Yu Ningxin heard Xue Tianxing ask about it. Seeing that he had already guessed, she nodded gently and confirmed his suspicion before stroking his hair and explaining softly:
"Your mother is indeed from the Qian Family of Spirit City. However, our branch is not part of the main line, and our Martial Souls are all evolved forms of the Six-winged Angel."
"Then we should still have relatives in Spirit City, right?"
Xue Tianxing pressed the question.
As soon as he said this, the expression on Yu Ningxin's face faded. Her lashes lowered slightly as she fell silent.
Xue Tianxing leaned closer and clearly saw the corners of her eyes redden, tiny tears swirling in them like two stars on the verge of falling.
"Mother..."
Xue Tianxing quickly wrapped his little arms around her waist, pressed his face against her clothes, and said softly:
"It's alright. Even if we don't, I'll always stay by your side."
His words made Yu Ningxin's nose sting. She raised a hand and gently patted his back. Only after a long while did she recover, wiping the dampness from the corners of her eyes before slowly telling Xue Tianxing about the past.
Yu Ningxin had originally been a young lady from a collateral branch of the Angel Spirit lineage. Her father—Xue Tianxing's maternal grandfather, Yu Tian—was still in Spirit City. His Martial Soul was the Twin-winged Angel, and he was already a Rank 95 Titled Douluo. She also had an older brother who served as the Guard Commander of Spirit Hall's Worship Hall and was likewise stationed in Spirit City.
Twenty-five years ago, Yu Ningxin encountered Xue Zhe while training in the Star Dou Great Forest.
One was the beloved daughter of a collateral Angel Spirit branch, while the other was a prince of the Balak Kingdom. Their paths should never have crossed, yet they fell for each other during that first meeting in the forest.
Afterward, they traveled the continent together. They watched the sunsets of Sunset Forest and crossed the ice fields of the Land of the Extreme North, their feelings deepening with every passing day.
Only later did they reveal their identities to one another. One learned that the other was an heir of a Spirit Hall collateral branch, while the other learned that their beloved was a prince of a kingdom subordinate to the Heaven Dou Empire. They knew their identities bound them to opposing sides, but their feelings had already taken root. How could they simply cut them off?
In the end, Yu Ningxin still followed Xue Zhe back to the Balak Kingdom.
"At the time, I thought that as long as I didn't go back or contact my family, the people of Spirit Hall might not notice this place, and our family could live peacefully."
Yu Ningxin's voice was soft and tinged with melancholy as she continued:
"More than twenty years have passed in a flash, and I haven't seen your grandfather or uncle since... When you mentioned them just now, I suddenly thought of them."
By the end, she could not help raising a hand to dab at the corner of her eye again. This time, however, a faint smile rested on her lips. Being able to tell her son the thoughts she had buried for so many years felt as though she had finally set down a heavy stone from her shoulders.
After learning about this past, the last trace of hesitation in Xue Tianxing's heart completely vanished. Instead, his resolve became even firmer—his mother already had such deep ties to Spirit Hall, and Tang San's group would inevitably become enemies of Spirit Hall in the future. There was destined to be no room for reconciliation between them.
With that, Xue Tianxing's original intention to deal with Tang San and the others gained a few more layers of unshakable determination.
Not only that, Xue Tianxing included Bibi Dong in his calculations as well.
That woman was nothing more than Spirit Hall's "ungrateful traitor." Her hatred for the Angel lineage was barely concealed, and she was fiercely ambitious. If he wished to unite the continent in the future, she would inevitably be an opponent he could not avoid. Keeping her alive would always be a future threat.
Having made up his mind, Xue Tianxing looked up at Yu Ningxin, his eyes shining as if tempered by light, and said:
"Mother, don't worry. One day, I'll openly bring you back to Spirit City. By then, whether it's the Heaven Dou Empire or Spirit Hall, no one will dare say a word against it."
Yu Ningxin was amused by his solemn, grown-up manner. Even the fine lines at the corners of her eyes softened. She reached out and ruffled his hair as she said:
"Alright. Mother will wait for that day."
After that, Xue Tianxing stayed with his mother and chatted for a long while.
Yu Ningxin told him many stories from her time in Spirit City—such as the cherry tree in the collateral branch's courtyard that was always shedding white petals, and how her brother used to secretly slip her candy when they were young. Every little memory was steeped in the gentle warmth of time.
It was not until the sun began to dip westward that Xue Tianxing rose to say goodbye and returned to his own palace.
Time flew by, and another month passed in the blink of an eye.
Over that month, Xue Tianxing successfully absorbed his second Soul Ring—the 2,100-year-old Frost Profound Crane that Zhao Tian and the others had found.
With the innate suppression of his Ice Phoenix Spirit, the absorption process remained smooth and nearly effortless.
After the Soul Ring entered his body, his Soul Power naturally broke through as well, reaching Rank 24 in one leap. He became a Soul Grandmaster at only six years old, a rarity across the entire Douluo Continent.
What delighted Xue Tianxing even more was that after absorbing the Frost Profound Crane Soul Ring, he obtained an exceptionally powerful second Soul Skill: Mysterious Crane Soaring Nine Heavens.
This Soul Skill was practically divine:
Not only did it grant him speed far beyond that of ordinary flying Martial Souls, but when activated, his body moved like lightning, allowing him to cross several zhang in an instant;
Even more ridiculously, all his attributes would directly surge by two hundred percent while the skill was active, and the enhancement would continue to increase as his Soul Power grew.
Watching the flow of Soul Power within his body become even swifter, while both his offense and defense underwent a complete transformation, Xue Tianxing was naturally overjoyed.
After absorbing two Soul Rings, Xue Tianxing settled into cultivation at home. Every day, he honed his Soul Skills at the training ground or read Martial Soul theory books in the study. His days were steady and peaceful.
Another month passed like this.
That day, thinking that he had not visited his mother in many days, Xue Tianxing leisurely made his way toward Yu Ningxin's palace.
He had just reached the moon gate outside the hall and had not yet stepped through when 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 halted and quietly stopped beneath the corridor, not daring to alert those inside.
Immediately afterward, a somewhat unfamiliar yet faintly familiar man's voice rang out, filled with earnestness:
"Little sister, Father and Mother have missed you all these years. You left home more than twenty years ago without a single word, and we nearly thought you..."
He paused, lowering his voice before continuing:
"I never expected that while carrying out a mission this time, I would run into you. Come back with me. Everyone at home has been waiting for you."
The hall fell quiet for a moment. Xue Tianxing could imagine his mother's expression at that moment—sure enough, in the next instant, Yu Ningxin's voice became choked with sobs, filled with undisguised pain:
"How could I not miss them... But now, I..."
Xue Tianxing seemed to see his mother raising a hand to wipe away her tears. Then he heard her take a deep breath, her tone returning to firmness:
"I'm very happy now. You know as well as I do that with Spirit Hall under that Pope's control, its relationship with the two great empires has long been at swords' points. If the Heaven Dou Empire or Spirit Hall learns about me, I'm afraid I'll never be able to leave Spirit City again. I might even... even implicate your brother-in-law and the children."
After those words, silence filled the hall once more. Xue Tianxing guessed that the man had to be one of his mother's relatives. From his tone, he was most likely his eldest maternal uncle, Yu Ninglong.
Sure enough, a moment later, the man—Yu Ninglong—sighed, his voice full of helplessness:
"I understand your concerns."
As the Guard Commander of the Worship Hall, he knew Spirit Hall's current situation better than anyone, and he understood that his younger sister was not worrying without cause.
Yu Ninglong remained silent for a long time before slowly saying:
"Since your mind is made up, I won't force you. But now that I know you're still alive, I'll return and tell Father and Mother. They'll surely be happy."
After a pause, he added solemnly:
"Don't worry, little sister. Aside from our family, no one in Spirit City will learn of what happened today. I'll leave at once. I won't cause you any trouble."
Before you continue