"Xinglan, have you come to play with our Qingjia again?" Shen Xi reached out and gently stroked Ye Xinglan's little head. She was very pleased with this childhood sweetheart who had grown up alongside her son.
She was talented, worked hard at her daily training, and had a strong, competitive spirit. She would surely be able to help her son in the future. Besides, their families knew each other inside out, and the Ye Family was also part of the Sun Moon Empire. Whether viewed through the children's lifelong friendship or a marriage alliance between their families, she would make a very good daughter-in-law.
But...
Shen Xi glanced at Na'er out of the corner of her eye.
This one seemed like a very good choice for a daughter-in-law, too.
Such an adorable little girl, with tremendous talent as well.
More importantly, it would keep Na'er in their family for good.
After all, what had happened with Ya Li back then had left the older generation of their family thoroughly disheartened.
They had spent so much time and effort nurturing a successor, only for someone else to snatch her away. Never mind the resources they had expended; all the effort, affection, and trust they had invested had gone straight down the drain. It truly left a bitter taste.
Still, if he married both...
Shen Xi gave her precious son an encouraging look.
Xu Qingjia: ?
Ye Xinglan raised her small, fair fist, her beautiful azure eyes brimming with fighting spirit. "Auntie, Xu Qingjia and I agreed that once we get our Soul Spirits, we're going to have another match."
"Is that so?" Shen Xi smiled gently. "Then give it your best, little Xinglan."
Having eaten and drunk her fill, Na'er went to wash up.
Shen Xi turned to her precious son.
She had come over today for two reasons. One was to take Na'er to acquire a Soul Spirit, and the other was to ask Xu Qingjia about his future path.
Get ahead by one step, and you could stay ahead at every step.
Basic knowledge, daily training, etiquette lessons-almost no family slacked off when arranging their children's education. Precisely because they had glimpsed greater heights, their competition grew all the more fierce.
Shen Xi asked, "Qingjia, have you decided on your second profession?"
Xu Qingjia nodded. "I don't intend to pursue a second profession."
"Huh?"
At those words, not only Shen Xi but also Ye Xinglan looked at Xu Qingjia in puzzlement.
"Why?"
"Because I don't think I'm cut out for hammering iron."
Because even Four-Word Battle Armor would be of little use in his future battles.
Even a Quasi-God wearing Four-Word Battle Armor could not bridge the gulf between a mortal and a True God. To a genuine god-level powerhouse, it was merely a matter of a few slaps.
In the original story, even Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena, who possessed the Gold and Silver Dragon King Bloodline, had only defeated the Demon Empress after she became a god by using the Dragon God Transformation to summon a Divine Position.
Xu Qingjia did not believe his potential was inferior to the Dragon God's.
But did he really have to challenge a True God as a Quasi-God just to prove that?
Wouldn't that just be asking for a beating?
What was his greatest advantage over everyone else?
The Book of Life and Death, and his identity as the Yanluo Heavenly Son!
He already possessed the foundation for becoming a god. He merely needed enough faith to complete that transformation.
Challenge a Great Emperor as a Quasi-Emperor?
No! He should suppress everything with the power of a Heavenly Emperor!
Besides, his final opponent would not be the Demon Empress at the True God level at all. It would be the contingencies Tang San had left behind, Tang Hao after becoming the Plane Master, and the Abyssal Sage King, whose strength equaled that of a First-Level God without a Divine Position!
Four-Word Battle Armor certainly had room for improvement in Ultimate Douluo, but it would be of little use in the short term. Besides, it was not as if he lacked a weapon. He had the Book of Life and Death.
Supreme God King was the winning build!
Besides, he really was not cut out for swinging a hammer. His family had more than enough connections and resources to get him a set of Three-Word Battle Armor to use in the early stages.
Rather than spend time on a second profession, he would be better off putting his efforts into improving himself, spending more time cultivating and gathering faith.
But he certainly could not put it that way.
"I want to devote all my energy to cultivating my Martial Soul and reach that legendary level."
That was Xu Qingjia's explanation.
Shen Xi blinked, then nodded gently. "All right."
If any other child had said that in front of her, Shen Xi would merely have thought them young and ignorant, unaware of how high the heavens truly stood.
In the thousands of years since the Divine Realm had disappeared, far too many geniuses had emerged. They had shone as brilliantly as stars, only to pass away like meteors.
Even Yun Ming. She had little fondness for Shrek Academy, and particularly loathed its various violations of Federation law, even its attempts to place Shrek's rules above those of the Federation.
Yet she had to admire him. Yun Ming truly was the most brilliant star of the past ten thousand years. His strength was beyond question. But even so, he could not reach that level.
Her son, however, was different.
A God-Level Martial Soul with an innate domain, the Netherworld Envoy...
Perhaps her child really could create a miracle.
Apart from a Divine Craftsman, their family was not particularly short of Level Nine Professionals.
Across the entire Douluo Star, there was only one Level Nine Blacksmith. But there were quite a few other Level Nine Professionals.
Among high-level professionals, aside from blacksmiths, supply had long since exceeded demand. The fundamental reason was that there was only one Divine Craftsman.
Take Level Nine Battle Armor Designers and Level Nine Mecha Designers, for example. Both God-Level Mecha and Four-Word Battle Armor required heavenly forged metal, which only a Divine Craftsman could produce. Even several Level Eight Saint Craftsmen working together could only achieve something that qualified as half-step heavenly forging.
But now Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua's health was growing steadily worse. Without heavenly forged metal, what the hell good were design drawings?
Ye Xinglan extended a finger, hesitated as she looked at Xu Qingjia's face, then gently poked his shoulder. "Xu Qingjia, are you really not going to choose a second profession?"
"Mm." Xu Qingjia nodded lightly, his tone as calm as if he were discussing what to eat for his next meal. "But if the chance comes along, I could bring back a Divine Craftsman and have him whip up a set of Four-Word Battle Armor for me."
Ye Xinglan: ?
The girl's tiny head was filled with enormous questions.
Could you just pick up a Divine Craftsman somewhere?
Xu Qingjia responded with a mysterious smile.
Everyone had to die eventually. How could a dead Divine Craftsman not still count as a Divine Craftsman?
And he had heard that Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua was in poor health. He wondered whether this ailing Divine Craftsman would be willing to learn about faith in King Yama, the Nether God.
His place did offer a "cure for all ailments."
It just might involve
a tiny little change in the form of one's life.
"However," Xu Qingjia said to Shen Xi, "my Soul Spirit seems very interested in becoming a Soul Engineer."
There would be a second profession, but he would not be the one pursuing it.
Xu Qingjia summoned Nether Moon.
Her large silver eyeball surveyed her surroundings curiously, utterly unaware of what awaited her in the future, while her tentacles inquisitively felt around everywhere.
"Have this little one become a Soul Engineer?" Shen Xi studied Nether Moon.
"Why not?" Xu Qingjia said with a smile. "She already possesses intelligence on par with a human child's. Once her age is increased in the future, she'll certainly be no less intelligent than an adult human. Her unusual thought structure might even give her intelligence far beyond that of ordinary humans."
"All she lacks is the appropriate education."