Homecoming!

"Grandpa," Qing Mufeng suddenly said.

"Mm."

"The Azure Spirit Dragon's corpse... is it okay to just leave it there?"

Qing Zhengyue glanced at his grandson, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"A thousand-year soul beast's corpse will soon be devoured by other soul beasts. Once we leave, many soul beasts will come to feed in that valley." The old man paused. "It will help us cover our tracks."

Qing Mufeng nodded thoughtfully.

"What about the Vine Dragon?"

"The same," Qing Zhengyue said. "In Star Dou Forest, every day is a matter of eating and being eaten. The corpses of two dragons won't even cause a ripple. No one will know what happened here."

Qing Mufeng fell silent for a moment before saying something that surprised Qing Zhengyue.

"Then when I hunt soul beasts in the future, should I handle things the same way? Leave no traces?"

Qing Zhengyue looked at his grandson, a hint of approval appearing in his eyes.

"Yes," the old man said. "Unless you become strong enough that you no longer need to hide."

Qing Mufeng remembered that.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, when the sky had only just begun to brighten, Qing Zhengyue got up.

He moved away the rocks blocking the cave entrance and poked his head out to observe for a while. Only after confirming that the surroundings were safe did he turn back to call his wife and grandson.

"Let's go."

The three left the stone cave and began their journey home.

The return journey was much faster than the trip there.

Qing Zhengyue did not delay along the way, leading his wife and grandson directly toward the outskirts of Star Dou Forest.

Liu Yunlan still held her grandson's hand, but the old lady's steps were much lighter than before.

Walking beside his grandmother, Qing Mufeng felt the circulation of the two soul rings within him.

His first soul ring was dark yellow, while his second was purple.

The two soul rings slowly revolved as Soul Power flowed through his meridians, far more abundant than before he had absorbed the second soul ring.

Level twenty-six.

In Nuoding City, that level already surpassed most adult Soul Masters.

And he was only six years old.

Qing Mufeng took a deep breath and suppressed the faint trace of complacency in his heart.

At level twenty-six, he could already be considered an expert in Nuoding City, where Soul Ancestors were the strongest fighters on the surface.

But across the entire Douluo Continent, he was nothing.

Spirit Hall's Golden Generation had already become Soul Ancestors and Soul Kings in their early twenties.

Those reclusive old monsters and Title Douluo-level powerhouses could crush him to death with one hand.

He still had a long way to go.

Two days later.

Qing Family Manor.

Qing Hongyuan and Shen Wanqing stood at the manor entrance, waiting from dawn until noon.

When three figures emerged from the forest, Shen Wanqing's eyes immediately reddened.

She hurried over, crouched down, and looked her son over from head to toe, afraid that some part of him might be missing.

"Feng'er, were you hurt?"

"No, Mom." Qing Mufeng smiled and shook his head. "Grandpa and Grandma protected me very well."

Shen Wanqing inspected him again. Only after confirming that her son was truly unharmed did she rise and bow to her parents-in-law.

"Father, Mother, thank you for your hard work."

Qing Zhengyue waved his hand and strode into the manor.

"Hongyuan, come to the study with me," the old man said without looking back.

Qing Hongyuan glanced at his wife. Shen Wanqing nodded at him, and he quickly followed.

Inside the study.

Qing Zhengyue sat behind the desk, lifted his teacup, and took a large gulp.

Qing Hongyuan stood before the desk, waiting for his father to speak.

"Feng'er's first soul ring came from an eight-hundred-and-twenty-three-year Vine Dragon," Qing Zhengyue said. "His second soul ring came from a one-thousand-six-hundred-and-seventy-year Azure Spirit Dragon."

Qing Hongyuan sucked in a sharp breath.

Although his father had mentioned this plan before, hearing those two numbers for real still left him unable to contain his shock.

"The absorption process..." Qing Hongyuan asked cautiously.

"The first ring went smoothly," Qing Zhengyue said. "There were some complications with the second, but overall, it remained within expectations."

Qing Hongyuan let out a breath of relief.

"However." Qing Zhengyue set down his teacup and looked at his son. "During this trip to Star Dou Forest, I discovered something."

Qing Hongyuan's heart rose to his throat again.

"After Feng'er absorbed his first soul ring, he awakened a... talent ability."

Qing Zhengyue carefully chose his words. "It was not a soul skill, but an ability awakened by his martial soul itself. A suit of armor appeared on him. Its defense is extremely strong, its recovery ability is astonishing, and it can even enhance mental power and speed."

Qing Hongyuan froze.

"An ability awakened by the martial soul itself?" he repeated. "This... I have never heard of such a thing."

"I haven't either," Qing Zhengyue said. "I searched through all the Qing Clan's books. Not a single one recorded this phenomenon."

He paused, his gaze deepening.

"And his first soul skill is called Azure Dragon Claw Probe. Not Azure Snake, but Azure Dragon."

Qing Hongyuan's pupils abruptly contracted.

"He knows it himself," Qing Zhengyue said. "When it awakened, inherited memories told him."

The study fell into a long silence.

Qing Hongyuan opened his mouth, then closed it again. After repeating this several times, he finally found his voice.

"Father, then Feng'er..."

"He is an Azure Dragon." Qing Zhengyue rose and walked to the window, looking out at the lush green mountains beyond. "Not an Azure Snake, but an Azure Dragon. The Azure Dragon of the East, the Origin of Wood."

He had read all of this in the clan's ancient books.

Those ancient books had been unearthed by their ancestors from some unknown ruins while following the army into battle.

Outsiders knew nothing about them.

"This information must never get out."

Qing Hongyuan took a deep breath and nodded heavily.

"I understand."

Evening.

Inside Qing Mufeng's room.

Liu Yunlan and Shen Wanqing bustled about, heating water for Qing Mufeng's bath, changing his clothes, and brewing medicinal soup.

Shen Wanqing entered carrying a bowl of medicinal soup and saw her son sitting on the bed, looking down at his right hand.

"Feng'er, time to drink your medicine."

Qing Mufeng took the bowl and drained it in one gulp without even furrowing his brow.

Looking at her son, Shen Wanqing suddenly felt that he had grown up overnight.

Not physically, but in his eyes.

There was something in those eyes that a six-year-old child should not possess.

"Mom." Qing Mufeng set down the bowl and looked up at her. "Grandpa said that I'll have to stay hidden in the manor from now on and can't go out."

Shen Wanqing froze for a moment, then nodded gently.

"Your grandfather is doing this to protect you."

"I know," Qing Mufeng said. "I'm not unhappy about it."

He truly was not unhappy.

Staying at home meant he did not have to go out socializing, did not have to participate in those boring competitions, and did not have to deal with factions coveting his talent.

He could cultivate quietly and grow stronger steadily.

Once he was strong enough that no one could threaten him, then he could go out.

That was the pace he liked best.

Shen Wanqing looked into her son's calm eyes and suddenly smiled.

She reached out and tousled his hair.

"You're much smarter than your father."

Qing Mufeng smiled as well.

Late at night.

Qing Family Manor had fallen asleep.

Qing Mufeng lay on his bed with his eyes closed, yet he was not asleep.

He was examining his martial soul inwardly.

That Azure Snake... no, that Azure Dragon floated quietly in his sea of consciousness, a little larger than it had been when it first awakened.

The scales on its body glimmered with faint azure light, while the cloud-like patterns had become clearer than before.

Two soul rings slowly revolved around it.

And deeper within the Azure Dragon, two clusters of light were still slumbering.

They were the two Innate Divine Abilities that had already awakened.

Azure Dragon Armor and Azure Dragon Pupil.

With a thought, Qing Mufeng quietly activated Azure Dragon Pupil.

In the darkness, his eyes shone with a faint golden light.

Through the wall, he saw his grandfather and grandmother sleeping in the next room.

His grandfather's breathing was steady and strong, while his grandmother's was soft and lingering.

Farther away were his father's and mother's rooms.

His father's snores shook the heavens. His mother turned over, mumbled something, and fell back into deep sleep.

Qing Mufeng withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes.

The golden light faded away.

In the darkness, the corners of his mouth curved upward slightly.

This world was dangerous.

But he had family.

He had the Azure Dragon Martial Soul.

He had the Origin of Wood.

And he had more than twenty years of memories and experience from his previous life.

He did not need to rush.

Take it slowly.

Step by step.

One day, he would become a true Azure Dragon.

On that day, he would make the entire Douluo Continent remember his name.

But not now.

For now, he was merely a six-year-old child.

It was time to sleep.

Because he was already far ahead of his peers.

Therefore, he needed to balance work and rest.