Liu Erlong: Letting Go Completely

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The Scarlet Dragon Tavern on East Street in Heaven Dou City became lively in the evening. When Nan Feng pushed open the half-closed wooden door and went in, Liu Erlong was sitting at the table at the very back.

Three opened jars of old wine were laid out in front of him, and he held the clay seal of the fourth jar in his hand.

There weren't many customers in the tavern. A few regulars were talking quietly in a corner. The innkeeper was wiping glasses and, seeing Nan Feng come in, gestured with his lip towards the inside.

Nan Feng sat down opposite her. Liu Erlong looked up at him; his fiery red short hair was a little messy, his eyes were tinged with alcohol, but his gaze was clearer than usual.

The Scarlet Dragon Martial Soul flowed with dark red Soul Power around her. There were no flames, no scorching heat.

"You've come." She broke the clay seal on the fourth jar, poured a bowl for Nan Feng, and then poured one for herself. Her hands were steady; she wasn't drunk.

Nan Feng sensed a deep-seated obsession within her soul. Ever since Yu Xiaogang said, "Our Martial Soul are incompatible," it has burned within her until today.

"I heard everything Bibi Dong said that day." Liu Erlong picked up her bowl, took a big gulp, put it down, and looked at Nan Feng, her fiery red pupils reflecting the candlelight. "Yu Xiaogang's theory was stolen. He copied the manuscript from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, modified it, and used it as his own for a lifetime."

Nan Feng picked up the bowl and took a sip. The liquor was strong, with a pungent, burning sensation as it went down his throat. He didn't reply.

"He's ruined my life so much." Liu Erlong's voice lowered, her fingers tracing the rim of the bowl again and again. "Back then, he said the fourth ring couldn't be absorbed beyond its limit, and I believed him. He said the Martial Soul weren't compatible, and I believed him. He said he didn't dare take me with him, and I believed him too. I believed him for decades, only to find out in the end that all those things were stolen."

She looked up at Nan Feng. Her eyes were a little red, but no tears fell.

"That day, Bibi Dong said, 'Your first ring takes 920 years, the second 2100 years, and the third 12,000 years.' Every single one of those statements is a slap in the face to him." Liu Erlong's voice was calm. "What she saw with her life, I took decades to understand."

Nan Feng put down his wine bowl. That obsession had changed, transforming from resentment towards Yu Xiaogang into something deeper: his own unwillingness to accept defeat and his regret for wasting decades of his life.

"It's not too late to see things clearly now," Nan Feng said.

Liu Erlong looked at him, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly smiled.

"You're right. It's not too late to see the truth now."

Nan Feng summoned the nine-story bronze pagoda from within his body, which floated in his palm. The azure-gold Immortal Mark flowed with golden immortal light, and the Nine Heavens Treasure Pearl at the top of the pagoda emitted an interwoven tri-colored immortal radiance.

The core of the Scarlet Dragon Martial Soul has been stuck at a bottleneck for decades. Ever since Yu Xiaogang told her that the Martial Soul were incompatible, she has been stuck there.

"Your Scarlet Dragon Martial Soul," Nan Feng said, "I'll help you break through."

Liu Erlong was stunned. She looked at the azure-gold Immortal Mark on the tower, opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.

Will it hurt?

Nan Feng shook his head. "A little. But not for too long."

Liu Erlong took a breath and placed his hands flat on the table, palms facing up. Dark red Soul Power condensed into two balls of light in his palms.

"Bring it on."

Nan Feng infused her Primordial World Immortal Power into the Martial Soul Core. Golden immortal light surged from the tower, flowing from her fingertips into her palm, and reaching the core of her Scarlet Dragon Martial Soul Core.

The Scarlet Dragon Martial Soul roared the instant the immortal light touched it. Dark red Soul Power erupted from its body, and the temperature in the tavern soared instantly.

Nan Feng saw the full picture of the bottleneck. The core of the Scarlet Dragon Martial Soul was wrapped in a layer of dark red confinement. Decades of self-doubt, blind obedience to Yu Xiaogang's theories, and fear of "incompatibility of Martial Soul" were all condensed inside.

Golden light poured in from the crack, peeling away the dark red confinement layer by layer.

Liu Erlong shuddered, her back straightening. Her fiery red short hair moved without wind, and the Scarlet Dragon Martial Soul condensed into a huge phantom behind her.

The first barrier shattered. Her Soul Power surged.

The second one shattered. The phantom of the Scarlet Dragon roared, and the tavern windows vibrated from the sound.

The third one shattered. The following ones shattered one after another, the sounds so dense they blended into one. Golden immortal light poured into the cracks, swallowing up the dark red fragments completely.

Then the bottleneck broke.

The last barrier vanished in the celestial light. Liu Erlong's soul suddenly felt lighter; the bottleneck that had plagued her for decades was gone. Her dark red scales turned gold starting from her head, golden Immortal Mark covered her scales, and the cyan- Golden Immortal light of the tower reflected in her dragon eyes.

The flames of the Scarlet Dragon Martial Soul shifted from dark red to crimson gold, then to cyan gold, and finally settled between crimson gold and cyan gold.

Liu Erlong looked up. Her Soul Power had climbed all the way from the peak of Titled Douluo, past the threshold of Limit Douluo, and stopped at a height she had never reached before.

A touch of gold appeared in the dragon's eyes.

"Title... Limit Douluo..." Liu Erlong gasped, "No, even higher than that! What is this?!"

Nan Feng retrieved the tower into his palm. The Scarlet Dragon Martial Soul had stabilized at a cyan-gold color.

Her Soul Power surpassed the threshold of Limit Douluo and stepped into the threshold of God Level.

"The Dragon Immortal Power," Nan Feng said.

Liu Erlong looked down at her hands. Azure-gold Soul Power condensed into a dragon scale in her palm, with Immortal Mark on it, which burned her palm. She clenched her fist, and azure-gold flames exploded from between her fingers, burning the air around her into a vacuum.

This power won't harm her; it's something she was always meant to have.

Liu Erlong laughed loudly.

Her fiery red short hair danced wildly in the azure flames, making her resemble a true Scarlet Dragon. She grabbed a wine bowl, tilted her head back, drank it all in one gulp, and smashed it to the ground. The earthenware bowl shattered into dust.

"To hell with Yu Xiaogang!" Her voice echoed through the tavern, making the glasses on the counter tremble. "From now on, I'll live for myself!"

Nan Feng's lips curved slightly as she picked up the bowl and drank the last drop. The wine carried a hint of ambergris as it went down her throat, just like the aura of her Scarlet Dragon Martial Soul.

Liu Erlong stood up and walked up to him. Her fiery red pupils reflected the azure -Golden Immortal light; her eyes were very bright, like a fire that had been burning for decades had finally found its direction.

"Nan Feng," she said, "I've never submitted to anyone in my life, but you're the first."

Nan Feng took the tower into her palm. The obsession in her soul completely dissipated, replaced by something else.

That thing broke free from decades of repression, rising from the ashes of its own being trapped in "incompatible Martial Soul."

"This drink is on me."

Nan Feng looked at her, paused for a moment, and then said, "Okay."

Liu Erlong turned and walked towards the door, a long trail of cyan-gold flames trailing behind her. She stopped at the door and glanced back at Nan Feng. Her fiery red pupils reflected the cyan- Golden Immortal light, and her face held an unprecedented seriousness.

"Nan Feng."

"Um."

"I'll follow you on your path from now on."

Nan Feng didn't say anything, but picked up the empty bowl and held it up to her.

Liu Erlong laughed loudly, turned around and walked into the night of Heaven Dou City. Azure-gold flames burned on the streets. After taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped, roared at the night sky, and the roar was like the roar of Scarlet Dragon, making the windows of the whole street tremble.

After yelling at her, she continued walking, her steps much lighter than before.

Nan Feng sat in the tavern, looking at the shattered ceramic bowl on the ground. Old Huai poked his head out from the tower. "Is the girl alright?"

The Nan Feng nodded.

Old Huai snorted, "Another one whose Immortal Power. Just how many people have you changed along the way, kid?"

Nan Feng did not answer. He held the tower to his chest, and the Nine Heavens Treasure Pearl at the top of the tower emitted a three-colored celestial light.

Another surge of Soul Power within Heaven Dou City stabilized at the threshold of the God Level. The azure-gold light of the Scarlet Dragon Martial Soul faded into the night.

He put down his wine bowl, got up, and walked towards the door. The innkeeper called out from behind the counter, "Sir, the bill for the wine..."

Nan Feng glanced back at him, then took a gold coin from her sleeve and placed it on the counter. "Liu Erlong said this meal is on her, we'll settle the bill next time."

The shopkeeper glanced at the gold coins, then at Nan Feng's disappearing figure, muttered something, and put the gold coins into the money box.

The signboard of the Scarlet Dragon Tavern flickered in the bluish-gold embers. In the distance, a bluish-gold flame was heading out of the city. Liu Erlong did not turn around.

She walked quickly, her azure-gold dragon scales reflecting the moonlight.

She walked quite a distance before stopping, standing on the official road outside the city and looking up at the starry sky.

"Yu Xiaogang," Liu Erlong said softly to the night sky, "I've returned what you stole. From now on, my life is no longer your concern."

She turned and walked into the distance, the bluish-gold flames burning in the night.