A Chance Encounter
The day was no different from any other.
Ning Buhui set off at dawn, searching southward along the rock face. He found an 8,000-year-old Rock-Armored Pangolin and fought it for almost half an hour. Its shell was extremely hard, Ning Buhui's various methods could not break through its defenses. Fortunately, his chains could now be made more intricate, otherwise he really wouldn't know how to deal with it. In the end, he had a slight advantage, and the pangolin fled.
On his way back at noon, as he approached the Dark River Caves, he heard sounds of fighting.
The sound came from the north, some distance away, but the wind carried it over. A beast's roar, a burst of sound, and the muffled thud of colliding Soul Power mingled together. He intended to go around it, but his steps faltered. He recognized the beast's roar; it was Gale Wolf, a wind-attribute creature, extremely fast, and fond of leaping and ambushing between rock walls. Judging from the depth of the roar, it was at least eight thousand years old.
He thought for a moment, then still made his way over there.
Crouching behind a high rock, he could see the situation below. In a shallow valley, four people were hunting a giant silver-gray wolf. The wolf was nearly ten feet long, with sharp claws, and its mane billowed in the wind. Each leap it made was accompanied by a blue wind blade, cutting deep gashes into the rock face. It was surrounded by the four people and had no way to escape, but it was still struggling desperately.
Four people. A burly man in his forties, Martial Soul was a thick-backed battle blade, Four-Ring Soul Ancestor Soul Ring Configuration two yellow and two purple rings, Power Attack System, stood directly in front of the Gale Wolf, hacking and slashing relentlessly, withstanding most of the wolf's attacks. A tall, thin man in his early thirties, whose Martial Soul was a Wind Falcon, also a Soul Ancestor, Agility Attack System, circled the wolf's flanks at high speed, occasionally slashing in and out, leaving bloody gashes on the wolf's body. A woman in her forties, Martial Soul was a verdant vine staff, Soul Ancestor with two yellow and two purple rings, Control System; when the staff touched the ground, vines sprouted from the ground and wrapped around the wolf's legs, restricting its movement. Finally, a young man in his early twenties, Martial Soul was a seven-story pagoda with three Soul Ring, two yellow and one purple, Auxiliary System, stood at the rear. The pagoda emitted a faint white light, and rings of light fell on the three people in front of it, significantly amplifying their attacks and speed.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Ning Buhui's pupils contracted slightly.
He recognized the Martial Soul at a glance: a seven-story pagoda, its body radiating white light—a top-tier Auxiliary System Tool Martial Soul. The young man appeared to be in his early twenties, with a fair complexion, wearing a dark blue outfit of excellent quality, a jade pendant hanging from his waist, and two rings on his fingers. He stood at the very back of the battlefield, tightly protected by the three people in front of him, his face showing little tension, but rather a kind of habitual composure.
The main lineage.
The young man's Martial Soul was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, with three rings, and he was hunting for his Fourth Soul Ring. That Gale Wolf was probably prepared for him. The three of them were taking damage, controlling the field, and dealing damage for him, while he just needed to release support Soul Skill from the back, steadily transferring the amplification to the three in front. The division of labor was clear, and the teamwork was skillful; it was obvious that they fought like this often.
Ning Buhui remained crouched behind the rock wall, watching the four people engaged in battle with a quiet ripple of emotion stirring within him.
The four were quite strong and coordinated well. He withdrew his gaze and prepared to leave.
Just then, the tall, thin man suddenly turned his head and glanced in his direction. The Soul Ancestor's perception was not weak; although Ning Buhui was crouching on high ground, the fluctuations of his Soul Power were not so easy to completely conceal.
"Who?" the tall, thin man shouted.
The burly man in front also turned his head, his battle sword held horizontally in front of him, his gaze sweeping over warily. The Control System woman paused with her cane, and several vines sprouted from the ground, blocking the rock wall below where Ning Buhui was.
Ning Buhui didn't run away. He stood up from behind the rock wall and slowly walked down the slope, stopping a dozen steps away from them. His current face was created by the Thousand-Transformation Illusory Mask. He looked to be in his early twenties, with an average appearance and two yellow and one purple Soul Ring. He looked like an ordinary rogue Soul Elder Master.
"Just passing by," he said.
The burly man sized him up, his gaze lingering for a moment on the man's two yellow and one purple Soul Ring. A Soul Elder appearing alone deep within the middle layer of the Star Dou Realm was unusual in itself. But the burly man didn't ask further, only saying in a deep voice, "We're hunting, leave quickly."
The tone wasn't exactly polite, but it wasn't to the point of driving them away either; it was more of a wary tone.
Ning Buhui glanced at the Gale Wolf. Three of its legs were already entangled in vines, and the tall, thin man was searching for an opportunity to deliver the final blow from the side. The burly man stood in front of the wolf, the Control System woman maintained the vines, and the young man steadily provided support from behind. The entire hunt was proceeding smoothly and would be over in no time.
"I'm leaving now," Ning Buhui said.
He turned and walked south, his steps neither hurried nor slow. The gazes behind him remained fixed on his back until he had walked about a hundred steps and turned behind a rock wall, at which point he felt those gazes withdraw.
He didn't turn around.
After leaving that area, he stopped by a deserted crevice in the rocks, removed the Thousand-Transformation Illusory Mask from his face, and reverted to his original appearance. Then he went into the tower, sat in the bamboo hut, and remained motionless for a long time.
The face of the young man from the main branch flashed through his mind again and again. He resembled the person who killed his parents, suggesting a blood relationship. There was no worry, no fear, and not even much focus on that face. He only needed to stand in the back, lazily providing assistance, while the other three would handle everything for him. Hunting eight-thousand-year-old Soul Beast was just a procedure for him, posing no risk whatsoever.
And what about himself?
He lost his parents at the age of four and grew up in the cold stares and hunger of Bluestone Town until he was six. He went to the city alone, awakened his powers alone, and entered the Spirit Hall alone. Once in the Spirit Hall, he relied on risking his life. Every level of his Soul Power was cultivated through his own desperate efforts; no one stood in front of him to protect him.
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
This surname gave him blood, but it also brought him hardship. Back then, his father, Ning Yuanshan, was framed by the main branch and accused of "secretly possessing sect techniques." He died, and his family was gone. His branch was expelled, and dozens of people were left to fend for themselves in places like Bluestone Town. And what were the people of the main branch doing when he, a four-year-old child, climbed out of the back window to escape? They were probably sitting in the main hall of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School, drinking tea and discussing how to allocate the next batch of resources.
The young master of the main branch is now twenty years old. His talent is average, and his Soul Ring Configuration two yellow and one purple. He needs three Soul Ancestor to protect him when hunting an eight-thousand-year-old Soul Beast. Meanwhile, Ning Buhui is eight and a half years old, level thirty-six, and he is fighting for his life against a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast alone in the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.
He suddenly chuckled. The laughter wasn't loud, and it sounded somewhat abrupt in the bamboo house.
That's the difference. It's not a difference in talent, not a difference in Martial Soul, it's a difference in fate. People from the main lineage are born into a position of power, with others paving the way for them and taking the fall for them. But someone like him can only rely on himself from the day he's born.
He thought of Bluestone Town again. He remembered that winter morning when he ran out barefoot to find food, his soles leaving bloody trails on the gravel. He remembered when he was six years old, he knelt before Ning Laosan, begging him to take him to the city. He remembered the look in the eyes of the deacon at the entrance of the Spirit Hall, looking down at him like he was looking at an unwanted stray dog.
He slowly stopped laughing.
That's just how the world is. It's a dog-eat-dog world, it's always been that way. If you have connections, people will fight for you; if you don't, you have to risk your life yourself. He didn't want to blame anyone, because blaming was useless. He was only focused on one thing: he wanted to take his life into his own hands. He wouldn't rely on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he wouldn't rely on anyone. His tower was his, his Soul Ring were his, and his life was his.
He stood up and walked out of the bamboo house. The spiritual plants on the Breathing Earth swayed gently in the dim light, and the stream flowed out from the white mist, winding around the entire herb garden before disappearing into the white mist on the other side. He squatted down by the stream, cupped his hands and drank the water, the coolness sliding from his throat all the way to his stomach.
He reattached the Thousand-Transformation Illusory Mask to his face. The image of the gray-haired boy slowly emerged. He looked at his reflection in the water, then stood up and walked out of the cave.
The battle must continue. After defeating the eight-thousand-year-old Soul Beast, he'll fight the nine-thousand-year-old one. Once he's stronger enough, he'll go back and Douluo I that giant python again.
Regardless of what kind of life the main branch of the family leads, they have their own path to walk.