Parting

Flying past the small town, the number of villages gradually increased. After crossing a long canyon, a magnificent building came into view from afar.

That was Soto City, known as the "Granary of Balak."

Qingxi looked at the city with some curiosity. Blue Star did not have this style of architecture; these buildings leaned more toward the aesthetic of a city in the sky.

They did not use the city gate. Guang Ling flew directly into the city with Qingxi and landed at the entrance of the Spirit Hall.

"Audacious! Who goes there!" At the entrance of the main hall, a group of knights pointed their long spears at the pair.

Guang Ling let out a cold snort and pulled out an Elder Token to display it.

Recognizing the item, the knights at the gate were startled. They immediately withdrew their weapons and knelt on one knee. "Greetings, Fifth Pontiff!"

"Hmph!" Guang Ling nodded haughtily and led little Qingxi into the branch hall.

Upon receiving the message, the bishop hurried over.

"I do not know what instructions the Fifth Pontiff has for coming here, but this subordinate will certainly do his utmost." The bishop bowed slightly, but a terrifying chill enveloped him, and a thin layer of cold sweat seeped onto his forehead.

It was always rumored that although Guang Ling Douluo was eighty years old, he still possessed a youthful face and a childlike temperament. Now, it seemed those rumors were not necessarily true.

Guang Ling's face was as cold as frost, his expression stern.

He pulled Qingxi out from behind him, his voice icy and laced with a warning. "This child is an orphan. I am leaving her in your care to raise properly. Do you understand?"

"Rest assured, Fifth Pontiff, this subordinate will certainly do his best." Cold sweat streamed down the bishop's face as the pressure on him inexplicably grew heavier. He hurriedly added, "This subordinate—this subordinate will certainly raise her as if she were my own daughter!"

"Hmph, that's more like it." Guang Ling's lips curled slightly, appearing quite pleased.

The bishop felt his body lighten, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"I recall that you are an auxiliary-type medicine spirit master, proficient in medical arts. This little one was frightened in the Star Dou Great Forest and is a bit dull-witted. Check her and see if there are any issues."

Guang Ling's voice resonated from above.

"Yes!" The bishop bowed slightly, his gaze falling on the little girl beside Guang Ling.

Her hair and eyes were of an exceptionally pure black, like the arrival of an eternal night; such an appearance was rare throughout the entire Douluo Continent. Coupled with her fair skin, she looked like a dazzling pearl.

"Be a good girl, little one, let Uncle take a look." The bishop took Qingxi's small hand and closed his eyes.

Qingxi watched him with curiosity, feeling a certain spiritual energy sweep through her meridians.

The bishop slowly opened his eyes and looked at the three-year-old girl before him, his brows furrowing slightly. "Bone age is five and a half years old, meridians are sturdy—she is a good seedling for cultivation, it's just that she might be... a bit malnourished."

A child nearly six years old, yet looking like a three-year-old; he could only imagine how much she had suffered to be so small.

"Five and a half?" Guang Ling's gaze fell on the little one, a flicker of imperceptible heartache flashing in his eyes.

Throughout the entire process, Qingxi remained quiet and well-behaved.

Her Nascent Soul stage power allowed her to control her aura with ease, and since this world lacked a cultivation system, they could never discover the unique aspects of her being.

"Raise her well. I am entrusting her to you." He ruffled Qingxi's hair, his eyes deep and solemn.

"Please rest assured, Fifth Pontiff." The bishop looked at the tiny figure with a touch of pity.

Guang Ling squatted down, meeting Qingxi's clear, dark eyes at eye level, and pulled a small brocade pouch from his robes to hang around her neck.

"This storage soul tool is a gift for you. Inside are clothes and food I bought for you, as well as one of my arrows. If you encounter danger, take it out; it can save your life."

"What about you? Will you come back?" She looked at the silver-haired youth before her, her eyes devoid of sorrow or joy.

"In half a year, if you awaken your martial soul, I will come to pick you up."

She thought for a moment, then reached her small hand into her sleeve as if searching for something.

"This is for you." She opened her small hand, revealing a golden stone.

Guang Ling picked up the stone and examined it in the sunlight. It was quite pretty, though he had no idea where the little one had picked it up.

He did not disdain it, instead tucking the stone into his soul tool and patting the little girl's head. "What a good girl. Listen to Grandpa Bishop and eat on time. When I have time, I will come to see you and bring you delicious food."

"Mm..." She watched the youth fly away and touched the small soul tool around her neck.

Even if it was not her own desire, the youth had made plans for her.

"Do you have a name?" Bishop Wenge patted Qingxi's head.

He was a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his forties, though his actual age was nearly eighty. He was a level 76 auxiliary-type Spirit Saint.

"Qingxi." She glanced at Bishop Wenge indifferently, showing no emotion.

"Good. From now on, you are my goddaughter. You must call me Godfather, do you understand?"

"Mm." Qingxi thought for a moment and spoke with some hesitation: "God... Godfather."

"What a good child. Now, Godfather will take you to tour your future living environment. Our Spirit Hall does not belong to either the Heaven Dou Empire or the Star Luo Empire. Most of our spirit masters are born to commoners or are orphans left behind by war."

"Orphans left behind by war..."

"Yes, the two great empires have been at war for years, and there are countless orphans under the flames of conflict."

Behind the Spirit Hall branch was a building similar to an academy. It had no name, only many children around ten years old or her own age, interspersed with several spirit masters in white robes who resembled teachers.

"Yes, and where we are currently is one of the three major branches of the Spirit Hall in Soto City..."

Star Dou Great Forest.

Dugu Yan looked at the sickly, oversized flower before her and gave it a gentle poke. "Master?"

Spirit Hall, Soto City branch.

The night was deep and quiet.

Qingxi sat cross-legged on the bed, her long black hair stirring without a breeze, her body enveloped in a strange spiritual energy.

After circulating her energy through several major cycles, beads of sweat overflowed on her skin, and her brows were tightly furrowed.

Before long, she slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, the surrounding spiritual energy dissipating along with it, and opened a pair of eyes as dark as the night.

Inside her dantian, the inner core that had been covered in cracks was now cleansed of all impurities, its shape resembling that of an infant.

The lingering power of the heavenly tribulation had also been purged from her body, and her cultivation had stabilized at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

She rose from the bed and walked to the window to look out at the Spirit Hall branch shrouded in the night, her brows slightly knitted.

The next second, she had already vanished from the room.

The evening breeze blew into the chamber, causing the pages of a book on the table to flutter. Beneath the book lay a piece of gray scrap paper with ink that had yet to dry, the brushwork as graceful and flowing as a gentle stream.