As they spoke, Qian Renxue had already entered Martial Soul Possession. Her petite body floated in midair as golden radiance spilled across the Training Ground.
As the Soul Fighting began, Little Angel rarely wore such a serious expression. She seemed genuinely intent on giving Lin Beiya a few pointers on Soul Skills.
"First Soul Skill: Angel Charge."
The three pairs of wings on her back beat as Qian Renxue turned into a streak of light and shot toward the Colorless Wall in front of her.
She had already planned it out: after smashing through the Crystal Wall, she would stop her fist right before his handsome face. Her grandfather had once told her that knowing when to advance and when to hold back was the mark of a master!
It was a fine idea, but reality rarely went as Qian Renxue wished. The imagined scene of the wall shattering never came. Her fist, glowing with holy light as it swung at high speed, struck the Crystal Wall, and the entire surface rippled like still water disturbed by a brick.
Then her attack came hurtling back with even greater force, hitting her squarely in the stomach.
"Ow!"
Qian Renxue, flapping like a little moth, was blasted away by the tremendous force. She did several backward rolls across the Training Ground before clutching her stomach and crying out in pain.
Lin Beiya stood there, stunned. He clearly hadn't controlled the Crystal Wall to send the force back!
After a long moment, Lin Beiya awkwardly covered his face. It seemed that against energy attacks, he could decide whether the Crystal Wall returned the force. But against close-range physical attacks, it apparently sent them back at double strength automatically.
And Qian Renxue's first Soul Skill was a physical attack that rapidly closed the distance. The Angel Charge, returned with double force, had left Little Angel badly hurt.
"Uh... are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I didn't expect you to have a few tricks up your sleeve. From now on, I'm going to get serious."
If Lin Beiya hadn't asked, it might have been fine. But to Qian Renxue, his question sounded like a victor pitying the weak. She quickly got to her feet, discreetly rubbed her stomach, and looked at Lin Beiya with renewed wariness.
She had obtained her Soul Ring months before Lin Beiya, and she was a Soul Grandmaster with two Soul Rings. If she lost to him, what would become of the Angel Clan's dignity? Where would that leave her own face?
This was a battle she couldn't afford to lose!
Once she'd made up her mind, Qian Renxue immediately lit up her Second Soul Ring. The angel wings behind her grew a little wider, energy surging between them as if ready to burst forth at any moment.
"Be careful, Bei Ya. Here I come."
"Second Soul Skill: Holy Light Illumination!"
As Little Angel's voice rang out, countless points of light shot from her three pairs of brilliant golden wings, all aimed at the Crystal Wall between them.
Compared to her earlier attack, which had targeted a single point, this wide-area attack from the little goldie sent furious waves surging across the wall. But just as before, even this clearly more powerful assault couldn't break through Lin Beiya's defense.
"Uh, how about we call it a draw?"
Seeing that Qian Renxue was on the verge of flying into a rage from embarrassment, Lin Beiya promptly suggested they call it a draw.
But this did nothing to soothe Qian Renxue. Instead, it made her even angrier.
"Don't look down on me! I'll smash through your lousy wall for sure!"
"Take this! Angel Charge!"
In the distance, Qian Daoliu watched Qian Renxue charge at the Crystal Wall again and sighed, shaking his head. His granddaughter still lacked combat experience. It was obvious that the defense couldn't be broken and would only hurt her, yet she kept charging straight into it.
In Qian Daoliu's view, the way to win was to use her Soul Grandmaster-level Soul Power advantage and wear Lin Beiya down.
But six-year-old Qian Renxue had clearly let the situation cloud her judgment. Right now, all she wanted was to defeat Lin Beiya as quickly as possible and prove the might of a Soul Grandmaster.
The outcome was just as he'd expected. Each time Qian Renxue closed in, the force bounced back by the Crystal Wall sent her flying again. Her once-gorgeous white dress was now covered in dust.
"Ah, maybe it's good for Xiao Xue to suffer a little. Otherwise, if she ever encounters a real enemy, who knows what kind of loss she might suffer?"
No one understood better than Qian Daoliu that a person couldn't become great without enduring difficult battles. Even someone as powerful as him had faced opponents he could do nothing about. Tang Chen and Bo Saixi had both made him suffer before.
The Soul Fighting in the arena continued.
It was less a Soul Fighting match than a one-sided Soul Skill practice session for Qian Renxue. Aside from conjuring the Crystal Wall at the start, Lin Beiya hadn't moved at all.
Blasted away by a double-strength Angel Charge once again, Little Angel didn't get back up this time. She simply lay still where she'd fallen.
If not for her shoulders giving a faint tremble, Lin Beiya would have thought the rebound had struck her head and knocked her unconscious.
"Um... how about we call it a draw?"
"Go away! I don't need you to let me win. I lost... I lost. Next time, I'll win... I'll win it back!"
Qian Renxue quickly rebuffed Lin Beiya's tentative offer. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he heard a trace of a sob in her voice.
At this age, she had probably never faced any setbacks except where Bibi Dong was concerned. Losing to him despite being the stronger one must have been a serious blow.
After all, she had always been the center of attention in Douluo Hall. When had she ever had to endure this kind of humiliation?
Understanding this, Lin Beiya dismissed the Crystal Wall and slowly went over to the crying little goldie. He helped her up and brushed the dust off her white dress with one hand.
"Then we'll fight again next time. The Crystal Wall can withstand attacks from Soul Grandmasters and return them with double the force. Your Martial Soul is powerful, but your attack still hasn't surpassed the Soul Grandmaster level."
At his words, Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes filled with astonishment.
"What exactly is that armor of yours? How can it be so powerful?"
It was no wonder she was so surprised. A Martial Soul's strength was proportional to one's Innate Soul Power. Even her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, with its Innate Level 20 Soul Power, couldn't compare to this Aries Gold Cloth. How could that not astonish her?
"Hm?"
Looking down at the Sacred Cloth he wore, Lin Beiya was suddenly struck by an idea. Could he let someone else wear his Aries Gold Cloth?
After all, unless something unexpected happened, he would activate another set of Gold Cloth with his second Soul Ring. Even if he only had nine Soul Rings, that would leave him with nine sets of Sacred Cloth—far too many for him to wear himself.
With that thought, Lin Beiya focused his mind on the Sacred Cloth. To Little Angel's astonishment, the Aries Sacred Cloth transformed back into a Golden Ram, then gradually changed into a golden card that dropped to the ground.
"Th-this... Bei Ya... what just happened?"
"Hm? I don't know how to explain it either. Pick up the card and try pouring your Soul Power into it!"
"O-oh!"
Following his instructions, Qian Renxue picked up the Gold Card and quickly poured her Soul Power into it.
Then, to her delight, the Aries Gold Cloth that had just covered Lin Beiya soon enveloped her body instead.
Unlike the snug fit when Lin Beiya wore it, the Cloth's hips flared into a skirt when Qian Renxue put it on, making it very suitable for women.
"Wow, Bei Ya, I can wear this too! It's so cool!"
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