Qian Renxue's Recruitment

As soon as he left the Soul Fighting Arena, Qin Yuan stopped again, gazing fixedly at the luxurious carriage before him.

The curtain was lifted slightly, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful face. Those cool, clear eyes fixed on him, and her jade lips parted.

"Ling Tian, would you come up so we can talk?"

After nine years, he had finally seen Elder Sister's true face again... Qin Yuan sighed inwardly.

Until he was three, he had always slept with Qian Renxue. Back then, she had probably thought he was too young to remember anything, so she hadn't bothered to disguise herself around him.

He had often seen Qian Renxue's real face then, but after he turned three, he never got the chance again—until now.

Qin Yuan was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and climbed into the carriage.

Just as he'd expected, Qian Renxue had come to recruit him, and her offer was much the same as Ning Fengzhi's.

But even if her terms had been far worse than Ning Fengzhi's, Qin Yuan would never have refused Elder Sister's offer. Without the slightest hesitation, he nodded eagerly.

"These terms are far beyond anything I expected. I'm willing to serve you and will never betray you!"

Qian Renxue looked at Qin Yuan in surprise. She hadn't expected it to go so smoothly. She'd thought it would take some effort to win over a peerless genius like him.

"Very good. You'll get everything you want one day." Qian Renxue nodded in satisfaction.

"Now, take off your mask."

In the end, Qin Yuan still didn't remove his mask. He climbed down from the carriage.

Through the curtain, Qian Renxue gazed at Qin Yuan's retreating figure with her deep, cool eyes and murmured, "If his Martial Soul weren't the Golden Dragon, I'd think Xiao Yuan was sitting right in front of me. Is it just that they have similar builds...?"

She gave a slight shake of her head and thought to herself, He wears a mask because he's terribly ugly and doesn't want to take it off. So be it. Once I become a Titled Douluo, I'll protect Xiao Yuan's side. Wearing a mask won't scare him.

Qin Yuan was in a pretty good mood. He had finally seen Elder Sister's true face again today, but he also felt a little guilty for deceiving her.

I hope she'll go easy on me when she finds out one day... Qin Yuan joked to himself. Still, he knew Qian Renxue couldn't bear to hit him.

When he reached the inn, he Teleported back to the Imperial Palace.

Not long after he returned, Ning Fengzhi, Ning Rongrong, and Sword Douluo arrived in the courtyard.

Qian Renxue had also returned to the Imperial Palace. When she heard the news, she immediately disguised herself as Xue Qinghe and hurried over, afraid that some little brat might steal her man right out from under her nose.

At Ning Rongrong's pleading, Sword Douluo let out a sigh and reluctantly frowned as he walked up to Qin Yuan. He said crossly, "Brat, show me your swordsmanship at full strength. I'll give you pointers once, and once only."

His tone was unpleasant. He planned to toss out a few perfunctory comments later to appease Rongrong. After all, Qin Yuan had reached the Sword Path first stage at most; a few offhand remarks would be more than enough.

"Go for it, Yuan Gege!" Ning Rongrong cheered from the side, waving her little fists. Her beautiful eyes were practically glued to Qin Yuan's exquisitely handsome face, and she didn't blink once.

Ning Fengzhi's face darkened even further beside her. Sword Douluo was no different.

He had made up his mind to seize the chance to criticize Qin Yuan harshly, telling him his swordsmanship was worthless and that he had no talent for the Sword Path, so Rongrong's image of him would come crashing down!

Qian Renxue, who had just arrived, twitched at the corner of her eye and silently cursed, "Little brat."

Qin Yuan thought Sword Douluo really was shameless for his age. So what if he and Rongrong were close? Why did he have such a problem with him?

Sigh, old people these days really don't know how to cherish the young.

Qin Yuan drew the Dragon Blood Sword that Qian Renxue had given him from his waist.

Its blade was blood-red and mirror-smooth, sharp enough to cut through iron as though it were mud. Qian Renxue had said it was the work of Divine Craftsman Lou Gao.

Qin Yuan unleashed his swordsmanship at full strength, displaying skill that had reached the Half-step Sword Dao Grandmaster realm. His sword swept up howling gusts, its gleaming light dazzling, as though several Qin Yuans were wielding swords at once.

He thrust, chopped, slashed, and flicked his sword, every move fluid and natural, full of grace. At times, his sword moved as gently as a murmuring stream; at others, it rushed like a violent storm or flashed as swiftly as thunder and lightning...

Sword Douluo was stunned.

Ning Fengzhi was stunned too.

Ning Rongrong's tender little mouth formed a perfect O.

All three wore the exact same expression of utter shock.

Seeing this, the corners of Qian Renxue's lips rose unconsciously, and pride and delight shimmered in her eyes.

My Xiao Yuan is the best!

As the person there who understood the sword best and had reached the highest heights on the Sword Path, Sword Douluo's mind went blank. A thousand bolts of lightning seemed to explode inside his skull, leaving his scalp tingling and his thoughts in disarray.

Wait, this was what half a year of learning the sword looked like?!

You call this half a year of learning the sword?!

What the hell, this was half a year of learning the sword?!

Then what did that make him, the Number One Sword Dao Expert who had studied the sword for ten years and still fell far short of this boy?

For the first time in his life, Sword Douluo experienced what it was like to have his head buzzing.

Gradually, he came back to his senses. His thoughts cleared, and his sword-bright eyes fixed on the boy wielding his sword. His breathing grew faster and heavier, while his eyes blazed with excitement and fervor.

But when he remembered the boy's Innate Soul Power was only half a level, the excitement and fervor in his eyes dimmed, turning into utter pain.

Why was your Innate Soul Power only half a level? If you had even five innate levels, I'd take you as my personal disciple without hesitation!

Heavens, you have no eyes! Such a Sword Path prodigy, such a peerless genius who came once in a thousand years, and his Innate Soul Power was only half a level!

It hurt! It hurt so much!!

Sword Douluo unconsciously clutched his chest, his fingers digging in. His heart felt as though it were being carved by a knife. It was like seeing an unparalleled Sword Heart, unmatched since antiquity, trapped in a broken sword riddled with rust and cracks!

After finishing his sword routine, Qin Yuan lowered his sword and exhaled. He turned to Qian Renxue first and gave her a radiant smile, then faced the heartbroken, regretful Sword Douluo.

"Senior Sword Douluo, does my swordsmanship meet your approval?"

Sword Douluo was silent for a long while. At last, under the watchful eyes of Qian Renxue, Ning Rongrong, and the others, he closed his eyes and spoke slowly.

"I've never seen anyone your age comprehend the Sword Path to such a degree. Even without my guidance, you'll certainly become a Sword Master within half a year. It's just a pity..."

He left the thought unfinished and let out a heavy sigh, his voice laden with deeply complicated feelings.

If it'll still take me half a year to comprehend Sword Heart, I might as well crash into Elder Sister's arms and die... Qin Yuan silently curled his lip.

"Hehe, I knew Yuan Gege was the best!" Ning Rongrong cheered, as if she were the one being praised.

Then she ran up to Qin Yuan and affectionately hugged his arm. Her beautiful eyes curved into crescent moons, and she was positively delighted.

"..." Qian Renxue clenched her fist. She couldn't help feeling that this little brat was provoking her.

She's doing it on purpose. That little brat has to be doing it on purpose!

Seeing his daughter practically offering herself up to Qin Yuan, Ning Fengzhi's face went dark again, black as an iron pot. He trembled with rage.

Qin Yuan's talent for the Sword Path had far exceeded his expectations and genuinely shocked him.

But Qin Yuan had one fatal flaw: his Innate Soul Power was only half a level. That meant he could become no more than a Soul Grandmaster.

Yu Xiaogang, hailed as a Grandmaster in the Soul Master World, was still below level thirty and nearing fifty. He was a living example!

How could his daughter, the future Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, marry someone like that?

Not only would he refuse to allow it, but the ancestral rules wouldn't allow it either!

So he had to separate Qin Yuan and Ning Rongrong, even if it meant his daughter would hate him.