Chen Xin's sword qi moved fast.
It bore straight toward Su Li's back.
If Su Li had drawn his sword to block it, they might have fought to a draw.
But...
Su Li did no such thing.
Instead, he extended a finger and lightly traced a line through the space before him.
Whoosh!
With that casual stroke, the sword qi was drawn into a rift in space!
Chen Xin stood with his hands behind his back. At last, his expression changed.
"Not bad... I didn't expect you to neutralize it with your Second Martial Soul."
Below him, Su Li's gaze sharpened. "It's not over yet," he murmured.
Crack!
A rift opened swiftly in the space before Chen Xin.
It happened so fast that even Chen Xin, who had not been watching closely, froze for half a second.
The sword qi that had attacked Su Li was now hurtling toward him.
Who would have thought someone whose Martial Soul had awakened only recently could wield such a technique?
Pop!
The sword qi struck Chen Xin with all the effect of a fart. It did nothing.
It felt rather like
a human trying to elbow a hundred-ton behemoth.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
A smile finally spread across Chen Xin's face. Applauding, he descended to the ground.
His eyes shone as he regarded Su Li with unmistakable satisfaction.
"Excellent, Su Li. You've truly taken me by surprise."
"These two Martial Souls are almost too well suited to you."
Chen Xin reached out and patted Su Li's head.
His gaze was gentle, as though he were looking at a cherished personal disciple.
"It's just an insignificant little trick, Sword Grandpa."
Su Li smiled modestly.
"A little trick? You're far more impressive than your Bone Grandpa was at your age."
Chen Xin spared no praise.
Then he glanced toward the woods not far away and smiled faintly.
"Su Li, I'm taking you to hunt a Soul Beast today. It's time we secured your First Soul Ring."
"When I first brought you home, I could tell your bones weren't as frail as an ordinary child's. Six years later, your physique is nearly on par with a Soul Master who has two rings."
"I wonder if you have some special constitution."
Su Li scratched his head and smiled easily. "Maybe my Twin Martial Souls made my body a little stronger than most people's."
Chen Xin nodded. That seemed plausible.
Over the past century,
there appeared to have been only a handful of people with Twin Martial Souls.
They did not know much about them.
"All right. Let's go."
Chen Xin put his hands behind his back, then raised his voice slightly.
"If a certain someone doesn't want to go out and have fun, she can stay in the woods. We're leaving."
Rustle, rustle, rustle!
A cute girl ran out of the woods. Her cheeks were rosy and puffed up in a pout as she thumped Chen Xin's back with a little fist.
"Sword Grandpa! Did you know I was there all along?"
"You're awful!"
Chen Xin chuckled, casually produced an iron sword, and stepped onto it first.
"All right, Rongrong. Your Bone Grandpa told me to take you out for some fun."
"But let's be clear: first, we're finding a suitable Soul Beast for Su Li's First Soul Ring."
Chen Xin lightly tapped Ning Rongrong on the head, his expression growing stern.
"I know, I know~"
"Hmph... Do you think I'm unreasonable and only care about having fun?"
Su Li said, "Yes."
The girl gave his arm an annoyed pinch, planted her hands on her hips, and huffed, "Why did you nod?!"
"Hmph! Don't think I didn't see you!"
Su Li had not expected the girl to see that when she was standing in front of him.
Did she have radar in her eyes?
Still,
he knew that if he did not admit it, he had not done it.
He kept his mouth shut and looked into the distance.
Those white clouds sure are... cloudlike.
Chen Xin helplessly gripped them both by the backs of their necks and set them on the sword.
"Stand steady. Sword Grandpa will take you flying."
Up in the sky,
Ning Rongrong spread her arms in excitement. She seemed to love the feeling.
Chen Xin stood at the rear, hands behind his back, looking every inch the elegant gentleman.
Su Li sat in the middle, one leg dangling high above the ground. He propped his elbow on the other knee, tilted his head, and rested his chin on his hand.
Eyes closed, he tried to grasp how to fly on a sword.
For a sword-wielding Soul Master,
flying on a sword was probably what kept everyone striving through the early days.
For one simple reason: it looked cool.
After all,
who would not want to glide effortlessly over a city on a sword
and bask in the admiring, envious gazes below?
"Hey, Su Li! Can you fly on a sword?"
Ning Rongrong suddenly turned around. The wind lifted her bangs, revealing her fair, adorable face.
Her big, cute eyes sparkled as though she were hoping for something.
"No." Su Li answered calmly and returned to his thoughts.
"Oh?" Ning Rongrong sounded disappointed. The excitement that had risen in her moments ago slowly ebbed away.
A moment later,
she glanced at Su Li, who looked rather dashing, and could not help muttering, "It's not like... I wanted you to take me flying or anything..."
As soon as she said it,
Ning Rongrong regretted it. She hurriedly turned away and covered her face, her cheeks bright red.
Su Li opened his eyes a sliver and watched the girl's back. Without a word, he went on thinking.
Half an hour later,
the three reached the outskirts of the Sunset Forest.
Chen Xin put away his sword and led them inside.
"Su Li, your Pure Jun Sword is different from my Seven Kill Sword. Mine is made for slaughter. It's focused on attack and killing."
"So my path may not suit you."
Chen Xin ruffled Su Li's hair and continued, "Your Pure Jun Sword is gentle as jade, radiant as a hibiscus blossom. It possesses Vast Righteous Qi and sacred power."
"A light-attribute Soul Beast might be the best match for you."
Su Li glanced at him. As expected of a Super Douluo.
In the game he had played in his previous life,
he had taken his Pure Jun Sword down the sacred path.
Every Soul Beast he had chosen had possessed either a light or a sacred attribute.
"You're right, Sword Grandpa. I was planning to find a light-attribute Soul Beast for my First Soul Ring."
Chen Xin gave a quiet hum and looked at him. "Have one in mind?"
Su Li was about to name a Soul Beast that suited him, but then he remembered that in the past six years, he had never studied advanced Soul Beast lore.
If he blurted out a name, would that not raise suspicions?
Chen Xin might not care. He might not even give it a second thought.
Still, Su Li thought it best to be careful.
"Sword Grandpa, I barely know any Soul Beasts. How would I know which one suits me?"
Chen Xin slapped his forehead, looking a little troubled. "Right... I forgot you haven't had a proper education yet."
"In that case, Rongrong, do you know what light-attribute or sacred-attribute Soul Beast would suit Su Li?"
Embarrassed to be put on the spot, the girl immediately scratched her head.
Then she scratched her cheek and said sheepishly, "I... don't know."
Chen Xin's face hardened. He lightly tapped her on the head. "Su Li is one thing, but you're the Young Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. How can you know nothing about Soul Beasts?"
"How will you support Su Li in battle later? How will you help the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect grow and prosper?"
"When we get back, you're going to study properly. Do you hear me?"
Before you continue