Bai Chenxiang stood up and invoked her Sharp-tailed Swift.
Behind her, a pair of white wings spread, and four soul rings—two yellow and two purple—appeared. "Third soul skill—Flight!"
She soared into the sky, showing off her graceful form. In fact, as a flying beast martial soul, Sharp-tailed Swift could always fly, but the Speed Clan all had a soul skill called Flight.
Strictly speaking, Tianlin thought this soul skill should be called Burst Flight, as it let them reach maximum speed in an instant.
"Amazing! Holding these swords, my soul power condenses at least 30% faster, so I can cast soul skills even quicker in battle!" Bai Chenxiang exclaimed in delight. Tianlin's first claim was confirmed; now for the second.
The Sharp-tailed Swift became a streak of light, slicing through the forest before everyone's eyes—so fast she was almost invisible. As a Soul Ancestor, her speed outstripped many Soul Emperors and even some Soul Sages not specialized in agility.
With the cover of night, her movements were even more unpredictable.
Thud, thud, thud!
Several large trees in front of the group were sliced cleanly in half, the cuts smooth—just as Tianlin had said, these short swords were incredibly sharp.
"Miss Bai, using trees as targets won't show off the armor-piercing effect. Senior Dragon Duke, could you, as a newly advanced Title Douluo, be our target?" Tianlin requested.
"Sure! Huyan Zhen's soul bone skill is a defensive one—let's try it out." Dragon Duke lifted his right arm, and a round golden shield appeared.
"Soul bone skill—Harmonious Golden Shield!" Dragon Duke announced. "Come on, little Bai, try attacking me!"
"Yes, Your Excellency, here I come! First soul skill—Acceleration!" Bai Chenxiang's first soul ring flashed, boosting her speed.
Speed is weight. Bai Chenxiang may not have heard the phrase, but after years of speed research, her clan certainly understood it. Previously, their bodies weren't strong enough to withstand the recoil, so they never used it in combat. But now, with powerful enough weapons, their speed advantage could truly shine.
In a flash, Bai Chenxiang's short sword struck the shield.
But unsurprisingly, she was bounced back—the gap in strength was too vast. She was just a Soul Ancestor, after all, and couldn't possibly break through a Title Douluo's soul bone skill.
But rather than feeling disappointed, she was overjoyed. In that instant before being knocked away, she saw fine cracks appear on Dragon Duke's shield.
These swords really could pierce armor! She just wasn't strong enough to fully use their effect. If her grandfather had tried, maybe he really could have broken Dragon Duke's defense.
"Amazing, little one! We're nearly fifty levels apart, but you put a crack in my defense. If your opponent was under Soul Emperor level, you'd have killed them already!" Dragon Duke marveled. "But your sword technique needs work—you have to aim for vital spots, a throat slash is the essence of these short swords."
"Yes, thank you for the advice, Your Excellency!" Bai Chenxiang was completely immersed in joy, wanting to hurry home and tell her grandfather the good news.
As for swordsmanship, some basic training would be enough at first. Back at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Chen Xin could easily create a twin sword technique for her—no problem at all.
Bai Chenxiang returned and said, "Brother Jun, with these, I think Grandpa won't be able to refuse to join your sect. But as for Grandpa Yang… although he doesn't hate you, he still has some resentment toward big sects because of the past. Convincing him will take some work."
"No need to worry. As long as he doesn't hate us, that's enough. To me, there's no one easier to win over than Yang Wudi!" Tianlin laughed.
Bai Chenxiang was puzzled. Was the Yang Wudi Tianlin mentioned the same as her Grandpa Yang?
Yang Wudi was as stubborn as he was powerful—getting him to change his mind was nearly impossible.
"Oh, Miss Bai, you don't have to worry. Just trust my boss. Ever since I met him, everything he says comes true," Ma Hongjun had become blindly loyal to Tianlin.
This time, though, Bai Chenxiang said nothing more. At least, so far, Tianlin had completely convinced her.
…
A few days later, the group finally reached the borders of the Star Luo Empire.
The carriage stopped. Since Heaven Dou and Star Luo were rivals, they had to pass inspection by border soldiers.
This didn't take long. The soldiers saw they were soul masters and didn't dare cause trouble.
Unlike the original story, the perverted trio of Bu Le, E Kao, and Tian Ya didn't appear—due to the altered timeline, they probably hadn't made it here yet.
It was their last stroke of luck—if they'd run into Tianlin, he wouldn't have just roughed them up like Tang San and Ma Hongjun in the original. He'd have killed them outright.
Those three were scum, harming countless innocent girls. They got away with it only because they had sharp eyes and decent strength.
By targeting ordinary women without soul power, those wanting revenge couldn't beat them, and soul masters or nobles wouldn't offend two Soul Emperors and a Soul King for a few commoners.
"What a pity. Maybe on my way back, I'll look for them," Tianlin sighed. He was determined not to let them go if he ever met them.
…
At that moment, the three—now wanted for their crimes in Heaven Dou—were also heading for Star Luo. They weren't afraid of ordinary police, but being chased every day was annoying.
"Achoo, achoo, achoo!" Bu Le suddenly sneezed several times.
"Yo, Bu Le, three sneezes in a row, caught a cold?" Tian Ya mocked.
"Go on, you're the one with a cold!" Bu Le grinned lewdly. "I bet Heaven Dou's beauties miss me, or Star Luo's beauties are waiting for me."
"Right, I've been sick of being chased by Heaven Dou's soldiers. Once we reach Star Luo, I'll have some fun with the girls to relax!" E Kao looked like a rough man, but his mind was as filthy as Bu Le's.
Unfortunately, the place they longed for would become their graves.