Long Aotian's Background

Long Aotian paused, then shrugged, his tone so calm that no emotion could be heard in it:

"I was born here. My parents were both Soul Masters who made a living year-round on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.

They usually took on escort and scouting jobs, barely earning enough to get by.

When I was five, they accepted a commission to help a Soul Scholar find a Soul Ring in the outer region. They never came back.

Later, I heard that they had encountered a rampaging Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Neither they nor their employer managed to escape."

Lu Chen was slightly stunned. The original story seemed never to have mentioned Long Aotian's background. He had not expected him to have been born here.

An awkward look crossed his face, and he hurriedly said, "Sorry. I brought up something painful."

"It's all in the past."

Long Aotian waved his hand. "After they left, I drifted around this street.

I ran errands for people and helped shops clean beast hides. When I was starving, I'd steal some dry rations from stalls to fill my stomach.

Until my Martial Soul awakened when I was six. It was a Body Martial Soul—Skin Martial Soul.

No one thought much of it then.

In a place like this, there was no shortage of strange Martial Souls, nor of young Soul Masters who died strange deaths."

"Later, I was once surrounded in an alley by a few thugs fighting over territory, and I fought back."

He paused, his voice still steady:

"Aunt Luo happened to pass by then. She saw my Skin Martial Soul and took me back to the Body Sect.

That was all."

Lu Chen's expression shifted slightly.

Long Aotian made it sound simple, but he could imagine it.

For a helpless child to survive in such a chaotic town, the process must have been filled with hardship and danger.

Lu Chen glanced at Tang Ya again and suddenly found the situation absurdly funny:

At one table, they could not even scrape together a single relative.

Tang Ya's expression darkened, and a trace of shared sorrow flashed through her eyes.

"So you don't have parents either."

Long Aotian gently shook his head. Though a brief gloom appeared in his eyes, he did not lose himself in grief.

He raised his head, his gaze passing over the bustling street and settling on the distance.

His voice was low, yet carried an unprecedented resolve:

"To die in an accident while pursuing greater strength... perhaps that is the fate of most Soul Masters.

My parents were the same. They fell on this road."

He clenched his fist, his knuckles turning slightly white.

"But precisely because I have seen such an ending, I understand even more clearly—on the road of a Soul Master, you either stop halfway, or... you go all the way."

His gaze gradually sharpened, as though a flame had ignited deep in his pupils:

"I don't want to become another person who falls midway.

I want to become stronger, strong enough to break this fate, strong enough to stand at the end of the Soul Master's road."

He spoke each word distinctly. His voice was not loud, but it carried absolute certainty:

"One day, I will become... a Limit Douluo."

As for godhood, that was far too distant.

"You will!"

Lu Chen smiled confidently. "Two hundred years ago, Dragon God Douluo Mu En and Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao traveled together in their youth and became renowned across the continent.

The world called them the Black-and-White Twin Sacred Dragons.

In the end, both became Limit Douluos, among the continent's greatest powerhouses.

And we are no worse than they were. We can even absorb Soul Rings beyond our level. Why shouldn't we be able to reach the Limit?"

Long Aotian's expression shook at those words, and his eyes became even more resolute.

"That's right. If they could become famous across the continent, then Brother Lu and I can do the same!"

Tang Ya watched the two excited men and smiled sweetly.

"The wonton noodles are here! Hot wonton noodles!"

The waiter smilingly brought over three bowls of noodles.

There was also a pot of wine, a roast duck, and a small plate of side dishes.

"Try them quickly. This place may be a tavern, but its wonton noodles are absolutely incredible."

Long Aotian gestured for Lu Chen and Tang Ya to start eating.

He himself also began wolfing down his food.

Soul-Hunting Town was especially lively that afternoon.

The streets were packed with Soul Masters who had just emerged from the Star Dou Forest.

Most of them were injured, their clothes stained with blood, yet their faces were radiant.

Clearly, they had gained quite a bit in the forest.

"You little brat, I'll say this one last time—come back with us!"

A piercing roar suddenly shattered the street's clamor.

In the open space outside the tavern, a group of burly men clad in gray leather armor, with vicious wolf heads embroidered on their chests, had surrounded a young girl.

The girl looked around fifteen. She was extremely delicate, and her long silver-white hair was particularly eye-catching.

Her entire body trembled, yet she stubbornly gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with disgust and determination.

"I already said it. I'm leaving the Mad Wolf Adventure Group!

I would rather die than take part in the vile things you do ever again!"

"Leaving?"

The one-eyed, muscular man at the front sneered. As he stepped forward, four Soul Rings suddenly lit up beneath his feet.

One white, two yellow, and one purple.

He was clearly a Soul Ancestor.

"Once you enter Mad Wolf's doors, do you think you can just leave whenever you want?"

"Isn't that Lang Sha, vice-captain of the Mad Wolf Adventure Group? Why is he arguing with some little girl?"

"No idea. From what she's saying, it sounds like she wants to leave the adventure group."

Soul-Hunting Town lacked nothing more than people who enjoyed watching a spectacle.

As soon as the conflict broke out, a crowd immediately gathered around them, whispering among themselves.

On the tavern's second floor, Lu Chen and the other two, having just finished their meal, also noticed the commotion below and leaned over to look.

"Xue Ling'er, you don't seriously think that your Mutated Ice Silkworm, with only one Soul Skill, is all that impressive, do you?"

A lewd glint flashed through Lang Sha's eyes as he openly sized up the girl's exquisite figure. His tone was frivolous:

"Without us, a support-type Soul Master like you, with no real offensive ability and only capable of providing vision, won't survive three days on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.

Be a good girl and come back with me. Serve me well, and you'll get your share of benefits."

"This Mad Wolf Adventure Group is way too arrogant. They're abducting a girl in broad daylight?"

Someone looked indignant, unable to stand the sight of grown men bullying a girl.

"Sigh, you must be new here. The Mad Wolf Adventure Group's reputation in this area is rotten to the core, but they're quite strong.

Their leader, Lang Kui, is Lang Sha's older brother and a level fifty-eight Soul King. He's ruthless as hell.

If this girl doesn't want to die, she'll probably have no choice but to obediently go back with Lang Sha."

The surrounding diners spoke quietly, their faces full of apprehension, yet not one dared step forward.

An adventure group with a Soul King that could establish itself in this town was already a local powerhouse.

Even some stronger individuals merely watched with detached expressions.

Filthy things like this happened here every day.

Xue Ling'er's gaze turned icy as she stared fixedly at Lang Sha.

The next instant, her eyes suddenly lit up.

With a flip of her palm, a Soul Cannon as long as an arm appeared in her hand.

At the same time, three Soul Rings appeared beneath her feet.

Yellow, yellow, purple!

An extremely standard three-ring configuration.

"You shameless bastard, I'll say it again: I'm not going back!

Take one more step forward, and you can taste the power of my level-four Soul Cannon!"

When Xue Ling'er suddenly drew the Soul Cannon, Lang Sha's expression changed in alarm.

He instinctively took a step back.

The two Soul Elders beside him turned pale as well, hurriedly dodging to either side.

At such close range, a level-four Soul Cannon was enough to blast Soul Elders into scraps!

The surrounding onlookers were also startled by the sudden turn of events.

They quickly backed away, afraid of getting caught in it.

"So this is a Soul Cannon?"

Lu Chen looked at the single-barreled cannon in Xue Ling'er's hand, brimming with a sense of technology and carrying a hint of steampunk style. Curiosity flashed in his eyes.

It was his first time seeing such a thing up close. It looked completely different from the artillery of his past life.

Still, what interested him more was the girl's Martial Soul:

"Mutated Ice Silkworm, a Soul Elder, yet only one Soul Skill... interesting."

"You little bitch, you almost fooled me!"

Lang Sha quickly came to his senses, a vicious smile appearing on his face. "Do you think I've never seen the world?

A Soul Cannon needs Soul Power to charge before firing. At this distance, do you even have time to build up power?"

Xue Ling'er's face changed drastically at his words.

Realizing she had failed to deceive him, she turned and ran without the slightest hesitation.

Lang Sha burst into laughter, then his eyes suddenly turned fierce. "Get her! Catch her!"

The two lackeys behind him immediately answered, Soul Rings lighting up beneath their feet.

Two figures shot out at once, chasing after Xue Ling'er.

"Little miss, stop running. Wouldn't it be better to obediently go back with Brother Sha?"

"Exactly. That Soul Cannon is worth quite a bit too. We can sell it and buy Brother Sha some wine!"

Inside the tavern, Long Aotian abruptly rose to his feet. His fists clenched until they cracked, and his eyes blazed with anger.

"Brother Lu, these bastards have gone too far. I'm going to teach them a lesson!"

Tang Ya also pressed a hand against the Twenty-Four Bridges Bright Moonlit Night at her waist, murderous intent in her beautiful eyes.

Yet Lu Chen unexpectedly raised a hand and pressed it onto Long Aotian's shoulder.

His gaze passed over the crowd and settled on a shadowed corner not far away.

"Don't move yet."

The corner of Lu Chen's mouth curled up, carrying a hint of surprise. "Someone has already made a move."