As Qi Dao spoke, he swept the sword fingers of his left hand at will.
He felt something extraordinarily strange.
It was as though the eighteen Flying Swords before him were connected to his mind, ready to move however he wished.
The advantage was that he could keep controlling them until his Soul Power ran out.
The drawback was that controlling eighteen Flying Swords at once placed an enormous strain on his Spiritual Power.
So...
In an instant, only three of the eighteen Flying Swords remained in the distance, and the pressure on Qi Dao's mind dropped by seventy percent.
Qi Dao narrowed his eyes.
This Soul Skill has so much potential!
At his current Soul Grandmaster level, he could command eighteen Flying Swords. Every ten levels he gained would add another nine. By the time he became a Titled Douluo, he would be able to command a full eighty-one Flying Swords at once.
And the feeling of controlling Flying Swords kept reminding him of a skill from countless novels in his previous life.
Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sect!
What sword cultivator wouldn't yearn for a sight like that?
Qi Dao had plenty of other ideas, too.
For instance, the Flying Swords he summoned were solid.
If he stood on one, could he achieve the legendary feat of flying on a sword?
If he could, his chances of survival would rise dramatically.
After all, on the Douluo Continent, only those with flying Martial Souls and Titled Douluo could fly.
(When the Shrek Seven Devils first left Sea God Island in the original work, even the weakest among them was a Soul Douluo, yet they still needed Oscar's Flying Sausages to fly.)
Qi Dao kept thinking, but he did not test the idea right away. Instead, he put away the remaining four Flying Swords and turned to Xius.
"Mr. Xius, we can head back now."
Xius came to his senses and nodded with a sigh. "Let's go!"
Today had truly opened his eyes.
He had a feeling that the child before him would soon shake Heaven Dou to its core.
For now, though, his priority was to return to Heaven Dou City and tell his young mistress what had happened.
Once they reached Heaven Dou City, Qi Dao went to see his parents, while Xius headed straight back to the Crown Prince's Residence.
At the hotel.
Qi Father's and Qi Mother's eyes lit up when they saw Qi Dao return.
"A Dao, you're back."
"You were gone so long. Did you find a suitable Soul Beast?"
Qi Dao smiled. "Don't worry, I found one. And..."
He then told his parents about his Second Soul Ring.
Their mouths fell open.
"A fourteen-hundred-year Second Soul Ring!"
Qi Father swallowed, then looked over Peerless, which had undergone a transformation as vast as heaven and earth. Shock filled his face.
Who would believe that the sword before him had once been a Trash Martial Soul warped by a malignant mutation?
If Qi Father had not seen what Peerless looked like at first, he would not have believed it either!
If someone called the Peerless of today a high-grade Martial Soul, who would question it?
Absolutely no one!
Qi Mother gave it no such thought. She beamed with pride. "That's my son. He's going to become the Sword God one day."
Qi Father burst out laughing too.
"That's right!"
"Our son is going to be the Sword God!"
Neither parent thought of Qi Dao's old promise as a mere joke anymore.
While the family of three enjoyed their reunion, over at the Crown Prince's Residence...
Xius hurried into Xue Qinghe's study.
"Young mistress!"
Xue Qinghe said coolly, "I told you to call me Your Highness, no matter the circumstances!"
"Make that mistake again, and you can go back to Spirit Hall!"
Aside from Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo, Xue Qinghe had given the same order to every subordinate Spirit Hall had placed at her side.
If one of them accidentally addressed her incorrectly, it could expose her identity.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Cold sweat broke out on Xius's forehead as he answered again.
Xue Qinghe gave a slight nod. "Since you're back, Qi Dao must have absorbed his Second Soul Ring."
"Go on. What do you have to report?"
Xius's expression grew solemn. He briefly recounted how he and Qi Dao had hunted for a Soul Ring in the Sunset Forest.
As Xue Qinghe listened, her expression shifted from calm to appreciative, then finally to astonishment!
"A six-hundred-year first ring and a fourteen-hundred-year second ring!"
"How is that possible? How did he do it?"
Xius repeated Qi Dao's explanation. Xue Qinghe narrowed her eyes as a thought flashed through her mind.
As far as she knew, there was a way to strengthen one's body rapidly without absorbing a Soul Ring.
That was...
A Soul Bone!
But Qi Dao and his family were all Commoner Soul Masters. There was no way he could have a Soul Bone!
Clearly, Qi Dao had other secrets she knew nothing about.
Interesting!
Xue Qinghe thought to herself.
Qi Dao's absorption of Soul Rings above his level twice in a row had certainly shocked her, but that was all.
Curious as she was, she had no intention of ordering anyone to seize Qi Dao and force his secrets out of him.
After all, however remarkable those secrets were, could they help her become a Titled Douluo, or even a God?
She was different!
If her mission undercover in Heaven Dou failed, she would have no choice but to slink back to Spirit Hall and inherit the divine position.
Of course, Xue Qinghe did not believe she would fail.
After all, she had Xue Ye and Ning Fengzhi alike spinning in circles.
As for that good-for-nothing Xue Beng, who did nothing but eat and wait for death...
Even given a hundred years, he could forget about coveting the Throne!
He was still alive precisely because he posed no threat to the Throne!
Even so, Xue Qinghe now regarded Qi Dao with greater importance.
In her mind, he had gone from someone useful to someone she could groom into a trusted confidant.
The next day.
Xue Qinghe personally visited the hotel where Qi Dao's family was staying.
Once Qi Father and Qi Mother learned who she was, they immediately grew much more reserved.
Of all the people they had dealt with, Lady Ye had been the most distinguished.
But even Lady Ye could not compare in status to the Crown Prince standing before them!
Xue Qinghe gave the uneasy couple a gentle smile.
"There's no need for that."
"I've always wondered what kind of family could raise a genius like Qi Dao. Now I've finally had my wish fulfilled."
Qi Father stammered, "Your Highness flatters us. We didn't really do much while A Dao was growing up. The boy earned it all himself."
Xue Qinghe was a deft conversationalist. Before long, she had subtly drawn nearly everything about Qi Dao's past out of his parents.
That included the promise he had once made almost in jest.
Hearing about it from Qi Father and Qi Mother, Xue Qinghe looked at Qi Dao, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
She had not expected him to have such a past.
Still, if becoming a God were that easy, a full thousand years would not have passed without one appearing on the continent.
Qi Dao sat beside them, occasionally adding a word or two.
After they had chatted for a while, Xue Qinghe suddenly asked his parents, "What plans do you two have for the future?"
"If you wouldn't mind, I could arrange some easy work for you!"
Interest flickered in Qi Father's and Qi Mother's eyes.
Of course, they knew they had their son to thank for the offer.
But soon, both shook their heads.
"Your Highness, we appreciate your kindness."
"But we don't plan to stay in Heaven Dou City for long."
Xue Qinghe was taken aback, and so was Qi Dao.
Now that they were here, he had hoped his parents would stay with him.
Seeing their puzzled faces, Qi Father grinned. "Everyone we know is in Notting City. We wouldn't feel at home here. Besides..."
"We can't do much to help A Dao in Heaven Dou City, but back in Notting City, our old comrades in the Soul Hunting group still need us."
Qi Mother smiled and agreed. "Mingyuan is right. Rather than settle down here for an early retirement, we'd be better off going back to Notting City."
After hearing them out, Xue Qinghe looked at Qi Dao.
"If you want to go back, that's fine."
Qi Dao considered it for a moment. Rather than insist that his parents stay, he said to Xue Qinghe, "Your Highness, please send someone to escort my parents back to Notting City."
In truth, two Soul Elders were unlikely to run into trouble on the way back to Notting City unless they suffered the same extraordinary bad luck as last time.
But what had happened then had left Qi Dao on edge.
Xue Qinghe readily agreed.
Before you continue