Chibi Qian Renxue

After exiting his spiritual sea, Shen Nanxun calmed his slightly agitated emotions.

Transitioning from the status of a "waste" brought about a significant shift in mindset. Even with the most composed temperament, it was hard not to feel stirred.

After all, not everyone was Yu Xiaogang, capable of using the "Ah Q" method of spiritual victory to comfort themselves with the sugar-coated lie that "there are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters," only to fail to break through level thirty in the end.

When it came down to it, that was nothing more than a philosophy of victory for the weak, an art of desperate self-deception.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. After repeating this several times, his heartbeat finally returned to a normal rhythm.

Thinking about it now, his martial soul was essentially a top-tier version of Huo Kaoyu's. Compared to gods, a million-year Sky Dream Ice Worm and similar fierce beasts were truly insignificant.

Moreover, although each soul spirit could only provide him with two soul rings, each one was effectively a martial soul in its own right.

Just then, a sound came from the doorway.

Shen Xing stepped in first, followed closely by a young woman in military uniform. She was in her early twenties, also sporting long, pale blue hair. Her features were sixty percent similar to Shen Xing's, but her temperament was more mature and steady.

It was Shen Nanxun and Shen Xing's eldest sister, Shen Yue.

At only twenty-six, she had already been exceptionally appointed as the Deputy Commander of the North Sea Legion. Of course, besides her own excellence, this was also due to the influence of their father, a man with vast connections who had pulled strings.

A single phone call to the military department had sufficed.

"Eldest sister."

Shen Nanxun called out obediently.

He dared not be otherwise. Although Shen Yue was very kind to him in daily life, she was also very stern, which likely had to do with her military background.

Shen Yue nodded slightly, her eyes filled with doting affection. She hurried to the bedside and asked, "Xiao Xun, how is your recovery? Is there anywhere you still feel uncomfortable?"

"A little."

"Hmm? Where does it hurt?"

"Uh... Second sister pinched me too hard."

"..."

Shen Xing coughed awkwardly. She had been too excited; the moment she entered the room, she had rushed over and grabbed Shen Nanxun's arm, using just a tiny bit too much strength.

After confirming that Shen Nanxun was physically unharmed, Shen Yue finally asked about the specifics:

"Xiao Xun, before you fainted that day, did you see what those two evil soul masters were doing?"

"No, I fainted as soon as I saw them." Shen Nanxun shook his head, though he knew full well that it must have been Qian Renxue who dealt with those two evil soul masters that day.

However, he couldn't understand why he would be attacked by evil soul masters for no reason, especially in the suburbs not far from the North Sea Legion's base.

"I see." Shen Yue only responded with a hum, seemingly unsurprised by the answer, and she did not press for any details.

Shen Nanxun's heart skipped a beat.

There were two possibilities for why his eldest sister didn't ask further. Either she already had her own judgment and didn't need to fish for information from a six-year-old, or she knew something he didn't, and asking the question was merely a way to confirm something.

Either way, it meant Shen Yue knew more about this attack than he had assumed.

Shen Yue pulled up a chair by the bed and sat down, her military uniform's shoulder line perfectly straight. She reached out to tuck in the corner of his blanket, her movements gentle—a stark contrast to the way she issued orders in the military. Seeing this, Shen Xing also pulled up a chair on the other side. The two sisters sat on his left and right, surrounding the hospital bed completely.

"Don't worry," Shen Yue comforted him. "According to our assessment, the evil soul masters didn't have a specific objective in this attack; it was more like a random encounter."

"Xiao Xun, regarding your martial soul, I hope you won't overthink or feel anxious." Unlike her usual sternness, Shen Yue said softly and earnestly, "No matter what your talent is, and regardless of whether you share the same bloodline as us, you will always be our younger brother. That will never change."

In truth, Shen Nanxun was not the biological child of the Shen family; he was a foundling. It sounded cliché, and in reality, it was.

Six years ago, their parents had found a one-year-old baby by the seaside. The child was unique, surrounded by a lingering, colorful halo—that child was Shen Nanxun.

Aside from a jade pendant he wore, he had nothing else.

"Me too, me too!" Shen Xing hurriedly pledged her loyalty as well.

Feeling the warmth from his two sisters, Shen Nanxun knew how much they cared for him. As for his martial soul, he didn't intend to hide too much; after all, some things were bound to be revealed sooner or later.

"Eldest sister, second sister, actually, my martial soul has already awakened."

"What?"

The two sisters looked at each other, their eyes filled with undisguised shock.

"Xiao Xun, are you sure?" Shen Yue's voice dropped very low, sounding grave. "Martial soul awakening is a major event; you can't joke about it."

Shen Xing leaned in closer, her long, pale blue hair nearly brushing the sheets. She grabbed Shen Nanxun's hand, her ice-blue eyes full of anticipation, her fingers trembling slightly. "Xiao Xun, you... you really awakened your martial soul? What is it? Is it edible?"

"No, no, is it fun to play with?"

"Oh! I said it wrong again."

Shen Xing was so anxious she was tripping over her words, while Shen Yue sat to the side, looking helpless but with eyes full of expectation.

He was the one who had two levels of soul power but no awakened martial soul, yet his two sisters were the ones most anxious about it. Even without a blood connection, this familial bond transcended blood.

Shen Nanxun said no more. He closed his eyes slightly, feeling for the first time the power bestowed upon him by the Angel God, Qian Renxue. Although he hadn't reached level ten yet and couldn't attach his first soul ring, she had already become his soul spirit.

Simple martial soul manifestation and the use of a small portion of power were still possible.

Deep within his consciousness, that golden light suddenly flared. Immediately after, a power he had never felt before surged from his heart, climbing up his spine, passing through his shoulder blades, and gathering on both sides of his back.

From behind Shen Nanxun's thin hospital gown, two golden rays of light slowly extended, converging into a pair of golden wings.

At the same time, a mark appeared on Shen Nanxun's forehead.

It was a pair of golden wings, spread wide.

Even his black eyes turned a brilliant, dazzling gold.

"This is..." Shen Yue straightened up, her eyes filled with surprise. She thought of the Angel family of the Southern Legion; their Angel Martial Soul seemed to look just like this.

"It's so pretty!" Shen Xing's blue eyes sparkled, her focus clearly different from the others.

"My Martial Soul is..." Shen Nanxun hesitated, wondering what to call it. Calling it a Spirit seemed a bit bizarre, but calling it an Angel Martial Soul wasn't quite accurate either, as that was merely one of the powers he possessed.

"Thousand Forms!"

Just then, a voice resonated deep within his soul.

"Thousand Forms Martial Soul. Ever-changing, formless and imageless. What you possess has never been a fixed Martial Soul, but the embodiment of our power. The form of an angel is merely one of them."

Shen Nanxun opened his eyes, his golden pupils glowing strikingly in the dim hospital room.

"My Martial Soul is named Thousand Forms."

"Thousand Forms?" Shen Yue quickly searched her memory for the name, but found no impression of it.

"Innate rank two soul power, awakened later in life, and a unique, special Martial Soul."

Summing up this information, it was clear that Shen Nanxun's Martial Soul was anything but ordinary.

"It's probably because I can master several different types of power, so it's called Thousand Forms," Shen Nanxun explained briefly and vaguely.

"Are there others besides this current power?"

"I'm not too sure yet."

"It's fine. Awakening a Martial Soul is a good thing. As your soul power grows, you'll slowly find out," Shen Yue said. "I'll find someone to look into this Martial Soul later."

"By the way, Xiao Xun... regarding your background, Father has found some leads. Perhaps someone will come to see you in a few days."

Shen Nanxun didn't pay much mind to it. To him, the current Shen Family was enough; the emotional bonds were inseparable. From a realistic standpoint, the Shen Family's status within the Federation was high enough to provide all the resources he needed for his cultivation as a Spirit Master.

The sisters chatted with him for a while longer before leaving one after another, telling him to get some rest.

The room fell silent once more.

Shen Nanxun, however, had no heart for rest. He frowned slightly and asked inwardly, "Sister Xue, why do I feel like those two Evil Spirit Masters attacking me wasn't right? It seems like they were targeting me from the very beginning."

He recalled the words those Evil Spirit Masters had spoken. At the time, he had been too tense to think it through, but now that he had time to reflect, he realized something was off.

"Don't doubt it. You're right."

Qian Renxue's voice echoed in the depths of his consciousness, as cold and detached as ever.

As soon as she finished speaking, the golden wing mark on Shen Nanxun's forehead suddenly manifested on its own, glowing for a brief moment. A ball of light detached from between his brows and slowly condensed in the air before him.

The light dissipated.

Before Shen Nanxun's eyes appeared a tiny figure.

It was a palm-sized Qian Renxue.

She was so small that she could sit in the palm of Shen Nanxun's hand. Her long, flowing golden hair was now shoulder-length, tied loosely into a small ponytail at the back, the tips slightly curled. Her six golden wings had become six miniature wings; due to the change in scale, the once holy and majestic light wings now looked somewhat like the delicate wings of a dragonfly.

Her white palace gown had transformed into a simple little dress that fell just past her knees, revealing a sliver of legs clad in small white boots.

But what held one's gaze most was her face.

It was still a miniature version of Qian Renxue, her features as exquisite as a porcelain doll, yet the lines were much softer than her true form. Her purple eyes remained as clear as crystal, but because of the scale, they appeared larger and rounder, losing some of their cold aloofness and gaining a sticky, soft, and sweet quality.

She pursed her lips slightly, arms crossed over her chest, her little legs dangling in the air as her tiny wings fluttered to maintain her hover.

Though she was a miniature version of the same person, her temperament was entirely different. The true Qian Renxue was a god, high and unreachable, making one afraid to look directly at her. But this Q-version of Qian Renxue was like a golden cloud shrunk countless times, giving one the urge to reach out and poke her.

Shen Nanxun was stunned.

He subconsciously opened his right palm, and the tiny Qian Renxue fluttered her little wings, slowly landing in his hand.

After standing still, she smoothed out her dress with a serious expression, then looked up at Shen Nanxun with those big, round purple eyes.

"This saves soul power," she spoke. It was still Qian Renxue's voice, but because of her size, the tone was a bit thinner, a milky, childish quality piercing through the coldness. "Your pathetic amount of soul power cannot support me in my full form for very long."

Shen Nanxun stared at the tiny person in his palm, silent for a moment.

"Sister Xue."

"Hmm?"

"You look like this..." Shen Nanxun weighed his words, "...a bit cute."

Not just cute—if he flicked this version of Qian Renxue, she would probably cry for a long time, right?

He really wanted to bully her.

The Q-version Qian Renxue's little wings stiffened abruptly, and she bristled all over. "Do not call me cute!"

She was the Angel God, holy and noble—what the hell was 'cute'!

"Understood." Shen Nanxun suppressed the urge to pinch Qian Renxue's tiny cheeks and sat up straight. "Please continue, Sister Xue."

Qian Renxue cast a wary glance at him before saying, "As your soul spirits, even when we are dormant, we possess sufficient divinity. This subtly influences you; the more powerful a soul master is, the more sensitive they become to your aura, and those whose power attributes are similar to yours will feel it even more clearly."

"Take my Six-Winged Angel for example; if someone possessing an Angel martial soul were to see you, they would be even more drawn to you. The others would be the same, even if they haven't awakened."

Shen Nanxun's expression turned somewhat strange. This meant that in an era where gods had vanished, he seemed to have become the only...

Tang Monk meat!

Douling Continent.

Inside the solemn and majestic imperial palace, Xue Yuntian, the current emperor of the Douling Empire, stood before the imperial throne with his eyes closed, his aura restrained and steady.

"Still no news?"

An attendant bowed and stepped forward, whispering, "Your Majesty, not yet."

"Five years, and there is still no news at all." Xue Yuntian slowly opened his eyes, his aura turning a shade colder.

Ever since the imperial coup five years ago, the Third Prince's manor had been razed by fire. Although everyone else had been executed, the youngest child, who had been born not long before, had vanished without a trace.

Now, this was a thorn in his side that he could not pull out.

The attendant whispered, "Your Majesty, it seems highly likely that they are no longer within the borders of the empire."

"That is exactly where the trouble lies."

Xue Yuntian sighed. Even as the Emperor of Douling, he could only stir up wind and rain on this continent. Attempting to interfere in the affairs of the other two continents was simply impossible.

Send people to search?

That would be no different from looking for a needle in a haystack.

The attendant was not as worried, reminding him from the side, "Your Majesty need not fret. Even if that child were to amount to something in the future, there is no need for concern. The Third Prince's consort is still in our hands; when the time comes, we can use her as leverage, and he will not dare to disobey."

Xue Yuntian did not speak, and the attendant tactfully withdrew, leaving him standing alone in the vast palace.

"Wildfires cannot burn it all away; the spring breeze brings it back to life..."