Luo Chen followed Lü Jingyi through corridor after corridor, finally arriving before a carved wooden door.
Exquisite patterns adorned the door, and he could faintly make out the character "Li" carved into it.
Lü Jingyi stopped, turned around, and raised a hand to his mouth to signal Luo Chen to remain silent. Then he turned back and knocked on the door.
After a series of crisp knocks, Lü Jingyi took a deep breath and called out, "Young master, I've brought Demon Scorpion."
A moment later, a voice finally came from within, deep and melodious as a cello, with a languid elegance. "Let him in."
Hearing this, Lü Jingyi turned and handed Luo Chen the jasmine flowers he had already prepared. "Go in."
His tone remained courteous, but his eyes held a hint of deeper meaning.
Luo Chen took the jasmine flowers, nodded, pushed open the door, and entered the room.
The room was softly lit. Several oil lamps with lotus-shaped bases cast a warm glow over the entire space.
The furnishings were simple, too: just a desk, a few chairs, and a large bookshelf. On the shelves were some books that had clearly been leafed through often.
Luo Chen looked around and casually placed the jasmine flowers on the table by the entrance.
A moment later, he suddenly felt that the room looked familiar.
"This place... looks like the room of Teacher Li, who tested my Soul Power?" Luo Chen sniffed. "Even the smell is so similar."
"But," Luo Chen muttered to himself, "how could a teacher who tests Soul Power be the young master of the Soto Great Soul Arena?"
"I'm probably overthinking it?"
While Luo Chen was still puzzling over this, a voice, deep and melodious as a cello, came from the depths of the room:
"Demon Scorpion, real name Luo Chen, an orphan from Bluestone Village, Innate Full Soul Power, awakened the Netherworld Scorpion Emperor Martial Soul. Correct?"
At these words, Luo Chen's heart jolted.
I'm done for. This young master investigated my identity. Resigned to facing death, Luo Chen looked toward the voice. Only then did he notice a man sitting in a chair near the corner of the room, though he had no idea when the man had appeared.
The man wore white robes and possessed an exceedingly elegant bearing. A silver half-mask covered the lower half of his face, leaving only his fathomless eyes and high nose bridge exposed.
Merely sitting there, he gave off an incomparably powerful pressure that left Luo Chen unable to breathe.
"If you feel uncomfortable, you can use Martial Soul Possession."
Before the man finished speaking, Luo Chen immediately activated his Netherworld Scorpion Emperor Martial Soul Possession.
In an instant, a cold, powerful presence erupted from within him. Dark green carapace patterns surfaced on his skin, and nine scorpion tails shot skyward from his sacrum.
As though sensing something, the Netherworld Scorpion Emperor's presence within Luo Chen suddenly went berserk, confronting the pressure radiating from the man in the chair head-on.
At the same time, the Nine Poison Scorpion Hook Sword behind Luo Chen instantly extended. Nine scorpion tails coiled around him like nine venomous snakes, ready to strike at any moment.
"You're the young master of the Soto Great Soul Arena, aren't you?" Wariness tinged Luo Chen's voice. "May I ask why you invited me here, young master?"
The man did not answer Luo Chen's question directly. He merely smiled faintly, the corners of his mouth curling into a meaningful arc:
"Not bad."
"To possess an External Soul Bone at such a young age, and a Martial Soul with the Nether God's bloodline... you do qualify to become my disciple."
At this point, the man paused, then slowly rose to his feet.
The next second, a terrifying surge of Soul Power erupted from within him. At the same time, eight Soul Rings-two yellow, one purple, and three black-instantly appeared behind him.
Two yellow, one purple, five black. He's a Soul Douluo, and no ordinary Soul Douluo at that. Luo Chen instantly stiffened, a chill shooting from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head. What exactly does this man want with me?!
Seeing Luo Chen's shocked expression, the man's lips curled into a smile:
"Demon Scorpion... oh, no, Luo Chen. Tell me, am I qualified to be your teacher?" A hint of amusement colored his voice. "You might not know me very well. You see, what I hate most is being refused."
As his words fell, pressure dozens of times stronger than before instantly enveloped the entire room. The Netherworld Scorpion Emperor's presence, which had still been able to resist it, immediately withered, and Luo Chen once again found himself unable to breathe.
Just as the man took it for granted that Luo Chen would agree, Luo Chen suddenly did something he had not expected.
Faced with this tremendous pressure, Luo Chen showed no fear. Instead, determination appeared on his face, and his voice carried that same resolve:
"A teacher is one who imparts the Way, passes on knowledge, and resolves doubts."
"If I must take a master, I will only take a scholar with a profound knowledge of Martial Soul Theory."
"If not..." He raised his eyes and looked straight at the man without the slightest retreat. "I would rather die."
The man clearly had not expected Luo Chen to say this. For the first time, a flicker of surprise flashed through his pale golden eyes, along with a trace of appreciation and a hint of... amusement.
A moment later, his lips curved into a smile, and he said pleasantly, "What a coincidence, then. I happen to be a learned scholar."
"I wonder if you've read the Encyclopedia of Basic Martial Soul Knowledge and the Encyclopedia of Poison-Type Soul Beasts?" he asked slowly, his tone carrying a hint of pride. "I wrote them when I was eighteen."
At these words, Luo Chen's eyes immediately lit up. Of course he had read them, and many times at that.
The Encyclopedia of Basic Martial Soul Knowledge, in detail,
recorded the characteristics of various Martial Souls, methods of cultivation, and methods of Soul Ring Configuration. It could be called a classic in the field of Martial Soul Theory in the field of Martial Soul Theory on the Douluo Continent.
The other book, the Encyclopedia of Poison-Type Soul Beasts, was a detailed record of various poison-attribute Soul Beasts.
It described the habits, habitats, and attack methods of poison-attribute Soul Beasts, and even included ways to calculate their ages and analyses of their weaknesses. It could be called an essential reference for poison-attribute Soul Masters.
It could be said that Luo Chen had relied on these two books to select the Soul Beasts for his first Soul Ring and second Soul Ring. Without them, he could not possibly have known these Soul Beasts existed.
Seeing Luo Chen's excitement, the man immediately pressed his advantage. "Then, do I now have a chance to become your teacher?"
Hearing this, Luo Chen considered it inwardly. Someone who could write the Encyclopedia of Basic Martial Soul Knowledge and the Encyclopedia of Poison-Type Soul Beasts is definitely a towering authority in Martial Soul Theory. Taking him as my master wouldn't be a loss.
At this thought, Luo Chen immediately dropped to both knees and declared loudly, "Disciple Luo Chen greets his master!"
The man did not make things difficult for Luo Chen. He reached out, pulled him to his feet, and then called toward the door:
"Lü Jingyi, from this day forward, Luo Chen is my disciple."
"From now on, seeing him is the same as seeing me. Now, go prepare a room for him."
A voice soon came from outside the door. "Yes, young master."
Only then did Luo Chen remember that this master he had picked up seemed to like jasmine flowers.
He hurriedly retrieved the jasmine flowers from the table by the entrance and offered them to the man. "Master, I heard you like jasmine flowers, so I prepared these for you. I hope you like them."
Hearing this, the man smiled and accepted the jasmine flowers from Luo Chen.
He brought them to his nose and gently sniffed them, a satisfied expression appearing on his face. "How thoughtful of you. I like them very much."
"But since my disciple has prepared a gift for his master, I'll prepare a gift for you tomorrow as well." A mysterious smile curved his lips. "A gift that will be very useful to you."