No way. Speak of the devil.
Just then, Su Ming glanced aside instinctively and spotted a pitiable-looking blonde girl.
The girl was a year or two older than him. Although she still looked young, she already had the makings of a true beauty.
Her skin was fairer than snow, her features delicate, and her soft, shoulder-length golden hair made her all the more dazzling.
"Sir, could you give me a little more time? Please let me take the medicine home first. Once my Soul Master stipend arrives next month, I'll pay you back right away."
"I'm a student at Xuanyuan City's junior..."
The girl pleaded desperately.
The pharmacy's shopkeeper looked troubled as he replied:
"Honored Lord Soul Master, I'm only an employee. The owner insists on payment upon delivery."
Listening to their conversation, Su Ming felt rather speechless. Well, it really is Jiang Nannan.
He promptly walked over.
His arrival naturally drew the attention of both Jiang Nannan and the shopkeeper.
Then he said directly, "Sir, I'll pay for this young lady."
"Thank you for your kindness, little boy, but I really can't accept it. Where are your parents...?" Jiang Nannan stumbled over her words.
The medicinal ingredients she was buying were quite expensive.
Having a child even younger than her offer to pay left Jiang Nannan at a loss.
Thinking that Su Ming was a lost child, she could only keep trying to help him find his parents.
"It's fine. It's only a little money." With that, Su Ming took a black-and-gold card from his storage soul tool. "Besides, I heard what happened. Saving someone's life is urgent."
Recognizing the card, the shopkeeper hurriedly accepted it respectfully with both hands. "Young master, please wait a moment. I'll prepare the medicinal ingredients for you right away."
"Thank you, little boy. What's your name? Once I have money someday, I'll definitely pay you back double." Jiang Nannan looked at Su Ming with gratitude.
She was deeply grateful to him. Without his offer to pay, she really would have had no good options.
These talented commoners in the Douluo II era really have it rough, Su Ming reflected as he looked at the pitiful Jiang Nannan.
Although the so-called Soul Master stipends still existed in the Douluo II era,
becoming a Soul Master had grown far more difficult. There were even commoners who did not know what a martial soul was.
Moreover, any Soul Master who wanted a promising future practically had to bind themselves firmly to a faction.
Otherwise, they had no way forward.
He could only say that Spirit Hall's existence ten thousand years ago had offered some benefits.
Year after year, it had helped commoners awaken their martial souls and forced the two great nations to provide the appropriate Soul Master stipends.
And with Spirit Hall around, the other factions had not dared to take their exploitation too far.
After Spirit Hall disappeared, everything except the stipends vanished along with it.
Life had suddenly grown difficult again for Soul Masters from commoner families.
Even a genius like Jiang Nannan, with innate rank-eight soul power, had been forced to sell herself.
Although Xuanming Sect's deliberate scheme against her had played a part, it was still outrageous enough.
This situation has to change, Su Ming sighed inwardly.
Since he was here, he would certainly change it.
It was not that Su Ming was some great saint. He simply understood sustainable development better than those vermin.
Ten thousand years of development had passed, yet the entire Douluo Continent was still like a feudal society, with no opportunities to get ahead.
A talented commoner wanted to rise? Fine. Sell yourself to some major faction.
Otherwise, why would they nurture you?
Who knows how many talented people have been utterly buried over these ten thousand years?
In the future, Su Ming intended to attain self-created godhood and become a true creator god, step by step.
That ambition would inevitably put him at odds with the current Divine Realm.
After all, its so-called gods would never allow a new Divine Realm to emerge.
Su Ming therefore had the foresight to realize that he needed to start planning gradually and building his own faction from the very beginning.
And the world he currently lived in—the Douluo Continent—was the home base he had set his sights on.
He would bring the Douluo Continent under his control, then annex other planes, and finally strike back against the Divine Realm.
With that in mind, Su Ming would certainly have to unify the entire Douluo Continent in the future and help it develop further and further.
After all, the more geniuses there were, the more god-level powerhouses there would be in the future. His faction would grow stronger, giving him greater confidence when confronting the Divine Realm.
Jiang Nannan's talent is decent enough. Most importantly, recruiting her will be extremely easy. Su Ming quietly sized her up.
Naturally, he had helped Jiang Nannan because he had his eye on her.
She had innate rank-eight soul power, was not particularly skilled at fighting, and was far too softhearted.
Her eventual place among the Shrek Seven Monsters and subsequent rise to Titled Douluo had only come through benefiting from the people around her.
But Jiang Nannan offered so much value for so little investment that those few shortcomings could all be overlooked.
She came from a commoner family. Saving her mother would be enough to win her over.
Especially since Xu Sanshi probably had not met Jiang Nannan yet, let alone fallen in love with her at first sight.
That meant Xuanming Sect would not have set its sights on her either.
In other words, Su Ming could recruit Jiang Nannan without any resistance.
Once he had won her over, he could take her away from Xuanyuan City and slowly build their relationship. Then bringing her into his harem would follow naturally.
For now, however, Su Ming certainly could not tell Jiang Nannan his intentions outright.
That would be far too blunt.
His thoughts raced. Only after settling on a plan did Su Ming speak. "By the way, what's your name?"
"My name is Jiang Nannan. I'm a third-year student at Xuanyuan Junior Soul Master Academy." Hearing his question, Jiang Nannan hurriedly introduced herself.
"Here's the thing, Nannan," Su Ming said innocently. "My name is Su Ming. I happened to overhear what you've been going through, and I really feel for you."
"Also, my family happens to be recruiting talented Soul Masters lately. That's why I offered to help you."
"If you want to save your mother and improve your family's circumstances, you could try applying to my family."
"If you pass the selection, your mother can be saved, and you'll be able to focus on your cultivation without worrying."
Su Ming spoke plainly. After all, talent truly was something that attracted every major faction.
And those words would earn her trust more easily than saying he had taken a fancy to her or wanted to make her his maid.
"Su Ming, may I ask which sect your family belongs to?" A glimmer of hope flashed in Jiang Nannan's eyes, as though she had found a lifeline.
Without a doubt, Su Ming's words had completely won her over.
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