Little Lu! So You Had Wings All Along! (Please Bookmark and Keep Reading!)

The next morning,

Qian Renxue had finished absorbing the Flame Demon Lion's Soul Ring. Now it was time to see what it could do.

The purple Soul Ring beneath her feet spun rapidly as Soul Power surged through her like a tide.

The sword gripped tightly in her hand gleamed coldly beneath the Soul Ring's light. Its blade trembled faintly, giving off a low hum.

"Holy Sun!"

With a sharp cry and a twist of her wrist, a golden fireball ten meters wide formed at the tip of her Angel Sword, roaring as it burned.

She hurled it toward a clearing nearby.

The violent explosion nearly knocked Lu Ming off his feet. When the smoke cleared, only a charred crater remained, with traces of angelic fire still burning inside it.

"Not bad."

Xiao Xiao folded her arms, approval flashing in her eyes.

"Not bad at all. It suits you. Against a Soul Master with a dark Martial Soul, it'll be even more effective."

She looked at Qian Renxue.

"Xue, I'm guessing that Soul Skill can do more than this. Can you coat your Angel Sword with the golden flames?"

"I can, Sister Xiao Xiao."

Qian Renxue blinked her large eyes and looked up at Xiao Xiao expectantly.

To demonstrate, she swung her sword through the air. An arc of sword light wreathed in golden flames shot out and struck a tree trunk five meters away.

It sliced cleanly through the trunk, leaving it burning.

"See, Sister Xiao Xiao? It's not just the Soul Skill. The sword energy I release carries the Angelic Holy Flame too."

Seeing this, Snake Lance Douluo stepped forward and said in a deep voice,

"Now that the young lady is familiar with her new Soul Skill, it's time to find a suitable Soul Ring for Lu Ming."

With that, he and Qian Renxue headed toward the forest's outskirts, neither noticing the strange look on Lu Ming's face.

"Aren't you two going the wrong way?"

Lu Ming's voice came from behind them. Qian Renxue stopped, looked around, then checked the sun's position before nodding with certainty.

"No. Most of the Soul Beasts farther out are under a thousand years old. It's the best place to get a first Soul Ring."

"But I want one over a thousand years old," Lu Ming said calmly.

Snake Lance Douluo spun around. His first instinct was to look at Xiao Xiao, but she merely nodded and did not contradict Lu Ming.

Only then did Snake Lance look at the six-year-old boy in astonishment, his thoughts thrown into turmoil.

A thousand-year first ring? Even my young lady, heir to the Angel Martial Soul and blessed with a divine-grade Martial Soul, didn't have a first ring that defied all reason!

Where does this boy get the confidence to push the limit that far?

Qian Renxue trotted back to Lu Ming and curiously prodded him in several places.

He did feel much sturdier than children his age, with the beginnings of muscle definition, but his body still should not have been able to withstand a thousand-year Soul Ring.

"Little Lu, what exactly is your Martial Soul?"

Qian Renxue leaned closer, her golden eyes full of curiosity.

"It's a secret. You'll find out soon enough."

Lu Ming smiled mysteriously and turned toward the depths of the forest.

By noon, the sun was blazing.

Faint moisture rose from the forest and formed a thin mist above it, making the place look almost otherworldly.

It was also time to eat, so everyone got busy.

After all, they had Lu Ming, a bottomless pit, with them!

Xiao Xiao's expression suddenly brightened, and a smile touched her lips.

"A thousand meters northeast, there's a draconic Soul Beast called a Lightning Swift Dragon. It's around twelve hundred years old and extremely fast—just what Little Lu needs."

She turned to Lu Ming, her eyes shining with excitement.

"Little Lu, I'll go catch it for you."

"Wait."

Lu Ming caught Xiao Xiao by the sleeve.

"Sister Xiao Xiao, Senior Snake Lance, just protect us from the shadows. Sister Xue and I can use this chance to get some practice."

"Mm-hmm!"

Qian Renxue nodded eagerly, a faint golden glow stirring behind her.

During their days in the Star Dou Great Forest, she had yet to truly cut loose. She had been itching for a fight.

Snake Lance Douluo's eyes flickered. He cupped his fists toward Xiao Xiao.

"We'll leave it to you, Senior Xiao. With your strength, even if danger strikes, you can wipe it out with a flick of your fingers."

Xiao Xiao looked at the two pairs of bright eyes before her. Lu Ming's held a thirst for battle; Qian Renxue's held pure excitement.

After a moment's thought, she finally nodded.

"All right. But remember, if anything goes wrong, retreat immediately."

"Got it!"

Before the words had faded, Lu Ming and Qian Renxue shot off like arrows from a bow.

Qian Renxue started half a step behind, but a pair of golden wings of light unfolded from her back. Her speed surged, and she overtook Lu Ming in an instant.

"Little Lu, I'm faster than you! You're too slow!"

"What's wrong with taking it slow?"

Lu Ming only smiled faintly. He did not speed up to catch her, instead keeping his own pace as he wove nimbly between the trees.

They soon neared their target. From a distance, they spotted a Soul Beast about three meters long drinking from a stream.

Blue-green scales covered its body, a row of sharp bony spikes ran down its back, and its four limbs were long and powerful. Its slender tail resembled a whip.

Most striking of all were the tiny sparks of electricity that leaped across its body.

"That's it!"

Qian Renxue lowered her voice, battle lust burning in her eyes.

They crept within fifty meters. Qian Renxue signaled that she would attack first.

Lu Ming nodded and slipped into the bushes nearby.

Qian Renxue drew a deep breath. Her purple Soul Ring appeared again, and she gripped her sword with both hands, pouring Soul Power into the blade as she called out,

"Holy Sun!"

A huge golden fireball formed above her sword and shot straight toward the Lightning Swift Dragon's neck.

It flew so fast that it was almost upon the beast in the blink of an eye.

But just before it struck,

Whoosh!

The Lightning Swift Dragon vanished, leaving only an afterimage of lightning and a faint scorched smell in the air.

The sword light struck a rock by the stream. Poison instantly ate spiderweb-like purple lines into its surface.

"Damn it!"

Qian Renxue gave an angry snort and scanned her surroundings, sword at the ready.

An eerie silence settled over the forest. She could clearly hear her own heartbeat, and the hand around her sword hilt grew slightly damp.

Did it run away?

Or...

"Young lady, look out!"

Snake Lance Douluo cried out in the distance and started forward.

But Xiao Xiao raised a hand to stop him. When Snake Lance turned to her in confusion, she tilted her head slightly toward the other side of the battlefield.

The hairs on Qian Renxue's neck suddenly stood on end. A fierce sense of danger swept through her.

She spun around, her pupils contracting.

Somehow, the Lightning Swift Dragon had appeared five meters behind her. Electricity surged over its body, and lightning was rapidly gathering into a sphere inside its open jaws!

Too fast!

I can't react in time!

The thought flashed through Qian Renxue's mind, but the sudden danger had frozen her body for an instant.

Just as the lightning sphere was about to erupt,

a figure charged in from the side at even greater speed!

Boom!

A blue blur slammed squarely into the Lightning Swift Dragon's flank. The impact hurled the thousand-year Soul Beast through two thick trees, snapping them both.

The lightning sphere went astray and shot into the sky, where it burst like a firework.

At the same moment,

Qian Renxue felt something tighten around her waist. A gentle force carried her away and up into the air before setting her safely back on the ground.

Still shaken, she looked up and saw Lu Ming's calm profile.

Lu Ming released his arm from around her waist, his gaze fixed on the Soul Beast climbing out of the wreckage.

"Little Lu, you..."

Qian Renxue's voice trembled, whether from lingering fear or shock.

"You can fly too?"

In that brief instant, she had clearly seen a pair of brilliant blue-violet feathered wings spread from Lu Ming's back, though they had vanished almost at once.

She was certain they had been there.

And he had moved so fast that she could not make out the scenery rushing past.

And I was showing off my flying right in front of him...

Remembering how smug she had been, Qian Renxue's cheeks turned pink.

He's younger than the young lady, yet he already knows how to hide his abilities.

Snake Lance stole a glance at Xiao Xiao.

No wonder he's a Super Douluo's little brother. He must have learned that composure growing up around her!

Xiao Xiao watched the battlefield intently, the corners of her mouth lifting. She was pleased with Lu Ming's response.

A draconic Soul Beast. My power should suppress it completely!

"Roar!"

A resounding dragon's roar rang through the forest.

A golden dragon appeared behind Lu Ming, its body as large as a small mountain.

Qian Renxue was stunned.

The Golden Giant Dragon behind Lu Ming radiated such crushing pressure that even her Angel Martial Soul trembled.

It was a dragon Martial Soul, among the mightiest of all beast Martial Souls!

Snake Lance Douluo was trembling too.

"That feeling again..."

Snake Lance Douluo murmured, his eyes gleaming.

"It inspires fear and awe, yet somehow... it fills me with anticipation!"

A dragon Martial Soul! A True Dragon Martial Soul far beyond the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, with a rank almost impossible to imagine!

He did not know what kind of dragon it was, but its absolute, sovereign presence told him all he needed to know.

At the center of the battlefield, the Lightning Swift Dragon bore the full force of that draconic pressure, and its reaction was the most immediate and devastating.

Only primal terror remained in its once-ferocious slit-pupiled eyes.

Its powerful legs weakened beyond its control. It had barely staggered upright among the broken trees when the lightning around it began to dim.

"Trying to run?"

At Lu Ming's thought, his Flying Thunder Wings unfurled with a swish!

"Is that... an External Soul Bone?"

Qian Renxue's pupils contracted again as she recognized it.

She had grown up with abundant resources and had seen much of the world. She knew how rare and precious External Soul Bones were—treasures even harder to come by than ordinary Soul Bones.

Lu Ming was not surprised. Qian Renxue had been born with every advantage, so it was only natural that she recognized one.

Whoosh!

In a flash, Lu Ming appeared in front of the Lightning Swift Dragon just as it tried to turn and flee, moving almost as though he had used Instantaneous Movement the moment his wings beat!

Then a dazzling Gold Soul Ring appeared beneath Lu Ming's feet and slowly began to turn.

It had formed on its own from his Golden Dragon King bloodline, unlike Tang Wulin's during the era of Douluo III!

Lu Ming's gaze sharpened, and he called out,

"Golden Dragon's Finale!"

The attack struck directly at the mind. Bearing the Dragon King's pride and majesty, it exploded deep within the soul!

"Whimper!"

The Lightning Swift Dragon let out a short, shrill cry. The terror in its eyes instantly gave way to a vacant, bewildered stare.

Its body went rigid. The lightning around it vanished completely, and drool spilled uncontrollably from its mouth.

It had clearly been reduced to a mindless fool!