The Great Stage of Douluo, My Name is Qian Xunji

If your Clear Sky Sect had merely kept a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in captivity, no one would have been able to say anything when you eventually hunted it to obtain a Soul Ring.

However, falling in love with a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast that had taken human form and conceiving a human-beast hybrid is something that cannot be argued away.

Furthermore, Tang Hao paraded the pregnant Blue Silver Emperor everywhere, and many people saw it with their own eyes; Tang Hao himself even admitted that she was his wife.

If Martial Soul Hall chooses not to calculate the benefits now and disregards its relationship with the Clear Sky Sect, then the Clear Sky Sect will no longer be able to play the victim.

According to the original story, the final outcome was that a Pope of Martial Soul Hall died, the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor sacrificed herself, the Clear Sky Sect sealed its mountain, its affiliated sects suffered heavy losses, and Tang Hao of the Clear Sky Sect obtained a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone.

Looking closely, all the benefits went to the Clear Sky Sect, while everyone else was left wounded.

The punishment of sealing the mountain was completely painless; they sealed the mountain in name only, then immediately turned around and sent Tang Yuehua out to gather intelligence.

As the situation fermented, coupled with the fuel added by Qian Xunji, things began to change.

The Clear Sky Sect severed its relationship with Tang Hao and sought to seal its mountain.

After all, there were already quite a few powerhouses blocking the entrance to the Clear Sky Sect; the entire sect had become an oil drum ready to explode at the slightest spark, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Since everyone could not find the hiding Tang Hao, they could only come to find the Clear Sky Sect, which had nowhere to run.

Many people in the Clear Sky Sect had already been injured, and the hall was filled with powerhouses from various factions, including the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Martial Soul Hall; the pressure on the Sect Master was imaginable. Calling it "sealing the mountain" was, in reality, just hiding from disaster.

However, the people gathered there were not kind-hearted souls; did they travel all this way just to watch you seal your mountain?

Everyone knew the relationship between Tang Xiao and Tang Hao, and the Sect Master was Tang Hao's father, to boot.

They were simply putting pressure on the Clear Sky Sect to force Tang Hao to show himself.

A human-beast hybrid is considered a disgrace that violates human ethics in this world.

The Clear Sky Sect had no way to justify it and could only distance itself from Tang Hao.

No matter how angry the Sect Master was, he could only suppress it. If he were truly angered to death as in the original story, the world would only think that it was the unfilial son Tang Hao who had caused his father's death.

Qian Xunji saw it clearly: the center of this conflict was actually the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor. Once she died, these powerhouses would naturally disperse.

They gathered for profit and would disperse for profit.

Even if there were truly righteous people who wanted to cause trouble over the adultery with a soul beast and the human-beast hybrid, Tang Hao and the Clear Sky Sect had the ability to fend them off.

But as things stood, as long as the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor remained alive, the Clear Sky Sect would not have a moment of peace.

In the original story, it was because of the past friendship between Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen that Martial Soul Hall let the Clear Sky Sect off, concealed the inside story, and allowed them to seal the mountain.

Now, with such a large crowd from various factions, who would give the Clear Sky Sect any face?

Thinking of this, Qian Xunji had to praise the good habit of this world: no intermarriage.

Because the Martial Souls in this world are passed down through bloodlines, every family is extremely cautious to prevent their Martial Soul from leaking out and will never intermarry with other factions.

Once they intermarry, the other party gains their Martial Soul, and with a little cultivation, a new family is born.

This is unacceptable to any family.

Another point is that stronger Martial Souls are more easily inherited.

Twin Martial Souls are too rare; children are more likely to inherit the stronger of their parents' Martial Souls. This is also true for intermarriage between two families; the weaker one will be imperceptibly annexed.

Just like Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng being together; the Jade Phosphorous Serpent is highly unlikely to be passed down, and the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul will likely disappear.

Because of the bloody lessons in history, apart from special cases like the Dai Family and the Zhu Family, other families on the Douluo Continent refuse to intermarry. Most of the time, Soul Masters with powerful Martial Souls marry those with weaker ones.

This was also the reason why Qian Xunji was so angry back then. Bibi Dong grew up in Martial Soul Hall and should naturally have known the rule that factions of equal power do not intermarry, yet she insisted on being with that waste Yu Xiaogang—and she was marrying out, not bringing him in as a son-in-law.

How arrogant was this? Could it be that those who are favored have nothing to fear?

If he did not intervene, given Bibi Dong's status and her "love-brain," Martial Soul Hall would likely have been treated as her dowry, left for Yu Xiaogang to take whatever he wanted.

The facts were indeed so; when Yu Xiaogang wanted to see the archives of Martial Soul Hall, Bibi Dong personally took him there and even gave him her Saintess Token to facilitate his entry and exit. When Qian Xunji found out, he was stunned. As the Saintess, Bibi Dong should have known best how much authority the Saintess Token held: entering and leaving the Pope Palace, browsing countless confidential documents in the Library Pavilion, commanding elders and bishops of Martial Soul Hall, and so on—she was effectively the person second only to the Pope.

Unqualified!

In Qian Xunji's eyes, such a Saintess had seriously failed her position.

Because of her exceptional talent, strength far exceeding her peers, and the doting of the Pope Qian Xunji, Bibi Dong had almost no rivals or friends to compete with; she lacked the pressure that an heir to a major power should have.

She was protected too well, becoming a naive girl with a "love-brain," and was arrogant because of the favor she received.

Such a Bibi Dong was truly no longer fit to be the Saintess.

Chapter 5: Seeing Bibi Dong Again

In the blink of an eye, the day of the Advanced Soul Master Tournament arrived.

Teams from various academies had come to Martial Soul City after layers of selection, and Qian Xunji, as the Pope, naturally had to preside over the competition.

Because of the simultaneous blessing of Xiang Yu and Arthur, Qian Xunji felt strange, especially regarding some changes in himself. His originally yellowish-gold hair had become exceptionally brilliant and dazzling, and his hair, which had not been trimmed for nine years, had grown to his ankles. His skin was as white as jade, and his aura was holy; from a distance, he no longer looked like a mortal, but rather like a living angel.

It was because of this that the people of Martial Soul Hall had become exceptionally devout since seeing Qian Xunji, firmly believing in the existence of the Angel God.

The Pope's crown and scepter added a touch of nobility to the already holy and lofty Qian Xunji. Standing on the high platform and looking down at the crowd below, he appeared noble and dazzling.

In that surging crowd, Qian Xunji unexpectedly discovered a familiar figure—familiar, yet strange.

It was Bibi Dong, the former Saintess of Martial Soul Hall. Having left Martial Soul Hall nine years ago, her appearance remained beautiful, yet the naive innocence of the past was gone. Those eyes, once clear and bright, were now filled with the weariness of the world. Her attire was simple and plain, the typical look of a lone soul master, and she did not stand out while standing in the crowd.

Qian Xunji paid no mind, his face wearing a gentle and holy smile as he continued with the proceedings, starting the Advanced Soul Master Tournament, occasionally glancing at the prestige points on his System Panel when bored.

It had to be said that Qian Xunji's current image was exceptionally good; some might even believe he was the reincarnation of the Angel God, and harvesting prestige points was going exceptionally smoothly.

Watching the prestige points steadily rise, Qian Xunji felt cheerful while simultaneously lamenting that people were truly superficial when it came to appearances!

Until the end of the Advanced Soul Master Tournament, no one caused any trouble, which left Qian Xunji feeling somewhat disappointed.

However, this was also because the high-end combat forces of the major powers were all busy crusading against the Clear Sky Sect and hunting down Tang Hao and the hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor; naturally, the minor Advanced Soul Master Tournament seemed insignificant.

Martial Soul Hall, unsurprisingly, retained the championship. Qian Xunji awarded the team of students from Martial Soul Academy a soul bone as a prize and even gave them special praise.

This competition, a mere petty squabble among the major powers, came to a perfect conclusion.

After the soul master tournament, Qian Xunji heard news of Bibi Dong once again.

To be precise, Bibi Dong had taken the initiative to request a return to Martial Soul Hall. After all, Bibi Dong was the former Saintess of Martial Soul Hall, and the subordinates below recognized her. Unsure of Qian Xunji's attitude, they reported it to him.

"What is she here for?" Qian Xunji, who had just performed a ten-pull and received ten Gold Soul Coins, was in a bad mood; his luck was simply too terrible.

The deacon reporting below said, "She says she wants to rejoin Martial Soul Hall."

"Oh! Then follow the old rules!" Qian Xunji said sagely.

For soul masters who voluntarily join, Martial Soul Hall naturally has its own set of standards. First, they cannot be from other soul master families or sects; once discovered, they are treated as spies. Second, their past records are checked for any crimes, murders, or arson. Third, their strength must meet the requirements.

As the former Saintess of Martial Soul Hall who had a romantic history with Yu Xiaogang, Bibi Dong was involved in the first rule. Although the two had already parted ways, there would still be a long observation period.

Don't let the simplicity of these three rules fool you—they could even be called the bottom line of morality—yet many people failed to meet them.

The gap between soul masters and commoners was simply too vast. When many soul masters killed people, the kingdoms and empires wouldn't care at all. If the soul master was powerful, the kingdom might even grant them a noble title to recruit them, allowing the soul master to kill legally under the guise of nobility.

Zhao Wuji from the original story was one such example; after he killed people, the Heaven Dou Empire didn't care about him at all. Only Martial Soul Hall issued a warrant, but it had little effect, and the other party still swaggered into various occasions. How ironic.

Most of the Evil Soul Masters locked away in Slaughter City were there because of Martial Soul Hall's warrants.

From a certain perspective, Martial Soul Hall could be considered the bright side of the entire Douluo Continent: doing charity (helping commoners awaken their martial souls, issuing subsidies to soul masters), maintaining peace (the powerful Star Luo Empire had always wanted to invade the Heaven Dou Empire but was blocked by Martial Soul Hall), arresting criminals (issuing warrants for murderers and Evil Soul Masters), and advocating for sustainable development (establishing the Soul Hunting Forest allowed soul masters to obtain soul rings more safely and prevented soul beasts from attacking humans)...

These actions benefited every commoner and soul master, and it was precisely because of this that Martial Soul Hall's reputation was so good.

The simplest example: if a soul master killed a commoner and the family wanted revenge but couldn't win, would they go to the city lord? The city lord wouldn't care about such matters. The families would go to Martial Soul Hall to file a complaint. If they were lucky and the other party wasn't a noble, Martial Soul Hall would even issue a warrant to help them get revenge.

This was also the reason why the two great empires were particularly wary of Martial Soul Hall; Martial Soul Hall already had the trend of replacing a country.

But let them do these things themselves? Well, sorry, as nobles, how could they betray their own class? How could they do things for commoners? That would be too beneath them.

Upon hearing that Qian Xunji did not intend to see her, Bibi Dong felt both disappointment and a sense of relief in her heart.

Having experienced the harsh beatings of society, Bibi Dong returned to Martial Soul City, where she had lived for 18 years, and suddenly felt a sense of peace, as if a fallen leaf had returned to its roots, or a wandering traveler without a home finally had a place to rest—a place to call... home!

During the few years she was with Yu Xiaogang, Bibi Dong had been in a state of homelessness and wandering. It was called traveling, but as the former Saintess of Martial Soul Hall who had lived in luxury, Bibi Dong was very unaccustomed to it; she felt too insecure.

The money earned from missions had to be returned to Martial Soul Hall, her boyfriend had a beautiful, hot, and ambiguously-acting female teammate by his side, they could even perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, and she had never met her boyfriend's family.

The dual torture of material and spirit made Bibi Dong somewhat neurotic.

It wasn't until she returned to Martial Soul City that her heart finally found a little comfort.

She wanted to stay in Martial Soul City and return to Martial Soul Hall.

Seeing her teacher on the high platform, more holy and beautiful than she had been nine years ago, Bibi Dong suddenly felt ashamed. Nine years of wind and rain had stripped away the luxury and arrogance she once held as the Saintess of Martial Soul Hall. She remembered her own Martial Soul Avatar, which was loathed by others; even her lover, Yu Xiaogang, had looked at her with eyes full of fear and avoided her whenever he saw it.

Teacher, I was wrong!

Chapter 6: Martial Soul Awakening

Qian Xunji performed system draws every day, and his prestige points were spent very quickly.

He obtained several Gold Soul Coins, 540 double experience cards, and 6 hero character cards.

The heroes included Starry Bard Cai Wenji, Encountering the Divine Deer Yao, Phoenix Seeking Phoenix Li Bai, Zhuque Zhi Baili Shouyue, Swan Dream Xiao Qiao, and...

Qian Xunji looked at the last special hero character card with a complex expression: skin whiter than snow, a straight nose bridge, slightly slender phoenix eyes, a stunning face with a hint of majesty, golden eyes calm as water—the Six-Winged Angel, Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue's martial soul remained the Six-Winged Angel, Cai Wenji's was an exquisite and luxurious Hujia Qin, Yao's martial soul was the Seven-Colored Divine Deer, Li Bai's was the Dragon Abyss Sword, Baili Shouyue's was a Vermilion Bird Sniper Rifle, and Xiao Qiao's was the Light and Dark Swan.

The quality of each martial soul was quite good, but the most special one was Yao's Seven-Colored Divine Deer. Once controlled, it would turn into a spirit deer, immune to all attacks. Moreover, it was close to nature and represented auspiciousness; soul beasts would not actively attack Yao. It was somewhat similar to the auspicious beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, and could be considered a youthful version of an auspicious beast.

Qian Xunji dumped Li Bai into the territory of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. In the future, once his martial soul was detected, Li Bai, possessing the top-tier martial soul Dragon Abyss Sword, would definitely be accepted by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Xiao Qiao and Daji barely managed to form a team, and Xiao Qiao, possessing the Swan Fan, was adopted by a noble as an illegitimate royal daughter.

Baili Shouyue was dumped into the Star Luo Empire.

Cai Wenji, that little short-legged one, gave Qian Xunji a headache. Considering the dog-eat-dog social climate of the Star Luo Empire, Qian Xunji finally decided to place Cai Wenji and Yao together in Heaven Dou City.

That was the character distribution for this time.