Pov: Lu Xiaoran
I can barely stay awake. My injuries make it hard to stay conscious. Through my partially closed eye, I see that we are in a forest. Roman is trying to heal my wounds. He casts healing magic and feeds me healing pills from his storage bag.
The wound on my shoulder shows some signs of healing. However, the deep wound on my chest that nearly pierced through isn't healing at all. In fact, it keeps bleeding more. It feels like the sword used by Lin Chen has some effect or poison that prevents this wound from healing.
I can feel myself slipping into unconsciousness. Roman shouts at me to keep my eyes open. I understand why he says that; if I close my eyes, it may be the end for me. I don't feel regret. My life was good—maybe even luxurious. I was born into the Lu family of Azure Mountain City, one of the four strongest families there. As the official heir, I gained recognition not just from my status, but also from my significant talent in cultivation.
Seeing my talent, both the Xia family and my father—the head of the Lu family—decided on a marriage alliance. I was to marry Xia Yan, the daughter of the Xia family head, when I turned 18. She became my fiancée. There was no love between us, but I respected my family's decision and tried to get closer to her. Unfortunately, she always looked irritated whenever I reached out. I understood that she might be unhappy about this arranged marriage, so I tried to give her space.
Still, I firmly deterred anyone who tried to pursue her. Everything changed in our last year of high school when a timid boy named Lin Chen joined our class. He was an orphan with mediocre talent, taking care of his half-vegetative sister. With a tragic past and a cowardly nature, he struggled to fit in, while Xia Yan helped him adjust.
I don't know how it happened, but they grew closer. First, they studied together for college entrance exams. Then, they even trained for martial arts together. I tried to pressure Lin Chen to stay away from Xia Yan, but she always defended him, complicating things. My friends started bullying Lin Chen, and Xia Yan blamed me for it. I never took part in the bullying, but one day, I saw her holding hands with Lin Chen as they left a park. That made me really angry. After that, I relentlessly bullied and beat him.
The day of our martial soul awakening arrived. Xia Yan awakened an A rank phoenix soul, while I awoke an S rank phantom tiger soul. Lin Chen, however, awakened an E rank caterpillar soul and became the laughter of the whole school. But something changed that day; his eyes took on an arrogant look, as if he was looking down on everything.
After that day, he started hunting in the wilderness outside the city. His cultivation skyrocketed. He moved from the middle stage of Qi condensation to the late stage of foundation establishment in just three months. Then came the fateful day of our college entrance exams. He excelled in every subject, and when it came to the martial arts exam, we had to hunt beasts in a designated area; the more beasts you caught, the more points you earned.
He hunted more beasts than the entire class combined, placing first in the exam. I sensed something was wrong and voiced my concerns, even though I was second on the list. I claimed he must be cheating. Lin Chen then challenged me to a fight, which the chief examiner and representatives from different colleges accepted.
I was arrogant, thinking he must be using some artifact to cheat, but I was wrong. He was incredibly strong. Even though I was at peak foundation establishment, I couldn't stop his first move. Then I realized he had entered the early golden core realm—one major realm above me. I tried to summon my martial soul to overpower him, figuring that since his martial soul was a caterpillar, I would have the advantage. I was wrong again; his soul had evolved. This was a one-in-a-million occurrence. His caterpillar soul had transformed into an A rank wraith worm, easily defeating me. Not only that, but his martial soul devoured mine, making him stronger. He then attacked my body, shattering my golden core and crippling me. And to make it worse, no one intervened. The examiners tried to step in, but the college representatives stopped them, clearly favoring Lin Chen.
That's my story—the tale of a boy who became a so-called villain just because he wanted the love of his fiancée. I now think I shouldn't have tried so hard for Xia Yan if she didn't like me. I should have avoided this marriage altogether, and maybe the outcome would have been different. But thinking this way won't change anything. My consciousness is fading. I can still hear Roman urging me to stay awake. I'm sorry, Roman. I wish I could, but I'm nearing my end.
I spoke in a hoarse voice, "Roman, after my death, go to my mother and tell her not to seek revenge for me. Please be by her side for me."
Saying this, I fell unconscious.
Pov: Roman
Young Master Lu Xiaoran has fallen unconscious. He may not wake up again. I searched for help in this forest but found no signs of human presence. Even the beasts are absent. This forest feels too lonely, like a forbidden area.
I don't remember how we ended up here. The last thing I recall is being attacked by Lin Chen's dragon spatial attack while I was preparing my teleportation spell. That spell had enough power to send us to the next city, but the destination changed due to that attack. Now, I find myself here. It doesn't resemble the Great Fire Forest; there are no signs of fire.
I don't have much time to explore. Young Master's heartbeat is slowing down, and I need to find a way to heal him. As I move north through the forest, I hear a rustling sound. Suddenly, a giant ashen white snake crawls down from a tree. I freeze in place, my body covered in goosebumps as if I face something greater than anything I've ever encountered.
I stop, not wanting to provoke the snake. As I think of a way to escape, something strange happens—it speaks. I know that some beasts can talk once they reach a certain power level, but I didn't expect this.
Its voice surprises me: "Do you need help?"
Hearing those words feels like a devil is standing before me, offering to help my young master in exchange for my soul. I've heard about such creatures from ancient stories. They come from the abyss to hunt new souls, particularly those who offer their souls for power. These beings are classified as S rank threats at the lowest level. Despite my fear, I resolve to protect my young master.
I said fearfully, "O great one, please save this boy. In exchange, I can offer you everything—my life and soul."