Little brother, here are five hundred Gold Soul Coins. Keep them safe."

Yu Chen smiled and accepted it.

Now he was not short on money.

After leaving the merchant association, Yu Chen did not stop walking. His gaze turned toward the northwest.

White Tiger Duke's Estate was located northwest of the Star Luo Empire's capital. He was not far from the capital now, so it was a good time to head there.

Along the way, scenes from the original story involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

Huo Yuhao, the child of destiny created to counter Tang San, had ultimately still been taken in by Tang San.

Huo Yuhao was someone with both good and bad reviews, making him difficult to judge. But Yu Chen did not want to judge him. He only believed in objective facts.

After all, a novel was a novel. What he was experiencing now was a real world.

Huo Yuhao... I wonder what choice you'll make. Will you continue being Tang San's good son-in-law, or will you walk your own path?

If he ultimately chooses to cling to Tang San, I won't mind sending him on his way.

Still, I am somewhat curious. I want to see just what is so extraordinary about this child of destiny. It would naturally be best if I can win him over. If not, then we can simply become enemies.

Among all the male protagonists of Douluo Continent, Tang Wulin is undoubtedly the one with the most upright values.

Traveling through wind and dust, he reached the capital of the Star Luo Empire within a few days.

Relying on memories from his previous life, he quickly found the location of White Tiger Duke's Estate. Unlike the other great clans and noble families gathered in prosperous districts, this estate stood in a rather remote area, as though it had deliberately distanced itself from the bustle and turmoil of the imperial city.

Standing before its gates and looking up, he saw the gilded plaque reading "White Tiger Duke's Estate" gleaming beneath the sunlight.

So this was the legendary residence of the White Tiger Duke?

It truly was magnificent. The vermilion gates towered overhead, like an independent city within the city.

White Tiger Duke's Estate covered an enormous area, and its internal layout resembled a massive village. Yet the people living in this "village" were imperial relatives and nobility. In the original story, because Huo Yuhao had failed to awaken the White Tiger Martial Soul that they took such pride in, he had been ruthlessly driven to a corner at the edge of this enormous estate—to a dilapidated thatched hut, where he endured cold stares and bullying every day.

Simply because he was an illegitimate child, the Duchess regarded the mother and son as thorns in her eyes.

Huo Yuhao had been destined for tragedy from the moment he was born. Looking at this deep and sprawling manor, Yu Chen could not help muttering inwardly, Are you sure White Tiger Duke Dai Hao really didn't know Huo Yuhao existed? Yu Chen did not dare make any rash judgment about that. What if it had been some deliberately unexplained setting left unwritten by "Third Young Master"?

Passing through layers of corridors, he finally reached the cluttered courtyard where the servants lived.

The sight before him was appalling. This so-called "residence" could only be described as unbearably miserable. Forget comparing it to the main house—even the public latrines outside were probably more luxurious than this thatched hut.

His gaze swept across the courtyard, and he quickly caught sight of a figure.

It was a woman in her twenties, her hair gathered in a bun as she bent over a washbasin and worked.

So this is Huo Yun'er? She really is still graceful and charming. Her delicate features are full of gentleness. No wonder the Duke was drawn to her. What a pity. Dai Hao does not know how to cherish such a beauty, letting a pearl gather dust.

Huo Yun'er was washing clothes at the moment. She scrubbed hard, her movements skilled and practiced, clearly showing that she had handled household chores for many years.

That was hardly surprising. The mother and son were in such a miserable position now that they were worse off than servants. They could only barely survive by sewing and washing clothes for others.

Hm? Where is the little one?

His gaze shifted to the other side of the courtyard.

There, a child of around six stood on a stool, struggling to stand on tiptoe as he helped his mother hang the washed clothes one by one.

An entire row of clothes fluttered in the wind, making that small figure appear especially thin and frail.

Was that child Huo Yuhao?

No, he was not called Huo Yuhao yet. At this moment, he should be called Dai Yuhao. Only after that future heart-wrenching separation between life and death would he take his mother's surname and become the Huo Yuhao who would shake the world.

Seeing how heartbreakingly sensible the child was, Yu Chen silently sighed in his heart.

However, that peace did not last long.

A burst of noisy footsteps shattered the courtyard's silence. A group of burly servants swaggered into the yard. In this household, those of lower status often loved bullying those even weaker than themselves. It seemed to have become an unspoken rule.

One servant at the front cast a sidelong glance at Huo Yun'er, who was working, and immediately spat out viciously:

"You little bitch, you still haven't finished washing the clothes? What are you dawdling for?"

Huo Yun'er hurriedly lowered her head, her voice humble. "Sirs, I'm already working as fast as I can..."

"Fast? You call this fast?"

The man sneered, with no intention of being reasonable. He strode forward and viciously kicked over the old wooden washbasin.

With a splash, the basin rolled away, and the freshly washed clothes scattered across the ground, instantly covered in mud.

"What are you looking at? If they're dirty, then wash them again!"

Faced with such blatant humiliation, Huo Yun'er's eyes reddened, but she did not dare argue. She could only crouch down to pick up the clothes.

At that moment, Huo Yuhao, who had been standing in the corner, noticed the commotion.

"Don't bully my mother!"

A childish yet furious roar rang through the courtyard.

He jumped down from the stool. His small body tensed like a little tiger protecting its cubs as he charged at the vicious servants without hesitation.