Douluo Continent: The Legend of the Gods

Brigitte's gaze fell upon the three of them.

An elderly woman with silver hair, possessing a profound aura, was likely a Super Douluo around level 95. She exuded a strong aura of light and vitality, and her martial soul was probably of the light healing type.

A burly man, around level 93, whose martial soul was likely related to fire. She didn't recognize either of them, but she could vaguely sense the characteristics of their martial souls.

Then her gaze fell on the boy.

Yun Qinglin.

Brigitte didn't know his name, but she could tell at a glance that the aura of the emerald swan was emanating from this child.

The child looked to be only five or six years old, with black hair, fair skin, and blue-green eyes.

She recognized that color all too well; it was the unique color of the Emerald Swan bloodline. He didn't have any spirit rings on him, meaning he hadn't started absorbing any yet, but the pure aura of the Emerald Swan was already faintly emanating from his body.

Brigitte looked at the child, her heart filled with complex emotions.

It's so similar, so incredibly similar.

The child's eyes, his gentle and calm demeanor, were almost identical to those of the young emerald swans in the tribe. If she hadn't known he was human, she would have thought he was one of the tribe's cubs who had transformed and wandered out to play.

Although the cubs cannot yet transform into human form.

She watched quietly as the child followed the two Title Douluos through the forest. The child walked steadily; though young, his steps were firm. Occasionally, when he stopped to observe the surrounding spirit beasts, his eyes showed no fear, only curiosity.

What surprised her even more was that some of the spirit beasts, upon seeing the child, merely glanced up at him before continuing with their own affairs, showing no intention of avoiding him. The aura emanating from the child instinctively drew the lower-level spirit beasts closer.

A sense of relief welled up in Brigitte's heart. Although this child was human, his martial spirit was real, and his affinity for spirit beasts was genuine. This wasn't a pretense, but instinct.

She continued to watch, observing their journey deeper into the forest, noticing the child occasionally pausing to observe something, and watching the two Title Douluos patiently explain things to him. The old woman was clearly teaching the child, introducing him to various spirit beasts, and teaching him how to survive in the forest.

Then she saw the Crimson Fox.

The Crimson Fox was severely injured in the fight and lay on the ground, barely alive.

The child stopped in his tracks. The old woman glanced at him but said nothing. Then she saw the child walk towards the Crimson Fox.

Biji's gaze sharpened slightly, but she relaxed again after seeing Yun Qinglin's treatment.

On the fourth day at noon, they stopped at the edge of a valley in a mixed area.

Wang Xian'er nodded and quietly approached with Yun Qinglin.

Yun Qinglin lay prone behind a rock, peering down through gaps in the bushes. The valley wasn't deep; at its bottom was a small wetland with a pool of water less than ten meters square in the center. Three turtles were perched on the rocks beside the pool.

Several emerald turtles were sunbathing by the pond. The largest one must be over 20,000 years old, and the smallest one must be around 900 years old.

The three turtles had translucent emerald green shells that shimmered softly in the sunlight. The largest one had a shell diameter of nearly 2 meters, and lying there it looked like a giant piece of jade.

The two smaller ones are probably its offspring.

"Emerald Crystal Turtle," Wang Xian'er said softly, "Its defense is extremely strong, but its movement is slow. Its soul skills are usually related to life shields or slow healing, which are very suitable for your first soul ring. It's only a little over nine hundred years old, which is just the right age."

Yun Qinglin stared at the smallest emerald turtle, silently thinking about Wang Xian'er's words.

Over nine hundred years, nearly a thousand years. If one absorbs its spirit ring, one will become a true spirit master. Only with a spirit ring can the Emerald Swan spirit spirit truly unleash its power.

He took a deep breath and looked at Wang Xian'er: "Teacher, I'm ready."

Wang Xian'er looked at him, a hint of relief flashing in her eyes: "No longer hesitating?"

Yun Qinglin shook his head: "I won't hesitate anymore. In this world, if you want to gain a foothold, you must first become stronger. This is my path, and I will not waver."

Wang Xian'er nodded, just about to say something, when suddenly her expression changed and she looked up at the sky.

Almost simultaneously, Winged Fire Douluo flashed to their side, his soul power already surging. The two exchanged a glance, both seeing solemnity in each other's eyes.

"An extremely powerful soul beast is coming," Winged Fire Douluo said in a low voice, his soul power already surging.

Wang Xian'er remained silent, simply shielding Yun Qinglin behind her. Her senses were far more acute than those of the Winged Fire Douluo, and she had already vaguely detected the aura of the newcomer. That aura was so powerful that it made her heart tremble; it was definitely not something an ordinary soul beast could possess, nor even something a simple 100,000-year-old soul beast could have.

A beam of emerald light descended from the sky and landed in front of them.

She was a woman in a long, emerald-green dress, with waist-length hair, a gentle face, and an aura of vibrant life. She stood there quietly, and the surrounding flowers and plants seemed to revive, filling the air with a refreshing scent.

But Wang Xian'er and Winged Fire Douluo didn't relax at all; on the contrary, they became even more vigilant. Because they both recognized the person in front of them—no, who this being was.

Brigitte.

Ranked fourth among the ten ferocious beasts, the king of the Emerald Swan clan, and one of the most unapproachable beings in the Star Dou Great Forest.

"A human titled Douluo," Bi Ji said, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze.

Wang Xian'er took a deep breath, suppressing her shock, and bowed slightly: "Greetings, Senior Biji. I am Wang Xian'er, an elder of the Star Luo Empire's Hall of Worship, and I have come with my disciples to search for a suitable soul ring. Please forgive me if I have offended you."

Biji did not respond to her words, but looked past her and landed on Yun Qinglin behind her.

Wang Xian'er's heart tightened, and she subconsciously moved closer to Yun Qinglin to shield him. Although she knew that if Bi Ji really wanted to do something, they wouldn't be able to stop her at all.

Although Bi Ji is not very aggressive, it would not be difficult for her to kill Yi Huo Douluo. She could even use her life force to blow him up alive.

Moreover, although only Brigitte has appeared, who can guarantee that Brigitte is not protected by other soul beasts?

Biji didn't pay attention to her actions, but just stared at Yun Qinglin: "Child, come here."

Yun Qinglin hesitated for a moment before stepping out from behind Wang Xian'er. He knew that hiding was useless; even if Wang Xian'er and Winged Fire Douluo combined their strength, they might not be able to protect him against an existence of this caliber.

Biji took a few steps closer and looked at him up close. Her gaze was gentle, without a trace of malice, but the scrutiny made Yun Qinglin feel as if she could see right through him.

"The Emerald Swan Martial Soul..." Bi Ji said softly, "Humans haven't awakened this Martial Soul for over 20,000 years. I always thought this bloodline had been completely eradicated among humans."

Yun Qinglin didn't know what to say, so he remained silent.

Brigitte looked at him for a while, then suddenly smiled. Her smile was so gentle it felt like a spring breeze.

"Don't be nervous, I mean no harm," she said. "It's just that I haven't seen a human with this martial soul for so long, I was a little flustered."

She paused, her gaze becoming somewhat distant: "In ancient times, the relationship between the Emerald Swan clan and humans was not like it is now."

Back then, when humans awakened our martial spirits, we would even actively search for suitable dying soul beasts for them. But later, too many things happened, and the Emerald Swan bloodline gradually disappeared among humans, causing our relationship with them to become increasingly distant.

She withdrew her gaze and looked back at Yun Qinglin: "I sensed your presence by the lake just now. I thought a new member of our clan had been born, but I never expected..."

She glanced at Wang Xian'er and Yi Huo Douluo not far away, then looked at Yun Qinglin, a complex expression flashing in her eyes.

"You're here to hunt soul beasts, right?"

Yun Qinglin paused for a second, then nodded.

Brigitte wasn't angry; she simply sighed, "I know this is an inevitable path for humanity to become stronger, and I won't blame you for it. I also want to change this situation and allow soul beasts and humans to coexist peacefully, but it's too difficult... Humans need soul rings, and soul beasts need to survive. This conflict has persisted from ancient times to the present, and it's not something anyone can easily resolve."

She paused, then looked at Yun Qinglin: "But you're different. I saw you healing the soul beast."

Yun Qinglin was taken aback. So she had been watching all along?

"You could have ignored them completely, since they weren't your target anyway," Brigitte said. "But you crouched down and used your martial spirit to help the spirit beasts, and you didn't kill a single one along the way."

She reached out and gently placed her hand on Yun Qinglin's shoulder. A warm and vast life force surged into his body, and Yun Qinglin felt a jolt throughout his body. The Winged Fire Douluo behind him almost launched an attack, but fortunately, Wang Xian'er stopped him in time.

"Don't move, Senior Biji is helping Qinglin." Wang Xian'er looked at this scene with a shocked expression. That's right, as the top healing-type martial soul on the continent, how could the Emerald Swan not awaken its talent domain?

A talent ability that only a very few top-tier martial souls can awaken, even rarer and more precious than soul ring skills. Her Healing Angel martial soul did not have a talent domain; it was only awakened when she reached the Soul Saint level. The number of powerful individuals with talent domains on the entire Douluo Continent can be counted on one hand.

In that instant, Yun Qinglin felt an extremely warm life force surge into his body from the top of his head, a feeling that was more than a hundred times stronger than when he awakened his martial soul.

That life force flowed through his meridians and finally converged at his chest.

"Your Emerald Swan Martial Soul lacked sufficient life force during its awakening," Brigitte's voice rang in his ears. "So something that should have appeared during awakening was hidden. Now, I'll help you awaken it."

Yun Qinglin felt his chest growing hotter and hotter, a warmth that wasn't scorching, but rather a gentle comfort that made him want to sleep. He closed his eyes, letting that life force flow through his body.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he suddenly felt something spreading from his chest.

It was a faint emerald halo that emanated from his body and spread outwards. The halo was so faint that it was almost invisible, but Yun Qinglin could clearly sense its presence. It was like a transparent dome, covering an area of ​​about ten meters around him.

Then, some information came to mind.

Life Barrier.

Domain-type talent skill. Within the domain's range, the soul skill cost of all selected friendly units is reduced by 10% (can be increased), the effect of all healing soul skills is doubled, and a continuous healing effect is gained; as long as one is within the domain, wounds will heal automatically at a slow rate.

Most importantly, this talent doesn't consume soul power once activated! It's like a buff that's always available.

It's as if the jade swan itself has this effect wherever it goes.

Yun Qinglin opened his eyes and was stunned.

This is... a field?

"Senior Biji, this..." Wang Xian'er looked at Biji and hesitated.

Winged Fire Douluo was also dumbfounded. How come after Bi Ji appeared, she directly gave Qing Lin an enormous opportunity? Not only did she not drive them away, but she even took the initiative to help them?

Could it be that a human's Emerald Swan Martial Soul could make this ferocious beast treat him with such special regard?

Biji stood up and smiled slightly: "This is what he deserves. When the Emerald Swan Martial Soul awakens, if its life force is sufficient, it will naturally awaken this talent domain. Unfortunately, he lacked sufficient life force when he awakened it, so it has been hidden. I just helped him fill that gap."

She looked at Yun Qinglin with a hint of relief in her eyes: "You have a kind heart, and that kindness is worthy of this field."

Yun Qinglin opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found he had no idea what to say. He was completely overwhelmed with surprise. What was going on?

Brigitte didn't say anything more about the domain, but turned towards the hillside and looked at the Emerald Turtle.

"You've got your eye on that emerald turtle?"

Yun Qinglin nodded: "Around nine hundred years, the age limit is just right, and the soul skill is also suitable."

Brigitte was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Let's get another one. This one isn't right for you."

Winged Fire Douluo was taken aback: "Senior, why is that?"

"Because I can bring him a more suitable soul beast."

Bi Ji looked at Yun Qinglin, her eyes full of tenderness: "You also have compassion for soul beasts, which is rare among humans. I hope you can always maintain it, and no matter how strong you become in the future, never forget the state of mind you had when you came to the Star Dou Great Forest this time."

She turned around, ready to leave.

"Senior Biji," Yun Qinglin suddenly spoke, "thank you."

Brigitte turned around, smiled slightly at him, and then her figure flashed and disappeared into the depths of the forest.

"I will come back here in a day. You can choose not to believe me and use that Emerald Turtle as your soul ring."