The Familiar Princess

A black mist formed from black particles instantly surged out of Lu Jingming's body, swiftly enveloping him completely.

The black mist spread wildly. Wherever it reached, the surrounding flowers, grass, trees, stones, and soil all began to break down under its power, as though everything in the world had become utterly fragile before it.

Sensing this sudden burst of immense power, Star Cloud Douluo, who had been guarding Xu Jiujiu like a shadow, instantly turned grave.

Instinctively alert to the princess's safety, she flashed forward and stood before Xu Jiujiu, saying solemnly, "Her Highness the Princess, be careful. Do not touch that black mist!"

Though a flicker of surprise passed through Xu Jiujiu's eyes, she remained remarkably calm, without the slightest panic.

She gently shook her head and said evenly, "Grandma Manyi, it's fine."

Sure enough, the seemingly menacing black mist spread only a few meters before it seemed to be restrained by some force and stopped expanding.

Then, as if drawn by an invisible hand, the black mist slowly gathered toward the center.

As the black mist gradually faded, Lu Jingming's figure became clear once more.

Lu Jingming now looked entirely different. With white hair and red eyes, he had grown a little taller, and a cold, austere aura surrounded him.

He held a pitch-black spear far taller than himself. Black luminous mist coiled around its shaft, reflecting one another with a purple Soul Ring that gleamed with resplendent light, making for an especially striking sight.

Seeing this, Xu Jiujiu's gaze grew unfocused for a moment. Though the boy was still young, his exquisite features and distinctive temperament already carried the charm of a breathtakingly beautiful youth.

It was easy to imagine what kind of devastatingly handsome monster he would become once he grew up.

Of course, that was assuming he did not grow crooked—like a certain Conquering King, who had originally been a stunningly beautiful youth but ended up becoming a burly man with a face full of beard.

Having successfully absorbed his first Soul Ring and obtained his first Soul Skill, Lu Jingming wore a satisfied expression.

He lightly raised his hand and put away Black Abyss. It had to be said that the Blazing Phoenix Bird truly deserved to be called a powerful soul beast with the attribute of destruction. He was extremely satisfied with the Soul Skill it had granted him.

For six-year-old Lu Jingming, absorbing a thousand-year Soul Ring as his first Soul Ring had indeed placed an enormous burden on his body.

However, during the absorption process, the White Flower martial soul had played a crucial role.

Whenever the violent Soul Power battered his body until his meridians tore apart, the Power of Creation released by the White Flower martial soul would immediately follow, repairing his damaged body in time.

If not for the White Flower martial soul's exceptionally powerful and reliable Power of Creation, absorbing a thousand-year Soul Ring as his first would have been quite dangerous for the young Lu Jingming.

Although the process of absorbing the Soul Ring had been somewhat perilous, everything had gone as Lu Jingming expected.

After all, The Great Black Tower understood his physical condition perfectly. Since The Great Black Tower had determined that he could absorb a thousand-year Soul Ring, there would absolutely be no problem.

In Lu Jingming's heart, he not only regarded these companions he had summoned as his closest family, but also gave them unconditional, absolute trust.

If he could not even trust them, then wouldn't this life be far too tragic?

When Lu Jingming slowly opened his eyes and saw Her Highness the Princess staring fixedly at him with a pair of sapphire-blue eyes, he could not help but freeze for a moment. Surprised, he said, "Your Highness, why are you still—"

He was rather puzzled. Why was Xu Jiujiu still here?

Xu Jiujiu rose lightly to her feet and gently dusted off her magnificent golden dress, her movements elegant and natural.

A captivating smile rested on her face as she said, "I was merely curious. After all, you've created a precedent for the entire Douluo Continent. You don't mind, do you?"

Lu Jingming hurriedly shook his head and said modestly, "Your Highness flatters me. The Douluo Continent is vast beyond measure and filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Countless geniuses emerge one after another. I merely have relatively good physical qualities, which allowed me to luckily absorb a thousand-year Soul Ring. Before those truly powerful people, this is really nothing worth mentioning."

Hearing this, Xu Jiujiu could not help rolling her eyes in a playful and lovely manner, pretending to be angry as she said, "You little thing, how can you have no youthful pride at such a young age?"

Lu Jingming merely smiled softly and did not explain further.

As for pride, how could he possibly lack it? As a transmigrator who knew the plot and possessed a powerful cheat, he was born with a certain arrogance deep in his bones.

It was simply that Lu Jingming had been steady and reserved in his previous life, so he never easily displayed that pride outwardly.

Besides, in his eyes, absorbing a thousand-year Soul Ring as his first was rare, but it was hardly anything worth bragging about.

After all, the Child of Destiny in this world had a million-year Soul Ring as his first. That was the kind of existence that could truly shock the world.

"Your Highness came to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain a Soul Ring as well, I presume? Would this delay your time?" Not wanting to dwell on the topic, Lu Jingming naturally changed the subject.

Xu Jiujiu did not mind and continued with a smile, "I'm not a little monster like you, whose first Soul Ring is already thousand-year. I only need a thousand-year third Soul Ring. Given my circumstances, it won't be difficult to find, and it won't delay me for long. Don't tell me you're trying to find an excuse to send me away?"

"How could that be? As a citizen of the empire, how could I possibly show even the slightest disrespect toward Her Highness the Princess?" Lu Jingming hurriedly shook his head repeatedly, his attitude exceedingly sincere.

"You little thing, you act so respectful toward me on the surface, but deep down, you don't take me, this princess, seriously at all, do you?"

Xu Jiujiu suddenly narrowed her eyes, a hint of teasing in her voice.

As a princess, she had received far too much flattery and praise in her daily life. Thus, she keenly sensed that Lu Jingming's respect toward her was mostly superficial and did not come from his heart.

Lu Jingming was rendered speechless by Xu Jiujiu's blunt words, secretly astonished.

He truly had not expected Princess Jiujiu's intuition to be so sharp. He had clearly tried his best to disguise it well.

"Forget it, I won't hold it against you. I'm a few years older than you, so you don't need to call me Her Highness the Princess anymore. Just call me Sister from now on." A sly glint flashed through Xu Jiujiu's eyes.

Hearing this, Lu Jingming was somewhat dumbfounded. He had not expected Her Highness the Princess to be so familiar so quickly!