Douluo Continent, Heaven Dou Empire.
Outside Heaven Dou City, in a vast manor.
"What?! Dad, you...you're talking nonsense!"
Lin Yu's expression changed drastically, looking at his father, who usually seemed like a retired old man, with a terrified expression, as if he were actually a spy directly under Qian Daoliu, the Grand Elder of the Spirit Hall.
Lin Zhan, Lin Yu's father, a Marquis of the Heaven Dou Empire, was enfeoffed in a border town called Chengyang. His Martial Soul was the Emerald Demon Bird, a forest killer, and with his level 75 cultivation, he was considered a formidable figure even among Soul Saints.
However, no one could have imagined that he, a rising star of the Heaven Dou Empire, would be a spy for the Spirit Hall.
Seeing his son's terror, Lin Zhan smiled calmly. "That's right, this is my biggest secret. I should have waited until you were an adult to tell you, but plans change. The reason I'm telling you now is because the Grand Elder activated my hidden spy, which I've kept hidden for thirty years, just yesterday."
Hearing his father's words, a complex look flashed in the eyes of six-year-old Lin Yu.
He was originally an orphan, hoping to go to university and find a good job. However, his education was worthless; not graduating from a prestigious university meant he was practically worthless. During his internship, he worked intense overtime and finally couldn't hold on, dying suddenly.
What he didn't expect was that after his death, he would transmigrate into the world of the novel *Douluo Continent*, which he had read in his youth.
Reborn, Lin Yu was not as lonely as in his previous life; he grew up in a happy aristocratic family.
Although many years had passed, Lin Yu, who still remembered the general plot, had originally planned to invest in Tang San, not seeking a godhood, but only hoping to live peacefully for the next few decades.
However, he never imagined that his family's background would be so complicated—a hidden agent of the Spirit Hall within the Heaven Dou Empire, a situation that would ultimately lead to his demise!
His plans, prepared for several years, vanished the moment his father, Lin Zhan, revealed the truth.
Immediately, Lin Yu asked his father in a low voice, "Does my mother know about this?"
Lin Zhan nodded decisively, then smiled and ruffled Lin Yu's hair, "Of course she knows. Rou'er is also from the Spirit Hall, but she belongs to the Pope's Palace, not my faction."
Hearing this, Lin Yu's expression froze, then he said somewhat blankly, "I understand, but why did you tell me all this, Father?"
Well, Lin Yu never imagined that of the three family members, only he knew nothing, naively believing his family was just an ordinary noble family.
In reality, his parents were secretly plotting something big.
Then, Lin Zhan stood up, patted Lin Yu on the shoulder, and smiled, "Nothing much, just letting you prepare mentally since you're about to awaken your Martial Soul."
No one knows a son better than his father, and Lin Zhan naturally understood his son.
Unlike the immaturity of his peers, he was exceptionally mature, diligent, and eager to learn, meticulously completing his Martial Soul awakening physical training.
He naturally saw his son's ambition, but Lin Zhan also understood that as undercover agents, he and his wife might be abandoned one day.
Before being abandoned, he was determined to pave a path for his son in the Spirit Hall.
As for why the Spirit Hall, and not the Heaven Dou Empire, as an undercover agent personally selected by the Grand Elder, which had a better future—he certainly knew.
While Lin Zhan was planning Lin Yu's future, Lin Yu, who had just been shocked by the true identities of his parents, finally recovered.
After sorting out his thoughts, Lin Yu calmly analyzed his situation.
First, both his father and mother were from the Spirit Hall, just from different factions.
As their son, Lin Yu was branded with the Spirit Hall from birth, and it wasn't up to him to decide which faction he belonged to.
Secondly, according to his father, the Spirit Hall's Grand Elder, Qian Daoliu, was using him as a spy for the first time in thirty years, indicating the importance and urgency of the matter.
For the Spirit Hall and Grand Elder Qian Daoliu to make such a fuss, it must be a momentous event.
Based on what he knew about the people in Heaven Dou City, and considering the Spirit Hall Pope Qian Xunji's death a year ago, he vaguely guessed what the Spirit Hall's major move was.
For a moment, Lin Yu felt a mix of emotions. So it was her!
He hadn't expected to encounter something so coincidentally.
But some things are unavoidable; one can only face them and leave the outcome to fate.
Led by Lin Zhan, the father and son traversed a dense forest within the manor, eventually arriving at a mountain range behind it.
Because it was close to human settlements, there weren't many spirit beasts here, only a few less than a hundred years old, or wild animals.
Although resources were scarce, the place was secluded. The father and son hadn't gone far when they encountered an elderly man sitting on a boulder, wearing a bamboo hat, with a javelin-like frame and white hair.
Upon seeing the old man, Lin Zhan, without a word, pressed Lin Yu's head down, bowed respectfully, and said, "Lin Zhan of the Dark Guard, along with my son Lin Yu, greets Your Majesty, Serpent Spear!"
The fact that he was addressed as "Your Majesty" indicated that the old man was a Title Douluo.
Serpent Spear, whose real name was She Long, was only level 91, but his title and cultivation were genuine.
She Long didn't speak, but slowly opened his eyes and said coldly, "You know everything. The Grand Elder also knows that it wasn't easy for you to hide in Tian Dou for thirty years, and has already agreed to your request. As long as your son's soul power reaches level five or above, he can become a disciple of any elder except the Grand Elder."
"Yes, Lin Zhan understands. Please make your move, Your Majesty!"
Lin Zhan was extremely excited when he heard his request granted. It wasn't in vain that he had diligently hidden in Tian Dou for thirty years; in the end, he had still gained some favor.
She Long didn't waste any words and simply took out a set of crystals with awakened martial souls and threw them next to Lin Yu.
As She Long infused a wisp of soul power into them, the crystals immediately began to spin, emitting a soft glow.
"Put your hand here!"
At She Long's command, Lin Yu, with a slight hint of nervousness, placed his right hand on the crystal ball floating in front of him.
A small bird with blue-green wings appeared in Lin Yu's hand—the Emerald Demon Bird.
Unlike Lin Zhan's, Lin Yu's Emerald Demon Bird's wings were noticeably larger.
She Long considered this change merely a slight mutation in his own martial soul and didn't pay much attention. Lin Zhan, who had been watching closely, breathed a sigh of relief.
He himself had mutated from an ordinary sparrow martial soul and was worried that his own martial soul inheritance might be unstable, causing his son's martial soul to also become a sparrow.
If that happened, he would have nowhere to cry.
Lin Yu, on the other hand, had learned some things about his martial soul when it awakened.
For example, the Emerald Demon Bird in his hand was not an ordinary Emerald Demon Bird; it naturally possessed an extremely powerful ability: evolution.
A Soul Master can absorb a maximum of nine soul rings in their lifetime to reach the peak of Soul Masterhood, namely, the Title Douluo.
As long as Lin Yu can absorb a spirit ring, it will promote the evolution of his martial spirit's quality. If he can cultivate to the level of a Title Douluo, he can evolve his martial spirit nine times!
Nine evolutions in martial spirit quality naturally make Lin Yu extremely happy. However, his mature nature makes him understand the necessity of concealing his strength or holding back, so he doesn't say much.
In order to make himself appear more normal, Lin Yu deliberately lets a few flashes of joy in his eyes from time to time.
"Not bad. Since it's an Emerald Demon Bird, its spirit power shouldn't be too low. However, we still need to go through the proper procedures."
She Long's voice rang in Lin Yu's ears, and a crystal for testing spirit power appeared in front of Lin Yu.
Lin Yu didn't hesitate and directly placed his palm on it.
In just a moment of contact, the crystal lit up, and the dazzling light surprised She Long.
"Nine-level innate soul power, not bad!"
The Spirit Hall is a large and powerful organization, teeming with strong individuals and geniuses. Let alone a ninth-level innate soul power, even full innate soul power can only be described as good talent. (To those who disagree, talent is only one aspect. Soul Master battles are risky, let alone life-or-death struggles. An enemy won't spare you just because you're a genius.)
Having talent is indeed excellent, but if you can't grow into a Title Douluo, even the best talent is useless.
It's not just the Spirit Hall; even the three upper sects only value those with high talent. It's impossible for them to suppress one person at all costs.
Only some academies or small families would do that. Large forces with such resources would gather all their geniuses above the seventh level of innate soul power for training.
After nurturing this generation of peers for a certain period, they would then provide detailed training based on their strength, character, and aptitude.
The seventh level of innate soul power has always been the dividing line between genius and non-genius; only those above the seventh level have a certain chance of achieving a Title Douluo.
It wasn't just about cultivating a single genius; it was also about sharing the risk. After all,
the chances of a group of geniuses cultivating a single titled disciple were much higher than cultivating only the most talented genius to achieve the same title. After Lin Yu finished awakening his martial soul, She Long seemed to be in a good mood. Thinking of his young master's grand plan, and knowing that he would surely need someone in the future, he took the initiative to speak: "Boy, you have good talent. Although your father used thirty years of merit to get you a place to become a disciple, it's only a title. Since your parents are here, you can't go to Martial Soul City. At most, you can get more resources in return.
But if you want to stay here, I can help you plan something. Are you willing?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Lin Yu is willing. Please enlighten me!"
As shrewd as Lin Yu was, he naturally chose to stay in Heaven Dou City. Not to mention that the title of a disciple of the Martial Soul Hall wasn't very popular among powerful figures
, Martial Soul City was also quite unfamiliar to Lin Yu. Even with good talent, his shallow foundation meant he probably wouldn't get any benefits.
Staying in Tiandou City wasn't bad, not only because he could have a powerful backer, but also because he could potentially seize some opportunities.
Lin Yu's decisiveness surprised both She Long and Lin Zhan, but She Long was quite pleased to see Lin Yu agree without hesitation.
"Good, you're a good kid. I'll have your father relay any arrangements later; as for Lin Zhan, remember to make proper arrangements at the hunting grounds." (End of Chapter
)