A Genius with No Backing? I'll Take Him!

At those words, the old man's gaze snapped to Jiang Yu's eyes.

Jiang Yu looked flustered, but he did not seem to be lying. The old man lowered his eyes slightly, his thoughts racing.

His martial soul had awakened on its own when he was on the brink of death?

And such a strange thing had happened to a little beggar?

As the old man pondered, his gaze swept over Jiang Yu's two martial souls again.

The two daggers were utterly different, one radiant and the other insubstantial. Both carried the aura of dragons, and both seemed to be of exceptional quality.

Then there was the Soul Power emanating from the little beggar before him...

Wait. That Soul Power...

Wu Lie's eyes widened. In a single step, he was in front of Jiang Yu. He ignored the grime and seized the boy's right wrist.

The crushing grip felt as though it might snap Jiang Yu's bones, but he did not dare resist. He only watched the old man's expression shift from surprise to bewilderment, then to utter shock.

"Six years old. Innate Full Soul Power. Top-tier tool martial souls carrying the aura of dragons..."

Wu Lie murmured to himself, his heart already in turmoil.

He released Jiang Yu's wrist, lowered his head, and fixed his gaze on the boy's eyes.

"Boy, tell me the truth. Are you really just a beggar, and not from some great family?"

Jiang Yu froze, then looked down at himself.

Could a child from a great family really end up like this?

Seemingly realizing how foolish his question was, Wu Lie coughed awkwardly, then said with bright eyes:

"Boy, you've broken the law by killing people in the Imperial Capital. If the Heaven Dou Empire investigates, you're as good as dead. I'm giving you a chance to live. Come with me, and I'll take care of everything else. What do you say?"

Is he trying to scare a kid?

After grumbling inwardly, Jiang Yu opened his mouth and feigned hesitation and confusion. Wu Lie gave a soft snort. Without waiting for an answer, he scooped Jiang Yu up with one hand and waved the other. The three corpses on the ground crumbled to dust under a surge of fiery-red Soul Power.

Then he pushed off lightly and carried Jiang Yu away so fast that the boy could not make out their surroundings.

A beggar genius with no backing? I'll take him!

A short while later, inside the Nine Treasure Pavilion in western Heaven Dou City.

Wu Lie carried the dizzy Jiang Yu straight into a lavish room.

A beautiful woman in court dress had been reading a file there. Startled by Wu Lie's entrance, she looked up to find him beaming as though he had found a new lease on life, with some filthy black lump dangling from his hand.

She narrowed her eyes. Only then did she make out that the lump seemed to be a person—a very thin child.

"Uncle Wu, what are you..."

Before she could finish, Wu Lie burst out laughing.

"Sect Master! Wonderful news! I went out today and found a treasure. Come take a look at this child!"

The woman paused, then rose and walked around her desk.

Jiang Yu had just begun to recover from his dizziness when his gaze met her puzzled eyes.

At that moment, Jiang Yu had to admit he was struck by her beauty.

The woman wore a pale-gold court dress. Her satin-black hair fell to her waist, and her finely drawn features were breathtaking. She carried herself with gentle dignity, every movement full of the composure and grace that came with age.

Her long dress trailed across the floor as she walked, its hem lifting slightly. She looked both regal and quietly serene.

While Jiang Yu stared in wonder, the red-haired old man released him and hurried forward to say something.

His lips moved, but no sound came out.

After hearing Wu Lie's account, a flicker of profound surprise crossed Ning Yunxiu's eyes.

She looked up and studied Jiang Yu carefully.

The six-year-old boy was painfully thin, with barely any flesh on his bones. Blood and grime covered his face and body. His oversized clothes were riddled with holes, revealing glimpses of scars and purple bruises on the skin beneath. He had clearly endured many beatings.

And yet... his eyes were still bright and alert, with none of the numbness or lifelessness one might expect from the state of his body.

Women had maternal instincts, especially a woman like Ning Yunxiu, who had borne two children and had even lost one of them.

She sighed, pity flashing in her eyes. Then she crouched and spoke gently:

"Little one, don't be afraid. We're not bad people."

"Uncle Wu brought you here because you have powerful martial souls and a gift for cultivation. A child like you shouldn't be left to waste away on the streets..."

She paused, seeming to realize that a six-year-old beggar might not understand all that. Her voice softened further.

"Never mind. First, go take a bath. Once you've eaten your fill and had your wounds treated, I'll explain. All right?"

Jiang Yu swallowed, then nodded with feigned uncertainty.

Ning Yunxiu nodded back and summoned a maid, whose expression was somewhat strange, to take Jiang Yu away to wash.

After the maid led Jiang Yu away, the warmth slowly faded from Ning Yunxiu's face. She stood and turned to Wu Lie.

"Uncle Wu, are you certain the child has Innate Full Soul Power?"

Wu Lie thumped his chest so hard it rang. "Sect Master, I may be old, but my eyes haven't failed me yet. The boy does have Innate Full Soul Power. His martial souls are two different daggers, both carrying the aura of dragons. They're absolutely top-tier tool martial souls."

Ning Yunxiu nodded, though she still looked a little dazed.

A six-year-old beggar had been beaten half to death, only for his martial souls to awaken on their own. Worse still, he possessed Innate Full Soul Power—a talent that had appeared only once in this generation of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

However she looked at it, the whole thing seemed absurd.

Suddenly, Ning Yunxiu looked up.

"Uncle Wu, you said the child killed the three beggars who beat him?"

Wu Lie's expression grew more restrained, and a hint of hesitation appeared on his face. "That's right, Sect Master. When I arrived, the boy had just cut off the last man's head. I could tell he was nervous and afraid, but he still managed to keep his composure."

"I remember thinking, how could he be only six? Even the teenagers in our sect probably wouldn't stay so calm after killing three people..."

A thoughtful look crossed Ning Yunxiu's face.

After a moment, she said quietly:

"Judging by his condition and the injuries covering nearly his entire body, he must have grown up among beggars. For a chance to survive or eat a full meal, those beggars can be far more vicious and ruthless than we imagine. A child raised in that environment will be nothing like the sheltered children in our sect."

"Killing at six is horrifying, but he had a reason. He wasn't slaughtering innocent people indiscriminately... Even a rabbit bites when cornered. And judging by how he reacted when you found him, his conscience hasn't been entirely extinguished. Give him a different place to live and some guidance, and he shouldn't be too hard to set on the right path."

Wu Lie's expression shifted. "Then you've decided to bring him back to the sect and train him?"

Ning Yunxiu smiled and returned to her seat.

"I still have a few questions for him. As for whether to bring him back to the sect... what do you think, Uncle Wu?"

Wu Lie scratched his head, then laughed heartily.

"I'll follow your lead, Sect Master. But the boy's temperament and talent are truly rare. If we can guide him onto the right path, he'll become a great asset to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

"And most importantly, the boy is probably an orphan. We can take the time to make him—and his future descendants—feel they belong to the sect. That would give Xiaotian another ally and benefit the sect's long-term future as well..."