Qian Xunji

In the end, Lin Beiya still could not win against the little angel.

Qian Renxue finally returned to her residence, satisfied, while wearing the Aries Gold Cloth.

When not in use, the Cloth could transform into a gold card in the hands of others, making it extremely convenient to store and deploy.

A twenty percent bonus to cultivation speed was quite considerable, and this only further ignited Lin Beiya's passion for cultivation.

The next day, at Spirit Academy, Shi Nuo revealed a look of pleasant surprise when he saw Lin Beiya already sitting at his desk.

"Beiya, have you obtained your second spirit ring?"

"That's right, but how did you know?"

"Didn't you ask for leave from the school? The head teacher even used it to spur us on; many people didn't believe it at the time."

Lin Beiya nodded. It seemed he had become the "child of someone else's family," though he did not pay it much mind. Within the small territory of Martial Soul Hall, his personal safety was still guaranteed.

"What is there to be envious of? Work hard at your cultivation, and you will be able to obtain your second spirit ring soon enough."

"Sigh, it's not that simple. I'm only at level 15."

That was correct; after a year and a half of diligent practice, the cultivation of the little fatty Shi Nuo had reached level 15. Although he could not compare to a monster like Lin Beiya, he was still a rare talent among his peers.

It was the gap in innate talent, combined with the cultivation speed bonus from the Gold Cloth, that had allowed Lin Beiya to pull such a large distance away from him.

After all, they were childhood friends who had grown up together, and seeing the somewhat dejected fatty, Lin Beiya felt a pang of sympathy.

"From now on, change your spirit power cultivation time to after lunch."

"Ah? I always cultivate at night..."

"You'll understand in a moment. Let's get to class first."

"Alright."

Though his words were interrupted, Shi Nuo felt not a hint of displeasure; he trusted that the brother he had grown up with would not speak without reason.

After the morning classes ended, Lin Beiya and Shi Nuo finished lunch and returned to their dormitory.

"My martial soul provides a twenty percent cultivation speed bonus after absorbing the second spirit ring. I intend to use the Gold Cloth for cultivation at night, so let's stagger our usage times. Until I obtain my third spirit ring, we shall do it this way for now."

"Really?"

The little fatty's expression was joyful. It turned out the gap between the brothers wasn't as large as he had imagined, which reignited hope in Shi Nuo, who had been feeling increasingly overwhelmed.

"Of course it's true."

Nodding affirmatively, Lin Beiya summoned the Taurus Gold Card and handed it over.

"Try injecting your spirit power into it."

The little fatty nodded hurriedly, took the gold card, and injected his spirit power. In an instant, the Taurus Gold Cloth attached itself to his body.

The little fatty, who usually appeared round and cute, immediately became burly and resolute under the augmentation of the Gold Cloth, giving off a reliable aura.

"Wow, so I can wear this Cloth too."

"Stop staring and try cultivating."

"Right."

Shi Nuo immediately sat cross-legged on the bed as instructed and began to cultivate his spirit power.

Half an hour later, the fatty opened his eyes with a look of delight.

"It really works, Beiya! Thank you so much."

"It's nothing. Since it works, you keep cultivating with it for now. I'm heading back to Douluo Hall. I can recall the Cloth directly when the time comes, and I'll lend it to you again when we meet at the academy tomorrow."

"Alright, I'll cultivate hard and try not to let you leave me too far behind!"

Lin Beiya nodded with a smile; he did not doubt Shi Nuo's diligence in the slightest. Otherwise, his current cultivation level would not be on par with the few children in the class who had innate spirit power of level nine—these were all the fruits of his hard work.

Not wanting to disturb Shi Nuo's cultivation further, Lin Beiya closed the door and headed back toward Douluo Hall. He and the two girls, Qian Renxue included, were to meet in the garden before heading to the training grounds together. He had spent some time on Shi Nuo today, and he wondered if he would be nagged for it.

Lin Beiya had clearly overthought it. When he arrived at the garden, he saw from afar that the little angel was conversing with a handsome, golden-haired middle-aged man.

The man wore magnificent attire and a crown. If his guess was correct, this must be the current Pope of Martial Soul Hall—Qian Renxue's father, the Secret Room Douluo, Qian Xunji.

Having joined Douluo Hall for nearly two years, this was the first time Lin Beiya had seen the Pope. According to the little angel, because the relationship between Qian Daoliu and Qian Xunji was strained, the latter rarely came to Douluo Hall, and the father and daughter usually met within the Pope Hall.

The strained relationship was easy to understand. Although Qian Daoliu had not stopped his son's actions, as a possessor of the divine, light-based Six-Winged Angel martial soul, he felt deep disdain for his son's conduct.

Thus, for him to come to Douluo Hall to negotiate despite that mutual aversion, Lin Beiya could think of no other possibility than that one specific matter.

Having no intention of interrupting the father and daughter's conversation, Lin Beiya turned to head toward the training grounds to wait for the little angel.

But just as he turned, a voice filled with majesty reached his ears.

"Since you are here, come over."

Following her father's gaze, Qian Renxue also noticed Lin Beiya's arrival and waved at him happily, signaling him to come over.

Lin Beiya sighed slightly in his heart. If he could, he truly did not want to deal with this man who already had one foot in the grave, but since the other party had already spoken, leaving directly was certainly not an option. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and approach.

"Lin Beiya greets the Pope."

"Oh? You recognize me? We shouldn't have met before."

Qian Xunji raised an eyebrow slightly, feeling a touch of curiosity that Lin Beiya had identified his identity at a single glance.

"To be able to move about within the Douluo Hall, and to bear a certain resemblance to the Grand Pontiff, I could only think of the Pope himself."

Qian Renxue, standing to the side, had also been quite curious as to how he had recognized her father; upon hearing Lin Beiya's explanation, a look of sudden realization dawned on her face, and she immediately stuck her tongue out at him.

Qian Xunji nodded slightly, then smiled:

"You are quite clever. I have heard both Xiao Xue and the Grand Pontiff mention you; you are very promising!"

"Many thanks for the praise, Your Holiness."

"Mm, cultivate well. In the future, you shall assist Xiao Xue in managing Martial Soul Hall. Only then will you have lived up to the resources Martial Soul Hall has invested in you."

Lin Beiya's heart stirred. Was he already starting to groom him? Was he so afraid of that Little Blondie with half a level of Innate Soul Power from the outside that he was acting this way?

"Rest assured, Your Holiness, I will strive to do my best."

"Mm, you two still have training this afternoon, correct? I shall not disturb you further."

After stroking the little angel's hair, Qian Xunji cast a resentful glance toward the direction of the Angel Temple, then let out a cold snort and departed from the Douluo Hall.

Watching Qian Xunji's retreating back, Lin Beiya asked the little angel with some confusion:

"Did he have a falling out with the Grand Pontiff?"

Qian Renxue shook her head, signaling that she was not clear on the matter either.

"I don't know. I asked, but Father would never say. However, judging by his expression, it seems they had quite an unpleasant encounter."

After some thought, Lin Beiya roughly understood what had transpired between the father and son. In all likelihood, Qian Xunji had heard news of a hundred-thousand-year transformed soul beast and wanted to capture Ah Yin for Bibi Dong to absorb as a soul ring, hoping to ease the rigid relationship between them.

But with the Clear Sky Sect lurking around Ah Yin, the manpower from the Pope Hall alone might not be enough, so he had come to the Douluo Hall to request reinforcements.

Yet, judging by Qian Xunji's demeanor, Qian Daoliu must have refused.