Douluo Dalu: Path of Power

The name "Fallen Demon Douluo" had never appeared in the original novel. However, now, this person was making waves, becoming widely known across the land.

If he were an original character, his high-profile presence would have been impossible to ignore in the novel. This led Beixuan to suspect that he was most likely the one he had been searching for—Yulin.

Yulin was once the number one warrior of the Bixie Clan. Even though he had lost the Bixie bloodline and the formidable power that once struck fear into countless demons, he had been in this world for fifty years. Even without a protagonist's plot armor or miraculous encounters, it shouldn't have been too difficult for him to cultivate back to the level of a Titled Douluo.

Beixuan had also heard from Beiluo that Yulin's weapon was called the Fallen Demon Divine Iron—a heavy sword. Long ago, he had inadvertently obtained a piece of divine iron that suppressed demonic beings. Without hesitation, he had a blacksmith forge it into a sword.

In other words, the iron itself remained unchanged—only its form had altered. Too lazy to come up with a new name, Yulin continued calling it Divine Iron.

If the Fallen Demon Divine Iron had become his martial soul, then it made perfect sense for his title to be Fallen Demon.

It was said that this man had gained immense fame for upholding justice and punishing the wicked. Strangely enough, he had forged deep ties with the Spirit Hall, the Upper Three Sects, and the Heaven Dou Empire—despite these factions being sworn enemies.

Beixuan couldn't help but wonder—how on earth had he managed that?

These factions were, after all, at odds. Although the Spirit Hall and the Upper Three Sects, as well as the two great empires, hadn't yet broken into open war, Beixuan was certain that the Spirit Hall's ambition to unify the continent was no impulsive decision. They had undoubtedly been preparing for this for a long time, and the Upper Three Sects and the two empires were likely already marked for elimination.

The Upper Three Sects were no exception. The Clear Sky Sect, for instance, bore an irreconcilable hatred toward the Spirit Hall. Even Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had long been wary of them. This was why, in the original novel, he had been so eager to purchase Tang San's hidden weapons to arm his sect.

In other words, forming an alliance with one side meant becoming the enemy of the other. Take Dugu Bo, for example—since he sided with the Heaven Dou Empire, he had become a thorn in the side of the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo.

Yet somehow, Yulin had managed to navigate between these three forces seamlessly. He was practically a social genius.

By contrast, Lanxiang was the complete opposite—a complete recluse. He had been absent for so long that Beixuan even wondered if he was still alive.

For now, Beixuan's only option was to find a way to draw Yulin's attention.

---

As he followed the children to a grassy clearing, they all sat in a circle. Besides the familiar faces, there were also a few others whom Beixuan recognized but wasn't too familiar with.

These children weren't from the village; they were the sons of merchants from big cities.

Nightfire Village was close to the main road, and merchants passing by often stayed overnight and bought provisions. Since it was mostly the same merchants each time, they eventually became acquainted with the villagers.

These merchant children loved listening to Beixuan's stories, and they happened to be the perfect audience for his plan. The village was too small a stage—if he could use these kids to spread his stories to the cities, it would be much more effective.

"Hey, you guys are out traveling with your parents again? Where's your destination this time?" Beixuan asked with a smile.

A twelve-year-old boy answered, "That's right! Since we're not soul masters, we'll have to inherit the family business someday. It's important to get familiar with it early. This time, we're heading to Heaven Dou City—big business awaits!"

"Is that so? Well, I wish you great success," Beixuan nodded. Heaven Dou City, huh? That was the perfect place to spread his stories—exactly what he needed.

"Alright then, today I'll tell you the story of Lord Beiluo's adventure in the Shadow Puppet Dragon Palace!"

Beixuan animatedly told the children his tale. The storytelling continued until dusk, when their parents arrived to take them home, reluctantly pulling them away from the fantastical world of martial heroes and mythical beasts.

"Alright, it's getting late. That's it for today—time to head home!" Beixuan announced.

Though reluctant, the children bid him farewell and made their way home.

---

"Brother Xuan, wait up! Let's go together," a chubby little boy called out to Beixuan. He was from the same village, and his house was right next to Beixuan's. His name was Ma Hongjun.

Judging by his plump figure, his age, and the fact that he lived in a village where most people had avian martial souls, Beixuan instantly recognized him—this was none other than the future fourth member of the Shrek Seven Devils, the Evil Fire Phoenix, Ma Hongjun.

Right now, though, he had yet to awaken his martial soul. He hadn't been plagued by the evil fire, nor led astray by a certain someone. He was still just a simple and innocent little boy.

"Sure, let's go, Hongjun. Come have dinner at my place. My grandfather saved two eggs for me—I'll share one with you," Beixuan said with a smile.

Ma Hongjun's life had been full of hardship. His father had died early, leaving his mother to raise him alone. Eventually, when he was four, she overworked herself to the point of collapse and passed away soon after. He had been an orphan ever since.

Fortunately, the villagers were kind-hearted and took care of him, feeding him in turns. Thanks to their support, he had grown into a healthy six-year-old boy.

"Thank you, Brother Xuan!" Ma Hongjun grinned as he ran to catch up with him. "Your stories are amazing! I hope I can be like Lord Beiluo one day—a great soul master who upholds justice! The Spirit Hall's people will be coming to our village soon to awaken our martial souls. Do you think we'll become soul masters?"

"Of course you will!" Beixuan reassured him. "But remember, our village has to share a single working student spot at the city's primary soul master academy with other villages. If we both have soul power, I'll give you the spot."

Unlike Tang San's Holy Spirit Village, which had an exclusive slot thanks to producing a Soul Sage, or the Seven Treasure Village, which was protected by a powerful sect, Beixuan's village was insignificant.

The Spirit Hall only sent people here to awaken martial souls out of duty, and the work-study slot was shared among several villages.

But Beixuan didn't care. After all, primary academies only taught basic meditation and soul power training—things he already knew. What truly interested him were Mimicry Training Grounds, which were only available in intermediate academies.

Ma Hongjun, however, was deeply touched. "No, no, Brother Xuan, you've already done so much for me—always sharing your food. If there's a slot, you should take it!"

Children's hearts were pure—whoever treated them well, they cherished in return.

Beixuan chuckled and replied with confidence, "Don't worry

about me. Even without the academy, I'll carve out my own path!"