"Oh-ho-ho-ho... ho-ho-ho-ho!"
After a chaotic scuffle, Lin Beiya looked at the smug Qian Renxue before him, his face bruised and swollen as he grimaced in pain.
Furious and aggrieved, he vowed to get even one day.
"Hmph! Now will you tell me why Grandpa brought you to Douluo Hall?"
Lin Beiya pointed to the bruises on his body and said helplessly:
"Didn't I already tell you? Was there any need to beat me up?"
Looking at her handiwork, Qian Renxue's little face turned faintly red. Though she had controlled her strength and hadn't hit him with all her might, a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster's attacks were still devastating to an ordinary person. She had nearly beaten Lin Beiya into incoherence.
"Normally, apart from the descendants of a few of the grandpas serving as elders, nobody else is allowed into Douluo Hall. There must be something special about you."
"Then I don't know. I just awakened my Martial Soul today, and I was going back to the orphanage to pack my things before reporting to Spirit Academy. The old man brought me here halfway there!"
"Just awakened your Martial Soul..."
Qian Renxue propped her chin on her hand like a little grown-up and studied Lin Beiya for a while. Then her eyes lit up, and she said:
"Then your Martial Soul must be really unusual! What is it? Bring it out and let me see."
Realizing that the young lady wouldn't let him go until he satisfied her curiosity, Lin Beiya could only sigh inwardly and prepare to summon his Martial Soul for Qian Renxue to see.
But just as he was about to summon it, an ill-timed sound suddenly interrupted him.
"Grrr~~rrr~~~grrr!"
Little Angel, who had been staring at Lin Beiya's right hand, slowly shifted her gaze to his stomach.
"Um... haven't you eaten?"
"What do you think? I got up early to awaken my Martial Soul, then the old man brought me here, and after that you beat me up!"
Lin Beiya gave her a look that said she ought to know perfectly well. Qian Renxue felt rather embarrassed and didn't press him to release his Martial Soul. After all, she thought entering the Martial Soul Possession state would take energy.
"Then I'll take you to eat first. Afterward, you can show me your Martial Soul."
"That sounds great. Once I'm full, you can look at whatever you want!"
"..."
Though Lin Beiya's words struck her as a little strange, Qian Renxue didn't dwell on them. She led him deftly to the pavilion at the center of the garden and ordered the servants to bring out a good spread.
Honestly, it was the most sumptuous meal Lin Beiya had seen in his four years since arriving in the Douluo World.
They said there was no such thing as a free lunch, and that certainly seemed true. It looked like taking that beating hadn't been for nothing.
Salivating as he waited for the meal to be served, Lin Beiya immediately began devouring everything in sight.
His starving-ghost-reincarnated appearance made Qian Renxue look at him with distaste. A girl who valued proper manners, she had never seen anyone behave so shamelessly in front of her.
If Lin Beiya had known what the little girl was thinking, he would have smirked disdainfully.
Why should I care about appearances in front of a little girl who can't even tell her chest from her back?
A quarter of an hour later, Lin Beiya lay sprawled without a shred of dignity on a garden chaise, rubbing his bulging stomach. He realized he'd never be able to look at the game he'd hunted on the road the same way again.
"Hey, now that you've filled your stomach, let me see your Martial Soul!"
Qian Renxue was very curious about the Martial Soul even her own grandfather took seriously. Seeing Lin Beiya had finished eating, she immediately urged him on.
This time, Lin Beiya didn't hesitate. He raised his right hand slightly, releasing a streak of golden light, and an Athena Stone Statue appeared in his palm.
"Wow, your Martial Soul is so strange! It's tiny!"
Lin Beiya rolled his eyes. You're tiny. Your whole family is tiny.
Ignoring his expression, Qian Renxue stepped closer and reached out with her chubby little hand, gently touching the Athena Stone Statue.
It felt hard to the touch, but the little girl didn't sense anything particularly special about it.
"This is the Martial Soul even Grandpa takes seriously? Are you trying to fool me?"
"What would I gain by fooling you? If you don't believe me, why not ask the old man yourself?"
"Um..."
Qian Renxue didn't want her grandfather to find out she'd resorted to force, so she could only scratch her golden hair in embarrassment.
"Then... what exactly can your Martial Soul do? It looks a bit like the Angel Statue in the temple, but yours is much smaller, and it doesn't have wings!"
"I'm still figuring that out. I only awakened my Martial Soul today, so I don't know how to use it yet. In a few days, I'll go to the Library Pavilion and look through the records to see what kind of Soul Ring would suit me."
"Great! Tomorrow I'll take you to the Library Pavilion. I can even give you a few pointers while we're there!"
The little girl clearly wanted to get closer to Lin Beiya, who had just arrived. After all, he was the only person her age she'd ever met.
Besides, he didn't seem all that afraid of her. She was sick of how cautiously the servants in Douluo Hall treated her.
After giving it some thought, Lin Beiya didn't refuse Little Angel's offer. Having someone familiar with the Library Pavilion show him around would be better than wandering about as a newcomer, searching for suitable books on his own.
"Then thanks for the help."
"By the way, you still haven't told me your name!"
Although he knew the little girl's circumstances, he didn't want to seem presumptuous, so he decided to let her introduce herself.
The little blonde girl paused, then smiled and said:
"My name is Qian Renxue. The person who brought you here today is my grandfather."
"Oh? Then you'll have to look after me from now on!"
Lin Beiya, who knew the whole story, put on a convincing look of surprise, which greatly satisfied Qian Renxue's little bit of vanity.
The little girl patted her perfectly flat chest and declared cheerfully:
"Don't worry. From now on, I'll protect you here in Douluo Hall."
Just as the two of them were getting along, a voice reached their ears.
"Miss, it's time for your swordsmanship lesson this afternoon."
The little girl paused, then pouted and complained to Lin Beiya:
"Grandpa arranged a Sword Art teacher for me. I have to go practice my sword."
"Okay, go ahead. You know where I'm staying, so come find me if you need anything."
"No need for that. Let's meet here tomorrow, and I'll take you to the Library Pavilion then."
She waved at Lin Beiya, entered the Martial Soul Possession state, and quickly flew off in the direction of the voice.
After watching her leave, Lin Beiya returned to his quarters. He washed up, then sat cross-legged on his bed, pondering how to develop his Martial Soul.
Normally, as the vessel for the Athena Divine Cloth, this thing needed Athena's blood to activate.
But there was a problem: where on the Douluo Continent was he supposed to find Athena's blood?
After much thought, Lin Beiya looked down at his outstretched right arm.
"Could it be that I'm Athena from another world? Does this Martial Soul need my own blood to activate?"
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. His eyes lighting up, Lin Beiya looked around, then got to his feet and pulled the decorative iron sword from the living room.
He swallowed. Hunting game didn't bother him, but cutting himself was another matter.
Still, this concerned whether he could break the seal on his Martial Soul. Gritting his teeth, Lin Beiya dragged the iron sword across his palm. Blood immediately trickled down from his fingertips.
Before you continue