Ding-a-ling—
Before anyone knew it, the bell rang for the end of class.
The students filed out of the classroom.
Given Qin Xuan's status, he could have left early long ago.
But this was, after all, the homeroom teacher's first class. The teacher deserved the basic respect.
"Young Master Qin, let's go." Xia Hui came over with her arm linked through Song Qingling's, smiling.
Qin Xuan gave a soft "Mm," then led the two girls out of the classroom.
He quite liked Xia Hui.
She was open and easygoing in the way she dealt with people, and no matter the occasion, a smile seemed to linger on her pretty face.
She and her close friend Song Qingling seemed to have completely opposite personalities.
It was lunchtime, and students streamed in and out of the cafeteria.
Qin Xuan led the two girls straight to a private room on the third floor.
Before long, dish after dish of delicious food was brought to the table.
"Don't be shy. Let's eat while we talk!" As he spoke, Qin Xuan picked up a slice of matsutake with his chopsticks and ate it.
Only then did Song Qingling and Xia Hui dare to start eating.
It wasn't that they were afraid of Qin Xuan; it was simply basic etiquette.
Qin Xuan had arranged the meal, so naturally, he was paying.
If the host hadn't started serving himself and the two girls had already begun eating, what would that look like?
The three of them ate quietly. Qin Xuan wasn't in a hurry to speak, but a thought stirred in his heart:
It seems that aside from the Shrek Seven Devils, Douluo Continent has plenty of other talents who've gone unnoticed.
These two girls have good natural talent. If I give them a little guidance, breaking through to Titled Douluo in the future might not be difficult.
If they hadn't met me, they'd probably never have made it past Soul Douluo.
"Young Master Qin, have you obtained your Soul Rings yet?" Xia Hui asked, puzzled, after taking a sip of orange juice.
"Of course." Qin Xuan nodded slightly, then said with a smile, "You can just call me Brother Qin when we're alone."
"Wow!" Xia Hui's eyes lit up, and she said enviously, "It's great to have innate full Soul Power at level twenty. You can obtain Soul Rings as soon as your Martial Soul awakens!"
"B-Brother Qin, how old are your First and Second Soul Rings?" Song Qingling, who had been quiet until now, suddenly asked.
At that, Qin Xuan fell into thought for a moment, then stood up. Two purple Soul Rings rose one after the other from beneath his feet.
"Two Thousand-Year Soul Rings!" The two girls cried in shock, speaking in unison.
"Am I seeing things?" Xia Hui rubbed her wide eyes. When she opened them again, the two glittering purple Soul Rings were still there.
"The limit for a Soul Master absorbing their First Soul Ring is barely a hundred years. If you try to absorb one with a higher age, the energy can overwhelm you and make your body explode."
"Your First Soul Ring is already a thousand years old!"
Song Qingling exclaimed, and silently marveled, Absorbing a Thousand-Year Soul Ring successfully also shows just how powerful the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger is—it's several times stronger than even a top-tier Martial Soul!
Even the seven great enshrined elders of Spirit Hall, or the current Pope, probably only had a hundred-year Yellow Soul Ring as their First Soul Ring!
Qin Xuan dismissed his Soul Rings and looked at the two girls with a smile.
"Xiaohui, let me take another look at your Martial Souls."
As soon as he finished speaking, the two girls summoned their Martial Souls.
A three-tiered purple pagoda appeared in Xia Hui's left palm.
Song Qingling held a silver spear, over five feet long.
The spear radiated waves of cold, and the dragon carved into its shaft looked so lifelike it seemed ready to spring to life.
At the sight of the silver spear, its chill biting, Qin Xuan's brows eased and excitement flickered across his face.
It had something in common with She Long's Cyan-Purple Serpent Spear, but its Martial Soul quality seemed considerably higher.
He could tell that this silver spear was also a Mutated Martial Soul, one that could transform an artifact Martial Soul into a beast!
Seeing Qin Xuan's heated gaze, Song Qingling spoke up.
"Given Brother Qin's knowledge, you've probably already guessed what makes my Ice Soul Dragon Abyss Spear special."
"Could it be the legendary Mutated Martial Soul that can turn an artifact Martial Soul into a beast?" Qin Xuan asked, pretending to be puzzled.
"That's right!" Song Qingling replied gravely. "The Ice Soul Dragon Abyss Spear has both an artifact form and a beast form. It combines an artifact Martial Soul's sharpness with a Beast Martial Soul's physical advantages."
"When it's in its Martial Soul Avatar form, the Ice Soul Dragon Abyss Spear can transform into an ice dragon, capable of both offense and defense, and its Soul Skills double in power!"
Qin Xuan couldn't help praising it.
"What an Ice Soul Dragon Abyss Spear! It's good enough to rank among the top five artifact Martial Souls on the continent!"
After he finished speaking,
he turned his gaze to the pagoda in Xia Hui's hand and continued.
"Is this a support-type artifact Martial Soul?"
"But I recall that the Purple Heaven Sect's inherited Martial Soul is supposed to be the Purple Heaven Sword."
"Brother Qin knows about my Purple Heaven Sect?" Surprise appeared on Xia Hui's face.
"The Purple Heaven Sect is a second-rate sect in the Star Luo Empire. I was born in Star Luo City, so I've heard of it."
"Ah..." Xia Hui let out a soft sigh. Her eyes dimmed, and her voice was full of unwillingness.
"I should have awakened the inherited Martial Soul, the Purple Heaven Sword, but my mother's pagoda Martial Soul caused a mutation."
Hearing this, Qin Xuan couldn't help interjecting. "Could it be that your mother's Martial Soul was about the same quality as the Purple Heaven Sword?"
"If its quality had been lower, it would have been suppressed by the Purple Heaven Sword's energy long ago."
"As expected of Brother Qin. You really are knowledgeable." Xia Hui went on to explain.
"It was because the Purple Heaven Sword and the pagoda Martial Soul were similar in quality that my Martial Soul mutated into the Crape Myrtle Exquisite Pagoda."
"The Crape Myrtle Exquisite Pagoda has only three amplification effects: Soul Power, speed, and strength."
"This Martial Soul is actually quite high in quality, but because of its characteristics, it can only be given three Soul Rings."
"Perhaps a Soul Elder is the furthest I'll ever go."
"After all, a Soul Master can't break through to the next realm without absorbing another Soul Ring."
As she spoke, her eyes reddened. The smile vanished from her face, replaced by a look of sorrow.
"The Crape Myrtle Exquisite Pagoda..." Qin Xuan murmured, his brows furrowing as he thought.
This seems like a low-grade version of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda!
But why does this pagoda make me feel as if its Martial Soul quality is far higher than the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda's?
If Xia Hui took the Immortal Herb, the Silk Tulip, could it help the Crape Myrtle Exquisite Pagoda break through its limits and evolve again?
After thinking it over, he spoke to comfort her.
"Xiaohui, you don't need to despair about your future."
"In my opinion, the Crape Myrtle Exquisite Pagoda isn't in its complete form yet. It should be able to evolve again."
"Really?" Xia Hui's eyes brightened, and her spirits lifted.
"Of course," Qin Xuan replied calmly.
Song Qingling said nothing. She only let the corner of her mouth curl into a knowing smile.
Seeing how confident Qin Xuan looked, she guessed that he probably had a way to help the Crape Myrtle Exquisite Pagoda break through its limits.
The three of them ate and drank, chatted about a few things, and then ended their meal.
Qin Xuan returned to his dormitory, summoned the Nine Nether Evil God Tiger, and immediately began refining the energy of the two thousand-year-old Soul Beasts!
Before you continue