Chapter 5
After escorting Li Chang'an back to the Li estate, the middle-aged Soul Sage wasted no time. He turned around and rushed straight back to the imperial palace to report to the Emperor.
As for Li Chang'an, he used exhaustion as an excuse to dismiss the servants and locked himself in his room.
The moment the door closed behind him, he could barely contain his anticipation.
He needed to study the changes in his martial soul.
His Green Scale Sword possessed two forms: a sword form and a snake form. What he'd demonstrated earlier in the forest had only been the sword's power. But now that the first soul ring had been fused, even the snake form had undergone a transformation.
"Change."
The blade shimmered faintly in his hand. A moment later, the green serpent design engraved along the blade's surface slithered to life. The sword dissolved, scales separating and reforming—until a real snake hovered in the air before him.
"Ssshhhaaa!"
Three meters long and as thick as a grown man's thigh, the Green Scale Snake flicked its tongue, hovering with ease, its body sinuously weaving through the air. Its narrow, horned head looked almost like a miniature Azure Dragon.
Li Chang'an stood beside it, quietly observing. In snake form, he couldn't launch sword beams, but he discovered something new: he could command the snake's scales to fire like flying blades—razor-sharp, toxic, and deadly. Much like the Poisonous Sword Bamboo he'd absorbed.
And that toxicity… it had deepened. The snake's fangs gleamed, longer and sharper than before. A bite now could pierce even armored flesh.
'Looks like choosing the Poisonous Sword Bamboo was the right move,' he thought, nodding with satisfaction. 'It's not just about the soul skill—it's about strengthening the origin of my martial soul. That's the real benefit.'
Soul masters, in his eyes, were essentially looters. Soul rings were nothing more than the stolen talents of soul beasts—integrated into their own bodies to evolve their martial souls. So the more compatible a beast's traits were with a martial soul, the more profound the enhancement.
It was no wonder the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan only hunted soul beasts with dragon blood. They weren't just being picky—they were refining their own bloodline.
His Green Scale Sword, though named after a snake, wasn't a beast martial soul. It was a weapon martial soul, first and foremost. So logically, most of his soul rings should come from beasts that complemented weapon traits.
Snake-type beasts could certainly enhance the serpent form, but their benefit to the sword side was marginal at best.
'And the biggest problem is still the same… I can only use one form at a time.'
If the martial soul manifested as a snake, then there'd be no sword in his hand. And a soul master without a weapon? That was a walking corpse on the battlefield.
Sure, he could control the snake to protect or attack, but it was like fighting with one hand tied behind his back. It meant relying on a giant serpent to shield him while he stood defenseless.
'No matter how strong the snake is, it's still not me doing the fighting. It's like protecting a VIP while under fire. Too many openings, too many risks.'
Naturally, he preferred the sword form—versatile, offensive, and cool as hell.
Still, he couldn't just abandon the snake form. In certain situations, it could be a lifesaver. What he really needed was a way to use both forms simultaneously.
His thoughts turned to the Clear Sky Sect. There'd been an elder who could create a clone of his Clear Sky Hammer—half or maybe even eighty percent as strong as the real thing. The clone could fight alongside him in perfect synchronicity. That soul skill was considered one of the most advanced ever created.
'If I could get something like that…'
He pictured it clearly: him wielding the Green Scale Sword, while a massive snake slithered at his side, controlled with a thought, striking with deadly precision.
'Two-on-one… and with telepathic coordination. That would be insane.'
Tiandou Imperial Palace
The gates of the grand palace loomed ahead as Li Chang'an stepped down from the imperial carriage. He hadn't made the trip alone—he had the identity token given to him by the Soul Sage yesterday. It appeared in his hand with a flicker of light.
The guards stepped forward at first, but the moment they saw the token, their expressions shifted.
"Please wait a moment," one of them said, then quickly dispatched another soldier through the palace gates.
Even with a token, audiences with the Emperor required official notice. No one wanted to risk letting an assassin through on a forged badge.
A few minutes later, the returning soldier emerged, leading a pale, beardless man dressed in ornate court robes.
"Ohhh, so you're Baron Li?" the man drawled, his tone dripping with theatrical sweetness.
It wasn't hard to guess his identity.
A eunuch.
Given the Tiandou Empire's feudal structure, eunuchs were standard palace fare.
Li Chang'an didn't react. He simply nodded. Baron was technically his father's title, but as the only heir, it passed to him by default.
Seeing the confirmation, the eunuch's demeanor flipped into a fawning enthusiasm. Praise came pouring out like water from a broken dam. Li Chang'an barely got a word in before hearing himself described as a dragon among men, a future Titled Douluo, the empire's greatest hope...
He smiled, nodded humbly, and quickly steered the conversation back on track. "I'm here to see His Majesty."
The eunuch immediately stopped and began leading him inside, chattering all the way about protocol and etiquette.
Li Chang'an listened patiently, even as he tuned out half the lecture. The eunuch was long-winded, but some of the tips were useful.
Eventually, they arrived at a majestic throne hall.
At the far end, seated atop a golden dais, was Emperor Xue Ye.
"Your Majesty, Lord Li has arrived," the eunuch announced with a deep bow.
Li Chang'an followed suit. "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"You may rise," Xue Ye said, smiling kindly. His gaze held no imperial pride, only warm approval—like an uncle admiring a favorite nephew.
It was an act, of course. But a convincing one.
Xue Ye had already read the Soul Sage's report. The boy before him had staggering potential. If he grew as expected, the empire would gain another Titled Douluo—a living pillar of power.
Someone like that, born into a hereditary noble family and firmly rooted in the empire's nobility, wasn't likely to join the Spirit Hall… or defect to the Star Luo Empire.
He was exactly the kind of talent the Emperor needed.
What followed was a warm conversation. Xue Ye asked about his background, his family, his thoughts on the empire—each question gently probing for loyalty.
Li Chang'an, in turn, turned up the charm. He pledged himself to the empire with all the fire and conviction a six-year-old could fake.
'I'll do my best. I'll die for the empire. I'll spill the last drop of my blood in its name.'
Xue Ye, of course, was delighted. Whether or not the child meant it was irrelevant. The ambition was there.
And so, the Emperor offered him a reward—a marriage alliance.
Li Chang'an blinked.
'Wait… a marriage?'
That was unexpected.
But it made sense. What better way to secure his loyalty than by making him family?
Of course, a baron wasn't nearly high enough status to marry into the royal line. So, with a casual wave of the hand, Xue Ye elevated him to the rank of Marquis.
In the empire's five-tier system—Baron, Viscount, Earl, Marquis, and Duke—this was no small leap.
It was only a title, of course. He held no land, no military command, no real authority. But it came with a stipend and prestige.
'This is ridiculously generous. Does he really think I'm that important?'
The truth was simple: talent was rare. For a six-year-old with an awakened martial soul and a weapon-type spirit of such quality, the Emperor wasn't going to take any chances.
Li Chang'an accepted the honor gratefully.
From that day forward, he was not only a marquis—but also the Tiandou Empire's future prince consort.
As he left the throne room, guided once again by the eunuch, Li Chang'an began to ask questions.
"Do you know who my betrothed is?" he asked.
The eunuch smiled. "Her Highness, Princess Xue Ke. His Majesty's only daughter. She's four this year."
'Xue Ke…'
That name stirred a memory. She had appeared in the original timeline. Beautiful, of course. What royal princess wasn't?
'So it's her, huh? I can accept that. Actually… even if she were ugly, I'd still accept.'
The benefits far outweighed the inconvenience. Being prince consort opened doors that strength alone never could.
That was just how this world worked.
In the original timeline, Tang San was two years older than Xue Ke. Li Chang'an now matched his age—meaning Tang San was just awakening his martial soul, probably still running around Notting Academy with that rabbit girl.
And Tang San… he became a god in his twenties.
'That gives me around twenty years. Twenty years to get ahead… or be left behind forever.'
Because once Tang San ascended, anyone outside his influence would be crushed. In the original series, the only people who became gods were either from the Tang Clan, married into it, or loyal dogs wagging tails for scraps.
The Douluo Continent had become the Tang Family's continent.
If Li Chang'an wanted to survive—let alone thrive—he had to beat Tang San to it.
'The key lies in the Vast Sea Barrier. It's in the royal treasury. It leads to the Seagod's inheritance. I must get it first.'
But to earn the Vast Sea Barrier's approval, he needed greater aptitude.
That meant immortal herbs.
And immortal herbs meant one man: Dugu Bo.
'I'll need to approach him carefully. Gain his trust. Plot my move.'
He had the advantage of foresight. And he wasn't without talent of his own.
He just needed to move first.
If he could claim the Seagod's position, he'd have nothing to fear—not even the Asura God.
Seagod. Main God. Super artifact. Even a God King wouldn't dare provoke him lightly.
Which raised the question:
Why not go for the Asura God himself?
The answer was simple.
He couldn't.
That path belonged to Tang San. The Asura God had already chosen his heir—some might even say he created him.
Reincarnated into the Clear Sky Clan. Given a grandfather who had completed eight of the nine Asura Trials. Only a body unqualified for godhood kept him from inheriting.
Everything had been set up for Tang San.
'There's no way that's a coincidence. No way.'
Li Chang'an suspected the truth was far deeper.
Tang San wasn't just chosen. He was part of the Asura God.
A soul fragment. An avatar. Something.
'In any case… I can't follow his path.'
But he could carve out his own.
One that led to godhood—before Tang San reached the top.
And that path started now.