Surprise

"What is going on here?"

Gu Yuena widened her eyes in sheer disbelief.

Right before her, an illusory light and shadow appeared.

In the projection, Yu Chen stroked Xiao Bai Dragon while humming an unfamiliar little tune.

"Is this an illusion?"

"No!"

The giant dragon body of Gu Yuena trembled slightly, as she felt every single stroke right on her own skin.

As Yu Chen hummed along, Gu Yuena's eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

Gradually, she too fell into a deep slumber.

Three days later.

Yawn-

Gu Yuena let out a yawn and slowly woke up.

She shook her body, and streams of seven-colored auspicious light radiated outward, illuminating the dim space with brilliant radiance.

"I haven't slept this comfortably in ages!"

Gu Yuena felt an unprecedented sense of ease, and even her injuries seemed to have healed quite a bit.

"Three days of Rest actually compare to thirty years of Calm Mind in the past!"

"Was it because of him?"

Gu Yuena looked at Yu Chen in the projection, her eyes flashing with light.

As an expert at the God King level, Gu Yuena pondered for a brief moment and roughly guessed the current situation.

She had been gravely injured by Asura God, and her body was already overburdened.

At some unknown point, a portion of her soul had automatically detached from her main body and latched onto Yu Chen to become his Martial Soul.

"If I nurture this soul to the god rank and then devour it, my injuries might recover completely."

"Yu Chen carries the power of the Golden Dragon King within him. If I eat him up as well..."

Deep within Gu Yuena's heart, a plan gradually formed.

"Still, where would a little brat learn such a powerful technique!"

Even after personally experiencing the might of the Rest technique, Gu Yuena still found it somewhat unbelievable.

"From what Yu Chen said, this is just an ordinary technique, so he definitely has even more formidable moves!"

At this thought, Gu Yuena's gaze turned cold.

As long as she could learn more techniques, acting cute a little bit didn't matter.

Once her injuries fully recovered, a mere human would be hers to manipulate at will.

"Di Tian!"

Gu Yuena spoke, her voice cold and stern.

"Lord!"

A man in a black robe walked into the space and respectfully bowed to her.

"Di Tian, go to Nuoding City on the border of the Heaven Dou Empire. Find a child named Yu Chen and protect him."

Gu Yuena raised her hand slightly, and the illusory light and shadow appeared once more.

Yu Chen and Old Tom were riding in a carriage, rapidly traveling in the direction of Nuoding City.

"Understood!"

Di Tian nodded slightly, then asked with a puzzled expression: "Lord, what is so special about this person that he is worth protecting?"

The Silver Dragon King had slumbered for decades. Why did she wake up and immediately tell him to protect a child?

"Do not ask what you should not. I have my own plans."

Gu Yuena said coldly.

"Understood!"

Di Tian respectfully bowed, then quickly withdrew.

On the grand road outside Nuoding City.

"Yu Chen, I've already arranged things with Dashan. If you run into any trouble after reaching the academy, you can go straight to him."

Old Tom spoke up.

Ming Dashan, Principal of Nuoding Academy, hailed from Zonghun Village.

He, like Yu Chen, was a child adopted by Old Tom and had helped the villagers a great deal after becoming a Soul Master.

"Mm, alright."

Yu Chen nodded.

Old Tom continued, "After Dashan heard about your Martial Soul, he even found you a theoretical master as a teacher. That person once stayed in a major sect."

He looked at Xiao Bai Dragon resting on Yu Chen's head, a trace of a smile appearing on his face.

He had lived for decades, yet this was the first time he had ever seen such a miraculous Martial Soul.

"A theoretical master?"

Upon hearing this word, a name instantly popped up in Yu Chen's mind.

Yu Xiaogang!

"This master..."

Yu Chen touched his chin and fell silent for a moment.

Yu Xiaogang came from a major sect and was knowledgeable and experienced. Yet to call him a theoretical master was stretching it far too thin.

Ever since his transmigration, Yu Chen had already read the Ten Theories of Martial Souls.

It listed numerous Soul Ring combinations and Soul Beast characteristics, and the data was quite thorough. Ranging from the Power Attack System to the Support System, and from the introduction of the southern border to the Far North, it could give a person a great deal of inspiration.

Yet no matter how he looked at it, those theories seemed to have been copied from elsewhere.

He did not believe that a mere Soul Grandmaster could traverse the entire continent.

Of course, if Yu Xiaogang truly had some real skill, he wouldn't mind learning some theoretical knowledge from him.

If he only had two tricks up his sleeve...

Then he could just go wherever it was cooler and stay there!

Ever since his Martial Soul Awakening, Yu Chen had been researching Pokémon and the Golden Dragon Claw.

Every day at noon, he would let Xiao Bai out to bask in the sun.

If a Trainer and a Pokémon wanted to achieve true harmony of heart and mind, they had to start from every little detail of daily life.

As for the Second Martial Soul...

Yu Chen clenched his left fist, and under the mobilization of his Soul Power, a faint layer of golden hue imperceptibly emerged upon his fist.

Through three months of exploration, he discovered that the Second Martial Soul was not a simple Martial Soul.

It was more like a profound sort of bloodline that could influence his own body.

Bloodline Power!

Even without manifesting his Martial Soul, he could still use a portion of that strength. With a single punch down, a tree trunk as thick as a thigh would be directly blasted to pieces.

Yu Chen remarked: What Second Martial Soul? It didn't exist at all!

He was just simply strong!

Not long after, the carriage arrived at the gates of Nuoding Academy.

"Village Chief, Yu Chen, you've arrived so early!"

The gatekeeper youth waved happily at the two of them.

His name was Li Erniu, and he also hailed from Zonghun Village.

"Yu Chen, you're truly amazing, awakening Innate Full Soul Power. Our village is going to produce a second Soul Master once again!"

Li Erniu was merely a commoner, but having stayed at the Soul Master Academy for several years, he understood what Innate Full Soul Power meant through sheer exposure.

Regardless of the quality of the Martial Soul, one could directly absorb a Soul Ring and become a Soul Master.

"It's nothing. I heard someone in Holy Soul Village also awakened Innate Full Soul Power, and their Martial Soul is even Blue Silver Grass."

Yu Chen spoke indifferently.

"Is that so? A trash Martial Soul like Blue Silver Grass can actually awaken Innate Soul Power too?"

Li Erniu scratched his head; he truly hadn't heard about this matter.

The two of them continued walking forward.

The interior of Nuoding Academy was exceptionally vast, with clean grounds and a beautiful environment, something Zonghun Village could never compare to.

The Principal's office.

Yu Chen and Old Tom walked inside to see two middle-aged men seated within.

Seated in the main seat was precisely Principal Ming Dashan.

He wore a set of ornate uniform with a weathered expression, yet his gaze appeared extremely sharp.

However, his left leg had a slight limp, and it was said he had suffered a severe injury in his youth.

In comparison, the person beside him appeared rather ordinary.

Dressed in simple black cloth, he wore a buzz cut. His eyes drifted toward the door from time to time, as if he were deliberately waiting for them.

"Yu Chen, Village Chief, you're here!"

Seeing the two of them, Ming Dashan stood up happily.

"Uncle Dashan."

Yu Chen smiled and gave a greeting, turning his head to look at the other person. "And this is..."

Before Ming Dashan could make the introduction, the buzz-cut man stood straight up.

"My name is Yu Xiaogang, and you can also call me Grandmaster!"

He stared fixedly at Xiao Bai atop Yu Chen's head, not blinking his eyes even once.

"It really is a Detached Martial Soul!"

As he spoke, he reached out a finger, wanting to poke Xiao Bai.

"Awooo-"

Xiao Bai opened her mouth and bit straight down toward Yu Xiaogang's hand.

"Careful!"

Yu Chen waved a hand, instantly recalling Xiao Bai.

Then summoning his Martial Soul once again, Xiao Bai reappeared in his arms.

Martial Souls and Pokémon still had certain differences; for instance, Yu Chen could stop Xiao Bai in time whenever she was about to stir up trouble.

"The little fellow has quite a temper, but that also shows her intelligence is very high."

Yu Xiaogang gave an awkward smile.

Ming Dashan spoke up. "Yu Chen, Xiaogang is my friend, and also a theoretical Grandmaster. His Martial Soul is just like yours, both of them Detached Martial Souls. You should be able to learn quite a bit from him."

Yu Xiaogang nodded slightly, hands clasped behind his back.

"Yu Chen, I heard you have Innate Full Soul Power, but when it comes to the cultivation of a Detached Martial Soul, I'm afraid no one across the entire continent understands it better than I do."

He paused for a moment, then continued:

"Your talent, coupled with my theories-I dare guarantee that your future achievements will absolutely be no lower than a Titled Douluo!"

Yu Chen hesitated for a moment.

He could feel Ming Dashan's good intentions, but this Yu Xiaogang before his eyes didn't look particularly reliable.

"Grandmaster Yu, might I ask first, if you were to become my teacher, how do you plan to cultivate my Martial Soul?"

Yu Chen spoke up.

"That's right, my Martial Soul possesses fire abilities."