C15:-DD2_Diary_System (Patreon)

15. One good news after another.

│3rd Person POV │

[Douluo Continent, Heavenly Soul Empire, Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect…]

Two days have passed since Ye Chen received the rewards for completing one hundred consecutive Diary entries.

As usual, Ye Chen began his morning by tempering his body, doing exercises like running, push-ups, pull-ups, squats, burpees, planks, etc.

From time to time, he would activate his First Soul Skill mid-training, pushing his body to adapt to the temporary boost in strength. The more familiar he became with the amplification, the better he could utilize it in real combat.

Time slipped by, and nearly three hours later, Ye Chen finally wrapped up his morning training.

After taking a long, refreshing shower, he headed into the dining room and called out, “Mr. Lin, is breakfast ready yet?”

Mr. Lin was the caretaker Bai Xinlian had arranged to look after Ye Chen and the house whenever she and Ye Xuan were away. Normally, the older man responded right away.

But today, instead of Mr. Lin’s voice, Ye Chen heard a voice he had desperately missed over the past several days.

“Breakfast is ready, Chen’er.”

Ye Chen froze mid-step.

There, standing by the dining table and setting down the last dish, was Bai Xinlian.

The table was filled with food, more than enough for five or six people. However, it was the normal amount for Ye Chen’s usual breakfast.

But he barely registered any of it. All he could see was his mother in front of him, very much real and safe.

It took several seconds for his mind to catch up. And then, without a moment’s hesitation, he bolted across the room and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

“You’re back!” he blurted, trying to keep his voice steady as his eyes grew misty.

“There, there. I’m right here,” Bai Xinlian soothed, running her fingers through his hair in that familiar, comforting way. “Safe and sound. No need to worry anymore.”

It took a long moment before Ye Chen could bring himself to let go of the hug. When he finally stepped back, he drew a quiet breath, pulling his emotions back under control.

“Now go on and start eating,” she said gently, tapping his forehead. “The food will get cold.”

Ye Chen nodded and took his seat. As he picked up his chopsticks, he asked, “When did you return? And where’s Father?”

“We got back about an hour ago,” Bai Xinlian replied, taking her own seat but waiting before eating. “You were still training in the backyard, so we didn’t want to disturb you. I showered first and prepared breakfast. Your father is in the shower.”

“Not anymore,” came a familiar voice from the doorway.

Ye Xuan stepped into the dining room, hair still damp from his shower.

Ye Chen’s expression brightened. “Good morning, Father. Welcome home.”

“Good morning, Son.” Ye Xuan returned the greeting as he sat down and started eating, prompting Bai Xinlian to do so as well.

While eating, Ye Chen asked his parents about their journey.

Listening to his father's explanation, Ye Chen finally got to know the reason it took them so long.

It turned out that on the fifth day of their search for a suitable Soul Beast for Bai Xinlian’s sixth Soul Ring, their group encountered an 18,000-year-old Soul Devouring Spider King.

Soul Devouring Spiders were one of the rarest and most dangerous spider-type Soul Beasts, comparable to Titan Giant Ape in terms of bloodline and strength.

It was also the most suitable Soul Beast for Bai Xinlian’s Poison Spirit Scythe Martial Soul. But hunting it was not an easy task.

Even with Elder Zhang, a Soul Douluo, three Soul Saints, and two Soul Emperors, taking down such a creature was very challenging.

After an exhausting three-hour-long battle, when it seemed like the fight was nearing its end, the Soul Devouring Spider King used the momentary lapse in guard of one of the Soul Saints to slip through their encirclement and flee.

After that, it was a brutal, week-long.

The Soul Devouring Spider King repeatedly escaped their grasp by running through the territory of other 10,000-year-old or higher age Soul Beasts, forcing their group to slow down or take a detour to avoid unnecessary battle. Only then did they get the chance to corner it again.

Then, Ye Xuan dropped a bomb, “Fortunately, the reward we gained from this hunt was very good. That Soul Devouring Spider King also dropped a Soul Bone upon its death, a Left Arm Soul Bone.”

“No way!” Ye Chen exclaimed in surprise before becoming concerned upon hearing this. He quickly asked, “What happened to the Soul Bone?”

In the world of Soul Masters, Soul Bones are referred to as the Blood River Treasure. They are the spark of numerous cases of betrayal, assassination, massacre, etc., every year.

Though Ye Chen wished that his mother absorbed the Soul Bone as absorbing both the Soul Ring and Soul Bone from the same Soul Beast granted a powerful synergetic effect, he knew that the best option at that moment would’ve been to give the Soul Bone to Elder Zhang, declaring it the property of the sect.

This way, there would be less chance of any of the three Soul Saints looking for an opportunity to betray the sect and attack his family for the Soul Bone.

“Naturally, the Soul Bone was handed over to Elder Zhang,” Ye Xuan answered calmly. “It belongs to the sect now. In the first place, without the sect’s support, your mother would never have had the chance to hunt a Soul Beast as dangerous as a Soul Devouring Spider King.”

‘As expected.’ Ye Chen thought to himself. Then, looking at his mother, he declared, “Don’t worry, Mother. When I get strong enough and earn enough resources, I will get that Soul Bone back for you from the sect.”

A warm smile bloomed on Bai Xinlian’s face as she replied, “I believe you, Chen’er. Mother will wait for that day to arrive.”

Hearing those words filled Ye Chen with a quiet determination.

The rest of the day passed peacefully. Ye Chen chose to put aside his usual routine—skipping his afternoon reading session and even his evening training.

Instead, he spent every moment he could with his parents, talking, sharing how he spent the last two weeks, and simply enjoying their presence after days of worrying about their safety.

For the first time in nearly two weeks, the home felt complete again.

=+=+=+=+=< Scene Change >=+=+=+=+=

The next morning brought yet another piece of good news.

Ning Tian and Wu Feng arrived bright and early, just as Ye Chen and his parents were about to sit down for breakfast. Naturally, Bai Xinlian welcomed the girls inside and invited them to join the meal.

As the five of them settled at the table, Bai Xinlian suddenly remarked with a teasing smile, “So, my son has made friends at last, and such pretty ones too. I almost wish I had daughters like you.”

All three children froze, then turned beet red as they instantly caught the hidden implication behind her words.

“Mother! Don’t say things like that!” Ye Chen hissed under his breath, mortified.

Ye Xuan hid his amusement as he quietly enjoyed the sight of his wife teasing their son and his two flustered friends.

“Anyway. You said you had some good news to share, Ning Tian?” Ye Chen asked, desperate to change the topic to escape his mother’s teasing.

Ning Tian coughed lightly, shaking the inappropriate thoughts away as she explained, “Right. Father told me to inform you—the sect has located a suitable Soul Engineer from the Sun Moon Empire. He agreed to join the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.”

Ye Chen's eyes brightened.

Ning Tian continued, “The sect’s informants will be investigating his background for the next few days. Once that’s done, he’ll officially become your instructor. So you can expect your first practical Soul Engineering lesson to begin next week.”

“Great.” Ye Chen accepted the news with a small, satisfied smile on his face.

Across the table, Ye Xuan and Bai Xinlian exchanged a quiet look. Both sighed inwardly.

Just yesterday, they had tried—and failed—to convince Ye Chen to focus solely on being a Soul Master instead of splitting his time with Soul Engineering. As parents, they feared he would waste his crucial formative years chasing too many paths at once.

But they couldn’t force him into their expectations. All they could do was hope.

Hope that Ye Chen truly had the talent to walk both paths and succeed.

And if he didn’t… they could only pray he would realize it soon enough to focus on cultivation before it was too late.

As they finished eating, Ning Tian asked, “So Ye Chen, are you going to the library next?”

“No. I am going to Master Ling’s place. I need to test some things.” Ye Chen shook his head and answered.

“Master Ling? Isn’t he the one with the Seven-Colored Spirit Ginseng Martial Soul?” Wu Feng thought out loud.

She only knew about him because Ye Chen mentioned him and his Martial Soul in his Diary recently.

Master Ling was the top healing-type Soul Master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. He was also the current Sect Master’s little brother. His Seven-Colored Spirit Ginseng Martial Soul was a mutated blend of his parents’ spirits, combining the attributes of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and the Spirit Ginseng. Furthermore, he didn’t seem to be limited to Seven Soul Rings like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. So, there was a chance for the sect to gain a Titled Douluo Healing Soul Master in the future.

He was also the person with the most knowledge about medicine and herbal lore in the sect.

Even though Wu Feng could guess the reason Ye Chen was visiting Master Ling, she asked him with a curious expression. “Anyway, why are you going to his place?”

“Well, I have been reading some books related to herbs and medicine lately,” Ye Chen explained casually. “I have created a medicinal formula. I wanted Master Ling’s help to test it and see if it works.”

‘As expected.’ Both Wu Feng and Ning Tian thought to themselves as Ye Chen’s answer confirmed their guesses.

From reading his Diary entries, they already knew Ye Chen had used the knowledge from his Intermediate Medicine skill and his recent readings to theorize a formula for a medicinal powder that could accelerate Spiritual Power recovery in Soul Masters.

Using the Diary System’s telepathic function, Ning Tian messaged Wu Feng, “Honestly, if the Intermediate Medicine skill already contains knowledge on treating Spiritual Injuries, I can’t imagine what the higher levels must be like.”

“Right? And don’t even get me started on that so-called Novice Blade Weapon Mastery,” Wu Feng replied. “From what angle is that ‘Novice’? Even Elder Yu said that Ye Chen’s scythe technique looked like something only seasoned Soul Masters—people who’ve fought in the Soul Battle Arena for years—can pull off.”

She sighed dramatically through the link. “Sometimes, I wish the Diary System would give us better rewards too…”

“Well,” Ning Tian added dryly, “we’d at least have more chances if Ye Chen actually used the Video Recording feature again. He hasn’t touched it since our Awakening Ceremony.”

Both girls gave a mild glare to Ye Chen, much to his sudden confusion.

Shaking his head at their antics, he said goodbye to his parents before leaving the house with Ning Tian and Wu Feng.

On the way to Master Ling’s place, Ye Chen couldn’t help but think, ‘What the heck is the matter with these two…? Suddenly glaring at me for no reason.

‘And aren’t they supposed to question me about my ability to create a medicinal formula after reading a “few” books? These two don't follow the script at all.’