Chapter Six: Farewell to Xiaowu

Gu Chen’s predecessor lost his father when he was a child, and his mother raised him single-handedly. When he was six, he awakened his martial soul; however, it was an unremarkable silver needle, mocked by others as a "weakling’s tool." Yet, his mother never gave up on him. She always encouraged him, saying that awakening a silver needle wasn't necessarily bad and that he might become a divine healer one day.

This sounded fine, but where was he? This was the Douluo Continent! In this world of spirit masters, where physical bodies were incredibly robust, illness was rare. Even if one did fall ill, a healing-type spirit master could fix it with a single spirit skill. What need was there for a doctor? The profession was so rare that it could be described as one in a million. Ordinary people would only seek out doctors if low-level healing spirit masters were too busy to help them.

In his previous life, Gu Chen’s mother died young. In this life, she had fallen ill suddenly three years ago and had been bedridden ever since. No one could diagnose her condition; even two high-level healing spirit masters from Nuoding City had been unable to cure her. Now, his goal was to visit his mother without revealing his identity to see what exactly was wrong with her. He sensed that there was something suspicious about the situation.

While he was lost in thought, planning his future, the group of beggars who had just beaten him surrounded him once more. Gu Chen’s mouth twitched. What was this? Were they addicted to bullying him?

"Hey, this kid’s clothes look just like the little beggar we beat up earlier!"

"Who cares! Since he's a stranger, stepping onto our turf means breaking our rules. Beat him!"

The group of beggars rushed at him, but Gu Chen had no intention of letting them have their way this time. Having awakened a Chameleon martial soul, he possessed the camouflage traits of a chameleon. Combined with his study of the Five-Animal Exercise, he could disguise his martial soul into forms he was familiar with. He chose to disguise his martial soul as a Vajra Bear to teach them a lesson.

As soon as the Vajra Bear martial soul appeared, the beggars scrambled backward in fear.

"Boss, he actually awakened a martial soul, and a very powerful beast martial soul at that..."

"It’s fine, don't panic! His spirit power must be trash, otherwise he wouldn't have ended up as a beggar. Everyone together, let’s take him down!"

...

"Boom, boom, boom!" After several muffled sounds, the group was knocked to the ground by Gu Chen in just a few strikes.

They had misjudged Gu Chen’s strength. Having just been reincarnated, he possessed little spirit power, but after merging with his predecessor’s memories, he knew of several methods to cultivate it. The first was "Absorption," the most common method for spirit masters—using meditation to convert the energy of heaven and earth into spirit power. While steady, it was notoriously slow. The second was "Inheritance," receiving gifts from powerful beings, such as absorbing spirit bones or spirit beast sacrifices. The third was "Plunder," directly absorbing the spirit power of beasts or other masters, though it required significant time to digest and was not ideal for long-term cultivation.

Through meditation over the past few days, Gu Chen had regained enough strength to reach the second rank of a spirit apprentice, making it easy to deal with these thugs.

"Good..." Suddenly, a rough voice cheered. A burly middle-aged man stepped out from a corner. He wore a gentle smile, yet radiated an aura of oppression.

Gu Chen watched the man warily. He recognized him: Zhao Wuji, a teacher at Shrek Academy. Why was he here? What did he want? Seeing Gu Chen staring at him, eyes darting around while clutching his money pouch, Zhao Wuji realized the boy must have misunderstood something. He found this youth, who possessed the same martial soul as his own, increasingly interesting.

"Hahaha... Young man, don't misunderstand. I'm not a bad guy. I saw you use the Vajra Bear martial soul just now—it was fierce and imposing. It’s just that your power output is off; you clearly haven't received professional training."

"You don't have a master yet, do you? Would you like to come to Shrek Academy? My martial soul is also a Vajra Bear; I can teach you."

"Who are you?" Gu Chen asked, pretending not to know him.

"Hahaha... I forgot to introduce myself. I am Zhao Wuji, a 77th-level Battle Spirit Saint."

"Ah..." Gu Chen feigned extreme shock, his mind racing on how to escape quickly. Although he had the Chameleon soul, Tang San possessed the Purple Demon Eye. If he went to Shrek Academy, they would inevitably meet. If he were exposed, wouldn't he be finished?

Seeing Gu Chen’s surprised expression, Zhao Wuji laughed even harder. "So, young man, what do you think? Will you come with me?"

Zhao Wuji asked with absolute confidence, certain that the boy would follow. However, what he heard next nearly made him stumble.

"Uncle, thank you for your kindness, but I don't like cultivation. I just want to be a salted fish. Little animals are so cute! We shouldn't hurt them; we should protect them!"

Gu Chen’s tone was earnest and infectious, leaving even the "Immovable Bright King" Zhao Wuji feeling embarrassed, his cheeks turning slightly red. The nearby beggars looked on with disdain—talentless, yet making up such a grand excuse. They bowed to his shamelessness.

Although Gu Chen had spoken without intention, his words were overheard by a girl with keen hearing. She leaped from the ground, flipped through the air, and landed steadily before him.

Gu Chen was startled as he saw who it was. His heart pounded violently. *It couldn't be this coincidental, could it?*

The person was none other than Xiao Wu, with whom he had shared a moment of intimacy just days ago. Dressed in a pink fitted girl's dress, with a pair of fluffy rabbit ears, delicate features, a slender yet curvaceous figure, and small Irish peach-colored leather shoes, she looked graceful and adorable.

She blinked her large, cute eyes at Zhao Wuji, and seeing his frustrated expression, she curled her lips into a charming arc and teased, "Teacher Zhao, I didn't expect you to be rejected. Tee-hee... this brother is right. We spirit masters shouldn't just think about killing; we should protect the little animals too..."

"No, I can't easily give up on a kid with such natural talent." Zhao Wuji’s persistence wasn't just about talent; in the Douluo Continent, one’s path depended on talent, but one’s power depended on "spirit." Although Gu Chen’s movements had been simple, they had displayed the form, spirit, and intent of the Vajra Bear martial soul perfectly. If he grew strong and reached the Spirit Saint level, he would be unstoppable.

"Kid, I’ll ask you one more time: are you coming with me or not?" Zhao Wuji’s face grew serious, and he released a hint of his pressure. Gu Chen felt his breathing tighten, and cold sweat broke out on his back. But he was not one to submit. He looked Zhao Wuji straight in the eye, gritting his teeth, and gasped out, "I said... I don't like to cultivate, and I mean it. If you want me to submit, then only if..."

Zhao Wuji’s face lit up, a smile forming on his lips. But before he could even show his teeth, he heard Gu Chen weakly add:

"Only if... you pay... more money..."

Zhao Wuji’s mouth twitched. He nearly slapped him dead on the spot, his smile freezing. Gu Chen collapsed, unconscious. He had been running desperately to avoid being caught by Ning Rongrong and Oscar, and he was exhausted and famished. After teaching those beggars a lesson and being crushed by Zhao Wuji’s uncontrolled pressure, he had truly reached his limit.