"One year ago?"
"Heh!"
"I didn't realize you'd known a year ago. It seems I still wasn't cautious enough."
As he spoke, he looked at Qin Tian, his face full of helplessness.
"Xiaotian, you really don't seem like a six-year-old child. You were only five a year ago, yet you already knew who I was. You kept it to yourself for a whole year without asking, and waited until today, after your Martial Soul Awakening, to come find me."
Xue Qinghe took a deep breath. No longer hesitating, he spoke with complete candor.
"That's right, Xiaotian. You were right. I'm not Xue Qinghe."
As soon as he finished speaking, golden light surged from his body, enveloping him in a brilliant glow.
Several breaths later, the golden light faded. The person standing there no longer looked like Xue Qinghe. Instead, she had an exquisite face.
Qin Tian gazed at her, his breathing growing noticeably heavier.
The first thing that caught his eye was her striking golden hair. Her amber eyes shone like gemstones, her nose was straight, and her lips were as red as cherries.
"So beautiful!"
Qin Tian couldn't help saying it aloud.
"Xiaotian, this is what I really look like. Xue Qinghe isn't my name. My name is Qian Renxue."
As Qian Renxue finished speaking, two figures appeared out of thin air.
"Qian Renxue, Qian Renxue..."
Qin Tian looked away and took several deep breaths, doing his best to steady himself before turning back to her.
"Sister Xue, you're not a member of the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial family?"
At his question, Qian Renxue gave a slight shake of her head.
"Very well. Since things have come to this, I'll tell you everything."
Qian Renxue then began to explain. Though Qin Tian already knew it all, he played along, frowning at times and looking shocked at others.
Only after Qian Renxue finished did he speak in a solemn voice.
"Sister Xue, no matter who you are, I know you're simply you. To me, you can be Xue Qinghe or Qian Renxue—as long as it's you, I'll always stand by your side."
"If it weren't for you, Sister Xue, I'd already be dead. I can repay such kindness only with my life."
As Qin Tian finished speaking, the two figures vanished into the air again.
Qian Renxue listened to him, her expression unchanged, but inside, his words stirred powerful emotions.
She felt his trust and warmth. At that moment, she smiled—a radiant, happy smile.
Seeing her smile, Qin Tian smiled too.
A moment later, they stopped laughing.
"Xiaotian, you have Innate Full Soul Power. Tomorrow, I'll arrange for someone to help you obtain a Soul Ring."
At this, Qin Tian immediately shook his head.
"Sister Xue, there's no need to rush to obtain a Soul Ring. You can cultivate Soul Power without one, too. You'll just progress more slowly."
Xue Qinghe looked puzzled, confusion in his eyes.
"Xiaotian, you have Innate Full Soul Power. You'll become a Soul Master as soon as you obtain a Soul Ring. Why aren't you in a hurry to get one?"
"It's true that you can cultivate Soul Power without a Soul Ring, but can a Soul Scholar cultivate as quickly as a Soul Master?"
Qin Tian smiled calmly.
"Sister Xue, take a look first. Then we can talk."
With that, Qin Tian didn't hesitate and summoned his Martial Soul.
Since Qian Renxue had been so frank with him, he didn't want to keep hiding things, either. Besides, even a genius needed resources to grow.
The Holy Light Tiger King appeared behind Qin Tian. Qian Renxue looked at it, her expression unchanged.
Seeing this, Qin Tian held out his left hand. At his command, a small halberd appeared in his palm.
Qian Renxue stared at the little halberd in Qin Tian's left hand, her face filled with disbelief.
"Two Martial Souls!"
Hearing Qian Renxue's cry, Qin Tian smiled with undisguised pride.
"You saw correctly, Sister Xue. I have two Martial Souls."
"My First Martial Soul is the Holy Light Tiger King, and my Second Martial Soul is the Qingtian War Halberd."
As he spoke, Qin Tian summoned the Qingtian War Halberd.
Qian Renxue couldn't help examining it from top to bottom.
Its blade gleamed coldly, and two dragons coiled around its shaft. Their scales were tightly packed, their claws bared, and their whiskers flared. Anyone could tell at a glance that it was extraordinary.
At the sound of Qin Tian's voice, Qian Renxue finally tore her gaze from his Qingtian War Halberd and looked at him. Her eyes were grave, her expression darkening as she spoke in a low voice.
"Xiaotian, remember this: in front of outsiders, you can only reveal one Martial Soul. Never expose the other."
Qin Tian nodded firmly.
"I know, Sister Xue. I won't reveal that I have two Martial Souls. This concerns my very life. I'm not stupid enough to tell anyone."
Qian Renxue nodded slightly. Given Qin Tian's temperament, she knew he understood the seriousness of what she'd said.
"Then which Martial Soul do you plan to cultivate first?"
Qin Tian didn't answer right away. He fell silent, thinking it over.
Qian Renxue said nothing, simply waiting.
She knew Qin Tian had his own ideas. After three years together, how could she not understand him?
"Sister Xue, I plan to cultivate the Holy Light Tiger King first."
Qian Renxue didn't say much in response, only nodding quietly.
"Starting with the Holy Light Tiger King? That's a good choice. I haven't studied it myself, but it has sacred and light attributes, so there are plenty of Soul Beasts you could choose from."
"Besides, a Beast Martial Soul gives a Soul Master a greater boost in the early stages than a tool Martial Soul."
Qin Tian nodded slightly, smiling.
"You're right, Sister Xue. There are plenty of Soul Beasts suited to the Holy Light Tiger King, so finding one when it's time to obtain a Soul Ring won't be so troublesome."
He already had a plan for cultivating the Holy Light Tiger King.
In his vision, his Holy Light Tiger King would evolve toward the White Tiger. If it transformed into a White Tiger, its potential would be unimaginable.
The White Tiger was one of the Four Symbols of Heaven. That said it all.
If his Martial Soul, the Holy Light Tiger King, evolved into a White Tiger, what would a God King amount to? In the presence of the Four Symbols of Heaven, a God King? Heh!
Of course, it wouldn't matter much to him even if it couldn't evolve into a White Tiger.
He had great confidence that if he followed his plan, he would surely ascend to godhood someday.
"The Spirit Hall library has some records about the Holy Light Tiger King. I'll have someone look into them when we get back. Once we find the relevant information, I'll have someone take you to hunt a Soul Beast and obtain a Soul Ring."
Qin Tian smiled and nodded.
Why not let someone else take care of the arrangements, instead of wearing himself out searching?
It was like leaning on a big tree for shade. The Spirit Hall had branches all across the continent, so they'd likely find a suitable Soul Beast for him before long.
"Sister Xue, there's no hurry. The First Soul Ring is extremely important. In my plans, my First Soul Ring needs to be at least a thousand years old."
Qian Renxue couldn't help exclaiming in surprise.
"What did you say? A thousand-year Soul Ring?"
She looked at Qin Tian and couldn't help feeling his forehead.
"You don't have a fever. So why are you thinking about getting a thousand-year First Soul Ring?"
"Do you know that your sister Xue has the god-level Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, yet her First Soul Ring was only a little over five hundred years old, and her Second Soul Ring was..."
Qin Tian smiled calmly. He moved her hand off his head and spoke in a relaxed tone.
"Sister Xue, I know exactly what I'm saying. Don't worry. Once I've finished explaining, you'll understand."
Qian Renxue knitted her brows and waited for Qin Tian to explain, her expression making it clear that he knew what would happen if he didn't give her a proper answer.
Qin Tian didn't hesitate and began at once.
"Over the past three years, I've read no fewer than a thousand books related to Soul Masters, and I've come to a hypothesis."
"The Soul Rings a Soul Master can obtain are related to their physical body, Martial Soul, and spiritual power."
"The stronger the body and spiritual power, and the higher the Martial Soul's rank, the older the Soul Ring they can obtain."
"Before a Soul Beast reaches ten thousand years of age, the Soul Rings it produces don't cause spiritual shock. I'm certain of that because I've asked over a hundred people. Among them were Soul Grandmasters, Soul Elders, Soul Ancestors, Soul Kings, Soul Emperors, and Soul Saints. They had different Martial Souls: Beast Martial Souls, tool Martial Souls, and plant Martial Souls. They also had varying levels of difficulty absorbing Soul Rings."
"Only Soul Kings experienced spiritual shock while absorbing Soul Rings. Soul Grandmasters, Soul Elders, and Soul Ancestors did not."
Hearing this, Qian Renxue recalled her own experiences absorbing Soul Rings and nodded.
Although she was still a Soul Ancestor and hadn't absorbed a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, she was certain that a Soul Ring wouldn't cause spiritual shock unless the Soul Beast had reached ten thousand years of age.
As the Young Master of Spirit Hall, how could she not know about Soul Beasts?
Seeing Qian Renxue nod, Qin Tian's lips curved slightly, his smile growing even brighter.
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