"Speaking of which, has our Spirit Hall never considered winning over the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?" Ling Yu tilted his head slightly, a trace of curiosity flashing through his eyes.
"It's not that we don't want to win them over. An intact Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect simply wouldn't accept overtures from any faction."
"The current situation is already the best one for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect." Qian Renxue shook her head, her golden hair slipping gently with the motion.
"True. Their Martial Soul means they can't go far in the long run. If they became subordinate to any major faction, they probably wouldn't even be able to pass down their Martial Soul." Ling Yu rested one hand on the table and stroked his chin, pondering.
A trace of admiration quietly crossed Qian Renxue's eyes, a faint light shimmering in her golden irises.
"It's precisely because the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect exists that so many support-type Soul Masters choose to join them. After all, the sect master's lineage consists of support-type Soul Masters, so they invest more in support types, and there are more avenues for advancement than in Spirit Hall."
"Our Spirit Hall is primarily made up of Battle Soul Masters who respect strength above all else. And in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, they also have more opportunities to pass down their support-type Martial Souls."
"The rules of Martial Soul inheritance really are peculiar. Perhaps many years from now, the continent will have only a handful of Martial Souls of the same caliber left." Ling Yu smiled faintly, his tone gentle.
"This teacher of mine is quite ambitious. After failing in his Soul Tool research, he turned to making the Upper Three Sects into shields in his hands."
"Just as Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo protect the sect, he also wants to make the Clear Sky Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan into shields protecting the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect against Spirit Hall. He's always insisting that the Upper Three Sects are branches of the same tree."
"Little does he know that Spirit Hall has already marked him as its highest priority. If Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo weren't with him all day, and Spirit Hall didn't want to forge an irreconcilable blood feud, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would already have a different sect master." With a soft sigh, Qian Renxue shook her head helplessly.
"Then does our Spirit Hall have any food-type Soul Masters?"
"Food types?" Qian Renxue's brows knitted as she looked at Ling Yu in confusion, seemingly unsure why he would ask that question.
"I just think food types are interesting."
"Hmm? Tell me more." After spending this time with him, Qian Renxue had gradually come to understand roughly what Ling Yu meant by "interesting."
"The food they create is like a single-use, time-limited support Soul Tool. It can heal, provide boosts, or serve as a utility ability."
"A utility ability? What's that?"
"Special practical abilities, like flight, invisibility, or Soul Power recovery. Most importantly, they can be mass-produced, giving a whole group of people several extra Soul Skills."
"The ideal is beautiful, but it's difficult in practice." The corners of Qian Renxue's lips lifted slightly. She was surprised that Ling Yu actually didn't know this common knowledge.
"I'd be glad to hear your teachings, Sister Xue."
At those words, Qian Renxue's golden lashes fluttered, and joy welled up from the bottom of her heart. She tapped her fingertips against the table.
"Food-type Martial Souls are very unusual. They haven't even existed for very long-only around a thousand years."
"Even with high Innate Soul Power, their cultivation is still extremely slow. That's also why I told you not to worry about Innate Soul Power. Innate Soul Power doesn't represent cultivation speed."
"In the past thousand years, the highest recorded food-type Soul Master in history only reached Soul Douluo. The same resources could even nurture two Battle Soul Masters with equivalent talent into Titled Douluos."
"So, generally speaking, only large armies and Soul Hunting groups choose to train a few food types. And those abilities you just mentioned are very difficult to obtain."
"Most food-type Soul Skills only restore stamina, detoxify, or provide boosts by small percentages. They fall far short of pure healing types and support types."
"They also cultivate more slowly than those types. Their only distinguishing feature is what you mentioned: they can mass-produce things for use within a time limit. But that time limit is also very short."
After hearing Qian Renxue's explanation, Ling Yu nodded, a thought stirring in his mind. The most crucial thing about the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid was that it solved the problem of slow cultivation for food types. Even with Oscar's talent, he would have been very old by the time he became a Titled Douluo, if he managed it at all.
"Thank you for the lesson, Sister Xue." The corners of Ling Yu's lips rose before he suddenly began to laugh.
"Why are you laughing like that?" Qian Renxue was surprised.
"I thought of something interesting."
"Would a mushroom Martial Soul count as a plant type or a food type?"
"Your mind wanders all day." Qian Renxue couldn't help chuckling. She lightly covered the corner of her mouth with one hand and raised the other, curling her fingers to tap Ling Yu on the head, a touch of tenderness rippling through her eyes.
"Sister Xue, why exactly were you angry today? Can you tell me?" Seeing that Qian Renxue had relaxed, Ling Yu took the opportunity to ask.
Her expression immediately fell a little.
After a long while, Qian Renxue lightly pressed her thin lips together, her voice so quiet it was almost inaudible. "Xue Ye said he wanted to arrange an engagement for me."
"Huh? But... he..." The corner of Ling Yu's mouth twitched, his expression strange as he fought back laughter. A thought stirred in his mind. Don't laugh. I'll be in trouble if I laugh. No wonder she was so resentful today.
"From which family?"
"Dugu Yan." Qian Renxue turned her face away and secretly gritted her teeth, her tone carrying embarrassment and anger suppressed to the limit.
"Then why did you..."
Qian Renxue instantly turned back, her golden eyes widening slightly and her cheeks puffing out a little, looking both angry and annoyed:
"Do you want me to agree?"
"No." Ling Yu froze, silently thinking, How did the fire spread to me?
"You'd better mean that." Qian Renxue raised a brow, a layer of coldness settling in her eyes before she continued:
"In the end, Xue Xing jumped out and said that the Dugu Family's inherited Martial Soul was the Jade Phosphorous Serpent, and that at this rate, the Heaven Dou Empire might end up with a different inherited Martial Soul. Only then did he shut that old man's mouth."
"He'll probably start looking at other families again after a while. How annoying." Qian Renxue lightly gritted her teeth and clenched a fist, pretending she was about to strike.
"Can't your side do anything? Like arrange someone for a fake marriage?" Although he knew Qian Renxue would reject it, Ling Yu felt it would be better to play along and let her vent.
"Where would we get that many disguise Soul Bones?" Qian Renxue rolled her eyes at Ling Yu.
"Forget it. I won't make things difficult for you. You wouldn't understand even if I told you."
"Then how much longer do you have to stay undercover for this mission?"
Qian Renxue paused. Her long golden hair swayed gently as she tilted her head, and the mark on her forehead flashed with an extremely faint golden gleam in the light. Her formerly distracted expression tightened slightly, all its casualness disappearing in an instant as she looked at Ling Yu seriously:
"Probably many more years. Xue Ye keeps a tight grip on military power and won't let me interfere. The various duchies all harbor their own schemes, too, and he's still in very good health."
"I don't really mind. Cultivating is the same wherever I am, and I've grown used to the identity of Xue Qinghe." Qian Renxue's voice was so light it was almost ethereal, carrying a trace of uncertainty even she hadn't noticed.
"Since you came, though, I've had quite a few more opportunities to speak in my own appearance. Before, I would only occasionally return to my true form in the crown prince's residence or a secret chamber to unwind."
A trace of pity welled up in Ling Yu's heart, though the words "secret chamber" immediately reminded him of her father. A thought stirred in his mind. If Qian Xunji had been a little more normal and found a female Soul Master with a light or fire attribute, perhaps her life would have been wonderful.
"Sister Xue, I'm always here." Ling Yu looked at Qian Renxue, his eyes clear and steadfast. His gaze no longer wavered in the slightest, as though he had settled on something.
Qian Renxue's heart trembled, and she hurriedly averted her gaze.
"I know."
Then she turned to leave. "I have something to do. I'll be going."
"Goodbye, Sister Xue." Ling Yu waved.
"Goodbye." Qian Renxue paused and glanced back slightly. Her golden hair fell, gently concealing her cheeks and hiding the emotions in her eyes. Her steps light and quick, she hurried away.