How many days had that little blondie even been gone? How had she already written so many letters?
He casually picked up a letter, unfolded it, and read:
"Xiao Hei, are you doing well out there? Have you been eating on time? If you're tired, come back."
He picked up another:
"Xiao Hei, you're not allowed to find any little female dragons out there! Even though you're growing fast and you're very cute, remember that you're still a child! Don't let some bad dragon trick you. Bring her home so Mommy can vet her for you."
Chen Qianqiu read letter after letter, his feelings complicated.
He could feel Qian Renxue's concern coming through her words, but wasn't this a little too much concern?
And what did she mean, "not allowed to find any little female dragons"? Was he that kind of dragon?
Also, what the hell was this "Mommy" business? Why hadn't that little blondie given up on calling herself that? Where were her manners?
After finally finishing all the letters, Chen Qianqiu sighed.
He wanted to write back, but his dragon claws couldn't hold a pen at all.
With no other choice, he could only summon someone to write for him.
"My lord, please dictate. Your subordinate will write."
The Soul Master respectfully ground the ink and laid out the letter paper.
"Ahem."
Chen Qianqiu cleared his throat and began dictating:
"Xiao Xue, I'm doing well out here. I have food and drink every day, so don't worry."
"Training may be hard, but you have to persevere. Listen to your father and grandfather."
"Lastly, take good care of yourself too. Don't lose weight. Love you."
At this point, Chen Qianqiu paused, feeling uncomfortable all over.
This was too embarrassing!
What kind of outrageous words were these?! Chen Qianqiu could clearly sense the Soul Master writing for him lowering his head further and further as he wrote. He was obviously laughing to himself.
After babbling his way through the letter at last, Chen Qianqiu felt as though a great weight had been lifted.
"Hurry up and deliver it to Spirit City. Give it to Qian Renxue."
"Yes!"
Once the Soul Master left, Chen Qianqiu heaved a heavy sigh.
Before long, Lor Diarra came striding over with a thick booklet in his hand.
"My lord, everything has been compiled. As you requested, all nearby sects and clans have been entered in the register."
"So soon?"
Somewhat surprised, Chen Qianqiu took the booklet and opened it.
It was densely packed with information on the surrounding powers:
Sect names, sizes, key figures, Martial Soul characteristics, and strength levels.
Every detail was included, however minor.
"Well done."
Chen Qianqiu nodded in satisfaction.
He leafed through it quickly, his gaze sweeping rapidly across the pages.
The Snow Horn Sect had the hereditary Martial Soul frost horn deer. Its sect master, Lu Qing, was a rank fifty-nine Soul King. Its overall strength was decent, and it occupied a water source on the wasteland.
The Zhu Clan's strength was unknown. Its Martial Soul was the green bamboo umbrella, and it rarely interacted with the outside world.
The Blunt Edge Alliance recruited students with heavy-weapon Martial Souls such as hammers and axes year-round, and enjoyed considerable prestige throughout Silves.
The Stoneback Rhinoceros Sect excelled at defense. Its sect master, Xi Shoushan, was a renowned expert in the area, a rank sixty-seven Soul Emperor who dominated three water sources.
As expected, the surrounding powers were all fairly small. Most of their leaders were Soul Kings, with the occasional Soul Emperor among them. Aside from their novelty, there was little worth paying attention to.
"Speaking of which, why did you specifically mark the water sources? Is water precious here?"
"Yes, my lord. Water is extremely expensive here. Of course, that doesn't include the water we drink at our current camp."
"Our drinking water is specially transferred from the branch hall in Silves City to the south. The kingdom's royal family there wouldn't dare raise the price."
"??? Fuck, why didn't you say so sooner?"
Chen Qianqiu was one dumbfounded dragon. He was only learning such important information now. Yet although the surroundings were wasteland, they didn't look particularly short of water. Could there be something more to it?
After a few more cursory glances, Chen Qianqiu's gaze stopped on one page.
"The Spirit-Nurturing Sect, a support-type sect?"
Chen Qianqiu raised a brow and looked at Lor Diarra.
"Tell me about it."
Lor Diarra replied:
"My lord, the Spirit-Nurturing Sect is a rather unusual sect."
"Its sect master is named Liu Yan, a rank fifty-eight Soul King. Her Martial Soul is the enhancement-type spirit nurturing pearl."
"Although the sect master's strength isn't particularly outstanding, what merits attention is that the sect accepts members as the sea accepts a hundred rivers."
"Almost everyone in the sect is a support-type Soul Master, and their Martial Souls come in all varieties, including healing, enhancement, and control. Their strength is passable."
He thought for a moment, then added:
"However, because they're all support-type Soul Masters, the sect has always remained lukewarm, surviving in the cracks between other powers. Their circumstances aren't particularly good."
Hearing this, Chen Qianqiu pondered for a while. He had only intended to investigate the surrounding powers, but hadn't expected an unexpected discovery.
Aside from support-type Soul Masters themselves being a major complement to him, this Spirit-Nurturing Sect wasn't like the Clear Sky Sect or other single-Martial Soul sects. Their training model resembled Spirit Hall's, so neither resources nor the right to speak would be monopolized by one family.
That was quite rare.
"My lord, would you like me to take you there? It isn't far."
Reading his expression, Lor Diarra took the initiative to offer.
"Let's go."
What a sect of support-type Soul Masters lacked most was protection.
His strength was formidable now. If he was willing to take them in, they most likely wouldn't refuse.
"Understood. My lord, shall we go now?"
"Yes, let's go."
Chen Qianqiu beat his wings and rose into the air. Lor Diarra immediately activated Martial Soul Possession and followed.
The Spirit-Nurturing Sect.
Chen Qianqiu and Lor Diarra soon reached their destination.
The Spirit-Nurturing Sect's entrance wasn't grand. It was even somewhat plain.
Bluestone steps, a wooden plaque, and the three large characters for "Spirit-Nurturing Sect" hanging above the gateway, their strokes ancient and simple, exuding serenity.
In the Douluo World, where most buildings were Western in style, this had a distinct flavor, making Chen Qianqiu feel a little homesick.
It hadn't disappointed him.
"My lord, this is the place. But it seems someone else has arrived first."
Lor Diarra's words carried a pointed meaning, and Chen Qianqiu followed his gaze.
Dozens of figures with formidable presences were rapidly approaching from another direction, heading straight for the Spirit-Nurturing Sect.
They wore matching fitted black outfits, each embroidered with a blood-red wolf's head emblem on the chest.
Their leader was a burly middle-aged man with a fierce face and ruthless eyes, his entire body radiating a thick killing aura.
"That's..."
Lor Diarra's brows knitted tightly.
"The Silves Kingdom."
This kingdom had received only a handful of mentions in the original story, yet Chen Qianqiu had already heard its name several times.
"I remember Silves being a subordinate kingdom of Heaven Dou?"
"Yes, my lord, you remember correctly. Like the Balak Kingdom, Silves also submits to the Heaven Dou Empire as a subordinate kingdom."
"Interesting. There's no rush. Let's see what happens first."
Chen Qianqiu and Lor Diarra hovered diagonally overhead, quietly watching the developments below.