One Who Transcended the Limits of His Era

Her palm lightly touched the glass on the counter. It was cold, but an extremely faint ripple of Soul Power connected with Dugu Yan's palm.

Bzz-

As though shocked by electricity, Dugu Yan abruptly pulled her palm away, then retreated several steps, a trace of alarm showing in her eyes.

Her reaction also gave Ye Lingling beside her quite a fright.

"Dugu Yan, what's wrong?"

Dugu Yan came back to her senses and shook her head.

"N-nothing, it's just..."

Her words stopped short. The sensation just now had been so fleeting that she had already broken free before it could leave anything in her mind.

"It seems your perception is very keen, Miss Dugu Yan. You noticed what makes my Soul Tools different so quickly."

Seeing her reaction, Mo Lin, who had watched everything, spoke up to smooth things over.

Otherwise, given Dugu Yan's temperament, she would probably feel embarrassed.

But she could hardly be blamed. After all, every Soul Tool here had been made from spirit-forged metal.

Hundred Refinement purified; Thousand Refinement gave form.

Spirit Forging was a product built upon those first two levels.

This was technology from twenty thousand years in the future, though some people could accomplish it even now.

The Divine Craftsman Lou Gao, for instance, though his chances of success were extremely low and the cost extremely high.

"Ahem, as if I needed you to tell me."

Mo Lin's praise left Dugu Yan feeling rather embarrassed, but she could hardly accept it outright, so this was the only way she could respond.

Her disguise was rather clumsy, however, and Ye Lingling saw through it at a glance.

"Pfft, Dugu Yan's blushing."

Truthfully, even she rarely saw Dugu Yan wear such an expression.

After all, back at the academy, she was famously proud and fiercely competitive.

Shyness? Could that possibly have anything to do with her?

"Lingling!"

Seeing Ye Lingling behave this way, Dugu Yan immediately grew flustered and exasperated, ready to execute her on the spot.

As the two began fooling around, Mo Lin had no intention of getting involved and instead walked over to the counter where Dugu Yan had just stood.

Just as he reached out to take the item from inside, a familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar voice sounded in his mind.

[Ding, system check-in successful. Host has completed the check-in task. Reward obtained: Dog Talisman.]

[Ding, system check-in task complete. System shutting down automatically.]

The voice echoed in his mind, then a mysterious power surged into his body.

Mo Lin's body froze in place, but a moment later, he returned to normal, as though nothing had happened.

The Dog Talisman. I've finally collected all Twelve Talismans.

He murmured inwardly. After all, he had waited a full twelve years for this day.

The system had activated twelve years ago, when he awakened his Martial Soul.

His system, however, had no particularly special functions.

Its only purpose had been to give him one chance at a prize draw.

The reward was random; whatever he drew was what he got.

But whether his luck had gone through the roof or he had caught a system bug, he did not know.

He had actually drawn both the Wolffy Template and the power of the Twelve Talismans at once.

The wheel's pointer had landed precisely in the middle, without the slightest deviation.

He had originally thought he would have to choose one, but he had never expected the system to be so generous as to give him both outright.

It had not given him everything at once, however, but distributed it in installments.

The Wolffy Template had been issued immediately, granting him four talents: Wolf King Intimidation, Technological Mastery, Quick Thinking, and Energy Control.

It was precisely the abilities granted by this template that gave him a uniquely favorable advantage when it came to Soul Tools.

Talisman Power, meanwhile, had been distributed yearly, with one randomly obtained through each check-in.

He was eighteen now, and exactly twelve years had passed since his awakening.

The power of the Twelve Talismans had fully merged with him, and he could feel the tremendous power they granted him.

Yet he did not seem particularly excited by this newly acquired power. Instead, he appeared rather calm.

He was as calm and casual as if he had completed some insignificant little task.

Of course, this was normal. Under the influence of Talisman Power, his current self was only "half" of himself.

"Mo Lin, what's wrong?"

Ye Lingling's slightly puzzled voice reached him, and Mo Lin came back to his senses and looked up.

The two who had been playing around had now quieted down and were looking at him.

"Nothing. I just remembered a few things and got a little distracted."

After that casual explanation, Mo Lin reached into the counter and took out the round Soul Tool, then held it out to Dugu Yan.

"As this shop's first customer, please accept this Soul Tool as a gift."

Dugu Yan's expression paused at his words as she gazed at the Soul Tool in his hand.

Out of curiosity, she very much wanted to take it immediately and investigate it.

But for the sake of her pride, she restrained herself and did not reach for it.

"I'm not interested in this thing. Besides, do you take me for someone who goes chasing petty bargains? It's not as though I can't afford it. Your little shop doesn't seem to get much business anyway. For Lingling's sake, name your price. I'll buy it."

Dugu Yan turned her head aside, her tone as haughty as ever.

It was much gentler than before, however. Clearly, she too was someone whose words did not match her heart.

"Mo Lin, this must be expensive, right? Maybe you shouldn't give it away. Dugu Yan still has quite a bit of pocket money left this month. She should be able to afford it."

Ye Lingling did not know much about Soul Tools, but she knew one thing: they were antiques. They might not be particularly useful, but they certainly were not cheap, even if the one in Mo Lin's hand looked brand-new, as though it had just been made.

"Oh, so you're even scheming after your best friend's pocket money for a man! Ye Lingling, how did I never notice before that you put romance before friendship?"

Dugu Yan immediately took issue with that.

She reached out and snatched the Soul Tool from Mo Lin's hand, then gave Ye Lingling a challenging look.

"I've changed my mind. This will count as the compensation you owe me."

With that, Dugu Yan turned and ran, seemingly afraid Ye Lingling would chase after her.

Watching Dugu Yan flee, Ye Lingling merely smiled calmly, showing no intention of pursuing her.

How could she not know what sort of person Dugu Yan was?

She was all hard words and a soft heart. Besides, she was no wealthy moneybags.

Ye Lingling's conscience would not let her swindle what little pocket money she had.

She had only brought her over to show some support in the first place, with no other plans.

"Mo Lin, was the Soul Tool you gave Dugu Yan expensive? If it was too expensive, I still have some pocket money. Maybe..."

Ye Lingling did not really understand the market for such things, but she knew that however she looked at it, that Soul Tool had seemed anything but ordinary.

Its price probably would not be cheap either.

She rested her hand on the pocket at her waist, looking somewhat embarrassed.

After all, she did not have much pocket money left this month either.

A single penny could bring even a hero to his knees. That saying held true anywhere.

"You're standing on ceremony even with me now?"

At the sight, Mo Lin smiled, then spoke softly.

"You were never this polite when we were little, but now that you've grown up, you've started standing on ceremony. Our bond really has faded."

Leaning against the counter, Mo Lin sighed with feigned sorrow.

As a child, Ye Lingling had not been as quiet as she was now, and she had been particularly fond of eating, especially sweets.

His most vivid memory was of her at six, eating from a plate of osmanthus candy and getting her hands all sticky.

Then she had wiped them on his clothes. She had been as mischievous as could be, practically a different person from who she was now.

She had done no shortage of things like that as a child.

They had only gradually become less frequent as she grew older. Come to think of it, he rather liked the livelier Ye Lingling of her childhood. After all, she had seemed particularly full of life.

"Mo Lin, you're awful."

Seemingly recalling something, Ye Lingling blushed, murmured those words, then fled the shop.

Watching the two leave one after another, Mo Lin merely smiled, then headed deeper into the shop.

Business in Soul Tools was not particularly good, especially in this era.

Most of the Soul Tool craftsmanship on the Douluo Continent had already been lost. Of those that remained, fewer than one in ten retained their functions, and most were decorations nobles bought to keep up appearances.

His shop stood in a relatively quiet part of Heaven Dou City. Having anyone discover it on its very first day was already a pleasant surprise.

Of course, he had done this deliberately. His stated reason was a lack of money, but in reality, he needed quiet.

Just as he turned to do something else, steady footsteps sounded behind him.

Immediately afterward, a familiar voice came from outside the door.

"Long time no see, Brother Mo Lin."

"It's you?"