A Gifted Dark Angel

Qian Zong rubbed his nose, a little pleased with himself. "Before I was injured, I was actually a Soul King. My fifth Soul Ring had even reached a hundred thousand years."

"What!" Golden Crocodile, who had been silent beside them, stared so hard his eyes nearly popped out. "Young master, if I remember right, you're only thirteen."

"Mm. I turned thirteen last month."

Crack!

Golden Crocodile's emotions surged. His hand tightened without his noticing, shattering the teacup and scattering shards across the table.

"A thirteen-year-old Soul King, with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring as his fifth ring. Even compared to the young master, talent like that is no less extraordinary."

The more Golden Crocodile thought about it, the angrier he grew.

A genius like that had been denied even the chance to cultivate and forced to wander the continent.

"Second Brother."

Qian Daoliu released his Soul Power. A gentle aura enveloped Golden Crocodile, and the anger in his heart slowly subsided.

But his face remained grim, his chest still rising and falling.

Qian Daoliu had guessed part of the answer. He asked:

"Zong'er, does this have something to do with the evil power in your heart?"

Qian Zong did not hide it. He nodded and explained:

"In my era, Evil Soul Masters were everywhere. And with my pure Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, I was their natural enemy.

"From the moment my Martial Soul awakened, I became someone the Evil Soul Masters were determined to kill.

"To evade their searches while I was on the run, I learned some of their cultivation methods to disguise myself."

"Sacred power and evil power are as incompatible as fire and water. They cannot exist in the same person." Qian Daoliu was stunned. "Zong'er, how did you manage it?"

How did I manage it?

By being both an Evil Soul Master and a champion of justice, of course.

After all, no one ever said a Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul could only absorb light-attribute Soul Rings.

But Qian Zong did not dare admit to something that went against his ancestors' principles.

"I entered the God of Sin's trial grounds and triggered a divine trial. The power in my heart isn't purely evil. It's divine power from the source, bearing a trace of the laws of sin. It lets me devour others' power like an Evil Soul Master and strengthen myself.

"My body and Soul Rings were also tempered by the God of Sin's power. But as you said, sacred power and evil power are as incompatible as fire and water. During that tempering, my physique weakened instead of growing stronger.

"Sometimes I devoured Evil Soul Masters to increase my power, too, so my overall strength was rather hollow. If the tempering hadn't greatly increased the age and power of my Soul Rings, I would have struggled to defeat other Soul Masters of the same level."

Qian Zong had only Innate Full Soul Power. Without taking shortcuts, he could never have reached the Soul King realm at thirteen, much less survived that era.

To survive, even with a sacred-attribute Martial Soul, he had no choice but to cultivate through evil methods.

"Young master, how did you choose your Soul Rings?"

"I went with the Darkness Element." Qian Zong scratched his head and gave an awkward smile. "My Soul Skills might look a little mismatched, but they're actually quite powerful."

Qian Daoliu pressed a hand to his forehead, helpless, but did not pursue the matter.

What was past was past.

"Zong'er, do you have any plans for what comes next?"

Qian Daoliu had come not only to steady Qian Zong's emotions, but also to learn what he intended for the future—and, while he was at it, ask about the future itself.

"After wandering for so long, I've grown tired of it." Qian Zong poured himself another cup of tea. "Grandpa, I want to rest and recover for a while.

"If I can, I'd also like to marry a few wives and try the life of an imperial noble.

"I'll decide on everything else once my health improves."

Qian Daoliu froze, then broke into a delighted grin. The gloom that had hung over him vanished. "Good! Getting married is good!"

He had never imagined he might have another chance to hold a grandson in his lifetime.

"Zong'er, if any young lady catches your eye, just tell Grandpa. I'll take you to propose in person." Qian Daoliu's joy was heartfelt. He turned and instructed, "Second Brother, stay by Zong'er's side and protect him from now on. No matter what happens, you must keep him safe."

Qian Daoliu meant every word. At the thought of holding a new grandson before long, his face nearly split from smiling.

The Qian Family had resources, connections, strength, and talent. They lacked for nothing, yet its members never seemed eager to have children.

Fortunately, his grandson from the future seemed keen on the idea.

Then I have to support him!

Looking at Qian Daoliu's beaming face, Qian Zong understood for the first time what people meant when they spoke of doting on a grandchild.

This was only the second time he had met Qian Daoliu, yet the man already treated him as family.

"Yes, Big Brother!"

Golden Crocodile Douluo was grinning from ear to ear as well. His family line had followed the Angel God for generations.

Though Qian Zong could no longer cultivate, his talent as a Soul Master was monstrous. Any children he had would surely accomplish great things.

"Thank you, Grandpa."

Qian Zong was delighted too. With a level 98 Titled Douluo protecting him personally, he could walk sideways across the continent.

Qian Daoliu held out his hand. A bracelet and a jade pendant appeared in his palm:

"Zong'er, I chose these two pieces of equipment for you from the treasury: the Radiance Bracelet and the Heart of Light.

"The bracelet is a Storage Soul Tool left from ancient times. It has a thousand cubic meters of space, and it can even hold living creatures.

"The jade pendant contains a small amount of Angel Divine Power. Your injuries haven't healed, so wearing it will nourish your body.

"In a crisis, you can also draw on the energy within it to form a protective barrier or launch an attack."

Qian Zong was overjoyed. These were things the strong had no use for and the weak could never hope to obtain. They suited him perfectly at this stage.

He took them from Qian Daoliu and put on the Heart of Light.

A faint glow enveloped him, then sank into his body. Qian Zong immediately felt comfortable all over.

He slipped the Radiance Bracelet onto his wrist and fed a wisp of Soul Power into it.

The next moment, part of his consciousness entered the bracelet, where he found a vast, empty space.

"What a treasure!" Qian Zong's eyes lit up. He stroked the Radiance Bracelet, reluctant to let it go, and exclaimed, "Grandpa, this Storage Soul Tool may only be seventh-tier, but it has a function even ninth-tier Soul Tools lack. Even in my era, you couldn't buy one at any price."

Ten thousand years later, Soul Tool technology had long since matured. But using a Soul Tool still required one thing: Soul Power.

Apart from fixed-installation Soul Tools, every other Soul Tool needed Soul Power to activate.

Even a spatial Soul Tool, the least demanding kind, required at least a Soul Emperor's cultivation to activate at the seventh tier.

Yet now, he needed only a faint trickle of Soul Power to activate the seventh-tier Soul Tool in his hand. Its value was obvious.

Spirit Hall's reserves truly ran deep beyond measure.

"Young master, you know about Soul Tools?"

In this era, the techniques for making Soul Tools had long been lost. Every Soul Tool was a rare treasure, impossible to buy at any price.

Even with Spirit Hall's deep reserves, it possessed few Soul Tools.