Let's Talk

The next second, the scene before his eyes twisted and shattered!

That scarlet moon, the collapsing space, and the figure of Ei instantly receded into the distance.

A wave of intense dizziness washed over him, and his entire body felt as if he were plummeting from a great height.

"Hah--!"

Qian Qizhou gasped sharply, his consciousness snapping back to reality.

Opening his eyes, what greeted him was no longer the desolate and deathly silent Plane of Euthymia, but a guest room within the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect.

"No thought... no desire..."

Qian Qizhou murmured under his breath. As he turned his head, he saw Guang Ling looking anxious, walking quickly toward the door.

"Ling?"

Hearing this, Guang Ling's footsteps came to an abrupt halt, and he turned around with urgency.

Seeing that Qian Qizhou had woken up, he let out a sigh of relief, his eyes filled with concern.

He crossed the room in a few strides, sat back down on the stool, and leaned in to examine Qian Qizhou closely: "You're awake, Xiao Zhou?"

"You were talking away, and then you just closed your eyes and collapsed."

Although his breathing had been steady, the fact that he couldn't be woken up was truly frightening.

"I was just about to go ask Ning Fengzhi to come and take a look. How are you feeling now?"

Immediately following this, amidst Guang Ling's exclamation:

Qian Qizhou raised his hand, and a wisp of purple arc lightning suddenly erupted. In an instant, it condensed into a constantly twisting, flickering thunderball in his palm, casting shifting light and shadow across his face.

Qian Qizhou himself seemed somewhat surprised. He dissipated the thunderball and, after hesitating slightly to sense his internal state, looked up at Guang Ling and said: "I should be fine. My condition is quite good."

Guang Ling nodded: "As long as you're alright. You must be starving after waking up; I'll go get you something to eat. You rest for a while first."

Come to think of it, this child hadn't had a proper meal in the last few days, either injured or unconscious...

Once Guang Ling left, Qian Qizhou was finally left alone in the room.

He leaned against the headboard, listening to the sound of Guang Ling's footsteps fading away outside the door, and slowly opened his palm, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

"No attachment..."

Inside the main hall of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, the soft glow of soul guidance devices illuminated the smooth, jade-like floor, yet a trace of unusual tension permeated the air.

Chen Xin stood with his arms crossed: "Fengzhi, that child from earlier—did you see it?"

Ning Fengzhi's gentle, jade-like face maintained the composure expected of a sect master, but the shock in the depths of his eyes could not be entirely concealed.

He nodded slowly and said: "Just awakened his martial soul, no soul rings, yet his soul power fluctuations were exceptionally vast—at least level twenty."

This alone was almost enough to prove the child's identity.

Gu Rong chimed in: "Level twenty upon awakening? Doesn't that mean..."

He paused, his gaze subconsciously drifting toward the direction of the guest room where Qian Qizhou was staying.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, the fact that he was brought here personally by Guang Ling Douluo was enough to reveal his status.

But if that were the case, why come to the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect? Spirit Hall certainly wasn't lacking in support-type soul masters, were they?

Chen Xin's brows were tightly locked, and he spoke with a hint of vigilance: "With such aptitude, it would be logical for Spirit Hall to keep it a secret."

"Yet they had Guang Ling send him to us with such fanfare... Fengzhi, do you think this could be Spirit Hall testing us?"

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he shook his head: "No, a test? Using him as bait? The cost is too high, and the risk is even greater."

"If he were lost, even Spirit Hall couldn't afford the consequences. There is no reason for it."

Ning Fengzhi's gaze narrowed slightly, and he said slowly: "It does indeed defy logic. But Spirit Hall's actions, while seemingly chaotic at times, are actually deeply calculated."

He paused, looked at the two of them, and said: "Perhaps this isn't a test of our Seven Treasures Glazed Sect's stance, but rather..."

They were testing the bottom line of the solidarity between the Upper Three Sects, or perhaps they wanted to see what kind of waves such a 'miracle' would stir up if placed in our care.

After all, if anything were to happen to this child while under their roof, regardless of the cause, the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect would be impossible to absolve of blame, and their relationship with Spirit Hall would instantly plummet to freezing point.

Gu Rong snorted coldly: "What a brilliant overt scheme. They've sent us a hot potato—a trap we know is a trap, yet one we are forced to step into."

If they accepted him, there would be endless future troubles; if they didn't, it would be a direct slap to Spirit Hall's face.

Just then—

With a soft creak, the main door was pushed open from the outside.

The three men in the hall instantly turned their gaze toward the entrance, their soul power subconsciously condensing.

Not to mention Ning Fengzhi, but with the cultivation levels of Sword and Bone Douluo, how could someone approach the hall door without them noticing?

Standing at the doorway was none other than the center of their discussion—the child brought by Guang Ling Douluo, Qian Qizhou.

A trace of helplessness, unbefitting his age, appeared on the boy's face. He sighed slightly: "You all really don't need to be so vigilant."

Silence.

A deathly silence spread throughout the grand hall.

For the first time, a look of distinct astonishment appeared on Ning Fengzhi's gentle, jade-like face.

This child... when did he arrive? How much did he hear? The three of them—two Super Douluo and one top-tier Soul Saint—had not sensed his presence at all.

However, Qian Qizhou seemed oblivious to the atmosphere in the hall, which had instantly frozen to the point of suffocation, or the three gazes filled with shock and suspicion.

He walked into the hall on his own, curiously surveying his surroundings.

So this is the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect. It really is magnificent, even more opulent than my own palace.

Afterward, Qian Qizhou found a seat and sat down, lifting his head to meet the shocked, scrutinizing, and incredulous gazes of Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong.

Children on the Douluo Continent generally developed intelligence early due to the influence of soul power.

After receiving the gift from Ei, because he had not been awake for very long, neither Guang Ling nor even he himself had noticed it.

With the growth of his spiritual power, his mental age had shed its immaturity and grown to that of a teenager.

"Let me introduce myself, using my former identity—I am the son of the Spirit Hall Pope, the grandson of the Great Elder Qian Daoliu, Qian Qizhou."

As his words fell, the entire hall became so quiet that a pin dropping could be heard.

The gentleness on Ning Fengzhi's face vanished completely, his pupils contracted sharply, and his hands, clasped behind his back, clenched tightly.

The son of the Pope? The grandson of the Great Elder?! This identity was far more shocking than any of their previous guesses.

The most core, most noble bloodline of Spirit Hall...

Of course, even knowing this information, no one dared to move against this child under the banner of eliminating a potential threat.

Before they could recover from the massive shock brought by this identity, Qian Qizhou's voice rang out again: "However, introducing myself by my current identity, I am simply Qian Qizhou."

"Sect Master Ning, shall we discuss a deal?"

Ning Fengzhi was a sect master, after all, and his temperament far exceeded that of an ordinary person.

He quickly suppressed the raging waves in his heart, and that habitual, gentle, jade-like smile reappeared on his face.

He took a light step forward, looking peacefully at the exceptionally small boy sitting in the chair: "Oh?"

"Qizhou, is it? I apologize, but even if your identity is very special, what could you possibly have to negotiate with our Seven Treasures Glazed Sect?"

How could empty words earn someone's trust? They were certainly not enough to conduct an equal negotiation with the master of a sect.

Hearing this, Qian Qizhou did not argue; he merely raised his eyes and looked directly at Ning Fengzhi: "But you will not refuse."

He believed that human curiosity was infinite.

Just like fishing, as long as you cast bait where there are fish, the fish will always take the hook.