Qin Xiao

"Get out of the way, you two brats!"

Though the coachman had clearly seen the two children on the street, he had no intention of stopping.

That was because the young master of the mayor's household was sitting in the carriage behind him. He was usually arrogant and overbearing; if the coachman stopped the carriage, both he and whoever had blocked the road would be in deep trouble.

"Heh, what a big mouth."

Meng Xuanji spun around and stepped in front of Hu Liena.

"Blue Silver Entanglement!"

At Meng Xuanji's command, pitch-black tentacles crawled out from beneath the ground, weaving themselves into a tough rope that stretched across the street.

"What? Ah!"

The carriage crashed into the rope and overturned. Qin Xiao, who had been resting with his eyes closed inside, was flung out before he could react, slamming heavily onto the ground.

Smack!

Before Qin Xiao could recover, the airborne carriage came hurtling down toward him.

Boom!

The carriage hit the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. The nearby pedestrians were so frightened that they hurriedly shut their doors, even locking their windows tight.

In barely a moment, the entire street was left with only Meng Xuanji and Hu Liena.

"Young Master! Young Master, are you all right?"

After being thrown away, the coachman immediately rushed toward the wreckage to search for Qin Xiao.

The next instant, tyrannical lightning erupted!

Bang!

The entire carriage was blasted into the air by furious thunder, breaking apart midair until it was completely shattered.

The coachman was forced back by the pressure and did not dare approach.

Qin Xiao darkly brushed back his hair and said in a low voice, "Which suicidal fool dared block my path?"

Qin Xiao's furious gaze instantly swept toward Meng Xuanji, his eyes fixed on the Blue Silver Emperor beneath the latter's feet.

When he saw Meng Xuanji's white ten-year soul ring, the rage in his heart grew even stronger.

"A piece of trash with only one ring dares block me? Don't you know who calls the shots in Heavenly Spring Town?"

Two yellow hundred-year soul rings rose around Qin Xiao. Then, a black Thunderbolt Hammer appeared in his hand.

Buzz!

Lightning flickered continuously across the Thunderbolt Hammer as Qin Xiao raised the massive hammer one-handed and pointed it at Meng Xuanji.

"I'm in a good mood today, so I don't feel like killing anyone. If you know what's good for you, kneel down and apologize to me, then compensate me for two carriages. We'll let this matter go."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't mind teaching you a proper lesson on behalf of your elders."

A domineering aura radiated from Qin Xiao. He had already decided that Meng Xuanji was nothing but trash. A ten-year soul ring? Under normal circumstances, he would not even bother giving such trash a second glance.

"There are so many pedestrians on the street, yet you still let your coachman race recklessly through it. Who knows how many villagers' goods he knocked over along the way. A person like you thinks he's qualified to lecture me?" Meng Xuanji shot back.

"Hehehe, you must be an outsider, right? Who in Heavenly Spring Town doesn't know my name, Qin Xiao? My father is the mayor of Heavenly Spring Town, a four-ring Soul Ancestor. So what if I knocked over some trashy goods? What if I flipped their stalls outright?"

"It's already merciful of me not to charge them protection money. Do you think trash like them, who can't even awaken a martial soul, would have the guts to stand up and accuse me?"

"Hm?" Meng Xuanji paused. "Aren't those who can't awaken martial souls supposed to be geniuses?"

If Meng Xuanji remembered correctly, body martial souls could not be awakened normally at first. To outsiders, their owners appeared to be ordinary people without martial souls at all.

However, once they received guidance from the Body Sect, they could rapidly unlock their own potential and even develop bodies powerful enough to rival soul beasts.

No matter how poor their potential was, surely they could not all be unsuited to cultivation as body martial souls? Had the Body Sect not come to recruit them?

No. If the Body Sect doesn't exist in this era yet, then people with body martial souls really would just be ordinary people living at the bottom of society, with almost no chance of becoming powerful soul masters.

Meng Xuanji considered a possibility.

If the Body Sect had emerged after Spirit Hall was destroyed, did that mean it might have inherited part of Spirit Hall's legacy? For example, cultivation methods capable of tempering body martial souls.

If that was true, then there was only one place where that legacy was most likely to be found now.

The library. Right, if this isn't a coincidence, then the manuals might really be stored there!

Meng Xuanji was deeply moved. What a windfall. He had merely come out to gain experience, yet he had obtained such important information.

If he could establish the Body Sect in this era, it would definitely become a major force in his future bid to dominate the continent.

"Hey! What are you laughing at? Don't think you can get away with this by playing dumb in front of me. If you don't give me an explanation today, neither of you is leaving this place."

When he mentioned the two of them, Qin Xiao suddenly realized that Meng Xuanji had a companion behind him.

When his gaze shifted behind Meng Xuanji, he could no longer look away.

"S-So beautiful."

Hu Liena's breathtaking face still had immense killing power even against a man like Qin Xiao, who had sampled countless beauties.

"She looks about six years old, and I'm only twelve this year. When she turns eighteen, I'll be twenty-six. Hehe, that could work."

Qin Xiao wore the standard foolish grin of a rich landlord's son.

"Ahem, well, seeing as you're both still so young, I'll reluctantly let you off this time."

Meng Xuanji's right hand, which had been about to reach out, abruptly froze behind his back. Three question marks seemed to pop up over his head.

"Huh??? What the hell?"

Meng Xuanji was stunned. Qin Xiao had clearly looked ready to fight just moments ago. Why had he suddenly changed his tune?

Is your soul skill face-changing?

"However, you did make a mistake after all. As compensation, I want you to come back with me and be my bed-warming maid." Qin Xiao pointed at Hu Liena behind Meng Xuanji, his eyes frivolous.

"Don't worry. Big brother here knows best how to cherish girls. Come back with me, and I won't treat you badly."

Perhaps Meng Xuanji's ten-year soul ring had given Qin Xiao the wrong impression, making him assume that Hu Liena was also merely an ordinary soul master with a ten-year soul ring.

After hearing Qin Xiao's provocative words, Meng Xuanji suddenly took two steps back and moved behind Hu Liena, giving Qin Xiao a look full of pity.

"Sigh, another one who doesn't fear death."

Meng Xuanji helplessly shook his head.

"Oh~ You're pretty sensible. You even know to step aside. Not bad, not bad. You know your place."

Qin Xiao held the Thunderbolt Hammer over his shoulder and slowly approached Hu Liena with his head held high, his gaze constantly wandering over her waist.

"What a slim waist, what tender skin. She's truly a budding beauty. Come, let big brother take a good look at you."

"Look at your sister!"

Bang!

Hu Liena transformed into a bolt of purple lightning! Her iron fist smashed into Qin Xiao's cheek, knocking out two of his teeth!

"Ah!"

Qin Xiao flew backward like a cannonball, blood still staining the corner of his mouth.

Bang!

Qin Xiao rolled into a fruit stall, like a tiger that had lost its fangs and could not get back up for a long while.

"Hmph, I hate men who try to take liberties with me most of all. Did you think beautiful women were easy to bully?"

Hu Liena summoned her martial soul, and the purple soul ring shone blindingly in the coachman's eyes.

"A thousand-year... a thousand-year soul ring!!!"