"Antiques..."
Qian Daoliu was a little dazed when he heard the word antiques, but on closer thought, twenty thousand years had passed since Spirit Hall's time. That was normal enough, though it still felt strange.
"Then sorry for the trouble, Heavenly Phoenix Douluo."
"If you would like Soul Spirits, Your Excellency Angel Douluo, I can also pay for them in advance and deduct the cost after exchanging your Federation Coins."
"No problem."
Still, he smiled and nodded to show his agreement. After all, he was securing reasonable benefits for himself, so there was nothing wrong with that.
At the same time, he marveled that this rare female Peerless Douluo certainly had some tricks up her sleeve. Qiangu Dongfeng gave Leng Yaozhu a surprised look, never expecting her to win Angel Douluo's goodwill the moment she made a move.
And she had started with something as inconspicuous as exchanging Federation Coins. As expected of the woman I have my eye on. She really is outstanding.
Qiangu Dongfeng had actually been pursuing her all along. Unfortunately, she had no interest in him whatsoever. Still, he would never let romantic matters affect his career. Qiangu Dongfeng had married when it was time to marry, and after his wife passed away, he continued pursuing Leng Yaozhu. Now even his grandson was almost sixteen.
All of this was Qiangu Dongfeng's personal history, but the most important matter right now was this Angel Douluo, Qian Daoliu.
If he could make him owe him a favor, he would finally have a counterweight to the Holy Spirit Cult. Of course, Qiangu Dongfeng had also considered contacting Yue Zhengen, the Angel Douluo of the southern Angel Legion.
He was also a demigod-level Limit Douluo, but his Martial Soul was only the Holy Angel, far inferior to the Six-Winged Angel. Yue Zhengen's combat strength was not top-tier among demigods.
At the very least, Qiangu Dongfeng himself could defeat Yue Zhengen. Against the Holy Spirit Cult, the most Yue Zhengen could do in single combat was defeat Dark Blood Demon. Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui, as well as Ghost Emperor and Underworld Emperor, were certainly out of the question.
The latter two were both Quasi-Gods. That was why Qiangu Dongfeng was so attentive toward Qian Daoliu. His combat strength was plain for all to see.
Meanwhile, Qian Daoliu was choosing Soul Spirits for his disciple and granddaughter on the tablet. He soon settled on two Light Unicorns possessing the rare sacred attribute.
Both had hundred-year cultivation, one six hundred years and the other four hundred years. After choosing, Qian Daoliu pushed the tablet back and said:
"These two, then. Sorry for the trouble, Pagoda Master Qiangu."
"All right, no problem. I'll have someone fetch them right away."
Under Qiangu Dongfeng's arrangements, staff brought over two Soul Spirit Balls in just five minutes and placed them on the table.
"So these are Soul Spirits?"
Light Feather Douluo leaned over the back of the sofa, curiously examining the two little balls on the table. Each ball was half transparent and half opaque. Through them, Spirit Hall's group saw two little white horses resting quietly inside.
"Everyone, let me explain the precautions for absorbing Soul Spirits. First, your spiritual power must meet the requirement. To absorb a Hundred-Year Soul Spirit, you need at least ten points of Spirit Origin Realm spiritual power. A Thousand-Year Soul Spirit requires one hundred points of Spirit Connection Realm spiritual power. The requirements for ten-thousand-year and hundred-thousand-year Soul Spirits follow the same progression."
"As for spiritual power realms, one to ninety-nine points is the Spirit Origin Realm, one hundred to four hundred ninety-nine is the Spirit Connection Realm, and five hundred to five thousand is the Spirit Sea Realm. Beyond that, below twenty thousand is the Spirit Abyss Realm, above twenty thousand and below fifty thousand is the Spirit Domain Realm, and finally, above fifty thousand is the Divine Origin Realm."
Qiangu Dongfeng explained how this era classified spiritual power realms, and the many enshrined elders listened carefully. After all, this concerned Qian Renxue's absorption of a Soul Spirit. They could not afford any carelessness.
"When absorbing a Soul Spirit, you have twenty-four hours after opening the Soul Spirit Ball. If you haven't absorbed it within those twenty-four hours, the Soul Spirit will dissipate. Please keep that in mind."
After hearing Qiangu Dongfeng's explanation, Qian Daoliu picked up the six-hundred-year Light Unicorn Soul Spirit and examined it closely, checking it over as well. This concerned his granddaughter, so he certainly had to inspect it.
This was wariness toward something unfamiliar. Afterward, Qiangu Dongfeng prepared a quiet room for Qian Renxue.
Under Qiangu Dongfeng's guidance, Qian Renxue began trying to absorb the Soul Spirit, with Qian Daoliu watching beside her.
To avoid disturbing Qian Renxue's absorption, the many enshrined elders took Ye Guyi outside and watched from there.
There was no need to worry that the Spirit Pagoda had tampered with this Soul Spirit. Qian Daoliu had already checked it. But if the Spirit Pagoda really had tampered with Qian Renxue's Soul Spirit, they would face Spirit Hall's frenzied retaliation.
Especially a crazed Qian Daoliu. Perhaps even Bibi Dong would act. As the Spirit Pagoda's master, Qiangu Dongfeng could not possibly be that stupid, so there was absolutely no need to worry.
While Qian Renxue was absorbing her Soul Spirit, elsewhere, Lin Huan, the God of Games, arrived in the Martial Soul Realm and also saw that Qian Daoliu's group had gone to the Douluo Realm.
He did not care, however, because he had caught the scent of amusement! Lin Huan headed toward a certain spot in the Martial Soul Realm and finally landed in a small village.
And this village was called... Holy Soul Village!
"Where are you?! Where the hell have you gone now?! Tang Zhaodi! Get your ass back here and cook for me!"
Just then, a furious roar came from a little wooden house. Lin Huan slowly settled above its roof, and a little girl in ragged clothes riddled with holes came running down from halfway up the mountain.
"I'm sorry, Father. I was practicing..."
The little girl pushed the door open fearfully, looking cautiously at the burly man inside who reeked of alcohol.
"Practicing? Practicing my ass! You little bastard, hurry up and get back here to cook! I'm starving to death!"
With a coarse roar, a wine jar flew out and smashed beside the little girl's feet. Flying pottery shards cut her, and beads of blood seeped out.
"Yes... Father..."
The little girl lowered her head in fear, then went to the kitchen and deftly lit the fire to cook. As she cooked, the cloth bandages over her injuries were exposed. They looked like strips torn from ragged clothes and tied around her arms as makeshift bandages.
Clearly, this was not the first time the little girl had suffered domestic abuse. Lin Huan sat on the wooden house's roof, quietly watching the pitiful little girl.
The little girl's name was Tang Zhaodi, a name her father had given her. Of course, she had another name, Tang Shan. That was her true name.
And her father was none other than Tang Hao. Yes, the very Tang Hao whom Lin Huan had killed six years ago. He had also been resurrected and was now a rank-ninety-two Titled Douluo, with only his earliest memories.
Tang Shan's situation worked on exactly the same principle as Huo Yutong's. After all, Tang San himself was still in the Divine Realm. Surely he could not resurrect another Tang San? So this time, he had also made a parody version, little Tang Shan.
This was an entirely new soul, completely and utterly a girl. He was already looking forward to the scene when Tang San and Tang Shan met.
Also, this Little Scumbag seemed pretty tender after being turned into a girl. Not bad, not bad. Once I capture Tang San alive, I'll throw him into Qiankun Asking Love Valley for a sex change, then fuck him ten million times!
"Transmigrating into Douluo and Catching Feelings for Tang San"
Watching the little blue-haired girl standing on a stool to cook in the kitchen, Lin Huan suddenly realized that Little Scumbag seemed to be the tenderest of them all.
So Huo Yuhao and Tang San are both this tender when gender-swapped. Speaking of which, what about Yu Xiaogang?
He, Lin Huan, had read plenty of Douluo fanfiction on Q Reading. Unfortunately... he had never found a single-heroine Zhao Wuji fanfic or a single-heroine Bu Le fanfic. What a pity.
Then there were single-heroine Xiong Jun fanfics for Douluo II, single-heroine Guang Long fanfics for Douluo Dalu III: The Legend of the Dragon King, and single-heroine Qian Lei fanfics for Douluo IV. What a terrible pity.
Don't you think those few actually have a certain charm? Especially Grandmaster Slutty Gang. Ahem, back to the subject. I'm only joking.
Tang Shan's current circumstances were not good. Not only had her name become Tang Zhaodi, but Tang Hao also seemed to be abusing her.
Hey! I just noticed something. The "di" in Tang Zhaodi has the female radical, doesn't it? Then would what she "beckons" be a femboy?
Ahem, seriously speaking, Tang Shan was having an especially hard time because she was a girl. Tang Hao was a textbook old feudal bastard who believed daughters ultimately belonged to someone else's family.
One only had to look at the Clear Sky Sect to see that. Take Tang Yuehua, for instance. She had opened Moonlight Pavilion and worked in the public eye to support the entire Clear Sky Sect.
Yet not one person within the Clear Sky Sect respected her. They all thought she was merely a woman and disregarded her.
Tang Hao was the same. Ever since Ah Yin's death, he had spent his days drinking heavily, and he utterly detested this Tang Shan.
He believed her birth had exposed Ah Yin's Soul Beast presence, bringing Spirit Hall's people after them.
If the child had been a boy, that would have been one thing, but she just had to be a girl. What a jinx! That was why Tang Hao abused her.
There was also the fact that Tang Hao had long since noticed that this daughter of his seemed no longer to be his daughter.
Every day, this Tang Shan went to the mountain behind the village to practice. There was some technique that turned her eyes purple, one that turned her hands to jade, using Qi to draw objects toward her, strange footwork, and a bizarre cultivation method she could practice despite not having awakened her Martial Soul.
All these strange things clearly indicated that this daughter was no longer his daughter. If she were his own daughter, Tang Hao would at most keep her from starving to death. After all, she was his own flesh and blood.
But if she was a monster that had possessed his daughter, there was nothing more to say. The reason Tang Hao had not immediately killed this Tang Shan was that he wanted something to vent on and torment.
Soon, a pot of thin rice porridge with wild greens was ready. Tang Shan cautiously approached the doorway and said:
"Father... breakfast is ready."
Hearing this, Tang Hao finally rose from his wooden chair and let out a long breath. An overpowering stench of alcohol wafted out. He slowly walked out of the room without so much as glancing at Tang Shan, picked up the pot, and began eating straight from it, with absolutely no intention of leaving her any.
Tang Shan's stomach was already growling, and hunger had reduced her to little more than skin and bones. Still, she said nothing, merely standing to one side with her head lowered, not daring to look at Tang Hao.
Soon, the pot of thin rice porridge with wild greens had been eaten clean. Tang Hao headed back to his room, but just then, Tang Shan ventured:
"Father... Grandpa Jack said the Spirit Hall deacon responsible for awakening Martial Souls is coming to Holy Soul Village... may I go awaken my Martial Soul?"
As her words fell, Tang Hao abruptly stopped and whipped his head around to look at Tang Shan, his eyes filled with icy killing intent.
That almost tangible killing intent enveloped her, making her legs tremble. She immediately crouched down and covered her head.
Bang!
A tremendous crash rang throughout the wooden house. Then the iron pot came flying over, grazing Tang Shan's head as it passed and slammed into the wooden wall.
The wooden wall was smashed through, and the iron pot was instantly ruined. Then came Tang Hao's furious roar.
"Get out! You jinx! If you dare awaken your Martial Soul, I'll kill you!"
Faced with the raging Tang Hao, Tang Shan ran out of the wooden house in panic, fleeing toward the mountain behind the village. Watching her run away, Tang Hao snorted coldly, then withdrew his gaze and went back to sleep.
He was not worried about Tang Zhaodi escaping. After all, he was a Titled Douluo. How could a piece of trash who was not even a One-Ring Soul Master possibly escape his grasp?
Meanwhile, Tang Shan raced through the woods, finally stopping at the foot of the mountain behind the village where she often practiced.
Images of Tang Hao's repeated abuse over the years flashed through her mind. She clenched her teeth, her eyes brimming with tears.
In her previous life, she had been a child taken in by the Bashu Tang Sect. She had never experienced familial affection, only the sect's ruthlessness and cold blood, like a cold-blooded assassin.
Now, in her second life, she had a father but no mother. She treasured this familial bond dearly, yet this father constantly abused her.
Grrr!
Just then, her stomach protested. Clearly hungry, Tang Shan could only wipe away her tears and head up the mountain to find wild fruit or leaves to chew on.
While Tang Shan was climbing a tree to pick leaves and unripe green fruit, she suddenly spotted a figure.
She instinctively looked over and saw an exceptionally handsome man dressed in luxurious clothes, his face as beautiful as a banished immortal's. He looked as though he belonged to an entirely different art style from the villagers she had seen in Holy Soul Village.
"Little girl, are you from a nearby village?"
The man not far away gave a gentle smile. He was the best-looking member of the opposite sex Tang Shan had ever seen, and she could not help feeling favorably toward him. At the same time, she considered that his luxurious clothes marked him as someone from a wealthy family. He must be a powerful Soul Master. She immediately climbed slowly down from the tree.
"Hello, I'm a villager from Holy Soul Village. My name is Tang Shan... my name is Tang Zhaodi... may I ask what you need?"
"Nothing. I just happened to be passing through and asked out of curiosity."
Grrr...
As the two chatted, an ill-timed sound rang out. There it was! A rules horror tale's... inevitable event when a down-and-out supporting heroine met the male lead!
Huo Yutong's fall, and Tang Shan's growling stomach!
Tang Shan's face immediately flushed red, and she covered her stomach in embarrassment. She could not control it. Watching her predicament, Lin Huan turned his hand over, and a plate of chicken wishbones appeared.
"Hungry? I've got food here."
As the chicken wishbones appeared, an irresistibly enticing aroma swept over her. The instant Tang Shan smelled it, her body began trembling. She stared at the chicken wishbones before her, her eyes filled with longing.
Every cell in her body craved that plate of food. Her reason was steadily wearing away, and saliva dribbled from the corner of her mouth. She swallowed and asked cautiously:
"Are they really for me?"
"Yes, eat. I've got plenty more."
Lin Huan held out the chicken wishbones. Only after receiving his confirmation did Tang Shan reach out and pick one up. She opened her mouth and bit down. The instant she ate it, she froze.