Yan turned his head slightly.
Behind him stood two tents — one for Xie Yue, the other for Hu Liena, the pair of siblings now fast asleep inside.
Hu Liena — that fox-like, lively girl — though only sixteen, already radiated a natural allure, a charm that set her apart from others her age.
Her eyes seemed to carry their own kind of enchantment, capable of drawing others in without effort.
Yan's feelings for her had long since surpassed mere camaraderie. His affection had risen to something far deeper, almost to the point of obsession.
That was why, every time they came to Death Canyon for training, he had always volunteered to keep watch through the night — all so Hu Liena could rest peacefully, undisturbed by the soul beasts that prowled the darkness.
But this time, Yan chose not to stand guard.
They were still on the outer perimeter — there wasn't much danger here.
He took a tent out from his soul tool, set it up, and crawled inside to lie down.
Having just been reborn into this world, a faint excitement still lingered in him, making it hard to fall asleep.
Lying on his back, countless thoughts swirled through his mind.
Now that he had been reborn into the world of Douluo Dalu, he understood one truth clearly — if he wanted to truly stand at the summit, relying solely on Spirit Hall's resources would never be enough. He would need both opportunity and strategy.
Yu Xiaogang and Tang San were cunning and shrewd. Bringing them down wouldn't be easy.
To weaken their strength, he would have to plan ahead — to interfere with the flow of fate before it happened.
Yan knew that Tang San had gained a massive boost in power after acquiring numerous immortal herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
If he could reach that place first — and cut off Tang San's opportunity — the entire course of the future might change because of it.
But the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well wasn't easy to approach.
That place was guarded by Poison Douluo Dugu Bo, whose Jade Phosphor Serpent venom was feared across the continent.
Still, Yan had no intention of backing down.
His Flame Body constitution granted him a natural resistance to toxins — perhaps this could become his key advantage.
And there was an even greater key — Elder Yue Guan, the Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Yan realized that Yue Guan might well become his benefactor in this new life.
Yan, Xie Yue, and Hu Liena had all lost their parents at a young age. They were brought to Spirit Hall and survived its brutal selection process together.
Bibi Dong had always shown special favor toward Hu Liena, viewing her as her successor, and had even assigned Yue Guan and Gui Mei — Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo — to protect her from the shadows.
Over the years, the three of them had grown up together — training side by side, improving together.
Because of that, both elders treated them kindly, though it was clear that Hu Liena received the lion's share of their affection.
Ghost Douluo was mysterious and aloof, cold and difficult to approach.
But Yue Guan was different. He had an unusual hobby — an obsession with flowers and plants.
Winning Yue Guan's trust and favor wouldn't be difficult — all Yan needed to do was cater to his interests and learn from him about medicinal herbs and spirit flora.
Yan knew he had to do this.
By studying plants under Yue Guan's tutelage, he could find the perfect opportunity to approach the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
The rewards he had in mind — the Flame Right Arm Bone promised as the Spirit Master Tournament prize, the fire-type immortal herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and the Ten Suns Flame Pill from the City of Slaughter — all of these treasures were invaluable to enhancing a fire-type spirit master.
And Yan wanted every single one of them.
But he also knew that haste would ruin his plans. He needed to move step by step — and for now, the most important thing was to break through to Level 40 and obtain his fourth spirit ring.
With that thought, Yan slowly drifted into sleep.
"Get up already! Do you have any idea what time it is?!"
The next morning, Yan was jolted awake by a sharp voice.
Groggily opening his eyes, he saw Hu Liena standing over him, staring.
Though she couldn't quite be called a peerless beauty, her fair skin and captivating, flirtatious eyes gave her no small amount of charm.
At this moment, she was bending forward, face-to-face with Yan — and that posture left her graceful figure fully displayed before his eyes.
Yan couldn't help but think to himself — the old Yan might have been pathetic, but at least he'd had decent taste.
Compared to the scheming woman he'd once adored in his past life, Hu Liena was undeniably stunning.
"What are you looking at!?"
Hu Liena instinctively covered her chest, straightened up, and glared at him in anger.
"Weren't you supposed to be on watch last night? Why were you sleeping?! What if soul beasts had attacked us — do you want us all dead?!"
Yan sat up lazily, stretched, and replied in a casual, indifferent tone:
"What soul beasts? We're fine, aren't we?"
That offhand, nonchalant attitude was a complete contrast to the Yan who used to hang on Hu Liena's every word.
Both Hu Liena and her brother Xie Yue were stunned, staring at him as if they were seeing a stranger.
Was this really the same Yan they knew?
But Yan ignored their astonishment and calmly began packing away his tent and belongings.
Watching this, Hu Liena's irritation began to rise.
She stepped forward, searching his eyes for that familiar trace of admiration and yearning — but all she found was calm indifference.
"What's wrong with you?"
She finally couldn't hold back her question.
Yan paused, looked up at her briefly, and said evenly:
"Nothing. It's morning — we should pack up and move out."
His tone was completely flat, devoid of any emotion, as if he were discussing something trivial.
Hu Liena's anger flared. She felt utterly ignored.
Seeing the tension, Xie Yue hurried to smooth things over.
"Nana, don't be mad. Maybe Yan's just in a bad mood — he'll be fine after a while."
But Hu Liena clearly wasn't satisfied with that explanation. She snorted softly, casting a sidelong glance at Yan, expecting him to come over and apologize.
Given how he'd fawned over her for years, she would have been willing to forgive him if he had just shown a little remorse.
Yet Yan acted as though nothing had happened, continuing to pack his gear quietly.
That only made Hu Liena angrier. She couldn't understand why he seemed like a completely different person overnight.
Before long, Yan finished tidying up.
Xie Yue folded the other tents, walked over, patted Yan's shoulder, and whispered:
"Alright, enough of this. Just apologize to her later, and this whole thing will blow over."
Yan only smiled faintly and said nothing.
Xie Yue had always treated him well — they had grown up together, after all.
He also knew about Yan's long-standing feelings for his sister, and how much he'd endured for her sake.
But Hu Liena, proud and ambitious, was seen by Pope Bibi Dong as her heir. To win her favor, Yan would have had to climb far higher.
Yan glanced around at the canyon.
This was their training ground — the place that would shape their future growth.
But if they always traveled together like this, true training would be impossible.
So hemade a suggestion:
"The three of us moving together — the soul beasts don't even dare come near. There's no point in training like this. I think we should split up."