Tianlin had a good reunion with his parents. Jun Tianhai, learning of his current level, was so shocked he was nearly speechless.
He knew his son was talented, but this was too much—Tianlin wasn't even eighteen, but was almost a Soul Sage. When Tianhai was eighteen, he was just a low-level soul master.
He wondered if his son had mutated genes—or maybe he himself was the mutant, and Tianlin was normal.
Jun Tianhai thought narcissistically, regretting not having more children. Maybe then the Jun family could have become a famous soul master clan.
Now, he could only hope for Tianlin and Ning Rongrong.
So, the couple kept urging Tianlin and Ning Rongrong to get married. But Tianlin had two big issues to solve first:
First was the Soul Hunting Operation—he couldn't think about anything else until that was done. Second was the Asura God's trial.
The second trial was brutally hard—he had to kill a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear alone. Even Chen Xin would have to go all out against it, and Tianlin had no idea how to kill it within a year. Even with a stronger talisman, his chances weren't great.
So, he told his parents nothing, to avoid worrying them. To escape their marriage nagging, Tianlin used the excuse of apologizing to Lady Yue and left the sect.
…
Heaven Dou City was bustling as always—if anything, even more prosperous than two years ago.
He noticed that while nobles were still arrogant, they no longer bullied commoners openly.
"What happened? Did they all change their ways in the past two years?" Tianlin wondered.
"Xiao Tian!" Suddenly, someone called him excitedly. Tianlin turned and saw Oslo.
"Long time no see, Oslo!"
Oslo was from a minor noble family in Heaven Dou, so his presence was unsurprising.
"Where have you been these two years? We had several Royal Battle Team get-togethers and you never showed. Do you know how worried we all were?" Oslo circled Tianlin, checking him over. "Hmm, not bad, you're still sturdy!"
Tianlin batted his hand away. "Of course not—I was training, not degenerating somewhere."
"Hey, Oslo, where are you going all dressed up?" Tianlin finally noticed Oslo was dressed unusually smart in a tailcoat.
"To Moon Pavilion, of course! Today is one of their rare public performance days—every top noble lady in Heaven Dou is there, even Princess Xue Ke studies there. I'm hoping to meet my true love," Oslo replied sheepishly.
Tianlin was stunned. "You're still single?"
Oslo's face darkened. "Of course! I'm not like you, Tianheng, or Yufeng, with your pretty-boy faces—or like the Shi brothers, who lost their virginity early. My family bought me some maids, but I want to save myself for true love."
Tianlin hadn't expected Oslo to be so principled. Now he remembered why he always felt something was missing three years ago—it was this poor guy.
Honestly, with Oslo at level fifty-seven and possessing a thirty-thousand-year soul bone, he was destined for greatness. It shouldn't be hard for him to win a noble girl's favor.
Puzzled, Tianlin went with Oslo to the Moon Pavilion. There, he finally saw why Oslo was unpopular.
Before the performance, Oslo would go up to every girl, saying things like, "Miss Fina, what perfume are you wearing? It's both rosy and minty!" or "Miss Qi Leiya, your skin is so smooth—let's share beauty tips sometime!"
Even to Princess Xue Ke: "Your Highness, your beauty outshines the stars!"
Tianlin cringed—so Oslo's idea of finding true love was to cast a wide net. The noble girls didn't dislike him—since he was a noble and strong, they had no reason to—but they all treated him like a good sister. Their interactions were like chatting with a bestie.
"This idiot set up the wrong persona—no wonder he can't find love," Tianlin thought.
His reaction drew the girls' attention. One girl asked, "Hey, Oslo, aren't you going to introduce your friend?"
"He's just my sidekick, a nobody," Oslo lied smoothly, instantly regretting bringing Tianlin—the girls' attention had all shifted to him.
"Hehe, if Tianlin counts as a sidekick, you'd be on par with my brother," Princess Xue Ke laughed. "Long time no see, Brother Tianlin. You left without a word two years ago—do you know how angry my brother was? He sent people everywhere to look for you, but you vanished."
Tianlin had known Princess Xue Ke for years through Xue Qinghe. She was always polite to him for her brother's sake.