Ye Lingling, a character who completely vanished in the later parts of the original work.
Due to the uniqueness of her Martial Soul, she has sparked much imagination, becoming a choice for many fan authors to create alternate stories.
In You Xing's past life, he had seen versions like "persecuted by the Martial Soul Hall," "persecuted by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School due to competition for the title of strongest support system," and "grandfather still practicing medicine across the world."
Regardless of whether it was the influence of the butterfly effect or the reality of this timeline, her situation was indeed like this.
In any case, from what You Xing understood, it was none of the three versions.
Being persecuted by the Martial Soul Hall... Firstly, at this current time, the Martial Soul Hall could be considered a completely righteous organization. Although there had been a desire for external expansion since the era of Qian Xunji, they had been very effective in their core duties, such as supporting civilian Soul Masters, combating and suppressing soul beast riots, and dealing with fallen Soul Masters.
Because of this, the Martial Soul Hall had always had a good reputation among civilians and civilian Soul Masters.
They would not resort to coercing Soul Master families to join them, nor would they engage in the despicable act of cutting off their lineage if they refused.
The same could be said for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Rather, in this Douluo Continent, as long as a power had some standing, their methods tended to lean towards the righteous path found in martial arts novels.
The current leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Ning Fengzhi, was a character similar to Yue Buqun.
If the Jiuxin Haitang family were to encounter any problems, he would most likely lend a helping hand and attempt to absorb them as a branch family.
After all, compared to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tower, which could enhance his own power, the Jiuxin Haitang had no combat capability whatsoever and was a single lineage... Such a Martial Soul, no matter how high its quality, posed no threat of power struggles, making it an ideal candidate for absorption as a branch.
The death of Ye Lingling's parents and elders could be considered a complete accident.
During a hunt for soul rings, Ye Lingling's parents unexpectedly lost their lives, leaving her all alone, with only the household servants to care for her.
However, this kind of accident was somewhat foreseeable.
As a Jiuxin Haitang Soul Master with no combat ability, she would be a prime target in wild or war scenarios, especially in competitions with set rules.
It was said that in a supposedly safe hunting area, they encountered unexpectedly powerful soul beasts. Ye Lingling's father, a battle Soul Master, died first while trying to protect her mother, and the guards scattered in fear. The soul beast then targeted Ye Lingling's mother, who had the strongest soul power among the remaining people but was the weakest in terms of combat ability, and naturally, she could not escape.
In this era, while the Martial Soul Hall was powerful, the threat of soul beasts had not yet diminished to the point it would be a complete suppression a thousand years later.
Such a situation could only be attributed to bad luck.
But it could be said that Ye Lingling faced no external threats to her life.
However... the absence of life-threatening dangers did not mean there were no other troubles.
The rarity of the Jiuxin Haitang was evident.
Even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was eager to absorb her as a branch subordinate, let alone other families and sects.
Especially now that Ye Lingling was all alone and without support.
Many believed this was the best opportunity to absorb her.
Ye Lingling was only fourteen or fifteen years old, yet the number of suitors had become countless.
The original work did not describe Ye Lingling's situation after the Soul Master competition, but if nothing unexpected happened, she would likely have become the wife of a young master from one of the powerful families in Tiandou after their mutual conflicts and exchanges of interests.
Although Ye Lingling appeared ethereal and detached, seemingly indifferent to everything, it was clear that she did not wish to be embroiled in such conflicts and become a vassal of a family.
Even if she ultimately failed to become a disciple, she would at least avoid the fate of being treated like a commodity, subject to arbitrary bidding and competition...
"Lingling!?"
"Lingling, are you leaving too?"
Her friends were naturally surprised and tried to dissuade her, but this could not stop Ye Lingling from pursuing her freedom.
You Xing's gaze swept over Shimo and others, feeling a bit regretful.
His goal was certainly not just Ye Lingling.
Having already shown his "teacher" capabilities in nurturing talent, it was disappointing that only Ye Lingling took the step forward.
'Yu Tianheng is backed by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family, so he wouldn't be able to compete. Osro and Yufeng are just average, but the Xuanwu family is already rising in this era. If I can pull these two good seedlings onto the ship, it would be equivalent to bringing their families along, making future plans smoother. However, this was just a casual move, and I never expected it to succeed. After all, they have been educated by their families since childhood. Having Ye Lingling as a gain is already quite good. No, perhaps they never even considered the option of becoming a disciple?'
Even so, You Xing did not plan to actively inquire about the other three.
He looked at Ye Lingling and asked, "Can you make this decision on your own?"
Ye Lingling nodded vigorously, then turned to Yu Tianheng and said, "Captain, please apologize to Teacher Qin Ming for me. Just have him expel me directly. Also…"
Ye Lingling took out paper and pen from her storage soul tool, quickly wrote something, and handed it to Yu Tianheng: "Please give this to my Aunt Mana, thank you."
After saying that, disregarding her friends' pleas, she walked towards You Xing.
She gazed calmly at him and said, "I have nothing else to prepare, nor anyone else to say goodbye to. I... am all alone, and I can leave with you right now."
All her important belongings were in the storage soul tool.
In that letter, she had instructed her most trusted female housekeeper, who had treated her like a daughter, to dismiss the remaining maids and servants after her parents' passing.
And she had told Mana that if anyone coveted her property, it would be fine to hand it over if necessary.
You Xing raised an eyebrow, feeling that he was starting to like this simple and pure girl.
He approached Dugu Bo and asked, "Is it troublesome to bring one more person?"
Dugu Bo, holding Dugu Yan, fell silent for a moment, then enveloped the surroundings with his soul power to muffle the sound, saying with a hint of helplessness, "Brother Chen, you really like to scare children, don't you? Is it okay to reveal the soul ring configuration of your second Martial Soul? Or is this part of your scheme?"
"Scheme? I'd say it's just taking advantage of the situation. Also…"
You Xing thought for a moment and added, "Maybe it's because I've been holding back for too long."
With the Ultimate Douluo not appearing, he was already carefree.
Even if he wanted to be cautious, that sense of pride had gradually become hard to suppress.
Some actions he once dared not take, he now felt the risks were not significant, so he would go ahead and implement them.
Just as Dugu Yan had complained, he himself was the one leaking information.
In fact, this time he had even actively revealed his soul rings and Martial Soul.
Especially the latter, he could not guarantee whether Yu Tianheng would report to his grandfather about the existence of a Martial Soul that could suppress his own bloodline, which might provoke a huge reaction from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family.
But... was there really a need to care too much about a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family whose highest combat power was not even a Super Douluo?
It felt like there was no need to worry too much.
However, being too reckless lately was indeed something he needed to reflect on.
Reflection aside, there was no need to do so in front of his younger brother. You Xing quickly changed the subject, saying, "Actually, that wasn't my real soul ring configuration; it was a result I disguised using a little trick. However, what I said earlier was not a lie; the first ring can reach a thousand years, and the third ring can reach ten thousand years. Theoretically, if the Martial Soul's strength is sufficient, all training resources are maximized, and the Soul Master works hard enough, it can indeed reach that theoretical limit."
Of course, this theoretical limit still falls within the realm of Soul Masters. If it were someone like You Xing or a freak like Tang Wulin from the original work, it could not be calculated in the same way.
"Oh, so it was a fake soul ring. I thought, with your abilities, Brother Chen, you couldn't possibly settle for a thousand-year soul ring for your second Martial Soul—wait, you said that soul ring configuration is theoretically achievable?"
"Exactly. But are you sure you want to continue arguing with me here? That little girl outside might start to get suspicious."
Stopping the topic from continuing to diverge, the two of them came to a halt.
Then, Dugu Bo, holding Dugu Yan, quickly conjured a purple snake shadow with his soul power, wrapping around Ye Lingling, and soon they left Tiandou City.
Being lifted by Dugu Bo with soul power, Ye Lingling surprisingly felt no discomfort; even the strong winds they faced were blocked by the soul power, allowing her to leisurely enjoy the scenery retreating behind them.
"How is it, little girl Ye? This Titled Douluo ride isn't bad, right?"
Noticing Ye Lingling's curious gaze, Dugu Bo chuckled.
A Titled Douluo ride...
Ye Lingling had never seen a Titled Douluo who was so unconcerned about appearances, and she felt a bit awkward, saying, "Thank you, Senior Dugu, for your care."
Dugu Bo smirked, "What senior? You and my Yan Yan are good friends, and you plan to take my good brother as your teacher. From now on, just call me grandpa like Yan Yan does. I'll just call you Lingling."
Seeing that Dugu Bo was more easygoing than she had expected, Ye Lingling finally felt a bit relieved and said, "Grandpa Dugu, can you tell me about that esteemed person?"
"Oh, right, you're all alone, with no other ties, and you're going to join us soon, so there's no need to hide some things from you."
As Dugu Bo was considering what to say to Ye Lingling, You Xing's voice quietly came through.
"Brother Dugu, someone is tracking us. You take the two girls to XXX... this location and wait for me."
Ye Lingling noticed Dugu Bo's expression suddenly become serious and couldn't help but look up and ask, "Grandpa Dugu, what's going on?"
"It's nothing."
Dugu Bo grinned, "That kid You Xing is flying too slowly. I plan to fly to the next town to wait for him. Lingling, hold on tight!"
Dugu Bo suddenly accelerated, dashing through the wild forest area.
Ye Lingling curiously turned to look at the sky behind them.
Dugu Bo did not have flying abilities, so You Xing had initially flown high. In the absence of obstacles, their forward efficiency was quite comparable.
One was on land, and the other was in the sky, maintaining parallel progress.
But now, looking back, You Xing's figure had somehow fallen out of the group and disappeared.
...
'This speed, two Titled Douluo? Or two agility-type Soul Douluo? No, it must be the former.'
You Xing changed his flight path, silently speculating.
If it was in Tiandou City and aimed at him, the answer was obvious.
You Xing couldn't help but grin: 'My dear Xue'er, it seems you are deeply in love with your teacher!'
Originally, the probability of the Qingluan Douluo discovering the masked killer was fifty-fifty.
After all, while the Martial Soul powers were similar, the Star Skeleton Dragon and the Stardust Young Dragon were still somewhat different, and given the vast difference in strength, it was reasonable that the Qingluan Douluo did not make the correct judgment.
Some of Bibidong's subsequent reactions confirmed for You Xing that at least Bibidong did not know the truth.
But whether Qian Renxue had shared the information with Jiandao Liu remained a question mark.
Now, You Xing could basically confirm the answers to these two questions—though one was still incorrect.
...
"Master, Dugu Bo and You Xing's auras have separated."
Serpent Spear Douluo suddenly spoke.
Qian Renxue frowned, "They found us? If so, what does separating mean?"
Spiny Seahorse Douluo said, "One of them could be a decoy, perhaps using a clone-type soul skill to deliberately mislead us."
Thus, two choices emerged.
Either split into two groups or choose one side to pursue.
A glint of determination flashed in Qian Renxue's eyes as she immediately ordered, "Ci Xue, you pursue Dugu Bo. She Long, you come with me to chase this You Xing."
"Wait!"
Serpent Spear Douluo exclaimed, "That You Xing is actively coming towards us!"
Qian Renxue's brow furrowed slightly, quickly making a judgment, and said in a deep voice, "Coming to us voluntarily? In that case, even if this side is a decoy, we can quickly resolve it and catch up with Dugu Bo! Let's meet them head-on!"
"Understood!" X2
The three of them accelerated simultaneously, and within a minute, they met.
The two Titled Douluo quietly vanished into the jungle, while in the air, Qian Renxue gazed at the figure flying above, her eyes deep, as if she wanted to engrave the appearance of the other into her memory.
Although she had heard many rumors, this was her first time seeing the person in person.
Even Qian Renxue had to admit that the other's ethereal beauty left her momentarily stunned.
'Is it just him alone? So, it really is a decoy?'
But Qian Renxue knew what was most important right now. She quickly collected her thoughts and, thinking this, softly questioned, "I am the Tiandou Prince Xue Qinghe, here to track the aura of fallen Soul Masters, yet I find only you here. Little one, before ruling out your suspicion, I must offend you."
Regardless of whether it was true or not, she would capture him first.
Under the disguise of the Angel Soul Bone, the swan Martial Soul that Qian Renxue had disguised was seamless, and a soul power surge radiating with holy white light shot towards You Xing.
As long as it hit smoothly, the power of holy light would disguise itself as a cage of feathers, binding You Xing within.
"Qian Renxue, although this is our first meeting, since we both know each other well, why bother with these superficial things?"
However, You Xing lightly dodged, easily evading Qian Renxue's nearly perfect strike.
Qian Renxue had no time to marvel at You Xing's agility, as she was shocked by his lighthearted words.
"What are you talking about? What Qian Renxue? Look clearly, I am the Tiandou Prince, Xue Qinghe!"
A rare look of fluster appeared on Qian Renxue's face.
Not from being exposed, but rather...
'Did the teacher really tell You Xing my most important secret? Just like that, so easily?'
This was impossible!
She was unwilling to accept this reality.
Ding~
You Xing narrowed his eyes, glancing at the system prompt.
[Task: The Martial Soul Hall's Saintess Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, refuses to acknowledge you as Grandmaster You Chen's disciple. Hatred, jealousy, and murderous intent swirl and twist within her heart. The more so, the more you must prove that you are the true inheritor of Grandmaster You Chen's legacy, delivering the most painful counterattack against her hatred, jealousy, and murderous intent!
Inflict a significant setback and failure on Qian Renxue to receive basic rewards.
If you can completely break her spirit, you will receive additional rewards.
Cause Qian Renxue's heart to collapse, reshaping her mind, ideals, and intentions to receive the final reward.
For the additional and final conditions, this task will provide "setback progress" for the host to reference progress.]
[Basic Reward: Ten flashes of inspiration… (continued)…]
[Additional Reward: Soul Bone Age Enhancement Card (100,000 years), Soul Ring Age Enhancement Card (100,000 years)… (continued)…]
[Ultimate Reward: System Skill "Inspiration Burst," randomly generating a "Rule Trait."]
Truly worthy of being another character among the final bosses of the original work, this blood reward was no less than that of her mother.
But You Xing did not hesitate to choose to abandon the task.
At the same time, a new task was generated.
[Task: The two Titled Douluo guards of the Martial Soul Hall's Saintess Qian Renxue, Spiny Seahorse Douluo and Serpent Spear Douluo, harbor strong murderous intent towards you because you know the truth of her disguise as Xue Qinghe. Two mere Titled Douluo dare to show hostility towards you, who is destined to become a god!? You must ruthlessly trample them, telling them who will dominate the Douluo Continent for the next ten thousand years!
Defeat the two Titled Douluo to receive basic rewards.
Inflict overwhelming defeat on the two Titled Douluo to receive additional rewards.]
[Basic Reward: Insights into the soul power manipulation of Spiny Seahorse Douluo and Serpent Spear Douluo, two "Meridian Strengthening and Marrow Cleansing," one "Reflecting the Source," and several top-tier pills.]
[Additional Reward: Transformation method for Martial Soul true body and weapon spirit true body, adaptive best age soul bone (with a limit of 50,000 years).]
'Although they are Titled Douluo who appeared in the original work, their fate power is quite average. If not for the difficulty of their strength, the task rewards would probably not even match Yu Xiaogang's task rewards.'
But, since it was a reward that came knocking, what more could he ask for?
(End of Chapter)