Lin Tian's Sense of Loss

Looks like he could only take Xiao Wu and Tang San back to Holy Soul Village together. The three of them had sworn brotherhood, so even if he stole Xiao Wu away first, Tang Hao probably would not lay a hand on her for Tang San's sake.

Thinking this, Lin Tian shook his head. "Better not. Our village is too far away. Even if you wanted to go, I wouldn't want to. Let's go to Little San's village instead."

"No... I don't want to. I want to go to your village."

Xiao Wu had her reasons for not wanting to go to Holy Soul Village.

That was because Lin Tian had once "accidentally" let slip that Tang San's father, Tang Hao, had the same name as the Clear Sky Douluo.

Xiao Wu naturally said it was impossible, but she had already become wary of Tang San deep down.

That was also why, despite Tang San possessing half a soul beast bloodline, she was closer to Lin Tian.

Of course, Lin Tian's better looks, greater strength, and pleasant way of speaking also played a part.

Looks like my plan can be moved up... Lin Yuan was delighted. If it had only been Lin Tian, he would naturally have needed to consider avoiding him when inducing the growth of Lone Bamboo.

But if Xiao Wu went along, Tang Hao would definitely make a move.

Then Lin Tian would be as good as dead.

Tang Hao would never allow anyone other than his son to get close to a hundred-thousand-year transformed soul beast.

With that thought, he slowly stepped forward and asked, "Brother Lin Tian, and Sister-in-law..."

"Call me Sister Xiao Wu." Xiao Wu looked at Lin Yuan somewhat angrily. These little brats had not even grown all their hair yet, so why were they thinking about that sort of thing all day?

Lin Yuan corrected himself. "All right, Sister Xiao Wu. I heard you saying that you're going back to Bamboo Ridge. I'm heading back soon too, and I'll be renting a carriage. Do you want to come with me?"

"See? Isn't there already a ready-made means of transportation?" Xiao Wu pouted at Lin Tian, looking as though she would never let the matter rest if he refused.

"This..." Lin Tian was instantly stuck between a rock and a hard place. Honestly, did he want to bring Xiao Wu back to the village?

He did. He wished he could take her back that very day.

But when he considered Tang Hao, he could not help backing down.

Lin Yuan leaned close to Lin Tian and quietly fanned the flames. "Brother Lin Tian, haven't you always liked Sister Xiao Wu? This is the perfect chance to bring her back and make things official, while introducing her to the village folk."

At those words, a flicker of emotion flashed through Lin Tian's eyes.

Seeing the two of them whispering in secret, Xiao Wu immediately grew impatient. "What are you two muttering about?"

"Nothing. Brother Lin Tian was just saying he wanted to take you back and was thinking about how best to entertain you." As Lin Yuan spoke, he did not forget to give Lin Tian an encouraging look.

Xiao Wu's eyes immediately lit up. "There's no need to make it so complicated. Just prepare a pile of snacks and a few pretty outfits for me when we get back."

"Brother Lin Tian, tomorrow morning, I'll have someone drive the carriage to wait for you at the academy entrance. And here's some money. This is my personal support for you. Tonight, you can take Sister Xiao Wu shopping. We'll set out tomorrow morning."

Lin Yuan pulled ten Gold Soul Coins from his pocket and stuffed them into Lin Tian's hand. As he spoke, he gave Lin Tian another encouraging look before leaving.

Now Lin Tian could not refuse even if he wanted to. "All right."

"Yay!" Xiao Wu excitedly jumped off the bed. Her rabbit-like eyes stared at the "fortune" in Lin Tian's hand, seemingly shining with light.

Lin Tian was still worried about Tang Hao. His heart pounded wildly, rising and falling with unease. He had experienced this feeling before: once when he had hit the jackpot in his life before the last.

The other time was when, in his previous life, he had become Li Keyong's nonexistent foolish son in the world of Hua Jianghu: Bad Guys, as well as Li Cunxu's nonexistent younger brother.

Because he had been foolish since childhood, posing neither threat nor displaying any schemes, he had instead received Li Keyong's unreserved affection.

It was not until a year before the story began that he recovered the memories of his life before the last and learned the complete Supreme Sacred Heaven and Earth Technique from Li Keyong.

However, because he had never read many ancient books, he could not simply begin practicing it right away.

He also keenly felt that time was pressing. The beginning of the story was drawing ever closer. When that time came, his father Li Keyong would die, his elder brother Li Cunxu would die, and he too would be unable to escape disaster.

So he gave up on studying ancient texts and had Li Keyong explain it in plain language, along with diagrams of the human meridian pathways.

While practicing martial arts, he also sent his subordinates to search near Yuzhou City for a mad old Daoist: Zhang Zifan's father, Celestial Master Zhang Xuanling of Mount Longhu.

Finally, three months before the story began, they found Zhang Xuanling.

By then, he had already built a certain foundation in martial arts.

Using modern smooth-talking and all sorts of flirtatious approaches, he seized the opportunity to win over the scar-faced Li Cunren.

After winning over Li Cunren, he brought her and her subordinates from the Sorrow Organization to find Zhang Xuanling. Using the promise of helping him find his son, he tricked him into handing over the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Formula.

As for the general outline of the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Formula, he had long memorized it from the anime in his life before the last.

He just did not know what it meant.

So, after having Li Cunren translate it for him, he swiftly returned to the Jin Prince's Residence in Taiyuan to enter seclusion and cultivate the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Formula.

He intended to merge it with the Supreme Sacred Heaven and Earth Technique.

At the same time, before the story began, he had Li Cunren lead the Sorrow Organization to seize the Fire Spirit Mushroom that appeared at the start of the story, so that he could increase his cultivation.

But instead of waiting for Li Cunren, he waited for Bad Marshal Yuan Tiangang. The man said only one sentence: "You are an anomaly. Keeping you alive will only get in the way."

Then there was nothing after that. He died and transmigrated to Douluo Continent, becoming an orphan from Bamboo Ridge.

After learning that he had transmigrated to Douluo Continent, Lin Tian was naturally thrilled.

So he began cultivating the Supreme Sacred Heaven and Earth Technique and the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Formula from a young age.

At the same time, considering that he had never cultivated either technique to its highest realm,

and in order not to forget them or suffer some deviation in his cultivation, he imitated Corpse Ancestor Hou Qing and deliberately made illustrated manuals of the two techniques in the pinyin of his life before the last, then sewed them into his clothes.

He believed that even if Tang San came, he would not be able to unravel the secrets of these two divine techniques.

With the enhancement of the two great divine techniques, Lin Tian unsurprisingly awakened with Innate Full Soul Power. Perhaps because he cultivated both techniques,

he inherited both his father's bamboo Martial Soul and his mother's Lotus Martial Soul.

His bamboo Martial Soul merged with the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Formula and transformed into bamboo capable of unleashing heavenly lightning. He named it Heavenly Thunder Bamboo.

The heavenly lightning it released was exceptionally effective against soul beasts with dark and evil attributes.

His Lotus Martial Soul, on the other hand, merged with the Supreme Sacred Heaven and Earth Technique, becoming the fire lotus now shrouded in blue flames. He named it Buddha's Wrath Fire Lotus.

Even that did not satisfy Lin Tian. He endured his disgust for Tang San and Yu Xiaogang, became sworn brothers with Tang San, and tactfully declined Yu Xiaogang's offer to take him as a disciple.

He then approached Xiao Wu, intending to replicate Tang San's original path to godhood.

And whenever no one else was around, he would secretly hint that Tang San's father was a Titled Douluo.

That was how the current situation had come about.

But although success seemed within reach, he instead found himself overcome by an inexplicable sense of loss.