Learning of the Marriage Contract, Qian Renxue's Shame and Fury

Qin Xiong stared at the glowing red immortal herb in his hand, unable to react for a moment.

Although he did not recognize what it was, the pure yang energy radiating from the herb alone made the soul power within his body stir restlessly.

"What... what is this thing?" Qin Xiong asked subconsciously, his face full of curiosity.

Watching his grandfather's unrefined reaction, Qin Yao explained with a helpless sigh:

"Grandfather, this item is called the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, an immortal treasure of pure yang. Consume it directly and use your soul power to wrap around it; it will be painful for a while, but you must endure it."

He paused, then added, "This item should be able to help you break through to level ninety-eight."

"What?" Qin Xiong's voice spiked instantly, causing the entire valley to hum with the vibration. "Level ninety-eight!"

Level ninety-seven and level ninety-eight, though only one level apart, were as far apart as heaven and earth!

He had been trapped at level ninety-seven for too many years and had thought he would never advance further in this lifetime, yet...

He never expected that his grandson would return from his training and bring him such a heaven-sent opportunity!

"Hahaha! Good! Good! Good!"

Qin Xiong laughed toward the sky in excitement, shoved the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower into his mouth, and sat cross-legged on the spot to begin refining it.

Violent fluctuations of soul power erupted from him as the center.

Watching his grandfather's impatient demeanor, Qin Yao shook his head helplessly.

He then selected several ordinary herbs with mild properties and strong vitality, set up a small pot, drew spring water, tossed the herbs in, and ignited a purple flame to begin brewing a medicinal soup.

Dugu Yan watched his actions, feeling somewhat puzzled.

She recognized all these herbs; while they were considered precious, compared to the immortal treasures from before, they were practically weeds by the roadside.

Soon, two bowls of emerald-green medicinal soup were ready.

Qin Yao picked up the soup, a flash of purple flame appearing at his fingertips as he lightly sliced his wrist, allowing two drops of blood—crimson with a faint hint of purple-gold—to drip precisely into the two bowls.

As the blood entered the medicine, it dissolved instantly, and the aura of the entire bowl of soup changed completely.

"It's ready, come over and drink." Qin Yao beckoned to the stunned grandfather and granddaughter.

Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan exchanged a glance; despite their confusion, they walked over.

Qin Yao handed one bowl to Dugu Bo: "This medicine is only an aid; the key still lies in using the Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone to contain the toxins."

Dugu Bo took the bowl and downed it in one gulp.

Qin Yao then handed the other bowl to Dugu Yan.

Dugu Yan looked at the emerald liquid in the bowl, then at Qin Yao, and asked instinctively:

"What did you... just add to it?"

"My blood," Qin Yao answered candidly.

Dugu Yan's body trembled slightly, and her grip on the bowl tightened.

His blood?

She did not hesitate any longer and tilted her head back to drink the soup.

As the liquid slid down her throat, a warm current instantly spread through her limbs and bones, and the meridians that had been sluggish due to the toxins became much more fluid.

Qin Yao watched the pair and chuckled softly.

"You haven't absorbed the Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone yet, so you have no place in your bodies to store the toxins; you cannot afford to be careless."

As he spoke, Qin Yao took another immortal herb from his Soul Tool.

The herb resembled a lingzhi, crystalline throughout, and radiated a faint dragon's might.

"Dugu Yan, this is the Nine-Grade Dragon Ganoderma." Qin Yao handed the herb to her. "Your martial soul is also of the dragon lineage; consuming this might allow your martial soul to undergo Martial Soul Evolution."

Dugu Yan took the Nine-Grade Dragon Ganoderma blankly, her mind a complete void.

Evolve her martial soul?

Would it evolve into her grandfather's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor?

Before she could recover from her shock, Qin Yao took out another purple lingzhi and handed it to Dugu Bo.

"Old Poison, this item is called the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma. It can repair the body that has been eroded by toxins for years and stabilize your cultivation."

Dugu Bo took the Nine-Grade Purple Ganoderma, his hands trembling slightly.

He could feel that the immense vitality contained within this lingzhi was exactly what his broken body needed most.

"Holy Son, for such great kindness, this old man..." Dugu Bo's voice was already choked with emotion; he never expected that he, too, would receive an immortal herb.

"Enough, don't be so sentimental." Qin Yao waved his hand. "Refine it quickly, don't waste the medicinal efficacy."

Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan looked at each other, seeing the determination in each other's eyes.

They hesitated no longer, immediately sat cross-legged, consumed the immortal herbs, and began to refine them with all their might.

Seeing this, Qin Yao did not delay any further.

He took a stalk of jade-green immortal herb from his Soul Tool, its leaves cradling a few dewdrops—the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew.

Without the slightest hesitation, he dripped the dew into his eyes, then sat cross-legged and began to circulate his soul power to refine it.

A cool sensation surged from his eyes, instantly spreading throughout his entire body before finally converging into his sea of consciousness.

Time slipped away quietly amidst his cultivation.

Qin Yao felt his spiritual power growing at a rapid pace, to the point where his perception of the outside world became incredibly clear.

At the same time, he checked his soul power and discovered that the recent absorption of the Infernal Delicate Apricot and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass had pushed his soul power to level forty-six.

This was thanks to Qin Yao's naturally powerful physique and Martial Soul, which required little of the herb's potency to improve his innate talent.

Just then, a far more tyrannical aura erupted from Dugu Bo, who was nearby, soaring straight into the sky!

"I... I actually broke through to level ninety-two!" Dugu Bo felt the unprecedented, surging soul power within his body and let out a cry of disbelief.

He had been stuck at level ninety-one for many years and had thought there was no hope for his lifetime, yet he never expected that a single immortal herb would allow him to break through the bottleneck directly!

On the other side, the aura surrounding Dugu Yan also underwent a heaven-shaking transformation.

A phantom of a Jade Phosphorous Serpent, more solid and majestic than before, coiled behind her; upon the serpent's head, the embryonic form of dragon horns had faintly begun to emerge!

"My Martial Soul has evolved into the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor! My soul power has also broken through to level forty!"

Dugu Yan's voice was filled with wild joy.

Qin Yao stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes, his expression showing no surprise at their breakthroughs.

"Mm, normal."

"What I gave you are immortal herbs, treasures that seize the fortune of heaven and earth; such improvements are only natural."

Hearing his calm and indifferent words, the awe Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan felt toward this Holy Son deepened even further.

Dugu Bo took a deep breath and bowed to Qin Yao: "Holy Son, I shall take Yan Yan to obtain her fourth soul ring now!"

Qin Yao nodded: "Go. Try to find a dragon-type soul beast."

"Your Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor is already a seed of a True Dragon. If your subsequent soul rings are all dragon-type, it may evolve again. The benefits of the Nine-Grade Dragon Ganoderma for you go far beyond this."

"Many thanks for the guidance, Holy Son!" Dugu Bo was overjoyed; he grabbed Dugu Yan and transformed into a streak of green light, rushing out of the valley.

Inside the valley, silence returned once more.

Only Qin Yao remained, along with the figure beside him who was enveloped in crimson-gold flames, his aura growing increasingly violent.

Over an hour later.

Just as the figures of Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan reappeared at the valley entrance, the aura of Qin Xiong, who was sitting in the center of the valley, climbed to its peak!

"ROAR!!!"

A lion's roar that shook the heavens and earth resounded through the clouds!

The crimson-gold flames surged into the sky, condensing in mid-air into the phantom of a majestic Blazing Lion!

Level ninety-eight, achieved!

"Hahahaha! Satisfying! Truly satisfying!"

Qin Xiong leaped up from the ground and looked up to the sky, his laughter filled with the relief of long-suppressed frustration!

He rushed over to Qin Yao, scooped him up, and slapped his back heavily several times.

"Good grandson! Truly my good grandson!"

Qin Yao winced from the slaps, rolling his eyes internally.

Grandfather, it's a good thing you broke through, but could you watch your strength!

Once Qin Xiong had his fill of joy, he finally noticed Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan, who had already returned.

He rummaged through his Soul Tool for a long time, pulled out two soul bones, and tossed them over casually.

One was a left arm bone shimmering with cyan light, and the other was an earthy-yellow right leg bone.

"Catch!"

Dugu Bo caught them instinctively, feeling the waves of immense soul power radiating from the bones.

These two soul bones were both of ten-thousand-year quality!

"Fourth Worship, this..."

"Enough."

Qin Xiong waved his hand dismissively.

"This place is yours and your granddaughter's. Although you have acknowledged Xiao Yao as your master, this old man is not a stingy person. Take these two soul bones and resolve those petty issues in your bodies sooner."

Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan were completely stunned by the Fourth Worship's generosity.

Giving away two ten-thousand-year soul bones just like that?

Qin Xiong looked at their inexperienced expressions and curled his lip.

"Don't look at this old man like that. The age of these two bones is quite poor, only ten or twenty thousand years; Xiao Yao wouldn't even look at them, so it's a reasonable use to give them to you."

Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan remained speechless, suddenly feeling that defecting to Martial Soul Hall was a massive bargain.

However, this was only because the Worship Hall possessed such abundant treasures; had they been under the Elder Hall or Bibi Dong, obtaining a Soul Bone would not have been so simple.

In the original story, when Ghost Douluo died, he only dropped a single Soul Bone, which was truly a lamentable affair.

"No need for formalities, hurry up and absorb it." Qin Xiong waved his hand impatiently.

The grandfather and granddaughter did not hesitate any longer, immediately sitting down to begin absorbing the Soul Bones.

Once the absorption was complete, Qin Yao stepped forward.

"Get ready."

His voice was calm.

The next moment, he pressed his hands against the backs of Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan, and a pure, domineering soul power surged into their bodies.

"Steady your minds, guide the toxins, and channel them into the Soul Bones!"

With Qin Yao's help, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent venom that had plagued the pair for decades was finally forced out of their meridians and bone marrow bit by bit, all of it sealed away within those two Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones.

Meanwhile, ten thousand miles away in Heaven Dou City.

Inside the study of the Crown Prince's Residence.

A woman dressed in a golden palace gown reclined on a daybed by the window, flipping through a letter in her hand.

The woman appeared to be in her early twenties, with skin as fair as snow, a straight nose, and a pair of slightly elongated phoenix eyes that were calm and ripple-free, yet carried an inherent air of majesty.

It was none other than the undercover Qian Renxue.

She looked at the letter in her hand, which had been written personally by her grandfather, Qian Daoliu.

The content was simple: it first congratulated her on her breakthrough in soul power, then shifted tone to mention the newly appointed Holy Son of Martial Soul Hall, Qin Yao.

"Xiao Yao is a child of peerless talent; at twelve years old, he is already a level 43 Soul Ancestor. He has awakened an Innate Domain, his martial soul has mutated, and his fourth ring is already ten thousand years old. His temperament and methods are both of the highest caliber..."

Reading this, Qian Renxue merely nodded calmly.

Such talent was indeed worthy of the position of Holy Son.

But when she reached the end of the letter, a crack appeared on her beautiful, perpetually stoic face.

"Upon the day of your return, you and Xiao Yao shall fulfill the marriage contract. With the two of you joining forces, the future of Martial Soul Hall is assured..."

"Snap!"

The letter paper was crumpled into a ball in her grip before she even realized it.

A captivating flush quietly crept up her snow-white cheeks, spreading from the roots of her ears all the way down to her neck.

"Grandfather... actually... actually playing matchmaker!"