Qian Xunling Furiously Rebukes Chen Jianjun
Bibi Dong ran back to the small courtyard, completely unaware that someone was following her. As soon as she saw Qian Xunling, she said breathlessly, "Martial Uncle, two people just asked to see you, but I turned them away."
"Turning them away was no use. They're already here."
Qian Xunling picked up his wooden fan and rose from his wooden chair. Without looking at Bibi Dong, he walked straight toward the entrance.
Bibi Dong looked outside the courtyard in surprise, but saw no sign of anyone. When Qian Xunling reached the entrance, however, he said, "You two, now that you've followed her here, stop hiding. How embarrassing for you. Two Titled Douluo playing hide-and-seek with a child?"
Chen Xin and Chen Jianjun each emerged from a tree.
Chen Xin looked somewhat displeased as he glanced at Qian Xunling. To his surprise, however, he couldn't see through Qian Xunling's Soul Power Level. Even his father couldn't see through it.
What was going on with this young man?
Could he be an ordinary civilian?
Chen Jianjun paid no mind to Qian Xunling's words and instead asked, "Are you this little girl's guardian?"
"What if I am?" Qian Xunling asked in return. "And what if I'm not?"
"We mean no harm. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Chen Jianjun, and this is my son, Chen Xin. We're both swordsmen, currently traveling the continent. We're on our way to Spirit Hall and happened to pass through here. When I came across such an extraordinarily gifted little girl, I immediately wanted to take her as my disciple," Chen Jianjun said bluntly.
Qian Xunling chuckled. "Don't you two use swords? Before taking a disciple, shouldn't you first check whether she has a Sword Martial Soul too?"
"That's one consideration, but not the only one. Besides, I think anyone who encountered a rare genius would choose to take her as a disciple." Chen Jianjun looked at Qian Xunling.
Bibi Dong grabbed Qian Xunling's clothes and replied, "Sorry, I already have a teacher. I won't take anyone else as my teacher."
Chen Xin had the strongest reaction to those words. He said, "Little girl, my father is a Level 97 Titled Douluo with few rivals in the world today. If you become his disciple, you'll surely become a Titled Douluo yourself one day. My father and I can both protect you on your path."
But Bibi Dong still shook her head. "No, I only want to stay with Martial Uncle. I don't want either of you as my teacher."
"Little girl..." Chen Xin still wanted to persuade her.
But Chen Jianjun tugged at Chen Xin and shook his head. "Enough. The little girl already belongs to a school, and she's unwilling to change allegiances. Let's not press her any further."
"All... all right." Since his old father had spoken, Chen Xin had no choice but to give up. Even so, he looked at Bibi Dong with some regret. Although he couldn't detect Qian Xunling's Soul Power, he thought that, at Qian Xunling's age, he could be a Soul King at most. How could he possibly be fit to nurture such a genius?
"In that case, we won't trouble you any longer. Please forgive our earlier offense." Chen Jianjun looked at Qian Xunling and gave him a respectful salute, then prepared to leave. But just then, Qian Xunling asked, "You're going to test your swordsmanship against Qian Daoliu, aren't you?"
Chen Jianjun's and Chen Xin's pupils contracted sharply.
The two of them looked Qian Xunling over again.
Chen Jianjun chuckled. "What makes you say that, young master?"
Qian Xunling chuckled. "I heard of you years ago. Sword Douluo, right? You and that hammer-swinging brute Tang Hao have made quite a name for yourselves on the continent. Unfortunately, your talent falls far short of Tang Chen's. He's already become a Limit Douluo, while you're only Level 97."
Seeing the contempt in Qian Xunling's eyes and hearing it in his voice as he spoke of his old father, Chen Xin grew somewhat angry and stared at him. "So what? Even if my father is only Level 97, he has no equal at his level. Even against a Level 98, he wouldn't necessarily lose."
"Young man, you should show proper respect when facing powerful Titled Douluo like us. Otherwise, if you run into another Titled Douluo with a bad temper one day, things won't end well for you."
Qian Xunling smiled and leaned against the entrance, his expression as calm as ever. "That's funny. I actually escaped from an old fellow who was even stronger than you. Oh, what was his name again? That's right, Tang Chen."
"Tang Chen?"
Chen Jianjun looked at Qian Xunling intently. Everything indicated that he wasn't lying, so Chen Jianjun asked again, "You're Qian Xunling, Qian Daoliu's second son, who escaped from Tang Chen two months ago?"
The corners of Qian Xunling's mouth rose slightly as he looked at Chen Xin, whose face showed some chagrin. Qian Xunling laughed aloud. "Well? If I run into someone stronger than you, will things end well for me?"
"Hmph, putting on a show of mystery." Chen Xin offered no further retort.
Even he, or his father for that matter, might not have been able to escape from an enraged Tang Chen, much less summon an Angel God to help before escaping.
The two of them now looked at Qian Xunling with a different attitude.
Chen Jianjun smiled. "Young friend, you've truly surprised us. I never expected to meet you here. Ever since what happened to you two months ago, I've wanted to meet you."
What they really wanted to know, though, was whether Qian Xunling truly possessed that terrifying Soul Ring Configuration.
How could anyone absorb a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring as their First Soul Ring?
It completely overturned the history of Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent.
"Let's not get sidetracked. I don't recommend testing your swordsmanship against my old man, because you'll die." Qian Xunling ignored Chen Jianjun's approving gaze. Instead, he looked at Chen Jianjun with a hint of regret and continued, "My old man probably won't kill you, but if you fight him, you're certain to lose. And his Angel Soul Power has a powerful corroding effect.
"If he seriously injures you, then given your Soul Power Level, you'll certainly die unless you receive treatment in time."
Chen Jianjun remained silent, as did Chen Xin.
Qian Xunling sneered and continued, "Don't ask why I'm telling you this. I met another old fellow before who had such a fine Martial Soul but had gone down the wrong path. I couldn't feel at ease without saying something, so I gave him a few pointers. I feel much the same about you."
Chen Jianjun shook his head slightly, his expression somewhat gloomy. "Ever since I reached Level 95, I've known that every level beyond it is a chasm in the heavens. To tell you the truth, unless I can create a Soul Skill like the Great Sumeru Hammer, as Tang Chen did, I'm afraid I'll remain at Level 97 for the rest of my life.
"But as for the way of the sword, I believe I've already reached the pinnacle of the continent. With my current comprehension, I'm afraid I'll never gain such an insight in this lifetime. So I can only choose a more drastic approach: challenge stronger masters of the sword and gain the insight to take my swordsmanship a step further."
"Father..." Chen Xin had never heard his old father speak so openly from the heart. Concern and heartache for him welled up in Chen Xin.
But just then, Qian Xunling said without the slightest restraint, "Stupid."
"What?" Chen Xin and Chen Jianjun looked at Qian Xunling in confusion, as did Bibi Dong, whose little face had grown distressed as she listened.
Qian Xunling looked at Chen Jianjun impassively. "In my eyes, you're no different from a fool. Do you think that just because my old man holds the Angel Holy Sword, he's a master swordsman? I'm telling you, he's nothing of the sort. He might be far inferior to you, but if you fought him with swords, you'd still lose. Do you know why?
"Because of the difference in your Soul Power Levels. My old man's Soul Power is Level 99, and he also has Angel Soul Power. Even without the Angel Holy Sword, he could beat you with a lousy iron sword."
"So in my eyes, what you're doing is completely idiotic. Going there would be nothing but throwing your life away."