Innocent and Aboveboard

At the training ground.

Jiang Ci'an's eyes were half-closed, his expression calm, his breathing long and steady.

Blood-red, scorching energy swirled around him, almost tangible, within a radius of several meters.

"Thump, thump, thump—"

Each beat of his heart boomed like a war drum, strong and powerful.

The blood-red energy around him pulsed in time with his heartbeat, swelling and receding like the tide, surging again and again with each beat.

There was no need to sense it. Just looking at the blood-red energy swirling around him was enough to feel its immense vitality and the mountain-like weight of its powerful presence.

And that wasn't all!

A blood-red figure gradually appeared behind the boy.

It stood about two or three meters tall. Its body was illusory, its outline indistinct, yet it was easy to see that it looked remarkably like the boy—only more mature, as though it were him grown up.

The figure opened its eyes. Its golden gaze was calm and indifferent, devoid of emotion, as it looked down upon everything before it.

Dong'er stood at the entrance to the backyard, her steps halting, her eyes widening slightly. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

Beside her, Xiao Xiao turned to look at her. A knowing smile touched her emerald eyes as she asked with a soft laugh:

"Still want to spar?"

Wang Dong'er very sensibly drew back her right foot, which she had already stepped forward, then shot Xiao Xiao an irritated look.

It wasn't as if she were blind.

With all that commotion, anyone seeing it would think some Soul Saint was activating their Martial Soul Avatar!

No, wait... How did this guy cultivate? She couldn't understand it at all!

Xiao Xiao chuckled softly and turned her gaze back. Her emerald eyes glimmered faintly.

Wang Dong'er stared at the figure on the cushion for a while, but couldn't make heads or tails of it. She turned to Er Ming, who was also examining Jiang Ci'an.

"Second Dad, can you make sense of this?"

"Uh..."

Er Ming, who had been watching intently, paused and came back to himself. He spoke uncertainly:

"It seems this kid has mastered Bloodline Power..."

He paused and carefully sensed it again.

"But his Bloodline Power seems to be mixed with Soul Power. The mixture doesn't seem very stable, though..."

Er Ming didn't continue, because that was all he could figure out.

As a Soul Beast who had become a divine official, even with the world suppressing him severely, he was still half a step stronger than an ordinary Level 98 Super Douluo.

But when it came to Soul Masters and Martial Souls, he couldn't claim to know much.

After all, he had no need to cultivate any of that.

He genuinely couldn't make sense of the boy's current state.

At first glance, he seemed to be only in his twenties in terms of Soul Power, with a steady aura and solid foundations.

But could a Soul Master in their twenties have this kind of ability?

With that kind of presence, how could he possibly be a Soul Grandmaster?

Could his Martial Soul be special, or was this some kind of unusual Soul Skill?

Er Ming sank into a stunned silence, unable to understand what he was seeing.

Perhaps sensing everyone's gaze, the blood-red energy around Jiang Ci'an began to slowly recede.

The scorching aura retreated like the tide. The mountain-like pressure dissipated layer by layer, and the blood-red phantom vanished as well.

Everything returned to calm.

Jiang Ci'an opened his eyes. A golden glint flashed through them as he glanced at the group in the distance. His expression softened, and his naturally gentle demeanor returned, leaving none of the oppressive presence from before.

It was as if he had become a different person.

Dong'er had already hurried over. Her blue-and-pink eyes swept up and down Jiang Ci'an as she furrowed her brows.

"You, just how many levels are you?"

"Not much higher than you," Jiang Ci'an replied smoothly.

"Really?"

"Really."

Meeting Jiang Ci'an's golden eyes, Wang Dong'er couldn't help feeling that something was off.

His expression was far too serene as he spoke—so serene that her instincts told her he was up to something.

Behind them, Er Ming watched his precious cabbage stand so close that she was nearly touching the boy's face, and his brow furrowed.

His precious cabbage seemed to be trying to butt heads with a pig again!

Er Ming grew vigilant and was about to speak when Wang Dong'er turned to him, her blue-and-pink eyes meeting his.

"Second Dad, go back and let First Dad know I'm safe. I'm staying at the pharmacy tonight. I'll be fine!"

"..."

Er Ming fell silent.

He looked at Wang Dong'er, then at the boy beside her.

The boy met his gaze, his expression unchanged, and gave him a polite smile and nod.

Er Ming fixed him with a warning look.

Jiang Ci'an: "..."

He hadn't done anything, had he?

He was innocent and aboveboard, wasn't he?

Er Ming looked away and sighed inwardly before saying, "All right, Dong'er. I'll be going, then."

"Mm-hmm! Goodbye, Second Dad!"

Wang Dong'er waved as she watched Er Ming disappear.

Once he was completely out of sight, Wang Dong'er immediately crowded back up to Jiang Ci'an, her bright eyes fixed on him, brimming with eager curiosity.

"Now that Second Dad's gone, you can tell me, right? What were all those tricks you just used? How did you do it?"

Jiang Ci'an looked at the curious girl and smiled.

"Want to learn?"

Dong'er's eyes lit up.

"Can I?"

Jiang Ci'an shook his head. "I just worked it out, and it's not stable yet. If you want to learn, you'll have to wait a bit."

"Yay!"

Wang Dong'er cheered.

Although this guy sometimes teamed up with Xiao Xiao and left her out, making her feel like a Soul Guidance Lamp stuck between them, he was still pretty great otherwise!

Dong'er couldn't help humming in delight, completely forgetting that just moments ago, in the carriage, she'd been plotting with Xiao Xiao to team up and defeat Jiang Ci'an.

Jiang Ci'an watched the cheering Big White Goose, then looked away and turned to Xiao Xiao, who had been standing quietly beside them the whole time.

His childhood friend was as petite as ever. Her dark-green hair had grown longer over the past six months; tied in a high ponytail, it fell naturally down her back. Her emerald eyes quietly reflected his image, calm and bright.

"How did it go? Smoothly?" Jiang Ci'an asked softly.

"Very smoothly."

Xiao Xiao answered earnestly and raised her hand. A small black cauldron appeared in her palm.

One yellow and one purple Soul Ring appeared, slowly revolving around the cauldron.

"My second Soul Ring is around 2,900 years old. I got it from a Dark Gold Bear. It greatly improved my physique, and the weight of the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron and its suppressive power have both increased a lot."

Jiang Ci'an nodded.

The Dark Gold Bear was a top-tier bear-type Soul Beast with a trace of Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear bloodline. Its strength, defense, and physical toughness were all top-notch.

Among Soul Beasts of the same age, it was almost impossible to find a match for it—unless they had extraordinarily powerful bloodlines.

For Xiao Xiao to absorb a 2,900-year-old Dark Gold Bear Soul Ring at Level 20, her physique must have improved immensely.

Her subsequent Ring Unlocking cultivation would be much easier, and the benefits she gained would be even greater.