"Xiao Chen, Nana, and Wang Sheng."
Luo Chen had performed two Ascension Rituals in succession. Although he said they had cost him nothing, Bibi Dong still felt a pang of concern. "Rest well today. Tomorrow, I'll take you to hunt for Soul Rings."
"Yes, Teacher."
"Thank you, Your Holiness!"
Wang Sheng was not Bibi Dong's disciple, but he now had innate full Soul Power, enough for Spirit Hall to spare no effort in nurturing him.
"Junior Brother, let me help you."
Hu Liena had officially squeezed Wang Sheng out of his position and become Luo Chen's new caretaker.
"Thank you."
Luo Chen did not refuse.
Between a rough fellow and an adorable little girl, did he even need to think about whom to choose?
Of course he would choose the sweet little fox who loved snuggling up to him!
Wang Sheng: A rough fellow at six? So love does disappear, huh?
Watching the three little ones disappear into the orphanage, Bibi Dong and her two companions chose not to stay elsewhere, remaining at the orphanage instead.
At noon, Bibi Dong took the three little ones to the finest restaurant in Nuoding City.
Hu Liena had previously lived with her brother, Xie Yue, in Spirit City's orphanage for the children of fallen heroes. She had suffered little hardship, but she had never eaten anything particularly fine either.
After becoming Bibi Dong's disciple, Hu Liena's quality of life had risen by more than one notch. In Spirit Hall, however, Soul Masters generally maintained an outward appearance of austerity.
As the Supreme Pontiff's disciple, Hu Liena had all the more reason to lead by example.
Her meals certainly would not be poor, but lavish extravagance was clearly out of the question.
Thus, even Hu Liena's eyes filled with disbelief at the table laden with delicacies.
After all, the current Supreme Pontiff, Bibi Dong, was a model of someone whose conduct matched her principles, and she particularly detested extravagance and waste.
Yet now...
What was going on?
"Xiao Chen, here, have some of this."
Bibi Dong thoughtfully served food to Luo Chen beside her. The doting affection in her eyes nearly made Hu Liena feel a little jealous.
Fortunately, the person Bibi Dong was doting on was Luo Chen.
At that thought, Hu Liena's displeasure vanished like smoke and clouds. No matter how much you spoil him now, Xiao Chen will still be mine in the future!
Brimming with confidence, Hu Liena even began eating a little faster.
After the meal, on a whim, Bibi Dong decided to take the three little ones sightseeing around Nuoding City.
During their outing, Bibi Dong noticed Luo Chen's terribly shabby clothing. The stunningly beautiful Supreme Pontiff's heart ached, and she once again felt guilty for failing to remember him sooner.
Naturally, Spirit Hall's Supreme Pontiff was not short of money. Bibi Dong generously began buying clothes for Luo Chen, and Wang Sheng benefited as well, gaining several new outfits.
"What an adorable little fellow."
Inside a clothing shop in Nuoding City, Bibi Dong looked at Luo Chen in his new outfit, her gaze filled with affection.
"Here, try this one too."
The more Bibi Dong interacted with Luo Chen, the more she liked the child.
Shopping for children's clothes with Luo Chen also gave Bibi Dong the wondrous experience of an everyday parent-child outing.
Never in her dreams had Bibi Dong imagined that someone like her could find such pure happiness.
"Xiao Chen, are you all right?"
Before long, however, Bibi Dong noticed Luo Chen's increasingly pale face.
She suddenly realized she had become so absorbed that she had forgotten about Luo Chen's physical condition. This child had still been bedridden just yesterday.
"Cough, cough, cough."
"I'm sorry, Teacher. You too, Nana."
Luo Chen was not pretending. He truly could not hold on any longer. "I'm... really too tired."
In fact, Luo Chen had felt physically exhausted long before this, but because Hu Liena and Bibi Dong were so enthusiastic, he had gritted his teeth and endured.
"No, it's my fault."
Bibi Dong noticed cold sweat beginning to bead on Luo Chen's forehead and knew that his discomfort certainly had not only just begun.
She had thought Luo Chen's body would recover after he awakened his Martial Soul.
But now, it seemed that his condition had not improved. He was still the same as before.
Fortunately, Luo Chen was merely overly exhausted and had no other problems.
Only then did Bibi Dong breathe a sigh of relief, silently warning herself never to be so careless again.
"I clearly resolved never to let this child suffer the slightest harm again, yet I..."
Her heart aching, Bibi Dong gathered Luo Chen into her arms, circulated her Soul Power, and swiftly brought him back to the orphanage.
"I'm sorry, Xiao Chen. This was my fault."
Bibi Dong sounded downcast. She first tucked Luo Chen in gently, then held his little hand, her eyes full of concern and tenderness. "I won't do this again..."
"It's all right, Teacher. It's just my old condition."
"And thank you for buying me those clothes, Teacher. I really like them."
Luo Chen did not blame Bibi Dong. Since his transmigration, his health had kept him from leaving the small area where the orphanage and Spirit Hall stood.
So although today's shopping trip had been a little tiring, Luo Chen had found it novel. It was also his first experience of the Douluo Continent's local sights and customs.
"Ah..."
Seeing that Luo Chen truly did not blame her, Bibi Dong felt touched, but many worries also arose in her heart.
Recalling Luo Chen's behavior throughout their outing, Bibi Dong soon realized his intention. "This child must have seen how much I was enjoying myself and wanted me to have my fill, so he kept forcing himself not to collapse."
At that thought, Bibi Dong could not help marveling at how fortunate she was to have met such a good disciple.
"Xiao Chen, get some rest."
Bibi Dong gently stroked Luo Chen's forehead, her eyes filled with maternal affection. "I'll be staying next door tonight. If you feel unwell at all, you can tell me anytime."
"Teacher, Teacher!"
Seeing her opportunity, Hu Liena hurriedly volunteered. "I want to sleep with Xiao Chen!"
"Hmm?"
Before Bibi Dong could ask, Hu Liena offered an unassailable reason. "That way, I can stay beside Xiao Chen and look after him whenever he needs me tonight."
"Well..."
They were only two six-year-old children. No one would read anything into it.
Besides, the little fox was close to Luo Chen, and Bibi Dong considered the harmony between senior sister and junior brother a good thing. "All right. Then I'll leave Xiao Chen in your care, Nana."
"Hooray!"
Once Bibi Dong agreed, the little fox could not even wait for sunset before hopping onto Luo Chen's bed. "Xiao Chen, your senior sister will sing for you."
With that, Hu Liena began singing a pleasant nursery rhyme.
The melody was rather like a lullaby, well suited to singing to young children to help them fall asleep quickly.
Seeing this, Bibi Dong led the others out of Luo Chen's room.
Before long, lulled by Hu Liena's song, Luo Chen drifted peacefully to sleep.
Before they knew it, the sun was sinking in the west.
Inside the room, Hu Liena lay on her side beside Luo Chen. Gazing at his delicate features, the girl could not resist leaning down and kissing his smooth cheek.
"I really kissed him~~"
Hu Liena startled herself with her boldness.
Once she recovered, she hurriedly ducked her head under the covers, completely hiding her burning face. "Oh, how could you do something like that? Hu Liena, you're so shameless."
Despite her words, the little fox still shifted closer, pressing her soft, charming little body against Luo Chen.
Finally, she even reached out and gathered the soundly sleeping Luo Chen into her arms, then gave a delighted little chuckle like a fox that had stolen a hen.
The night was hazy, Han Yue gathering frost.
Within the silent orphanage, a figure appeared soundlessly near Luo Chen's room.
"My lord, I've arrived."
Di Tian held a silvery-white dragon scale in his palm. It was the Silver Dragon King's reverse scale, a treasure comparable to a divine artifact.
Unlike in the original story, however, the Silver Dragon King had separated a portion of her own origin and infused it into this reverse scale, allowing it to exchange thoughts and feelings with her true body.
"Have you found the being who shares Lord Dragon God's origin?"
"I should..."
Di Tian was not entirely certain. "Have found him."
He was immensely powerful. Hiding from Titled Douluo was no difficult task for an expert in the demigod realm.
The sole exception was Bibi Dong, who carried the Rakshasa God's divine power.
This prevented Di Tian from approaching too closely. He feared drawing the Rakshasa God's attention and causing the Divine Realm to discover the whereabouts of remnants of the Dragon God like them.
"Should have?"
The Silver Dragon King sounded puzzled. "What do you mean, should have?"
"My lord, I saw a human child."
Di Tian's spiritual power had sensed Luo Chen, but then a presence that frightened even him had prevented him from probing further. "There is an utterly terrifying presence within his body. It exerts tremendous suppression on me. I dare not approach the child too closely."
"A human child?"
"Could it be a Soul Beast that has transformed into a human?"
While the Silver Dragon King was puzzling over this, Luo Chen opened his eyes inside the room where he had been sleeping.
"What is this presence?"
Luo Chen sensed a familiar sort of power. "It's very similar to ascended power, and its quality is even higher."
Although it still fell far short of The Star Forger at the disk's source, the mere fact that it could attract Luo Chen showed how extraordinary this presence was.
"He's awake!"
Outside the orphanage, Di Tian, who was concealing his presence, noticed Luo Chen awaken. "He really did sense the Dragon God's creation and cosmic origin!"
Although it was merely a reverse scale, the Silver Dragon King had infused it with almost all the cosmic origin she had inherited from the Dragon God.
Precisely because of this, the reverse scale also resonated with The Star Forger's power within Luo Chen.
An urgent impulse to draw closer, to return to its origin, arose spontaneously.
"Di Tian, give him the reverse scale."
"What?!"
Di Tian exclaimed, "But my lord, your reverse scale contains a great deal of your origin. Your grave injuries have yet to heal. If..."
"Are you telling me what to do?!"
"..."
Di Tian could not defy the Silver Dragon King's command.
Thus, despite his considerable reluctance, Di Tian still chose to obey.
"Remember, do not alert the Rakshasa God's inheritor."
Like Di Tian, the Silver Dragon King was wary of Bibi Dong.
By rights, they should have been hiding in the Lake of Life, avoiding contact with the outside world, let alone a Soul Master like Bibi Dong who had received God Trials.
But since the Silver Dragon King had made her choice, she would follow that path unwaveringly.
Even if this truly was a trap, the Silver Dragon King would not regret it.
"This presence?"
At the same time, Luo Chen sat up inside the room.
With puzzlement in his eyes, he summoned his first Martial Soul, the celestial Star Crown, into his hand.
The celestial Star Crown glimmered faintly. Through it, Luo Chen sensed power of the cosmic origin similar to The Star Forger's.
"Power of the cosmic origin? But why?"
Luo Chen did not doubt the celestial Star Crown's perception, and he understood what power of the cosmic origin meant.
The Star Forger was a true god in the League of Legends universe. He had witnessed the destruction and birth of universes and possessed the mighty power to forge stars with a casual gesture.
Luo Chen could understand The Star Forger possessing cosmic origin.
But the question was, why was it here?
Nuoding City, the orphanage.
Where would this place get something like power of the cosmic origin, which sounded so lofty, grand, and high-class?
"Should I go take a look?"
Before Luo Chen could decide, however, a scale shimmering with silvery-white light appeared out of thin air before him.
The instant the scale appeared, the celestial Star Crown conveyed its desire to absorb it to Luo Chen.
It was not just the Star Crown. As though it too had found its own kind, the silver scale flew straight toward the celestial Star Crown, finally dissolving into specks of silver that surged into Luo Chen's Martial Soul.
"My lord?"
Di Tian received no response from the Silver Dragon King. He thought his task was complete, but, still uneasy, he remained hidden outside the orphanage rather than leaving immediately.
"Damn it, my connection to my origin has been severed!"
Far away, in the separate space within the Star Dou Great Forest's Lake of Life, the Silver Dragon King suddenly opened her purple dragon eyes from her slumber. A trace of anger flickered through them; clearly, she had not expected her cosmic origin to be completely absorbed by Luo Chen's Martial Soul.
Very soon, however, the Silver Dragon King discovered that her perception of the dragon scale had returned.
The next moment, a new view appeared in her mind.
It was a boundless cosmos, glittering with flowing starlight. When the Silver Dragon King looked closely, she discovered that those stars formed an enormous draconic body vast enough to blot out the stars.
"What is this?!"
The Silver Dragon King had never seen such a sacred, majestic dragon. Even the phantom image of the Dragon God engraved in her memories could not remotely compare.
For a moment, even the Silver Dragon King felt a sense of terror.
"What are you?"
Just then, a majestic voice rang out beside the Silver Dragon King's ears.
Startled, she considered briefly and was about to answer.
But the next moment, the Silver Dragon King's thoughts were interrupted by a melodious female voice. "I... I'm your innate aspects."
"???"
The Silver Dragon King froze, her heart filled with bewilderment and suspicion. She seemed not to have reacted at all.
Who was speaking?
And why did that voice feel so familiar?
It was clearly her first time hearing it, yet the Silver Dragon King instinctively recognized the owner of that female voice-it was herself!
"An Aspect?"
Meanwhile, inside the Martial Soul Space, Luo Chen was looking down through the Dragon King's eyes at a tiny figure roaming the Astral Realm.
It was a little silver-white dragon whose entire body glittered with brilliant starlight. She was extraordinarily beautiful, like a flawless work of art that made one want to cradle her in one's palms and tenderly care for her.
"Yes, Master."
As the silver dragon answered, a flood of information flowed back from the Celestial Star Crown, revealing her origins to Luo Chen.
The Celestial Star Crown was Luo Chen's first Martial Soul. It could preserve the souls of Soul Beasts whose Soul Rings had been absorbed, then use Celestial Power to transform them into celestial beings called Aspects, known as Celestial Life.
Aspects resembled Soul Spirits, but unlike Soul Spirits...
They possessed physical bodies and would continue to grow stronger as Luo Chen's Soul Power increased.
Eighteen Soul Rings, eighteen Aspects, plus the Innate Soul Skills these Aspects bestowed upon Luo Chen.
These were the abilities of the Celestial Star Crown Martial Soul.
"Are you the soul inside that silver scale?"
"I... suppose so."
Yet the little silver dragon seemed somewhat lost. She had no memories of the past, knowing only that she was Luo Chen's Innate Aspect and was to accompany and protect him.
"Oh, right. I think I have a name. It's Na... Na'er?"
Na'er seemed uncertain. She looked at Luo Chen with her beautiful purple eyes. "I don't remember. Why don't you give me a name, Master?"
"Let's call you Na'er."
Luo Chen did not know where Na'er had come from.
There was nothing like that silver scale in his memories, nor did he know whether it existed in the original work.
"Maybe it did. After all, I never read the original."
Luo Chen examined his Martial Soul and discovered, to his surprise, that after absorbing the silver scale, the Celestial Star Crown had gained its first Soul Ring.
"So this scale counts as a kind of Soul Beast too?"
Luo Chen's knowledge of Martial Souls was limited, coming mostly from books in the orphanage and the Spirit Hall Branch.
As far as he knew, Soul Masters had to hunt and kill Soul Beasts themselves to obtain Soul Rings. There had never been a case of a Martial Soul absorbing something and producing a Soul Ring on its own.
Withdrawing his consciousness from the Martial Soul Space, Luo Chen summoned the Celestial Star Crown above his palm. Outside the magnificent crown, a white Soul Ring slowly revolved.
"White!"
The corner of Luo Chen's mouth twitched. His Martial Soul was indeed exceptionally special: the Star Forger's power would steadily be unsealed as Soul Rings were added, and it would pour that power into every Soul Ring, improving their quality and level.
But having a white Ten-Year Soul Ring as his first Soul Ring really was a slap in the face for a God-Level Martial Soul.
If Bibi Dong, his teacher, found out, she would explode with anger.
At that thought, Luo Chen hurriedly withdrew his Martial Soul and immersed his mind once more.
What Luo Chen did not know, however, was that while he spoke with Na'er, an enormous creature was roaring furiously in Star Dou Great Forest, thousands of miles away.
"Why is this happening?"
Feeling the affection and dependence constantly flowing from Na'er, the Silver Dragon King was beside herself. "What exactly did this human brat do to my origin?"
The Silver Dragon King realized that her connection with Na'er had not been severed. It had merely become a one-way channel.
Simply put, everything Na'er thought, felt, and experienced would be perfectly transmitted to the Silver Dragon King, allowing her to experience it herself.
In the other direction, however, the Silver Dragon King could neither convey her thoughts nor interfere with Na'er's consciousness.
What drove the Silver Dragon King even closer to a breakdown was that there was no delay whatsoever between their sensations.
Just now, for instance, as Luo Chen changed the projection of his consciousness within the Martial Soul Space from the Star Forger into a human child, Na'er immediately came closer and affectionately snuggled against her master.
That sense of closeness, attachment, joy, and satisfaction left the Silver Dragon King utterly mortified and furious. She nearly lost control and rushed over to Luo Chen to give him a vicious warning.
"A warning?"
"Just a warning?"
"Things have already gone this far, and all I can think of is warning him?"
The Silver Dragon King soon recognized the change in her thinking.
She was being influenced, assimilated by Na'er's feelings.
Normally, the Silver Dragon King would clearly have suffered a tremendous loss in such a situation. Given her personality, killing Luo Chen outright would have been the most reasonable course of action.
Yet now, the Silver Dragon King could not muster any desire to hurt Luo Chen at all.
Whenever even the slightest such thought arose, Na'er's feelings would clash with the Silver Dragon King's own judgment, leaving her in extreme discomfort.
"Damn it!"
The Silver Dragon King ground her teeth in hatred and began to feel regret.
Had she known this would happen, she would never have come to investigate that trace of Cosmic Origin.
Yes, the Silver Dragon King, who never regretted anything, regretted it.
"What's this?"
Yet just as the Silver Dragon King seethed over Na'er's appearance, streams of incomparably pure, primordial life force flowed back from Na'er.
"What immense vitality!"
The Silver Dragon King hurriedly examined her internal condition and discovered that the Asura Divine Power, which had clung to her like maggots burrowing into bone, and her battered body were recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye.
This recovery had no side effects and continued without end, its pace countless times faster than when she had absorbed Gold of Life.
"What is this power?"
"Celestial Power?"
"Is this a benefit brought by that Martial Soul called the Star Forger?"
Through Na'er, the Silver Dragon King learned the source of this power: the connection between the Star Forger Martial Soul and its Innate Aspect.
Innate Aspects could grow, and as long as Luo Chen did not die, Na'er would never be destroyed.
This self-restoration and return to one's origin were manifestations of the Star Forger's power of creation.
Na'er and the Silver Dragon King shared the same root and origin. They were, in fact, the same person.
Thus, although Na'er herself was completely unharmed, in the perception of Celestial Power, Na'er was injured-gravely injured-and needed to recover.
And so, Celestial Power transformed into the most primordial, pure life force and flowed endlessly through Na'er into the Silver Dragon King's body, beginning to heal her injuries.
"This vitality feels so comfortable..."
With the torment of the Asura Divine Power inside her suppressed, the Silver Dragon King let out a melodious dragon cry.
She had thought Luo Chen had seized her origin, costing her dearly.
Who could have imagined that the mountain path would turn and reveal a new vista, and that this decision would instead become her opportunity to regain her strength?
"At this rate of recovery, perhaps I'll need only a few thousand years to heal all my hidden injuries and return to my peak."
By the Silver Dragon King's original estimate, even with the power of Gold of Life, she would have needed at least twenty thousand years to recover fully.
Now, with the ceaseless stream of Celestial Power flowing from Na'er, the Silver Dragon King felt that she could not only regain her peak, but also sensed the possibility of advancing further.
"This power called Celestial Power is every bit the equal of Dragon God Origin."
The Silver Dragon King examined herself with her divine sense and discovered that her level of existence was transforming toward a higher realm. "And this is only the beginning. If the information my origin avatar received is correct, as this human bra-this child grows stronger, I'll receive more and more Celestial Power."
This also meant that the Silver Dragon King's injuries would heal faster and faster.
At that thought, whether because of the influence of Na'er's personality or not, the Silver Dragon King's attitude toward Luo Chen improved considerably.
Even the way she referred to Luo Chen changed from "human brat" to "this child."
Luo Chen, however, knew nothing of Na'er's origins, much less how greatly his Martial Soul had helped the Silver Dragon King.
His attention was now focused entirely on Na'er.
"Look, Master! Na'er looks just like you now."
Amid the mysterious starry sky, the little silver dragon had vanished, replaced by a silver-haired girl of about five or six.
The girl was around Luo Chen's age, with a jade-like face and flawless features. Her silver eyes shimmered, and her gaze as she watched Luo Chen was cool yet lively.
Her figure vanished in an instant, appearing before Luo Chen from afar as though she had leaped through space.
The girl spread her slender, tender arms and pulled the boy into an embrace, then pressed her cheek against his and rubbed it affectionately.
"Na'er?"
A faint milky fragrance seeped into his heart. Although this was the Martial Soul Space and only Luo Chen's consciousness was present, he could still smell Na'er's childlike scent.
"What is going on?"
Luo Chen hurriedly lifted his head and directed his gaze upward.
He had no choice. Na'er was currently completely naked, her snowy, delicate skin looking as though a breath could break it and a pinch could draw water from it.
"Master, what's wrong?"
"Why won't you look at Na'er?"
Na'er's eyes were full of confusion. Fortunately, Luo Chen reminded her in time, and only then did the girl realize her current state.
A rosy blush rose on the little girl's cheeks. Silver light flowed over her body, forming a purple-and-white dress, before she murmured shyly, "Ah! I... I forgot my clothes..."
"Ahem."
Luo Chen coughed lightly. "Don't worry. I didn't see anything."
He had thought Na'er would be like those innocent little girls in novels, completely oblivious to the boundaries between boys and girls.
He had not expected her to know about such things and merely have forgotten in her eagerness to become like him.
"Wuu..."
Yet upon hearing Luo Chen's explanation, Na'er only grew more embarrassed.
The little girl buried her head in Luo Chen's arms and let out a petulant whimper. An inexplicable fondness welled up in his heart, and he instinctively placed his hand on Na'er's head, gently stroking her beautiful silver hair.
Meanwhile, the Silver Dragon King's expression darkened as she watched the entire scene.
"Calm down. I must calm down."
The Silver Dragon King repeatedly suppressed the anger and humiliation in her heart. She had no human sense of shame; she simply felt that Na'er's pet-like displays of affection had utterly disgraced her dignity as the Silver Dragon King.
As for whether she was wearing clothes...
The Silver Dragon King did not care about that at all.
"Damn it! Why is my avatar so obedient?"
Yes, that was what concerned the Silver Dragon King.
Even more infuriatingly, Na'er's emotions were perfectly synchronized with the Silver Dragon King's.
This actually made her think, Having Luo Chen pat my head feels so good. She even wanted to replace Na'er and become the one in Luo Chen's arms.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
The Silver Dragon King kept shaking her enormous head, trying to dispel those feelings.
Unfortunately, the more she did so, the stronger her feelings toward Luo Chen became, and the clearer her desire to be close to him grew.
"No. This can't go on."
Her original body's consciousness was clashing with Na'er's emotions, and the Silver Dragon King knew perfectly well what consequences that would bring.
"Two consciousnesses. One must be sealed away."
Yet the Silver Dragon King could not control Na'er's consciousness at all. All she could do was seal away her original body's thoughts and immerse her mind completely in Na'er's personality.
Doing so would indeed cause the Silver Dragon King considerable trouble.
But as long as her injuries could heal, the Silver Dragon King believed that with her strength as a Half-Step God King, controlling Luo Chen, who was still a mortal, would be no problem at all.
Then, the Silver Dragon King could reclaim Na'er's personality and merge it into herself.
This might affect the Silver Dragon King considerably, but only where Luo Chen was concerned.
At worst, she would simply refrain from harming this human in the future and treat him a little better!
"He's helping me heal my injuries, so I do owe him a debt," the Silver Dragon King said. "Once I return to my peak, I will naturally keep him safe."
With that thought, the Silver Dragon King stopped agonizing over it.
After leaving Di Tian an order to guard the Lake of Life, the Silver Dragon King gathered her mind and slowly fell into a deep sleep.
Darkness replaced the Silver Dragon King's consciousness, while Na'er's senses took the dominant role.
At that moment, the Silver Dragon King was Na'er, and Na'er alone.
(End of chapter)