Su Yunlin's face reddened slightly. As expected, nothing could be hidden in front of his own mother.
"Mom, let's talk about that later. Is Dad home? And has Grandpa come out of seclusion?"
Xu Yunyue smiled. "They're both here. Your father is in his soul tool laboratory, and your grandfather was just having tea in the backyard. Go see them."
"Alright."
Su Yunlin headed straight toward the backyard. He planned to visit his grandfather first.
..
Backyard, in a pavilion,
An elderly man dressed in a black brocade robe sat calmly, his hair and beard completely white, savoring a cup of fine tea.
"Grandpa!"
The old man slowly opened his eyes. Upon seeing who it was, his face immediately lit up with joy.
"Lin'er, you're back! Come, sit—try the tea your grandpa brewed."
"Sure!"
This kind and amiable elder was none other than the founding duke of the Night Duke's Estate—Night Douluo, Su Tianxuan. He was also Su Yunlin's grandfather.
A legendary figure within the Heavenly Soul Empire, he was the greatest genius recorded in the Su family's centuries-long history.
The Su family's inherited Martial Soul was the Night Emperor Moth, an exceptionally powerful top-tier beast Martial Soul with pure and dense darkness attributes—arguably one of the strongest Martial Souls in the night.
As for its origin, no one truly knew—not even the Su family themselves. Some said it was a mutation; others claimed that an ancestor had married a hundred-thousand-year Night Emperor Moth that had taken human form. The theories were many.
Su Tianxuan, however, was the only individual in the family's recorded history to possess innate full Spirit Power.
At the time, the Su family was not yet a ducal house—it was merely a marquis family, and not even among the highest ranks.
Su Tianxuan was the key to their rise.
In his early years, he studied at Shrek Academy. After successfully graduating from the inner court, he returned to the Heavenly Soul Empire to inherit the family estate.
Recognizing his talent, the imperial family of the Heavenly Soul Empire sought a marriage alliance. Coincidentally, among the royal daughters was a princess who had once been Su Tianxuan's classmate, and the two shared a close relationship.
Unfortunately, they parted ways during the inner court examinations—Su Tianxuan advanced into the inner court, while the princess did not and could only graduate from the outer court.
Even so, their bond remained unchanged. Everything progressed naturally, and Su Tianxuan eventually married into the royal family, becoming imperial kin.
After that, his cultivation advanced rapidly until he reached the rank of Titled Douluo. He entered the empire's Hall of Consecration, becoming one of its guardian Douluo.
His most famous battle took place at the border, where he slew three Class 8 soul engineers and severely injured a Class 9 soul engineer.
Such an achievement greatly boosted the morale of the Heavenly Soul Empire. Because of Night Douluo Su Tianxuan, the Sun Moon Empire was forced to redirect its main forces toward the Star Luo Empire.
In recognition, the emperor of the time granted Su Tianxuan the title of First-Rank Duke—elevating his status above most officials. The Night Duke's Estate was born from his own strength.
However, that battle had been perilous. He was besieged by powerful enemies from the Sun Moon Empire. Had it not been night, allowing him to take advantage of his Martial Soul and the environment, he might have fallen.
Though he escaped and achieved his victory, he suffered severe injuries, his life force greatly diminished—until Su Yunlin later found a certain treasure.
…
Su Yunlin looked at his grandfather. "Grandpa, did you break through? Have your old injuries fully healed?"
Su Tianxuan laughed heartily. "Yes, fully healed! Thanks to that treasure you found. At first, it was a vicious object, but fortunately, your mother's Heavenly Evil Sacred Scythe countered it—using evil to suppress evil, we cleansed its malevolent aura.
"Otherwise, who would've known that such a notorious carving knife contained such immense life energy? With that high-level life force, not only did my body recover, but my bottleneck loosened. I seized that insight and successfully broke through."
Indeed, Su Tianxuan had now advanced to Rank 98—a Super Douluo, among the strongest on the entire continent.
Su Yunlin was slightly surprised. "So Grandpa, you're now a Rank 98 Super Douluo? Then who's stronger—you or Shrek Academy's Taotie?"
Su Tianxuan pondered for a moment. "I'm likely still inferior. That old fellow is much older than me. Even when I was still a student at Shrek, he was already a renowned powerhouse.
"His Martial Soul is extraordinary, and he's remained at Rank 98 for decades. In a direct clash, I wouldn't be his match. Only that old poison freak from the Body Sect could deal with him."
Su Yunlin nodded. One could say Elder Xuan was unreliable—but he was by no means weak. In every battle, he was the first to charge in, always picking fights with stronger opponents.
The Taotie Divine Ox Martial Soul was indeed formidable, possessing bloodline comparable to true dragons. In theory, it should have already reached Rank 99.
Su Tianxuan stroked his beard and smiled. "Still, compared to those old monsters, I may fall short—but against other Rank 97 Super Douluo, I'm far stronger. For instance, that old Tianyang from the Douling Empire—he's no match for me now."
"Then Grandpa, do you feel close to breaking into Rank 99?"
At the question, Su Tianxuan shook his head. "Rank 99, Limit Douluo—that threshold is like an insurmountable chasm. That poison freak from the Body Sect and Shrek's Taotie are both stuck just below it. I haven't even touched that barrier yet.
"In our family, only you and your mother have the potential to reach that level. Your mother is still relatively young among Titled Douluo—given her talent, she has a real chance.
"But you, Lin'er, have the greatest potential. I even believe you might reach Rank 100 and ascend to godhood—just like Sea God Tang San ten thousand years ago."
Su Yunlin smiled faintly. "Then I'll take your words as a blessing, Grandpa."
"Hmm? Someone mentioned me?"
Both Su Yunlin and Su Tianxuan turned to look.
Xu Yunyue approached, carrying two plates of fruit. Walking beside her was a middle-aged man with a stern expression and heavy dark circles under his eyes.
This somewhat "haggard" man was Su Yunlin's father—Moth Emperor Douluo Su Jinming [Rank 94] and a Class 8 soul engineer.
"Dad! Mom!"
Su Jinming gave a slight nod, the corner of his lips lifting just a little.
Su Yunlin understood his father well—he must have been working day and night on soul tool research again. He probably didn't even feel like speaking.
His parents' personalities complemented each other well. His father was taciturn and reserved, while his mother was outspoken and direct.
Xu Yunyue sat beside Su Yunlin, placing the fruit platter in front of him.
"You just got home—it's not dinner time yet, so have some fruit first. Did you eat properly at the academy? Did anyone bully you? Tell your mother! I'll stand up for you!
"If that old bastard Yan Shaozhe doesn't dare to deal with something, I will! If you've been wronged, I'll turn Shrek Academy upside down—and peel that damn Yan Shaozhe's skin off to vent your anger!"
Su Yunlin laughed awkwardly. "Everything's fine. I think academy life is pretty good."
Su Jinming glanced at him. "Didn't you say before that you didn't want to go to Shrek Academy? Why the change of heart?"
Su Yunlin scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed.
Xu Yunyue reached out and pinched his cheek. "Our son went to school and got his heart stolen by some little girl—and he won't even tell his mother who she is. How heartbreaking, boohoo~"
"Oh ho, not bad, Lin'er! Which family's girl is it?" Su Tianxuan also looked over with a smile.
Su Jinming's gaze shifted to his son as well. He was equally curious—just which girl had caught the eye of his usually aloof and picky son?