Just then, footsteps sounded outside the hall.
A childish voice followed.
"Grandpa, Dad."
Qian Daoliu turned to look, a smile spreading across his face.
"Xue'er? It's so late. Why did you come up here?"
Qian Renxue walked into the hall and looked up at him. "I missed you, Grandpa."
Qian Daoliu smiled and patted her head. "You little girl."
"By the way, what do you think of the teacher I found for you?"
Qian Renxue answered without hesitation. "He's great."
Qian Xunji frowned. "Xue'er?"
"Didn't you tell me before that you didn't like the teacher Grandpa found for you? You asked me to tell Grandpa not to let him keep teaching you."
Qian Renxue's cheeks reddened slightly. "That was before."
Qian Xunji was even more puzzled. "You didn't like him before, so why do you like him now?"
Qian Renxue thought for a moment, then said earnestly, "Because at first, I thought he wasn't much use and couldn't help me, so I didn't like him."
"But after this past half month, I realized I was wrong."
"Whether it's about cultivation or anything else, no matter what I ask him, he has an answer."
"And he knows so much!"
As she spoke, a hint of admiration appeared in Qian Renxue's eyes.
"Dad, did you know? Teacher knows about Martial Souls, Soul Rings, and Soul Power. He even knows about things we've never heard of."
Qian Xunji and Qian Daoliu exchanged a glance.
Neither of them spoke.
Just then, Qian Renxue seemed to remember something, and her eyes lit up.
"Oh, right!"
She raised her right arm, revealing a strange device shaped like a bracer.
The device was silver-white all over, with intricate lines engraved on its surface and a dark muzzle at the front.
Qian Xunji looked at it in confusion. "Xue'er, what are you wearing on your arm?"
Qian Renxue smiled, raised her arm, and pointed the muzzle at him.
"Dad, watch out."
Qian Xunji: "?"
Before he could react, Qian Renxue had already channeled her Soul Power into the bracer.
Buzz!
The lines on the bracer lit up one after another.
Then a deep hum came from inside the device as a stream of pure holy energy rapidly gathered and was compressed at the muzzle.
The next instant, a golden ray erupted!
It was so fast that it reached him almost in an instant!
Qian Xunji's expression shifted slightly, and he raised a hand to release his Soul Power.
Golden light spread out in front of him and firmly blocked the ray.
Boom!
The energies collided with a muffled crash.
When the light faded, Qian Xunji glanced down at his palm, surprise appearing in his eyes.
"What is that thing?"
The ray hadn't contained much energy, but its power had been comparable to a full-strength strike from an ordinary Soul Elder using a Thousand-Year Soul Skill.
Qian Renxue lowered her arm and said with a bright smile, "It's a Soul Tool Teacher taught me to make!"
"A Soul Tool?!"
Qian Daoliu's and Qian Xunji's expressions changed instantly.
Qian Xunji stared intently at the device on Qian Renxue's arm. "Xue'er, you said An Yi taught you to make this?"
Qian Renxue nodded. "That's right."
"I've been working on it for almost half a month. Teacher taught me bit by bit, and I did everything myself, from preparing the materials at the start to engraving the Soul Guidance Array afterward."
"Teacher said it works by compressing my own Soul Power through the Core Array and then releasing it through the muzzle. Its effective range can reach a hundred meters."
"And this is only the simplest kind of Soul Tool."
"Teacher said this Soul Guidance Array isn't complicated, so it wasn't especially difficult to learn. If I'm interested, he can teach me to make more complicated Soul Tools."
The more Qian Xunji heard, the graver his expression became.
The method of making Soul Tools had long been lost on the Douluo Continent.
Over the years, Spirit Hall had poured untold amounts of manpower and resources into regaining Soul Tool technology.
But whether they collected ancient texts or sent people everywhere in search of related inheritances, they had ultimately found nothing.
Now, An Yi not only possessed the technology to make Soul Tools, but had even taught Qian Renxue to make an offensive Soul Tool capable of practical combat in half a month!
What did that mean?
It meant this wasn't some ancient relic discovered by chance, but a system of technology that could be understood, learned, and even developed further!
Qian Daoliu realized it as well. His gaze settled on the bracer in Qian Renxue's hand, and for a long time, he didn't look away.
Qian Renxue continued her enthusiastic explanation.
"But Teacher said engraving Soul Guidance Arrays requires a lot of Spiritual Power. Mine isn't strong enough yet, so I can only make simple Soul Tools like this."
"To make more powerful Soul Tools, I have to improve my Spiritual Power first and learn more."
At that, she scratched her head in embarrassment.
"So I can't make anything more powerful yet."
But Qian Xunji and Qian Daoliu were no longer paying attention to the rest of what she said.
They exchanged a glance, each seeing shock in the other's eyes.
Soul Tools! Soul Tools that could be made independently!
And clearly, An Yi knew more than just the bare basics.
Otherwise, he couldn't have taught Qian Renxue to make an offensive device like this in just half a month.
Just what was An Yi's background...?
After a moment of silence, Qian Xunji suddenly turned to Qian Daoliu.
"Father, didn't you ask about him before you brought him back?"
Qian Daoliu glanced at him. "I did."
"Then what did he say?"
"He said he came from overseas, but he wasn't willing to say anything more."
Qian Xunji's brow furrowed tightly. "And you let him stay in Spirit Hall just like that?"
"What else?" Qian Daoliu asked flatly.
"Should I have tied him up and forced him to tell me where he came from?"
For a moment, Qian Xunji had no reply.
Just then, Qian Renxue spoke up from the side.
"Oh, right, Grandpa, Dad, Teacher told me something else."
Qian Daoliu asked, "What is it?"
"He said he met Mom more than ten years ago."
At those words, Qian Daoliu and Qian Xunji both turned to look at her.
Qian Renxue didn't notice the change in their expressions and continued:
"Teacher also said Mom used to be warm, lively, and gentle."
"He said that back then, Mom was the best person he'd ever met."
The hall fell silent.
Qian Xunji's expression gradually darkened. "He's only eighteen this year. More than ten years ago, he would have been five or six. How could he have known Bibi Dong?"
"Could she have met him at sea when she went on the expedition to Sea God Island?"
Qian Daoliu pondered for a moment, then turned to Qian Renxue. "Xue'er, find a chance to ask him again exactly how he met your mother."
Qian Renxue blinked. "Okay."
Qian Daoliu waved a hand. "It's getting late. Go back and get some rest."
"Grandpa, I'll be going, then."
Qian Renxue nodded obediently, then turned and left the hall.
Only when she had disappeared from sight did the smile slowly fade from Qian Daoliu's face. He looked toward the hall doors, his brow tightly furrowed.
Things were likely to become troublesome.
Qian Xunji noticed the change in his father's expression. After hesitating for a moment, he couldn't help asking:
"Father, are you worried about Bibi Dong?"
Qian Daoliu turned to him. "What do you think?"
Qian Xunji fell silent.
Qian Daoliu snorted coldly. "There were countless ways to resolve that matter back then, but you had to choose the most foolish and shameless one!"
"Do you have any idea how much humiliation your actions brought upon the Angel Clan?"
Qian Xunji looked a little embarrassed. "Father, it's been so many years. She should have let it go by now."
"Let it go?" Qian Daoliu looked as though he'd heard a joke.
"Can't you see how she's treated Xue'er all these years?"
"Her own daughter stands right in front of her, yet she won't even give her the care a mother should."
"Do you think she's let it go or not?"
Qian Xunji opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"Father, about this..."
"Enough! I don't want to talk to you about it anymore!"