Pure and Spotless

In the training grounds.

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

The scorching, blood-red energy swirled around him, nearly tangible within a radius of several meters.

"Thump, thump, thump—"

Every heartbeat was as powerful and resonant as a war drum.

The surrounding blood-red energy pulsed in rhythm with his heart, expanding and contracting like a tide, surging with every beat.

One didn't even need to sense it; merely gazing at the blood-red energy swirling around him revealed a vast, surging vitality and a formidable pressure as heavy as a mountain.

And that wasn't even all!

Behind the youth, a blood-red figure faintly emerged.

The figure stood about two or three meters tall, its form ethereal and its outline blurred, yet it was easy to discern that it resembled the youth, only more mature—as if it were him fully grown.

The figure's eyes were open, its golden pupils indifferent and calm, devoid of any emotional fluctuation as it looked down upon everything before it from on high.

Wang Dong'er stood at the entrance of the backyard, her footsteps faltering. Her eyes widened slightly, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.

Beside her, Xiao Xiao turned her head to look at her, a knowing smile in her emerald eyes as she chuckled and asked, "Still want to spar?"

Wang Dong'er retracted her right foot with great prudence, then shot Xiao Xiao an annoyed look.

She wasn't blind.

Just looking at this commotion, anyone who didn't know better would think some Soul Saint was unleashing their Martial Soul Avatar!

No... how on earth does this guy cultivate? It makes absolutely no sense!

Xiao Xiao chuckled softly, her gaze shifting back, her emerald eyes flickering slightly.

Wang Dong'er stared at the figure on the meditation cushion for a moment, but unable to make heads or tails of it, she turned to look at Er Ming, who was also observing Jiang Ci'an.

"Second Daddy, do you understand what's happening?"

"Uh..."

Er Ming, who had been somewhat mesmerized, paused and snapped back to reality, speaking with some uncertainty: "This kid seems to have mastered Bloodline Power..."

He paused, sensing more carefully. "However, his Bloodline Power seems to be mixed with Soul Power, though the mixture doesn't seem very stable..."

Er Ming didn't continue, as that was all he could discern.

As a being who had become a divine official through his status as a soul beast, even though he was heavily suppressed by the world, his strength was still half a notch above an ordinary ninety-eighth-level Super Douluo.

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

After all, he didn't need to cultivate such things.

He truly couldn't understand the state of the boy before him.

At a glance, he seemed to be around level twenty, with a steady aura and a solid foundation.

But could a level twenty Soul Master really possess such methods?

This momentum—how could this possibly belong to a Soul Grand Master?

Could it be a special Martial Soul, or perhaps some kind of unique soul skill?

Er Ming fell into a silence of "I don't understand, but I am greatly shocked."

Seemingly sensing the gazes of the others, the blood-red energy around Jiang Ci'an began to slowly recede.

The scorching aura retreated like a tide, the mountain-like pressure dissolved layer by layer, and the blood-red phantom naturally dissipated.

Everything returned to calm.

Jiang Ci'an opened his eyes, a golden light flashing through them. He swept his gaze over the group in the distance, and as his expression shifted slightly, his temperament naturally softened, completely shedding the oppressive feeling from moments ago.

It was as if he were a different person.

Wang Dong'er had already hurried over, her blue-pink eyes scanning Jiang Ci'an up and down, her brows slightly furrowed. "You guy, what level are you exactly?"

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

"Really?"

"Really."

Wang Dong'er met Jiang Ci'an's golden eyes, feeling that something was off.

His expression was too peaceful when he spoke—so peaceful that she instinctively felt there was a trick involved.

Behind them, Er Ming watched his precious "cabbage" leaning in so close that she was nearly touching the boy's face, and his brows immediately furrowed.

His own little cabbage seemed to be rooting for a pig again!

Er Ming grew instantly vigilant. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Wang Dong'er turn her head, her blue and pink eyes fixed on him.

"Second Daddy, you should go back and let Big Daddy know I'm safe first. I'm staying at the pharmacy tonight, so I'll be fine!"

"..."

Er Ming fell silent.

He glanced at Wang Dong'er, then looked toward the young man standing to the side.

The youth met his gaze with a calm expression, nodding with a polite smile.

In response, Er Ming shot him a warning glare.

Jiang Ci'an: "..."

He hadn't done anything, had he?

Everything was perfectly innocent!

Er Ming withdrew his gaze and sighed inwardly before saying, "Alright then, Dong'er, I'll be going."

"Mm-hmm, goodbye, Second Daddy!"

Wang Dong'er waved her hand, watching Er Ming's figure disappear.

Once Er Ming was completely out of sight, Wang Dong'er immediately leaned in toward Jiang Ci'an, her eyes sparkling as she stared at him with eager intensity.

"Second Daddy is gone, so can you tell me now? What were those techniques you used earlier? How did you do it?"

Jiang Ci'an looked at the curious little thing before him and smiled.

"Want to learn?"

Dong'er's eyes lit up.

"Can I?"

Jiang Ci'an shook his head. "I just tinkered with it, and it's still unstable. If you want to learn, you'll have to wait a while longer."

"Yay!"

Wang Dong'er cheered.

Although this guy sometimes excluded her when he was with Xiao Xiao, making her feel like a soul-tool lightbulb, he was still pretty great otherwise!

Dong'er couldn't help but hum softly, her mind completely forgetting that she had just been plotting with Xiao Xiao in the carriage on how to join forces to defeat Jiang Ci'an.

Jiang Ci'an looked at the cheering white goose before him, then withdrew his gaze to look at Xiao Xiao, who had been standing quietly to the side.

His childhood sweetheart's figure was as petite as ever. Her long, dark green hair had grown a bit longer than it was half a year ago, tied into a high ponytail that hung naturally, and those emerald eyes quietly reflected his shadow, calm and bright.

"How was it? Did it go smoothly?" Jiang Ci'an asked softly.

"Very smoothly."

Xiao Xiao said earnestly, raising her hand as a small, pitch-black cauldron emerged from her palm.

One yellow and one purple soul ring appeared, slowly rotating around the body of the cauldron.

"The age of my second ring is around twenty-nine hundred years. It came from a Dark Gold Bear, which has greatly improved my physique. The weight and suppression power of the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron have also increased significantly."

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; it was peerless in terms of strength, defense, and physical constitution.

At the same age, it was almost unrivaled unless it faced those soul beasts with exceptionally powerful bloodlines.

Since Xiao Xiao was able to absorb a twenty-nine-hundred-year Dark Gold Bear soul ring at the twentieth-level stage, her physique would inevitably be greatly enhanced.

The subsequent practice of "Ring Unlocking" would not only be much easier, but the benefits she would gain would also be far greater.