Time trickled by, and half a year quietly passed.
Lin Yang's Soul Power Level had risen from thirteen to seventeen.
His pace was slightly slower than before, but compared with the other students, his cultivation speed remained extraordinarily high.
The Great Sun Meditation Method naturally deserved some of the credit.
After all, it operated at every moment. Even if its efficiency was low, small gains could still pile up.
As his Soul Power Level increased, it was only natural for his cultivation to slow down.
Meanwhile, his first academic year at Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy officially ended, and a two-month holiday lay ahead.
No student disliked holidays, and Lin Yang was no exception.
I've been away from home for so long. I wonder how Grandma Su Xi is doing now?
With that thought in mind, Lin Yang packed his luggage very quickly.
He also stuffed all sorts of gifts into his Storage Soul Tool, then hired a carriage and returned to Red Maple Village.
The carriage was fast, taking just over two hours to reach the village entrance.
The instant he saw the familiar words "Red Maple Village" painted in red on the stone, an indescribable feeling filled Lin Yang's heart.
He really wanted to shout at the top of his lungs, "I'm back!"
He carried memories of his previous life, but the six years he had spent in this world were no less real.
Soon, Lin Yang collected himself, tightened the bundle on his back, and prepared to head home.
Just as he entered the village, he saw Village Chief Talen riding a donkey cart slowly toward the outskirts.
"Little Yang?"
Talen looked somewhat surprised when he saw Lin Yang. He had been about to go to Nuoding City to pick him up.
"Grandpa Chief," Lin Yang greeted him with a smile.
"I'm back."
"It's good that you're back." Talen nodded, then seemed to remember something and hurriedly added,
"Oh, right, perfect timing. Hurry home, and prepare yourself. Your grandma's getting old, and a little while ago, she..."
Bang!
Before Talen could finish, something like a fierce gust swept past, blowing the lone tuft of hair on his head until it threatened to topple.
By the time he recovered, Lin Yang had vanished without a trace.
Only two moderately sized pits remained where he had stood.
Talen stared blankly at the pits for a while before muttering,
"Why's this child so impatient now? He didn't even let me finish..."
Elsewhere, Lin Yang returned at full speed to the place he knew best.
Yet when he reached the door, he did not dare push it open and face that painful reality.
Just then, faint voices drifted from inside.
Lin Yang froze briefly. Almost without thinking, he pushed the door open and strode straight toward the bedroom.
"Grandma..."
Lin Yang shouted and lifted the door curtain. Two figures were inside, one lying down and one standing.
Grandma Su Xi lay on the bed, one foot wrapped in thick gauze, raised slightly and resting on a piled-up quilt. A pair of crutches stood beside the bed.
The moment she heard Lin Yang's voice, Grandma Su Xi excitedly tried to sit up.
"Little Yang, it really is you! You're back..."
"Grandma, it's me."
Lin Yang hurried forward to support Grandma Su Xi's arm, letting her large, rough hands feel over his face.
"It's good that you're back. You've grown taller... and stronger."
Grandma Su Xi's voice was a little choked, but her eyes shone.
"Grandma, what happened to your leg?"
Lin Yang frowned at her tightly bandaged foot.
"Ah... I went for a stroll near the village a little while ago. I wasn't paying attention, missed my footing, and fell," Grandma Su Xi said softly and helplessly.
"If Xiao Wu hadn't happened to pass by and bring me home, these old bones of mine really wouldn't have known what to do."
With that, she nudged the figure standing beside her forward.
"This is a good chance to introduce you. She's the good child who brought me back, Xiao Wu."
The moment he heard the name Xiao Wu, Lin Yang's pupils had already contracted to pinpoints.
When he saw Xiao Wu's signature scorpion braid, his suspicions were confirmed.
It really is that damned rabbit, Xiao Wu.
When Xiao Wu saw Lin Yang, a slight smile appeared on her face.
"Hello, you must be Grandma Su Xi's grandson. My name is Xiao Wu. The Wu means dance."
Coming back to his senses, Lin Yang lowered his eyes and said flatly, "Mm, hello! Thank you for saving my grandma."
"It's no problem!"
A trace of confusion flashed through Xiao Wu's eyes, but she still said,
"Grandma Su Xi is very kind. She gives me food and a place to stay."
Startled, Lin Yang could not help turning toward Grandma Su Xi, his look seeming to say, Grandma, have you gotten addicted to picking up children?
But Grandma Su Xi misunderstood his look and smiled fondly.
"Little Yang, Xiao Wu is a poor child too. She lost her family at such a young age. Seeing that she had nowhere to go, I let her stay in your room for now. She can help me out from day to day."
Lin Yang smiled bitterly inwardly. Grandma Su Xi, you've really handed me a difficult problem!
If she were an ordinary homeless child, he would not have said a word against it.
But the problem was that Xiao Wu was a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast, and an extremely weak one at that.
In the eyes of a Titled Douluo, she was a walking Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone.
And this rabbit, too-with so many cities and so many junior Soul Master Academies across the entire Douluo Continent, she just had to pick Nuoding City, where a Titled Douluo showed up.
What did that count as?
Waiting by a tree stump for a rabbit to run into it?
Afterward, Lin Yang chatted with Grandma Su Xi for a while. Seeing that she looked somewhat tired, he quietly left the room.
"Come with me."
With his back to Xiao Wu, Lin Yang spoke softly.
Xiao Wu paused in surprise, but obediently followed him out.
The two left the village and walked along a ridge beside the roadside fields. Unable to hold back any longer, Xiao Wu asked,
"Hey, what did you call me out here for?"
Lin Yang stopped and turned his wrist. The black Nichirin Blade instantly appeared in his hand.
Xiao Wu stiffened and hurriedly retreated two steps, wariness rising in her eyes.
"What are you trying to do?"
Lin Yang did not answer, instead saying in a low, unhurried voice, "As a Soul Master, I should kill you right now and take your Soul Ring and Soul Bone."
Boom!
Lin Yang's words were like a thunderclap out of a clear sky. Xiao Wu's rosy face instantly turned deathly pale.
A bone-piercing chill shot straight to the crown of her head, and even her heartbeat stopped for an instant.
"You... you... know?"
"Of course..."
Before his words had faded, Xiao Wu had already become a crimson afterimage, hurtling toward Lin Yang.
"Martial Soul, possess!"
Almost simultaneously, red light shone from Xiao Wu's body.
Her eyes turned red, a pair of furry rabbit ears appeared, and she seemed to grow a little taller.
Her long legs, in particular, became slender and supple, brimming with strength.
As Soul Power rippled, a Yellow Soul Ring rose from beneath her feet.
All of this happened in an instant.
Swish!
Red light flashed in Xiao Wu's eyes. The scorpion braid behind her head lashed out like a living thing, winding toward Lin Yang's neck.
Seeing this, Lin Yang snorted coldly. Crimson Interval's edge gleamed with a cold light as he swung it forward, tracing a perfect arc in an instant.
A length of hair fell at once, severed strands scattering through the air.
Xiao Wu's carefully woven scorpion braid instantly lost its power, flying apart in all directions.
But her attacks did not stop. Red light flashed in her eyes, and her assault instead grew even fiercer.
Her hands were soft and seemingly boneless, trying to coil around Lin Yang's wrists like nimble snakes.
Grappling!
Once she wound herself around him, even Lin Yang would find it troublesome.
But how could he give this rabbit a chance to succeed? He stepped back and swept his blade past, only for her to narrowly evade it.
Even so, the biting blade left an inch-long cut on her arm, blood flowing freely.
Xiao Wu paid no heed to it now. She twisted and leaped, sweeping her long leg across like a whip as the Soul Ring beside her quietly lit up.
First Soul Skill: Waist Bow!
Before you continue