Time flew by in the blink of an eye.
Five years later.
Balak Kingdom, Soto City.
Three figures—two boys and one girl—stepped through the city gates.
They looked around twelve or thirteen years old.
The girl was cute and lively, dressed in a vibrant pink outfit, brimming with energy.
She was holding onto the arm of a tall, handsome young man with long, flowing hair, a refined and elegant demeanor, and a well-built physique.
Trailing slightly behind them was a shorter boy who also had a decent appearance—
But compared to the first two, the difference was night and day.
Even at such a young age,
a streak of white hair ran through his forehead, making him look oddly aged—almost like a servant.
These three were none other than Tang Lan, Xiao Wu, and Tang San.
"Finally here!" Xiao Wu huffed in frustration. "That so-called Grandmaster totally scammed us! Making us come all the way here just for school!"
Tang Lan glanced at Tang San, his expression unreadable.
"Xiao Wu," Tang Lan chided, "Grandmaster is still Xiao San's teacher. You talking bad about him like this puts Xiao San in a tough spot."
—— Last year, Grandmaster and Tang San had officially teamed up as teacher and disciple.
What could Tang Lan say?
A dog really can't change its habits.
He had no choice but to accept it.
Xiao Wu stuck out her tongue at him playfully before skipping ahead.
As for Tang San?
They weren't that close.
"Sorry about that, Xiao San." Tang Lan offered a casual apology. "Xiao Wu's been spoiled by me. Her personality is…"
"I understand." Tang San waved it off. "If it weren't for my teacher forcing me to attend Shrek Academy, you wouldn't have had to bring Xiao Wu here too…"
Tang Lan simply smiled.
"You're my brother. I wouldn't feel at ease if you were too far away."
"Besides, your Undying Seal Art had some problems during training. If it ever backfires, I need to be around to suppress it."
Tang San's expression stiffened awkwardly.
He had been practicing the Undying Seal Art for six years. Who would've thought it would turn out like this…?
Quickly changing the topic, he said, "Today happens to be the day we collect our Gold Soul Coins from the Martial Soul Hall. I'll head there first."
With that, he fled the scene.
Watching Tang San's departing figure, Tang Lan clicked his tongue in amusement.
Truly the "Child of Destiny." His luck was insane.
He had somehow botched the training of the Undying Seal Art—
And yet, he actually ended up creating something new.
Even though he failed to convert death energy into life energy, he could now convert life energy into death energy.
In other words, he could burn away his own life force and potential in exchange for explosive bursts of power.
That white streak in his hair was proof of it.
Hmm…
This wasn't even an opportunity—it was a disaster waiting to happen.
—— But on the day Tang San completed it, Tang Lan's system rewarded him with a 1000-year soul ring limit increase!
Tang Lan could replenish the life force Tang San burned away using Nine Yang Divine Skill.
But his internal energy would inevitably get mixed with Nine Yang energy,
forcing his Xuan Tian Skill to regress by at least half a month in training.
As for the potential Tang San burned away?
Tang Lan had no way of restoring that.
A huge loss!
'I'll have to find more chances to push Tang San into dangerous situations,
forcing him to use that bootleg Undying Seal Art.'
'If it harms his body, his cultivation, and his foundation,
that just means more system rewards for me!'
Just as he was scheming,
He passed by an alleyway and heard the sound of heavy impacts.
Tang Lan stopped and looked inside.
A cold and elegant girl walked out, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders, making her pale, flawless skin glow under the light.
But the most eye-catching feature—
Was her explosively curvaceous figure.
Even though she was just in her early teens,
her body was already more mature than a ripe peach.
Paired with her icy, beautiful face,
she exuded an aura that made men want to conquer her.
Zhu Zhuqing?
Running into her here—
Was it Tang Lan's good luck, or her bad luck?
"Move," Zhu Zhuqing said coldly. "Or are you with them?"
Tang Lan glanced into the alley.
A few thugs lay sprawled on the ground, beaten senseless.
Clearly, they had tried to mess with Zhu Zhuqing and got their asses kicked.
Tang Lan chuckled.
"Do I look like the kind of rogue that handsome?" he joked. "Beauty, the moment I saw you, I felt like we were a perfect match."
Zhu Zhuqing's icy gaze swept over him, her eyes filled with lifelessness—
A look so chilling, it made people shudder.
She had planned to knock this flirt out immediately—
But suddenly—!
She felt something from Tang Lan.
A powerful, inexplicable attraction—
As if…
Their Martial Souls were destined to be a perfect pair?!
"Oh?" Tang Lan smirked. "So, you felt it too?"
Zhu Zhuqing fell silent, her delicate brows furrowing.
What was happening?
Tang Lan wasn't in a rush.
—— Martial Soul Bestowal had a hidden effect:
Whoever received the bestowed Martial Soul would feel a deep "100% compatibility" attraction toward him.
Seeing Zhu Zhuqing questioning her own reality,
Tang Lan considered something crazy—
Should he just summon his Martial Soul right now and fuse with her on the spot?!
"Should I…?"
Within Tang Lan's ever-active Blue Silver Domain, an unexpected intruder appeared.
Tang Lan turned his head.
At the entrance of the alley stood a monkey-faced middle-aged man, blocking their exit.
He looked around forty, barely over 1.6 meters tall, wearing ripped shorts and cheap flip-flops.
His lecherous gaze was locked onto Zhu Zhuqing, and drool was already dripping from his mouth.
"Loli face, huge rack! Absolute top-tier!!"
"Little lady, come with your granddaddy Bu Le! I guarantee you'll feel like you're in heaven!"
Zhu Zhuqing's expression instantly turned to one of disgust.
"Get lost!"
Bu Le didn't even get angry.
Instead, he activated his Martial Soul.
A pink bra appeared on his head—
Amazingly, it actually matched his perverted aura quite well.
But what really made Zhu Zhuqing's face stiffen—
Were the four soul rings beneath his feet—white, yellow, yellow, purple.
A Rank 40 Soul Ancestor?!
She was only Rank 27—there was no way she could win!
Instinctively,
Zhu Zhuqing glanced at Tang Lan—
He looked handsome and well-built, at least 1.7 meters tall.
But based on his apparent age,
his soul power couldn't possibly exceed Rank 30.
They were doomed!
"How about we give it a try?" Tang Lan spoke, his tone calm and collected.
Zhu Zhuqing immediately understood—
He was talking about a Martial Soul Fusion Technique!
But Bu Le completely misunderstood.
He looked at Tang Lan with a pleased expression.
"Now this kid knows how to play along! Once I've had my fun, I might even let you have a turn!"
The sheer filth of his words made Zhu Zhuqing's eyes turn ice-cold.
Without hesitation,
she moved closer to Tang Lan and nodded slightly.
She summoned her Martial Soul—
A black panther, its body emitting a violet glow.
"Rank 27, Netherworld Spirit Cat."
Tang Lan raised his hand.
A flaming red dagger appeared in his palm—
A weapon tailor-made for Zhu Zhuqing, crafted by manipulating his Blue Silver Domain's shape-shifting ability.
The moment it appeared—
It shot forward eagerly, flying straight toward Zhu Zhuqing.
At the same time—
Zhu Zhuqing's Netherworld Spirit Cat
instinctively merged with her body.
Her eyes turned heterochromatic—one green, one blue.
Her long, jet-black hair naturally draped down her back.
Her hands, now adorned with razor-sharp feline claws,
gripped the flaming red dagger.
At first, her hand sank slightly under its unexpected weight—
But in the next instant—
A torrent of power surged into her body!
—— It was the Nine Yang Divine Energy infused into the Thunderflame Clear Sky Hammer,
transferred to Zhu Zhuqing through Martial Soul Bestowal!
The overwhelming surge of strength left Zhu Zhuqing completely mesmerized.
It actually worked?!
She was very familiar with Martial Soul Fusion Techniques.
Her family and Dai Mubai's family had a generational tradition of fusing their Martial Souls into the "Netherworld White Tiger."
But she had never heard of—
A Martial Soul Fusion with an outsider being possible,
let alone one where the Martial Soul was directly transferred to another person!
And more importantly—
Zhu Zhuqing glanced at Tang Lan,
who was now completely unarmed.
He didn't receive any power boost at all?
This defied all logic!
Martial Soul Fusions were supposed to combine power,
but this felt more like…
Tang Lan was just a support-type attachment?!
Still—
She swung the flaming red dagger,
and a sharp slicing sound tore through the air.
Her lips curled into an uncontrollable smirk.
This Martial Soul Fusion was completely centered around her.
Compared to the "Netherworld White Tiger,"
this felt far more suited to her!
—— Ever since that coward ran away from their arranged marriage,
Zhu Zhuqing had understood one absolute truth:
Only strength would never betray her!
(End of Chapter)