Officially Enlisted, Joining Qian Renxue's Faction

Facing the young girl's confident gaze, Lin Yan chose to continue feigning ignorance to drag things out a little longer.

"I... don't quite understand."

The air went quiet for a moment.

Qian Renxue watched the boy before her, his face a mask of innocence and confusion, and could not help but knit her brows slightly.

Was what she said really that hard to understand? She had merely switched identities; it shouldn't be enough to make him unable to comprehend her words.

Forget it, the capacity of a six-year-old child to process information was indeed limited.

She sighed softly, then proceeded to explain the matter of her identity as the young mistress of Spirit Hall to Lin Yan in detail once more.

From the current landscape of the continent to the status Spirit Hall held in the hearts of all spirit masters.

Although she did not go into exhaustive detail, it still cost Qian Renxue quite a bit of time and energy.

Throughout this process, the young girl faced Lin Yan much like a kindergarten teacher telling a story to a child, a sight that was truly quite adorable.

After about twenty minutes had passed, and only when Lin Yan saw a flicker of impatience cross the girl's face, did he finally speak in a leisurely tone.

"So... what about the real Crown Prince?"

As soon as these words left his lips, a clear look of delight appeared in Qian Renxue's eyes.

Damn it, this brat finally understands! Who knew that dealing with children was such a difficult task? My annoyance toward children has increased by one...

She smiled faintly, resuming the posture of someone in a position of power.

"That is not important. What is important is whether you are willing to pledge your loyalty to me."

"I can promise you that you will receive cultivation resources beyond anyone's reach. By my side, you will even have Title Douluo protecting your growth from the shadows."

"With your talent, you will surely become a Title Douluo in time."

As she finished speaking, Qian Renxue bent down, crouching halfway before Lin Yan, her slender, delicate hands resting naturally upon his shoulders.

"Now tell me, are you willing to pledge your loyalty to me?"

This time, Lin Yan did not continue to stall.

He looked into those beautiful eyes so close to his own and answered crisply and clearly.

"I am willing."

The boy's slightly immature response rang out clearly in the stone chamber, and Qian Renxue beamed with joy.

Finally, she had finally won this kid over; it was worth all the effort she had spent explaining things to him like a kindergarten teacher.

Hoo~

She let out a long breath, stood up, and nodded.

"Very good."

"Years from now, you will be incredibly grateful for the choice you made today."

Lin Yan's talent was beyond doubt; at six years and four months old, reaching level 16 was a talent rarely seen in a thousand years.

Even Qian Renxue herself had not leveled up six times in the four months following her own spirit awakening.

One could imagine that Lin Yan's future achievements might even surpass all the current elders within Spirit Hall, and reaching the peerless level was not impossible.

At the thought of this, the corners of Qian Renxue's mouth could not help but curl upward.

With her back to Lin Yan, her beautiful eyes gazed into the void as she murmured to herself.

"Just wait, I will prove to you just how outstanding I am!"

A flash of determination crossed the young girl's eyes...

Immediately after, she turned back and fixed her gaze on Lin Yan.

"Now, let me test exactly how much strength you have."

"Huh? How are we going to test that?"

Lin Yan asked, bewildered.

Qian Renxue answered the question with action.

"Use your full strength to defeat me!"

As she spoke...

[Six-Winged Angel, Spirit Avatar!]

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black—six spirit rings emerged.

At fifteen years old, Qian Renxue had actually already reached the cultivation of a Spirit Emperor.

Spirit power imbued with holy attributes swept through the entire secret chamber, bathing the enclosed space in a golden glow.

Lin Yan felt nothing but comfort.

This... that's right!

Holy-attribute spirit power was the natural counter to Evil Fire; wasn't Qian Renxue's Six-Winged Angel Spirit the perfect remedy for him to suppress his Evil Fire?

Evil Fire, Evil Fire... when it all came down to it, it was the evil power playing tricks.

Ice-attribute soul power had a suppressive effect on the Evil Fire, but holy-attribute soul power was pure purification!

For a moment, Lin Yan's brows danced with joy, and he suddenly grinned.

Qian Renxue didn't understand his expression, merely summoning the Holy Sword that came with her Angel Spirit and pointing it at Lin Yan.

"Come! Your performance tonight will determine how many resources I deem you worth investing in for the future."

"Alright!"

Lin Yan didn't dawdle; in an instant, he completed his spirit possession.

The thousand-year soul ring at his feet suddenly flared with light.

[First Soul Skill: Fire Demon God Spear!]

With a spear about two point three meters long in hand, the next second, Lin Yan charged straight toward his opponent.

For so long, he hadn't learned nothing at Shrek Academy; having Flender and Zhao Wuji as his sparring partners meant Lin Yan at least possessed reaction speeds far beyond the average person.

The two of them soon clashed.

For a time, the sound of metal striking metal rang out crisply and incessantly within the stone chamber.

A Soul Master against a Soul Emperor.

Naturally, Qian Renxue didn't go all out, but...

Even without her using any soul skills, Lin Yan really didn't fall into a disadvantage, and for a long time, the two of them traded blows back and forth.

Such a situation couldn't help but leave Qian Renxue feeling somewhat shocked.

She hadn't expected that not only was this brat gifted, but his combat experience and adaptability were also this heaven-defying.

What kind of genius had she picked up!

Before long, the battle ended when Lin Yan exhausted his soul power.

The youth stood panting heavily opposite Qian Renxue, while she remained smiling and composed.

"Not bad. Your combat techniques and reaction speed are top-tier; that is very good, keep it up."

"As for other matters, someone will take you to enroll in Heaven Dou Royal Academy tomorrow. There will be people there to teach you many of the basics."

"However, remember: on the surface, you are still one of His Highness the Crown Prince's men."

"I will announce to the outside world that you are a personal guard cultivated by Xue Qinghe; don't let anything slip."

Qian Renxue spoke to herself.

Because Lin Yan was still regulating his breathing, he didn't answer immediately.

Seeing this, the young woman continued to ask.

"Is there anything you need right now? Within reason, I will try my best to satisfy you."

This time, Lin Yan chose to endure the dryness and discomfort in his throat, forcing himself to speak with difficulty.

"I... I would like a storage soul tool, is that possible?"

Qian Renxue could tell that Lin Yan truly wanted it.

Because of his heavy panting, the boy's throat was so dry his voice had turned hoarse, yet even so, he had endured the discomfort to make his request.

For a moment, she actually found Lin Yan somewhat cute.

"You certainly know what to ask for!"

Qian Renxue looked at Lin Yan with a smile playing on her lips.

Lin Yan gave an embarrassed, awkward laugh, then swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"If it's not possible, then forget it; I don't really want anything else."

"It's not that it's impossible, it's just that I don't have any extras on me right now."

"How about this: tomorrow I will personally take you to the chambers of commerce in Heaven Dou City, and whatever else you need, we'll buy it all at once."

Qian Renxue would naturally not be stingy over a storage soul tool; for a genius like Lin Yan, even if he had asked her for a spirit bone directly, she would have tried her best to grant it.