Chapter 2: Mischief King
Inside the Elder Palace.
The Seven Great Priests, who were normally as elusive as divine dragons, were all gathered here today.
The reason was simple: today was the day Jin Mian would awaken his martial soul.
They all wanted to see what kind of martial soul this troublesome brat, who had practically grown up riding on their heads, would awaken.
Naturally, the one presiding over Jin Mian's awakening ceremony was Golden Crocodile Douluo.
It would have been fine if someone else had done it, but Golden Crocodile Douluo didn't feel at ease and insisted on coming personally.
Seeing that so much time had passed and that his troublesome grandson still hadn't arrived — even Qian Renxue, who had gone to fetch him, was nowhere to be seen — Golden Crocodile Douluo was so angry his mouth nearly twisted.
"That brat doesn't even have a sense of time. When he gets here, I'm definitely going to beat him."
"Really? That's great! I've wanted to teach that kid Jin Mian a lesson for a long time. Second Brother, can I use my Coiling Dragon Staff to whip him later?"
Hearing this, Demon Suppressing Douluo's eyes lit up.
Ever since Jin Mian learned to walk on his own, he had been nothing short of a little demon king, turning the Douluo Palace upside down.
One day, he'd drag Mighty Lion Douluo into playing horse-riding games. Another day, he'd ride on Azure Luan Douluo and fly around.
Among all the victims, the most miserable were the brothers Qian Jun and Xiang Mo.
Once, Jin Mian somehow obtained a special kind of paint. While Qian Jun was sleeping, he drew a huge green turtle on his face.
But that wasn't even the most infuriating part.
After Qian Jun woke up, Jin Mian actually held up a mirror for him to see.
Qian Jun tried washing the paint off with water, but after washing several times — nearly scrubbing his skin raw — he discovered it wouldn't come off at all.
After all, he was the Sixth Priest of the Douluo Palace, a Rank 96 Super Douluo. If the other elders saw him with a green turtle drawn on his face, he'd be laughed at for the rest of his life.
To preserve his reputation, Qian Jun didn't leave his room for an entire month.
Xiang Mo had it even worse.
When Jin Mian was four years old, he once brought him a bowl of soup.
At the time, Xiang Mo had just finished cultivating and didn't think much of it, drinking the entire bowl in one go.
Soon after, he felt something was wrong.
His stomach churned violently, followed by an uncontrollable urge.
He rushed toward the bathroom.
Xiang Mo remained in the bathroom for three days.
When he finally emerged, his face was pale, sweat dripping from his forehead.
His legs were so weak that he had to support himself with the Coiling Dragon Staff just to walk.
But it wasn't over yet.
Halfway down the corridor, Jin Mian suddenly appeared from nowhere and kicked the staff out of his hands, causing him to fall flat on his face.
Afterward, Jin Mian smiled and said:
"Grandpa Xiang Mo, you're too weak. You got like this from just five jin of laxatives."
Xiang Mo's eyes widened in shock.
What the hell?!
Five jin of laxatives?!
Even cattle in the village didn't eat that much!
You treated me like livestock?!
From that day on, Xiang Mo never ate anything Jin Mian gave him again.
And Jin Mian's great achievements didn't stop there.
Ever since becoming friends with Qian Renxue, he had become even more lawless.
The two made a bet to see who could pull out more of Qian Daoliu's beard hairs.
At the time, Qian Renxue was still very innocent and agreed without hesitation.
This made Qian Daoliu, who was pretending to sleep, twitch with anger.
His pure and adorable little granddaughter had actually been led astray by Golden Crocodile Douluo's mischievous grandson.
He originally wanted to open his eyes and teach Jin Mian a lesson immediately.
But seeing Qian Renxue laughing happily, he ultimately softened and continued pretending to sleep, allowing the two children to pull his beard.
As for where to vent his anger?
He planned to talk with Golden Crocodile Douluo the next day.
Hearing Xiang Mo suggest using the Coiling Dragon Staff on his beloved grandson, Golden Crocodile Douluo immediately snapped.
"Seventh Brother, are you itching for a beating? Or do you not want that staff of yours anymore?"
"Believe it or not, I'll hang you up and beat you with your own staff."
Xiang Mo quickly waved his hands.
"Second Brother, I was joking. I've watched Xiao Mian grow up — I care about him too much to hit him."
The other priests exchanged amused glances.
As time slowly passed, night fell.
Only then did Jin Mian and Qian Renxue arrive at the Elder Palace at an unhurried pace.
Seeing the Seven Great Priests waiting, Jin Mian smiled and said:
"You grandpas came pretty early — the sun just rose, and you were already here."
As he spoke, he pointed at the moon outside the window.
The Seven Great Priests: "..."
Qian Renxue covered her mouth and laughed.
Seeing his grandson pointing at the moon and calling it the sun, Golden Crocodile Douluo strode forward, grabbed Jin Mian by the ear, and said:
"You brat — making your grandfather wait this long. Let's see how I deal with you."
Jin Mian wasn't afraid at all.
"Come on, Grandpa — our family line depends on me alone. If you break me, who'll take care of you when you're old?"
"You—"
Just as Golden Crocodile Douluo was about to continue, Qian Daoliu interrupted:
"Alright, Second Brother. Let's perform the awakening for Xiao Mian first."
Qian Renxue added:
"Second Grandpa, be gentle — don't hurt Xiao Mian."
Hearing this, Qian Daoliu suddenly felt regret.
'Damn it — my little cotton-padded jacket has been stolen by the Mischief King.'
Inside, he roared:
'Golden Crocodile Douluo, beat him! Beat him hard! If you can't, let me do it — my Angel Sword is already hungry!'
Since Qian Daoliu had spoken and Qian Renxue was defending him, Golden Crocodile Douluo said nothing more. After all, he had only been talking — he would never actually hit his grandson.
"Brat, come here."
Golden Crocodile Douluo carried Jin Mian to the awakening platform, placing him at the center of a formation.
This formation was specifically used to awaken martial souls and consisted of six black gemstones.
"Focus your mind. Relax. Don't be nervous."
After speaking, Golden Crocodile Douluo's expression sharpened, and a powerful aura erupted.
In the next moment, his body was covered in dense golden scales, and his white hair turned yellow.
Nine spirit rings appeared one by one from top to bottom.
Two yellow, two purple, four black, one red.
At the same time, a massive Golden Crocodile Douluo phantom appeared behind him.
Martial Soul's True Body — Golden Crocodile King!
Golden Crocodile Douluo then extended his hand and began pouring powerful soul power into the formation.
Qian Renxue curiously asked Qian Daoliu:
"Grandpa, what kind of martial soul will Xiao Mian awaken?"
"What else could it be? It's definitely from the Golden Crocodile King lineage. It's just hard to say if this kid can awaken a Golden Crocodile King as good as Golden Crocodile Douluo's."
But just as Qian Daoliu finished speaking—
A ferocious aura suddenly erupted from Jin Mian's body.
Feeling the familiar presence, Golden Crocodile Douluo burst into laughter.
"Good boy! As expected of my grandson — more reliable than your father!"
—
End of Chapter