"Lucien, you're dragging me to the grove again."
"If not the grove, then today we're heading to the Sunset Forest!" Lucien declared proudly, striding out of Tiandou Royal Academy with Dugu Yan at his side, hand in hand.
The academy gates lay ahead. The porter spotted them but wisely stepped aside without a word. Nobody dared block Lucien's path anymore.
Dugu Yan sighed. "You're just going to steal my grandpa's medicinal herbs again."
"Steal?!" Lucien frowned with indignation. "How can you call it stealing? Listen here—when you marry me in the future, I won't even ask for a dowry. Your grandfather's stingy treasures can't buy us a happy wedding anyway, so whatever herbs he's hoarded… they're already ours! We're just going back to retrieve what belongs to us!"
He emphasized it again with conviction: "Ours."
Dugu Yan rolled her eyes but allowed him to drag her along.
Lucien had already learned from Xue Beng that Dugu Bo would be playing chess with Xue Xing today. That made it the perfect opportunity to sneak into the Eye of Ice and Fire—the legendary medicine garden.
"Goose, hop on!"
Lucien unsheathed the long sword on his back. His drunken haze seemed to sharpen for a moment as he expelled the irritable energy inside him. He leapt onto the blade like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Flying sword. Not even worth batting an eye at.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp…"
Dugu Yan yelped as the world beneath her blurred. Forest trees melted away into streaks of green. Despite never once seeing Lucien train or cultivate, she realized his strength had grown yet again.
…
…
"There's poisonous fog covering my grandfather's garden. We can't—"
Before she finished, Lucien had already marched ahead.
The sword under his feet whirled, dispersing the toxic mist in one sweeping arc. Wherever he stepped, the miasma dissolved.
He gazed ahead with burning excitement. "I'm here…"
There it was—the legendary realm of twin springs, the Eye of Ice and Fire. Surrounding its steaming waters bloomed countless fairy herbs. His eyes glittered as he confirmed their forms, precisely as in his past life's memories.
His sword wasn't merely a weapon—it became the finest shovel. Whether flowers of flame, blossoms of frost, or herbs steeped in deadly poison, none resisted the black blade. With each swift stroke, Lucien extracted them flawlessly without harm.
"Gulp, gulp…" He took a swig, then got to work.
"Strange Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. Not bad—keeps the body strong. Mine!"
"Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid… oh, this one's beautiful. A perfect gift for a girl."
"Lovesick Heartbroken Red? Dig it out."
"Qiluo Tulip, can't pass that up."
Herbs spilled one after another into his bag.
"Lucien, hurry up!" Dugu Yan urged nervously. "If Grandpa comes back, we'll both be dead!"
Lucien only grinned, cinching the bag shut with satisfaction. "Relax. We'll guard this place ourselves. If Tang San ever dares step in…" His voice turned dark and sharp. "I'll cut him down."
He lifted another jar. "Now come, drink with me! Haha—"
"I'm not drinking!" Dugu Yan snapped, flinching at the memory of the last time he'd gotten her drunk. "Absolutely not!"
"Imperial tribute wine! How can you resist—?"
"Gulp, gulp…"
"Lucien! Slow down before you fall—!"
Flying through the sky on his sword, one arm clutched around Dugu Yan, wine in the other, Lucien looked less like a swordsman and more like a drunken roller coaster.
…
…
Elsewhere in Tiandou City—
"Damn it, Lucien! Didn't you promise to guard me? Where are you now?!"
Xue Beng's curses came between gasps of air as he ran down a narrow alley. Two assassins were close behind, both radiating murderous pressure.
His Martial Soul, the Swan, was laughable in battle—graceful, beautiful, but powerless. Against two high-level soul masters? He didn't even dare fight. His heart turned ice-cold. So this is it… I'm dead.
For years, he had pretended to be an idiot for survival. But was today the end of it?
The assassins gave no taunts, only deadly silence as they unleashed attacks.
Boom!
Suddenly, the sky split. A massive black sword came crashing down, smothered in searing flames—and shattered both of their attacks to smoke.
"Gulp, gulp…"
Lucien emerged from the shadows, drinking freely, his longsword planted in the earth. "Oi. Do you bastards wanna ruin my tribute wine?"
Xue Beng instantly burst into tears. "Brother Lucien, you're here! You finally came!"
Lucien smirked. "I've been here a while."
Xue Beng nearly collapsed. Big brother, must you scare me to death for fun?!
The two assassins froze in shock. This boy… just a child, and yet… something about that sword, those flames—
Lucien swayed, then hiccupped.
[Ding! Host detected in drunken state. First spirit ring level +30 years. Spirit ring now two thousand years old. 'Surging Power' ability full-attribute boost +10%. (Note: drunk-state bonus activated!)]
His lips curled. Tribute wine truly was magnificent—to power up his spirit ring this much at once.
Lucien clutched the sword's hilt. "Well then. Time to fight."
One by one, his soul rings lit the ground beneath his feet.
Purple. Purple. Purple. Black.
The assassins' eyes went wide. Their breaths faltered. This was no normal soul sect—no child should hold such a lineup.
But reason returned quickly. Enchanting or not, he was still just a soul sect. They were both soul kings. Numbers and levels spoke for themselves—
"Surge!"
Lucien's first spirit ring flared to life.
Black flames burst from the blade, swallowing his body as well. For an instant, he looked like a demon climbing out of the underworld. The ground cracked at his feet. The air rippled violently. Sword Qi tore through the walls like paper.
"Break the sky!"
His second spirit ring exploded.
Nine flaming arcs raced outward, engulfing both assassins completely. Lucien felt it—their very souls being pulled into the sword's heart as the flames devoured everything.
When the darkness retreated, two skeletons clattered onto the ground where men had stood.
"Lucien! Are you okay?!"
Dugu Yan's voice rang out, filled with panic as she rushed in.
Lucien staggered. "Uhh… Goose, why are you biting me?!"
"You disappeared for over ten minutes, I thought you died!" Dugu Yan trembled, assuming this was his first time killing someone. She couldn't see his nonchalance through the haze.
Her heart thumped wildly. He'd always been a shameless drunkard, teasing girls and picking fights. But now… three purples, one black. Spirit rings that broke every rule of cultivation. A monster dressed as her drunken companion.
And he was hers.
Meanwhile, Xue Beng sat curled up in a corner, eyes overflowing with disbelief. Two soul kings… killed in one move. Just like that.
Lucien wasn't even twelve years old.
What kind of freak was this? Who could possibly believe it?
His heart flipped. Maybe clinging to Lucien wasn't humiliation. Maybe it was luck.
He stumbled forward. "Brother Lucien… I'll follow you forever."
Lucien waved carelessly. "No need. Just now, you called me a bastard, remember? The fine wine cancels that debt. You gave me a soul bone, and I saved your life. Fair trade."
Xue Beng froze. The thigh he hugged… slipped away.
He couldn't help regretting all the more. Why did he ever insult this man? If Lucien was in a better mood, maybe he'd have stayed his protector forever.
And yet, lucky for him, Lucien had spared him today. Had Lucien been in a foul temper, it would not have ended with words. It would've ended with a fist.