Douluo Continent: The Legend of the Gods

The water of Xingyuan Pool shimmered with silver light. Yun Qinglin opened his eyes from his meditation and felt that the soul power in his body was even stronger than yesterday.

He's reached level sixteen. It's been less than ten days since he broke through to level fifteen, which is much faster than he expected.

She sat beside him for a long time, guiding her star power into her body, a small vortex of silver light gathering above her head. She was very focused when she cultivated, unlike her usual bouncing around.

Unlike Yun Qinglin, she can use star power to assist in cultivating her soul power, which usually takes longer.

Yun Qinglin could do that if he wanted, but the nourishment of spiritual power by star power is slow. It would be better to spend that time cultivating on his own to control his mind.

When he returned from his therapy class, Xu Jiujiu was already waiting for him outside Xingyuantan.

"You've broken through?" she asked.

"Hmm, level sixteen."

"Wow, that's amazing. I'm only level 12 now, even though Grandpa said this place is more suitable for me to cultivate." She broke through to level 12 after absorbing the soul ring, and she's still a little short of level 13.

She is also on the verge of a breakthrough recently. The cultivation method of the Star Crown Sect emphasizes that things will naturally fall into place and cannot be rushed.

Yun Qinglin walked to her side, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Jiujiu, there's something I want to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Dai Yueheng," Yun Qinglin carefully chose her words, "I might have dealings with him in the future."

She stared at him for a long time, waiting for him to continue.

"He is the eldest son of the Duke of Baihu. In the future, when he does things in Xingluo, he will inevitably have to deal with the Dai and Zhu families. If he comes to me... I don't want to make things too tense."

He finished speaking and looked at her for a long time. Her face didn't show any particular expression; she simply nodded. "Then let's go."

Yun Qinglin was stunned for a moment.

"Of course you can associate with him," Xu Jiujiu chuckled, placing her hands behind her back and looking up at the leaves of the star tree. "I'm not the kind of princess who acts like a tyrant, needing my permission to make friends."

She paused, raised her chin slightly, and made a smug little expression. "Besides, you're the one dating him, so he's the one who's better off. You should teach him a lesson about his arrogance."

Yun Qinglin was amused by her expression: "You don't mind?"

"What do you mind?" Xu Jiujiu tilted her head to look at him. "You're not my pet, why should I care what friends you make? Besides..." Her voice lowered a little, "I don't know what you want to do, but I think you must have your own goals. As your friend, of course I should support you."

Yun Qinglin felt a warmth in his heart. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but after a long while, he hurriedly walked forward: "Let's go, Old Master Gu must be getting impatient. I must get this shell out today; he's already said 'practice some more' three times."

She walked ahead, her steps light and quick, her little ponytail swaying behind her.

Yun Qinglin followed, without saying anything more. Some things don't need to be said; saying them would make them seem distant.

In the afternoon, in Gu Qinghong's laboratory, Yun Qinglin inscribed three more core magic arrays.

He no longer needs to look at the original image, nor does he need Old Gu to provide him with a semi-finished product. Although he was a little slow on the first one, he quickly got the hang of it and his speed was no slower than yesterday.

This is thanks to his nightly summary of what he has learned that day, and his redrawing of the design drawings, which allows him to effectively integrate the knowledge system.

Gu Qinghong stood by and watched for a while without saying anything. After the third person finished, he said, "Becoming a Level 1 Soul Tool Master is not a problem for you. You can now learn about Level 2 Soul Tools. Starting tomorrow."

"Yes."

After a long afternoon of hammering away at the shell, I finally managed to get a decent one. Although the edges are still a bit rough, at least it's not crooked anymore, and the curves are much smoother.

She examined it several times, then held it up to Gu Qinghong: "Mr. Gu, what do you think?"

"Better than yesterday, Jiu Jiu. Your talent is also quite good. Just don't compare yourself to Qing Lin. Try for another two days and you'll be able to access the core magic array."

"Of course." She proudly put the shell away. "I'm not going to compare myself to him. I have my own advantages."

Gu Qinghong glanced at her, said nothing, and turned to leave.

After a long while, she made a face at his retreating figure, then leaned close to Yun Qinglin and whispered, "Old Gu said I have good talent, did you hear that?"

"I heard you," Yun Qinglin said.

"He said not to compare myself to you." She thought for a moment, "Doesn't that sound like a compliment?"

Yun Qinglin couldn't help but laugh: "Let's go, let's talk outside."

The two left the laboratory and walked along the path.

The setting sun dyed the horizon orange-red. Xu Jiu Jiu walked ahead, twirling the metal casing he had carved himself in his hand.

"Jiujiu," Yun Qinglin called to her.

"Um?"

"What do you see as the difference between commoners and nobles?"

She slowed her pace after a long while and thought for a moment: "There's not much difference, is there?" She tossed the shell up and caught it again. "There are good people among commoners, and bad people among nobles. A person's goodness or badness is not determined by whether they are commoners or nobles, but by what they do."

She paused, then added, "Besides, commoners aren't born inferior; they just haven't had the opportunity. If given the chance, they might be better than many nobles."

"I think it's a good thing that you opened that clinic to treat commoners." After putting away the outer shell, Xu Jiujiu's steps became lighter again. "Xingluo City is so big, someone has to help them. If you help them, that's a good thing. If anyone causes you trouble, I'll have my brother deal with them for you."

"Great, let's go and cause them trouble together then."

"That's right." Xu Jiujiu smiled smugly.

Six-year-old Xu Jiujiu didn't fully understand Yun Qinglin's thoughts; she only knew that what he did was different from everyone else she had ever met.

The education she received from childhood taught her that the Star Luo Empire must become stronger through the efforts of her elder brother and herself. Xu Jiawei had said this, Xu Huai Ren had said this, and every elder in the Hall of Offerings had said this.

She is a princess; this is her responsibility.

Therefore, she learned the art of governing a country, how to weigh the pros and cons, and how to navigate among various forces.

If things continue like this, she will probably become the kind of person the royal family hopes she will become: shrewd, decisive, and always putting the national interest first.

Like the princess in the original story who was willing to marry Huo Yuhao for Xingluo, and like the Xingluo ruler who refused to budge an inch at the negotiating table, put everything on a scale and weigh whether it's worth it and whether it's useful.

But Yun Qinglin was like a pebble that suddenly rolled in beside her, creating a hole in the paved road.

He wouldn't lecture her with grand principles, nor would he teach her how to think or act. He would simply be there, doing what he wanted to do. He never considered whether it was worthwhile or not; he just did what he wanted to do.

He saw it all, but didn't say anything; he kept it in his heart.

She began to think, "So this is how some people live." Not everything needs to be calculated in terms of gains and losses, and not everyone needs to be categorized as useful or useless.

This way of doing things was different from what others had taught her. Others taught her to weigh things, but Yun Qinglin taught her to see.

She will still be that shrewd princess, still scheming and maneuvering for the benefit of Xingluo. But Yun Qinglin's presence will make her think one step further when weighing her options; she will be a little more complex than her original self.

Not long after separating from Xu Jiujiu, Dan Chen came to find Yun Qinglin.

Yun Qinglin followed behind him, passing through several alleys.

The houses in the western district are much shorter than those in the eastern district, the roads are narrower, and the walls on both sides are gray brick walls with moss growing at the base.

No matter how big a city is, there will always be slums. Xingluo City is already quite good.

Someone was cooking over a fire outside the door, and the smoke stung the eyes. Dan Chen stopped in front of a wooden door and knocked twice.

The door opened quickly.

Shi Tou poked his head out, saw Dan Chen, and then saw Yun Qinglin; his eyes lit up instantly.

"Dr. Yun!" he called back into the house, "Mother, Dr. Yun is here!"

The door opened from the inside, and Stone's mother came out to greet them. She was still so thin, but her complexion was much better than last time; it wasn't sallow anymore.

She was holding a rag, probably tidying up the house. When she saw Yun Qinglin, she quickly wiped her hands on her apron.

"Doctor Yun, Lord Danchen, please come in and sit down. Shitou, go and pour some water."

The room wasn't big, but it was clean and tidy. There was a table, a few chairs, and several bowls and plates on a cabinet in the corner.

Stone brought over two chairs and poured two bowls of water. The bowls were made of coarse porcelain and had chips on the edges, but they were very clean.

Yun Qinglin took it and drank a sip; it was plain water, a little cold.

"My mother is much better!" Shi Tou stood beside her, his eyes shining. "After taking the medicine you prescribed, she stopped coughing much on the third day. Now she can sleep through the night and she's not wheezing anymore."

Stone's mother nodded beside him, a smile on her face. "Yes, Dr. Yun, your prescription really works. I've been coughing for over half a year, and no amount of folk remedies helped. These few doses of your medicine are better than anything else."

Yun Qinglin put down the bowl and let her extend her hand to take her pulse. The pulse was much stronger than last time, and the radial pulse was not as deep. Her tongue coating was thin and white, and the teeth marks had faded considerably.

"Take the medicine for another four days to consolidate the effect. After that, you don't need to come back. Just be careful not to catch a cold."

It seems to be working better than he expected. Perhaps the medicine in the fantasy world is more effective, and the common people's constitution might be slightly better as well?

Shi Tou stood to the side, rubbing his hands, hesitant to speak. Yun Qinglin glanced at him. "What's wrong?"

"I..." Stone lowered his head. "My father said you charged too little. That medicine last time would have cost at least one tael of silver to other families, but you only charged fifty copper coins." He raised his head, his face flushed red. "I will definitely pay you back in the future."

Yun Qinglin waved his hand. "No need to pay it back. I said I'd take whatever amount I said I'd take."

Stone's mother was wiping away tears beside him.

"Dr. Yun, you saved my life! You've seen my family's situation; it wasn't always this bad. But my husband broke his leg, and the treatment cost a lot of money. I thought my illness would get better on its own, but it's gotten worse as time went on..."

Yun Qinglin remained silent for a while, then glanced at Dan Chen, who nodded slightly.

"Stone," he began, "how old are you this year?"

"Six years old," Stone said, "the same age as Doctor Yun."

"Has your martial spirit awakened?"

Stone's mother's face darkened slightly.

"Not yet. His father said he'd take him once he'd saved enough money, but..." She didn't finish her sentence, but Yun Qinglin understood.

In an ordinary family, the father was unable to work due to a leg injury, and the mother had been ill for more than half a year. It was a miracle that they were still alive, let alone having the money to awaken their martial spirit.

Stone stood to the side, head down, saying nothing.

After a while, he raised his head and whispered, "I heard from the Soul Master of the patrol team that the Red Eagle Marquis's Mansion in the south of the city can awaken martial souls for commoners, for eighty gold soul coins each time."

Those with good talent can join the Marquis's guard, receiving a monthly salary. Those with exceptional talent can even be recommended by the Marquis to attend the Star Luo Royal Academy.

When he mentioned "Star Luo Royal Academy," his voice rose by half an octave, and his eyes lit up for a moment, but then quickly dimmed again.

His family couldn't afford eighty gold soul coins.

The Red Vulture Marquis's Residence.

Yun Qinglin went over the name in his mind.

He didn't know much about the noble factions in the Star Luo Empire, but he did know about several of the major dukedoms and marquises.

The Red Vulture Marquis's Mansion is one such branch. Their ancestors had rendered meritorious service and were granted the title of Marquis, guarding the southern part of Xingluo City for generations.

The current Marquis is named Lu Ming, an eight-ring Soul Douluo with the Iron Feather Vulture as his martial soul. It is said that he can fight against a hundred enemies single-handedly, although Yun Qinglin has doubts about this. He has some prestige in Star Luo City.

The Marquis's Mansion awakens martial souls for commoners several times a year, supposedly to select talents for the royal family. However, the price of eighty gold soul coins per awakening is enough for a commoner family to save for more than ten years without eating or drinking.

Those with good talent joined the Marquis's guard, while those with exceptional talent were sent to the Star Luo Royal Academy. Upon graduation, they became members of the Marquis's household. It was a worthwhile deal.

As for those who lack talent, their eighty gold soul coins were wasted, and the Marquis's mansion wouldn't refund a single one.

"I'll help you with the matter of awakening your martial spirit."

Stone was stunned. Stone's mother was stunned too. The room was silent for several seconds.

"Dr. Yun, this..." Stone's mother's lips trembled, "How can we accept this? You treat us, charge us so little, and then you still want to help Stone awaken..."

"It's nothing." Yun Qinglin took out the Martial Soul Awakening Stone from the Star Essence Ring. He had received one of these from the Hall of Offerings, and his teacher said to keep it for future use.

He placed the Awakening Stone on the table and beckoned to it: "Come on."

Shi Tou stood rooted to the spot, his feet seemingly frozen in place. He looked at the stone ball, then at Yun Qinglin, his lips moving slightly. "Dr. Yun, I...we don't have any money..."

"It's free."

Stone stared, speechless. No money? This... he was tempted, but his family truly owed Doctor Yun a great deal.

Yun Qinglin didn't urge him, but simply pushed the Awakening Stone forward a little further.

"Put your hands up here, and I'll take care of the rest."

Shi Tou slowly walked over, wiping his hands on his clothes repeatedly before carefully placing them on the Awakening Stone. He was filled with trepidation, knowing his chances of awakening an excellent martial soul were slim, especially since his mother hadn't awakened one...

My father's martial spirit was just a wooden sword.

His hands were trembling, and the light on the surface of the Awakening Stone flickered.

Yun Qinglin grasped his wrist and pressed it gently.

"Don't be nervous, relax, just think of it as touching an ordinary stone."

Stone took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

The light on the Awakening Stone gradually stabilized and then began to brighten. Suddenly, a long sword appeared in the stone's hand. The blade was cyan, the body was slender and slightly curved, and the handle was wrapped with dark patterns.

Yun Qinglin was stunned for a moment. This long sword didn't look like a useless martial soul. It must have at least level 3 innate soul power.

A wooden sword mutated? But this is clearly a metal sword...

"Let's test your soul power," he said.

The light from the Awakening Stone traveled upwards, passing through levels three, four, and five. It paused at level six, then jumped up another level, stopping at level seven.

Innate seventh-level soul power.