Tang San: Teacher, you were right... women really do turn their backs on you without a second thought!

The little hope that had just risen in Xiao Wu's heart was instantly doused.

"I don't understand. Is this our fate? Why?"

Her voice trembled softly as the feelings she had held back for so long finally spilled out. "Why must humans and Soul Beasts always be hunters and prey?"

Hearing the hoarseness in Xiao Wu's voice, Ning Wen didn't know how to answer.

People were complicated, and human nature even more so.

Some humans meant well and were willing to coexist peacefully with Soul Beasts.

But others were driven by desire and would stop at nothing for power.

It was possible to create a way to obtain Soul Rings without hunting Soul Beasts, but far harder to restrain the greed buried deep in human hearts.

[Humans undeniably have their virtues, but greed and desire run deeper.]

[It was that very greed and desire that allowed them to grow so quickly, until they finally broke through the heavens and ventured into the unknown universe.]

[As for why?]

[It's simple. Placing your hopes in others is the worst choice you can make.]

[The pleas of the weak can only ever win pity, and pity shatters easily. Only strength can protect everything you hold dear.]

"..."

Ning Wen fell silent.

The voice pack's words were cruel, but they were the stark truth.

In both his former world and this one, humanity had developed step by step in exactly that fashion.

The strong ruled in every world. For humanity to grow, it had to squeeze other creatures out of their habitats.

Then, when a species neared extinction, human pity would see it penned up for display or even research. Was that not another kind of cruelty?

[But humanity's excessive exploitation of this continent also provoked a backlash from the plane's will. A Child of Destiny arose to represent Soul Beasts and nature.]

[Unfortunately, he still failed. All he could do was take the surviving Soul Beasts to another planet.]

[From then on, humans and Soul Beasts lived worlds apart.]

[Perhaps that was the best outcome.]

[Even I could do nothing about it, let alone that Child of Destiny.]

Xiao Wu froze for a moment.

A Child of Destiny had appeared?

What was a Child of Destiny?

Could it be the Imperial Auspicious Beast?

In fact, it wasn't just Xiao Wu. Even a Titled Douluo like Chen Xin, or the people of Spirit Hall, had no idea what a Child of Destiny truly meant.

An odd look crossed Ning Wen's face.

The Child of Destiny ten thousand years later was almost certainly Huo Yuhao, that walking cheat code.

But as for the Child of Destiny twenty thousand years later, he truly had no idea.

Judging by the original story, Tang Wulin, the protagonist of Legend of the Dragon King, did not strictly count as a Child of Destiny.

After all, by that era, Tang San's schemes had long since replaced the Douluo Continent's plane consciousness with Tang Hao and Ah Yin.

And according to the voice pack's account, Tang San had died at Ning Wen's hands long ago. Naturally, Tang Wulin would never be born.

So who would be the Child of Destiny in that era?

Whoever it was, if he represented Soul Beasts, he had to be connected to that Dragon God with a screw loose. Maybe he would even be the second Dragon God.

"Believe me. One day, humans and Soul Beasts will live in peace!"

Ning Wen looked down at the bewildered girl in his arms and comforted her gently.

[If I wished it, I could change this warped relationship between humans and Soul Beasts at the level of its very rules, rather than merely easing the conflict between the two groups with Soul Spirit contracts.]

Ning Wen rolled his eyes.

Anyone could talk big!

Couldn't it at least think before it spoke?

Even Huo Yuhao, that walking cheat code, couldn't pull that off. And it could?

If it really could, why had it spent all that time watching from the Divine Realm?

And all this talk about rules!

What a joke.

[Hmph. I ascended too hastily in my previous life, and in the Divine Realm, that bastard Asura watched my every move.]

[By the time no one in the Divine Realm could stand against me, everything was already settled.]

"Mm."

Xiao Wu rested her head lightly on Ning Wen's shoulder. She had no doubts, only trust.

The next day, it was nearly noon.

Sunlight streamed into the room through the gaps in the wooden window.

Ning Wen was still fast asleep, his breathing steady.

Beside him, Xiao Wu was curled into a tiny ball, her head resting against his shoulder and both arms still wrapped tightly around his arm. She, too, slept soundly.

[Why won't this little rabbit let go even in her sleep? My pure, unsullied divine body has been violated again and again!]

[I'll remember this!!]

So noisy!

Ning Wen frowned and slowly opened his eyes.

His head was still a little foggy from sleep. Feeling something soft against his arm, he turned and met Xiao Wu's misty eyes just as she woke.

Their eyes met.

A faint blush spread across Xiao Wu's cheeks. "You're awake," she murmured.

"Mm," Ning Wen replied softly. He sat up a little, his joints giving a few quiet pops.

A short while later, they got ready and left the small hotel side by side.

They hadn't gone far when they ran into Tang San, who was on his way to work at the forge.

Ning Wen and Xiao Wu walked shoulder to shoulder, fingers intertwined, their closeness easy and natural.

The sight sent a sharp pain through Tang San's heart. His expression froze, and bitterness surged in his eyes despite his efforts to hide it.

A voice screamed inside him.

No, that's my Xiao Wu!

It hurts!

It hurts so much!

"Xiao..."

Tang San parted his lips, wanting to greet her.

But Xiao Wu didn't so much as glance at Tang San. To her, he might as well have been an insignificant stranger by the roadside.

Ning Wen wasn't particularly surprised that Tang San was still in Notting City.

Once Tang Hao had exposed himself, Spirit Hall's pursuit would follow him wherever he went.

Staying with Tang Hao would only put Tang San in danger.

And although Tang Hao had attacked Ning Wen, he believed Tang San's identity remained a secret.

In truth, if Ning Wen hadn't come from another world, he would never have guessed Tang San was Tang Hao's son.

After all, who would imagine that the mighty Clear Sky Douluo's son had awakened Blue Silver Grass as his Martial Soul?

Tang San watched the two of them recede into the distance, rooted to the spot, his mouth still half-open.

The name "Xiao Wu" caught in his throat, as though an invisible hand had seized it. He could neither speak nor swallow it.

Tang San clenched the hand at his side until his knuckles turned white. Only after a long moment did he slowly let go.

Grandmaster's words surfaced unbidden in his mind, drawing a bitter, desolate laugh from him.

"Teacher, you were right... women really do turn their backs on you without a second thought!"

Tang San stared after Ning Wen and Xiao Wu, his gaze dark and frightening.