The Arrival of Granduncle Yu Ninglong

Yu Ningxin listened as Xue Tianxing asked, and seeing that he had already guessed, she nodded gently, admitting his speculation. She then stroked the top of his head and softly explained:

"Mother is indeed from the Qian Family in Martial Soul City, but our branch is not the main line, and our Martial Souls are all degenerated forms of the Six-winged Angel."

"Then, does that mean we still have relatives in Martial Soul City?"

Xue Tianxing pressed further.

As soon as he spoke, the expression on Yu Ningxin's face faded. Her eyelids drooped slightly, and she fell into silence.

Xue Tianxing leaned closer and clearly saw her eyes were reddening at the corners, with tiny glints of tears swirling in her eyes, like two stars about to fall.

"Mom..."

Xue Tianxing quickly reached out his small hand to hug her waist, pressing his face against her clothes, and whispered:

"It's okay, even if we don't, I'll always be with you."

Yu Ningxin's nose tingled at his words. She gently patted his back and, after a long while, finally composed herself. She wiped away the moisture from the corners of her eyes with her fingertips and then slowly recounted her past to Xue Tianxing.

It turned out that Yu Ningxin was originally a young lady from a side branch of the Angel Spirit. Her father, Xue Tianxing's maternal grandfather Yu Tian, was still in Martial Soul City. His Martial Soul was the Twin-winged Angel, and he was already a Titled Douluo at level ninety-five. She also had an older brother who served as the Guard Commander in the Worship Hall of Martial Soul Hall, also stationed in Martial Soul City.

Twenty-five years ago, Yu Ningxin met Xue Zhe while training in the Star Dou Great Forest.

One was a pampered young lady with a side-branch Angel Spirit, and the other was a prince of the Balak Kingdom. Their paths were originally unrelated, yet they fell in love at their first meeting in the forest.

Later, the two traveled the continent together, witnessing the sunsets over Sunset Forest and traversing the ice fields of the Land of the Extreme North. Their feelings deepened with each passing day.

It was only after they revealed their identities to each other that one learned the other was a successor from a side branch of Martial Soul Hall, and the other knew the other was a prince of a subordinate kingdom of Heaven Dou. They knew their identities would inevitably lead to conflicts in their allegiances, but their affection had already taken root, and it couldn't be severed so easily.

In the end, Yu Ningxin followed Xue Zhe back to the Barracks Kingdom.

"Back then, I thought as long as I didn't go back and didn't contact my family, the people from Martial Soul Hall might not notice us here, and our family could live a peaceful life."

Yu Ningxin's voice was soft, tinged with a hint of melancholy. Then she continued:

"More than twenty years have passed in a flash, and I haven't seen your maternal grandfather and uncle since... Hearing you mention them just now, I suddenly thought of them."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but raise her hand to touch her eyes again, but this time, a faint smile touched her lips. Being able to share these long-hidden thoughts with her son felt like shedding a heavy stone from her shoulders.

After understanding these past events, the hesitation in Xue Tianxing's heart completely vanished. Instead, his resolve grew stronger. His mother already had such a connection to Martial Soul Hall, and it was inevitable that Tang San and his group would eventually become enemies with Martial Soul Hall. There was no room for compromise between them.

With this realization, Xue Tianxing's already formed intention to deal with Tang San and the others gained an unshakeable determination.

Not only that, but Xue Tianxing also included Bibi Dong in his calculations.

That woman was a "white-eyed wolf" of Martial Soul Hall, and her hatred for the Angel lineage was almost undisguised. Moreover, she was ambitious. If he were to pursue the path of unifying the continent in the future, she would inevitably be a formidable opponent. Keeping her around would always be a threat.

Having made up his mind, Xue Tianxing looked up at Yu Ningxin, his eyes shining as if quenched with light. He then said to Yu Ningxin:

"Mom, don't worry. One day, I will openly take you back to Martial Soul City. At that time, neither the Heaven Dou Empire nor anyone from Martial Soul Hall will dare to utter a single word of objection."

Yu Ningxin was amused by his confident, adult-like demeanor. The fine lines around her eyes softened, and she reached out to ruffle his hair. She said to Xue Tianxing:

"Okay, Mom will wait for that day."

Afterward, Xue Tianxing continued to chat with his mother for a long time.

Yu Ningxin told him many old stories from her time in Martial Soul City – like the cherry blossom tree in the side branch courtyard that always shed white petals, or how her brother used to secretly give her candy when she was little. Every detail was imbued with the gentle warmth of time.

As the sun began to set, Xue Tianxing finally got up to leave and returned to his palace.

Time flew by, and another month passed in the blink of an eye.

During this month, Xue Tianxing successfully absorbed his second Soul Ring – it was the two-thousand-one-hundred-year-old Frost Profound Crane that Zhao Tian and the others had found.

With the innate suppression power of his Ice Phoenix Martial Soul, the absorption process remained smooth, with almost no complications.

After the Soul Ring entered his body, his Soul Power also broke through, reaching level twenty-four. He became a Soul Grand Master at the young age of six, a rarity across the entire Douluo Continent.

What made Xue Tianxing even more delighted was that after absorbing the Frost Profound Crane Soul Ring, he obtained an extremely powerful second Soul Skill: Mysterious Crane Soaring Nine Heavens.

This Soul Skill could be considered a divine skill:

Not only did it grant him speed far exceeding that of ordinary flying Martial Souls, with his body becoming like lightning when the skill was activated, allowing him to cover several dozen feet in an instant;

Even more astonishingly, during its activation, his all-around attributes would directly surge by two hundred percent, and this increase would continue to grow with his Soul Power.

Seeing how his internal Soul Power circulation had become more rapid, and how both his offense and defense had undergone a complete transformation, Xue Tianxing was extremely happy.

After absorbing his two Soul Rings, Xue Tianxing settled down to cultivate at home, honing his Soul Skills in the training grounds daily or poring over Martial Soul theory classics in his study. His days were solid and peaceful.

Another month passed like this.

One day, Xue Tianxing thought he hadn't seen his mother for many days, so he leisurely walked towards Yu Ningxin's palace.

Just as he reached the moon gate outside the palace, before he could step inside, he heard his mother's resolute voice from within:

"I won't go back with you. I'm living very well here now."

Xue Tianxing's steps faltered, and he quietly stopped under the corridor, not daring to disturb the people inside.

Immediately after, a somewhat unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar male voice rang out, full of earnest pleading:

"Sister, Father and Mother have been thinking of you all these years. You left home for over twenty years with no word, we almost thought you..."

He paused, his voice dropping lower, before continuing:

"I never expected to run into you while on a mission this time. Come back with me, everyone at home is waiting for you."

A moment of silence fell within the hall. Xue Tianxing could imagine his mother's expression at that moment—sure enough, the next second he heard Yu Ningxin's voice, tinged with a sob and unconcealed heartache:

"How could I not miss them... but right now I..."

Xue Tianxing seemed to see his mother raise her hand to wipe away tears. He then heard her take a deep breath, her tone returning to one of resolve:

"I am living very happily now. You know, with Martial Soul Hall under that Pope, the relationship with the two great empires is already at a breaking point. If anyone from the Heaven Dou Empire or Martial Soul Hall were to find out about me, I fear I would never be able to leave Martial Soul City again, and worse... worse, it would implicate your brother-in-law and the children."

After these words, another silence descended upon the hall. Xue Tianxing guessed that the man must be his mother's relative. Judging by her tone, it was most likely his maternal uncle, Yu Ninglong.

Indeed, a moment later, the man—who was none other than Yu Ninglong—sighed, his voice filled with helplessness:

"I understand your concerns."

As the Guard Commander of the Worship Hall, he knew the current situation of Martial Soul Hall better than anyone and understood that his sister's worries were not unfounded.

Yu Ninglong remained silent for a long time before slowly saying:

"Since your mind is made up, I won't force you. But knowing that you are still alive, I will go back and tell Father and Mother. They will surely be happy."

He paused, then added, his tone solemn:

"Don't worry, sister. Regarding today's events, besides our family, absolutely no one else in Martial Soul City will know. I will leave now and won't cause you any trouble."