Lin Qiu spoke as he jumped down from the stone stool, then circled Qian Renxue, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"So this is the strength of a Soul Grandmaster?"
"That's amazing!"
"Big Sister, was there something special about that sword strike just now? It was practically a golden bolt of lightning!"
Qian Renxue froze completely.
She had imagined how Lin Qiu might react.
He might cry and go running to tattle, refuse to accept defeat and throw a tantrum, or fly into a rage out of embarrassment.
But the one thing she hadn't expected was this reaction.
His undisguised look of admiration and his sincere praise were like feathers gently tickling her heart.
The resentment and jealousy she had been building up inside inexplicably melted away, bit by bit, with each sweet "Big Sister."
She stood rooted to the spot, at a loss. She didn't know whether to lower the wooden sword in her hand or keep it raised.
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"Of... of course."
Qian Renxue turned her head aside, not daring to meet Lin Qiu's bright, sparkling eyes, but her voice had softened.
"I have innate full Soul Power at level twenty. Dealing with you... is naturally a piece of cake."
She paused, then couldn't help sneaking another glance at Lin Qiu and murmuring:
"Did I... hurt you just now?"
Lin Qiu immediately shook his head, his face alight with a brilliant smile, like a sunflower in full bloom.
"No, not at all!"
"You have such good control, Big Sister. How could you hurt me?"
"Not only are you beautiful, Big Sister, you're also so strong. You'll definitely become a Titled Douluo one day and protect Spirit Hall!"
As he spoke, Lin Qiu reached out with both hands, took hold of Qian Renxue's sleeve, and gave it a gentle tug.
"Big Sister, when you have time, could you teach me swordsmanship?"
"I want to be as amazing as you."
Qian Renxue looked down at the small hand tugging at her sleeve, and the last line of defense in her heart crumbled completely.
This was just... too unfair.
He was someone she hated, someone who had stolen her mother's love.
So why, when she looked at him like this, couldn't she bring herself to be cruel to him?
She even wanted to pat him on the head.
Qian Renxue's heart churned with conflict. In the end, all she could do was give an arrogant little snort and pull her sleeve from Lin Qiu's grasp.
"Hmph!"
"You want to learn swordsmanship?"
"We'll see how I feel."
"Since you lost, you have to accept your defeat. Don't badmouth me in front of Mom again."
Though she said this, the corners of Qian Renxue's lips had already curled up against her will.
Being admired and needed felt damn good.
Just then, the sound of footsteps came from a distance. It seemed a guard was patrolling nearby.
Qian Renxue's expression changed.
If anyone saw her fighting in secret here and told Mom, she'd definitely get scolded again.
She hurriedly tossed the wooden sword back onto the weapon rack.
"I... I'm leaving."
"Make sure you train properly. Don't bring shame on Spirit Hall."
With that, Qian Renxue turned around in a fluster and hurried toward the courtyard gate.
After a few steps, she stopped and looked back at Lin Qiu.
The little figure was still standing there, waving at her with that silly smile on his face.
"Take care, Big Sister!"
Qian Renxue's heart gave a jolt. She hurriedly turned away and fled the side hall.
Actually, he was pretty cute.
Just a little weak.
But that was fine. If anyone bullied him in the future, she could always stand up for him.
After all, he called her Big Sister.
Watching Qian Renxue disappear through the doorway, Lin Qiu's smile slowly faded.
He let out a long breath and sat back down on the stone stool.
Pacifying a child really was exhausting.
Especially a child like Qian Renxue, who was starved for affection and extremely tsundere.
Still, at least it had worked.
This so-called "life-or-death crisis" had been resolved without him lifting a finger.
Just then,
the pleasant mechanical notification rang in his mind like heavenly music.
[ Ding! ]
[ Congratulations, host! ]
[ Through your extraordinary wisdom and courage, you have survived the pursuit of a Dao Palace Realm expert! ]
[ Mission completion rating: Perfect. ]
[ Issuing rewards...]
[ Congratulations, host! You have obtained the supreme foundation-building cultivation technique: Dao Scripture: Sea of Bitterness Volume! ]
Lin Qiu's breath caught.
The Dao Scripture!
The supreme ancient scripture that recorded the truths of the Great Dao in the Shrouding Heavens World.
At the Sea of Bitterness Realm stage of cultivation, the Dao Scripture was widely recognized as the strongest in the world—without exception.
It was said that those who cultivated the Dao Scripture's Sea of Bitterness Volume would forge a Bitter Sea as indestructible as divine iron, and could even manifest all kinds of inconceivable visions.
This was the very foundation-building method Heavenly Emperor Ye had cultivated!
Compared to this, Tang San's treasured Mysterious Heaven Skill wasn't even fit to carry its shoes.
The difference was that between a firefly and the bright moon.
The difference between an ant and a dragon.
Lin Qiu felt a sudden warmth between his brows.
A massive, ancient stream of information surged into his sea of consciousness.
There was none of the splitting headache he had imagined.
Those cryptic golden ancient characters seemed to come alive as they were branded deep into his soul.
Each character seemed to bear the weight of countless worlds, radiating an aura of vast, primordial majesty.
"So this is... the Dao Scripture."
Lin Qiu murmured to himself.
Impatient to begin, he sat cross-legged, placed his hands palms-up on his knees, and started circulating the golden Bitter Sea within his body according to the scripture in his mind.
Rumble!
As soon as he began, Lin Qiu felt the world turn upside down within him.
His formerly calm Golden Bitter Sea was now caught in a hurricane, churning up enormous waves.
But he felt no discomfort.
On the contrary, an indescribable sense of ease spread through his whole body.
With every surge of the golden waves, the golden energy washed over his flesh, bones, and meridians.
Outside,
the clear sky suddenly changed.
A vast quantity of heaven and earth energy began gathering above the side hall, forming a visible vortex that poured down toward Lin Qiu.
Though, in the system's view, the spiritual energy of the Douluo Continent was as thin as paper,
the Dao Scripture was domineering beyond compare. Like a greedy black hole, it devoured every bit of energy around it.
A faint golden glow began to envelop Lin Qiu.
Within that radiance, the ancient sound of scripture recitation seemed to rise, solemn and sacred.
Three inches below his navel, where the Bitter Sea lay,
the light shone brightest.
Anyone present would have been left dumbfounded by the scene.
A child who had yet to awaken his Martial Soul and had no Soul Rings
was emitting Soul Power that surged at a terrifying rate.
It was dense.
It was solid.
The quality of this Soul Power far surpassed that of Soul Masters at the same level, even exceeding that of a Soul Grandmaster.
After who knew how long,
Lin Qiu slowly opened his eyes.
Two golden beams shot from his eyes, traveling a full three feet before slowly fading.
He clenched his fist.
The air popped in his palm with a muffled bang.
Strong.
Stronger than ever before.
Before you continue