Invitation

Amon had been in the Douluo world for half a month now and had gradually become familiar with Frostleaf City's rules.

This was a backward, barbaric city.

The Nord people were the predominant ethnic group in Northland Province. They were crude and belligerent, often coming to blows over a single disagreement, like a pack of humanoid Honey Badgers.

Perhaps because most Nords were so single-minded, the proportion of Soul Masters among them was very low.

Yan Jin was a typical Nord Soul Master. She had fought with over half the students at school!

"Fuck!"

"Who are you cursing?"

Two drunken men accidentally bumped into each other, sparking a brawl. One grabbed a stone, while the other picked up a wooden stick.

Their bare-handed shoving escalated into an armed fight.

The pedestrians nearby were not surprised in the slightest. Some even watched with great interest.

"Good! That punch was excellent—powerful and tricky!" someone applauded.

A patrolling guard passed by and cursed, "Didn't I tell you not to fight in the streets? If you want to fight, find yourselves an empty alley to settle it. Even if you pull knives, nobody will bother you."

Amon glanced at the guard. This one already counted as dutiful; most simply turned a blind eye.

He arrived at a clothing store, where a man wearing an ochre robe and a semicircular felt hat came out to greet him with a smile. "Hello, customer... Oh, it's you? The clothes you ordered here are finished."

The shopkeeper remembered Amon, such a major customer, very clearly. In Frostleaf City, few people were willing to spend a Gold Soul Coin on custom-made, impractical thin robes.

After all, Northland Province had a frigid climate. Ordinary people could only wear such robes during the hottest few days of the year. Even Soul Masters with robust constitutions preferred fur-lined clothing.

Amon put on his custom-made clothes and examined himself in a full-length mirror.

Black eyes, black hair, a broad forehead, thin lips, and a gaunt face. He wore a pointed, wide-brimmed soft hat, a black classical robe, and black leather boots. He exuded a faint scholarly air, along with a touch of wizard-like mystery.

"Are you satisfied, sir?"

"Not bad." Amon handed the shopkeeper the remaining three Gold Soul Coins, picked up the other clothes packed in a cloth bag, and left the clothing store.

He felt the six Gold Soul Coins remaining in his pocket and muttered, "Perhaps I should find a way to make some money too."

After returning the clothes to the staff dormitory, he headed west.

This was Frostleaf City's most chaotic district. Filthy alleys, dilapidated houses, convoluted roads, idle thugs, and starving refugees—many factors intertwined, making this place a breeding ground for crime.

A thin, gaunt man with a sharp mouth and monkey-like cheeks eyed Amon's obviously expensive clothes greedily. His Adam's apple bobbed as he finally made up his mind and crept closer.

Amon noticed his movements from the corner of his eye but ignored him, merely considering whether he should slit the man's throat or pierce his heart if he meant harm.

To his surprise, the man did not suddenly attack. Instead, he bowed and scraped. "My lord, is there anything I can do for you?"

"..."

Amon fell silent for a moment before softly saying, "Yan Jin lives around here, doesn't she? Do you know exactly where?"

"Little Commander? Yes, yes, my lord, this..." He rubbed his hands together.

Understanding immediately, Amon tossed him two copper coins.

"Please follow me."

After winding through several crooked alleys, they arrived before a stone house that looked relatively intact.

"This is the place."

Amon tossed the gaunt man another two copper coins to send him away, then stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" The door opened a crack, and a small head peered out from behind it.

A chain connected the door to the frame, and the little head had emerged at knee height, somewhere most people would never think to look.

Amon's downward gaze collided with Yan Jin's upward gaze. The latter scratched her head with an awkward grin. "Amon, why are you here?"

"Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Yan Jin hesitated before unfastening the chain and opening the door.

"You're quite cautious." Amon walked inside.

"If I weren't cautious, I'd have been swallowed up without even scraps left long ago." Yan Jin shrugged.

A boy with deep blue hair brought over two small stools, then retreated behind Yan Jin like a guard.

Amon noticed several younger children peeking over from the inner room. He chuckled and took out a bag of candies, placing it on the small table. "Here. Are these your eight little brothers?"

"Ahahaha..." Yan Jin scratched the back of her head sheepishly. Seeing the children's eyes filled with longing as they stared at the candies, she waved them over. "Lei Yin, take the candy and bring your younger brothers and sisters farther away. Don't eavesdrop."

"Big Sis..." Lei Yin hesitantly glanced at Amon, his eyes full of wariness.

"Don't worry. He's a teacher at the academy."

"I understand." Lei Yin picked up the candies, walked into the inner room, and closed the thick wooden door behind him.

"I asked around about you. I heard you turned down an invitation from a Soul Douluo?" Amon asked.

"Ah... That old man was a Soul Douluo? I only knew he was an important person. It does seem a bit of a pity." Though she said that, Yan Jin showed no sign of regret. She did not regret her decision.

"Because of them?"

"Yes. If I became his disciple, I would have to go to Spirit City. Though he promised to have the people at Frostleaf City's Spirit Hall help look after Lei Yin and the others, I don't trust him. I could tell that he did not value me all that much, and he certainly wouldn't show my younger brothers and sisters extra care because of me. I find it hard to believe the people he arranged to care for them would do their duty wholeheartedly. They're still too young, so I refused."

"So if it were only you, you would agree to become his disciple? Are they truly that important to you? You turned down a broad road ahead for their sake, though you should not be related by blood." Amon adjusted his glasses.

"They're very important... We're all from the same village. When bandits came, all the adults in the village were killed, leaving only a few of us. Their fathers and mothers gave their lives to protect us. I can't abandon them. It's my responsibility to take care of them until they grow up!"

Yan Jin spoke earnestly. "So, Teacher, can't you really teach me? I want them to live better lives."

"Petty tricks like theft can't give them better lives." Amon shook his head. "One mistake could doom you and them beyond redemption."

Yan Jin looked at the youth before her, who was not much older than herself, and felt that he might have gone through experiences similar to hers. Those skilled theft techniques must have been honed through extensive practice. She could not help feeling a little more kinship with him.

"Then why did you come to see me...?"

"Are you interested in joining me? Let's participate in the Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academies together. Though I can't promise you much material help right now, I can bring you onto a larger stage." Amon extended his hand in invitation.

"Now?"

"Of course not. I don't have that strength yet. I've wasted far too many years and need time to catch up. Likewise, you probably can't bear to leave your younger brothers and sisters.

"Five years. I'll remain in Frostleaf City for five years. By then, you'll have just graduated from the junior Soul Master academy, and your younger brothers and sisters will be older than you are now. Once they are properly settled, we'll go to an advanced Soul Master academy.

"Then we'll find a way to participate in the Soul Master Tournament after next and prove ourselves on that stage watched by the world.

"During these five years, I'll help you along the path of a Soul Master and also assist in looking after your younger brothers and sisters."

"It all sounds too good. What do I have to give in return?" Yan Jin's eyes held both suspicion and wariness.

"Didn't you want to take me as your master? Just consider me your teacher. I'll arrange for you to do some things, of course, only if you're willing." Amon smiled faintly.

"Then... all right."