Ling Yuan Douluo

Hearing a knock, Qian Guxing went to open the door, only to find a Gothic beauty standing outside. She had silver-gray hair cut short at her ears, wore a black dress, and had smoky makeup around her delicate eyes.

Her cool, dashing beauty was entirely different from Bibi Dong's queenly bearing and Qian Renxue's princess-like pride.

She was more like a bold and endlessly dashing heroine roaming the jianghu.

Qian Guxing withdrew his gaze and asked curiously:

"Excuse me, big sister, did my teacher send you?"

Qian Guxing lived right next to the Pope's bedchamber, after all. The area was heavily guarded, and ordinary people could never get close.

For this woman to show up openly at his door, either Bibi Dong had sent her, or her status was even higher than Bibi Dong's.

The latter was impossible, so it was obviously the former.

"Clever little fellow." The woman bent down, exposing a large expanse of snowy skin, and pinched Qian Guxing's cheek. "His Holiness the Pope sent me to be your protector. You can call me Ling Yuan Douluo."

Ling Yuan Douluo!

Qian Guxing thought about it and realized there really was such a character in the animated series.

But Ling Yuan Douluo had been so eager to claim credit that she had charged ahead recklessly. The Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python had run her over like a speed bump, and she had collected her lunchbox on the spot.

He hadn't expected Bibi Dong to send him the fastest-dying Titled Douluo in the animated series as his protector.

Despite his reflections, Qian Guxing didn't forget his manners. He gave Ling Yuan Douluo a sweet smile and greeted her:

"Then I'm sorry for the trouble from now on, Sister Ling Yuan!"

White Moonlight's Smile, combined with 120 charm points, completely crowd-controlled Ling Yuan Douluo for half a minute. It was hard to imagine that a six-year-old boy had shown her what it meant for beauty to bring disaster.

But he's still so cute!

Ling Yuan Douluo was nearly fifty, which wasn't old for a Titled Douluo.

The Douluo Continent's combat power wasn't high, but it was generous with lifespans.

A Titled Douluo could live for three hundred years.

Every additional level added another hundred years.

At her age, Ling Yuan Douluo could be considered a loli at most among Titled Douluo.

Looking at Qian Guxing, a little shota so cute it was cheating, Ling Yuan Douluo felt her long-dead maidenly heart rekindle from the ashes. She scooped Qian Guxin into her arms and teased him for quite a while.

Qian Guxing was almost speechless.

He really couldn't understand why these old aunties were all the same.

You're going to get zapped for this!

Once Ling Yuan Douluo had played enough, Qian Guxing said expectantly:

"Sister Ling Yuan, I want to test my Martial Souls. Could you have a Soul Fight with me?"

"Soul Fighting?" Ling Yuan raised an eyebrow and smiled, recalling how she too had excitedly sought out her elders after awakening her Martial Soul as a child, eager to test its various wondrous abilities.

"All right, let me see how strong your Martial Souls are."

Ling Yuan was rather eager herself. After all, when Qian Guxing had awakened his Martial Souls, his two god-level Martial Souls, the True Essence Dao Body and the Ancient Tree of Nature, had caused terrifying phenomena across heaven and earth.

That alone was proof of how extraordinary Qian Guxing's Martial Souls were.

According to the conjectures of other veteran Titled Douluo, Qian Guxing had a very good chance of reaching the realm other Soul Masters dreamed of.

Becoming a god at level one hundred!

If I defeat Qian Guxing now, can I brag later that I defeated a god?

He'd be a child at the time, but wouldn't it still count?

Ling Yuan picked Qian Guxing up and flew to the mountain behind the Pope's Palace.

The area was open, with plenty of room to fight.

"Come on, let me see what you can do." Ling Yuan folded her arms across her chest, her posture relaxed.

Although Qian Guxing had Innate Level 20 Soul Power, he had yet to obtain a Soul Ring and wasn't even a Soul Master.

As a Titled Douluo, Ling Yuan didn't believe Qian Guxing could muster much fighting power.

This fight was no different from an old man playing with a mischievous child.

Qian Guxing saw Ling Yuan's attitude and smiled, unbothered.

Just then, the system presented him with a choice.

[Spirit Hall's Ling Yuan Douluo is exceptionally powerful and has been ordered by the Pope to serve as your protector. Now Ling Yuan wants to test your strength. You choose...

Option one: the tree that stands above the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Do not reveal your full strength; endure, lie low, and develop in secret before stunning everyone. Reward: comprehension +50.

Option two: to hell with caution. A genius should display all their talent and obtain sufficient resources for cultivation. Fight Ling Yuan and earn her recognition.

Reward: comprehension +50, plus additional rewards depending on how much recognition you earn from Ling Yuan Douluo.]

Qian Guxing's eyes lit up at the prompt. He had never intended to hide his abilities in the first place.

After all, the enemy he would face in the future was Tang San.

Only by displaying all his talent and securing a sufficient share of Spirit Hall's resources could Qian Guxing set his plans in motion.

Facing Ling Yuan, Qian Guxing said:

"Sister Ling Yuan, watch out."

The moment the words left his mouth, Qian Guxing vanished in an instant.

Six Powers.

Shave!

"What speed!"

Ling Yuan's pupils contracted, but her powerful perception as a Titled Douluo instantly locked onto the presence behind her.

Looking at Ling Yuan's back, Qian Guxing showed no mercy to the fairer sex.

Tempest Kick!

Wild Dance!

In an instant,

Qian Guxing sent hundreds of slashes flying with his kicks.

Ling Yuan's scalp went numb. Was this an attack a six-year-old could unleash? Hadn't they said he hadn't absorbed a Soul Ring?

In a moment of panic, Ling Yuan instantly completed Martial Soul Possession and shot into the sky like a kite wreathed in flames, dodging the densely packed Tempest Kicks.

Boom! Boom! Boom!!!!

The Tempest Kicks struck the woods behind her, tearing them into countless fragments.

Ling Yuan's eyelids twitched at the sight. Had she fallen behind the times? Were children's Soul Fights this terrifying nowadays?

It was no exaggeration to say that even a Soul Elder who took that whole combo head-on would come off badly!

But for Qian Guxing, the fight had only just begun!

Seeing Ling Yuan use Martial Soul Possession and take to the air, Qian Guxing didn't pursue her with Moonwalk.

Moonwalk could keep him airborne, but it couldn't compare to Ling Yuan, whose Martial Soul was a flying type to begin with.

So Qian Guxing landed without hesitation and slapped both hands against the ground. Under the effect of the Hashirama Senju Physique, his Soul Power, a hundred times greater than an ordinary person's, and the true essence in his dantian circulated madly. The Ancient Tree of Nature Martial Soul appeared, and countless vines burst from the depths of the earth.

Wood Release!

Birdcage Technique!

Endless vines interwove in midair, forming a gigantic net that rapidly contracted inward, intent on binding Ling Yuan inside.

"He really is a child. His attacks are simple and straightforward." Ling Yuan was astonished by the outrageous scale of Qian Guxing's Soul Skill, but as a Titled Douluo, she still found such a direct fighting style childish.

Ling Yuan didn't use a Soul Skill. She simply raised a hand, and roaring flames instantly burned away the vines closing in from every direction.

"Right behind me!" Ling Yuan sensed Qian Guxing's presence and reached out to grab him, but when she saw what was in her hand, she froze.

It wasn't Qian Guxing at all.

It was a lifelike wooden puppet.

The real Qian Guxing had already appeared behind Ling Yuan.

"Descend, Falling Star Heavenly Blade!"

A black blade came to rest against Ling Yuan's neck.

Its extreme sharpness made the hairs on her body stand on end.

She could clearly sense that if the blade came down, she might die.