As the pillar that kept the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family secure, Kong Deming had guarded the royal family for over a hundred and thirty years. His strength could only be described as unfathomable.
Few people knew that a quarter of the imperial family's blood flowed through his veins. Like Xu Lanqing, he possessed Twin Martial Souls and extraordinary talent. If he hadn't devoted his entire life to Soul Tools, his Soul Power might not have remained stuck at Rank 94, unable to advance.
Having lived for so long, Kong Deming had seen every kind of storm and possessed an immense wealth of knowledge.
At that moment, he was carefully guiding his Soul Power through Xu Lanqing's body, examining the scales that had appeared after Xu Lanqing's Martial Soul Possession.
Xu Lanqing was a little nervous. Only after Kong Deming had spent a long time without sensing Electrolux or the Golden Dragon King's God Core did he relax, once again realizing how powerful they were.
After a while, Kong Deming withdrew his Soul Power and stroked his beard. He pondered for a moment before speaking. "Dragons have long since vanished from the continent. The only true dragons still around are Beast God Di Tian, whose true form is a Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, and the Hell Demon Dragon King. All the others are lesser dragons with mixed dragon blood.
"According to legend, in ancient times, the Dragon God, ancestor of the dragons, ruled the Soul Beast Clan. During his reign, his nine children underwent Dragon Transformation and eventually became the Nine Great Dragon Kings. If I'm not mistaken, your Martial Soul Mutation was influenced by the Golden Dragon, one of the Nine Great Dragon Kings.
"But before it went extinct, the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon was also a powerful true dragon. Even after being devoured by the Golden Dragon, it would still have a great influence on it.
"Most importantly, for some reason, your Martial Soul is filled with a violent aura. If you cultivate it, it will cause irreparable damage to your mind."
When Kong Deming finished speaking, he shook his head with a sigh, regret in his eyes. What a pity to have such a powerful Martial Soul.
Xu Lanqing sat quietly beside him, listening in growing amazement. Apart from mistaking the Golden Dragon King for the Golden Dragon, Kong Deming had gotten everything right.
The emperor frowned and asked unwillingly, "Is there really nothing we can do?"
"This old man has no solution. Martial Souls involve the human soul, and their mysteries are profound. The slightest misstep could lead to eternal ruin." Kong Deming shook his head helplessly, then changed tack. "But, Your Majesty, have you forgotten? There's a place that might help Lan Qing."
At his words, the emperor seemed to realize something, but his brow remained furrowed.
"Are you talking about the Ancestral Land? That still won't work. Lan Qing is too weak right now. It would be too dangerous for him to go there. He might not only fail to solve the problem, but could even lose his life."
"That's easily dealt with. Have Lan Qing cultivate his Ice Phoenix Martial Soul. Once he's strong enough, he can enter the Ancestral Land. Then, even if something unexpected happens, he'll be able to respond in time."
"That's our only option, then. Lan Qing, what do you think?"
"I'll do whatever Father says."
Xu Lanqing answered at once, looking like an obedient, well-behaved child.
The emperor gazed silently at Xu Lanqing's face and said nothing more. The room fell into an unusual silence.
He sighed inwardly. He really does look so much like her. That familiar outline, especially those clear, bright eyes—he could almost see her smiling sweetly in them again.
A trace of hesitation passed through the emperor's eyes, but it soon turned to resolve.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Suddenly, he raised a hand to cover his mouth, his body wracked with violent coughing.
Kong Deming hurriedly placed a hand against the emperor's back. His Soul Power flowed into the emperor like a thread, nourishing his body and easing his pain.
The emperor caught his breath, then suddenly asked, "Elder Kong, what do you think of Lan Qing?"
"Bright and talented. He has the makings of a great man."
Kong Deming paused, seeming to realize what the emperor was about to say.
"I want you to become his teacher. What do you think?"
Even though he'd been prepared, Kong Deming was still taken aback when the emperor said it. Is it already this urgent? He knew the emperor didn't merely want him to teach Xu Lanqing. He wanted him to become the pillar supporting Xu Lanqing.
"Your Majesty, please take better care of your health."
Kong Deming gave the emperor a long look, then turned to Xu Lanqing. After a while, he spoke again.
"It would be my pleasure to have a disciple like Lan Qing."
"I know my own health."
The emperor smiled. Seeing that Xu Lanqing seemed to have frozen, he said, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and pay your respects to your teacher."
At that moment, Xu Lanqing was communicating with someone in his Sea of Consciousness.
"Teacher, I..."
He had already taken Electrolux as his master. If he now took Kong Deming as his master too, what was he supposed to do about the two of them? The saying that a teacher for a day was a father for life wasn't a joke. One had to respect one's teacher.
"Accept."
"Lan Qing, you still have a long life ahead of you. You'll meet many people in the future, and anyone who teaches you can be your teacher. Don't be bound by formalities. As long as you stay true to yourself, that will be the best way to repay them."
"I understand, Teacher..."
Xu Lanqing came back to himself. A few minutes had passed in his Sea of Consciousness, but outside it seemed only an instant had gone by.
He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and knelt before Kong Deming, clasping his hands in salute.
"Your disciple Xu Lanqing pays his respects to you, Teacher!"
"Good, good, good. Get up, quickly. You're still young, and the ground is cold."
After they had established their teacher-disciple relationship, Kong Deming grew much warmer toward Xu Lanqing than before.
"This all happened so suddenly that I don't have anything prepared as a gift. This is the best I can offer."
Kong Deming's face showed his pride. He opened his palm, and a ring-shaped Soul Tool appeared on it. It was silver-white all over, with countless tiny white flecks across its surface. It looked plain and unremarkable.
"This is a Level 9 Soul Tool I just made. It's called Starry Night Guardian.
"Unlike other Soul Tools, which require the user to have a certain level of strength, this one is special.
"As long as you wear it, you can use it even with just Rank 1 Soul Power. As for what it does, it can withstand one full-power attack from a Titled Douluo. But it only works once. Afterward, it needs to absorb the power of the stars for three consecutive nights to recharge before it can be used again.
"So unless you're in a desperate situation, you'd best not use it lightly."
Xu Lanqing's eyes lit up, and he eagerly accepted it. Something this precious could save his life at a crucial moment. He wished he could have as many as possible, but making a Soul Tool like this took an enormous toll and often ended in failure. The cost was steep; he should be grateful that Kong Deming had managed to make even one.
"Thank you, Teacher!"
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