Second-Grade Soul Tool

Dugu Bo dispersed the wisp of poisonous mist and said casually, "There was a snake lurking by the base of the wall. I spotted it, and it ran."

"A snake?" Gu Ci raised an eyebrow. "Who was it?"

Dugu Bo shook his head. "Its aura wasn't weak, at least Titled Douluo level. It ran too fast for me to see clearly. But—"

He paused, his gaze settling in the direction of the distant Crown Prince's Mansion.

"There aren't many people on the entire continent who could leave my poisonous mist unharmed. Interesting."

Gu Ci fell silent for a moment, purple eyes surfacing in his mind.

"Grandpa Dugu, whose people do you think it was?"

Dugu Bo considered it. "Spirit Hall's people only left two days ago. They wouldn't return so quickly."

"Besides, that brat Yin Wuji is only a Soul Douluo. He couldn't run that fast. Today's intruder was at least on my level."

He glanced at Gu Ci. "Kid, did you provoke someone you shouldn't have?"

Gu Ci gave a wry smile. "I haven't even left the house. Who could I have provoked?"

Dugu Bo stared at him for a while without pressing further, merely nodding.

"Be careful lately. They were only spying and didn't make a move, which means they're still testing the waters. But there's no telling when they might lose their patience."

Gu Ci nodded. "I understand."

Dugu Bo waved a hand and turned to head back inside.

Gu Ci stood in the courtyard, staring at the snow piled atop the wall for a long time in silence.

Zi Dian ran out of the house and leaped into his arms.

Gu Ci held it and stroked its head.

"Zi Dian," he said softly, "someone is investigating me."

Zi Dian let out a low growl, a flash of savagery passing through its eyes.

Gu Ci smiled. "Don't rush. This isn't a bad thing."

He lifted his head and looked toward the Crown Prince's Mansion.

"It means she's interested in me."

Crown Prince's Mansion, backyard.

She Long's figure emerged from the darkness. He dropped to one knee before Qian Renxue.

His expression was rather unpleasant, not because he was injured, but because it was humiliating.

A level 92 Titled Douluo had been discovered by another Titled Douluo. No one would believe it if he told them.

"You were discovered?"

Qian Renxue sat beneath the eaves, holding a Soul Light in her hands. Its white glow reflected off her face as she spoke evenly.

She Long lowered his head. "This subordinate was incompetent. Dugu Bo's perception far surpasses others of the same rank. The moment I approached, his poisonous mist locked onto me."

"Furthermore... he seems to have encountered quite a few opportunities. He may have broken through to level 95."

"A level 95 Titled Douluo. Then it's no wonder."

Qian Renxue did not blame him, only asking, "What did you find?"

She Long said solemnly, "I found several things. First, Gu Ci's cultivation speed far exceeds the Level 11 he displays publicly."

"This subordinate observed him for three days and found that his actual Soul Power fluctuations were at least above level 20."

"But he has been concealing it all along. This subordinate does not dare say exactly how high it is."

Qian Renxue lightly tapped the lamp with a finger. "Above level 20? At six years old?"

"Yes." She Long's voice dropped further. "Second, the purple cat and black-and-white snake by his side are no ordinary pets."

"They are soul beasts, and their ages are extremely high."

"This subordinate has never seen such a method of raising high-level soul beasts. That child seems to possess a special ability that makes thousand-year soul beasts bow to him willingly."

Qian Renxue's brows furrowed slightly.

Raising soul beasts. Lost Soul Tool techniques.

Cultivation far beyond his peers. And something that resonated with the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.

A six-year-old child carried so many secrets.

"Anything else?" she asked.

She Long hesitated. "There is one more thing. Gu Ci's mother, Li Wanyue, has eyes as her Martial Soul, a type of Body Martial Soul."

"Body Martial Souls are extremely difficult to cultivate, yet Li Wanyue has reached level 68. This is exceedingly rare among Soul Masters of the same type."

"This subordinate suspects that Gu Ci may have inherited some kind of Body Martial Soul as well, but has never revealed it in front of others."

Qian Renxue's fingers stopped moving.

Body Martial Soul.

If Gu Ci truly possessed a Body Martial Soul and had never revealed it, then that meant he had Twin Martial Souls.

Twin Martial Souls, the ability to raise thousand-year soul beasts, and lost Soul Tool techniques.

Qian Renxue suddenly smiled. She set down the Soul Light, rose to her feet, and walked beneath the eaves.

Snowflakes fell upon her shoulders and her golden hair.

"Uncle She Long," she said, her voice softer than the snow, "how could a six-year-old child possess such things?"

She Long remained silent and did not answer.

Qian Renxue did not wait for an answer either.

She extended her hand, catching a snowflake and watching it slowly melt in her palm.

"Keep watching him."

She said, "Do not go near the Marquis Mansion again. Dugu Bo is difficult to deal with. Just watch from afar."

"Yes." She Long's figure vanished into the darkness.

Qian Renxue stood beneath the eaves, gazing at the heavy snow filling the sky.

The child's face surfaced in her mind—calm and composed, as though he had seen through everything.

"Gu Ci," she murmured, "just who are you?"

The snow fell ever harder, and the backyard of the Crown Prince's Mansion was utterly silent.

Only the white light of the Soul Light flickered faintly in the night.

The following evening, after special training ended, Gu Ci did not return directly to the Marquis Mansion. Instead, he took a detour to the Heavenly Workshop.

The sky was growing dark, and the Soul Lights outside the Heavenly Workshop had already been lit. Their white radiance illuminated the entire street as brightly as day.

Qian Sihai was preparing to close up when he saw Gu Ci approaching. He froze for a moment, then went up to greet him with a smile. "Young Master, what brings you here?"

Gu Ci entered the shop, his gaze sweeping over the Soul Lights and Soul Heaters on the shelves before finally settling on a wooden box behind the counter.

"Grandpa Qian, did that sword blade sell?"

Qian Sihai nodded. "It did. Ten thousand Gold Soul Coins. The girl from the Ye Family bought it."

Gu Ci smiled. That had been his arrangement.

The sword blade had cost only a few hundred Gold Soul Coins to make. Pricing it at ten thousand had been deliberate, meant to stir up discussion.

Having Ye Lingling buy it kept the benefits within their own circle. The item remained in friendly hands, while the news spread as well—killing two birds with one stone.

"Grandpa Qian, do you still have the blueprints for that sword blade?"

"Yes, of course."

Qian Sihai pulled out a roll of blueprints from beneath the counter and handed it to him. "What, do you want to look at them?"

Gu Ci accepted the blueprints, unrolling them for a closer look.

Although his Heavenly Eye was not open, his eyesight far exceeded that of ordinary people. Every line and every formation node on the blueprints was perfectly clear to him.

This First-Grade Soul Sword Blade was the first Combat Soul Tool Zhao Tieshan and Qian Sihai had developed according to the materials he provided.

Its principles were not complicated—Soul Power Circuits were inscribed onto the blade. Once Soul Power was injected, it activated an edge of force and added a Thunderbolt paralysis effect.

To him, its construction was obvious at a glance.

"Grandpa Qian, where is Grandpa Zhao?"

"In the backyard. He's still studying second-grade formations. That old fellow has become obsessed with them lately. He doesn't even sleep."

Gu Ci smiled, carrying the blueprints toward the backyard.

Inside the backyard workshop, Zhao Tieshan was staring blankly at a piece of metal.

Engraving Knives, sandpaper, and all kinds of unfinished pieces littered the table. The air was thick with the scent of metal and grinding powder.

He held a palm-sized metal plate covered in dense formation patterns, though several sections had clearly been carved crooked.

"Failed again."