Casually crushing the communication soul device in her hand, Jiang Nannan's face was filled with a sense of melancholy.
At this moment, she thought back to many things from her past.
The poverty of her childhood, the joy on her mother's face when she discovered Jiang Nannan's spirit master aptitude.
Her mother's illness, and the despair she felt as a weak young girl selling her body to survive.
Through her own efforts, she entered Shrek Academy. Though she often felt disgusted by the persistent advances of a man named Xu San Shi, she had reached a point where she no longer needed to rely on anyone to live.
Then, by sheer luck, she encountered her teacher—a master who was incredibly gentle to those around him, though he occasionally indulged in small mischievous quirks. Still, being with him gave her an immense sense of security.
Her first rise to fame during the Spirit Master Tournament, followed by her becoming a member of the Tian Xing Knights, dedicated to upholding justice across the Douluo Continent.
And now, to maintain the stability of the continent, she had taken on this mission for the Tian Xing Federation.
Jiang Nannan's gaze gradually grew resolute.
She was well aware that she might die here today.
But there was no despair in the eyes of the woman named Jiang Nannan .
In this moment, her spirit underwent a transformation, entering a profound and indescribable state.
"Perhaps this is what they call the fleeting montage of life," Jiang Nannan thought silently.
But at this moment, a radiant smile, warm like the morning sun, spread across her lips.
"I have no regrets in my life!"
With that, Jiang Nannan rose to her feet. The soul force fluctuations in Da Ming's hand reached their peak, transforming into a wave of soul energy that seemed capable of destroying everything before it.
But this time, Jiang Nannan did not dodge.
"Let's die together! You bastards of the old era!"
Jiang Nannan roared inwardly with unwavering determination, reversing the flow of her soul force throughout her body and activating her four-character Battle Armor!
Ye Wen was usually kind and gentle, though he occasionally displayed a mischievous streak. But there were also moments when he appeared cold and ruthless.
"Remember this: if one day you truly find yourselves in a desperate situation, reverse the flow of your soul force entirely. Doing so will turn your four-character Battle Armor into a devastating weapon with power comparable to a Level 10 soul-guided cannon.
This is the way of soul masters—when true battles begin, it's often either you die or I die. I don't want any of my disciples to be cowards who fear death and surrender.
This contingency plan is both a dignified exit for you and the ultimate revenge against your enemies!
Now, make your choice—no matter what."
Reversing the flow of soul force was not a pleasant experience. Jiang Nannan's mind began to spin, causing her to recall the scene when Ye Wen had bestowed the four-character Battle Armor upon her and her sisters.
"Master… I haven't disgraced you."
The outcome of turning oneself into a human bomb was obvious, but at this moment, Jiang Nannan smiled brightly.
Because even in death, she wouldn't burden the people she held dear.
When Jiang Nannan leapt out, Da Ming was momentarily startled. However, his spiritual force had already locked onto her position, rendering any attempt to escape futile.
Yet, in this fleeting instant, before Da Ming could calm his nerves, he was suddenly struck by the terrifying surge of soul force emanating from Jiang Nannan!
"What is this—!?"
Before Da Ming could react, his soul force wave struck Jiang Nannan.
But the anticipated demise did not occur.
Not even the explosion of a Level 10 soul-guided cannon appeared.
Instead, the situation unfolding before them made Da Ming even more terrified.
"God…" The word escaped Da Ming's lips.
Just moments ago, Jiang Nannan's four-character Battle Armor had detached from her body, transforming into a massive shield that protected her from Da Ming's attack.
Jiang Nannan stared blankly at the scene before her. The crescent-white four-character Battle Armor was achingly familiar—it was the very tool she had relied on to dominate the Douluo Continent for years.
But…
"Why?" Jiang Nannan murmured.
Wasn't reversing the soul force supposed to turn the armor into a Level 10 soul-guided cannon? Why was this happening now? Her thoughts were sluggish under the weight of her injuries, leaving her unable to comprehend the current situation.
As Da Ming's attack subsided, Jiang Nannan's four-character Battle Armor, Xuan Yue Rou Ling, did not return to her body. Instead, it stood independently before her, its familiar presence snapping her dazed mind back to clarity.
Instinctively, Jiang Nannan blurted out, "Master!?"
Xuan Yue Rou Ling nodded gently.
After Xiao Xuenü (Little Snow Goddess) had been attacked, Ye Wen began to reconsider whether providing such all-encompassing protection was truly beneficial for his disciples' growth. From that point onward, he adopted a new approach to safeguarding them.
First, he would deceive them, then place them in life-or-death situations to force them to grow.
Ye Wen dared to employ this method because his disciples were now grown.
Unlike Shrek Academy, which encouraged recklessness, Ye Wen never allowed his disciples to act rashly before reaching their full potential.
And once they had achieved mastery, it was highly likely that their encounters with enemies would resemble today's ambush.
Ye Wen had foreseen everything.
Wearing four-character Battle Armor ensured that his disciples wouldn't be instantly killed by their enemies.
From there, his disciples only had two paths: either they would break through in the face of certain death, or they would perish alongside their enemies.
Clearly, Jiang Nannan had chosen the latter.
And after confronting death head-on, the aura emanating from her caused the contingency within her four-character Battle Armor—Ye Wen's divine consciousness—to feel deeply gratified.
Though Jiang Nannan's martial soul still couldn't compare to the Dragon God Douluo Mu En's, her transformative willpower and self-created soul skills made her future ascent to Limit Douluo status almost inevitable.
Now, Jiang Nannan had finally closed the gap between herself and the top prodigies among Ye Wen's disciples.
However, Ye Wen intended to save his congratulations for later. For now, the pressing matter was—
Xuan Yue Rou Ling erupted with a murderous intent so intense it instantly locked onto Da Ming and the two Title Douluo from the Hao Tian Sect.
"How dare you! The current leader of the Hao Tian Sect and two elders of the sect dared to ambush one of my disciples.
What explanation do you intend to give me?"
Ye Wen's killing intent was utterly terrifying.
The two Hao Tian Sect elders were already kneeling on the ground, their eyes wide with disbelief. After donning their four-character Battle Armor, they had attained strength equivalent to Limit Douluo. Yet here they were, forced to their knees by Ye Wen—how fearsome must he be?
The two elders were incapable of responding, while Da Ming was so shocked he couldn't utter a word.
Though Ye Wen wasn't physically present, this aura was one Da Ming would never forget—it belonged to the Tian Xing Soul Master who had thoroughly humiliated him and Er Ming in the Star Luo Empire.
But… what kind of monster was this!? How could someone possibly gather enough faith energy to create their own divine position in such a short time using only the methods he had described!?
Da Ming was utterly stunned!
------------------------------------------------------
400+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)