The Great Stage of Douluo, My Name is Qian Xunji

Silver-white shoulder-length hair, a delicate and handsome face, and fair skin; unlike other children who were boisterous and crude, he simply stood there, possessing an inherent air of elegance.

Even dressed in rough, simple clothing, he stood out remarkably among the other children, appearing distinct and extraordinary.

At a glance, one could tell he was not a local; he was completely out of place in this small village.

However, Su Yuntao did not have the mind for such observations. He merely sighed at how good-looking the child was and began the martial soul awakening for Kai.

As the ceremony commenced, countless specks of light emerged and surged into Kai's body. Kai opened his small hand, and a blade manifested in his palm. The blade was broad and black, its edge incomparably sharp and shimmering with a ghostly blue light, while the hilt was a weave of black and gold. At first glance, it was clearly a weapon of slaughter.

Unfortunately, Su Yuntao's vision was limited. He only knew that this blade looked more formidable than a sickle martial soul, but he knew nothing more.

Kai looked at the familiar blade in his palm, as if something had finally been fulfilled.

Withdrawing his martial soul, he tested his soul power, resulting in the expected Innate Full Soul Power.

However, Su Yuntao could no longer remain calm. He grew excited, his eyes shining as he looked at Kai, his hands rubbing together involuntarily. "Child, would you like to join Martial Soul Hall?"

Su Yuntao had not extended an invitation to Tang San because of Tang San's trash martial soul, Blue Silver Grass. With his level of insight, he only knew that Blue Silver Grass was a trash martial soul with no value for cultivation, so even though Tang San had Innate Full Soul Power, he did not care.

But Kai was different. Kai's martial soul was clearly a tool martial soul used for combat, and he possessed Innate Full Soul Power. Wasn't this the genius he understood?

Su Yuntao, who had initially been in a rush to head to the next village, now felt a sense of reluctance as he prepared to leave.

Innate Full Soul Power!

Why wouldn't he join Martial Soul Hall?

He felt disappointed by Kai's refusal, yet he also felt it was within expectations. In reality, the vast majority of children would refuse to join Martial Soul Hall.

Because they had families and friends, and Martial Soul Hall Academy was located in Martial Soul City, which was simply too far away. No parents were willing to let such a young child go to such a distant place alone to study, not to mention this child's special circumstances; he had an elderly, ailing grandfather who needed care, so how could he possibly go to Martial Soul Hall Academy?

Sighing, Su Yuntao left despite his reluctance.

After seeing Su Yuntao off, Village Chief Old Jack's gaze fell upon the two children who possessed soul power. He was both happy and worried.

He was happy that children in the village had finally successfully awakened soul power; awakening soul power meant they could cultivate to become soul masters, which was a tremendous piece of good news. He was worried because there were two children who had awakened soul power, but the village only had one work-study student quota. Furthermore, both children's families were in difficult straits and both needed this quota.

Old Jack's gaze was hesitant; he did not know who to give the quota to. Both children were sensible and capable. In the end, Old Jack fixed his gaze on Kai.

People have their biases, and Kai's grandfather and Old Jack were close friends who had grown up together. Moreover, his old friend's health had indeed been poor these past few years. If Kai didn't get this work-study quota, he certainly wouldn't be able to afford school. Furthermore, over these years, Old Jack truly felt for Kai; at such a young age, he not only had to take care of himself but also his sick grandfather, often risking danger to go up the mountain to hunt and earn money to support the family.

While Tang San was equally well-behaved, sensible, and pitiful, his family were outsiders and had a barrier with the villagers. His father clearly had a trade, yet spent his days drinking and wasting time. Although Tang San's family life was also bitter, Tang Hao at least supported the family. Old Jack saw it clearly: from a certain perspective, Tang San's family was not actually in difficulty. A young, strong father with a blacksmithing trade, and a young but sensible and capable child who could do chores, take care of the family, and had awakened soul power—if they really wanted to live a good life, they would definitely be better off than most families in the village.

The difficulties in Tang San's family were actually self-inflicted. Old Jack felt for Tang San, but not for Tang San's family. If Tang San's father were willing to work properly, providing for Tang San's schooling would definitely not be a problem.

If not for Kai, Old Jack wouldn't have minded giving the work-study quota to Tang San, but there were no "ifs."

Chapter 10: Work-Study Student Quota

In the end, Old Jack only told Tang San about the soul master academy in the town, but did not mention the work-study quota.

If Tang Hao could turn over a new leaf and work hard to provide for Tang San's schooling, that would naturally be a happy ending. If Tang Hao refused to repent, then it could only be said that he was inviting his own ruin!

After Tang San left, Old Jack looked at Kai kindly. "Kai, the village has one work-study student quota, and Grandpa has decided to give it to you. The village will cover the travel expenses, and you can go to Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy to study. However, you will have to solve your own food and lodging expenses."

"As long as you can obtain a soul ring and become a soul master, you won't have to work as hard as you do now in the future."

As he spoke, the look in Old Jack's eyes toward Kai became even more affectionate.

Kai's martial soul was a blade, while Tang San's martial soul was merely Blue Silver Grass. Compared to Tang San, Kai was more likely to become a soul master, which was one of the reasons Old Jack gave the work-study quota to Kai.

In reality, the work-study quota was very precious. Holy Soul Village had one quota per year because a soul saint had once emerged from there; other villages had to share a single quota among several villages.

Next year, Holy Soul Village would have another work-study quota. If Tang Hao really didn't send Tang San to school, Old Jack decided he would give next year's quota to Tang San.

The boy's delicate brows furrowed, appearing somewhat hesitant. "But my grandfather, he is sick at home alone, I am worried."

Old Jack nodded; he was a filial and good child. His old friend adopting him could be considered finding a treasure. "You don't need to worry about that. I will look after your grandfather. If anything really happens, I will let you know."

Moreover, Old Jack recalled his conversation with his old friend, his gaze softening. His old friend had been holding on for the past two years, unable to let go of Kai. If he knew that Kai had successfully awakened soul power, he should be able to rest easy.

On the other side, Tang San had already told Tang Hao about his Twin Martial Souls, as well as Kai's martial soul and Innate Full Soul Power.

Tang Hao looked at the Clear Sky Hammer and Blue Silver Grass in Tang San's hands with a look of excitement, and his attitude toward Tang San had improved significantly. However, as the two conversed, Tang Hao's brows furrowed.

"You mean, among the children who awakened their martial souls with you, there was one who, like you, awakened Innate Full Soul Power?"

Tang San nodded. "Yes, Kai's martial soul is a blade, and it gives me a feeling no worse than my Clear Sky Hammer."

Tang Hao's brows furrowed even tighter. He had never heard of any powerful family or sect whose martial soul was a blade, but if it was Innate Full Soul Power, the talent was definitely not bad. Innate soul power represented aptitude; as someone from the Clear Sky Sect, Tang Hao was naturally exceptionally clear on this.

His own child was not only a Twin Martial Soul user but also had Innate Full Soul Power, and he had encountered another child with Innate Full Soul Power. This caused Tang Hao's dead heart to come alive again; relying on these two children, he had a chance to avenge Ah Yin.

Thoughts surged within Tang Hao, and his gaze grew increasingly fervent. It took him a long time to calm down, but the look he gave Tang San remained exceptionally excited.

Tang San felt something was wrong, but looking at his father, who was no longer cold toward him, he didn't think too much about it.

"Right, did the village chief say anything to you?" Tang Hao remembered that Tang San needed to go to Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy to study. That long-winded old man, Old Jack, should have a work-study quota in his hands, but now that the old man hadn't come over, Tang Hao rarely took the initiative to ask.

"Grandpa Village Chief said that Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy starts in three months, and the tuition for each semester is ten Gold Soul Coins. Dad, can I go there to study?" Tang San was a bit nervous; after all, the family situation Tang Hao had shown him was truly too poor, and until now, he had never even seen what a Gold Soul Coin looked like.

Tang Hao's expression turned ugly. He hadn't expected that the village chief wouldn't mention the work-study quota. In reality, Tang Hao was not short of money. He was from the Clear Sky Sect and was not lacking in Soul Tools or Gold Soul Coins, but he needed to give Tang San a clean background. How could the child of a drunken blacksmith afford tuition?

After all, the fact that he had committed adultery with a soul beast and birthed a human-beast hybrid had spread across the entire continent. Once Tang San's identity was exposed, his fate would certainly not be any better, let alone growing up to avenge Ah Yin.

In reality, the village chief had considered going to other villages to trade for a work-study student quota, but he gave up on the idea after some thought. Work-study students were exempt from tuition and provided with a part-time subsidy, with a daily wage of one Silver Soul Coin. Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy usually required six years of study; the total tuition and subsidies over those six years amounted to about three hundred Gold Soul Coins. If a village had no children who awakened soul power, the village would sell these work-study quotas to children in the city who had awakened soul power but came from poor families, which could also earn them a small profit. In any case, they would never give the quota away for free.

Old Jack looked at his grandson's mischievous appearance and stopped dwelling on these frustrating matters, happily heading off to eat dinner.

Martial Soul City.

Qian Daoliu looked at the newly appeared Demonic Blade martial soul on his system panel!

The time for the plot to begin had arrived, and Tang San had also awakened his martial soul.

It was time for Qian Daoliu to reap the rewards, as he continuously examined these synchronized martial souls.

The sheer variety of top-tier martial souls dazzled Qian Daoliu.

However, before Qian Daoliu could enjoy it for long, the doors of the Pope Palace were pushed open, and a tall figure walked in. The person had a calm and serene temperament that gave off a very comfortable feeling, but when Qian Daoliu saw him, he felt a sense of foreboding. The person who had arrived was none other than Qian Daoliu, Qian Daoliu's own father!

"You unfilial son!"

Chapter 11: She Has My Bloodline, But She Is Not My Daughter

The Six-Winged Angel martial soul was far too iconic; the fact that two Six-Winged Angel martial souls had been awakened this time would naturally lead people to overthink things.

Although orders had been given not to leak the secret, the elders were still whispering among themselves.

And some rumors, as they spread, became increasingly outrageous.

From the initial speculation that these two children might be the Pope's illegitimate children, it shifted to them being the Great Elder's illegitimate children.

Moreover, the analysis was quite logical: based on the age of the two children, the Pope had still been in a coma when their mother would have been pregnant.

Therefore, the theory that the two children belonged to the Great Elder had gained the upper hand.

Qian Daoliu had lived a clean and upright life, yet in his old age, he had to take the fall for his unfilial son. His usually refined and elegant face turned black.

"Speak, where did those two children come from?" Qian Daoliu had watched with his own eyes when Qian Daoliu woke up.

Even if he had rushed to make a baby the moment he woke up, it would be impossible to produce children this quickly; the timeline did not match.

However, the Six-Winged Angel martial soul could not be faked; those who were not of the Qian family could not awaken it, let alone possess innate level 20 soul power.

It was a top-tier talent even among Angel martial souls.

After learning the results of the martial soul awakening, Qian Daoliu had already investigated the collateral clans countless times, yet he could not find the origin of those two children.

The Qian family was not as promiscuous as the Yu Clan of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon; their partners were all legitimate and recognized, making them easy to track, and there were basically no bloodlines left wandering outside.

"I already said it has to do with the God Trials; I cannot say." The unfilial son, Qian Daoliu, held his head high, looking exceptionally calm.

"You only need to tell me whether those two children are of the Qian family bloodline." Qian Daoliu was quite principled when it came to matters involving the Angel God, and he did not abandon his pursuit of the truth because of the God Trials.

"Qian Renxue is." Qian Daoliu answered righteously.

In other words, the child named Xiang Yu was not a member of the Qian family, so how did he obtain his Six-Winged Angel martial soul?

Qian Daoliu instantly understood the implication in Qian Daoliu's words and thought as much.

Then, which branch of the Qian family did Qian Renxue belong to, which generation was she from, and how should she be arranged?

"You can let her call you Grandfather." Watching his old father still struggling with Qian Renxue's identity, Qian Daoliu kindly suggested, preventing the other party from accidentally messing up the hierarchy.

"Grandfather?" Qian Daoliu narrowed his eyes, looking at his indifferent, unfilial son, his expression dangerous.

"Then does that mean she should call you Father?"

Qian Daoliu nodded wisely. "In terms of hierarchy, I am indeed her father."

"So Xiao Xue is your daughter, and my granddaughter, and you've been hiding this for so many years?" Qian Daoliu's face turned green.

A perfectly good little princess of the Qian family had been treated as an orphan and adopted; Qian Daoliu was almost driven to rage by this unfilial son's actions.

"That's not it either. Qian Renxue is not my daughter; she just happens to have my bloodline." Qian Daoliu did not accept this statement. He was still a clean and innocent virgin to this day; how could he be happy to be a father?

Why should I take the fall for something the system caused?

The bloodline in Qian Renxue did indeed come from Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong, but Qian Daoliu had truly never lost his virginity, nor had he ever had relations with that love-struck fool whom even a zombie would despise.

Qian Renxue was like a child born through technological surrogacy; although she had parents in the biological sense, she was effectively "without father or mother."

However, Qian Daoliu could not understand this chaotic explanation from Qian Daoliu, and he was so angry he laughed.

What do you mean she has my bloodline but is not my daughter?

Listen to that—is that even human language?

"Enough! Is this how I taught you? You do something and then refuse to take responsibility."

Following the old father's rage, the "seven wolves" (belt) were whipped out.

The father and son were once again engaged in a display of "filial piety and paternal love."