In the courtyard, the evening breeze drifted gently.
For this lesson, Qian Xunji did not stick rigidly to teaching theory.
Dry knowledge could easily dampen Chuan'er's enthusiasm.
She glanced at Bibi Dong.
This eldest disciple of mine just won't learn, no matter how I teach her. She's beyond help.
Bibi Dong: ?
Why did she feel as though her teacher was looking down on her?
Today, Qian Xunji wanted to use Lin Chuan as teaching material, first learning the detailed characteristics of his Martial Soul and helping him plan for the future.
Then she would give Bibi Dong, who disliked studying, a reminder.
Qian Xunji gently brushed aside her long golden hair.
"Chuan'er, besides healing, what other characteristics can you sense in your Wishing Martial Soul?"
At those words, Bibi Dong, who had been planning to slack off, immediately pricked up her ears, her eyes full of curiosity.
After all, she had Twin Martial Souls too.
Geniuses were lonely.
Now that she had finally met someone like herself, Bibi Dong did feel somewhat close to him.
But if that person became her junior brother and stole their teacher's affection, that would be another story.
Lin Chuan considered the question and replied:
"My Wishing Angel Martial Soul also has a special innate ability."
"By healing others, I can gain Power of Faith, which can speed up the growth of my Soul Power."
"Power of Faith?"
Bibi Dong's little mouth fell open in shock.
She had never heard of a Martial Soul capable of gaining Power of Faith.
Wasn't that a little heaven-defying?
Wasn't that a power related to gods?
After a brief moment of surprise, however, Qian Xunji
did not let the heaven-defying ability go to her head.
"An ability like that should have its limitations too, shouldn't it?"
Lin Chuan marveled inwardly and nodded.
Teacher really is worthy of being the Pope.
He knew that Qian Xunji had not made a wild guess like Yu Xiaogang had when he guessed that Tang San had Twin Martial Souls.
She had relied entirely on her solid foundation in theory.
So he explained:
"The price of this ability is that my usual Soul Power cultivation is much slower."
"Fortunately, I also have another Martial Soul, the Fallen Angel Martial Soul."
"So that side effect is offset somewhat."
Hearing this, Bibi Dong muttered inwardly:
No wonder I absorbed Soul Power much faster than junior brother when I practiced the meditation method in the secret chamber.
After all, Lin Chuan had grasped the meditation method so quickly that his comprehension was even better than hers.
Yet his cultivation speed was slower than hers.
So that was why!
Qian Xunji smiled and summed it up:
"That's equivalent to sacrificing the speed at which you advance through meditation in exchange for another way to increase your Soul Power."
"As long as you make proper use of this method, Chuan'er, you'll definitely be able to increase your Soul Power faster in the future."
"Across the entire Douluo Continent, our Spirit Hall is undoubtedly the best place for you."
At that, Qian Xunji could not help marveling that the Angel God had truly blessed them.
The Wishing Angel's ability was a perfect match for Spirit Hall!
Spirit Hall had numerous Martial Soul Temples and Spirit Hall Branches in both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, with faith spread across the entire continent.
It was the perfect place for Chuan'er to make use of his ability.
But she turned serious again.
"From now on, it's not only your Second Martial Soul, the Fallen Angel, that you must keep secret."
"You must also remember never to reveal the Wishing Angel's ability to gain Power of Faith."
Lin Chuan nodded.
As he saw it, if he wanted to become a god in the future, the path of doing so through faith was unavoidable.
Naturally, he would not reveal the details of his abilities.
At that moment, he also asked a question that had been on his mind.
"Teacher, there's something I don't understand."
"At the awakening ceremony, my Wishing Angel Martial Soul was suppressed by my Fallen Angel Martial Soul. Why was that?"
Bibi Dong was curious too.
"Yes, that's right! Aren't Twin Martial Souls supposed to be equal in quality? Why would one suppress the other?"
Seeing that Lin Chuan knew to think things through, Qian Xunji admired him even more.
She offered a theory.
"Although the two Martial Souls are equal in quality,
"their characteristics are different.
"The Wishing Angel is gentler and more focused on healing, while the Fallen Angel is more aggressive.
"If you compare how oppressive they feel, the Fallen Angel is naturally stronger.
"That's what caused the imbalance when your Martial Souls manifested."
Bibi Dong asked in puzzlement, "Then why doesn't that happen to mine?"
Qian Xunji smiled indulgently. "Your two Martial Souls have very similar attributes, so naturally they can coexist more harmoniously."
Lin Chuan understood.
"Teacher, if I want to hide my Fallen Angel Martial Soul, should I put off absorbing its Soul Rings?"
"So it won't overpower the Wishing Angel Martial Soul?"
Qian Xunji nodded.
"Chuan'er, if you want to hide your Second Martial Soul like Dong'er,
"you'll need to absorb Soul Rings for the Wishing Angel first.
"And to make the most of the characteristics of Twin Martial Souls, it's best to wait until you're capable of absorbing Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings before absorbing Soul Rings for the Fallen Angel."
Lin Chuan nodded.
That was similar to what he had planned.
Although the Fallen Angel was darkness taken to the extreme, it was not an evil Martial Soul.
But to ordinary people, darkness inspired instinctive fear.
If he revealed only his First Martial Soul, the Wishing Angel, to the world, gathering Power of Faith would be more convenient.
Qian Xunji added:
"Once it has Soul Rings to enhance it, the Wishing Angel's power will surpass the Fallen Angel's, and naturally it won't be suppressed.
"But that alone isn't enough.
"Chuan'er, you must strengthen your control over the Fallen Angel in your daily life. You absolutely must not rely entirely on the Wishing Angel's power."
Hearing that, Lin Chuan nodded.
He already had a vague understanding of many of these principles.
But without a foundation in Douluo Continent's Soul Master theory, he would have found it difficult to point them out as clearly as Qian Xunji had.
That was one of the benefits of becoming her disciple.
With an expert to guide him, he could cultivate while standing on the shoulders of giants.
And with memories of his previous life to adjust his future path, why worry that he wouldn't soar?
But Qian Xunji frowned slightly.
There was still one regret.
"It's just that, this way, your Wishing Angel Martial Soul will be stronger than the Fallen Angel in the early stages.
"But once you reach the level of Titled Douluo, the first few Soul Rings of your Wishing Angel Martial Soul will have some trouble keeping up."
Lin Chuan did not think it mattered much.
"Teacher, I plan to choose support and healing types for the first few Soul Rings of my Wishing Angel Martial Soul as much as possible. That way, they'll still be useful in the later stages."
Qian Xunji nodded. "That's one approach."
But Bibi Dong thought something was wrong.
"What if you run into an enemy in the early stages?"
"Your first few Soul Rings would all still be useful later, yes.
"But if you drop dead, you won't have anything."
Hearing that, Qian Xunji frowned.
"Dong'er!
"How old are you two? What are you talking about death for?"
Lin Chuan, however, smiled.
"Teacher, senior sister is just worried about me!
"But I'm not that easy to kill.
"I still have you and senior sister to protect me."
Qian Xunji nodded and thrust out her ample chest.
"Don't worry. With me here, no one can hurt you!"
Bibi Dong gave a delicate huff. "Who wants to protect you?"
Seeing Bibi Dong's tsundere expression,
Lin Chuan could imagine that if anyone tried to attack him,
Bibi Dong definitely would not stand by and watch.
Just then, Lin Chuan suddenly remembered something.
"Teacher, it seems I can use Power of Faith to increase the age of the Soul Rings I add to the Wishing Angel."
Upon hearing that,
before Qian Xunji could speak,
Bibi Dong began to complain:
"Why didn't you say something so important earlier?
"And to think I was worried about you just now. Hmph, protect yourself!"
Qian Xunji was stunned.
Increase the age of a Martial Soul's Soul Rings?
That was something that broke the fundamental laws of the Douluo Continent.
Such things generally only appeared in Divine Examinations!
Normally, a Soul Ring's age stayed the same after it was absorbed!
That was common knowledge!
There was actually a Martial Soul that could increase the age of its Soul Rings?
This Wishing Angel was far too heaven-defying!
But on second thought, Power of Faith was not something ordinary people could collect.
That seemed reasonable enough!
Seen that way, the drawback of slower cultivation through meditation had little impact.
It could be said that the benefits far outweighed the drawbacks.
She cried out three times in her heart: Good, good, good!
Qian Xunji could already foresee the future:
Lin Chuan could develop, harvest Power of Faith, and eventually reach the pinnacle of the continent.
After all, healing Soul Masters were revered, and gaining that reverence was even a little easier for them than for Power Attack System Soul Masters.
When that day came, perhaps even her father, Qian Daoliu, the Great Enshrined, would have to come begging her disciple Chuan'er.
And if he begged Chuan'er, there was no way he could get around her.
At the thought of her father being put in his place before her,
Qian Xunji secretly rejoiced.
Let's see how Father keeps pressuring me to marry then!
Lost in her beautiful fantasy of the future, Qian Xunji even began to stare into space, her face full of smiles.
Lin Chuan was stunned too.
It was the first time he had seen Qian Xunji lose her composure like this.
As a blond older sister, his teacher already had an alluring figure and a noble bearing.
Now that she had set aside the burden of being Pope, her gentle beauty had gained a dreamy, somewhat goofy charm.
In plain terms, she looked more like a normal beauty.
Lin Chuan was not the only one stunned.
Even Bibi Dong was dumbfounded.
She had never seen her teacher like this before.
Sensing her two disciples' gazes,
Qian Xunji abruptly came to her senses.
A faint blush appeared on her fair cheeks.
Oh no, I actually lost my composure in front of the children.
She coughed twice, trying to recover the Pope's dignity, and said:
"In that case, Chuan'er, your first choice for your First Soul Ring should be a healing-type Soul Skill."
"I'll have the elders provide a list of Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest. Tomorrow, we'll go hunt for your First Soul Ring."
Hearing that, Lin Chuan couldn't help getting excited.
Was he finally going to have his First Soul Ring?
It felt great to have a mountain like Spirit Hall at his back.
With a Titled Douluo guarding him, he didn't have to worry about accidents at all.
Meanwhile, Bibi Dong couldn't help chiming in:
"I want to go too! I want to go too!"
She wasn't comfortable leaving Lin Chuan with their teacher.
As she saw it, her cunning little junior brother Lin Chuan needed her watching over him to keep him from causing trouble.
Seeing her eldest disciple like this, Qian Xunji took it to mean that the senior sister wanted to protect her little junior brother.
She couldn't help feeling gratified and said:
"Then we'll all go together."
"Chuan'er, you need to study theory harder during this time. I've already gathered the relevant books."
Qian Xunji then waved her hand, and a small pile of books on theory appeared in the courtyard.
At the sight, Bibi Dong's vision nearly went dark. Could a human really digest a mountain of books like that?
She muttered to herself, Good thing they aren't for me!
Lin Chuan's eyes, however, lit up.
Whatever Qian Xunji could provide was bound to be the best answer in the current version.
He couldn't possibly memorize all that knowledge, either.
But through these books, he could build a broader framework of understanding.
They were the foundation on which he would establish himself on the Douluo Continent in the future.
He put all the books away without hesitation and said:
"Thank you, teacher. I'll be sure to study them diligently."
Qian Xunji felt deeply gratified.
"It's wonderful that you think that way."
"Although our Spirit Hall is the strongest force on the continent, the competition we face is also formidable."
"Being as lopsided in your studies as Dong'er won't do."
"A leader still needs a strategist on the team."
Bibi Dong was quite indignant when she heard that.
"Teacher, are you trying to call me stupid in a roundabout way??"
Qian Xunji was amused and tapped Bibi Dong on the forehead.
"Of course not."
"I'm only saying that you should also learn more theory. That way, your path of cultivation will be smooth, and you won't go astray."
Bibi Dong snorted. "I'm so talented, that would never happen to me."
Lin Chuan couldn't help feeling a head full of black lines.
If things follow the course of the other timeline, that's exactly what happens to you.
At that thought, Lin Chuan couldn't help growing curious.
"Teacher, what other forces can threaten our Spirit Hall now?"
Qian Xunji's smile faded.
As she saw it, there weren't many that could truly threaten Spirit Hall.
But enough ants could bite an elephant to death.
"Right now, apart from our Spirit Hall, the strongest forces are the Upper Three Sects: the Clear Sky Sect, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
"The two great empires don't have many experts, but their armies are large."
"Besides those, there's the mysterious Sea God Island overseas."
"Then there are the places where Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts appear: the Star Dou Great Forest, the Far North..."
"So, although our Spirit Hall appears to be at the height of its glory, we must never let our guard down."
Hearing about these forces, Lin Chuan thought it over to himself.
It's much the same as what I learned from the original work.
Apart from the Pope becoming my gorgeous teacher, nothing else seems to have changed much.
At the mention of these forces, Qian Xunji suddenly remembered something and said:
"Oh, right. After we hunt for the Soul Ring, I'll take you both to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan while we're at it."