If Lin Xi had to rank the characters in Douluo II by how tragic their lives were, Huo Yuhao actually wouldn't come first.
After all, whatever else one might say, he had at least ended up a God King, with a wife, children, and a warm bed. Although failing to achieve even one of his original goals made him look like a complete clown, objectively speaking, he still counted as a winner in life in most people's eyes.
Naturally, that kept him out of first place.
Lin Xi felt that the title of most tragic character belonged to none other than Wang Qiu'er.
In romance, she counted as half a losing dog; even when she was about to sacrifice herself, her final request was only a kiss.
In terms of strength, she had sewn a wedding dress for Tang Wutong to wear, only for Tang Wutong to prove such an utter piece of trash that one plus one amounted to less than one.
In the end, God King Tang's machinations had even rewritten the meaning of her existence, revising history to make her "a part of Xiao Qi from the very beginning."
One could say that every last part of her had been arranged down to the finest detail. From the material to the spiritual, from soul to flesh, everything had become nourishment Buddha Tang provided for Tang Wutong.
And now, she stood right in front of Lin Xi.
"What is going on...?"
The corners of Lin Xi's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Wasn't she supposed to appear only after the first tournament ended? Even accounting for the butterfly effect, she shouldn't have come straight for me!
This was ridiculous. Even third-rate fanfiction wouldn't develop like this!
Lin Xi inwardly unleashed a torrent of complaints.
That said, he also quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Because of his preconceived notions, he had subconsciously ruled out the possibility that his pursuer was the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. But when she actually appeared before him, he realized that nothing could have been more natural than for her to be the unknown enemy pursuing him.
Cultivation a little over ten thousand years, pressure that rivaled Melusine's, and ironclad backing that let her run wild in the Star Dou Great Forest without ever being punished... no one in the world fit those conditions better than her.
And if she was his opponent, Lin Xi felt rather more confident, whether he chose to fight, flee, or negotiate.
"Three-Eyed... Jin Lion?" Huo Yutong repeated softly before exclaiming, "Isn't that the Emperor Auspicious Beast you told me about, Brother Lin Xi? What's she doing here?!"
You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask...? Lin Xi grumbled inwardly, then shook his head and said:
"I'm not sure, but if a fight breaks out, remember to get far away. It'll be difficult for me to protect you while fighting her."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was a top-tier spiritual-type Soul Beast with Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Light as secondary attributes. She also wielded authority over destiny and possessed the Golden Dragon's bloodline. That combination could be called unique throughout the entire Soul Beast Realm.
So, although her cultivation was only a little over ten thousand years, Lin Xi didn't dare let his guard down in the slightest.
As the Three-Eyed Golden Lion approached step by step, Artoria and Melusine both tensed, ready to fight at any moment.
If she took another ten steps forward and entered the area within ten meters of Lin Xi, they would take the initiative and attack.
Unexpectedly, with the atmosphere on a hair trigger, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion actually stopped, sat on the ground, and looked at Lin Xi as she asked:
"Human, who are you? Or rather, what are you?"
"?"
What did she mean? Wasn't she going to fight?
Lin Xi suppressed his confusion and replied with a frown:
"Shouldn't you introduce yourself before asking something like that?"
"Don't you already know where I come from?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion tilted her head slightly. Clearly, as a top-tier spiritual-type Soul Beast, she had heard what Lin Xi had just said.
"It's a matter of etiquette," Lin Xi said coldly.
"Pointless rules." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion scoffed, but she clearly had no intention of arguing with Lin Xi. "I am the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, the being who governs this forest's fortune. And you?"
"I'm Lin Xi, an ordinary three-ring Soul Elder."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion clearly didn't believe him.
"An ordinary Soul Elder couldn't speak to me as calmly as you do."
"That's because they suck." Lin Xi curled his lip, narrowing his eyes at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. "More importantly, shouldn't you explain why you came looking for me specifically? Thanks to you, this trip to the Star Dou Great Forest hasn't been particularly pleasant."
Although Qiu'er in the original story was an immensely charismatic female character, there was no denying that she had plenty of flaws.
Her arrogant personality and explosive temper were particularly obvious ones, and Huo Yuhao had suffered quite a bit from both early on.
Yet someone like her had deliberately sought out the humans she looked down on most, and even remained calm after a couple of barbed remarks. If someone had told Lin Xi that before, he would only have thought they were joking.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion blinked in confusion.
"Does that even need saying? Although I don't know why you're siding with humans, you're still a Divine Beast of Destiny of an even higher order than me. Isn't it perfectly normal for me to come say hello?"
"...Huh?"
What was that? A Divine Beast of Destiny? Of a higher order than her?
Lin Xi hadn't thought there was anything wrong with Wang Qiu'er's eyes when he read the novel.
Which of her eyes had decided Lin Xi wasn't human?
Lin Xi's thoughts were in some disarray.
"Wait." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion lay down, giving Lin Xi a suspicious look. "Don't tell me you don't know your own identity?"
"...I'm all ears."
"...What a waste." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion sighed speechlessly and explained, "Calling you a Divine Beast of Destiny doesn't mean I'm saying you aren't human. On the Douluo Continent, anyone who wields the destiny attribute can be considered a Divine Beast of Destiny, so you count too."
"But I don't have the destiny attribute?"
The corners of Lin Xi's mouth twitched.
A wielder of the destiny attribute? Him?
How come he didn't know about that himself?
"You say you don't?!" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was stunned. "That's impossible. The concentration of the Power of Fate in you could practically be called Ultimate Destiny. How could you not have any destiny-type abilities at all?!"
"..." Lin Xi fell silent for a moment, then suddenly slapped his palm. "Ah, I know. I can foresee the future to a certain extent. Does that count as a destiny-type ability?"
"Of course it does." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion visibly relaxed.
That was more like it. How could such powerful Power of Fate not come with destiny-type abilities?
Power of Fate so far beyond the norm already exceeded everything she had known. If he didn't even have a single destiny-attribute skill, that would truly be squandering a gift from heaven.
What she didn't know as she relaxed, however, was that Lin Xi had made up that story to fool her.
Foreseeing the future was, of course, a lie. If he had that ability, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion would never have tracked him down in the first place.
His brain had simply failed to catch up for a moment. Once he recovered and connected it to the name of the series his Martial Soul came from, how could he not understand what was going on?
Now that he had figured it out, wouldn't it be a waste not to exploit the gap in information between them?
Almost everyone who possessed destiny-type abilities had the flaw of trusting those abilities too much. Since that was the case, he only needed to claim he could foresee the future to obtain the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's assistance to a certain extent.
As for proving his ability... nothing could be simpler.
A pleased smile curled Lin Xi's lips as he addressed the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. "Do you know why I came to the Star Dou Great Forest at this particular time?"