NOVEL WEB Chapter 34: Chapter 34
Yin Xiaoya studies Xiao San's face, searching for the reason behind his reluctance. "Why don't you want to be a soul master?"
Xiao San hesitates, unwilling or perhaps afraid to voice his true feelings.
Yin Xiaoya understands perfectly. If nothing went wrong, his mother is gone. Hunted down by human soul masters.
If not for the difficulty a soul beast faces after reaching 100,000 years, it would be hard to make a breakthrough, and Xiao San may not even be willing to transform into a human.
If he wants to become stronger and gain the power for revenge, then choosing to become a human soul master seems like the only path. But then, he met Yin Xiaoya and saw another kind of hope. Since there's another path, why choose to be a soul master?
Yin Xiaoya sighs internally. Hatred can indeed make a Kamen Rider stronger, but only in the early stages. It's not a sustainable fuel source. Moreover, hatred is ambiguous, neither a purely positive nor negative emotion.
If Xiao San embraces the power of a Kamen Rider fueled by such emotions, I can't condone it. Furthermore, Yin Xiaoya strongly believes that Xiao San should not abandon the path of a soul master entirely.
"I can make you a Kamen Rider, but there will be conditions."
Hearing the possibility of becoming a Kamen Rider, Xiao San perks up immediately.
"Okay! No matter the conditions, as long as I can fulfill them, I agree!"
"Good. First: you must not abandon the path of a soul master. Don't look so alarmed. I believe you need strength, so there shouldn't be any reason to refuse any method of becoming stronger, right?"
Xiao San lowers his head, contemplating the proposition before asking, "Are you sure I can become stronger that way?"
"If you're willing to work for it."
"Okay, I promise."
"Then, let's talk about the second condition. The spirit rings you need as a soul master… you must acquire on your own. Shrek's teachers, including me, will not help you."
"Ah?" Xiao San stutters, surprise flickering in his eyes.
Yin Xiaoya smirks inwardly, then feigns seriousness. "This is my test for you as a Kamen Rider. Do you refuse?"
He'll never refuse. He doesn't need to seek out any spirit rings at all. One of the reasons he doesn't want to pursue the path of a soul master is because of this very fact.
After a ten-year soul beast transforms into a human form and begins cultivating, they can obtain their own spirit ring. They don't need to hunt other soul beasts. This fact is unheard of amongst humans and would almost certainly reveal his true nature as a soul beast.
Yin Xiaoya intentionally frames the condition this way, to provide Xiao San with an excuse to conceal his secret from others.
"Uh, no, I'm not refusing. I accept this condition," Xiao San replies with a forced smile.
"Okay, then the third condition… Before I reveal the third condition, I want to ask: What is your relationship with Tang Wu? Uh, I mean as the opposite sex, what do you think of her?"
The sudden shift in topic catches Xiao San off guard. His face flushes slightly, unsure how to describe his feelings. Tang Wu is the first human he's formally interacted with since leaving the Soul Beast Forest, and she's also of the opposite sex. Judging by their ages after the transformation, the two could be considered peers.
Although Xiao San has subconsciously resisted excessive contact with Tang Wu, maintaining a reserved distance, he has, in truth, already lowered his guard around this human girl. It's just that he hadn't consciously acknowledged it until Yin Xiaoya posed the question.
"Still… what can I think of her? This woman is always so headstrong and likes to make decisions without asking for my opinion…"
Yin Xiaoya listens with a smile as Xiao San rattles off Tang Wu's shortcomings, until Xiao San abruptly stops himself, snapping his fingers.
"And… and…"
"Enough, enough. I didn't expect you to be such a keen observer."
Xiao San's expression shifts, his face turning red. "No, no, no! Don't talk nonsense!"
Yin Xiaoya's smile fades, replaced with a serious expression. "Listen, Xiao San, my third condition is that from now on, you must always act together with Tang Wu. I will arrange for you to live under the same roof, you will train together, work and rest together, and you must never be separated."
"Ah? But why?"
"She can save your life." Yin Xiaoya reaches out, ruffling Xiao San's hair. "You don't need to understand now. I don't think you can understand it yet. You will naturally understand when the time comes. Alright, that's all I have to say. Tang Wu's side should be fine. You can go back and wait for her now. In a few days, I will take you and a few other Kamen Rider candidates to search for Soul Beasts. Before that, you should train and practice, and you must not slack off."
Without allowing Xiao San a chance to inquire further, Yin Xiaoya sends him away, bewildered.
In truth, if I didn't know that the two of them would definitely end up together, I would have told him directly that he must pursue Tang Wu with the intention of marriage. But in matters of love, the more external interference, the worse it becomes. Although I haven't been in a relationship myself, I still understand that much.
The reason for deliberately making such an arrangement is to accelerate their relationship. The purpose, as he just stated, is to save Xiao San's life.
As for the fact that he is a soul beast… it's manageable as long as he doesn't use his soul power. Once he uses it, Titled Douluos can immediately discern his true nature. Currently, the only way to deceive a Titled Douluo's perception is with the Lovesick Heartbroken Red that Tang San gifted Xiao Wu in the main Douluo world.
But the problem is, this kind of immortal treasure only works if it recognizes its owner, and the conditions for recognition are very stringent. It requires pure, unadulterated love for a person, and it must be free of any flaws before it can be removed and claimed by another. Most importantly, the opportunity to claim it is only once. Therefore, I must ensure that their relationship has reached the level of the two in the main Douluo world.
"As for Lovesick Heartbroken Red, System, do you have any clues?"
[No, but if you unlock the power of a certain Kamen Rider, there is a way to find it.]
Without needing a system prompt, Yin Xiaoya knows which Kamen Rider it's referring to.
"You're talking about Kamen Rider W, right? The dual Riders possess the searching ability of the Gaia Library, so there is indeed a way. It seems that this time I go out, I have to find a way to unlock the power of the dual Riders."
[Friendly reminder, the Gaia Library is a special ability belonging to Kamen Rider's world view. After the magic modification, it has been set in the Limit Memory by this system, so it is impossible to obtain the power of simply unlocking the dual riding.]
"What? That's too tricky, right? The Ultimate Memory is the ultimate power-up for the dual Riders. To what extent do I have to unlock it?"
[The host has misunderstood. What I said is that it is only set in the Limit Memory, so the host can choose to skip the basic form of dual riding and directly find a way to unlock the Limit Memory, which can save some effort.]
Yin Xiaoya raises an eyebrow. "You think I'm that easily fooled? That's what you say, but what kind of soul beast is needed to unlock the Xtreme Memory with the ability of the Gaia Library?"
[A total of three routes can be taken. Since two of them are certain to lead to death, there is currently only one that is suitable for the host to choose.]
"I'll go, only one kind, and you have the nerve to call it a 'choice'?"
Rubbing his forehead, Yin Xiaoya says helplessly, "Tell me, how do I do it?"
[The place you need to go to is the World Tree, which is the exclusive domain for plant-type soul beasts. The answers you need are there.]
World Tree. It's a place that has never appeared in the main Douluo world, so Yin Xiaoya is unfamiliar with it. Currently, he only knows that it is a colossal, ancient tree, the size of a continent. It is not only huge, but also impossibly tall, reaching into the clouds. Even so far, there is no record of humans climbing to the top, so no one knows its true height. He only knows that many plant-type soul beasts are entrenched upon it, and only plant-type soul beasts have been found so far.
"Sigh… That feeling of not wanting to start the game once I saw the mission name… it's back."
***
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