The Great Stage of Douluo, My Name is Qian Xunji

Qian Xunji, that model of filial piety, was not about to stand there and take a beating.

He wisely sprinted toward the Martial Soul Hall, where many bishops and deacons were stationed; given Qian Daoliu's temperament, how could he possibly allow family scandals to be aired for others to gawk at?

Having endured this recent period of "fatherly kindness and filial obedience," Qian Daoliu had discarded his former elegance and benevolence, learning that sometimes one must be flexible.

Seeing the deacons and elders bowing around him, he didn't abandon the lesson for his rebellious son as he had before, but instead waved his hand, signaling them to withdraw.

Though the surrounding people were puzzled, they obediently followed the Great Elder's command and departed.

They didn't dare look at the Pope's expression or heed his calls.

"Thud!" With the sound of the heavy doors closing.

The sound of a belt whipping against flesh echoed through the hall.

The Pope, whose golden hair reached his ankles and whose face was holy and beautiful, and who was regarded by the congregation as the incarnation of the Angel God, finally received a complete childhood.

Qian Daoliu finally vented the fire in his heart, glanced at his son who remained stubborn, and left with a sigh.

He knew, of course, that based on the timeline, Qian Renxue could not possibly be Qian Xunji's child.

What infuriated him was that this son, who was becoming increasingly "divine," treated his own bloodline this way.

Although Qian Renxue might be a child of the bloodline that Qian Xunji had obtained through other means, she was still, at the very least, of the Qian family bloodline.

Yet, Qian Daoliu saw no trace of affection for his own bloodline in his son.

This was also the reason why Qian Daoliu had not discovered Qian Renxue's true identity for so many years.

Qian Xunji treated all these adopted children with the same indifference.

What exactly was Qian Xunji's God Test?

Qian Daoliu could confirm that this was indeed his son, but the changes occurring within him were visible to the naked eye.

The God Test was altering Qian Xunji's personality, and Qian Daoliu sensed danger.

Yet, he could not persuade his child to give up; he could not provide Qian Xunji with the Angel God Test, and other God Tests would not accept the bloodline of the Angel God. This might be Qian Xunji's only chance to become a god.

By the way, because Qian Daoliu had let Qian Renxue call him grandfather and brought her to his side for guidance, the rumors had shifted.

The status of Qian Renxue as the Pope's daughter was already an open secret.

Bearing the surname Qian, possessing the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, and calling the Great Elder grandfather—Qian Renxue's identity was beyond doubt!

However, what everyone was curious about next was who Qian Renxue's mother was, and whether Ake was truly a child of the Qian family.

Chapter 12: Ake and Zhu Zhuqing

Star Luo Empire, Duke of Spirit Cat residence.

Unlike commoner children who were still playing and waiting for school to start, noble children who had just awakened were already beginning formal cultivation under the guidance of private tutors.

Zhu Zhuqing was naturally no exception; because of her status as a prince's fiancée, her treatment was significantly better than before.

Moreover, to be worthy of the title of a prince's fiancée, she had been placed under the name of the legal wife, bypassing several sisters born of concubines to become the second young lady of the Star Luo Zhu Family.

At the same time, while her treatment improved, the danger also climbed steadily. Her eldest sister, Zhu Zhuyun, who had always been kind and gentle to her younger sisters, seemed like a different person; every time their eyes met, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but feel afraid.

Yet, she remained the same toward her other sisters as she always had been.

As a young girl, Zhu Zhuqing did not understand why this was happening.

But the adults understood that this life-or-death struggle had officially begun.

From the moment Zhu Zhuqing became Dai Mubai's fiancée, her life no longer belonged to her.

If Dai Mubai died, Zhu Zhuqing would surely die; if Dai Mubai lived, Zhu Zhuqing might not necessarily survive.

Zhu Zhuqing was Dai Mubai's fiancée, but she was also a tool for him to perform the Martial Soul Fusion Skill and compete for the throne.

The Duke of the Zhu Family, Zhu Zhuyun's father, had also warned his eldest daughter that she could target and suppress Zhu Zhuqing, but Zhu Zhuqing could not die before the final showdown of the prince's struggle, otherwise the Zhu Family would have to sacrifice another daughter with high talent to be buried with Dai Mubai.

To be honest, Zhu Zhuqing's talent was in an awkward position. If her Innate Soul Power were lower, she wouldn't be a prince's consort; if her Innate Soul Power were higher, reaching level nine or even just level eight, the Duke of Spirit Cat might have protected her for the sake of her potential.

After all, an Innate Soul Power of level eight would likely become a Soul Douluo, with a chance to challenge the Title Douluo rank, making her worth protecting.

However, Zhu Zhuqing happened to have an Innate Soul Power of level seven!

Zhu Zhuyun understood this logic as well. She did not love Dai Weisi, but the marriage contract and the Martial Soul Fusion Skill bound them together, making them a community of shared interests.

If she wanted to survive, she had to target Zhu Zhuqing and suppress her.

Her father had also long prepared himself for the reality that only one of his two daughters could survive.

The changes in recent days left Zhu Zhuqing feeling lost; the excitement and joy of awakening her Martial Soul had faded away.

She had gained a fiancé named Dai Mubai. She had seen Dai Mubai before—a boy with a bad temper who was three years older than her, always surrounded by various pretty girls.

She and her sisters had even lamented that he was a disappointment, considering he was at least the younger brother of Prince Dai Weisi.

But now, Dai Mubai had become her fiancé.

Zhu Zhuqing understood the rules of the prince's struggle; although she was still young, she had vaguely grasped her future fate.

"Ake, will I die?" Zhu Zhuqing looked at the girl with a cold temperament who was sitting beside her, cultivating earnestly, and asked.

Ake was from a branch of a branch of the Zhu Family. Following clan rules, she came to the Zhu estate to awaken her Martial Soul. Because of her Innate Full Soul Power, the Duke kept her, adopted her as his daughter, and presented her to the world as the Third Young Lady of the Zhu Family.

Having adopted a genius with Innate Full Soul Power and the potential to become a Titled Douluo as his daughter from a young age, the Duke of Spirit Cat felt he had struck gold.

He had specifically looked into Ake's background: both parents were deceased, and she had survived solely on the support the clan provided to its branch families. Her identity could not have been more clean.

"You won't die just yet," Ake answered honestly.

"Oh!" Zhu Zhuqing felt a bit disappointed. She wasn't satisfied with this result. She asked others, wanting to seek comfort or to be told what she should do.

She wanted to live!

Ake finally couldn't stand the interruptions from her desk-mate anymore. She looked up and said, "If you become a Titled Douluo, you definitely won't die—at least, not because of Dai Mubai's affairs."

"A... Titled Douluo?" Hearing Ake's bold statement, Zhu Zhuqing's voice stuttered.

"How is that possible? That is a title reserved for the冕下!" Becoming a Titled Douluo meant being addressed as 冕下; even the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire would grant such a person respect and courtesy. How could she possibly achieve that?

The Star Luo Empire valued strength above all else; status and strength were equivalent. It wasn't like the Heaven Dou Empire, where nobles lived in luxury and held high positions despite their lackluster combat abilities.

"..." Ake stopped responding and returned to her diligent cultivation.

As an adopted child, she needed to display her talent as much as possible to secure more resources and rights.

Especially since she was a girl, Ake was somewhat worried that the Imperial Family would take a fancy to her bloodline and talent and force a marriage upon her.

However, there was no need to worry for the time being. Both Dai Weisi and Dai Mubai needed a Hell Spirit Cat user capable of performing a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

But once the struggle between the princes ended, given the "stud" nature of the Dai family, they would certainly not let go of Ake, a peerless talent who was top-tier in both ability and appearance. The Duke of Spirit Cat, who was essentially kept by the Imperial Family precisely because his family's Martial Soul could perform a fusion skill with theirs, would be unable to protect her.

Thinking this, Ake added two more precious herbs to her procurement list.

Chapter 13: A Younger Brother is Always a Younger Brother

Martial Soul City

Qian Renxue was still struggling with her identity. She wasn't stupid; with a Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul and her surname, she was definitely a member of the Qian family.

What she struggled with was who her parents actually were. Was she truly an orphan?

When the Great Elder came to find Qian Renxue and asked her to call him Grandpa, Qian Renxue was pleasantly surprised. She had a grandfather; she had family.

Grandpa had acknowledged her identity!

However, a small regret lingered in Qian Renxue's heart: Brother Xiang Yu was not her biological brother.

When Qian Renxue saw the Pope, with his brilliant golden hair and gentle, holy smile, once again, she gathered her courage and called out in a childish voice, "Father, good morning!"

Qian Xunji heard the voice and turned around. Seeing no one, he looked down and finally spotted the little girl with golden hair clutching the corner of his robe. Her eyes were filled with admiration and closeness, and her voice was cautious, as if she feared Qian Xunji might not respond.

Qian Xunji tilted his head. It wasn't that he had misunderstood; it was that Qian Daoliu, the increasingly irritable old father, had taken action. He stood in the distance, his hand still retracting, his eyes fixed on Qian Xunji with a stern look that spoke for itself.

"Xiaoxue, good morning." He put on a professional smile and reached out to stroke her beautiful, soft golden hair.

"Have you thought about what you want for your soul ring?" Qian Xunji asked with forced patience under Qian Daoliu's threat.

As the family's inherited Martial Soul, the Six-Winged Angel had extensive records, including which soul beasts to hunt to obtain specific soul skills.

Martial Soul Hall also kept and controlled rare, powerful light-attribute soul beasts, making it very convenient to obtain soul rings.

However, since all four children had awakened light or holy attributes this time, Qian Xunji couldn't help but wonder if there would be enough of these soul beasts to go around.

Bibi Dong had received similar treatment back then; data on various dark-attribute soul beasts was placed before her to choose from, and then a Martial Soul Hall elder would take her to obtain the rings, ensuring her safety throughout the process.

"We've already discussed it with everyone. Grandpa Guan is taking us to get our soul rings tomorrow." Talking about something she knew, Qian Renxue finally felt less nervous and happily described their plans.

Qian Xunji listened for a while, feeling that the child was quite lively.

Looking at Qian Renxue's sparkling eyes, Qian Xunji couldn't help but stroke her cheek; it was very soft.

"Alright, I have things to attend to. Be sure to listen to Grandpa Guan on the road and stay safe, you hear?"

"Mm, I know, Father!" Nodding happily, Qian Renxue didn't want to disturb her father's work. She walked away with her short legs, looking back every few steps, reluctant to leave.

Qian Renxue's residence was adjacent to Jing's. Jing saw at a glance that Qian Renxue was exceptionally happy today.

However, Jing had never been good with words; she was cold, aloof, and indifferent, never taking the initiative to care about the small emotions of those around her.

This left Qian Renxue, who had been prepared to share her joy with her good friend, feeling a bit dejected.

But since the four of them had grown up together, Qian Renxue knew Jing's personality and didn't feel hurt. Instead, she remembered the news Jing had revealed last time.

"Sister Jing, you said last time that you have a younger brother. Where is he? Why didn't he come to Martial Soul Hall like Hu Liena and Xie Yue?" When Qian Renxue had mentioned her family and felt sad last time, Jing had comforted her by saying she actually had a younger brother. Since then, Qian Renxue had kept it in mind, feeling very curious.

Qian Renxue referred to Hu Liena and Xie Yue by their names because she wasn't close to them; she had only met them a few times when they came to Martial Soul Hall to see Elder Bibi Dong.

Moreover, in terms of status, the four of them were adopted children of Pope Qian Xunji. Although Hu Liena and Xie Yue had good talent, they were merely disciples of a deacon. Qian Renxue's status was naturally higher than theirs, and after awakening her Martial Soul, it was even more overwhelming. Hu Liena was six years older than Qian Renxue, but with Qian Renxue's Innate Soul Power of level twenty, the gap in their levels was already about to be closed.

Regardless of age or status, the two sides couldn't play together.

"Yao is a crybaby." When Dongfang Jing spoke of her brother, Dongfang Yao, she felt a headache. Having a weak, chuunibyou, and talkative brother was indeed a headache. The best way to discipline a brother was to beat him until he submitted—that was Dongfang Jing's style of handling things.