Douluo: The Throne of Ice

Chapter 34 The First Soul Master of Star Luo, a Sober Madman

Early the next morning, a luxurious carriage bearing the Xingluo royal totem slowly drove out of the palace gates and headed into Xingluo City.

Shu Yan lifted a corner of the curtain on the carriage window to look out at the street. Various sounds clearly reached his ears: the clatter of horses' hooves, the shouts of street vendors, and the laughter of passersby...

Just as Shu Yan was slightly lost in thought, Xu Jiujiu tugged at his hand and whispered:

"Ayan, I didn't go into too much detail yesterday, so I'll tell you more about Old Han today. His temperament is really strange, and I'm afraid something unexpected might happen."

Shu Yan snapped out of his daze and nodded.

After a long pause, he cleared his throat and then spoke:

"Old Han's original name was Han Lin. He is now over eighty years old, almost the same age as Grandma Manyi. He is an eighth-and-a-half-level Soul Master and a rare Title Douluo powerhouse with a Soul Power level of ninety-one. His Martial Soul is the Golden Thread Ghost Serpent, a rare snake with a deadly venom. This Martial Soul is on the same level as the famous snake Martial Soul, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent, which is on the same level as the famous snake Martial Soul on the continent. It's just that their focuses are different."

"In his early years, Elder Han once became an apprentice of an eighth-level Soul Master who had defected from the Sun Moon Empire, inheriting the mantle of that eighth-level Soul Master. Later, however, he fought a great battle with his teacher for unknown reasons and accidentally killed him. As a result, Elder Han's personality became unpredictable. He rarely socialized except for locking himself in his room to make Soul Tools. Sometimes he would even go crazy and often hurt people indiscriminately."

"On the other hand, don't be fooled by the fact that Elder Han is a Title Douluo-level powerhouse. In reality, his Title Douluo status is ridiculously exaggerated, entirely built up by taking drugs. Under these circumstances, Elder Han can only barely unleash the combat power befitting a Title Douluo by combining his soul tool with his own. Moreover, the side effects of the drugs he took in his early years are severe, greatly affecting his lifespan. Now, he probably only has less than ten years left to live..."

After a long and drawn-out explanation, Shu Yan rubbed his temples and then summarized:

"So, this old Han is a lucid madman?"

Xu Jiujiu seemed to have taken a liking to the word and nodded in agreement.

"Pretty much. Old Han is a madman who is obsessed with soul tools. That's why he was able to reach the level of an eighth and a half soul master step by step. My brother once joked with me that if Old Han went to the Sun Moon Empire for further study for a period of time, he could probably break through to the level of a ninth soul master."

"But unfortunately, Elder Han seems to have an extreme aversion to the Sun Moon Empire. Of course, that was just a joke, so don't take it seriously!"

As he spoke, he chuckled softly twice.

Shu Yan shrugged, seemingly having found a way to break the deadlock. "A fervent enthusiast of soul tools, huh? Now it's easy to figure out how to control him, isn't it?"

After briefly recounting two more matters related to this Old Han, Xu Jiujiu said nothing more. The carriage traveled steadily and soon arrived at a street much quieter than the outside world. Xu Jiujiu then spoke again, introducing the area:

"The southern part of Xingluo City is mostly the residence of imperial powerhouses and officials, so the security in this area is much better than in other places. Even during the day, there is not much noise, and very few people dare to cause trouble in this area."

Shu Yan hummed in agreement, and the carriage continued on its way, eventually stopping at the deepest part of the street. Shu Yan embraced Xu Jiujiu and jumped off the carriage. Nebula Douluo appeared behind them, and the three of them walked up the steps together before knocking on the heavy metal door.

After a long while, the door opened from the inside, and a middle-aged man with somewhat disheveled hair poked his head out. After taking the visiting card from Xu Jiujiu's hand, he opened it and flipped through it. Then his expression changed drastically, and he quickly opened the entire door, bowed, and said:

"Han Xin greets Your Highness the Princess, greets Senior Nebula Douluo, and greets this young master..."

He stared at him for a long time before saying directly:

"Take us to see Elder Han. It's important and can't be delayed."

Han Xin quickly stepped aside and then said:

"Please come in, distinguished guests. The patriarch just finished his seclusion yesterday and is resting in the manor. Please follow me."

After a long while, he nodded and then led the two of them to follow Han Xin into the Han residence.

Shu Yan surveyed the surroundings, his gaze lingering for a moment on a few somewhat jarring decorations before shifting his attention. He sensed that they were similar to soul-guided detection devices. This mansion was filled with soul-guided devices that served a similar purpose. The arrangement wasn't particularly sophisticated, but these soul-guided devices certainly had some significance.

To be honest, Shu Yan knows absolutely nothing about soul tools. He has no interest in making soul tools and is currently at the stage of knowing how to use them but being too lazy to learn. If nothing unexpected happens, he will probably remain so in the future.

For him, learning to make soul tools was a complete waste of time. The cultivation of a top-attribute soul master between levels 30 and 70 was already difficult enough. If he were to spend time learning to make soul tools, wouldn't that be utterly brain-dead in Shu Yan's opinion?

Rather than wasting his own time making them, he preferred to have others make them for him to use directly, saving time and effort and preventing hair loss. Anyway, that's the logic, and Shu Yan was too lazy to care whether it was right or wrong.

……

As they entered the backyard of the mansion, the surrounding vegetation increased, and the sound of flowing water could be heard. A small pavilion came into view, and in the center of the pavilion, an old man with white hair and beard was sitting on a recliner, seemingly dozing. Even with the arrival of the four people, the old man did not lift his eyelids at all, as if he had entered a deep sleep.

Nebula Douluo snorted coldly, his hand flashing with starlight. The next moment, the reclining chair the old man was sitting on exploded, and the old man was instantly awakened. His expression visibly turned ferocious. Nine spirit rings, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black ...

"The patriarch has gone mad again!! Run!"

Veins bulged on Nebula Douluo's forehead, and the next moment, she shouted sharply:

"Old devil Han! Open your dog eyes and see who I am, and look at the people around you! How dare you!"

A sharp shout, like a bolt from the blue, resounded throughout the surroundings in an instant. Han Lin was abruptly jolted awake from his bloodshot state. He was dazed for a moment, then his gaze narrowed sharply after landing on Nebula Douluo and Xu Jiujiu. Looking at the nine spirit rings at his feet and the spirit-guided cannons poised to fire beside him, Han Lin felt as if the sky was about to collapse...

……

(End of this chapter)