Douluo: This Legend of the Dragon King is not quite right

Chapter 220 Tokens: The First Step in Gathering Faith Power

The excitement of the exhibition match and the lingering warmth of the academy's generous rewards were still fresh when the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy quickly returned to its rigorous and efficient daily routine.

With only one month left until the end of the semester, an invisible pressure hangs over the hearts of every first-year student, like a gradually tightening string.

The library, the mimicry training area, the soul tool laboratory... everywhere you can see people racing against time.

Among them, Xie Xie's change was particularly noticeable.

In the past, although he was diligent, he always had a bit of a carefree and cynical attitude. During breaks from cultivation, he would often pull Tang Wulin aside to joke around or banter with Le Zhengyu.

But ever since he received that silver card representing the core material of the battle armor at half price, he seemed to have been injected with a powerful stimulant.

For once, he put aside his usual carefree attitude and sat cross-legged in the quiet room of his dormitory, beads of sweat on his forehead, trying to integrate the insights from yesterday's battle into his martial spirit.

However, the desire for power and the longing for a certain figure always tugged at his heart like little claws, making it difficult for him to be completely calm.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the dormitory door.

"Who?"

Xie Xie opened his eyes somewhat impatiently.

"I."

Lu Jun's calm voice came in.

Xie Xie immediately jumped up and opened the door, his face instantly breaking into a smile:

"Brother Lu? What a rare guest! Please come in!"

He thought Lu Jun had come to guide him in his cultivation.

Lu Jun didn't enter the room, but leaned against the door frame with a playful expression, his gaze sweeping over the sweat stains remaining on Xie Xie's face and the barely perceptible anxiety in his eyes.

"Cultivating? You're quite diligent."

He casually offered a compliment, but then abruptly changed the subject.

"However, there is something more important than your current hard training."

"What's wrong?" Xie Xie was taken aback.

Lu Jun said, "Striving to cultivate is a good thing, but some troubles need to be resolved in time, otherwise they can easily become inner demons and hinder cultivation."

"Trouble?" Xie Xie was taken aback, then frowned. "What trouble could I possibly have? Aside from slower cultivation and a slightly more difficult battle armor to acquire..."

Lu Jun gently shook his head.

"It's not your problem, it's Yuan En Ye Hui's problem."

"Yuan En?" Xie Xie's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively held his breath. "What...what happened to her?"

His voice carried an urgency he himself was unaware of.

Lu Jun did not answer immediately, but slowly took something out of his storage soul tool and casually tossed it to Xie Xie.

Xie Xie instinctively took it and saw that it was just a token.

Its entire body presents a deep and pure ice blue color, as if it were sculpted from the heart of a millennia-old glacier.

The token is engraved with a simple yet incomparably sharp longsword, its blade straight and its tip pointing straight to the sky, exuding a chilling intent to cut through illusion.

The sword was not surrounded by intricate patterns, but rather by countless tiny ice crystals of various shapes. They clustered around the blade, refracting a fine, cold light under the training ground's soul-guiding lights.

The moment the token appeared, the surrounding air temperature seemed to drop a few degrees, and a bone-chilling coldness spread silently, even freezing the hot sweat on Xie Xie's skin for a moment.

Especially the moment you touch it, an extremely pure, icy sensation rushes straight up your palm.

It wasn't a biting cold, but a strange coolness that instantly cleared his mind and even subtly suppressed the heat within him.

He looked down and carefully examined the longsword surrounded by ice crystals on the token, his eyes filled with doubt and astonishment.

“Brother Lu, this…” Xie Xie raised his head, his brows furrowed. “I understand the logic. Yuan En is obviously a woman with a story. She must be carrying some burdens, so it’s normal for her to be in some trouble. But this token… does this mean I have to give it to her?”

He weighed the cold, heavy token in his hand, looking completely bewildered.

"I can't exactly just rush up to her and say, 'Hey, class monitor, I see a dark cloud on your face, you must be having some troubles. This block of ice will solve everything for you,' can I?"

"I'm afraid she'll punch me and send me flying!"

He made a face and exaggeratedly pretended to be knocked away.

But Xie Xie seemed to trust Lu Jun completely, without a trace of doubt.

Perhaps this is the power of faith?
Of course, the premise is that Xie Xie must genuinely admire Lu Jun, otherwise it won't work, right?
Lu Jun gave a gentle smile.

He blinked, as if sharing a secret only his brothers knew:
"Don't worry, I'm not asking you to become a charlatan. This is about Yuan En Ye Hui's family affairs."

He paused deliberately, observing Xie Xie's suddenly dilated pupils and instantly tense body, before continuing in a heartfelt tone, he said in a low voice:
"You know, brother... I always have my own connections. A while ago, you told me you wanted to pursue Yuanen, so I did some... well, I looked into Yuanen's background."

"As it turned out, they actually discovered some problems that had been troubling her for a long time and might even have affected her foundation in cultivation."

At this point, Lu Jun lowered his voice even further.

"If you handle this matter with this token, the results will be completely different," he gestured with his eyes to the icy blue object in Xie Xie's hand, "This token is the key to solving the problem. Think about it, when she was most troubled and in need of help, you came to her rescue, relieving her family of a major threat..."

"At that time, this favor, this trust, tsk tsk, will definitely help you get closer to Yuan En."

Lu Jun's words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a tidal wave in Xie Xie's heart.

Xie Xie's breathing instantly became heavy, and he clenched his fist tightly around the token. The icy touch now seemed to transform into a burning flame of hope.

All the weariness and confusion on his face vanished, replaced by unbelievable ecstasy and immense excitement. His eyes widened, sparkling with an unprecedented light.

"Family matters? A key? That can open her heart?" Xie Xie's voice trembled with excitement. He looked sharply at Lu Jun, his eyes burning with intensity, "Brother Lu! You...you really are...I..."

He was so excited that he became incoherent, and finally, he almost shouted it out, his voice echoing at the edge of the empty training field:
"Thank you, Brother Lu! No, Godfather! Father! You really are my real father!"

Lu Jun's lips twitched slightly at his sudden recognition of his father, and he quickly waved his hand:

"Alright, alright, stop with the act. I have to live up to your calling me 'brother,' right?"

The power of faith—this is the first step.

Xie Xie is a pure-hearted and loyal fellow. If this succeeds, his gratitude and trust in me will surely reach their peak.

The same applies to Yuan Enhui. He solved the fundamental problem for her family, and this kindness was enough to leave a deep mark on her heart.

The effort and sacrifices made in the early stages for this pure power of faith are absolutely worthwhile.

Although it took him and Hyotei a lot of effort to make this token, it was worth it to use it where it mattered most.

(End of this chapter)