Apprenticeship

As the anchor of the Sun Moon Empire, Kong Deming has presided over the imperial family for over one hundred and thirty years; his strength can only be described as "inscrutable."

Few people know that he possesses one-quarter of the imperial bloodline. Like Xu Lanqing, he is a twin martial soul user with extraordinary talent. If he hadn't dedicated his entire life to soul tools, he wouldn't have remained stuck at rank 94 in soul power without any further progress.

Having lived for so long, Kong Deming has seen every kind of storm and possesses immense, profound knowledge.

At this moment, he is carefully controlling his soul power to circulate within Xu Lanqing's body, closely observing the scales that appeared after Xu Lanqing's Martial Soul Possession.

Xu Lanqing feels a bit nervous, only relaxing after Kong Deming fails to detect Electrolux and the Golden Dragon King's God Core after a long time, once again realizing how powerful they truly are.

After a while, Kong Deming withdraws his soul power, strokes his beard, and ponders for a moment before speaking: "In the current world, the dragon race has long since vanished. The only pure-blooded dragons in existence are the Beast God Di Tian, whose true form is the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, and the Hell Demon Dragon King. All others are merely sub-dragons mixed with dragon blood."

"Legend has it that in the ancient era, the soul beast clan was ruled by the ancestor of the dragon race, the Dragon God. During his reign, he gave birth to nine children, who eventually became the Nine Great Dragon Kings. If I am not mistaken, your martial soul mutation was influenced by the Golden Dragon among the Nine Great Dragon Kings."

"However, the Purple Imperial Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon was also a powerful true dragon species before its extinction. Even if it was devoured by the Golden Dragon, it still exerts a significant 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 spirit."

Kong Deming sighs and shakes his head after speaking, his eyes filled with regret; it is a pity for such a powerful martial soul.

Xu Lanqing sits nearby, listening quietly, growing increasingly surprised. Everything was correct, except for the fact that he had swapped the Golden Dragon King for the Golden Dragon.

The Emperor frowns and asks unwillingly: "Is there really no other way?"

"I have no solution. After all, martial souls involve the human soul and are too mysterious; one slight mistake could lead to total ruin." Kong Deming shakes his head helplessly, then changes the subject: "But, Your Majesty, have you forgotten? There is a place that might be of help to Lanqing."

The Emperor seems to think of something upon hearing this, but his brow remains furrowed.

"Are you talking about the Ancestral Land? That still won't work. Lanqing's current strength is too low; it is too dangerous to go in there. By the time he enters, he might not only fail to solve the problem but also face a life-threatening situation."

"That is easily solved. Let Lanqing cultivate the Ice Phoenix martial soul, and when his strength is sufficient in the future, he can enter the Ancestral Land. By then, even if there are any accidents, he will be able to take precautions in time."

"That is the only way. Lanqing, what do you think?"

"This child will obey everything Father Emperor says."

Xu Lanqing replies immediately, looking honest, obedient, and adorable.

The Emperor watches Xu Lanqing's face quietly without saying another word, and the room suddenly falls into an unusually quiet atmosphere.

He sighs inwardly, thinking how much he looks like her. Those familiar contours, especially those clear, bright eyes—he feels as if he can see her once-smiling figure within them.

A flash of hesitation crosses the Emperor's eyes, but it quickly turns into determination.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Suddenly, he raises his hand to cover his mouth, his body unable to stop a violent fit of coughing.

Kong Deming quickly reaches out to place his hand on the Emperor's back, his soul power entering the Emperor's body like silk to nourish him and alleviate his pain.

The Emperor catches his breath and suddenly says: "Elder Kong, what do you think of Lanqing?"

"He is intelligent and gifted; he can achieve great things."

Kong Deming pauses, seemingly sensing what he is about to say.

"I want you to be his teacher. What do you think?"

Even with some mental preparation, Kong Deming is still stunned after the Emperor finishes speaking. Has it become this urgent? He knows clearly that the Emperor doesn't just want him to be a teacher who imparts knowledge, but a pillar of support behind Xu Lanqing.

"Your Majesty, you must take care of your health."

Kong Deming looks deeply at the Emperor, then at Xu Lanqing, and after a long while, he speaks again.

"I would be very gratified to have a student like Lanqing."

"I know my own body."

The Emperor smiles. He looks at the seemingly stunned Xu Lanqing and says: "What are you standing there for? Why don't you pay your respects to your teacher?"

At this moment, Xu Lanqing is communicating within his Sea of Consciousness.

"Teacher, I..."

He has already taken Electrolux as his teacher. If he takes Kong Deming as his teacher now, what will happen to both sides? The saying "a teacher for a day is a father for life" is no joke; one must respect their master and the path.

"Agree to it."

"Lanqing, your life is still very long. You will meet many people in the future, and all those who have taught you can be your teachers. You don't need to be constrained by form. As long as you hold true to your heart, that is the best reward for them."

"I understand, Teacher..."

Xu Lanqing comes back to his senses. Although he spent a few minutes in his Sea of Consciousness, it seemed to have passed in only an instant in the outside world.

He takes a deep breath, walks forward, kneels before Kong Deming, and performs a formal bow with his hands.

"Disciple Xu Lanqing, greetings to Teacher!"

"Good, good, good. Get up quickly; you are still young, and the floor is cold."

After establishing the master-disciple relationship, Kong Deming becomes much more enthusiastic toward Xu Lanqing than before.

"This happened so suddenly that I don't have anything to give you as a welcoming gift, but this one is quite good."

Kong Deming's face shows pride as he opens his palm, and a ring-shaped soul tool suddenly appears. It is silver-white all over, with countless tiny white particles on the ring, looking simple and unadorned.

"This is a level 9 soul tool I recently crafted. It is called the Starry Night Guardian."

"Unlike other soul tools that require corresponding strength to use, this one is very special."

As long as you wear it, even someone with only rank one spirit power can use it. As for its function, it can withstand a full-strength strike from a Title Douluo, but only for a single instance. Furthermore, after it is used, it must borrow the power of the stars for three consecutive nights to recharge before it can be used again.

So, unless you are in a critical situation, it is best not to use it lightly.

Xu Lanqing's eyes lit up, and he took it over impatiently. Such a good item could save his life at a critical moment; he wished he had as many as possible. However, this type of Soul Tool was extremely mentally taxing to craft and prone to failure, coming at a high cost. Being able to produce even one was something to be thankful for.

"Thank you, Teacher!"