Douluo Continent: The Real World

Two Years Later

At the age of nine, Yu Tianyan had grown to 1.6 meters. The growth rate of children on the Douluo Continent surprised him. Considering Oscar from the Shrek Seven Devils, whose father had him at thirteen, this rapid development wasn't entirely unexpected.

Yu Tianyan, who had been at level 20 for a year, brought Liu Erlong back to the Sunset Forest.

With the help of Heart Fire, Yu Tianyan reached level 18 within a year. After absorbing the external soul bone, Thunder Fire Wings, he successfully achieved level 20. Liu Erlong decided to name the wings Thunder Fire Wings.

Like Liu Erlong initially, he wasn't in a rush to hunt for soul rings. Despite her urging, he remained stubborn, to the point where she became so frustrated that she accidentally set their courtyard on fire. In the end, the Director of Music had to arrange for repairs.

Over the past year, Yu Tianyan strengthened his body through Heart Fire. As he grew older, his body could gradually withstand more physical exercise. He was careful to avoid overexertion that might hinder his development, improving his body bit by bit. When he sensed it might affect his growth, he immediately shifted to practicing boxing and kicking techniques instead. As a result, another year had passed without substantial training progress.

"Sister, the Dragon Horn Rhino King is still here..."

Yu Tianyan breathed a sigh of relief.

The two floated in the air, their wings of lightning and fire flapping in unison. Below them, a pool of water shimmered, and a herd of dragon-horned rhinos roamed. Atop the hillside lay a giant purple beast, over ten meters long—the target of their journey. It was a Dragon Horn Rhino King, approximately 1,050 years old.

Liu Erlong frowned, her expression troubled. "Xiaoyan, I'll give you one last piece of advice. Though there's only a hundred years' difference between a 900-year and a thousand-year soul ring, the soul power in them is worlds apart. Listen to me this time. With your current physical strength, you could choose a 900-year soul beast for your second soul ring. There's no need to take such a risk. I don't want you to get hurt."

Yu Tianyan understood the risks and knew he wasn't reckless by nature. He could sense her concern and remembered that Tang San's second spirit ring had only been a ghost vine slightly over 600 years old. Most spirit masters' third rings were only around a thousand years, and 80% of them wouldn't exceed 1,500 years.

Despite her words, he couldn't ignore her worried gaze and focused his attention on the Dragon Horn Rhino King. He knew that looking back into her eyes would shake his resolve.

"Sister, trust me. For revenge and for you, I will not let myself die."

He spoke softly, then flapped his wings and descended to the ground. Seizing the moment before the Dragon Horned Rhino King noticed, he felt his heart race.

Yu Tianyan's soul power surged, and despite Liu Erlong's concern, she still underestimated the difficulty of cultivating Soul Douluo. In the first year, due to the soul bone's interference, she couldn't activate Heart Fire normally and only advanced by a tenth of a level. It wasn't until the second year that she fully committed, finally activating Heart Fire with greater strength.

Heart Fire, one of the rare fires on Doupo Continent, can disturb the mind. Each time she activated it, Liu Erlong's thoughts were filled with chaotic images. She couldn't resist the pull of desire in her current mental state. The soul bone of the three-headed fire dragon granted her tremendous spiritual power, which would normally suppress such thoughts. But the torment of Heart Fire left her vulnerable, and each week, Yu Tianyan had to help her control it and suppress the desire it incited.

Due to this, her reliance on him began to exceed her attachment to Yu Xiaogang, whom she'd worried about for years. With Yu Tianyan's help, she suppressed her inner fluctuations and reached level 87 and a half within a year—a rate four times faster than before.

"Let's go, Sister," Yu Tianyan said, taking deep breaths. With the spiritual power of the three-headed fire dragon skull, he suppressed his distractions and charged forward.

Seeing his determination, Liu Erlong had no choice but to follow. Whatever the outcome, she would stand by him.

The eight soul rings around her body glowed: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, and black. A massive fire dragon appeared behind her. At level 87, her aura overwhelmed the dragon-horned rhino herd, freezing them in place. Although they held a trace of dragon blood, Liu Erlong's martial spirit was a true fire dragon, with four soul bones over ten thousand years old, all from powerful soul beasts. Her presence alone had a natural suppressive effect on the dragon-horned rhinos, whose highest cultivation level was only a thousand years.

In minutes, Liu Erlong brought the weakened Dragon Horn Rhino King to Yu Tianyan. To prevent interference, she unleashed her fifth soul skill, [Sky-high Flame], creating a massive fire tornado that enveloped the area, clearing a radius of thirty meters.

"Xiaoyan, you must succeed," she whispered, withdrawing the flames into her body.

Yu Tianyan nodded, exhaling slowly. His right hand ignited with an invisible fire, and without hesitation, he struck the Dragon Horned Rhino King on its skull. The intense, milky white flame pierced its head, ending its life. He didn't desire a thousand-year soul bone, nor did he wish to increase its age. After confirming the kill, he retracted the strange fire.

A faint purple light gathered from the Rhino King's body, forming a transparent purple halo filled with powerful energy—more than twice the strength of the 500-year-old dragon-horned rhino soul ring he had absorbed before.

Yu Tianyan sat cross-legged, suppressing the strange fire and releasing his martial spirit. Lightning crackled from his palm as he drew the purple spirit ring to his head.

Liu Erlong clasped her hands, praying silently, "Please, let him succeed."

The purple soul ring shrank, and under Yu Tianyan's influence, settled on the lightning around him. A rush of intense energy surged through him, igniting a scorching heat in his organs. His body trembled under the strain, and he spat out blood. His thunder and fire wings instinctively emerged, absorbing some of the pressure.

Despite his preparation, he underestimated the power of the thousand-year soul ring. Heart Fire surged within him, creating a protective barrier in his meridians to withstand the force.

It felt like a rhinoceros had crashed into him, and pain shot through his body. Liu Erlong watched in horror, her own Heart Fire reacting to his struggle. If things continued this way, he might perish from the soul ring's pressure.

With no other choice, he gritted his teeth and held on. His nine-year-old body, tempered by Heart Fire, had already absorbed a thousand-year-level external soul bone, yet he felt on the verge of explosion. Recalling the reckless spirit ring stacking in his previous life, he couldn't help but curse silently.

(End of Chapter)