Qian Xunji

Early that morning, just as Huo Yuhao finished his cultivation and stepped out of the practice room, he saw a handsome young man with long golden hair walking toward him, following behind Qian Daoliu.

The young man looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, and his face wore a look of slight hesitation.

He bore a seventy-percent resemblance to Qian Daoliu; he was none other than Qian Daoliu's only son, the man known as the Secret Chamber Douluo and the next Pope, Qian Xunji.

Qian Xunji had just returned from the Star Dou Great Forest and had barely had time to rest before being summoned by Qian Daoliu.

Does Father want to know about my eighth soul skill?

With this doubt in his heart, Qian Xunji met his father, who still carried an air of great authority.

However, before Qian Xunji could explain his trip to the Star Dou Great Forest or mention his eighth soul skill, he heard his old man—his father—deliver a piece of news that left him stunned.

"Ji'er, I have taken on a disciple named Huo Yuhao. He is a genius with innate full soul power and twin martial souls."

His father had taken a disciple?

Had there been any geniuses with twin martial souls appearing on the continent in the last two years?

No, wait—this was the time of year when Spirit Hall awakened the martial souls of children who had just turned six!

"Father! The disciple you speak of, surely he isn't..."

Qian Daoliu nodded slowly and deliberately.

Ji'er, I know you are anxious, but do not be hasty.

"He awakened his martial soul just a short while ago."

Qian Xunji's mouth twitched.

He was thirty-six years old and perfectly capable of taking on his own disciples, yet now he had a junior martial brother nearly thirty years his junior?

"Aren't you about to abdicate? Why take him on as a disciple at this time..."

Could a disciple of the Grand Elder really be the same as a disciple of the Pope?

Qian Daoliu looked at Qian Xunji with a sense of disappointment.

"If you had broken through to the Soul Douluo realm sooner, the position of Pope would have been passed to you long ago, and this disciple of peerless talent would have been yours."

Compared to ordinary people, Qian Xunji's talent was that of a genius whose back others could barely see.

But for the Qian Family, where innate soul power started at level twenty, Qian Xunji's talent was truly a drag.

It would be no exaggeration to say he was the least talented person in their family.

Qian Daoliu informed Qian Xunji of Huo Yuhao's two great martial souls.

"His future achievements will be limitless, surpassing even those of Tang Chen back in the day. If there is anyone in this world with the hope of becoming a god, it is undoubtedly Yuhao."

"This son understands," Qian Xunji nodded solemnly. "I will treat him as I would my own younger brother."

I'll just treat it as my father having a child in his old age!

Come to think of it, the status of the Pope's junior brother seemed even higher than that of the Pope's disciple.

Geniuses always enjoyed privileges.

"Yuhao, come here, let me introduce you."

Watching Huo Yuhao walk toward them, Qian Daoliu smiled and beckoned.

Huo Yuhao quickly stepped forward. "Teacher."

He looked at Qian Xunji standing to the side, not bothering to feign ignorance. "Is this my Senior Brother?"

The father and son looked so much alike that it would have been impossible not to recognize him.

Qian Daoliu's smile was gentle, but Qian Xunji, standing beside him, was looking at him as if he had seen a ghost!

Has the old man been swapped by someone?

He actually has such a kind side?

"That's right, this is your Senior Brother, Qian Xunji. He has just returned from the Star Dou Great Forest and is well-acquainted with the current situation there. It is most appropriate for him to accompany you in searching for a mental-type soul beast."

Given Qian Xunji's strength and the unique nature of their family's Six-Winged Angel martial soul, it would be very safe as long as Qian Xunji did not lead Huo Yuhao into the territories of the great beasts in the core area.

Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched slightly upon hearing Qian Daoliu's words.

He just got back from the Star Dou Great Forest, and now he has to go back again?

Only a biological father could do something like this, working his son to the bone.

"Teacher, perhaps... let Senior Brother rest for a couple of days."

It wouldn't do for him to be sluggish and unmotivated once they reached the Star Dou Great Forest.

Upon hearing this, Qian Xunji looked at this younger brother—bah, this junior martial brother—and immediately found him much more pleasing to the eye.

I must step up and act like a reliable older brother, mustn't I?

"For a soul master, this bit of travel is not tiring at all. Your first soul ring is what matters most, Junior Brother."

As long as he wasn't being provoked by that love-struck fool Bibi Dong, Qian Xunji's character was beyond reproach.

Huo Yuhao hurriedly looked up, putting on a well-behaved expression. "Then I shall trouble you, Senior Brother."

He had said so, hadn't he? It was just an extra junior brother, not making a six-year-old brat his uncle; what was so hard to accept about that!

Qian Daoliu watched the two of them, a hint of a smile flashing in the depths of his eyes.

"Xunji, I leave Yuhao to you. You must ensure his safety."

This time, besides Qian Xunji, there were actually two elders from the Elder Hall protecting them from the shadows, just in case.

Huo Yuhao's second martial soul would certainly make the vast majority of soul beasts afraid to cross the line, but there was no guarantee it wouldn't alert that one absurdly powerful soul beast.

"The mental-type soul beast we are looking for on this trip is extremely rare. It might take days or even weeks to find one suitable for you."

"Before we leave, let's buy some food in the city. What do you like to eat, Yuhao?"

Before leaving Spirit City, Qian Xunji asked Huo Yuhao, who looked like he had no experience traveling.

"Just prepare a little dry rations. It would be better to buy some fish and keep them in the soul tool; we can source meat on the spot when the time comes."

Qian Xunji looked helplessly at his junior brother, who seemed to be going on a picnic.

"Junior Brother, buying these will only be a waste."

Did he look like the kind of person who knew how to cook?

Huo Yuhao hadn't counted on him anyway; for someone of Qian Xunji's background, it would be a miracle if he could cook.

"Senior Brother, I can cook. My grilled fish and grilled meat are delicious!"

He would soon need Qian Xunji to put in the effort.

As the saying went, if you want the horse to run, you have to feed it grass.

With the temptation of his grilled fish and meat, surely his senior brother would be very motivated!

Qian Xunji was half-skeptical of Huo Yuhao's words, but seeing him so confident, he didn't have the heart to discourage him.

"Then I shall look forward to your skills, Yuhao."

He should probably stock up on a bit more food, and prepare more candies; they could be used to coax the child if his junior brother felt down in the future.

That afternoon, Huo Yuhao took out his custom-made grill, skewered the fish that the fishmonger had already cleaned, and started a fire to grill them.

His practiced movements unexpectedly gave Qian Xunji a bit more confidence.

Flipping the fish and sprinkling on the seasoning—it was a technique that looked perfectly ordinary, yet the aroma of the grilled fish grew richer and drifted further and further away.

"Mmm!"

Qian Xunji took a bite, his eyes lighting up.

"Yuhao, the grilled fish you made is the most delicious food I have ever eaten!"

His senior brother gave him high praise.

"Have you made this for my father too?"

With grilled fish this good, his father shouldn't have kept it a secret, right?

Huo Yuhao shook his head. "Since entering Spirit City, I have been cultivating the whole time and have rarely had time to rest."

Qian Xunji suddenly felt the grilled fish tasted even better!

Huo Yuhao was also eating his grilled meat in a leisurely manner, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that Qian Xunji's question just now seemed a tiny bit off.

Reflecting on it carefully, however, it didn't seem like there was anything wrong with it.