"Can soul beasts become soul engineers too?" Ye Xinglan asked curiously.
Shen Xi nodded gently. "In theory, yes."
"Especially super-powerful spiritual soul beasts like the Evil Eye, which is purely spiritual in nature. They have an innate potential to become high-ranking soul engineers."
"But that's only in theory."
Shen Xi looked at her darling son and continued, "Qingjia, you're not the first person to have that idea. In the past, powerful spiritual soul masters have tried having their contracted spiritual soul spirits with advanced intelligence learn human professions."
"But most of them failed. Throughout all of history, only a handful of soul spirits have ever become high-ranking professionals."
"Scholars once theorized that if the ferocious beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest were willing to devote themselves wholeheartedly to studying soul engineering and slip into the human world, even learning under Level 7 or Level 8 Soul Engineers would eventually produce a Level 9 Soul Engineer. From a human perspective, their lifespans are practically eternal. Surviving a single heavenly tribulation lets them live another hundred thousand years, yet humanity's known written history doesn't even span one hundred thousand years."
"So why has that never happened?"
"Because of soul beasts' instincts?" Xu Qingjia asked.
"Yes." Shen Xi nodded.
"Humans can think, and so can soul beasts. But most of the time, they prefer to follow their instincts and choose not to think."
"Humans have to keep learning to master new abilities. Soul beasts, however, are born with a bloodline inheritance. Once their cultivation reaches a certain age, they automatically gain new powers. Asking soul beasts to study is undoubtedly a shock to their worldview."
"Only those with tremendous perseverance and wisdom can defy the instincts buried in the deepest recesses of their blood and souls."
Xu Qingjia felt that a bowl of Meng Po Soup would be the most practical solution here.
They could simply forget everything from before and clear out their brain's memory.
Still, he wasn't about to exploit a soul spirit to that extent.
No, this isn't exploitation.
It's giving a child from the mountains a chance to leave them behind and receive a higher education!
"There's nothing to lose by trying." Xu Qingjia's gaze settled on Nether Moon, who was curiously feeling around the room's various objects with her tentacles, and he made his decision with an air of casual ease.
"First, we'll hire a private tutor to teach Nether Moon basic human knowledge from scratch. Once she has a solid foundation, we'll hire a professional soul engineer to teach her the specialized material related to soul engineering."
It wasn't as though it would cost him any time.
At most, it would cost some Federation currency.
The Xu Family no longer possessed the might it had wielded when the Sun Moon Empire swept across the entire continent. Still, even a starved camel was bigger than a horse. Its wealth certainly wouldn't be enough to fund a contest between two nations, but satisfying a few personal needs and whims was easy enough.
There was only one thing he needed to do: work hard to improve his own strength.
As Nether Moon explored her brand-new surroundings, she had no idea her master had already arranged a heavy course load for her.
Na'er soon finished washing up.
Two gleaming silver braids swayed gently behind her, her hair drifting through the air with her movements. With her delicate, porcelain features, she looked like a little angel descended to earth, pure and adorable.
"How do I look?" The little white-haired dumpling bounced over to Xu Qingjia, her voice carrying a hint of smug pride. "Having an older sister as pretty as me will definitely give you something to brag about."
"Talk to me when you can beat me." Xu Qingjia resisted the urge to pinch Na'er's soft, rosy cheeks.
This little white-haired dumpling wants to lord it over me?
Shen Xi took Na'er to the Spirit Pagoda to obtain a soul spirit.
Xu Qingjia entrusted the task of finding a suitable teacher for Nether Moon to one of the family's maids.
Soon, several preschool teachers' résumés appeared on his phone.
Xu Qingjia chose the one who seemed to have the most experience.
"Xu Qingjia, Xu Qingjia!"
A small, warm hand poked his shoulder gently, with a touch of urgency.
Xu Qingjia turned his head and met his childhood sweetheart's beautiful blue eyes. Ye Xinglan's clear gaze brimmed with barely restrained excitement and eagerness to fight.
"Our match! We agreed on it!"
"Are you sure?" Xu Qingjia tilted his head slightly, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "My soul power has already reached rank eighteen."
"Huh?" A flicker of surprise crossed Ye Xinglan's eyes before she caught on and hurriedly asked, "Did you absorb a soul bone?"
"Yes." Xu Qingjia gave her a brief explanation.
"I'm sure." Ye Xinglan was brimming with fighting spirit.
She had absorbed a hundred-year soul spirit with a stellar attribute, and her soul power cultivation had now reached rank twelve.
But before obtaining a second soul ring, the gap between one-ring soul masters was still relatively small. Victory depended more on the effects of their soul skills and their practical combat techniques.
Put simply, everyone's base stats were fairly low.
"All right, then." Xu Qingjia led Ye Xinglan into the small courtyard outside.
The two put a safe distance between them.
They summoned their martial souls.
A bright yellow longsword appeared in Ye Xinglan's hand. Its blade seemed to be made of countless points of starlight, dazzling even in broad daylight.
Xu Qingjia's dark eyes took on an inhuman calm and a divine indifference. Wisps of inky aura curled around him like subjects gathered around their sovereign, radiating an intangible pressure.
"Come."
The threefold, overlapping voice echoed through the courtyard with unquestionable authority.
Ye Xinglan took a deep breath, her pretty little face growing serious as she focused on the fight. Her fighting spirit surged, and a bright yellow soul ring appeared beside her hand as stellar power flowed continuously into her longsword's blade.
"Sword God Star."
Dazzling starlight burst from the Stargod Sword in Ye Xinglan's hand, brilliant and powerful, as though compressed to its absolute limit. Every strand of light carried sharp sword energy.
Xu Qingjia, however, calmly manifested his soul ring. A deep purple ring lit up beneath his feet. As composed as a sovereign facing a challenge, he slowly extended his arm and flicked his fingers.
Snap!
With the crisp snap of his fingers, the soul skill Soul Lock activated instantly.
Against his childhood sweetheart, Xu Qingjia naturally wouldn't use a dangerous soul skill like Soul Hook. Injuries to the soul were generally extremely difficult to heal, and besides, the strength of their souls simply
wasn't on the same level. A single strike would leave her either dead or injured.
As the soul skill activated, a pitch-black rift connected to an unknown void slowly opened behind Xu Qingjia. A thick, inky chain shot out of it like a giant python hunting its prey. As it slithered forward, a bone-chilling aura of death swept toward her, making even the surrounding air seem to congeal.
Clatter-
The inky chain hurtled straight toward her with terrifying force, its icy aura making Ye Xinglan shiver involuntarily. Her pretty little face was grave. Just as the chain was about to reach her, her small figure darted sideways like a nimble swallow, while the starlit divine sword in her hand slashed out in the same motion.
Brilliant starlight poured down like ten thousand streams of sword energy erupting at once, blanketing the inky chain.
Clang!
The clash of metal rang through the courtyard, making the air tremble faintly.
...slash, parry, cleave.
Ye Xinglan had a talent for swordsmanship and was willing to work hard at it. Although she was still quite some distance from comprehending sword intent, her diligent practice since childhood had given her a command of technique no worse than that of some adults with modest accomplishments in swordsmanship.
She bent her front knee and straightened her rear leg, lowering her center of gravity. Putting her entire body into the strike, she brought her brilliantly starlit divine sword down hard on the inky chain, stirring up a flurry of chaotic soul power fluctuations.
But severing the Soul Lock Chain this way was almost impossible. The Soul Lock Chain itself could suppress energy, greatly weakening energy attacks of any kind-and the enhancement provided by Sword God Star happened to be an energy attack.