Little Sage: "I'll Use the Simplest, Most Straightforward, Least Roundabout Way..."

Today was the third day since the Martial Soul awakening. Another ten children had been taken away, and not a single one had returned.

According to the old people here, those children had probably all become "materials."

Zhang Lexuan had also been taken away and had yet to return. Yu Mu'en told Lin En not to worry too much. Her talent was excellent, so she would not be treated as material, though she would surely suffer.

Dim yellow light slowly flickered through the corridor. Damp droplets, carrying the stench of mold, dripped onto their heads. The oppressive atmosphere was enough to drive any normal person mad.

There was no sunlight, no night. His biological clock had practically stopped working. Only the black-clad men who delivered meals at fixed times each day allowed Lin En to barely guess what time it was.

Three meals a day. It should now have been the evening of the third day. Lin En had roughly learned the circumstances of everyone in the prison.

The strongest was Uncle Yu, whose cultivation had reached level eighty-eight. Next was the burly man locked up tight, a man from the Star Luo Empire with a cultivation of level eighty-one.

The other eight adults were Soul Saints or Soul Emperors, and most of them were from the Heaven Dou Empire.

From Uncle Yu, Lin En also learned how he had been captured.

This base belonged to an Evil Soul Master Titled Douluo. Uncle Yu had come here on a reconnaissance mission, but because the information was leaked, he was ambushed by two Evil Soul Master Titled Douluo. Unable to defeat them in the end, he was imprisoned here.

Of the two Evil Soul Master Titled Douluo, one was confirmed to possess the Myriad Souls Banner as his Martial Soul, while the other remained unknown.

Their purpose in capturing Uncle Yu seemed to be to use these special Soul Tools to wear down his will and refine his soul into the Myriad Souls Banner's primary soul.

Staring at the pockmarked walls, Lin En's heart sank to rock bottom. He was only a level-seven Soul Warrior. Escaping from here was nothing more than a fool's dream.

According to the information in his Memory, Evil Soul Masters were inherently stronger than ordinary Soul Masters. And there were even two Evil Soul Master Titled Douluo here!

If the world were a game, Lin En truly wanted to curse the damn game designers. This was offense, this was defense. Great, there was an Evil Soul Master Titled Douluo ahead. Go challenge him, then.

There was no solution. Lin En truly had no solution right now.

No matter how powerful his Martial Soul was, there was no way he could fight an Evil Soul Master while still a Soul Warrior. Even if the little Dragon God came, he could not possibly slaughter his way through an Evil Soul Master base with a cultivation of level ten. How was that any different from an ordinary person going into the Star Dou Great Forest to raid Di Tian's nest?

"Function self-check in progress."

"Please wait patiently."

Hearing the clear voice endlessly echoing in his mind, Lin En rolled his eyes and cursed inwardly.

"Could you hurry up? God or ghost, could you at least let me see your true form?"

"Even if you're Tang God-King, I'll accept it! Save me already!"

This voice had appeared when Lin En awakened his Martial Soul, and he had been quite happy at the time.

Reality might have been bleak, but once his cheat started working, everything would get better.

But three days had already passed. This thing seemed stuck at ninety-nine percent and refused to activate no matter what. His enthusiasm had gradually faded away.

He had also realized that unless this cheat was incredibly awesome, it could not change the current situation anytime soon.

Breaking through in this world required Soul Rings. Without Soul Rings, no one could do anything. And where the hell would he find a Soul Beast in this damned dungeon?

"Function self-check complete! Hello, how may I assist you?"

"I can retrieve Memory archives, examine your physical condition, report the weather, and provide study plans."

Lin En was overjoyed at first. This thing had finally started working! Then his expression became suspicious. This seemed a little familiar, rather like an AI assistant.

"What the hell are you?"

"I am not 'what the hell.' I am your Tianyan Computational Core. Is there anything you would like to consult me about?"

"Hmm, I have detected that you are in low spirits. Would you like me to play some music for you?"

The enthusiasm that had just ignited was instantly doused with a bucket of cold water. Lin En missed Mamba. He felt that he should seriously consider whether he would get another chance to transmigrate.

As long as he could avoid Weasel World, Cthulhu World, and Foundation World, any normal place to land would do.

"Mamba has been located. Mamba refers to Mamba Spirit, originating from Kobe, and symbolizes a spirit of never giving up. Now playing 'See You Again' for you."

"It's been a long day~"

"Thanks, turn it off! I don't want to hear this crap!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I misunderstood. Master does not want to listen to music, perhaps because Master dislikes this song. I will search the music library again for you!"

Listening to Mamba's laughter playing in his mind, Lin En stared blankly ahead. After loading for three days, it had produced an artificial idiot that played Kobe's laugh for him. He admitted that he could not hold it together.

A child's heart-rending cries suddenly came from the end of the corridor. Lin En tilted his head slightly, already accustomed to it.

Here, children who failed to awaken Innate Soul Power could only become materials. They had many uses, and every part of them was valuable.

Their organs could be sold to nobles. Their blood and minced flesh could be used as food. Their bones were the favorite craft material of these Evil Soul Masters, while their souls were perfect cultivation supplements.

From beginning to end, this place was hell. Even death would bring no release. Lin En did not know whether, if he died here and his soul was refined, he would still have another chance at reincarnation.

The screams rekindled Lin En's fighting spirit. He refused to believe that the thing in his head was completely useless.

"Tianyan Computational Core, right? I'll give you a name. You'll be called Little Sage."

"I hope you can be as smart as a sage from now on."

"Answer me. Why did you appear in my mind?"

Lin En sat upright and communicated with Little Sage in his mind through spiritual power.

Little Sage immediately replied, "Little Sage has been designated as my universal designation. Thank you for naming me, Master."

"I will use the simplest, most straightforward, least roundabout words to tell you about my true nature.

Master is asking me this because Master may be suspicious of my existence. I have searched the database and found many novel plots. Cheats are generally the product of conspiracy theories..."

Lin En: "..."

"Stop rambling. Hurry up."

Little Sage interrupted its previous train of thought. Vast amounts of data surged through the Sea of Spirit, and a huge amount of information formed a table, beside which stood a human body model.

The body model was extremely strange. Every bone bore fine cracks. It did not look incomplete, but more like the marks left behind after some creature disguised itself as a human and folded its joints inward.

"Mm."

"The Tianyan Computational Core originated from residual power in your bloodline. It is a combination of a Word Spirit that automatically manifested at a moment of mortal danger, spiritual power in the locally specialized Sea of Spirit, and Soul Power."

Lin En looked at the body model through his spiritual power. Little Sage's words made him realize what he had overlooked.

"Wait, Word Spirit? Does Douluo Continent even have that term? And the name Tianyan sounds like something from the Jiangnan Dragon Clan."

"Am I not human?"

Little Sage replied, "You are not human."

"The genetic database shows that you are a dragon. You are a noble of the great Next-Generation Species Dragon Clan. According to your bloodline genealogy, you belong to the Bronze and Fire King."