Xue Qinghe Confronts a Mysterious Force

Five years was enough for a gifted Soul Master to raise their Soul Power by several levels.

Qian Zong changed the subject at just the right moment, easing the awkwardness.

"Reporting to you, Young Master, I just broke through to level 89," Ling Yuan answered honestly.

"Heh..." Qian Zong chuckled softly and reminded her, "Sister Ling Yuan, call me Zong'er."

Ling Yuan lowered her head and replied quietly, "Yes, Zong'er."

"Level 89..." Qian Zong pondered for a moment.

Ling Yuan first appeared during the Soul Hunting Operation, when she launched a surprise attack on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. She was sixty-three years old, a level 92 agility-type Soul Master.

The Soul Hunting Operation was still about ten years away. Level 89 was not far from what Qian Zong had expected.

"Sister Ling Yuan, since you're my personal guard, you can't be too weak."

"Z-Zong'er, don't worry. I'll work even harder on my cultivation from now on."

Ling Yuan saw nothing wrong with what Qian Zong had said. Given his status, her level really was a little low.

Qian Zong shook his head and said with a soft laugh:

"You've misunderstood me, Sister Ling Yuan. You don't need to work so hard. We're brother and sister now, so of course I'll look out for you.

"What I mean is that I have a way to help you quickly become a Titled Douluo. As for your ninth Soul Ring, I'll also do everything I can to get you a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring."

The Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower was a fire-attribute Immortal Herb and a supreme treasure for fire-attribute Soul Masters. Qian Zong had been worried about finding someone suitable for it.

Originally, Qian Zong had planned to give the Immortal Herb to Yan. He might be the continent's foremost lovesick fool, but at least he was talented and thoroughly loyal to Spirit Hall.

Even if his Martial Soul lacked a phoenix origin, absorbing the fire-attribute Immortal Herb would still bring him a tremendous boost.

With Yan's talent, it might even trigger a divine trial.

But now, Qian Zong had other plans.

Ling Yuan's Martial Soul might not match Yan's in quality, but she had become a Soul Douluo at thirty-nine. Her Martial Soul could hardly be poor.

Even if the Immortal Herb did not trigger a divine trial, it should be no problem for her to enter the ranks of the Super Douluo.

As for Yan, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well held all sorts of rare medicinal herbs besides Immortal Herbs. His allotment would have to drop a tier.

Crack—

Ling Yuan sprang from her seat, trembling all over with excitement.

Her hand tightened without her noticing, scattering fragments of her teacup across the table.

"Zong'er? Do you really mean that?"

Ling Yuan did not care whether Qian Zong could help her become a Titled Douluo. She still had potential, and she believed with all her heart that if she cultivated diligently, she would become one someday.

What mattered to her was the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

A Titled Douluo with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring had strength and future prospects far beyond those of an ordinary Titled Douluo.

Take Yue Guan and Gui Mei. If their ninth Soul Rings had been Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings, then with the quality of their Martial Souls, they would probably have broken through level 96 long ago.

"Mm." Qian Zong nodded lightly and took a sip of tea. "But we'll need to wait a while."

Since he had come this far, Qian Zong had no intention of missing that famous spot.

He had yet to recover to his best condition, though. Going there now would only waste time; eating Immortal Herbs alone could not restore his body.

As for Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings, Qian Zong had no shortage of options.

Spirit Hall was fully confident it could capture a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. For Spirit Hall, the greatest difficulty in obtaining a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring was not fighting the Soul Beast, but finding one.

As it happened, Qian Zong knew where many Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts lived.

There was Xiao Wu at Nuoding Academy; the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape at the Lake of Life; the Evil Orca King, the Demon Soul Great White Shark, and the Demon Empress out at sea; and the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King in Slaughter City. All were ready sources of Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings.

Of those Soul Beasts, only the Demon Soul Great White Shark and the Demon Empress had powerful backing and would be a little harder to kill.

There was also the thirty-thousand-year Golden Hawksbill Turtle in the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest.

But the Golden Hawksbill Turtle's true identity would not be exposed for another ten thousand years, and Qian Zong did not know whether it had already stolen and eaten Di Tian's precious treasure.

If it had, it would make a good choice too.

"Ling Yuan will do whatever Zong'er asks."

"Aren't you worried I'm lying to you?"

"I'm yours, Zong'er. Even if you're lying to me, I'd accept it gladly." Ling Yuan pledged her loyalty once more.

She was reckless, not stupid.

She knew full well that someone of Qian Zong's status had no reason to deceive her.

There was not much information about Ling Yuan. Just as Qian Zong was about to ask about her past, a voice suddenly reached his ears.

"The show's starting, Sister Ling Yuan. Come on, I'll take you to see something good."

Qian Zong set down his teacup, rose, and headed out of the private study.

"Yes, Young... Zong'er."

Although she had accepted Qian Zong's proposal, Ling Yuan could not slip into the role of his older sister so quickly.

They had spent too little time together. She could not act as freely as Qian Zong did.

Thirty-odd meters beyond the private study lay a vast, open atrium.

From the upper floors, one could see more than sixty percent of the Soul Masters on the ground floor.

The upper floors were both a symbol of a Spirit Hall Soul Master's standing and a place from which to watch the people below.

Ling Yuan followed Qian Zong to the atrium.

Looking down, she spotted two familiar figures.

She fidgeted. After a moment's thought, she finally asked the question she had kept to herself:

"Zong'er, Spirit Hall built this library, but most of the Soul Masters downstairs aren't Spirit Hall members. Why let people from outside forces in?"

The Martial Soul Library covered more than thirty thousand square meters. Built in a ring beside Pope Mountain, it had three floors.

The first floor held basic knowledge for Soul Masters and other books of common knowledge. Any Soul Master on the continent could consult them for free upon proving their status.

The second floor held records Spirit Hall had compiled over ten thousand years, along with scholars' theses and research findings. Anyone with proof of membership in Spirit Hall could enter and read freely.

The third floor held strictly confidential texts, including knowledge of Soul Tools, illustrated guides to Immortal Herbs, and accounts of the continent's wonders. Only Spirit Hall's most central members could enter.

"The two great empires have long since rotted through. They never care whether commoners live or die. All they know is how to take from them and squeeze them dry.

"Spirit Hall may be an organization of Soul Masters, but it also belongs to the common people. All I'm doing is taking knowledge from the people and bringing it back to them, so commoners have a chance to learn too.

"We're still a long way from that goal. But one day, I'll bring change to this continent like nothing it has ever seen."

As he spoke, Qian Zong looked downstairs and found Xue Qinghe.

Xue Qinghe was facing off against another group at the foot of the ground-floor stairs. The air was thick with hostility, as if a fight might break out at any moment.

A mischievous smile tugged at Qian Zong's lips. Unwilling to miss the show, he hurried toward Xue Qinghe.

"Come on, Sister Ling Yuan. If we're any later, we'll miss the good part."

Ling Yuan could make neither head nor tail of it, but she did not dwell on it. She followed Qian Zong downstairs.