Soul Land: Heartbreak Makes Me Stronger

The dining table was bathed in the soft glow of countless lamps, their warm light creating an inviting ambiance.

Yet, Qin Jian felt no trace of that warmth. Instead, a chilling unease gripped his heart.

"You always push yourself to the brink when cultivating in the Sword Pool," Sword Douluo remarked. Standing just a few steps away from Qin Jian, his perpetually stoic face betrayed no emotions. "You only ever leave when you've completely exhausted your Soul Power. While you've done well to suppress your Soul Beast aura, the frequency gave you away."

"Then why hasn't Teacher killed me?"

Qin Jian raised his head abruptly. His delicate face was as cold as frost.

Sword Douluo remained unfazed, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "To hide your aura so perfectly indicates that your Soul Power before achieving human form likely exceeds the hundred-thousand-year level."

Qin Jian's body trembled violently.

Sword Douluo's tone carried no malice, yet each word pierced Qin Jian's heart like an icy blade.

"A hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring... and at least two top-tier Soul Bones..." Sword Douluo's gaze momentarily flickered with intrigue.

Qin Jian abruptly lifted his head, locking eyes with the continent's most formidable offensive Titled Douluo.

His gaze was complicated but devoid of killing intent.

Qin Jian suddenly laughed.

In an instant, the oppressive chill in the room dissipated, and the warmth returned. He stepped forward, returned to his seat, and resumed eating.

Sword Douluo's expression froze for a moment before he asked in a peculiar tone, "Now that I've uncovered your secret, why aren't you running?"

Qin Jian nonchalantly chewed his food, mumbling, "Teacher, you're a mighty Titled Douluo. Running would be futile."

"So you've just given up?"

Sword Douluo chuckled wryly.

Qin Jian turned to look at him, his youthful face calm and serene. "Teacher harbors no intention of killing me."

Sword Douluo blinked, caught off guard, before his expression turned incredulous. "You're betting your life on something this serious based purely on instinct?"

A faint smile spread across Qin Jian's face. "Teacher, my true form is a hundred-thousand-year-old Love Flower. With Soul Power reaching the million-year level, I have the sharpest sensitivity to goodwill and malice."

"A Love Flower? A million years of Soul Power?"

Sword Douluo murmured in astonishment. Then, curiosity flickered across his face. "What is a Love Flower?"

Qin Jian's smile remained, but his expression grew bitter. "It's a flower that grows deep in the heart of the Star Dou Forest... unable to move, unable to speak, unable to do anything... just a flower."

No words could describe the despair he felt when he first realized he'd transmigrated into the form of a flower. Unable to even end his own life, he had resigned himself to fate, waiting for the day some Soul Beast—or Soul Master—would devour him.

And then a rabbit came along.

Instead of eating him, it nurtured him, watering him for ten thousand years.

"Even after becoming a million-year Soul Beast, you couldn't move?" Sword Douluo asked, puzzled.

Qin Jian shook his head. "I don't understand it either. Despite my immense Soul Power, the only change was that I grew as tall as a tree and could emit a pink mist."

"A pink mist?"

At first, Sword Douluo seemed unconcerned. Then his expression darkened as a thought struck him. "Ten years ago, that pink mist that spread across the entire continent—was that you?"

"It covered the entire continent?" Qin Jian scratched his head sheepishly. "I thought it only affected the Star Dou Forest. I was merely testing my ability... I had no idea it would be so disastrous."

His voice carried a tinge of regret. "That night, every Soul Beast in the forest went into a frenzy. That year, the Star Dou Forest's birth rate surged by several hundredfold."

And that silly rabbit…

The memory made Qin Jian shudder.

"So you were the culprit behind that night," Sword Douluo muttered, lifting Qin Jian by his collar and holding him in midair.

"Do you know how many years I've endured self-restraint?!" Sword Douluo's face turned darker, though his words trailed into mutters.

Qin Jian's eyes widened. "Teacher, even you couldn't resist it?"

With a flick of his wrist, Sword Douluo tossed Qin Jian back onto his chair. "That year, the continent's birth rate also soared. Even Rongrong was… born that year..."

Qin Jian's lips twitched uncontrollably. "So Rongrong exists because of me?"

Sword Douluo, clearly uncomfortable revisiting the memory, quickly changed the subject. "Is that why you're determined to take human form? A Soul Beast's lifespan is only a thousand years after reaching the hundred-thousand-year mark. By transforming into human form and cultivating to level one hundred, you could naturally ascend to godhood."

Qin Jian nodded, then shook his head.

"That's only part of the reason. There's something even more pressing..."

Clenching his fists tightly, he said with a trace of anger, "That time, while releasing the pink mist, I overheard two First-Class Gods talking. They said I'd mature in thirty years and could be harvested as a divine elixir!"

"First-Class Gods?!"

Sword Douluo was initially stunned, then nodded in understanding. "A hundred-thousand-year Love Flower with million-year Soul Power is a rare treasure for even the gods."

"Which means," Qin Jian declared resolutely, "if I don't want to be consumed, I must become a god myself!"

"So that's the truth..."

Sword Douluo's gaze softened as he mused aloud, "It's fortunate I didn't act against you. A Love Flower with a million-year Soul Power… What kind of Soul Skill or Soul Bone would it yield?"

The memory of that restless night sent shivers down his spine.

"But when you first discovered I was a Soul Beast, you didn't know any of this," Qin Jian said curiously. "Why didn't you act then? Surely you were tempted?"

"Of course I was," Sword Douluo admitted, shaking his head. His gaze softened as he looked at Qin Jian. "But humans are more than their desires. We have emotions too. After raising you for a year or two, how could I possibly harm you?"

To Sword Douluo, Qin Jian was like the son he never had.

"Thank you, Teacher."

Qin Jian's smile was genuine, his heart filled with gratitude.

Sword Douluo chuckled inwardly, thinking, If anything, I should thank you for bringing warmth to this old man's life.

But he only asked, "Why can't you cultivate Soul Power? With your talent, it should come effortlessly."

Qin Jian's expression grew conflicted. "It's because of my innate Divine Position Trial..."

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