Trouble Looms

Qian San had no intention of engaging her in close-quarters combat.

"First Soul Skill, Metal Control."

Qian San swept both hands outward. A large quantity of blue-silver Liquid Metal surged from his palms, instantly forming more than a dozen round, solid metal balls that rolled rapidly across the ground toward Dai Zhuqing.

Dai Zhuqing charged forward at tremendous speed and inevitably stepped on several metal balls. Their smooth surfaces sent her feet sliding, and she lost her balance in an instant.

With no other choice, Dai Zhuqing had to draw on the immense strength amplified by her Martial Soul and stomp down hard, forcing the metal balls beneath her feet into the soil so she could regain her footing.

But this was exactly what Qian San had been waiting for. He gave Dai Zhuqing no chance to get any closer.

"Rise!" Qian San jerked his palm upward.

Under his control, the metal balls Dai Zhuqing had stamped into the soil liquefied in an instant and burst out of the ground. Blue-silver Liquid Metal raced up Dai Zhuqing's ankles, quickly spreading to bind her legs and waist...

At the same time, the strands of Liquid Metal joined together and tightened.

Soul Power surged through Qian San's body as he instantly increased the metal output of his First Soul Skill. More metal poured in from every direction, climbing along her waist and binding Dai Zhuqing's hands as well.

The metal quickly hardened. In the blink of an eye, Dai Zhuqing was completely shackled by a heavy metal restraint, rooted to the spot and unable to move.

She struggled several times, only to find the blue-silver metal incredibly hard—and the more she fought, the tighter it drew.

Qian San stood a few steps away and made no further attack. He simply watched her calmly and said, "You lose."

Feeling the restraints around her arms and legs, Dai Zhuqing knew she had no way to fight back. In a real battle to the death, the moment she was bound just now would have been the moment she died. She took a deep breath and stopped struggling, then sighed helplessly. "I lose."

Seeing this, Qian San raised his palm slightly. The metal chains wrapped around Dai Zhuqing turned liquid in an instant, flowed swiftly along the ground back into his palm, and vanished.

Dai Zhuqing rolled her aching wrists. There was little frustration in her eyes. She knew Qian San was a higher level than she was, and his fighting style was endlessly unpredictable. Even Zhao Youji, a Soul Sage, had suffered at his hands.

Qian San looked at her and offered some advice. "You have tremendous burst power and speed, but you can be at a disadvantage against opponents with strong control abilities. You should talk more with Sister Qing."

Qian San continued, "You and Sister Qing both have Power Attack System Beast Martial Souls—you're a tiger, and she's a dragon. You both rely on physical strength and Soul Skills to meet your opponents head-on. Sister Qing has a lot of experience dealing with control abilities and breaking through defenses. Asking her for advice would do a lot to improve your combat skills. My fighting style is unusual and hardly representative, so you wouldn't be able to learn it."

Dai Zhuqing followed Qian San's gaze toward Xiao Qing and silently nodded, taking his words to heart. She walked over to Xiao Qing, who gave a simple nod in response. She didn't refuse Dai Zhuqing's request for guidance.

Under the shade of a distant tree, Zhu Muhei watched it all in silence. When he saw Dai Zhuqing's disappointment at losing, he instinctively took a step forward, wanting to go comfort her. But as soon as he moved, he remembered how coldly she had treated him earlier, and how she had told him to "get lost."

Zhu Muhei stopped, clenched his fists in silence, and turned away from the training field without a word.

Nearby, Niu Lanjun pressed his palms together and watched Qian San put away the Liquid Metal. He spoke slowly. "Amitabha. Benefactor Qian San, your attacks are truly unpredictable. Under your control, that metal is like it's grown countless hands. It's just like the Thousand-Handed Guanyin descending into the world—impossible to guard against."

"Thousand-Handed Guanyin?"

At the name, Qian San froze for a moment. His thoughts drifted away, back to his days in the Tang Sect in his previous life. Among the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons techniques was an immensely profound art called Guanyin Tear, famed for its claim: It ignores all defenses and never misses!

The title Thousand-Handed Guanyin seemed uncannily suited to his current fighting style. He controlled not only Liquid Metal, but countless Hidden Weapons as well.

Qian San smiled and said to Niu Lanjun, "That title really does suit me."

By then, everyone on the training field had gone their separate ways. No one noticed Yu Rongrong, standing at the edge of the field and gazing thoughtfully at Qian San's back.

Night fell.

The students at Kelaishi Academy had all retired for the night, but Yu Rongrong quietly slipped out of the dormitory.

Taking advantage of the darkness, she hurried into Suotuo City.

At a secret outpost in Suotuo City, Yu Rongrong smoothly presented the token that identified her as a direct descendant of the Seven Treasure Overlord Pagoda Sect. The outpost's manager immediately welcomed her inside with great respect.

Without wasting words, Yu Rongrong went straight to the desk, picked up a pen and paper, and quickly wrote a confidential letter.

Once she had finished, Yu Rongrong sealed the letter, stamped it with her personal seal, and handed it to the outpost manager.

"Use the sect's highest-grade flying Soul Beast to rush this letter back to the sect. Deliver it to my father in person," she ordered sternly.

"Yes, Young Miss." The manager took the letter and immediately turned to make arrangements.

[Surface World]

Night fell,

Heaven Dou City, Crown Prince's Residence.

Qian Xunji slipped inside without a sound.

A gentle breeze swept through, and without warning, a gray-robed figure appeared in the study.

Qian Renxue's heart jolted. Someone had infiltrated the inner courtyard of the Crown Prince's Residence without making a sound? This clearly wasn't someone from the Heaven Dou Empire. Had her identity been exposed?

"How dare you, intruder!"

Qian Renxue shot to her feet and shouted angrily. Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, two Titled Douluo auras erupted from the shadows of the study!

"Who are you? What gives you the nerve to come here?"

Porcupinefish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo instantly shielded Qian Renxue like guardian deities. Both felt danger rise in their hearts, and their Martial Soul Avatars were already poised to emerge.

Qian Xunji stood with his hands behind his back. Facing the three of them, poised for battle, he slowly raised a hand and removed the silver mask from his face.

The moment that familiar face—which should never have appeared again—was revealed in the lamplight, the entire study fell still.

Porcupinefish Douluo's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. Snake Lance Douluo was so startled that the long spear in his hand slipped to the floor with a sharp clink.

"You! Y-Your Holiness the Pope!"

"This can't be! You should have been..."

Qian Renxue was struck as if by lightning, frozen in place. The face she wore as Xue Qinghe twitched violently.