Let's Talk

Lin Mo's mind eased slightly, and his gaze returned to Xue'er, who was absorbing her soul ring.

He nervously glanced at Golden Crocodile Douluo. Only after seeing that the old man was not paying attention to him did he finally relax.

Good, I wasn't discovered.

But this can't go on.

The conflict between my attributes will tear me apart sooner or later. It's manageable for now, but once I gain more and more soul rings in the future, I can't rely on those black-and-white beads to save me every time.

Lin Mo still had no idea where those two black-and-white beads had come from. Although they could save his life, he remained appropriately wary of them.

Immortal herbs...

He had no legitimate reason to use them yet, and unless absolutely necessary, Lin Mo did not want to.

Improving his physical constitution was indeed an option, but it took too long and was not particularly reliable.

"Grandpa Golden Crocodile, Lin Mo, I'm done absorbing it. I feel like I'm full of strength now."

At the same time, Qian Renxue opened her eyes. Golden soul power swirled around her, shining brilliantly and making her look like a holy angel.

The Six-Winged Angel stood quietly behind Qian Renxue with an expression of compassion. It was breathtakingly beautiful, its six outstretched feathered wings each white as snow and crystal-clear, as though carved from crystal.

Two purple soul rings rose from beneath Qian Renxue's feet, casting a purple glow across her fair little face.

"Haha, Xue'er, you've done quite well absorbing that soul ring."

Golden Crocodile Douluo laughed as he rubbed Xue'er's head. After briefly sensing the soul power within her, he spoke in surprise.

"You're already level twenty-five? Well, that makes sense—two thousand-year soul rings..."

Qian Renxue proudly lifted her chin and grinned smugly at Golden Crocodile Douluo. Then she strutted over to Lin Mo and poked him.

"Hmph, stupid Lin Mo, why aren't you congratulating me?"

"I'm stronger than you now, so you have to call me big sister."

Seeing how smug Qian Renxue looked, Lin Mo could not help but laugh inwardly. But while she was unprepared, his large hand suddenly pressed down on her head.

He then gave it a few rough rubs, messing up her neat and delicate hairstyle.

"Hmph, stupid Lin Mo, you're the worst."

"I'm never playing with you again."

Qian Renxue quickly took two steps back and broke free from Lin Mo. Puffing out her cheeks like a pufferfish, she pouted at him and vented her dissatisfaction in a spoiled tone.

"Alright, alright, don't be mad. Xue'er, how about I take you into the city later for something delicious?"

Amid this warm and cheerful scene, an unknown pair of eyes watched everything quietly from the shadows.

"Lin Mo..."

"It seems you truly do have a secret. But why are you unwilling to tell me?"

"Are you afraid of me?"

The owner of those eyes was none other than Qian Daoliu.

It was his granddaughter's day to absorb a soul ring, so there was no way he would not be present. He had merely arrived somewhat late, just in time to witness the conflict between Lin Mo's two martial souls.

He had also sensed that evil aura. Even though it had been tightly suppressed, as a servant of the Angel God, he had noticed it immediately.

"It is my fault. I failed to notice that something was wrong with you sooner."

Even after discovering that Lin Mo was unusual, Qian Daoliu was not angered by Lin Mo's concealment.

Instead, he felt that he had failed as a guardian, allowing the child to distrust him so deeply.

Of course, Qian Daoliu also believed that Lin Mo was a sensible child. He thought Lin Mo feared that awakening an evil martial soul would put him in a difficult position, which was why he had kept it hidden.

"Child, how would you know?"

"The evil of a martial soul does not represent the evil of a person."

"So what if your martial soul is evil? As long as you do not commit cruel and immoral deeds, I, Qian Daoliu, will protect you for the rest of your life."

Qian Daoliu gave Lin Mo a deep look before turning and vanishing from where he stood. He felt it was necessary to have a talk with Lin Mo today.

Midnight.

Qian Daoliu was still in his magnificently decorated office, handling the memorials submitted by Spirit Hall. Yes, memorials.

After all, Douluo was still in a feudal era, and industry was far from advanced. Those submitted reports could only be considered memorials.

A series of knocks sounded at the door.

Without raising his head, Qian Daoliu spoke calmly, his tone utterly even.

"Come in."

Lin Mo pushed open the door and entered. He gave Qian Daoliu a respectful salute before speaking.

"Grand Priest, you summoned me?"

Qian Daoliu frowned slightly but said nothing. He merely beckoned Lin Mo over.

Lin Mo assumed Qian Daoliu was troubled by the memorials and did not think much of it. He walked straight over and stopped beside him.

Qian Daoliu suddenly threw down his pen and leaned back in his chair, frowning as he stared deeply at Lin Mo.

That look made Lin Mo's skin crawl. The threat emanating from a top-tier soul master sent constant warnings through his body.

"Do you distrust me that much?"

"Are we really that distant from each other?"

Qian Daoliu's first sentence carried a questioning tone, but the next was clearly filled with nothing but anger and helplessness.

"I... I... I don't understand what you mean."

Lin Mo was a little nervous, even stammering as he spoke. His throat felt tight; it seemed the thing he least wanted anyone to know had already been discovered.

Qian Daoliu let out a long breath and steadied himself, doing his best not to let his emotions affect his judgment before slowly speaking.

"Whew... Lin Mo, let's talk."

Before Lin Mo could respond, Qian Daoliu continued.

"Show me your second martial soul."

Lin Mo finally understood what answer Qian Daoliu wanted. He had thought he would be nervous, but when the moment truly arrived, he was unexpectedly calm.

He offered no further explanation and directly summoned his second martial soul.

A heart-shaped, crystal-like solid of black-ice color appeared directly in his right hand.

"My second martial soul is the Heart of Darkness."

"Darkness, ice, and... evil attributes."

When he mentioned the evil attribute, Lin Mo paused instinctively, but he quickly revealed it openly and calmly.

"An evil attribute... Did your two martial souls clash? How did you suppress it?"

Qian Daoliu had already anticipated it, but his attention remained on the question that followed. With his experience, it was easy for him to connect all the pieces and arrive at the correct conclusion.

Lin Mo's first martial soul, the Light Phoenix, possessed light, holy, and fire attributes.

Qian Daoliu was, after all, a powerhouse who had roamed the continent for a hundred years. His experience and knowledge were both exceedingly extensive.

Thus, he easily concluded that Lin Mo's two martial souls were bound to conflict.

And the level of that conflict was not low.

Although this era had no concept of ultimate attributes, martial soul attributes still varied in strength. The clash between two martial souls with attributes as powerful as Lin Mo's would definitely be intense.

"The conflict between two martial souls... is actually quite easy to resolve."