Qian Renxue, Elemental Control: Lightning!

It wasn't as though possessing the Moon Blade Martial Soul and the Demon Fox Martial Soul guaranteed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill. That still depended on bloodline and luck.

If anyone with the corresponding Martial Souls could perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, wouldn't everyone in the Star Luo Empire be capable of forming the Hell White Tiger? Dai Weisi could only perform a fusion skill with Zhu Zhuyun, not Zhu Zhuqing. That was precisely the issue.

"Then when they return, the three of us can try it together. Logically speaking, since Nana can perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with me, Brother Bai should be able to as well. You two are twins, after all, and you and him can probably do it too."

Worship Hall.

"Grandfather, you said Brother Bai and Nana were taken in by Mom as her final disciples? Does Mom intend for one of them to inherit the position of Pope in the future? Why couldn't she ever look at me properly from the moment I was born?" An exquisite porcelain doll with long golden hair pouted, looking at Qian Daoliu with a face full of grievance.

"Sigh, Little Xue, your mom has her own difficulties. You must believe that she loves you deep down. So, have you made up your mind to go to the Heaven Dou Empire? Perhaps if you accomplish something there, you'll be able to draw your mom's attention." Qian Daoliu spoke gently, smiling warmly, though a trace of helplessness lay deep within his eyes.

His granddaughter had only recently lost her father, yet she was about to head to the Heaven Dou Empire under the escort of two Titled Douluo to carry out an infiltration mission. It was truly too cruel for her.

Qian Renxue was only a little over nine years old now! (For this setting, the mission from the original story began when Qian Renxue was around ten.)

"But if I go carry out the mission, will I really earn Mom's approval? I don't really want to be separated from Brother Bai and Nana. I finally made a few good friends."

A few days earlier, Qian Renxue had been very happy upon learning that Hu Bai possessed Innate Full Soul Power due to a Martial Soul Mutation, while Hu Liena had Innate Level 9.5 Soul Power. But when she learned that Bibi Dong had accepted them as disciples and would personally hunt Soul Beasts for their Soul Rings, she couldn't help feeling dejected.

As Bibi Dong's biological daughter, she had never received such treatment. Her three Soul Rings had all been obtained when her grandfather took her hunting.

Seeing this, Qian Daoliu found himself in a difficult position.

Golden Crocodile Douluo transmitted his voice from the side. "Great Worship, if Little Xue is unwilling, then forget it. Besides, doing this sort of thing isn't exactly honorable for Spirit Hall.

"Our Qian Family line has finally produced a child like Little Xue, born with Innate Level Twenty Soul Power and chosen by the Angel God since childhood. With talent like hers, sending her to the Heaven Dou Empire as an undercover agent is far too wasteful!

"For the sake of some so-called Heaven Dou imperial throne, we have Little Xue disguise herself as Crown Prince Xue Qinghe. Who knows how much cultivation time she'll waste handling political affairs and achievements?

"Little Xue is already a three-ringed Soul Elder at nine years old. If she cultivates properly, she'll definitely attain the Titled Douluo rank earlier than Bibi Dong. With those six Soul Bones, once Little Xue becomes a god, wouldn't everything on the continent belong to our Spirit Hall?!"

How could Qian Daoliu not understand what Golden Crocodile was saying? But if things continued like this, he feared that the mother-daughter relationship between Bibi Dong and Little Xue would only grow more strained.

Sending Qian Renxue to the Heaven Dou Empire and keeping her away from Bibi Dong was, in truth, also for her safety.

Lion also transmitted his voice. "Eldest Brother, surely you aren't worried that Little Xue might face danger because of Bibi Dong? The seven of us can protect her in turns. What is Bibi Dong to us? If you ask me, since Bibi Dong killed Ji'er, she should have paid with her life. You're only letting her live because you're too merciful—you even allowed her to take the position of Previous Pope!"

Qian Daoliu smiled at Lion without saying a word, yet a dangerous aura radiated from him.

Lion's heart skipped a beat. Qian Daoliu like this was far too terrifying. He was angry!

Then Qian Daoliu sighed inwardly and transmitted his voice. "Enough. None of you are allowed to mention this matter again. I know what I'm doing. Little Xue has already lost her father; she cannot lose her mom as well. Since Little Xue is unwilling to go for now, then we'll leave it at that."

Star Dou Great Forest.

After three hours, Hu Bai finally finished absorbing his First Soul Ring, and his Soul Power rose directly to Level Twelve!

"How was it, son? Did you succeed?" Xie Tian asked with a tense expression.

To be honest, letting Hu Bai, who possessed the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Martial Soul, absorb a plant Soul Beast was an extremely bold attempt!

Throughout Spirit Hall's history, there had been plant-type Martial Souls absorbing animal Soul Beasts, but he had never heard of a Beast Martial Soul Master absorbing the Soul Ring of a plant Soul Beast.

There were two reasons for this. First, plant Soul Beast Soul Rings were too weak. Second, it could potentially result in an elemental conflict.

The Soul Ring of the Thunderclap Nether Vine certainly wasn't weak, but would it clash with the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox in terms of attributes? That was a question mark.

Hu Bai could control the elements of nature, but could he control the Lightning Power contained within the Thunderclap Nether Vine's Soul Ring?

Only now, seeing that Hu Bai had succeeded, did he finally let out a breath of relief.

Hu Bai stood and released his First Soul Ring. A large amount of Lightning Element gathered in his right hand, forming a whip. "Dad, Mom, I succeeded. My First Soul Ring is called Elemental Control: Lightning. Its passive ability greatly enhances my control over the Lightning Element, while its active ability can increase the power of lightning elements by one hundred percent!"

"What? One hundred percent!" Xie Tian and Hu Leyao exchanged glances, each seeing the astonishment in the other's eyes.

An ordinary Hundred-Year enhancement Soul Skill should provide an increase of around Fifty Percent, yet their son's gave him one hundred percent!

However, they soon understood. This Soul Ring hadn't granted him any offensive or defensive Soul Skill. It merely passively enhanced his control over the Lightning Element and increased its power.

Even so, it was still incredibly top-tier.

Xie Tian and Hu Leyao both followed the extreme-enhancement path. Every one of Xie Tian's Soul Rings was an enhancement Soul Skill, increasing the Moon Blade's attack, armor-piercing ability, toughness, and other attributes, as well as his own defense.

Yet his First Soul Skill only granted a Fifty Percent increase.

But before they could celebrate too early, Hu Bai continued, "There is one problem, though. I've discovered that freely controlling all kinds of elements doesn't just require Soul Power; Spiritual Power is equally indispensable. Just shaping the Lightning Element into a whip already consumed quite a bit of my mental energy."

Hu Bai's original plan had been for all his Soul Rings to possess different attributes, but now it seemed that he might still need to acquire a Soul Skill that purely enhanced Spiritual Power.

If he wanted to perform Element Fusion later—for example, if his Second Soul Skill were Elemental Control: Fire and he attempted Lightning-Fire Overload—then without powerful Spiritual Power to support it, he would probably blow himself up.

"Watch out!" Suddenly, Xie Tian and Hu Leyao sensed something. They shielded Hu Bai behind them and watched their surroundings with vigilant expressions.