Catching the two streaks of starlight in his hands, Qian Daoliu gauged the strength of their attacks, then crushed them with ease.
Lin Beiya, who had watched the whole thing, wasn't disappointed. After all, the old man standing before him was a powerhouse at the very peak of the continent.
"Quite good. Those attacks have the strength of a Soul Grandmaster, too."
"And when you wear that golden armor, your physical abilities seem to improve across the board. Am I right?"
"That's right, just as the Grand Pontiff said."
As expected of Spirit Hall's strongest man. He'd seen through the secrets of the Gold Cloth at a glance.
Qian Daoliu stroked his white beard and put on a warm smile once more.
"Since you have talent, don't waste it. Train hard from now on and turn that talent into strength!"
"Yes. Thank you for your guidance, Grand Pontiff."
"Mm. This is a storage ring. It has twenty cubic meters of space for storing items. Now that you have Soul Power, you can use it, so I'll give it to you."
Lin Beiya took the sapphire-blue ring Qian Daoliu tossed him and immediately put on a flattered expression. In his heart, though, he grumbled that the old man wouldn't lift a finger until he saw a rabbit.
It wasn't as if he'd only gained Soul Power yesterday. Wasn't this an investment he'd only decided to make after seeing that Lin Beiya was worth cultivating once he obtained his First Soul Ring?
That was what he thought, but he certainly couldn't say it aloud.
"Thank you, Grand Pontiff. I'll train hard and repay Spirit Hall."
"Mm. Go on. You must be tired from the long journey. Get a good day's rest."
With that, Qian Daoliu vanished from the garden in a flash. Lin Beiya watched enviously, wondering when he'd become strong enough to do the same.
After testing his moves, Lin Beiya had a rough idea of his current fighting ability: about the level of a Soul Grandmaster. The downside was that he had only twelve levels of Soul Power, making it difficult to support repeated uses of his combat techniques. But as his cultivation improved, that weakness would gradually be made up for. He wasn't worried about it.
What truly frustrated him was that he couldn't use Aries's ultimate move, Stardust Revolution. Perhaps its power was simply too immense, and it required more Soul Power than he currently possessed. He'd have to keep cultivating and raise his level.
The night passed without incident. After figuring out how his Martial Soul worked, Lin Beiya slept soundly. He didn't wake until the sun was high in the sky, when urgent knocks at the door roused him.
Before he could shake off his grogginess, Qian Renxue's fierce little voice came from outside.
"I was worried about you for days, and you came back yesterday without even saying hello!"
"You're still lazing around in bed. Are you looking to get beaten again?"
"Get up! Open the door if you've got the guts!"
Lin Beiya stretched leisurely, then got dressed and strolled toward the door. All the while, the little blondie kept knocking without pause.
"Coming, coming! Stop knocking!"
He opened the door, and Qian Renxue's angry, pretty face came into view. Women really were unreasonable at any age. Still, he put on a friendly smile.
"Well, if it isn't the young lady. What brings you here so early?"
"Early? It's almost noon! I heard you came back yesterday, and I've been waiting for you in the Central Garden all morning!"
So she'd gotten mad waiting for him. They hadn't made any plans, but Lin Beiya still decided to back down. After all, he was relying on her grandfather.
"I'm really sorry. I was just so excited about getting my First Soul Ring that I couldn't sleep much last night."
"Hmph. I'll forgive you this time. If there's a next time, I'll show you the dignity of a Soul Grandmaster!"
Apparently accepting Lin Beiya's explanation, Qian Renxue clenched her tiny fist and put the matter aside.
Then, looking intrigued, she asked with open curiosity:
"Quick, tell me what your first Soul Skill is! Do you need me to give you a few pointers?"
"Uh... I don't think so?"
Even with her Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, Qian Renxue was only a Soul Grandmaster. Without her attacks being reflected back at her, the Crystal Wall could take a whole year of the little blondie's attacks. Lin Beiya didn't want to offend this little tyrant.
But Little Angel wasn't pleased. Instead, she looked annoyed.
"You think I'm not strong enough to give you pointers? Who do you think you're looking down on? Come on, we're going to the Training Ground!"
Without waiting for Lin Beiya to refuse, Little Angel grabbed his hand and dragged him outside.
Lin Beiya hadn't even had lunch yet. He could only watch the golden back of her head and sigh, thinking he'd better go easy on her. Who knew if Qian Daoliu would be protective of his granddaughter? He probably wouldn't kill Lin Beiya, but he might still use him as a top and whip him around.
The Training Ground was south of the garden, a vast, enclosed facility that mainly served the children of the elders of Douluo Hall.
The two stood facing each other in the middle of the field. Little Angel crossed her arms and looked at Lin Beiya with an air of confidence.
"I won't bully you. I'll only use my first Soul Skill to Soul Fight with you. Use whatever moves you have!"
Lin Beiya screamed inwardly, There's really no need for that, but kept it off his face. He summoned the Athena Statue, and his yellow First Soul Ring turned into a beam of light that shot toward the sky.
As the Aries Gold Cloth descended, Little Angel parted her red lips and stared at it with wide eyes.
"What is that? A goat made of gold?"
Without explaining, the Sacred Cloth scattered and attached itself to the different parts of Lin Beiya's body. He stood there clad as the Aries Gold Saint.
"Wow, that outfit looks so cool!"
Kids always loved cool-looking things. Seeing how impressive Lin Beiya looked, Little Angel forgot all about the fact that they'd come to Soul Fight. She hurried over to him and began feeling around with her little hands.
"Is this armor your Soul Skill? It's so cool! Can you take it off and let me wear it?"
"Um... Young lady, weren't we supposed to be Soul Fighting?"
"Uh..."
Little Angel froze. A faint blush crept across her cheeks, then she pretended nothing had happened and slowly backed away a few steps.
"Ahem... You're right. I came to teach you about fighting today. You can make the first move."
Qian Renxue beckoned Lin Beiya over. Her big, clear blue eyes were still fixed on the cool-looking Gold Cloth. Clearly, she was more interested in the outfit.
After a long while, Qian Renxue still hadn't seen Lin Beiya move. She looked up in confusion.
"What are you doing? Aren't you going to attack?"
"Well, my first Soul Skill is defensive, so..."
"I see. Then I'll attack. Use your Soul Skill."
Lin Beiya nodded and immediately summoned a transparent wall in front of himself.
Crystal Wall!
Qian Renxue watched the Crystal Wall ripple like water and sensed the Soul Power fluctuations within it. She nodded to herself. It seemed to be a defensive Soul Skill with an exceptionally wide range.
"I'll test its strength. Be careful."
"Okay, I'll be careful."
Lin Beiya nodded with an outward show of focus, but inside he was completely unbothered. He even felt like yawning.
You brat, break through the wall first before telling me to be careful.
Before you continue