"This king... seven days from now, come out and cooperate. Follow instructions."
With no one else around, Jing Shanshan let out a long breath.
Qian Renxue thought it over. With the Shadow Doll Puppet Martial Soul, cooperating would not be a problem.
Then she thought about her time playing Xue Qinghe, prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, and what kind of subordinate she most wanted when she occupied that lofty position.
"All right."
A subordinate who asked no questions, got straight to work, and completed the task perfectly.
Qian Renxue immediately noticed Jing Shanshan relax as though a great trouble had been resolved. Her thoughts shifted slightly, and she ventured a question.
"My king... there's something I want to do. Could I have a body to move around in temporarily, like back at Spirit Hall's central library?"
"Speak."
Giving sensible subordinates their due rewards was a king's duty. In a good mood, Jing Shanshan spoke.
Qian Renxue was not particularly surprised, and her tone was calm.
"I would like you to visit Heaven Dou City, the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire. There are some things I want to handle there."
Jing Shanshan raised an eyebrow.
"What things?"
Qian Renxue fell silent for a moment, her tone distinctly cautious.
"They concern Prince Xue Qinghe. My king, do you want to know about these... future events?"
"The future? No need! Knowing a future that is already known would only make this king's life dull!"
Jing Shanshan's answer was exactly what Qian Renxue had expected!
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. Today was the day Jing Shanshan would obtain his first Soul Ring!
Jing Shanshan changed into the clean little white robe his parents had carefully prepared. His blond hair had been combed neatly, but the more he looked at this good little boy's bowl cut, the more everything about it felt wrong.
He wet his right hand in the little river by the road. Facing his reflection, he raised his hand, spread his fingers, casually plunged them into his hair, and swept it back from front to back.
The neatly arranged bowl cut slipped between his fingers, its golden strands swept backward. Even as the breeze brushed them, each strand remained standing back, as though some invisible force held his hair in place.
The wisps hanging over his forehead vanished, leaving only a sharply defined face and a pair of eyes brimming with majesty.
"Now this brings out this king's bearing! One glance tells you that someone with this hairstyle is full of power!"
Beside him, Qian Renxue, who was controlling the Shadow Doll Puppet, blinked. She wanted to say something but did not, and finally carefully checked whether the bronze-colored mask on her face was secure.
The instant the mask touched her face, an icy chill spread out. None of the occasional morning passersby thought there was anything strange or out of place about this child wearing a bronze-colored mask!
The sacred bearing surrounding Qian Renxue immediately changed, swiftly becoming the bearing of an ordinary, well-behaved six-year-old child from a poor family.
She set off first and arrived at the entrance to Spirit Hall headquarters. At first glance, she saw Hu Liena's group of three waiting there, along with three six-year-old children.
Hu Liena wore a practical, close-fitting outfit today, her long hair tied into a high ponytail and a Spirit Hall Academy token hanging at her waist. Yan stood to her left with his arms folded, while Xie Yue leaned against a gatepost, his hair short and black, his calm gaze sweeping over.
A trace of complicated feeling flashed through Qian Renxue's eyes before her expression returned to what was appropriate for the child she was now playing.
"Shi Lang, you're here."
Seeing the masked Qian Renxue, Hu Liena immediately smiled like a gentle older sister from next door. She hurried over and took Qian Renxue's hand.
"Uh, good morning, big sister."
Hu Liena was clearly younger than her, yet now she had to call Hu Liena big sister.
An indescribable awkwardness kept surfacing in Qian Renxue's heart, a tangle she could not straighten out!
"Who are these people?"
"Shi Lang," Qian Renxue, looked curiously at the two boys and one girl standing on the steps.
Hu Liena followed Qian Renxue's gaze and introduced them as a matter of course.
"These three are students newly admitted to Spirit Hall Academy this year. Their names are Zhou Ding, Chen Feng, and Liu Yaya. All three are very talented, and they've all just reached rank ten. They'll be coming along with us to the Star Dou Great Forest this time, so we can also find suitable Soul Rings for them along the way."
Afterward, Hu Liena introduced the three in turn.
Zhou Ding stood at the front. He was a boy a size sturdier than his peers, with thick eyebrows and large eyes. His chin was slightly raised, his arms folded across his chest, and his whole body exuded an air of "I'm strong."
His Martial Soul was the Great Strength Vajra Bear, and his Innate Soul Power was rank nine, placing him among the top five of Spirit Hall Academy's new students this year.
The little boy with gloomy eyes, downturned lips, and both hands tucked into his sleeves was called Chen Feng.
His Martial Soul was the Shadow Dagger, and his Innate Soul Power was rank eight. He excelled at speed and assassination, and had defeated several opponents with higher Soul Power than his in the new student tournament.
The girl with twin ponytails was Liu Yaya. She had a round face and almond-shaped eyes and looked well-behaved, but her chin was likewise slightly raised. Her gaze lingered for a moment on the mask on "Shi Lang's" face, then moved to his shabby commoner's clothes, revealing a trace of undisguised disdain.
Her Martial Soul was the Jade Flute, and her Innate Soul Power was rank ten. Her Martial Soul belonged to the rare sound-wave control type. Although her current combat strength was not especially high, neither Zhou Ding nor Chen Feng dared claim they could certainly beat her in a real fight.
After learning this, Qian Renxue could only say they had some grounds for pride.
But compared with Jing Shanshan, the arrogance these children displayed was a great shaman meeting a lesser one.
Hopefully, Jing Shanshan would not belittle them so badly later that their Dao hearts shattered.
The three had been talking quietly about something. Hearing Qian Renxue's greeting, they all turned their gazes to her.
Zhou Ding frowned first, a trace of impatience and jealousy in his voice.
"You're the genius Lady Hu Liena mentioned?"
Beneath the mask, Qian Renxue opened her mouth. She could already imagine this child's fate. She wanted to offer some advice, but finally closed her mouth and silently mourned him for three seconds.
"Zhou Ding! Didn't we agree you'd get along?"
Hearing the slight reprimand in Hu Liena's voice, Zhou Ding's little face reddened, and he nodded sheepishly.
"I'm sorry, Lady Hu Liena!"
Liu Yaya, with her twin ponytails, trotted over to Hu Liena, hugged her leg, and spoke in a wheedling voice.
"Big sister, is everyone here now?"
At some point, Chen Feng had also come to Hu Liena's side. He lowered his head shyly and clutched the hem of her clothes without a word.
Neither Yan nor Xie Yue had the slightest objection to Hu Liena being so popular with the children.
"There's still one more. Let's wait a little longer."
Hu Liena answered, glancing toward the entrance to Spirit Hall headquarters.
The three children's faces darkened almost simultaneously.
One more?
Who were the three of them? The cream of Spirit Hall Academy's new students this year, geniuses their teachers held in the palms of their hands and praised, the next Golden Generation!
Hu Liena, Yan, and Xie Yue were the most dazzling members of the Golden Generation. Waiting for those three was one thing.
But Hu Liena had said there was still "a child who only awakened recently"?
Making them, the future Golden Generation, wait?
Did this person not care about his first Soul Ring?!
The corner of Zhou Ding's mouth twitched, and he exchanged a glance with the other two.
Chen Feng narrowed his eyes, while the corner of Liu Ya's mouth lifted, signaling that she understood Zhou Ding's meaning.
Leaning against a gatepost, Yan took in every little move the three children made. He gave a derisive chuckle and said nothing.
Xie Yue stood to one side, his calm gaze sweeping over the three, and said nothing either.
Hu Liena was looking down and talking to "Shi Lang," played by Qian Renxue, pretending not to notice.
Just then, footsteps came from the street beside Spirit Hall headquarters.
Neither hurried nor slow, the interval between every step was identical, as though measured with a ruler.
All three children turned their heads at once.
A blond child walked toward them from the end of the street.