Bibi Dong

With the help of Whale Rubber, Lin Beiya trained his body even more diligently. But in Little Angel's eyes, this was putting the cart before the horse.

For Soul Masters, weren't Soul Power and the use of Soul Skills the real keys?

One day, as she watched Lin Beiya doing frog jumps around the garden with his eyes tightly shut, Qian Renxue finally couldn't hold back her curiosity.

"Bei Ya, why do you keep doing all this useless training?"

"Useless? That's only because you haven't realized the benefits of a powerful physique."

"What benefits? In a battle between high-level Soul Masters, even the strongest physique can't withstand the other person's Soul Skills, can it?"

Qian Renxue pursed her lips, unimpressed by Lin Beiya's explanation. A powerful physique was only useful before the Soul Elder stage, when everyone's Soul Skills were still weak enough to let you show off.

Lin Beiya rolled his eyes almost imperceptibly. He was utterly speechless at Little Angel, who had Innate Full Soul Power at level twenty yet had gotten two Yellow Soul Rings.

"Tell me, what are the maximum ages for the first two Soul Rings again?"

"I know this one. About 420 years and 760 years!"

She had once read about it in Spirit Hall's records. Now, at Lin Beiya's question, she eagerly blurted out the answer as if showing off a prize.

Lin Beiya gave an almost imperceptible nod, then continued:

"Then could a support Soul Master choose to absorb a Soul Ring right at that limit?"

Without even thinking, Little Angel shook her head.

"I don't think so. A support Soul Master's physique is weaker than a Battle Soul Master's, so it's safer to choose..."

At that point, Qian Renxue understood what Lin Beiya meant. A powerful physique wasn't just useful in Soul Master battles; it could also help when absorbing Soul Rings.

"Are you training so you can absorb a Soul Ring right at the limit?"

"Not just that. I'm going to exceed the limit when I absorb my Second Soul Ring."

"You're crazy!"

Hearing Lin Beiya say this, Little Angel stared at him with wide eyes, looking at him as if he were a madman.

"No. You said yourself that support Soul Masters have weak physiques, so it's safer for them to absorb Soul Rings with lower age limits. If my physique can surpass that of the Soul Master in the records who absorbed a Soul Ring of about 760 years, then I should definitely be able to absorb one older than that."

"And don't forget, when I put on my Sacred Cloth, it automatically boosts my physique by nearly ten percent."

Little Angel hesitated. She was worried that absorbing a Soul Ring beyond the limit would put Lin Beiya in danger, but at the same time, she felt that what he said made sense.

"You've really studied this stuff. I've never even thought about it."

"Xiao Xue, you have the unparalleled talent of Innate Full Soul Power at level twenty. You shouldn't hold yourself to the standards of ordinary Soul Masters."

"This..."

A little embarrassed by Lin Beiya's words, Qian Renxue lowered her head.

Seeing this, Lin Beiya immediately stretched out his wicked hand toward that soft golden hair.

"It's all right, Xiao Xue. When you absorb Soul Rings in the future, you can wear your Sacred Cloth too. You'll definitely be fine absorbing a Soul Ring whose age exceeds the limit by ten percent."

"Mm, I understand. From now on, I'll train my physique with you, too."

Seeing that he'd convinced Little Angel to train with him in just a few words, Lin Beiya gave a satisfied smile, as if to say, "That's my girl."

From then on, every day after school, Qian Renxue trained her physique alongside Lin Beiya.

Whenever he passed by and saw them, Qian Daoliu could only shake his head. He wanted to stop them, but was afraid of dampening their enthusiasm for training.

After indirectly questioning his granddaughter, he learned what Lin Beiya had said.

He was skeptical, but also a little hopeful. In any case, he figured Lin Beiya would obtain his next Soul Ring before his granddaughter, so he might as well let him put his theory to the test.

If Lin Beiya really could obtain a Soul Ring beyond the limit, then the two of them would have proved that their seemingly nonsensical training method worked.

Time passed quietly, and half a month went by. As the days passed, Lin Beiya could clearly feel his physique growing stronger. Whale Rubber had played a major role, but he also owed much to his own hard work.

His Five Senses, apart from his vision, continued to improve steadily, and he was very satisfied with the progress of his training.

That day, Lin Beiya had just met up with Little Angel and was about to train with her when Qian Renxue stopped him.

"Bei Ya, Grandpa gave me the day off today! Why don't we go explore Spirit City instead?"

"..."

The refusal was already at the tip of his tongue, but when he saw Little Angel's pitiful, almost tearful expression, Lin Beiya could only nod helplessly.

Following Little Angel toward the gates of Spirit Hall, Lin Beiya passed Pope Hall and cast a strange look at the magnificent, gilded building.

He had been part of Douluo Hall for some time now, yet he had never met Qian Xunji, the Pope. No matter how busy he was, shouldn't he have made time to visit Little Angel?

As if she had guessed what Lin Beiya was thinking, Qian Renxue quietly explained:

"My father and Grandpa don't get along very well, so he hasn't been to Douluo Hall in a long time. Whenever I miss him, I go to Pope Hall to see him."

"I see."

Lin Beiya understood. He hadn't expected there to be such a story behind it. But on second thought, it made perfect sense that Qian Xunji, after doing something like that, would be despised by Qian Daoliu.

"Yeah. I've tried to mediate between them a few times, but it hasn't helped."

"Don't worry. There's no rift between a father and son that can't be mended. As time passes, they'll make peace."

"Mm, I think so too."

As they talked, the two of them had already reached the gates of Spirit Hall.

By sheer coincidence, just as they were about to continue on their way, a woman wrapped from head to toe in a black cloak slowly entered Spirit Hall after showing her token to the guards.

The oversized cloak hid her body, so Lin Beiya couldn't see her face. Still, he recognized who she was from the murderous aura that shot up to the heavens and the color of the hair showing beneath her hood.

Lin Beiya glanced at Qian Renxue beside him. The little girl had lost all the excitement she'd felt about getting a day off. She looked tense, her small hands clenched into fists and trembling from the force of her grip.

As the woman drew closer, Lin Beiya finally saw the face hidden beneath the black cloak.

There was no doubt that Bibi Dong had a face that would make other women envy and resent her.

But her eyes—those were irises of the purest, deepest violet. Her pupils weren't clear; they were like a bottomless pool. Sunlight from outside the hall was reflected in them, yet not a spark of warmth could be found. Wherever her gaze passed, it swept over the skin like a cold current, carrying a scrutiny that pierced the soul and an almost inhuman indifference.

Bibi Dong seemed to notice the two children in front of her. When her gaze fell on Qian Renxue, its indifference softened slightly, replaced by hatred and disgust.

In an instant, the woman who would one day wield the greatest power on the continent concealed every trace of emotion. Then, as if she hadn't seen either of them, she started to walk past.

But Qian Renxue clearly didn't want their meeting to end so abruptly. When Bibi Dong passed by without acknowledging her, she hurriedly turned and called after her retreating figure:

"M-Mother, I..."