Qian Daoliu's Arrangements

Ye Renxin wanted to ask what was wrong with his granddaughter, but the situation left him no room to speak. He had already arrived before Qian Daoliu.

"Your Holiness the Pope, it has been a long time!" Ye Renxin bowed in greeting.

Qian Daoliu waved a hand at this. "Brother Ye, I stepped down many years ago. There is no need to call me Pope. Just call me Brother Qian."

There were few people on Douluo Continent whom Qian Daoliu admired and acknowledged, but Ye Renxin was certainly one of them. For decades, he had treated common folk free of charge day after day and saved countless Soul Masters. That alone was worthy of Qian Daoliu's respect.

"Then I shall accept your kindness without ceremony. Brother Qian, please come inside so we may speak." With that, Ye Renxin made an inviting gesture.

Qian Daoliu smiled and nodded, following Ye Renxin into the Ye Clan residence. Once everyone had taken their seats, Qian Daoliu glanced at Ye Lingling. "Brother Ye, is this your granddaughter?"

"That's right."

Qian Daoliu sighed. He knew of the Nine-Heart Begonia Ye Clan's circumstances. This Martial Soul was passed down through a single line, and at most two wielders could be alive on the continent at any given time.

The Martial Soul fluctuations emanating from Ye Lingling were identical to Ye Renxin's. In other words, Ye Lingling had undoubtedly awakened the Nine-Heart Begonia Martial Soul. If so, Ye Renxin's daughter must have already passed away.

This gave Qian Daoliu a deeper sense of kinship with Ye Renxin. He, too, had lost a son in his later years, and could deeply empathize.

"Brother Qian, did you come here for some matter?" Ye Renxin asked.

"Brother Ye, do you still remember when I invited you to join Spirit Hall?"

Ye Renxin froze, clearly not expecting Qian Daoliu to have come for this reason. He waved his hand. "Brother Qian, my Ye Clan does not wish to become involved in the continent's conflicts..."

"Don't refuse so quickly, Brother Ye. What if I said I could help you become a Title Douluo?"

Ye Renxin's expression stiffened, and suspicion filled his eyes. After taking a deep breath to calm himself, he asked, "Brother Qian, is that true?"

"Of course it is. Brother Ye, you have been stuck at level eighty-nine, Soul Douluo, for many years. Spirit Hall possesses a secret technique that can help Soul Douluo like you break through, with no side effects whatsoever. However, this technique is an unrevealed secret of Spirit Hall. If you are willing to join us, I can act immediately and use it to help you reach level ninety."

After hearing Qian Daoliu's words, Ye Renxin turned to look at his granddaughter. He did not have many years left to live. At most, he could hold on for another decade or so. By then, Lingling would at best be a Soul King, unable to shoulder the enormous Ye Clan or even protect herself.

Thus, Ye Renxin had actually been paving the way for Ye Lingling all these years, seeking someone who could protect her.

Yet none of that was as practical as becoming a Title Douluo himself. If he could break through, he would become the first healing-type Title Douluo on the continent, as well as the first auxiliary-type Soul Master to reach the Title Douluo realm. The significance was simply too great.

At this thought, Ye Renxin made his decision. "Brother Qian, if you can truly help me break through to Title Douluo, my Ye Clan is willing to join Spirit Hall."

Hearing Ye Renxin's answer, Qian Daoliu nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Then shall I help you break through now?"

"Now?"

"That's right." Qian Daoliu told Ye Renxin the Soul Core Method, then controlled his own Soul Power to help Ye Renxin condense a Soul Core.

Dugu Bo was a Title Douluo, and there had already been the rudiment of a Soul Core within his body. That was why Qian Daoliu had been able to help him condense one so quickly.

But Ye Renxin was different. He was merely a Soul Douluo. Condensing a Soul Core as a Soul Douluo was far more difficult than it was for a Title Douluo, and the time and Soul Power required vastly exceeded Qian Daoliu's expectations.

In Qian Daoliu's estimation, once Ye Renxin agreed to join Spirit Hall, he could immediately lend a hand and probably help him condense a Soul Core by evening, leaving the night free to visit Xue'er.

Yet to his surprise, the process of helping Ye Renxin condense a Soul Core lasted a full two days and two nights.

It was not until noon on the third day that the Soul Core in Ye Renxin's dantian finally took shape. His cultivation smoothly broke through to level ninety. Once he absorbed a ninth Soul Ring, he would become a genuine Title Douluo.

Ye Renxin truly had not expected that the realm he had pursued for so many years would be attained just like that. He could now stay by his granddaughter's side and watch her grow up.

"Thank you, Brother Qian. From this day onward, my Ye Clan is willing to join Spirit Hall and will never betray it!" Ye Renxin rose and gave Qian Daoliu a solemn bow.

Qian Daoliu smiled and nodded. "Brother Ye, do you need my help hunting your ninth Soul Ring?"

"Brother Qian is occupied with countless affairs, so I will not trouble you. I have some friendship with His Holiness Green Phosphorus. I can ask him to help me afterward."

"You know Dugu Bo? Then that makes things easier." Qian Daoliu then told Ye Renxin where the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was located, telling him to find Dugu Bo there. He also informed him that Dugu Bo had joined Spirit Hall.

The moment Ye Renxin heard this, he knew that Dugu Bo had likely joined Spirit Hall because Qian Daoliu had helped resolve the poison from his Martial Soul backlash.

Dugu Bo had actually sought out Ye Renxin before, but Ye Renxin had been powerless to cure him. He could only help suppress the poison. Even so, Ye Renxin and Dugu Bo had become fairly good friends.

"Brother Qian, forgive my presumptuousness, but did you come to the Heaven Dou Empire just to win over His Holiness Green Phosphorus and me?" Ye Renxin understood Qian Daoliu fairly well and knew his temperament, which was why he dared to ask.

Qian Daoliu shook his head and pointed at Qin Heng. "No. I brought him out to hunt Soul Rings. As for you and Dugu Bo, that was merely convenient along the way."

After absorbing two Soul Rings, Qin Heng had grown considerably taller and looked about eight or nine years old. Ye Renxin had noticed earlier that Qin Heng's Soul Power was at level twenty-nine. To possess level twenty-nine Soul Power at eight or nine years old, Ye Renxin guessed that Qin Heng was likely a direct descendant of the Qian Family, possessing the same God-bestowed Martial Soul as Qian Daoliu and Innate Soul Power above level ten.

Such a genius was not someone he could inquire about. Therefore, after hearing Qian Daoliu's words, Ye Renxin wisely did not dwell on Qin Heng. Changing the subject, he asked, "Brother Qian, what do you wish His Holiness Green Phosphorus and me to do?"

"For the time being, there is no need to make your joining Spirit Hall public. Continue as you were before. I only need you to do one thing: in the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's struggle for the throne, the Ye Clan and Dugu Family must fully support Xue Qinghe."

Ye Renxin fell silent. It was not that Qian Daoliu's condition was difficult; it was simply too easy. If he had been asked to support Xue Beng, he might have hesitated. Supporting Xue Qinghe, however, was not a problem at all.

The Ye Clan had never involved itself in matters of succession, but they were still people of the Heaven Dou Empire. Naturally, they hoped the emperor of Heaven Dou would be a wise ruler; that was only human nature. In every respect, Xue Qinghe appeared to possess the qualities of a wise ruler. Even now that the Ye Clan had pledged itself to Spirit Hall, supporting him was still ten thousand times better than supporting Xue Beng.