Douluo Continent: Starting with the Tiger Emperor Template

The heavy metal door of the training room closed behind him.

Lu Ren stood in the corridor and stretched his stiff fingers.

A faint gray mist lingered on his fingertips, traces of necromancy, slowly dissipating with his breath.

In just a few days, he was able to open the gates of the dead and summon the lowest-ranking undead creatures.

"Young man, your talent is even greater than I imagined."

Electrolux's voice echoed in his mind, old and gentle, with a hint of undisguised admiration.

"Necromantic magic is inherently incompatible with the rules of this world. I thought it would take you at least a month to even begin to grasp it. I never expected that you would be able to open the Gate of the Dead in just a few days."

"You flatter me, Elder Yi," Lu Ren replied humbly in his mind. "It's because you taught me so well."

In the sea of ​​spirit, the gray bead throbbed slightly and let out a meaningful laugh.

"I've seen all sorts of people, but you're probably the first one at your age to have such a mindset."

Lu Ren did not respond.

Both curse power and necromancy are essentially the use of negative energy.

With his foundation in spellcasting, learning necromancy would be much easier for him.

Lu Ren composed himself, ended his cultivation, left his dormitory, and walked towards Mingde Hall.

It's time to get away.

Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen's office.

The moment the metal door was pushed open, Jing Hongchen was sitting behind the table looking through a soul tool design blueprint.

He looked up and saw Lu Ren walk in, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.

This kid coming to him on his own initiative, it can't be anything good.

"Master," Lu Ren sat down opposite him and got straight to the point, "I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back in a few days."

"no."

Jing Hongchen refused decisively, without even putting down the design drawings.

"You are now the most protected person in the entire academy. Shrek's people may come again at any time. If you go out, you will only give them an opportunity."

"These are the safest days."

Lu Ren spoke calmly and slowly, as if stating a conclusion that had been repeatedly verified.

"Xuanzi needs to go back to Shrek to report the situation and also needs to start preparing to deal with me. Besides, there is still the competition in a few months. All these things take into account. No matter how much he wants to capture me, it will take him at least a few days from leaving Mingdu to Shrek and then rushing back from Shrek. During this period, no one from Shrek will appear in Mingdu."

He paused, then looked calmly at Jing Hongchen.

"But if I had gone out any later, and waited for him to finish his report and return with his men, things might have been different."

Jing Hongchen put down the design drawings and stared at Lu Ren for several seconds.

This kid even factored in his opponent's schedule?

"What are you doing out there?"

"Cultivation." Lu Ren's answer was excessively concise. "The environment in the academy isn't enough for me to break through."

That's the truth.

His magical power stemmed from negative emotions. The academy was full of youthful vigor and energy, and the concentration of magical power there was far less than that of a big city like Mingdu.

To improve quickly, he had to go to places with lots of people.

Moreover, it should be a place where negative emotions accumulate in large quantities.

After much thought, is Mingdu really the best choice?

Jing Hongchen remained silent for a moment.

He found himself unable to find a reason to refute it.

"...Okay." He finally nodded, but immediately added, "But you must have someone with you. In case anything happens, at least someone can report it."

"Okay." Lu Ren agreed readily. "Then I'll have Ji Juechen come with me. With him there, you can rest assured."

Jing Hongchen's lips twitched violently.

"He protects you?"

His voice rose half an octave, as if he had heard some utterly absurd joke.

"With your abilities, you're more suited to protecting him!"

Lu Ren shrugged, his expression clearly saying, "So what?"

Jing Hongchen stared at him for a long time, but in the end, she couldn't do anything about him, and impatiently waved her hand:

"Get out of here. And remember, come back as soon as possible."

"Okay."

Lu Ren stood up and walked towards the door.

"Lu Ren".

Jing Hongchen's voice came from behind.

Lu Ren paused and turned his head.

"Don't cause trouble." Jing Hongchen's voice was low, carrying a hint of helplessness and concern. "The waters of Mingdu run deeper than you imagine."

"I know."

Lu Ren nodded and pushed open the door to go out.

Ji Juechen's residence was always the quietest one.

When Lu Ren knocked on the door, the sword fanatic was sitting cross-legged on the bed, a silver-white longsword resting across his lap, a faint sword aura swirling around him. His eyes were still that dull, lifeless gray, and he resembled a sword yet to be drawn.

"Pack your things and come with me," Lu Ren said.

Ji Juechen raised his eyes.

"Where to?"

"You wouldn't want to be cooped up in the academy all day, would you?"

Ji Juechen's eyes finally showed a slight change.

"Are there any strong individuals I can challenge?"

Lu Ren couldn't help but smile as he watched the growing fervor in his eyes.

"Just follow me. Now that we're out here, there's no shortage of strong opponents for you to challenge."

Ji Juechen didn't ask another question. He stood up, sheathed his silver-white longsword, and walked to Lu Ren's side.

The movements were swift and decisive, like a sword waiting to be drawn finally finding its wielder.

"Let's go."

His voice was calm, yet it carried an undercurrent of barely suppressed anticipation.

Lu Ren glanced at him.

When this sword fanatic gets obedient, he's even less troublesome than Meng Hongchen.

……

Mingdu.

The capital of the Sun and Moon Empire, also known as Sun and Moon City.

As the most prosperous city in the entire empire and even the entire continent, this giant city without walls is now just beginning to be lit up.

The guiding streetlights stretched into the distance along the wide streets, their orange glow illuminating the entire city as if it were daytime.

The streets are lined with towering buildings that are a rare sight in other countries.

Thanks to the widespread application of soul tool technology, the Sun Moon Empire's architectural level far surpasses that of the original three kingdoms of Douluo Continent. Buildings tens of meters high are everywhere, and metal and stone intertwine to create a cold and magnificent urban outline.

The streets were teeming with people, and the cries of vendors and the chatter of pedestrians blended together to create a noisy yet vibrant urban symphony.

Lu Ren stood at the street corner and took a deep breath.

The air was filled with the unique atmosphere of this city.

Metal, energy, the hustle and bustle, and those negative emotions hidden beneath the glitz and glamour, so intense they almost solidify into a tangible form.

Fear, greed, resentment, jealousy, despair.

Countless negative emotions drifted over the city, like an invisible smog, shrouding this city that never sleeps.

The moment he stepped into the smog, the wandering magical energy seemed to have found its only home and surged towards him like madmen.

They penetrated his skin, seeped into his meridians, and merged, compressed, and settled with the original magical power within his body.

The feeling was like a dried-up riverbed finally receiving the first rain of the rainy season, with every inch of its veins greedily absorbing this hard-won energy.

"Comfortable."

Lu Ren couldn't help but squint his eyes.

Throughout the entire Douluo Continent, he is probably the only one who can sense the existence of these negative emotions, and he is the only one who can transform them into curse power.

To others, Mingdu was a bustling capital city.

In his eyes, this place was an inexhaustible gold mine.

Ji Juechen stood half a step behind him, his gaze fixed on Lu Ren.

In his perception, the moment the young man stepped into Mingdu, he entered a mysterious and profound state.

Soul power and spiritual power blended perfectly within him, inseparable, like two intertwined rivers flowing into the same ocean.

That was not a simple superposition, but a higher level of fusion, a realm he had sought for many years but could never reach.

Ji Juechen's gaze became incredibly intense.

A perfect fusion of soul power and spiritual power. When will he be able to reach this level?