Misjudging a Promising Talent

"What a treasure I've found! Dai Tianfeng, oh Dai Tianfeng, not only is your head covered in green, but you've personally handed the future greatest assassin of your Star Luo Empire right into the hands of This Seat. This Pope truly thanks your entire family!"

I'll have to find an opportunity to thank Zhu Wanying properly later...

Qian Xunji felt a surge of manic approval in his heart; the more he looked at this little girl, the more pleasing she became.

Without the emotional entanglements of that hack-using protagonist Tang San, and without the baggage of that scumbag Dai Mubai, the current Zhu Yan was a pure, flawless sheet of white paper, perfectly suited to be molded according to the template of Martial Soul Hall's greatest assassin!

"Your Holiness... is level nine very bad?" Seeing Qian Xunji remain silent for so long, Zhu Yan tugged at the corner of her clothes, feeling a bit apprehensive.

"Bad? No, it's absolutely perfect!"

Qian Xunji put away the crystal ball, the smile on his face becoming immensely satisfied.

He walked up to Zhu Yan, crouched down once more, and stared directly into her eyes with his deep, piercing gaze:

"Zhu Yan, your eldest sister was right. In this world, you can rely on no one; only power is your true support. Today, This Seat will not only give you power, but also a stage that will allow you to trample the Star Luo Empire beneath your feet!"

Qian Xunji's voice rose instantly, carrying an unquestionable air of dominance:

"From this day forward, you are no longer that young lady of the Zhu Family in the Star Luo Empire who can be used for political marriages at any moment. Your name shall be carved into the highest halls of Martial Soul Hall!"

He extended his broad, warm palm and held it out before Zhu Yan:

"Are you willing to take This Seat as your master?"

The Pope's personal disciple?

Zhu Yan was completely stunned.

Although she was only six years old, she understood the weight of those words all too well.

It meant she would gain access to the most top-tier resources on the entire continent and possess a status that towered over countless others; she would no longer be a pawn to be manipulated at will.

Memories of her eldest sister's desperate tears and the hideous, twisted face of the Star Luo Emperor flashed through her mind...

Zhu Yan did not hesitate in the slightest.

"Thud—"

This six-year-old girl knelt down decisively, her fair, tender forehead striking the cold floor tiles with a heavy thud.

"Disciple Zhu Yan pays respects to Teacher!"

Though her voice was childish, it carried a sense of resolution and firmness that cut through her past.

"Hahaha, good, good disciple, get up quickly!"

Qian Xunji laughed heartily as he helped her up, feeling incredibly gratified.

He had sold off his first generation of troublesome disciple, Bibi Dong, and in exchange, he had gained a clean-slate kitten who was even filled with resentment toward the Star Luo Empire.

As for whether she might become a second ingrate, she didn't seem like one for now, and even if she did turn into one later, he could simply kill her then.

"Someone come!"

At Qian Xunji's command, Yue Guan, who had been waiting outside the hall, immediately hurried in.

"This subordinate is here. Congratulations to His Holiness for taking on such a fine disciple!" The smile on Yue Guan's face, which was more delicate than a woman's, was filled with sycophancy. He knew that being taken as a personal disciple by the Pope meant this little girl would definitely be a core member of Martial Soul Hall in the future.

"Yue Guan, take Yan'er to the rear hall of the Pope Hall and pick out the best bedchamber. From today on, her meals and daily life are to be handled according to the highest standards of Martial Soul Hall.

Also, go to the Martial Soul Hall treasury and select the most top-tier medicinal bath materials suitable for an agility-type soul master. We start tempering her foundation tonight!"

Qian Xunji issued his orders with grand, imposing generosity, looking every bit the wealthy and protective master.

"This subordinate obeys!" Yue Guan respectfully accepted the order.

"Go on, follow Elder Yue to wash up and have a good meal first. He will teach you a meditation technique suited to you. Once you reach level ten, your teacher will personally take you to obtain your first soul ring!" Qian Xunji patted Zhu Yan's little head.

"Thank you, Teacher!" Zhu Yan's eyes reddened again. This time, it wasn't because of grievance, but because she truly and deeply felt that this place, known as a den of demons, was not at all like what her family had claimed.

Watching Zhu Yan's retreating figure as she followed Yue Guan, the villainous smile on Qian Xunji's lips could no longer be suppressed.

"Does this count as playing a game of 'Assassin Raising Simulator'?"

Qian Xunji stretched comfortably and walked back to sit on the papal throne.

"Bibi Dong is a nuclear bomb in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Yu Xiaogang is a clown and a ticking time bomb, and Zhu Yan has become my personal disciple... The early plot of this Douluo Continent has been completely shredded by me."

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

In the exclusive training chamber at the rear of the Pope Hall in Martial Soul City, "Bang!"

With a dull, explosive sound, a petite black figure completed a sharp backflip in mid-air like an arrow released from a bow, landing steadily before Qian Xunji.

Six-year-old Zhu Yan wiped the fragrant sweat from her forehead; her face, which had been slightly pale before, now glowed with a healthy flush.

Over this past month, Qian Xunji had been training her entirely as the future chief assassin of Martial Soul Hall.

Yue Guan spent every day finding new ways to soak her in various medicinal baths. The agony was such that any ordinary adult spirit master would have been wailing for their parents, yet this stubborn little cat from the Star Luo Empire simply bit her teeth until they nearly shattered, swallowing the pain without letting out a single cry.

It seemed the upbringing within the Zhu Family truly had issues; how were they all so capable of enduring such suffering?

Yet, the rewards for this hellish torture were equally astonishing.

Just this morning, thanks to the nourishment of the medicinal baths and her own fierce tenacity, Zhu Yan successfully broke through her bottleneck and reached level ten.

"Teacher, I'm level ten!" Zhu Yan tilted her small face upward, her obsidian-like eyes shimmering with irrepressible excitement.

"Well done. You haven't brought shame to your teacher."

Qian Xunji rubbed her soft, short black hair with satisfaction before casually summoning the system in his mind.

He was now a wealthy man sitting on nearly two hundred thousand Subversion Points; getting a first spirit ring for his direct disciple was nothing more than a drop in the bucket.

"System, exchange for a century-level adaptive spirit ring!"

[Host purchase request detected: Century-level adaptive spirit ring]

[1000 Subversion Points deducted. Exchange successful.]

As the system prompt faded, Qian Xunji reached out and grabbed at the empty air. A mysterious orb, radiating a soft yellow glow with what appeared to be starlight swirling within, materialized in his palm.

"Teacher, what is this?" Zhu Yan stared at the orb with curiosity. She could feel her Hell Spirit Cat martial soul within her body emitting a sense of intense longing.

"This is a treasure from your teacher's private collection: an adaptive spirit ring."

Qian Xunji crouched down, his expression turning incomparably grave.

"Yan'er, remember: from this day forward, no matter who asks how you obtained your first spirit ring, you must only say that I took you to the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt a Shadow Cat Demon. Regarding the existence of this orb, even if a blade is held to your throat, you must never breathe a word of it to anyone. Do you understand?"