A thin mist veiled the lake. Gu Yuena stood barefoot by the water's edge, her silver hair stirring lightly in the morning breeze as she gazed at the boy training not far away.
Qian Anci held the Scythe of Death, the black light of his Second Soul Ring flowing along its blade.
After two days of consolidating his strength, the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring had completely fused with him. The abyssal Death Qi was now entirely at his command.
"Anci."
Gu Yuena called softly.
Qian Anci lowered the scythe and turned. Gu Yuena held a scale in her palm.
The scale was about the size of a hand, pure silver-white, with starlike radiance flowing across its surface. Faint dragon markings seemed to move within it.
"This is..."
"My Life-Bound Dragon Scale." Gu Yuena's voice was gentle. "It contains my power and can withstand a full-strength strike from a Limit Douluo. If you ever face a life-or-death crisis, crush it, and I'll sense it."
Qian Anci's heart jolted.
The Silver Dragon King's Life-Bound Dragon Scale?
It was like having another life!
He accepted it with both hands. The scale felt warm to the touch, yet weighed as heavy as a thousand jun.
The lingering warmth reminded Qian Anci of the feel of her fingertips as she had helped him regulate his meridians over the past few days.
"Sister, this is far too precious..."
"Take it." Gu Yuena cut him off, a trace of tenderness flickering in her silver eyes. "You call me 'Sister,' so I have to keep you safe."
She paused, then lowered her voice. "The Star Dou Great Forest will always be a place you can retreat to. If the human world can't accept you..."
"Then come back."
Qian Anci lifted his head and looked straight into those silver eyes with his dark ones.
"But before that, I have to become strong enough. Strong enough to protect everyone I care about."
Gu Yuena's lips curved upward.
Her smile was like snow and ice melting for the first time, brightening the entire Lake of Life.
"Di Tian."
She called softly.
A black-robed figure stepped out of the void. His golden dragon eyes swept indifferently over Qian Anci, but narrowed slightly when they landed on the silver scale.
"Send him out." Gu Yuena turned away, her silver dress appearing and disappearing in the morning mist. "Just to the outer reaches. You don't need to show yourself."
"Understood."
Di Tian raised a hand, and a black vortex opened beneath Qian Anci's feet.
Qian Anci took one last look at the silver-haired figure. He opened his mouth, but in the end, all he said was, "Sister, take care."
Gu Yuena didn't look back.
But her voice drifted to him on the wind, as soft as a breeze:
"Go, Anci."
"I'll wait for you to come back."
The dizzying sensation of space twisting washed over him again.
When Qian Anci opened his eyes, he was standing in a clearing on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Di Tian's figure flashed out of sight just before the vortex closed, without so much as a goodbye.
Qian Anci looked down at the silver scale in his palm and carefully tucked it inside his robe.
Its warm touch rested against his heart, as though it still carried her warmth.
"Castorice," he called softly in his mind. "We're out."
"Mm." Castorice's voice held a hint of laziness. "That Silver Dragon King truly does care about you. The power in this scale... is far greater than I expected. I suspect it could even withstand Di Tian's strike from the other day."
Qian Anci didn't answer.
He straightened his robes. His plain white gown stood out sharply in the forest.
"Anci."
A cool voice came from the side, its final note edged with a tension that was hard to notice.
Qian Anci turned. Beneath a large tree not far away, a golden figure leaned against the trunk.
Qian Renxue wore a white dress and stood with her arms crossed, her golden hair stirring lightly in the morning breeze.
She tilted her head toward the distant sea of trees, as if she had merely happened to be passing by and had glanced over only because she heard footsteps.
"Sister?" Qian Anci slowed to a stop.
Only then did Qian Renxue deign to turn her gaze toward him, looking him up and down.
Seeing that his robes were neat and his breathing steady—and that he even seemed to have grown a little taller—something tense in her golden eyes quietly eased.
But then she lifted her chin.
"Anci, you're all right. That's such a relief!"
She seemed to realize what she'd said.
She gave a soft huff, crossed her arms more tightly, and deliberately cooled her voice.
"I just..."
She paused. Beneath her golden hair, the tips of her ears flushed faintly. Then she hurriedly added, "I was just worried you'd die in the forest and make Grandfather sad."
Qian Anci froze for a moment.
Looking at her turned-away figure, pretending to gaze into the depths of the forest, he suddenly understood.
This proud Angel—didn't she know tsunderes were out of style?
"I'm sorry for making you worry, Sister." He walked over slowly. "It was my fault."
"Who was worried!" Qian Renxue snapped, turning around. A flicker of annoyance flashed in her golden eyes. "I told you, I was afraid you'd make Grandfather sad! D-don't flatter yourself!"
She bit her lip, as though she thought that still wasn't convincing enough, and added, "It would've been better if you'd died in there. Then you wouldn't be competing with me for Soul Beasts later!"
Even so, she stayed where she was and let him walk over to her.
Qian Anci glanced at her from the side, just in time to catch her nose twitching as if she were sniffing him. Then she frowned.
"You smell..." She eyed him suspiciously. "Why do you smell like a girl?"
Qian Anci was shocked. Wait, Qian Renxue could smell that?
"Sister, don't get the wrong idea. Come on, let's go. Grandfather's waiting for us!"
He hurriedly spoke up, steering the conversation away from this dangerous topic.
Qian Renxue narrowed her golden eyes and was about to press him, when Qian Daoliu approached from not far away.
"Enough." Qian Daoliu's voice was warm. "Anci just got back. Give him a moment to catch his breath."
Qian Renxue gave a soft huff and stepped to Qian Daoliu's side, but unconsciously edged half a step closer to Qian Anci.
Qian Daoliu came over to Qian Anci and placed a hand on his shoulder, quietly probing him with Soul Power.
He began checking Qian Anci's body.
That thread of Soul Power coursed through him like a warm stream. Qian Daoliu first nodded slightly, then his pupils abruptly contracted.
"Level twenty-four?!"
He snatched his hand back and stared fixedly at Qian Anci, his voice trembling with disbelief.
"Anci, your Soul Power... how did you break through to level twenty-four?"
Qian Anci remained calm.
With the energy from the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring nourishing him, and Gu Yuena regulating his meridians, he wasn't surprised he'd reached level twenty-four.
"When Senior Di Tian used a secret Dragon Clan method to help me absorb the Soul Ring, it seemed he granted me something extra." He lowered his eyes. "I'm not entirely sure why."
Qian Daoliu fell silent for a moment, his eyes gleaming.
"Summon your spirit." His voice turned solemn. "Let me see your Soul Rings."
Qian Anci did as he was told and raised his right hand. The Scythe of Death coalesced in his palm.
As gray-white Death Qi swirled around him, two Soul Rings rose slowly from beneath his feet.
The first was purple—one thousand years!
The second was black—ten thousand years!!
The six elders exchanged horrified looks.
Golden Crocodile Douluo's eyes widened. Even Azure Luan Douluo, who was usually so composed, couldn't help but be shocked!
"Ten thousand years... His second Soul Ring is ten thousand years old?!"
Golden Crocodile Douluo blurted out the words, startling birds into scattering through the forest.
Qian Daoliu's hand trembled slightly.
He had lived for so many years and seen countless prodigies, yet never had he encountered anything that overturned common sense so completely.
A natural twentieth-level Soul Power was already peerless. Breaking through to level twenty-four in three days was even more unbelievable. And a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring as his second...
It was a miracle!
"Anci." Qian Daoliu's voice was hoarse, with a trace of excitement he could barely conceal. "What did Di Tian... do to you?"
"Senior Di Tian said there was Dragon Clan blood in my body." He lowered his eyes, his voice subdued. "He kept me at the Lake of Life for three days and used a secret Dragon Clan method to help me absorb a Ten Thousand Year Dark Scale Flood Dragon. In exchange..."
He paused and took out the silver scale from his robe.
Silver light flashed, and the might of a dragon stirred within it.
"He asked me to act as a buffer between Spirit Hall and the Star Dou Great Forest in the future."
Qian Daoliu stared at the scale, his eyes gleaming.
Dragon Clan blood? A buffer?
Of course, he didn't believe Di Tian had helped them out of the goodness of his heart. But the aura on that scale couldn't be faked.
The scale was extraordinary. Even he, a level ninety-nine Limit Douluo, felt wary of it...
"Grandfather, don't worry." Qian Anci looked up and spoke earnestly. "Whatever my bloodline may be, I'll always belong to Spirit Hall. I'm your grandson."
Qian Daoliu was silent for a long while.
Then he suddenly burst into laughter, his voice shaking the wilderness and sending countless birds flying into the air.
"Good! Good! Good!"
He repeated the word three times and clapped a hand heavily on Qian Anci's shoulder, striking so hard the boy staggered.
"My grandson, Qian Daoliu's grandson, carries the blood of the Dragon Clan, rose four levels in three days, and has a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring as his second!"
He turned to face the six elders, his gray robe billowing, his presence deep as an abyss.
"Everyone, today, I, Qian Daoliu, make this announcement!"
"Anci."
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