Qian Daoliu smiled with relief, My grandson Anci has the makings of a god

Martial Soul City, Pope's Palace.

When Qian Anci touched the ground, it was already noon.

He retracted his Martial Soul, straightened his robes, and headed toward the Worship Hall.

He walked at a measured, unhurried pace.

The Martial Soul Hall personnel he encountered along the way bowed in salute one after another.

Qian Anci quite enjoyed this feeling; he had been a beast of burden in his past life, so if he couldn't stand above ten thousand people while being second only to one after transmigrating, wouldn't that have been a wasted journey?

Inside the Worship Hall, Qian Daoliu stood before the window with his hands behind his back.

He did not turn around, yet his voice reached Qian Anci's ears with perfect clarity.

"You've returned?"

"Yes."

Qian Anci knelt on one knee and offered a respectful salute.

"Grandson has broken through to level forty and successfully hunted his fourth Soul Ring. The group of fallen Soul Masters has been completely wiped out, and the Soul Saint leading them is confirmed dead."

Qian Daoliu turned around, his gaze sweeping over him.

"Level forty-five?"

"Yes."

Qian Daoliu was silent for a moment.

"You were only level thirty-nine before you left. In less than half a month, you've jumped to level forty-five?"

His voice was calm, but he was clearly bewildered.

"Anci, don't you think you owe your grandfather an explanation?"

Qian Anci raised his head, meeting those golden eyes.

"Grandson encountered the Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo, in the Sunset Forest."

Qian Daoliu raised an eyebrow.

"Dugu Bo? That old poisonous snake?"

"Yes."

Qian Anci stood up, his tone calm.

"Grandson made a deal with him."

"What kind of deal?"

"Grandson helped him suppress the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison within his body and incidentally detoxified his granddaughter. In exchange, that blessed land now belongs to Grandson."

Qian Daoliu was stunned for a moment.

"The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?"

"It is the resting place of the Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King, located deep within the Sunset Forest and shrouded in poisonous miasma, making it difficult for outsiders to approach."

Qian Anci paused.

"Dugu Bo occupied that place for many years, utilizing the unique environment of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to cultivate many immortal-grade medicinal herbs."

Qian Daoliu's expression became complex.

"You used his Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and then jumped from level forty to level forty-five?"

"Yes. At the bottom of that spring, Grandson found the remains of the Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King."

Qian Anci lowered his eyes.

"Grandson's second Martial Soul... is related to the Dragon Clan. The residual power within those two Dragon Bones was completely absorbed by Grandson's Martial Soul."

He raised his right hand, and the Scythe of Death condensed in his palm.

Four Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet.

Purple, black, black, and that half-red, half-blue Dual-Colored Soul Ring.

Qian Daoliu's pupils constricted sharply.

He stared at that red-and-blue intertwined Soul Ring, remaining silent for a long time.

"This is..."

"Condensed from the Origin Essence of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings."

Qian Anci gripped the handle of the scythe, his expression calm.

"My fourth Soul Ring."

Qian Daoliu took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"What about the Soul Rings for your second Martial Soul?"

Qian Anci had known that Qian Daoliu would inevitably ask upon his return, so he did not intentionally conceal it.

He simply omitted the existence of Castorice.

"My second Martial Soul is rather unique; whenever my first Martial Soul absorbs a Soul Ring, the second one automatically condenses a Soul Ring of its own."

With a thought, the phantom of the Shadow of Pollux manifested behind him.

The grayish-white Death Dragon crouched upon the ground, its bone wings folded, while faint ice-blue and crimson patterns shimmered across its frame.

"Fourth Soul Skill: Dragon Transformation: Ice and Fire Dual Form."

Qian Anci's voice was calm.

"The Bone Dragon's breath can toggle between ice and fire attributes; when used in tandem with my first Martial Soul, its power is multiplied."

The Worship Hall remained silent for a long time.

Qian Daoliu stared blankly at that strangely colored Soul Ring; he appeared dazed, but in truth, his thoughts had drifted far away.

Automatically condensing a Soul Ring? This sounded remarkably similar to a God-Bestowed Soul Ring, yet in divine inheritances, a God-Bestowed Soul Ring was only granted by the gods after the successor passed their trials.

After a long while, he suddenly smiled, feeling relieved.

As expected, picking this boy up all those years ago was the right choice!

My grandson, Anci, possesses the potential to become a god.

"Anci, this trip of yours has given your grandfather too many surprises."

He stepped forward, his palm landing heavily on Qian Anci's shoulder.

"Go back and rest for now. Tomorrow, I have matters to discuss with you."

Qian Anci bowed respectfully and withdrew from the Worship Hall.

As he stepped out of the hall, he happened to bump into a golden figure.

Qian Renxue was leaning against a corridor pillar, her white dress immaculate, her golden hair burning like flames in the afternoon sun.

She did not look at him, her gaze fixed on the distant dome of the Pope's Palace.

"You're back?"

Her voice was very soft, so light it sounded like she was talking to herself.

"I'm back."

Qian Anci walked to her side, gazing at the dome alongside her.

Qian Renxue remained silent for a moment before suddenly speaking.

"You finally decided to return?"

"I obtained my fourth Soul Ring after completing my mission, so I was delayed for a while."

"You've already reached level forty-one?"

Qian Renxue finally turned her head, her golden eyes sweeping over him.

Her gaze landed on the Red and Blue Dragon Mark between his brows, which had not yet fully faded, and she paused slightly.

"Your forehead..."

"It's an effect from the fourth Soul Ring; it's nothing to worry about."

Qian Anci raised a hand to touch his brow.

The dragon mark had become almost invisible after returning to Martial Soul City, but Qian Renxue's eyes were far too sharp.

"What kind of Soul Ring has an effect like that?"

Qian Renxue's brows furrowed slightly.

"What kind of Soul Beast did you hunt?"

Qian Anci was silent for a moment.

He did not hide it from her.

"It wasn't a Soul Beast. It was the remains of the Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King."

Qian Renxue's golden eyes widened slightly.

"The Ice Dragon King? The Fire Dragon King?"

"Two Ancient Giant Dragons that fell deep within the Sunset Forest. I borrowed Dugu Bo's Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to absorb the residual Origin Essence within their dragon bones."

Qian Renxue stared at him for a long time, her gaze complex.

"You always do such reckless things."

"Fortune favors the bold."

"And did you find your fortune?"

Qian Anci raised his right hand, and the Scythe of Death condensed in his palm.

Four Soul Rings rose slowly.

When that half-red, half-blue Dual-Colored Soul Ring appeared, Qian Renxue's breathing visibly hitched.

"Is that your fourth Soul Ring?"

"Mm."

Qian Renxue fell silent.

She was also a three-ring Soul Elder, possessing the Six-Winged Angel martial soul and innate full soul power at level twenty.

Looking across the entire continent, she had almost no rivals among her peers.

But at this moment, watching the Dual-Colored Soul Ring behind Qian Anci, she suddenly felt that this younger brother of hers seemed to have already pulled ahead.

"Sister?"

Seeing her dazed, Qian Anci called out softly.

Qian Renxue snapped back to reality and turned her face away.

"It's nothing."

She paused, then added another sentence.

"As long as you're fine."

Qian Anci chuckled and retracted his martial soul.

"Is Sister worried about me?"

"Who's worried about you?"

Qian Renxue crossed her arms and leaned against a pillar, her chin tilted slightly upward.

"I'm just... afraid that if you die, there will be no one to practice with me."

Qian Anci looked at the faint flush creeping up the tips of her ears but did not expose her.

"Then I must live well."

Qian Renxue gave a soft huff and did not respond.

The two stood side by side under the veranda, gazing at the dome of the Pope's Palace in the distance.

The sunlight stretched their two shadows out long.

"Anci."

Qian Renxue spoke suddenly, her voice a few degrees lower than before.

"Mm."

"Do you know of the Clear Sky Sect?"

Qian Anci turned his eyes to look at her.

"Naturally."

"With the tool martial soul Clear Sky Hammer, they are hailed as the number one sect in the world. The previous sect master, Tang Chen, was a level ninety-nine Limit Douluo whose reputation rivaled Grandfather's."

"More or less. You haven't been in Martial Soul Hall for a while, so you don't know that Father led men to hunt down Tang Hao."