Nine-Heart Begonia

"Middle of the night, and you're this fired up? Let me cool you down."

Ning Dagang raised his head in agony, staring at the man before him in utter horror.

The man hadn't released his Martial Soul or used Soul Power. He'd relied on nothing but the strength of his body, yet Ning Dagang, a Level 29 Soul Grandmaster, had been utterly helpless against him! Such terrifying physical prowess and oppressive presence could only belong to a Soul Emperor—or even a Soul Sage!

Hadn't that damned gatekeeper said they were country folk from Soul Saint Village? What village doctor was a Soul Emperor?

"Senior..." Ning Dagang trembled with pain. The arrogance and superiority he'd shown that day were gone from his voice, replaced by nothing but boundless fear.

"I-it was a misunderstanding..."

"Shut up."

Qian Xunji pressed down slightly with his foot. Ning Dagang immediately heard his breastbone creak under the strain, and hurriedly clamped his mouth shut.

"Little San is my son." Qian Xunji lowered his voice, his tone carrying an unquestionable authority.

"What he wants to learn and what path he wants to take are for me to decide. Keep your nonsensical theories to yourself and wipe your ass with them. Don't bring them in front of my son to make a fool of yourself."

"As for taking him as your disciple... I won't stop him from learning a few basics. But if you dare put on airs as his teacher in front of him again, or if you dare mutter one more word of nonsense behind my back..."

Qian Xunji leaned down slightly, his gaze stabbing into Ning Dagang's eyes like a blade.

"I won't hesitate to turn that Glazed Piglet of yours—the one that shoots stinking pellets—into a dead pig. Do you understand?"

Ning Dagang was thoroughly terrified. The genuine threat of death chilled him to the bone.

How could he dare think of talking back? He blinked frantically and nodded like mad, a choked "guh-guh" of assent rising from his throat. He was utterly cowed. Faced with such overwhelming strength, the theories he'd always been so proud of were nothing but a joke.

Qian Xunji snorted and slowly lifted his foot.

He couldn't even be bothered to spare the useless Grandmaster another glance. Turning toward the windowsill, he leaped out as lightly as a falling leaf and vanished into the deep night, leaving only a chill evening breeze to swirl through the room.

Ning Dagang collapsed onto the cold floor, gasping for breath. Cold sweat soaked his back as he stared at the empty window, the terrifying scene replaying over and over in his mind.

"A Soul Emperor... Definitely Soul Emperor or above..." Ning Dagang muttered, trembling.

Only now did he understand why the child called Qian San had looked so disdainful of his theories.

With a father like that backing him, Ning Dagang had even thought he could show off his strength when they went to hunt for Spirit Rings. He felt like a clown, putting on a ridiculous little act.

That night, Grandmaster Ning didn't sleep a wink. He sat at his desk until dawn, then silently locked the manuscript of his freshly revised Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul in the very back of a drawer.

Over the past few days, the back hills of Nuoding Academy had become Qian San's favorite haunt.

A thin mist hung among the trees in the early morning. Qian San sat cross-legged in a secluded clearing, with dense layers of faintly blue webs woven between the branches above and around him.

Before leaving, his father had taken special care to explain that although Blue Silver Spiders weren't venomous, they had exceptionally strong vitality and an affinity for nature. Meditating at the center of webs woven by large numbers of Blue Silver Spiders could draw in the energy of the surrounding environment and greatly benefit cultivation. After trying it for several days, Qian San had found that cultivating beneath the webs was at least ten percent faster than sitting around in his dorm.

Aside from meditation, Qian San devoted most of his energy to developing his first Soul Skill.

"Metal Control. This ability was practically made for Hidden Weapons." Qian San raised his right hand. A mass of blue-silver molten metal welled from his palm, stretching and hardening at his command. In the blink of an eye, it became a gleaming long sword, then melted and reshaped itself into a staff as tall as his brow.

After testing it repeatedly over the past few days, Qian San had figured out how the Soul Skill worked. First, metal objects he created could only be stored outside his body for three days at most. After that, the metal would lose the support of his Soul Power and dissipate into the air. But for Hidden Weapons meant to be used up, a three-day shelf life was more than enough.

Second, limited by his current mental strength and Soul Power Level, he could only shape simple objects, such as throwing knives, Bone-Piercing Nails, long swords, and iron rods. If he tried to create a full set of intricate, complex Zhuge Crossbows from thin air, his mental strength would be drained in an instant, and the metal would collapse as its structure destabilized.

"Looks like I'll still need a blacksmith's shop for anything complicated. For now, this Soul Skill's best for disposable ammunition and simple cold weapons."

Qian San drew back the metal and took a deep breath. Then he held both hands out before him, and a pale golden light quietly blossomed.

Zheng Fuyu Sword Technique!

This was the ultimate secret art his father, Qian Xunji, had taught him. Qian San had taken his father's warning to heart: the sword technique was too conspicuous, and he must never show it in public. So he could only practice in secret, early in the morning, in this secluded spot hidden behind the webs.

He moved like the wind, a dazzling long sword made entirely of light elements forming out of thin air in his palm. As he swung it, the air hummed faintly. A second Light Sword appeared in midair, then a third. They flew wherever his will directed them. Though he could barely manage the seventeenth form for now, he had already glimpsed the threshold of that wondrous state where sword and wielder became one and the heart was as still as water.

A few days later, the classic clash between the two groups of students broke out again. This time, Qian San took them all down by himself, and the Work-Study Students' chores were once more handed over to Xiao Chenyu and the others.

Heaven Dou City, a thousand miles away.

The bustling imperial capital teemed with traffic, and the shops lining its streets displayed wares of every kind. At the mouth of a secluded alley stood a tall, slender man. He wore an unassuming gray robe and a finely crafted silver half-mask.

It was Qian Xunji.

He had been in Heaven Dou City for two days. The sacrifice and explosive leap in strength six years ago had made him the youngest Titled Douluo on the continent, but they had also left him with a crippling hidden injury.

If he couldn't completely cure the damage lurking in his meridians, going all out in a fight would put him at risk of severe injury. Now that the world's yin and yang had been reversed and Bibi Yin controlled Haotian Hall, he had to regain his full strength if he wanted to plan for the future in this chaotic world and protect his son.

Across the entire continent, he had set his sights on the Nine-Heart Begonia.