Thunderclap Douluo, the Old Sect Master, the Princess's Friendship, and the Shadow Guard

Thunderclap Douluo's real name was Yu Yuanjue. Years ago, his name had shaken the region. His martial soul had mutated to gain a secondary wind attribute, making him faster than the original Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, with a wider range of destruction.

Now, he stood ramrod straight before Yu Tianjun, Vina, and Mu Xue, switching from a cold-faced god of slaughter to a kindly grandfather in a single second, his laughter shaking the heavens.

"Hahahaha! My grandson has what it takes to reach the ultimate realm! Killing a ten-thousand-year soul beast with Phoenix Bloodline with only three rings—who among Shrek's students could compare?"

"Keep a low profile, a low profile. Now that you're here, hurry up and deal with the corpse. If anyone asks later, say you killed it."

"Oh, that wouldn't be right. It was clearly your achievement..."

"You could spread the word, too. I imagine the Sea God Pavilion Master would come have tea with you and discuss the physical ailments of elderly invalids. Shrek's four deans would swarm me, drag me into their ranks, and make me one of their lifelong Shrek Seven Devils."

"I killed this soul beast! Even if the king of heaven himself came asking, I killed it!"

At the thought of his Qilin grandson leaving him and the Heavenly Dragon Sect's hopes of becoming the world's greatest sect being cut short, Yu Yuanjue accepted the blame at light speed. A blast of lightning fried the Frost Luan King crispy outside and tender inside, filling the air with the aroma of roasted chicken wings.

"All right, now you really did kill it."

With the secrecy issue settled, Yu Tianjun removed his sweat-damp mask, put on gloves, grabbed some cooked meat, sprinkled it with cumin, and popped it into his mouth. A delightful explosion of flavor burst across his tongue.

"Freshly killed ten-thousand-year soul beast meat. A rare treat. Have some too, Grandpa."

"Slurp."

The two beautiful girls beside him helplessly pursed their lips. Their gazes first focused on the roast meat, then shifted to Yu Tianjun's face, now revealed in its True Face.

What sort of face was it? Handsome and refined, bright and spirited, rosy as blossoms, with an enchanting beauty like jade!

His bright eyes were lively, their black and white sharply defined. Deep within them seemed to lie a clear spring that soothed the heart.

And that gaze—three parts irreverent, three parts nonchalant, four parts serene indifference. Once he grew up, he would surely be a peerless heartbreaker. Who knew how many hearts he would steal!

In short, he was worlds apart from the image Princess Vina had previously imagined, with scales covering his face.

"Young Brother Yu, Your Highness, young miss, we've come to save you... Is the battle over?"

Mo Feiyun and his party arrived belatedly after defeating the Frost Luan Flock. Just as they were about to protect the princess, they saw an old man standing there, chatting and laughing with the Qilin prodigy they had been so concerned about. Vina and Mu Xue both wore respectful expressions.

They could sense no fluctuations of soul power from the old man. But the chances of an ordinary old geezer appearing in the Far North were lower than those of stepping outside and winning the favor of a god-king's daughter. Prudently following their instincts, they all addressed him as "Senior."

"May we ask who you are, Senior?"

"My title is Thunderclap. I'm Tianjun's grandfather. I'm old now, with only a few years left to live."

"So it is Your Eminence Thunderclap."

Mo Feiyun could not recall who this person was, but that did not stop him from putting on a look of sudden recognition and respectfully addressing him as "Your Eminence."

He felt both relieved and disappointed. Relieved that the old man had arrived in time to save the three youngsters, disappointed that they had failed to put the Qilin prodigy in their debt. Instead, Her Highness owed him a favor.

Still, favors were all about give and take, back and forth. The more exchanges there were, the deeper the friendship became.

Looked at another way, they could use repaying the favor as a reason to visit the Heavenly Dragon Sect and its Qilin prodigy in the future. They could all become friends.

It was a good thing that the Heavenly Dragon Sect had such a senior expert. Bringing him into the fold as part of the package would be even better.

Yu Yuanjue had eaten more salt than they had eaten rice. He saw through their thoughts at a glance and secretly rejoiced. His family was still quite appealing.

He was a citizen of the Heaven Dou Empire. The Heavenly Soul Royal Family was not as overbearing as Shrek, and the old man was happy to see Yu Tianjun forge a friendship with them.

After all, he did not have much time left.

"Our soul hunting gave us a scare, but no harm done. Your Highness, you can refine the snow lotus in peace now. With Grandfather here, we'll be safe unless we encounter the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North."

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Yu Tianjun summed up this soul-hunting job.

Twenty thousand gold soul coins for guiding them, a million gold soul coins as a tip from a rich lady, and one ten-thousand-year soul bone. The rich lady even wants to give me another one suited to me. Unfortunately, I'm not actually a Five-Element Qilin. Unless she gives me a mental-type skull bone, I can only refuse.

The price was a fight against a ten-thousand-year soul beast. But Vina and Mu Xue have both sworn to keep their mouths shut, and Grandpa's taking the blame, so my world-shaking talent won't be exposed.

Overall, my bowls and pots are overflowing with profits.

From now on, I can enjoy all the Pesticide I want. Drink one bottle and throw one away, drink one bottle and pour another out.

"The Outer Far North isn't safe. Let's return to Dragon City."

Vina's thoughts were similar to Yu Tianjun's. She also felt she had made a handsome profit.

Discovered one semi-wild, peerless, handsome young prodigy. Forged a friendship through fighting and facing death together—or so I believe. Can establish a long-term financial relationship—that part's true. Hold his secret—though not being allowed to tell anyone is as good as not holding it. Obtained a third soul ring that exceeded expectations.

The price was some pocket money, one item from the national treasury, and several scares and blows to my understanding of the world.

Overall, a huge profit!

Father can rest easy now. As long as we secure the five-element qilin, the Heaven Dou Empire will enjoy two hundred years of glory.

But before that, she had to leave the Far North as soon as possible. The environment of this forbidden zone for humans was far too hostile to a healing-type soul master like her, who had no fighting ability.

"Thank you for your service, Tianjun. I hope I'll see you every time I come to the Far North."

"Thank you for the tip. A word of advice: Your Highness really should request a Titled Douluo to escort and protect you."

"The Titled Douluo retainers are all busy people. They're hard to get."

Before the Heavenly Dragon Sect's gates, Princess Vina, who had grown noticeably taller after absorbing the two-thousand-year Snow Lotus, reluctantly bid farewell to the Qilin prodigy.

With a woeful look on her little face, Vina indirectly complained that Shrek had no decency and the Sun Moon Empire was inhuman. They kept scooping the Heaven Dou Empire's geniuses into their arms, leaving not even a drop of broth behind.

The Heaven Dou Empire picked up the second-rate geniuses Shrek left behind and painstakingly nurtured them. Its total number of Titled Douluo fell short of Shrek's, and its Super Douluo were few and far between.

So, if a powerful sect was willing to bring its top young talent into cooperation with the empire, the empire would certainly not mistreat those who rendered it service!

For an example of such treatment, one need only look at the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, the Tang Sect, and Shrek ten thousand years ago.

Yu Tianjun had no desire to sell himself for money. He was wholly determined to live by the work of his own hands, so he merely smiled faintly without speaking.

Vina knew she could not win him over today. She smiled demurely. Winning over a genius slowly was what made it satisfying. She therefore changed the subject.

"Would you consider selling the soul bone? I can pay the market price in gold soul coins, or exchange it for natural treasures beneficial to cultivation."

"In view of your excellent service, I'll organize people to visit the Adventurers' Association once I return. I'll make sure glowing reviews pour in for you."

Mo Feiyun, Mu Xue, and the other five nodded repeatedly. This Qilin prodigy deserved good reviews. Hiring this guide had been worth every penny!

Yu Tianjun liked this feeling of discussing business openly and honestly. He smiled. "I do intend to sell the soul bone. Since Your Highness is gracious enough to offer, I won't stand on ceremony."

"If possible, I'd like to exchange all the gold soul coins for natural treasures brimming with Life Energy."

"Incidentally, I'm not short of soul bones at the moment. If Your Highness wishes to thank me, you can give me something else instead."

The Heavenly Dragon Sect bordered the Far North, but it had no true dragon soul masters with an ice attribute. Otherwise, Nan Shuishui would long since have considered asking its experts to help mine the rare metals in her sect's secret grounds.

The Water-Congealing Frost Luan's soul bone was unsuitable for the Heavenly Dragon Sect's disciples. Forcing themselves to absorb it would improve their physiques, but would not maximize its value.

The best outcome was to exchange it for other scarce resources, and the Heavenly Soul Royal Family was a good buyer.

Yu Tianjun knew that the sect's most important people were himself and the old man. The old man's life force was weak, and natural treasures that could help him were difficult to find. Even if the Heavenly Soul Royal Family possessed any, this would not be enough to obtain them.

Thus, Yu Tianjun chose to exchange it for cultivation resources and improve his own strength across the board.

"A pleasure doing business. I'll be shameless this once and borrow your esteemed sect's grounds to absorb it."

"The next time we meet, I'll bring a gift substantial enough to demonstrate our friendship."

With payment and goods exchanged, Vina gracefully sat down, cradling the alternating blue-and-white soul bone with phoenix patterns on its surface. Before absorbing it, she did not forget to give Yu Tianjun a radiant smile.

Yu Tianjun's heart remained as still as water. The fresh, lovely royal Princess was indeed beautiful, but he was a very straightforward person. At present, he only wanted a straightforward financial relationship with his clients.

Besides, who knew whether she had met Long Aotian or was already engaged to him?

If she was already engaged, wouldn't he become Ximen Tianjun? The Heavenly Dragon Sect's frail little frame could not withstand the Body Sect wreaking havoc on it.

Mo Feiyun watched Vina absorb the soul bone and nodded to himself. Her Highness had excellent fortune.

Being a royal princess did not mean she could have a full set of soul bones. The Heaven Dou Empire lost a high-grade ten thousand year soul bone every four years. With the Sun Moon Empire eyeing it like a tiger, the Star Luo Empire inclined toward internal warfare, and the Dou Ling Empire an old rival, every bit of resources had to be carefully budgeted, with priority given to top geniuses and Titled Douluo experts.

Ten thousand year soul bones were the royal family's most important treasures for attracting commoner geniuses and unaffiliated Titled Douluo.

Absorbing a ten thousand year soul bone with a compatible attribute gave a soul master another soul skill, effectively improved their physique, strengthened their martial soul origin, and greatly increased the maximum age of the soul ring they could hunt next.

For a genius like Her Highness in particular, absorbing a high-quality soul bone early could raise her upper limit.

Soul bones had prices but no ready supply. Her Highness had still gained a slight advantage in this transaction.

Of course, both sides were intelligent. When the Heavenly Dragon Sect conducted affairs within the Heaven Dou Empire in the future, the royal family would naturally repay them.

Yu Tianjun lowered his eyes to inspect the Soul Tool Ring Vina had handed him. Inside lay a spread of glistening, succulent energy fruits that looked appetizing at a glance, along with many soul beast products, including shark pearls from Demon Soul Great White Sharks.

Naturally, there were no immortal herb-level treasures, but the value of these resources went without saying. A noble daughter of the imperial family was truly lavish.

Out of everyone's sight, Yu Yuanjue stood atop a tall building, overlooking the entire scene. Suddenly, he turned and looked down at the shadows beneath the corner of a pavilion, smiling as he said:

"Second son, you've protected him well. Tianjun has a promising future."

"You flatter me, Father. From what I observed along the way, Tianjun is already capable of standing on his own. All he lacks is time."

A shadow swept out of the darkness, coalescing into a middle-aged man clad in black armor, his face unnaturally pale.

He was Yu Tianjun's second uncle, Yu Xiaoying, an eighty-fourth-rank agility-attack Battle Soul Douluo whose martial soul was the Dark Shadow Dragon. He had hidden in Yu Tianjun's shadow from beginning to end.

He could be called a genuine shadow guard.

It was the qilin prodigy's first trip outside, and his clients were members of the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family. How could the Heavenly Dragon Sect not send an expert to protect him in secret?

The only organization on the continent that lost people every year without feeling any heartache was Shrek Academy.