Hu Liena's Curiosity

By the time Yang Jian returned to his little courtyard, it was nearly dusk.

He saw two maidservants peering out from the courtyard gate. When they saw him return, they hurried over to greet him. "Young Master Yang Jian, you're back."

"Mm." Yang Jian pushed open the gate and walked into the courtyard. "I'm hungry."

The two maidservants knew the rules and tactfully refrained from asking questions, turning to prepare dinner.

Yang Jian had just sat down on a stone bench in the courtyard and had not even had time to catch his breath when he saw a figure enter through the gate behind him.

Hu Liena stood at the entrance, her chestnut-brown hair drifting gently in the evening breeze. Her delicate face was filled with curiosity and inquiry.

After hesitating for a moment, she stepped inside anyway.

"Junior brother."

"Senior sister, is there something else?" Yang Jian looked up at her.

Hu Liena sat down across from him, propping her chin up with both hands as her fox-like eyes stared straight at him.

"How did you do it, exactly?"

Unable to hold it in any longer, she asked, her tone full of confusion. "Your first soul ring is ten thousand years old. That's completely unreasonable. Tell me, please?"

Seeing her eager expression, Yang Jian silently sighed.

He had expected this question long ago.

"Maybe it's because of my martial soul." He shrugged and put on an expression as though he did not understand much himself. "After awakening my martial soul, my body grew stronger day by day. As for why, I don't know either."

Hu Liena stared into his eyes for a long while, trying to tell whether he was lying.

Yang Jian's gaze was clear and open, without the slightest flaw.

"Really?" Hu Liena was half-convinced and half-doubtful.

"Really." Yang Jian nodded.

Hu Liena sighed. Knowing she would not get anything more out of him left her rather frustrated.

Still, Yang Jian's explanation seemed reasonable enough. He probably was not lying.

She gave up on pressing the matter and changed the subject.

"So, um, let me see both your martial souls."

Her eyes lit up. "You moved too quickly earlier, so I didn't get a good look. One of them was called the Three-Point Double-Edged Saber, right?"

"What was the other martial soul called again?"

"Howling Celestial Dog."

"Right, right, the Howling Celestial Dog. I want to see it!"

Yang Jian thought about it.

This was not something that absolutely needed to be kept secret.

Besides, Hu Liena was Bibi Dong's personal disciple. They were fellow disciples, after all, and they would certainly have plenty of contact in the future. It was bound to happen sooner or later.

"Fine."

He stood up and flipped his right hand.

The Three-Point Double-Edged Saber appeared. It had initially been small and exquisite, but in the blink of an eye, it grew to over three meters long.

Hu Liena's eyes brightened.

"This really does look pretty good." She circled Yang Jian, examining the uniquely shaped weapon from top to bottom before offering her assessment. "It looks much better than those ordinary weapon martial souls."

The more she looked, the more interested she became. She held out her hand toward Yang Jian. "Quick, let me see how it feels."

Yang Jian reminded her, "You might not be able to lift it."

Hu Liena raised an eyebrow, her face filled with disdain.

"Junior brother, are you looking down on me?"

With both hands on her hips, she spoke with a hint of pride. "I'm a level thirty-two Soul Elder. I've been trained at Spirit Hall since I was little, so I'm not weak."

"You, a six-year-old child, can lift it. How could I possibly not be able to?"

Yang Jian said nothing and merely handed the Three-Point Double-Edged Saber to her.

Hu Liena reached out and took it.

Then...

The instant the Three-Point Double-Edged Saber landed in her hands, Hu Liena's expression changed.

This was nothing like the weight she had imagined. It felt as if a small mountain had come crashing down on her!

She did not even have time to react before it dragged her straight to the ground.

With a dull thud.

"Ow!"

Hu Liena hit the ground hard.

The handle of the Three-Point Double-Edged Saber was pressing down on her palm.

The pain brought tears to her eyes.

Yang Jian immediately willed the Three-Point Double-Edged Saber away.

"Ahh, ow!"

Hu Liena sat on the ground, clutching the palm that had been reddened by the Three-Point Double-Edged Saber. Her eyes were rimmed with red, but she stubbornly refused to let the tears fall.

She sniffed, then raised her head to look at Yang Jian, her eyes full of disbelief.

"How heavy is that saber?"

"Around thirteen hundred jin," Yang Jian answered honestly.

Hu Liena froze.

Thirteen hundred jin.

Recalling the instant she had received the saber and the utterly irresistible weight she had felt, she finally understood why she had fallen so miserably.

But immediately afterward, an even more shocking thought occurred to her.

She looked up at Yang Jian, and even her voice changed pitch slightly. "Wait... You're a six-year-old child. How can you lift something that weighs thirteen hundred jin?"

Yang Jian looked at her with an odd expression.

"Senior sister, did that fall knock you silly? I can absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring, so of course I can lift it."

Hu Liena blanked for a moment, then came to her senses. Her face instantly turned red.

Right. This guy could absorb a ten-thousand-year soul ring. His physical strength was comparable to that of a Soul King.

Wasn't it only natural that he could wield a thirteen-hundred-jin saber?

The more Hu Liena thought about it, the more annoyed she became. She climbed to her feet, dusted herself off, and looked at Yang Jian with an extremely complicated gaze.

This guy really was a monster.

At such a young age, his body was already as strong as a Soul King's. Was he going to leave anyone else a chance to live?

She had been called a genius since childhood. With innate soul power at rank nine and a half, she had reached level thirty-two at the age of twelve. Among Spirit Hall's younger generation, she was one of the very best.

But compared to Yang Jian...

Her accomplishments seemed like less than nothing.

"Enough, enough."

Hu Liena shook the hand that still hurt, trying her best to maintain her dignity as the senior sister.

"Let me see your second martial soul."

Yang Jian nodded. White light surged in his left palm.

The next second, a short-haired white dog appeared at his feet. With pointed ears and a long tail, it had a vigorous posture. The moment it appeared, it wagged its tail and rubbed itself back and forth against Yang Jian's leg.

Yang Jian gave it a calm glance.

"Woof! Woof!"

The Howling Celestial Dog understood. It obediently sat beside him and barked twice without speaking human words, looking no different from an ordinary dog.

Hu Liena crouched down and carefully examined the short-haired white dog.

Mm, it was a detached beast martial soul.

She reached out and patted the Howling Celestial Dog's head. It cooperatively rubbed against her palm, as docile as a real pet dog.

"It looks... like there's nothing special about it."

Hu Liena murmured, a trace of disappointment in her voice.

It really was not much different from an ordinary dog.

Detached beast martial souls were not particularly strong to begin with, and this Howling Celestial Dog did not look aggressive at all. It probably was not anything impressive.

But on second thought, Yang Jian's Three-Point Double-Edged Saber was so absurdly powerful. Who knew whether this seemingly ordinary dog also concealed something astonishing?

She suddenly was not so sure anymore.

Bang!

Just as Hu Liena was about to ask something else, the courtyard gate was suddenly shoved open from outside.

The door slammed against the wall with a tremendous crash.

Yan strode in, his red hair especially eye-catching in the twilight, his whole body radiating scorching heat.

The moment he entered, he began shouting.

"Yang Jian! I heard you went to the Star Dou Forest. Now that you're back, you must have obtained your first soul ring, right? Come on, fight me again!"