Shocking! Could This Be the Late-Bloomer Talent?!

Qian Shengyuan and Qian Yaoting returned to Spirit City on the evening of the fifth day after their departure.

The two landed in the square before the Papal Palace. Qian Shengyuan folded away his six wings, his expression unchanged. Though this soul-hunting expedition had taken time, it was hardly a drain on a Super Douluo.

Qian Yaoting landed half a step behind him. His footsteps were a little heavier than before they had left. Level sixty-one Soul Power circulated slowly within him, carrying the warm afterglow of his newly absorbed soul ring. With every step on the ground, he could feel a new resonance between his body and soul ring.

Qian Shengyuan did not return directly to his study.

He headed along the corridor toward the East Courtyard, with Qian Yaoting following behind him.

By the time they reached the entrance to the East Courtyard, night had fallen. Lamps were lit within the courtyard. Through the half-closed window, they could see Li Long sitting cross-legged beneath the eaves, a booklet on the Guidance Method spread before him as though he were pondering something.

Hearing their footsteps, Li Long looked up. Seeing the two figures at the gate, he rose and bowed. "Master, Senior Brother, you're back."

Qian Shengyuan entered the courtyard, his gaze first resting on Li Long.

With the perception of a Titled Douluo, he had caught some subtle changes the instant he stepped through the courtyard gate. The Soul Power fluctuations circulating around Li Long were noticeably denser than when he had left five days ago. It was not something that could be brushed off so easily.

Qian Shengyuan's brow twitched almost imperceptibly as he asked, "You broke through?"

Li Long did not hide it and nodded. "Level thirty-five. I broke through two days ago."

The East Courtyard fell silent for a moment.

Qian Yaoting paused mid-step as he entered. The satisfied expression he had worn after obtaining his sixth soul ring and breaking through to level sixty-one seemed to be cut short by those words.

He opened his mouth. "Weren't you only level thirty-four five days ago?"

"Yes," Li Long said. "I used the materials Master gave me together with the Guidance Method, and I happened to push through. It just came naturally."

Qian Yaoting fell silent for two breaths before murmuring something even he himself did not quite believe. "Didn't they say cultivation slows down after becoming a Soul Elder?"

When he said those words, his expression became subtly blank.

He remembered spending three years in seclusion to rise from level fifty-three to level sixty, taking many detours along the way. He had even spent nearly two months repeatedly grinding against a bottleneck before finally breaking through.

Yet this junior brother before him was ten and a half years old, with level-three Innate Soul Power and an Iron Rod Martial Soul. He had gone from level thirty-four to thirty-five in just five days?

"Your speed isn't normal." Qian Yaoting looked at Li Long. There was no suspicion in his tone, only curiosity born from self-doubt.

Qian Shengyuan had remained silent at the side.

His gaze stayed fixed on Li Long. After Qian Yaoting finished speaking, he was silent for several more breaths before slowly opening his mouth. His voice was quiet, yet every word carried the certainty of careful thought. "Someone with level-three Innate Soul Power should not advance this quickly at the Soul Elder stage, even with these resources to help them. But you did it. One level in five days, and not a barely scraped-through breakthrough either. You crossed over solidly."

He paused, his gaze lingering on Li Long's face for a moment longer. "I once told you that there is a fate called being a late bloomer. Those with low Innate Soul Power are severely suppressed in the early stages, but once they pass a certain threshold, their later cultivation speed can surpass those of the same rank. From the looks of it, you are entering that stage."

Qian Yaoting listened from the side, opening his mouth as if to say something, only to swallow the words back.

He suddenly realized something. He was twenty-five this year. He had spent three years in seclusion rising from level fifty-three to sixty. It seemed that he was far ahead of Li Long's current level thirty-five, but there was nearly a fifteen-and-a-half-year age gap between them.

What level would Li Long reach fifteen years from now, when he was fifteen? Qian Yaoting did not dare think too deeply about it.

As Qian Shengyuan looked at Li Long, there was more than satisfaction in his eyes now. There was also a settled expectation.

He became increasingly certain that his judgment had not been wrong. Low Innate Soul Power did not mean a low ceiling. At the very least, Li Long had proven that.

"Continue at your own pace," Qian Shengyuan said. "Tell me if resources are insufficient. How long do you estimate it will take to go from level thirty-five to thirty-six?"

"About three months to half a year," Li Long said.

Qian Shengyuan nodded.

That speed was already extremely fast for the Soul Elder stage. Moreover, he noticed the particular confidence in Li Long's expression. It seemed the boy had long since known the answer.

Perhaps saying it aloud now was merely modesty.

Such terrifying talent.

Fortunately, he had taken him in. He was his direct disciple, the Holy Son of Spirit Hall's generation.

He added, "Good. Cultivate diligently. Once you break through to Soul Ancestor, I'll help you choose your fourth soul ring. You can decide its age and direction yourself, and I'll arrange the soul beast."

"Yes, Master." Li Long bowed.

Qian Shengyuan turned and walked toward the gate, while Qian Yaoting remained standing in the courtyard.

He glanced at Li Long, his expression more relaxed than before. The corner of his mouth curved upward. "After I stabilize my sixth soul ring, we'll fight again."

"Sure." Li Long's fighting spirit surged as he said with blazing eyes, "Senior Brother, don't hold back your sixth soul skill then. Let me properly experience just how strong the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul's sixth soul skill is!"

"Fine. I'll make sure you see it."

Qian Yaoting chuckled and turned to follow Qian Shengyuan.

The two left the East Courtyard one after the other. Several low voices drifted along the corridor in the night. The words could not be heard clearly through the courtyard wall, but there was a relaxed harmony in their voices.

Li Long watched them leave from the courtyard, then returned beneath the eaves and sat down again.

He lowered his head and looked at his hands. Level thirty-five Soul Power flowed steadily through his meridians. He could feel that it was more solid than it had been at level thirty-four. After each complete cycle of the Guidance Method, his total Soul Power would increase by an almost imperceptible trace.

After returning to his study, Qian Shengyuan sat behind the long desk in silence for a while.

He opened a drawer, took out dossier number 037, and flipped through it. His gaze moved from the records of Li Long's arrival in Spirit City to the updates from the past few days.

He then closed the dossier and returned it to the drawer. Leaning back in his chair, he looked out into the night beyond the window.

"A late bloomer..."

He softly repeated those four words, and a faint curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Looks like it's time to seek out heavenly treasures to build his cultivation foundation."

"With the support of those heavenly treasures, if his innate foundation is strengthened, his cultivation speed may become even faster, and the path ahead may last even longer."

He reaffirmed this judgment in his heart, then blew out the lamp on the desk, rose, and left the study.

The night wind swept down the corridor, carrying the slight chill of approaching autumn. Qian Shengyuan's steps were neither hurried nor slow, but the taut string in his heart never loosened.

He was waiting.

Waiting for Li Long to break through to four soul rings, waiting for the day his potential truly erupted in full.

He was looking forward to that day more and more.